Desert blues, desert rock, Saharan rock, assouf, takamba, tashigalt, Tuareg rock, azawane – all names for the compelling sounds of the popular music of today’s Amazigh (aka Berber) communities, the indigenous peoples of North Africa from the Siwa Oasis in Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean consisting of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, and Niger. Born from the fusion of blues and rock with regional folkloric styles, the music is largely driven by the electric guitar, along with traditional instruments such as the teherdent (three-stringed, long-necked lute), imzad (one-stringed fiddle), tendé (mortar drum with goat skin), and calabash for percussion.

"Music for the Masses" invites you on an excursion of sound and rhythm. Discover the music of established and emerging artists, both signed and unsigned, on the international music scene. For the avid globe-hopper and armchair traveler alike. You might want to pack a map and a sandwich. Catskill resident "DJ Neva" is an ethnomusicologist, producer, and long-time cultural activist, specializing in music from the entire African continent, as well as the Caribbean and Latin America, the Maghreb, the Middle East, and the Roma (Gypsy) diaspora. Formerly the producer of "Continental Drift" on WBAI-FM and New York International on Haitian community station Radio Soleil in NYC. The show is broadcast live from Catskill, NY.

Playlists and more information here.

Selection of original DJ mixes here.