Friday
Buraka Som Sistema: In the new global pop landscape, trends jump continents with the ease of a great Internet connection. Kuduro is a sound that represents the cultural exchange between the central African country of Angola and Portugal, which once claimed it as a colony and where many emigrants relocate. This group is the style’s premier practitioner, known for generating sweats with dizzy rhythms and rapid-fire vocals. M.I.A. is a fan and collaborator; maybe she’ll guest during this set. (AFP / Getty Images)
Saturday
Tinariwen: Many rock stars like to claim they’re nomads; these African blues players are. Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and his bandmates are Tuareg -- Saharan wanderers with connections to Malian rebel movements -- whose entrancing, organic sound invokes the meaning of the group’s name: empty places. The band’s deep, psychedelic groove is sexy and tough in ways that the term “world music” just doesn’t capture. Just ask self-professed fans
Saturday
Ida Maria: This Norwegian power-pop songstress is like Katy Perry in some ways; she has dark hair and a sultry voice, a sizzly wit and a love of confrontation. But Ida Maria is a proud feminist who exhibits real, messy, plate-breaking emotion in songs such as “Oh My God” and the torchy “Keep Me Warm.” She’s an It girl that bighearted young women deserve. (Nancy Pastor / For The Times)
