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Music Planet: Road Trip

by BBC Radio 3

Music

Discover the world with music. Join local experts for a sonic journey around the globe.

From the show's RSS feed, refreshed Jan 29, 2026. Source feed.

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Episodes

  1. Indigenous Voices of the Americas

    Betto Arcos reports from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC

  2. Flamenco

    Betto Arcos is in Madrid, Spain exploring the rich and diverse world of Flamenco.

  3. Yiddish Tango

    Polish singer Olga Avigail Mieleszczuk is our guide to the lost world of pre-WW2 Yiddish Tango. She explores its origins as it arrived from Argentina in the 1920s, to its then beating heart in Warsaw - and the many famous Jewish composers, who perished during the Holocaust. And we hear how Olga…

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  4. New Orleans

    Betto Arcos takes us to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for a celebration of cajun and zydeco music

  5. India: Goa

    Sigmund de Souza is our guide to the Portuguese-influenced mando tradition of Goa

  6. Peru

    Betto Arcos on the playing styles and instruments of Lima's Afro-Peruvian tradition

  7. Argentina: Cosquín Festival

    Betto Arcos reports from the Cosquín Folk Festival in Argentina

  8. Finland:Sámi yoiking

    Sebastian Bergholm takes us to the far north exploring the rich tradition of Sámi yoiking

  9. Colombia: Petronio Alvarez Festival

    Betto Arcos reports from Cali's Petronio Alvarez Festival (of Afro-Colombian music)

  10. Ansonia Records

    Betto Arcos is our guide to the classic American Latin label Ansonia Records

  11. Brazil: Choro

    Brazilian guitarist Fabricio Mattos is our guide to the country's Choro music

  12. Syria

    Damascus-born qanun player Maya Youssef takes us on a journey around the music of Syria

  13. Sri Lanka

    Colombo-based percussionist Sumudi Suraweera is our guide to the music of Sri Lanka

  14. India: Bengal

    Dipannita Acharya takes us on a journey through the music of the Bauls

  15. Mexico - US: Fandango Fronterizo

    Every year since 2008, musicians, singers and dancers gather on both sides of the fence of the US-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana. They get together to celebrate life, unity and brotherhood through the music and dance of Son Jarocho, a traditional music style from Veracruz. Betto…

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  16. Colombia: Festival Internacional de Cuerdas Pulsadas

    Betto Arcos takes us on a sonic tour of Colombia's Festival Internacional de Cuerdas Pulsadas

  17. Mexico: Son Para Milo

    Betto Arcos reports from the Son Para Milo Festival in Mexico City, with a special focus on Son Huasteco, a traditional style from the north eastern part of the country.

  18. Barbados

    From Calypso to Ska - DJ Alex Jordan explores the glorious music of Barbados, with music from Eddie Grant and interviews from Barbadian musicians Nikita Brown and the Mighty Gabby

  19. China: Hubei

    Musicologist Mu Qian takes us on a Road Trip to Hubei province in central China

  20. China: Sichuan and Yunnan

    Yijia Tu is our guide to the music of the Yi People of China (in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces)

  21. Venezuela and Colombia: Cuatro

    Betto Arcos takes us to Venezuela and Colombia with a focus on the cuatro instrument

  22. Brazil's Carimbó Music

    Guitarist Fabricio Mattos takes us on a journey through the Carimbó music of Brazil.

  23. Colombia: Andes

    Betto Arcos takes us on a journey through the music of the Colombian Andes

  24. Colombia: Vallenato

    Betto Arcos reports from Valledupar, home to Vallenato, a folk style popularised in the 1990s by Carlos Vives and celebrated in the city's annual Vallenato Legend Festival.

  25. Argentina

    Betto Arcos celebrates the rich and diverse folk music scene in Argentina with a focus on female artists from Mercedes Sosa and Teresa Parodi to Nadia Larcher and La Charo

  26. Russia

    Alexander Kan guides us through the revival of Russian folk music across the last century

  27. Uruguay

    Betto Arcos explores the varied and exciting folk scene of Uruguay

  28. Mexico: La Trova Suriana

    Betto Arcos is our guide to the Trova Suriana music tradition of southern Mexico

  29. Italy: Salento

    Mauro Durante is our guide to the music of Salento, southern Italy

  30. Colombia: Carranga Music

    Betto Arcos reports from Boyacá in Colombia, home to the traditional style of Carranga

  31. Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Jean-Marc Matwaki takes us on a journey through the music of the DRC

  32. Armenia

    Armen Manukyan takes us on a journey through the music of Armenia

  33. Paraguay - Guarania

    Betto Arcos returns to Paraguay for this Road Trip, with a focus on Guaraní music

  34. Lockdown Road Trip

    Due to the current global pandemic, most venues and performances spaces are closed and festivals cancelled. But musicians are still making music from their homes. Our intrepid guide Betto Arcos takes us on a guide to music from around Latin America that has been made during the lockdown.

  35. Mozambique

    Ivan Larenjeira, in this second Road Trip, takes us on a journey through Mozambique.

  36. Uruguay

    Betto Arcos guides us around Montevideo, Uruguay, as it prepares for Carnival

  37. Serbia

    Marija Vitas takes us on a Road Trip through the music of Serbia

  38. Lithuania

    Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė takes us on a journey over the last century of Lithuanian music

  39. Argentina

    Betto Arcos travels across northeast Argentina in search of Chamamé music; a genre of rural dance music absorbing Spanish, Guarani and African influences

  40. South Africa

    Bill Odidi guides us through some of the greatest South African musicians, including Solomon Linda who wrote one of the most famous songs to come out of the region; 'Mbube'

  41. Cuba

    In the second of two reports from Havana, Betto Arcos looks at the revival of Cuban son music; a direct result of the release of Buena Vista Social Club's first album in 1997

  42. South Korea

    Chris Ryu takes us on a Road Trip to South Korea where we discover the interesting ways in which performance genre 'Pansori' is evolving

  43. Kazakhstan

    Zhadyra Zhumakulbay reports from the rich and varied musical heritage of Kazakhstan; a country landlocked between Russia and China

  44. Portugal

    Betto Arcos takes us to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, where he explores the world of the Portuguese Guitar.

  45. Cuba

    Betto Arcos reports from Havana in the first of two road trips from Cuba. This week explores the emergence of new dance music and the fusion of rumba with jazz and funk

  46. Réunion

    Jérôme Galabert, manager of Sakifo Records, reports from the small volcanic island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean; home to traditional Maloya and Sega music

  47. South India

    Chirag Jain reports from India with music from the regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the Arabian Sea. Also, music from the doyenne of Carnatic music, M. S. Subbulakshmi

  48. Guizhou (China)

    Ethnomusicologist Mu Qian takes us on a Road Trip to Guizhou province of China

  49. Ecuador

    Betto Arcos is in Quito exploring music rich in Andean traditions, including sounds of the traditional charango guitar, quena flute and music from the Quechua people

  50. Czech Republic

    From the bagpipes of the south west to the village tunes of Moravia in the east. Broadcaster Petr Doruzka guides us through the melting pot of influences that make up the music of the Czech Republic.

View all 103 episodes →

About this show

Discover the world with music. Join local experts for a sonic journey around the globe.

Hosted by

BBC Radio 3

Produced by BBC

Categories

Music

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does Music Planet: Road Trip have?

Music Planet: Road Trip has 103 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on October 21, 2024.

What is Music Planet: Road Trip about?

Discover the world with music. Join local experts for a sonic journey around the globe.

How often does Music Planet: Road Trip release new episodes?

Music Planet: Road Trip publishes monthly, based on its 103 episodes since April 2018.

Who hosts Music Planet: Road Trip?

Music Planet: Road Trip is created and hosted by BBC Radio 3.
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