71: Panjabi MC - Mundian To Bach Ke (2002)

Time to visit an exotic country. India isn't bad, is it? The country of curry, sacred cows, vivid colours and exotic dances, offers also a peculiar music style: bhangra. Originally from the Punjab region -located in the border between Pakistan and India- it was later developed in Britain by Punjabi (also spelled Panjabi) inmigrants. Rajinder Singh Rai, better known as Panjabi MC, is a British Indian musician very fond of combining bhangra with hip hop. The result, great songs as this Mundian To Bach Ke, performed by a Punjabi artist, Labh Janjua, and later remixed by Panjabi MC with the unmistakable Knight Rider's theme. A worldwide phenomenon by then, played everywhere. I still clearly recall listening to this song in the streets of Istanbul, while in a short trip, and shortly after, again (and again) back in Spain.

R.O.C.

72: Ping Ping - Lose Control (2010)

Back to Europe, we land now in Austria. Ping Ping are Hubert Mauracher and Loretta Who, a duo whose first album was released two years ago. The delicate sound of their songs, along with the warm voice of Loretta, is a joy to our ears and our minds, but this song highlights the powerful final crescendo.

Civ

73: Zahed Sultan - Walkin Away (2011)

We travel back -after our relatively recent Iranian adventure- to a Middle East country. Kuwait, this time. The promising Kuwaiti artist Zahed Sultan released his debut album, Hi Fear Lo Love, early last year. It included tracks sung in English and Arabic. I have chosen this Walking Away, a delicate pearl in line with the previous Mexican song. Sentimental, melancholic sounds with tender female voice to make us think about something... or someone.

R.O.C.

74: Belanova - Tus ojos (2003)

Mexico is our next destination. There we find Belanova, a band from the city of Guadalajara led by their vocalist Denisse Guerrero and formed in year 2000. With five studio albums released, my favorite song is on the first one, called Cocktail. A techno pop gem that dazzled me ten years ago and which I still enjoy.

Civ

75: Fresh Color - Sing With Me Tonight (1985)

We move to Switzerland, keeping the space trend of the previous song. Fresh Color started as a punk band in the late 70's, evolving into new wave sounds in the early 80's and later on into italodisco, in which they created colourful songs with fresh sounds, keeping faithful to their band name. Sing With Me Tonight combines a space atmosphere with uplifting lyrics and chorus, making the song rich enough to be transported to another, and very pleasant, acoustic dimension.

R.O.C.

76: Synth Dimension - Synthesized Ghost of 80's (2008)

In Russia we find Ruslan Bozhok, the head of Synth Dimension and one of the leading recyclers of spacesynth sound of the 80´s in his country. This instrumental song is a good example of this composer's ability to create great synthpop gems, the genre of his dreaming soul, as he points out in his website. Are you ready for space exploration?

Civ

77: Voltaire Twins - Romulus (Moullinex Remix) (2011)

We flight to Australia, a huge country crowded with good rock bands. There are also great Australian synthpop bands, however. Let's meet the syblins Jaymes and Tegan and their recently created band Voltaire Twins. They practice a soft, tender electropop, with rich electronic tunes. In this wise remix by a Portuguese DJ, Moullinex, the song's texture is continously changing and enriching, finally reaching an enjoyable electronic climax.

R.O.C.

78: The Gift - Driving You Slow (2004)

We travel this time to Portugal, very close to our home country. One of the most successful and international bands from that country is The Gift, which even today sells lots of albums and tours worldwide. I, like many others, discovered them in 2004 with their album “AM / FM”, released eight  years ago. There, we could find their great hit single Music, but I have chosen another song from that album more in the line of this blog. Enjoy it.

Civ