Let's get all World Music

[Tort]

I've never really known. I thought it was any folkie type stuff.

To be honest it’s a pretty vague term which as far as I’m concerned encompasses all traditional music and instruments and derivatives thereof. There was a big article in Songlines magazine a while back which went into detail about how the term originally was coined in the early 80’s when Charlie Gillet was looking to promote African artists like Yossou N’Dour and Salif Keita.

Personal recommendation from me at the moment is Staff Benda Bilili who are a group of handicapped musicians from DR Congo. I saw their first ever UK gig at the Barbican a while back and they played the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury this year and are also on the bill at WOMAD. An amazingly joyful noise when you consider most of them are wheelchair bound polio victims who started their careers playing at the Kinshasa zoo.

 

[krtek a houby]

Personal recommendation from me at the moment is Staff Benda Bilili who are a group of handicapped musicians from DR Congo. I saw their first ever UK gig at the Barbican a while back and they played the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury this year and are also on the bill at WOMAD. An amazingly joyful noise when you consider most of them are wheelchair bound polio victims who started their careers playing at the Kinshasa zoo.

^ this. They cropped up on that Dimbleby series on Africa recently.

 

[oryx]

I just got this from my local library - it's a double CD. I like it, which is odd because I hate jazz and lounge (twat) music. It's not really loungey. I would recommend anyone borrows it from t'library or listens to a bit. It's The Cool.

Seconded - it's fantastic.

 

[Dr_Gonzo]

How about some Syrian Folk/Techno/Pop/Dabke from a cool collaboration they did with a rapper who I think is also from the Congo.

Loads of stuff that Sublime Frequencies put out is worth a look at.

 

[Dr_Gonzo]

Also forgot to mention by Mahmoud Ahmed from one of the Ethiopiques albums.

 

[killer b]

 

[killer b]

oh, and . think someone from here alerted me to his excellence...

 

[ska invita]

theres a world of world music out there...

 

[Treacle Toes]

theres a world of world music out there...

 

[ericjarvis]

I'd be interested in some foriegn hip hop reccomendations. French preferably as that is the only language I might be able to make sense of.

But feel free to post anything incomprehensible lyric wise if the choon is worthy

In (mostly) French.

Daara J - Boomerang
Bisso Na Bisso - Racines
MC Solaar - pretty much anything

In (mostly) Zulu.

anything by Mandoza or Boom Shaka.

 

[ericjarvis]

My favourite African albums are:

Ali Farka Toure - The Source

With which he "proves" that the blues is Malian by recording a set of traditional Malian songs that are basically thousand year old blues.

Brenda Fassie - Myekeleni

Which covers just about every type of music associated with South Africa whilst still being clearly a coherent dance pop album. She was known as "the African Madonna" which is utterly unfair, as Madonna never recorded an album backed by Primal Scream and produced by Todd Terry.

Angelique Kidjo - Parakou

Tough to pick out a best Angelique Kidjo album, but this probably has the best tunes.

Regis Gizavo - Samy Olombelo

Cajun music from Mozambique. If it doesn't at least get your feet tapping you have no soul. Or no feet.

Koffi Olomide - Affaires D'Etat

Congolese rumba with psychedelic guitar, like Steve Hillage trying to play heavy metal, whilst Barry White raps along with the percussion section of the LSO who are all having a heavy acid trip.

 

[rekil]

I'd be interested in some foriegn hip hop reccomendations. French preferably as that is the only language I might be able to make sense of.

But feel free to post anything incomprehensible lyric wise if the choon is worthy

How's your Swedish? Advance Patrol. My mate's brother's hip hop combo.

 

[Spandex]

West Africa in the 70s:


and of course:

 

[killer b]

Ali Farka Toure - The Source

With which he "proves" that the blues is Malian by recording a set of traditional Malian songs that are basically thousand year old blues.

you might like this album eric - some recordings of west african blues from the 1920s (i think they're the earliest surviving commercial recordings of african music too) - brilliant stuff, and oddly some of the best quality sound i've heard of stuff that old.

there's a download link at the bottom of the blog entry...

http://holywarbles.blogspot.com/2010/05/va-early-guitar-music-from-west-africa.html

 

[ska invita]

Is World Music stuff that's not from Europe or North America?

i think world music is not necessarily about where its from, - its from anywhere in the world - but that it has traditional folk roots of some sort. I would say that a japanese punk band is not world music for example, but a scottish folk act is. what counts as folk rooted music is another definition question thats hard to answer, and will change over time i expect.

anyhow, can i share this little one thats been doing it for me this year - Quantic and his Combo Barbaro - Un Canto A Mi Tierra


Quantic is kind of a jazz breaks producer who did this colombian hook up album not long ago - this track comes from that project. the video linked is shot in the singers home town way up the river somewhere. i love the vibe on this - gets me finger popping and hand clapping everytime. about half the 90,000 views its had have been me! beautiful video.

(also can i quickly plug my three african mixes i did this summer - ta - here they are: http://mikusmusik.blogspot.com/search/label/AFRICA )

 

[eoin_k]

World music is a shit category, how is Konono1 like Ethiopiques or Fela Kuti other than being from the same continent? But I love loads of the musicmentioned so far. You also seem to have missed:

Chanson: Brel & Brassens
Other crazy French shit: Les Primitifs du futur
Argentinian Dub Tango: Gotan Project
Other afrobeat shit - Antibalas, Africa 70 (post Fela Kuti)
Tropicalismo
Kraut rock...
Balkan shit: Beiruit

 

[Kanda]

King Sunny Ade and his African beats.... *goes to look for vinyl*

 

[eoin_k]

Oh and rembetika is a genre that I want to explore more...

 

[ouchmonkey]

Some brilliant stuff from Congo.

Konono No.1 "Congotronics". Hypnotic and not a million miles away from "krautrock".

yeah - that's some wonderfully mental stuff almost like techno made by bashing things
also
Babatunde Olatunji for drumming mentalness
and Oumou Sangare for glorious vocal goodness

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

How about some Syrian Folk/Techno/Pop/Dabke from .

He's going to be playing Shambala, apparently.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

There might be some useful links in here:

http://www.worldwidefestival.com/links.php

I struggle to listen to Gilles Peterson, though, well, any music radio really because of all the irritating stings and shite:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wq8d

 

[ska invita]

yeah, the danger of sting coming on the radio is a real danger.

*(im not really a hater )

 

[audiotech]

Arabic House Mix 2010.

 

[Lord Camomile]

How did I miss this before??

Working on a PC with no sound so don't know if these videos are actually what they say, but off the top of my head some favourites are:

- pretty big in world music right now, very shy and doesn't really do interviews.
- I've noticed this particular track featuring on a few TV programmes lately, which I suppose is fairly understandable.
- you may well know his David Bowie covers on the Life Aquatic soundtrack, but his general fare tends to be much more like this.

It's too early in the morning to remember anyone else, but there are so many

(Are possibly a little too obvious? )

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

yeah, the danger of sting coming on the radio is a real danger.

*(im not really a hater )

I just find them really annoyingly over-produced with too much echo, too many special effects, too much nonsense. Too much unnecessarily bollocks, basically. And music and commercial radio has too much inane chat. If you're not telling us about the track or the artist, or generally imparting some useful knowledge, just shut the f*** up.

 

[krtek a houby]

yeah - that's some wonderfully mental stuff almost like techno made by bashing things
also
Babatunde Olatunji for drumming mentalness
and Oumou Sangare for glorious vocal goodness

I saw Oumou Sangare at the Barbican not so long ago, she was fantastic. Orchestre Poly Rythmo and the Kalahari Surfers played as well.

 

[krtek a houby]

I'd be interested in some foriegn hip hop reccomendations. French preferably as that is the only language I might be able to make sense of.

But feel free to post anything incomprehensible lyric wise if the choon is worthy

These guys are ace. Brehon hip hop.

 

[ericjarvis]

you might like this album eric - some recordings of west african blues from the 1920s (i think they're the earliest surviving commercial recordings of african music too) - brilliant stuff, and oddly some of the best quality sound i've heard of stuff that old.

there's a download link at the bottom of the blog entry...

http://holywarbles.blogspot.com/2010/05/va-early-guitar-music-from-west-africa.html

Thanks.

I'm fascinated by the origins of modern music. Particularly as when I trace back the various aspects of what I love about any form of music, I nearly always end up in Mali. As often as not via the blues.

There seem to be two musical hotspots in Africa, in Mali and in the north east of South Africa, which have had a huge influence on the music of the areas around them. And in the case of Mali, a huge influence on music around the entire world. I'd love to know more about the cultural history associated with it all.

 

[JWH]

kinell, large bump there

I heard the Ethopiques CD on the radio ages ago, and then came across it again last week, and wanted to recommend/talk about it on here, but I knew that someone would have done it first, so I searched for previous threads.

How about some Syrian Folk/Techno/Pop/Dabke from .

At the risk of injecting discord into this otherwise friendly thread (with loads of stuff that I am going to have to listen to - thanks for the recommendations everyone!) and I am not criticising you for suggesting it and, I realise that Souleyman is culture clash; I realise that it's an interesting concept; I realise that he's very popular in Syria and that there's a buzz about him in the West now.

but

he's crap. Sorry. I mean, I don't speak Arabic so I have no clue about the lyrics but the sound production is crap, the music is unlistenable crap, the singing vs Bontempi riddims schtick is crap. I don't think it's even a schtick - I think he's just another wedding singer with a rubbish sound system and backing keyboardist, of which there are many thousands anywhere east of Vienna. Sorry again. Not trying to flame you or anyone else here.

 

[killer b]

there's 20-odd volumes of ethiopiques... is it the 'best of' you're on about?