The April 2024 issue (#196) of Songlines is out now, filled with the best music happening around the world, and global dispatches revealing the stories behind that music. Congolese-Belgian musician and auteur Baloji is back with his first feature film and accompanying four-album soundtrack. We chat to Asmâa Hamzaoui, Morocco’s female Gnawa ambassador, and speak to Lucy Durán about recording Toumani Diabaté & Ballaké Sissoko’s epochal New Ancient Strings album.

Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux, an icon of the country’s student protests, tells us why she’s had to embrace joy; and we stay in Latin America to find out about the origins of Mexican corrido masters Los Tigres del Norte, give a Beginner’s Guide to Colombian bandleader Fruko and find out about recent unrest in Buenos Aires after the election of their new president.

We have a preview of albums coming out in 2024 with many Reasons to be Cheerful, as well as features on Katherine Priddy, LAIR, Delasi, LINA_ and Singapore festival A Tapestry of Sacred Music.

Founder of Opera Holland Park, Michael Volpe, picks his favourite music and tells us why culture should be accessible to all, Eliza Carthy looks at the UK Government’s decision to ratify its Intangible Cultural Heritage and we pick out our Essential 10 Greek Folk Albums, as well as all the usual news, listings, reviews, competitions and so much more.

The issue comes with our Top of the World compilation featuring our pick of the month’s best new music – Aziza Brahim, LINA_, Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès, La Bottine Souriante, Carwyn Ellis, Natascha Rogers and more – as well as five curated bonus tracks from Sam Lee, Ana Tijoux, Delasi, LAIR and Katherine Priddy.