Best of 2016 part 2

20. Dalek - Asphalt for Eden (USA) - no link
abstract hip hop

19. Kel Assouf - Tikounen (Belgium/Niger/Tunisia/France)
tishoumaren

18. Jakub Šimansky - Face to Face against American Primitivism in Eastern Europe vol. 1 (Czechia) 
american primitivism

17. Lakou Mizik - Wa Di Yo (Haiti) 
caribbean folk

16. Помни имя свое [Pomni Imya Svoyo] - Небо и Камень (Russia) 
dark folk
youtube 

15. Lost Salt Blood Purges - Only the Youngest Grave (Australia)
drone / neofolk 

14. Laurent Jenneau / Shi Tanding - Music of Xinjiang (China / France) 
uyghur folk

13. Matt Elliott - The Calm Before (UK) - no link
progressive folk / singer-songwriter

12. Forndom - Dauðra Dura (Sweden) 
ritual ambient / nordic folk / dark folk

11. Wöljager - Van't Liëwen Un Stiäwen (Germany) - no link
dark folk

Best of 2016 part 1

32. Barcelona Gipsy Balkan Orchestra - Del Ebro al Danubio (Spain) - no link
romani folk / balkan folk

31. Esben and the Witch - Older Terrors  (UK)
post-rock / ethereal wave / shoegaze

30. Douglas Germano - Golpe de Vista  (Brazil)
samba

29. ГШ - ОЭЩ МАГЗИУ  (Russia)
post-punk / art punk / noise rock / avant-prog

28. Trna - Lose Yourself to Find Peace  (Russia)
blackgaze / post-rock

27. Faun Fables - Born of the Sun  (USA)
psych folk

26. Auktyon - На солнце  (Russia)
art rock / avant-folk

25. Shabaka and the Ancestors - Wisdom of Elders  (South Africa)
spiritual jazz / afro-jazz

24. Tamer Abu Ghazaleh - Thulth  (Egypt)
arabic music / avant-folk

23. Wolvserpent - Aporia:Kāla:Ananta (USA)
drone metal / dark ambient / atmospheric black metal

22. Myrkur - Mausoleum EP (Denmark) - no link
dark folk / nordic folk / choral

21. Cyro Baptista - Bluefly (Brazil)
samba-jazz 

Alash

Alash - Alash (2007, Tuva, Russia)
tuvan throat singing

Sanjah

Sanjah - 無線 / 伊豆 (2006, Japan)
avant-folk / free improvisation

Master Musicians of Ikuta-Ryu

Master Musicians of Ikuta-Ryu - Japanese Koto Orchestra (1967, Japan)
japanese classical music / soukyoku
youtube

Mehmet Koç

Mehmet Koç - Ses Verin Sesime Dağlar (2002, Turkey)
turkish folk
youtube 1

Kazuki Tomokawa

Kazuki Tomokawa - Muzan no Bi / Beauty Without Mercy (1986, Japan)
folk / singer-songwriter

Kazuki Tomokawa - Nikusei (1976)
avant folk

youtube 1
youtube 2

Probably my favourite singer-songwriter ever. Has been making consistently great music for 40+ years (!).

Musique Persane

Various Artists - Musique Persane (1971, Iran)
Persian classical music
youtube

Extra Life

Extra Life - Secular Works (USA, 2008)
math rock / experimental / medieval music
youtube
buy

Best album I've heard in ages. The medieval influence makes it really special and unique.

Monâjât Yulchieva

Monâjât Yulchieva - Ferghana Maqam (1994, Uzbekistan)
shashmaqam / uzbek music
youtube

Salamat Sadikova

Salamat Sadikova - The Voice of Kyrgyzstan (2002, Kyrgyzstan)
kyrgyz music
youtube

Valentin Clastrier

Valentin Clastrier - Heresie (1991, France)
avant-folk / french folk / avant-jazz

Jana Kirschner

Jana Kirschner - Moruša: Čierna (2014, Slovakia)
art pop / chamber folk
youtube

Function

Function - The Secret Miracle Fountain (2006, Australia)
ambient pop / experimental
youtube

Urna Chahar-Tugchi

Urna Chahar-Tugchi - Tal Nutag (1995, China)
Mongolian music

Jamar (2000)

Amilal (2005)

youtube

The Ex & Brass Unbound

The Ex & Brass Unbound - Enormous Door (2013, The Netherlands)
post-punk / jazz-rock
youtube 1
youtube 2

I'd normally consider The Ex to be too big to be featured in this blog, but this album is so fantastic and so vastly underrated I just had to post it. Beautiful fusion of (post) punk, jazz and Ethiopian music.

Sergey Kuryokhin

Sergey Kuryokhin - Sparrow Oratorium (1993, Russia)
avant-prog / modern classical
youtube

Ihor Cymbrows'kyj

Ihor Cymbrows'kyj - Przyjdź aniele (1996, Ukraine)
avant-folk / singer-songwriter / poetry
youtube

Totó la Momposina

Totó la Momposina - La Candela Viva (1993, Colombia)
bullerengue / cumbia
youtube

DakhaBrakha

 DakhaBrakha - Na Dobranich (2005, Ukraine)
 ukrainian folk

DakhaBrakha - Ягудки (2007)
ukrainian folk / psych folk / freak folk

DakhaBrakha - Na Mezhi (2009)

DakhaBrakha - Light (2010)

youtube

Neun Welten

Neun Welten - Destrunken (2009, Germany)
dark folk / neofolk
buy

Thierry Robin

Thierry Robin - Gitans (1993, France)
romani folk / flamenco nuevo
youtube

Erkut Özkan

Erkut Özkan - Kara Yerler (2014, Turkey)
turkish folk
youtube

Kolinda

Kolinda - Kolinda (1976, Hungary)
hungarian folk / progressive folk / neo-medieval folk

Kolinda - Kolinda 2 (1977)

Kolinda - 1514 (1979)

youtube

Migala

Migala - Arde (2000, Spain)
slowcore / post rock
youtube

Repetitor

Repetitor - Sve što vidim je prvi put (2008, Serbia)
noise rock / indie rock
youtube
buy

Passo Torto

Passo Torto - Passo Torto (2011, Brazil)
MPB / samba / vanguarda paulista
youtube

Passo Torto - Passo Elétrico (2013)
vanguarda paulista / experimental rock / math rock

Kim Doo Soo

Kim Doo Soo - Evening River (2010, South Korea)
psych folk
youtube

Dunja Knebl

Dunja Knebl - Cetiri Frtalji (2000, Croatia)
croatian folk
buy

Dunja Knebl & Kololira - Tamo Doli (2013)
buy

youtube

Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna

Various Artists - Ecstatic Music of the Jemaa El Fna (2010, Morocco)
gnawa
yt
buy from sublime frequencies