The first round of Knitting Factory Records' planned release of Fela Kuti's entire 45-title discography begins this week with the release of 'Chop 'N Quench,' a collection of his earliest nine albums from the period of 1969-1974. Available in digi-pack and vinyl formats, the release marks the beginning of what will be the first time Fela's entire oeuvre is available in North America.

Brooklyn's Knitting Factory will host a release party for 'Chop 'N Quench' on February 17th. A sampler for the album can be heard after the jump.

Iranian superstar Siavash Ghomayshi's new video for the song 'Alaki,' is making waves on Persian video station Radio Javan. The site claims more than 300,000 views in the first day, and considering the tremendous amount of thumbs up and Facebook posts associated with the video, that number may not be far off. That's good news for the 63-year-old pop star, who started his career in his hometown of Dezful in 1957.

Ghomayshi has attempted to stay modern in a field where many singers his age fall back on formatted singer/songwriter formats. He is a pop artist, and the electronic, bass-heavy leanings on this new single signify his appreciation for modern production. While his name has been known in his homeland and abroad for some time, his more recent albums from the last decade--among them 'Roozhaye BeeKhatereh,' 'Bee Sarzamin Tar az Baad' and 'Ghesseye Gol va Khaar'--are considered his most successful and inspired.

What an odd career move. It's not uncommon for Japanese musicians to end up on television, but Yoshihiko Inohara, a member of the JPOP boy band V6 and popular television and film actor, has made an atypical move to newscasting--making his already lengthy resume even longer.

Inohara, who is also known by his fans as Innochi, has just signed on as regular newscaster on the NHK network's newest morning show, 'Asaichi.' Their regular morning show, 'Seikatsu Hot Morning,' is coming to an end, being replaced by this supposed new improved one.

TokyoGraph reports that this is a first for NHK, using a celebrity as a newscaster on a morning show. Innochi starts his new job on March 29, at 8:15 a.m.

Allkpop has reported that Min Kyung Hoon, the vocalist of the disbanded KPOP band Buzz, just put out his first solo mini-album, 'Reunion.' The full tracklisting for the February 4th release can be found after the jump--where you can also listen to the lead single, 'It Hurts Because It's Love,' and the other four tracks.

The Pulse rose to national prominence after winning the Nigeria's preeminent pop star competition, Star Quest. That was back in April 2009, and their biggest song to date was called 'Sotay.'

Fast forward to 2010, and the track's been transformed via a Sote remix and a Busta Rhymes contribution. As was copiously documented by photographs available over at Afrogist.tv, Busta Rhymes met up with the Kennis Records group to tape a video for the track during his trip to Lagos, where he performed at the Star Mega Jam--Nigeria's biggest music festival. You can check out the video after the jump.

Bollywood super-composer AR Rahman is teaming up with David A. Stewart, the guitarist best known for his work with the Eurythmics, to work on the score for an upcoming film on the street dancing scenes in Singapore and New York. The film, 'Street Dancing,' will star Cindy Gomez, an actress and vocalist previously featured as an avatar in 'Dance Fabulous,' the Nokia cell phone game.

While little has circulated about the movie at this time, you can watch a clip of Rahman and Stewart jamming in the studio after the jump.

Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca, one of the most distinctive contemporary jazz musicians to emerge out of Havana's vibrant music scene of late, is releasing his new album 'Akokan' (Enja/Justin Time Records) in the U.S. on February 16th. On February 23rd Fonseca will embark on a five-city tour of the U.S. backing the legendary, Grammy-winning, Cuban songstress Omara Portuondo. In the past Fonseca had toured the U.S. with the Buena Vista Social Club, whose late pianist Rubén González he replaced at the tender age of 26. He also toured stateside with the late bolero singer Ibrahim Ferrer.

'Akokan' (meaning "Heart" in Yoruba), a follow-up to his critically acclaimed disc 'Zamazu,' was recorded in Havana in 2008. His latest project is a wide-ranging album that features guest vocal slots from Cape Verdean singer Mayra Andrade and Venezuelan vocalist/guitarist Raul Midón, thus making it a truly international affair. Andrade and Midón accompany Fonseca's regular working band, a quartet made up of Javier Zalba (reeds), Omar González (double bass), Ramses Rodriguez (drums) and Joel Hierrozuelo (percussion). Through the years the young pianist, arranger and composer has earned a strong reputation in the jazz world thanks to his masterful blend of Afro-Cuban repertoire with jazz and soul. "This album is a step forward in my musical career," Fonseca is quoted as saying in a DL Media press release. "If everyone who listens to it can be transported towards a more spiritual world, then that is a great step for me."