With Bandcamp Fridays making a return, we thought it was the perfect time to revive our Rhythm Passport shopping list, a tried-and-true habit of recommending fresh and exciting releases for your Bandcamp haul.
The first Bandcamp Friday of the year is happening today, 7 March 2025 (from midnight to midnight PST), with more dates to mark on your calendar: 2 May, 1 August, 5 September, 3 October, and 5 December.
If you’re unfamiliar with the initiative, Bandcamp Fridays launched in March 2020 as a way to support artists who suddenly found themselves without touring income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On these special days, Bandcamp waives its revenue share, ensuring that musicians and labels receive a larger cut of every sale.
So, if you’re in the mood to treat yourself to some quality music from around the world while giving artists and labels a well-deserved boost, here are our top picks of fresh-off-the-oven or upcoming releases. They might make your wallet a little lighter, but your soul and ears a whole lot richer!
Spoek Mathambo – I Wanna Be A Door [Tēka Records]
South African music visionary Spoek Mathambo channels personal memories and experimental zeal into this heartfelt EP, dedicated to the late Angie, a close friend who first sparked his sense of musical adventure. Expect energetic beats woven with playful electronic accents, a vivid homage that merges the warmth of nostalgia with a forward-looking sonic outlook. Spoek’s characteristic blend of Afro-house, gqom undertones, maskandi influences and lyrical candour makes I Wanna Be A Door both a moving tribute and a bold creative statement.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Trio Da Kali – Bagola [One World Records]
Malian ensemble Trio Da Kali return with a stunning debut full-length, brimming with newly composed songs. Anchoured by the remarkable voice of Hawa Kasse Mady Diabaté—daughter of the famed Kasse Mady Diabaté—Bagola weaves vivid harmonies, balafon acrobatics from Lassana Diabaté, and resonant ngoni bass courtesy of Madou Kouyaté. Tracks like the vibrant title number and the poignant “Orpaillage” highlight both Malian social themes and the trio’s creative chemistry. Already celebrated for collaborations with Kronos Quartet, Trio Da Kali cement their reputation here as torchbearers of West Africa’s living musical heritage.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Celia Wa – Fasadé [Heavenly Sweetness]
Guadeloupean multi-instrumentalist Celia Wa unveils her first album, Fasadé, a stirring celebration of resilience and cross-cultural unity. Reflecting the powerful rhythms of the Caribbean, the music pulses with a gwoka heartbeat, supplemented by reggae’s easy sway and pan-African motifs. Longtime collaborators Xavier Belin (keys) and Kristof Négrit (drums), alongside special guests David Walters, Ousmane Kouyaté (on kora), and Nigerian vocalist Owomide, add extra depth. Rather than gloss over hardship, Fasadé channels it into a kinetic force, bridging legacy and innovation while staying grounded and forward-thinking.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise in the Hold [Night Time Stories]
Acclaimed British-Bahraini trumpeter and composer Yazz Ahmed ventures deeper into her dual heritage on this fourth studio album. For the first time, she writes for voice, drawing on Bahraini wedding poetry, pearl-diver laments, and a vivid tapestry of Middle Eastern tonalities. Known for weaving jazz improvisation with Arabic inspirations, Ahmed expands her sonic palette through subtle electronics, field recordings, and a bold cast of collaborators. A Paradise in the Hold is a compelling tribute to the timeless stories of her homeland and the creative journey that has helped her embrace her rich cultural identity.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Saya Gray – SAYA [Dirty Hit]
Toronto-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Saya Gray follows her critically lauded 19 MASTERS EP with this debut album. Recorded partly in Japan after a life-altering road trip, SAYA combines intimate folk textures, confessional pop, and acoustic spontaneity. Underneath Gray’s airy vocals lie reflections on heartbreak, personal reinvention, and the creative freedom found in solitude. The result is a gently experimental collection that confirms Gray’s reputation for forging her own path; quietly bold, captivatingly honest, and beautifully unconventional.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Grup Ses & Gökalp K – Grup Ses & Gökalp K [Souk Records]
Istanbul-based producers Grup Ses and Gökalp K craft a high-energy hybrid of hip-hop, grime, dubstep, and jungle on their self-titled collaboration. Years in the making, this album features appearances by Cologne’s Elektro Hafız, Marseille’s DJ Syr, and Turkish MC Ethnique Punch, among others. Grup Ses’s knack for sampling local tapes and radio broadcasts meets Gökalp K’s experience in electro-acoustic composition, creating vibrant, globally-minded beats that pay homage to Istanbul’s underground scene while pushing it to adventurous new places.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Pierre Kwenders – Tears on the Dancefloor
Congolese-Canadian trailblazer Pierre Kwenders explores love, vulnerability, and liberation through kinetic club rhythms in this expressive EP. Backed by a team of international DJs and producers—Gafacci, Poté, Vanyfox, Negoo, and Dogzout—and joined by a star-studded vocal lineup (including Pierre Lapointe and Lady Donli), Kwenders blurs the lines between emotional reflection and freewheeling celebration. Tears on the Dancefloor treats the dance floor as both confessional and sanctuary, transforming personal triumphs and travails into anthems of shared catharsis.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
The Altons – Heartache in Room 14 [Penrose Records]
Hailing from the same soulful stable that produced Thee Sacred Souls, The Altons unveil their debut album—a lush blend of R&B, Tejano-inflected grooves, and cinematic flair. Vocalists Adriana Flores and Brian Ponce trade leads that are by turns romantic and haunting, bolstered by the band’s retro-modern sonic styling.
With moody ballads and dustings of psychedelic flair, Heartache in Room 14 is a warmly crafted, emotional listen—primed to leave a lasting mark on the Daptone universe and beyond.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Oksana Linde – Travesías [Buh Records]
Venezuelan electronic pioneer Oksana Linde follows up her acclaimed Aquatic and Other Worlds with Travesías, showcasing pieces composed between 1986 and 1994. Initially presented live at pioneering experimental music events in Caracas, these works combine shimmering synth textures, cosmic ambience, and an undercurrent of Latin American mysticism. Once a chemist who turned to music after health challenges, Linde’s resilient spirit informs these sonic explorations, expanding the canon of Latin American electronic music and shedding new light on her visionary back catalogue.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Gianni Brezzo – Sprechiamo! [Jakarta Records]
The ever-inventive Marvin Horsch—alias Gianni Brezzo—surveys his Italian heritage through a Cologne lens on Sprechiamo!. Drawing inspiration from classic Italian composers of the ’60s and ’70s alongside modern influences such as Napoli Exchange and Khruangbin, he creates a timeless blend of jazz-tinged arrangements and Mediterranean motifs. Grounded in the vibrant Ehrenfeld neighbourhood, where many Italian families settled in the 1950s, this album bridges the past with the present, capturing a warm sense of cultural exchange and musical exploration.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Caribombo – Barrio Popular [Galletas Calientes Records]
On Barrio Popular, Venezuelan producer and multi-instrumentalist Caribombo unleashes a kaleidoscopic mix of Afro-Latin grooves, UK bass elements, and global club sounds. From the salsa-inflected “Bolingo” to the hard-hitting “El Catire”, he traverses genres like cumbia, dub, and Afro-house while injecting them with his distinct Colombo-Venezuelan flair. The result is a skilfully coherent dance record that also rewards a focused listen, showcasing Caribombo’s knack for blending culture-spanning influences into something fresh and fearless.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
ECHT! – Boilerism [Sdban Records]
Brussels-based quartet ECHT! crystallise their fusion of electronic, hip-hop, and futuristic jazz impulses on Boilerism. Building on the live energy of their previous releases, they now embrace the pulse of underground club culture, exploring acid, drum & bass, footwork, and more. Rooted in gritty textures and sudden rhythmic shifts, the album captures the intensity of a packed dance floor while remaining firmly in the domain of a live band. By pushing electronic music’s boundaries in real time, ECHT! affirm their place among the most adventurous groups in the Brussels scene.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
La Marimba – Tengo Lo´ Podere´
On Tengo Lo´ Podere´, Dominican singer/songwriter La Marimba fuses her island heritage with Latin American influences and modern global sounds, crafting eleven tracks that feel both reflective and celebratory. The album, introduced as a literal and symbolic birth, surges with Caribbean soul, where powerful drumming converges with vivid storytelling. Rather than simply lean on tradition or chase novelty, La Marimba strikes a balance: she honours her roots while probing fresh sonic possibilities. The result resonates with honest energy, candidly embracing adversity and spinning it into a vibrant, forward-leaning expression of Caribbean identity.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Rita Donte – Ritual [Ansonia Records]
Cuban-born artist Rita Donte opens a reflective path back to her roots on Ritual. Drawing on formative experiences—flamenco dancing, street performances in Havana, and sunsets along the Malecón—she blends these memories with influences from Mexico City and Baja California. Eschewing mere nostalgia, the album fuses Donte’s past and present into intimate, thoughtful pieces that trace life’s winding routes. Through Ritual, she reasserts a musical identity shaped by numerous geographies yet firmly anchored at home.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Ukandanz – Evil Plan የክፋት እቅድ [Compagnie 4000]
Ukandanz dial up their fiery collision of Ethiopian tradition and rock-charged experimentation on Evil Plan. Led by vocalist Asnake Gebreyes, the band tackles classic Ethiopian standards from the ’70s, plus a bold Amharic twist on Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”—to forge a searing cross-cultural jolt. Fuelled by driving rhythms, feedback-laced riffs, and Gebreyes’s unmistakable vocal presence, this album shows off Ukandanz’s fearless ambition. Rather than simply paying homage to history, they push it into uncharted territory, shaping a sound that’s both rooted and radically free.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
Ibex Band – Stereo Instrumental Music [Muzikawi]
Originally recorded in 1976 and long hidden away, Stereo Instrumental Music by Ethiopia’s Ibex Band (later The Roha Band) is a vital piece of musical history. Known for modernising the 6/8 chickchicka rhythm and backing legends like Mahmoud Ahmed and Aster Aweke, Ibex stood at the nexus of tradition and innovative recording approaches. These songs, laid down when a four-track recorder first became available in Addis Ababa, capture the spirited collaboration and technical prowess that set the band apart. Their rediscovered gem underscores Ethiopia’s ever-evolving musical heritage, bridging past eras with a bright, ongoing legacy.
Listen to and get your copy of the album HERE
