Songlines

Launched in 1999, Songlines is the leading magazine covering traditional, contemporary, folk and fusion music from around the world. Each edition is packed with the latest album reviews, artist interviews, festival profiles and travel adventures from every corner of the globe. Music is about culture, politics, history and the environment and Songlines is your essential guide to it all.

If you’re new to Songlines, download our Aug/Sept 2014 issue (#102) for free. Features include an interview with Afrobeat pioneers Tony Allen & Orlando Julius, as they both celebrate 50-year careers with new albums.

There is also an interview with Scottish author, avid music consumer and vinyl addict Ian Rankin, who speaks to Jo Frost (Songlines editor) about how he’s always willing to take a punt on new music, especially if there’s a good story behind it.

Also featured in the trial issue: a feature on Israeli musician Idan Raichel and his collaboration with Malian musician Vieux Farka Touré; Malian jeli singer Kassé Mady Diabaté; and violinists Anna Phoebe and Jyotsna Srikanth. We also pick our Essential 10 Afrobeat albums that you must own, plus Chris Moss provides a Beginner’s Guide to salsa superstar Rubén Blades.

The June 2023 issue (#188) of Songlines is out now and it’s full to the brim with the best music happening across the world. We take a deep dive into the ‘fearless future of folk’ with Lankum, Angeline Morrison, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Jim Ghedi and so many other names you need to keep an eye on. We head to Kidal in the Malian desert to find out about Tinariwen’s fractious relationship with their hometown. We speak to Gao Hong & Kadialy Kouyate about their new collaboration, get the lowdown from mischievous Estonian duo Puuluup, and find out why Kaushiki Chakraborty is the first Indian classical artist to sell out the Barbican since Ravi Shankar. We also announce the winners of this year’s Songlines Music Awards and survey the summer for our UK Festival Guide. Our My World interviewee is James Acaster, who tells us how he gave up music for comedy, before reigniting his first love with a new project. We also have Kayhan Kalhor & Toumani Diabaté, Silvana Estrada, Meral Polat, Mokoomba, Béla Fleck, Ricardo Dias Gomes, a dispatch from Austin, USA, and the usual news, listings, reviews and competitions in another bumper issue, which as always comes with our accompanying compilation (CD/digital) featuring ten tracks from the best new music releases along with five bonus selections.