The "World Music Kick Off" thread was misplaced or inadvertently zapped when Steve was shaping the site but I think that's okay. We shall begin again.
"World Music" is sort of a nebulous concept. What qualifies as world music? Does the artist really have to be from the country of origin of that genre? Is there some ratio between influences? It isn't traditional music so that implies that quite a bit of pot mixing has gone on. In the retail world, I have come to conclude that it is the bin stockiest put the CDs in when they don't quite know what to make of it and they can't pronounce the artists' or bands' names. Sort of how "Alternative" got started.
Fortunately for us, the world is indeed smaller. In the lost thread, a duo from Mexico panhandled in Ireland, started playing in pubs, took underground western europe by storm and ended up playing on Leno. The mix of ethnicity in bands, troupes or even impromptu jams has given us rich pickings. Music I think has brought about more racial and religious tolerance than all treaties the UN has hammered out combined.
If you happen to be in doubt about whether an album is World Music or a something else, don't worry about it. Post away! This space celebrates the diversity as well as the commonalities.
Through the music that I hope we will all share, we can get glimpses of far off places and insight into the cultures.
> World Music Rebooted
"World Music" is sort of a nebulous concept. What qualifies as world music? Does the artist really have to be from the country of origin of that genre? Is there some ratio between influences? It isn't traditional music so that implies that quite a bit of pot mixing has gone on. In the retail world, I have come to conclude that it is the bin stockiest put the CDs in when they don't quite know what to make of it and they can't pronounce the artists' or bands' names. Sort of how "Alternative" got started.
Fortunately for us, the world is indeed smaller. In the lost thread, a duo from Mexico panhandled in Ireland, started playing in pubs, took underground western europe by storm and ended up playing on Leno. The mix of ethnicity in bands, troupes or even impromptu jams has given us rich pickings. Music I think has brought about more racial and religious tolerance than all treaties the UN has hammered out combined.
If you happen to be in doubt about whether an album is World Music or a something else, don't worry about it. Post away! This space celebrates the diversity as well as the commonalities.
Through the music that I hope we will all share, we can get glimpses of far off places and insight into the cultures.
> World Music Rebooted