The ‘brave and exotic experiment’ (All Music Guide) of the Gotan Project continues with a thrilling new release from its two founding members. Sumptuous Latin lounge meets bold tango and brooding guitar on an album inspired by the romance and myth of the gauchos: cowboys and ranchmen of the Pampas. Sung by the legendary Daniel Melingo and interspersed with live field recordings from dusty rodeos, the music ventures further afield from the Gotan Project’s beloved tango to Milonga, Zamba and other gutsy rhythms that speak of a timeless – sometimes festive, sometimes austere – rural Argentina.This beautifully packaged disc includes a bonus CD-ROM with footage from the film El Gaucho, plus a pop-up scene of wranglers and horsemen in action that unfolds before your eyes as the cardboard case is opened! A must for Gotan Project fans.

Master percussionist Steve Shehan is a member of the acclaimed Hadouk Trio and has performed with Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Carla Bruni, and Rokia Traoré. Born in the United States of a Cherokee father and a French mother, this composer has led a most unusual career and music for him is a means for people to communicate, whatever their language, their culture and their religion. In collaboration with oud player and vocalist Nabil Baly Othmani (a Tuareg nomad), Shehan has crafted a shimmering vision quest of an album; a subtle and downtempo blend of oud, vocals and chilled percussion, ranging in style from Middle Eastern and African to shamanic and even electronic. Like French composer Armand Amar, Shehan employs a heady mix of exotic instruments, including duduk, banjo and angklung.

French/West Indian singer-songwriter David Walters has opened in concert for Lenny Kravitz, Tracy Chapman and Jamiroquai, a testament to his soulful style. Singing in English and French, Walters explores reggae, Latin and hip-hop influences with a mischievous smile and a tip of his hat! The title track of his new album, 'Home', features Nigerian songstress Asa in a sunny pop duet bound to appeal to fans of Ben Harper and Manu Chao. Listen to the undeniably funky single, ‘Same Song’, on David’s myspace.

This vibrant, colourful collection of Bollywood dance music features the king of Punjabi pop, Daler Mehndi, who toured Australia in July 2009. Australia will soon be in the grips of Bollywood fever thanks to a slew of exciting Indian touring artists: The Merchants of Bollywood at the Melbourne Arts Centre, A.R. Rahman (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) at Sydney Festival, and even Ravi and Anoushka Shankar. These musical jewels traverse a variety of Indian styles from Bhangra to pop, boasting a star-studded lineup of the biggest names in Bollywood. Combining traditional and modern instruments, the tracks are bursting with infectious dance rhythms and lush, bewitching melodies. An excellent introduction to one of the world's most lively, kaleidoscopic genres.

The Volga Boatmen, Kalinka, Black Eyes, Various

Famed bass singer Vitaly Romanov has performed major Russian roles at the Leningrad Opera, as well as music of the Russian Orthodox Church. From Russia with love comes these nostalgic - often bittersweet - folk songs, waltzes and lullabies: traditional songs about Russian coachmen, Cossacks, gypsies, cloth merchants and brides! The Most Beautiful Songs of Russia includes familiar classics such as ‘The Flower Season’, the basis of the famous Vera Lynn/Mary Hopkin song ‘Those Were The Days’. Romanov’s deep, robust voice is beautifully accompanied by balalaika and virtuoso accordion.

Balkan folk sounds have made a welcome foray into popular music recently, with bands like Beirut and A Hawk and a Hacksaw exploring the joys of the region's distinctive brass, strings, accordion and festive rhythms. Fiesta Balkanica presents an irresistible melting pot of styles and languages from Albanian, Turkish, Bosnian, Serbian and Macedonian musicians: the result is a modern, thriving tradition. Revered Balkan instrumentalists and singers offer a unique and authentic experience of their native music, with guest stars including gypsy guitarist Angelo Debarre, ‘the true heir of Django Reinhardt’.

Bright, catchy music rich in tradition, from sultry Havana to sunny Rio de Janeiro and the Caribbean...this is a tropical fiesta not to be missed! Fans of the Bueno Vista Social Club will delight in Septeto Nacional’s son and salsa concoctions, while the island dance anthem ‘Party Hot, Hot, Hot’ is the true calypso answer to Buster Poindexter’s hit, ‘Hot Hot Hot’. International stars include the ‘Queen of Antillean Jazz’, Izaline Calister.

This beautifully packaged special edition 2-CD set celebrates the Network label's 30th anniversary with a collection of songs, ballads and instrumental numbers, exploring as many cultures and musical styles as possible. From Greece to Albania, Senegal to Istanbul, this compilation reflects a true world view of song and will satisfy even the most inquisitive and well-travelled collectors. Highlights include the Armenian Djivan Gasparyan playing duduk, gypsy queen Esma Redzepova singing with Balkan flair, Ethiopian sensation Gigi and many more.

Sube Azul is a fully formed synthesis, reflecting Sofia’s immersion in modern and progressive jazz while responding to the pull of ancestry and the appeal of organic, pan-musical connections.  A native of Buenos Aires singing in Spanish, Sofia brings to bear the folkloric traditions of Argentina and its regional neighbors (Peru, Colombia, Uruguay), tying together diverse influences in a program full of complexity, melody and romance. Throughout 12 beautifully conceived tracks, we find Sofia conjuring a melodic purity that haunts even as it uplifts. The songs speak of heartbreak, individuality, special characters in Sofia’s life, the challenges of life abroad. There are tributes to Argentina’s copleras (female folkloric singers), and comments on what Sofia terms ‘the end of the utopia of the upcoming Latin American revolution.’ And yet even as Sube Azul spans the continents, it transcends its origins and gathers force as a self-contained narrative, more than the sum of its parts. Watch Sofia live on YouTube

After the success of several acclaimed albums on Nonesuch, Argentinean composer-pianist Fernando Otero makes his much-anticipated debut on World Village. His fresh, invigorating blend of tango, classical and jazz improvisation has been hailed by the New York Times as "the first really new music coming out of the tango milieu since Piazzolla’s". Indeed, fans of the great Piazzolla and of dynamic new ensembles like the Tosca Tango Orchestra will be seduced by Otero's bold sense of invention, rhythm, energy, and play.

Watch him on YouTube and listen on Otero’s website

Traditional songs and dances played on laouto, oud, Pontic lyra, clarinet, darbouka

Melodious songs from northern Greece’s Katerini near Mt. Olympus, seat of the Greek gods! These traditional songs and dances - played on laouto, oud, Pontic lyra, clarinet and darbouka - evoke the fresh breeze,warm sun and glittering turquoise sea of the Mediterranean. Comprising twenty dancers and five musicians, including a velvet-voiced folk singer, Pieridon Estia Mousson was founded in 1969 by a group of young people from Katerini passionate about the traditional Greek dances of their region.

A lively album filled with hot and spicy Latin American music: colourful songs and dance music from the Dominican Republic, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile and Cuba.

Yellow Bird, Island in the Sun, Fire Down Below, Jamaica Farewell, Sound of Silence, Redemption Song

Sit back and enjoy the bright, relaxing island sounds of Carribean steel drums! Nearly an hour of steel drum classics including 'Yellow Bird', Island in the Sun', 'Fire Down Below', 'Jamaica Farewell' and more.

A double CD celebrating the remarkable careers of two of Egypt's greatest singers: Om Kolthoum and Mohammed Abdul Wahab. Arranged by master percussionist Hossam Ramzy and performed with his Egyptian Ensemble, this thrilling dance music pulses with lively rhythms and mesmerising vocals.

These captivating Ghawazee dances and ceremonial songs have been performed up and down the Nile by travelling gypsy musicians at weddings, festivals and religious celebrations. Capturing performances of authentic, raw immediacy and produced at Giza by Arc’s best-selling artist, Hossam Ramzy, Gypsies of the Nile presents the enchanting voice of singer Miss Hala Mahmoud accompanied by traditional instruments and percussion.

Farewell Angelina, Round and Round, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Atlantic, Where I Belong, It Ain't Me Babe, One Single Chord, Stars, As I Roved Out, Como, Dos Arbolitos, By The Mark, Silent Woman, Moly Ban, Denise and Sledge, Secret Meeting

Inspired by a Miles Davis piece dedicated to Willie Nelson, Ramblin’ recasts songs by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Gillian Welch and others as whimsical instrumental blues and folk meanderings. Double bassist Michel Benita and guitarist Manu Codjia channel the gentle twang of Bill Frisell. "I’ve always liked the idea of Miles Davis writing a tune named 'Willie Nelson.' I can use that as a reminder when people are surprised by my strong inclination towards folk, bluegrass and country music. The Ramblin' project - this unique word evoking the idea of wandering - came out of atmospheric improvisations that Manu Codjia and I developped while on tour with Ladyland. This material gave birth to pieces like 'Atlantic, IA' or 'Silent Woman'. It definitely sounds like some 'unspoken modern folk' to my ears. So came the idea of combining them with emblematic covers from which they sort of emanated." -Michel Benita

This fascinating collaboration between accordionist Pascal Contet and Wu Wei, master of the sheng or Chinese mouth organ, highlights some of the surprising similarities between the instruments of two cultures. At once minimalist and grandiose, the sound world they create is as unique as it is compelling. Like the iceberg of the title, the affinity between these instruments runs much deeper than the surface might suggest.