Piranha Records at cdRoots

Piranha Records

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Please note!
Most of our CDs have been imported from Europe or Asia. They are not all shrink-wrapped, and I am not going to con you by wrapping them here just to make you think they have been sterilized in America. I guarantee that the CDs and the contents are all brand new and in perfect condition. Whenever I can, I use recycled shipping materials. They may not look as pretty on the outside, but they save money and keep the trash dumps a little bit emptier.
Thanks- Cliff, cdRoots

Piranha Records
Swimming amongst the sharks since 1987, this independent label from Germany has been at the cutting edge of 'world music' the whole time.

Many Lessons - Bantu, Docta, Sister Fa andmore
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2112)
In Western Africa, it seems hip-hop and Islam might not be so at odds with one another as one might suspect. In the last few years, as the rap movement swept through Africa, young rappers learned how to make Islam an integral part of their music, particularly in countries like Mali or Senegal that are heavily influenced by Muslim beliefs. Some artists combine devoutness with social criticism. Others criticize using religion to achieve political aims. The lessons are many and varied. 'Where in this world do Islam, American pop culture, youth culture and emancipation cross with the heritage of a culture conscious of its traditions? And what comes out of that? The answer is as simple as it is unlikely and is unfolding in these 14 stirring lessons,' says Tobias Maier Of Radio Multikulti of this 2008 release.

Diaspora Hi-Fi - A Mediterranean Caravan - Watcha Clan
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2230)
It's been ten years since Watcha Clan burst on to Europe's new world-beat scene. With a best-selling début CD to its credit (20,000 units worldwide), here the Clan whisks us on a wild ride from the dance fl oors of London to France's Provence, from the Balkan mountains to the Maghreb seaside, from roots to rebellion. North and South, Arabic and Hebrew are re-united on this album, which features the exuberant vocals of Marseilles-born Sista K. Diaspora Hi-Fi presents an intoxicating blend of new reggae, jungle and electronic club beats with traditional sounds. Includes a bonus live video version of the Clan's fave, "Eli."

For Oriental Dancers - From Cairo with Love - Mahmoud Fadl
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2126)
This is a compliation of Fadl's many recordings, from classical Egypt to funky new ideas. From Egypt's deep south to urban Cairo, a wide range of Oriental dance styles is represented in tracks featuring pure percussion alongside orchestral arrangements of the Umm Kalthum songbook. The line-up features trumpet master Samy El Bably, Khamis Henkish on darbouka and Loomis Green in a bonus club mix.

Go Marko Go! Brass Madness - Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2121)
Markovic is again joined by his son Marko, now come of age. Like father, like son - Marko is moving in new directions, while furthering the Orkestar's reputation as innovators with their free appropriation of Latin, jazz, funk and other grooves into the Balkan framework which remains at the big beating heart of the music.

Albanian Wedding: Brass Explosion - Fanfara Tirana
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2116)
On this ground-breaking Piranha recording, Albania’s finest brass band, Fanfara Tirana, brings an utterly fresh and exciting touch to the ancient and impassioned music of a hidden corner of Old Europe. Playing with verve and élan, Tirana’s finest band has joined forces with veteran singer Hysni Zela in a program that mingles songs of heroes and heartsick lovers with graceful dances and fiery solos in a vibrant mix of the traditional and the modern. Listen

Sevdalinka - Sarajevo Love Songs - various
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2113)
A collection of 'Bosnian soul' music compiled by Colin Bass (aka Sabah Habas Mustapha). This collection of Bosnian 'sevdah' or yearning tunes is an expression fo both love and loss informed by the region's mix of Oriental and Slavic cultures, from the influx of Sephardic Jews fleeing Spain in the late 15th century, to the times of the Ottoman Empire. RadioMultikulti, Berlin calls it 'one of the most innovative and bold Sevdalinka projects!'

Nwahulwana (Marrabenta goes to Hollywood) - Wazimbo and Marrabenta Star de Moçambique
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-wazimbo)
The city-sound of Maputo is ready to mesmerise, energise, elevate and educate all newcomers to the magical Marrabenta style. 'Nwahulwana' - Marrabenta´s most powerful ballad, sung by Mozambique´s top singer Wazimbo - emerged on the soundtrack of 'The Pledge', Sean Penn´s ' film. This release includes 10 classic recordings from the legendary Harare sessions plus a music video of the title song.

Mhm A-ha Oh Yeah Da-Da - Darko Rundek
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2005)
Croatian born, Paris-based Rundek and his Cargo Orkestar are a band unto themselves, shamelessly mixing European roots with rock, jazz, film music and just plain oddness in a manner only rivaled by Serbian Boris Kovac. Their songs tell of the loneliness of the exile and the placelessness of the Internet, the realities of a modern metropolis and the utopia of a love that transcends all borders, recited and sung in a number of languages. It's all cool and callous, wonderfully played and very original.

Descarga Oriental: The New York Sessions - Maurice El Medioni - Roberto Rodriguez
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir2003)
Rai pioneer and and master of the PianOriental Maurice El Médioni from Oran, Algeria meets Latin drummer Roberto Rodriguez (from Havana, Cuba, and part of the sound of Miami Sound Machine, Lester Bowie and Chachao). They met in New York for a Descarga Oriental, dreaming of routes that never were and bringing two distinct global roots into a new 21st century collusion.

Double Check (2 CDs) - Stella Chiwese
$28.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1900)
Something new, something old - two sides Of Zimbabwe's mbira queen. A completely new recording created in Zimbabwe, the unfortunately titled first CD 'Trance Hits,' is an album with references to spirits, a policeman possessed by the sounds of the m'bira, a singing fish and a song she dreamed her grandmother was singing to her. The second, 'Classic Hits,' features re-released tracks with her original band, The Earthquake and produced by a selection of Brit procuders int he 90s including John Peel, Hijaz Mustapha (aka Ben Mandelson) and Colin Bass (and a special guest appearance of the rhythm section of 3 Mustaphas 3). For old and new friends alike, this is a welcome and recommended recording.

Hunger Gives You A Headache - Cascabulho
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1469)
Cascabulho is one of the most creative and impressive bands formed in the 1990's in Recife, Pernambuco, Northeast Brasil. They are part of the 'mangue beat' movement, a youthful forro sound. Their creative use of local and global influences results in Brazilian music of high quality. 'Fome dá dor de cabeça,' the band's first album (2000), is dedicated to the memory of the performer, composer and revolutionary musician Jackson do Pandeiro. Listen!

Proibido Cochilar - Cabruera
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1999)
Cabruêra present 'the next generation of samba' on a CD subtitled 'Sambas for Sleepless Nights.' Inspired by the Mangue Beat movement led by the late great Chico Science, this ensemble from the northeast of Brazil spice up the forró roots of their rural origins with urban-global influences - rock, funk, jazz, rap, reggae, jungle, eElectro, even a bit of retro-lounge all find a place in here.

The Promise: The King of Balkan Brass - Boban Markovic Orkestar
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-marko05)
Boban Markovic, his orchestra, and once again, his trumpeter son Marko move from Vladicin Han in Serbia's deep sout through the various Balkans and the Gypsy roots that have been their mainstay. Ancient meets the post-modern in a decidedly different recording produced by Ben Mandelson and Rob Keyloch.

Carnival Conspiracy - Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1902)
The third and most subversive of the brotherhood's recordings. Read on.....

World after History - Boris Kovac and La Campanella
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1997)
With La Campanella, Boris Kovac, composer, instrumentalist and multimedia artist from the Vojvodina part of Yugoslavia, spins off his critically acclaimed La Danza Apocalypsa Balcanica project. La Campanella's Pannonian-Mediterranean round-trip creates sentimental spaces, interrelated by the threads of nostalgia, joy, tristesa, romantic enthusiasm and melancholy. 'I can't change or stop history. I just could say, 'History is over – for a moment – for the time of music we play on this album.'' - BK

Fuji Satisfaction - Bantu, featuring Ayuba
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1998)
Adé Bantu is one of the defining figures of German HipHop. Born and raised in Lagos,Nigeria, then relocated to Cologne, his AfroPean blend draws from his forefathers' heritage and his experience of the African diaspora alike. He uses urban styles and sounds from R'n'B through HipHop to Ragga to contribute to the soundtrack of a global Africa: rooted in Yoruba history yet ripe with Western production, deeply sensual yet utterly spiritual, thoroughly individual and highly political. He is joined by Adewale Ayuba, a master of Nigeria's next generation of Fuji music.

Brother Moses Smote The Water - Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson and Kathryn Farmer
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1896)
Klezmer meets gospel: the one and only Klezmatics, with renowned gospel artists Joshua Nelson and Kathryn Farmer, breathe new life into songs from both the Jewish and African-American heriage to tell a story of inspiration and social action, while weaving a revelatory dialogue between cultures and musial styles. Their first live album, recorded during the HeimatKlänge at MuseumsInselFestival in Berlin, Germany, includes 8 new and 2 classic songs.

Tarefero de mis Pagos - Chango Spasiuk
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1895)
Accordion master Chango Spasiuk has come to be seen as the guardian angel of chamamé, the most influental champion of the 'music with the deepest swing in Argentina.' In many ways his contribution to the revitalisation of these folk traditions can be compared to the influence that his fellow countryman Astor Piazzolla has had in the contemporary development of tango. Tarefero de mis Pagos was produced on location in Buenos Aires by Ben Mandelson.

Cafe Oran - Maurice el Medioni and his PianOrientale
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-oran)
Pianist Maurice El Médioni combines North African, Andalusian, Jewish, Cuban and western jazz and pop with his ownunique keyboard technique. The backing orchestra is a stellar cast of Moroccan singer Michel Rebibo, Frank London on trumpet and David Krakauer on clarinet (both from the Klezmatics), bassist Sabah Habas Mustapha (of 3 Mustaphas 3), Egyptian percussionist Mahmoud Fadl, and drummer/percussionist Marco Maimaran.

Ruke - Darko Rundek and Cargo Orkestar
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-pir1894)
Darko Rundek, singer, poet, actor, theatre director and frontman of the late Yugo-cult band Haustor, took a holiday from his solo-career for the adventures of a real Cargo Orkestar. The comédie des sens of Paris meet the European spleen of Zagreb, cosmopolitan influences of immigration clash with Balkan traditions. Join the Cargo Orkestar for a mysterious musical journey, rough and real, made of questioning, pain, joy and humour. Listen

Boban I Marko - Balkan Brass fest - Boban Markovic Orkestar
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-marko)
Undoubtedly one of the best Balkan Gypsy brass bands, famed for their contribution to the soundtrack of Emir Kusturica’s Underground. This album features 15-year-old Marko Markovic - son of the bandleader and, true to Gypsy tradition, a young man deeply attached to his instrument ever since he took his first breath.

The Drummers Of The Nile In Town: Cairosonic - Mahmoud Fadl
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fadl-cairo)
oin Mahmoud Fadl on his walk down Cairo's Mohamed 'Ali Street, the notorious musicians' hang out, where he meets up with master drummers Mohammed Kallo Sobhi and Magdi Berbish, the Khalil family (flagship of Said musicianship) and the legendary Hasaballah Brass Band, the one and only brass band in Egypt.

Umm Kalthum 7000 - Mahmoud Fadl
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fadl-7000)
Subtitled 'A Million Arabs Can't Be Wrong' and featuring Salwa Abou Greisha

Hiphop Khasene - Solomon and Socalled
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-socalled)
Solomon and Socalled's cast of musicians, including special guest. David Krakauer, turn an authentic Eastern European Jewish wedding, the khasene, into a hiphop extravaganza complete with old-school Yiddish freestylin' on the mike from shtetl-MC Michael Alpert. Come join the wedding party, share in ancient marriage rituals and celebrate the union of fiddle and microphone! The album also includes a special, exclusive remix from Smadj.

Baro Biao - Fanfare Ciocarlia
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fanfare-baro)
The Romanian Gypsy brass band

Iag Bari - Fanfare Ciocarlia
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fanfare-iag)
the 2001 release from the greatest of the Gypsy brass bands.

Radio Pascani - Fanfare Ciocarlia
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fanfare-radio)
The Romanian Gypsy brass band

FM 99.00 Dub Manifest - Fermin Muguruza
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-fermin1)

Ballads At The End Of Time / La Danza Apocalypsa Balcanica – Part Two - Boris Kovac and Ladaaba Orchest
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-kovac-ballads)
Just imagine: The morning after the apocalypse … Are we still alive? We wonder. It would appear so. There´s no end to this world … There´s no rest for the soul … There´s no past … There´s no future … Now is eternal …'

The Last Balkan Tango: An Apocalyptic Dance Party - Boris Kovac and Ladaaba Orchest
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-kovac-tango)
Contempory music from a dark wellspring of Balkan folk roots, offered by this composer/saxophonist and an orchestra of accordion, reeds, bass and more.

Real Nubian - Ali Hassan Kuban
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-kuban)
Cairo Wedding Classics from the king of Nubian pop

Brotherhood of Brass - Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-london-brother)
feat. Boban Markovic Orkestar and Hasaballa Brass Band

Live in Belgrade: The best trumpet of Guca - Boban Markovic Orkestar
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-markovic-live)
LIVE, the quintessestial Balkan brass band hits it hard and fast, and prove why they are one of the most noted of the genre.

In a Beirut Mood - Jalilah's Raks Sharki 6
$17.99
(cdRoots# hm-sharki-mood)

3: Journey of the Gipsy Dancer - Jalilah's Raks Sharki
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-sharki3)
with Musicians of the Nile, Sharkiat and Hossam Shaker

4: The Rhythm Workshop - Jalilah's Raks Sharki
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-sharki4)

5: Stars of the Casino Opera - Jalilah's Raks Sharki
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-sharki5)
with Ihsan Al-Mounzer

Shaatnez - Sephardic Songs of the Balkans - Ruth Yaakov Ensemble
$18.99
(cdRoots# hm-yaakov)
religious and secular music of the Sephardic Jews in the Balkans, most sung in Ladino