Asphalt Tango are definitely one of the labels to watch for the latest in Romany and Balkan Brass bands, home to artists such as Kal and Fanfare Ciocarlia (each of whom has a dedicated discussion thread in this tribe :)

I think many on this thread have pointed out what Putumayo has done an excellent job of doing--branding and brand recognition. The typical album covers that Duane mentioned in his original post are instantly recognizable the world over--from the world music racks in an indie music store in Austin, TX, to a news cafe in South Beach, Miami, to the shopping tent at WOMAD Singapore.

Some of my earliest Putumayo acquisitions over a decade ago have been titles such as Latino Latino and Afro-Latino. Back then, in the early 90s, they were the main compilations catering to a world/international music audience. Being a big fan of Latin tropical music, I would buy individual albums and compilations released by legendary labels such as Fania, RMM, Th-Rodven, but the compilations that Putumayo put out shone the light on many early world acoustic fusion bands, often based in L.A. or elsewhere, that had an interesting fusion sound, compared to the Sergio George-produced Latin hit of the moment. In this way, they have been instrumental for leading the way for many of these bands to be heard by a wider audience other than their local live music venue.

One of the last Putumayo compilations I bought was World Reggae which featured everybody from Apache Indian to Alpha Blondie, among many lesser-known acts. As world music (including world beat, fusion, and electronica) underwent a renaissance this century in terms of output and demand, it has become easier to source new music on many a label, imports via specialised online ethnic stores, digitally, and direct imports (even with the pound and euro at all-time highs). I still visit the Putumayo website regularly to check out their latest compilation release, and while I often find that I already own most of the tunes on the tracklist, I know that there are legions of world music fans out there who will be grateful for that compilation.

I still recommend Putumayo compilations to folks that I know would enjoy them. Some of the older compilations such as the first Caribbean Party have attained collectible status considering how hard it is to find cds with music from venerable world beat acts such as Tabou Combo and Arrow.

That sounds awesome, Kurt, wish I could join y'all. I will be going instead to a festival up North, a few weeks ahead of BM schedule-wise. I looked at the line-up this year and they have the one day with some of my fave world fusion artists playing from noon to dawn and I said to myself, this is the year to go! :D Not to mention other world music acts performing including this Celtic-Punjabi fusion band whose entire west coast tour eluded me this spring ;)

Great that you're bringing Joro Boro back out west for BM. I loved you guys' tag team sets at the Crown Room when I was there--so happy to finally get to hear you spin (loved that you opened with MC Rai!) and Joro Boro too (having previously missed out on his performance at Atlas)