Asachan - 'Minkara'

'Minkara' written and recorded by Adrian Portia

Ojos de Brujo - "Ventilaor R-80"

La mochila que llevamos... Va cargaita de piedras

Rating: 5/10

Disk scratches and jumping guitar strings head off this worldly flamenco track (that's got to be a first on here). Ojos de Brujo, a hip-hop/dance/world collective from Barcelona, Spain, brings this toe-tapping tune to life with excited female vocals and a rumba beat. And, naturally, this gives the track it's second title as the "Ventilaor Rumba". This track calls from the album Bari, and is filled with the sounds of romantic Spain, along with the bands own little hip-hop twist.

Transglobal Underground - "Yellow and Black Taxi Cab"

Standing in the middle of the street, munchin' banana peel and swatting flies from your backside with your tail.

Rating: 8/10

Transglobal Underground is a London-based music collective who specialise in a fusion of western, oriental and African music styles. The two core members of the group are Tim Whelan (keyboards, guitar, flute, melodica, programming, vocals) and Hamilton Lee (percussion, drums, keyboards, programming). Throughout the group's history, Whelan and Lee have deliberately clouded their identities via multiple pseudonyms and obscure credits. Their first four albums featured Natacha Atlas as lead singer."Yellow and Black Taxi Cab" is featured on their 2004 release, "Impossible Broadcasting" The song has an infectious groove (rhythm) and really cool Island/British vocals, which suggests the early '80's British Ska bands, such as The Specials, Madness and The English Beat. Yellow and Black Taxi Cab is a dancehall sensation. "Blow your horn and drive on."

Lhasa - "My Name"

And still I go on like this... Year after year... Waiting for miracles... And shaking with fear...

Rating: 6/10

Lhasa de Sela, or Lhasa, was raised in both the United States and Mexico, and now lives in France and Canada. This mix of cultures and expression is what she turns into her work, harmonized by her husky vocals. The Living Road is an album that encompasses her travels, circling between the elegant languages of French, Spanish, and English. It begins with a unique, yearning bell, which merges into a strummed bass, and finally a flower of a voice, underlaid by a slow drumbeat. This track is excellent for easy, calm listening, no matter the time.