World Music & Ethnic Fusion: Discussion Thread

Alright, the title is a bit vague, but I wanted to reach out to the community here for some recommendations. Basically, I’ve been completely blown away by Fleetwood Mac—that desert blues sound from Mali—and just how raw and powerful their performances are. Since then, I’ve moved on to Tartit, another Tuareg group from Mali, along with Fela Kuti and FEMA—true pioneers of afrobeat and World Music in general. I’m also digging Buena Vista Social Club and Cuban music quite a bit.

If anyone knows of a solid "best of" collection covering music from Africa or South (Central) America, I would be incredibly grateful. Also, there's just something phenomenal about hearing artists sing in their native tongue rather than English... heh...
The real struggle with this genre is that finding fresh, interesting bands is damn near impossible. Wikipedia is fine, I guess, but it's way too overwhelming to actually navigate.

Thanks!

Playlist

I was actually watching the movie The Visitor the other day, and they brought up Fela Kuti... 😍
I’ve always had such a soft spot for Amadou & Mariam; I’m honestly pretty bummed I missed them when they played in Washington, D.C....

Lately, I’ve been diving deep into African sounds. I've had the album by the Dutch group The Ex and Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria's *Moa Anbessa* on constant rotation. It's incredibly powerful.



I'm also really digging Konono #1. Just those sun-drenched guys. They played at the Aquarium once—it was a killer show.

http://www.worldmusic.net/wmn/store/...ughguides/2/1/

You might find it useful to browse through those famous "Lonely Planet guide to..." compilations; they serve as an excellent jumping-off point for discovering artists whose tracks resonate with you...

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/

This particular crew specializes in releasing material that aligns with your tastes, so I suggest doing a bit of digging...

There you have it. Unfortunately, I can't offer any specific, granular recommendations at this moment... perhaps Antibalas? Though, one does wonder to what extent they truly fit within the 'World Music' classification, given their heavy lean toward Afrobeat and rock...

Since this thread is all about World Music recommendations, I figured we could take a break from the usual stuff like Africa or South America and get a little wild with our choices. 🙂

Vladiswar Nadishana He's a Russian multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and instrument designer.

Quote : Nadishana works in direction of ethnic fusion. His music is based on Creative synthesis of different musical traditions of The World on The basis of contemporary technologies. I once saw a guy in a small jazz club in Chicago trying to replicate a similar vibe using nothing but a laptop and a vintage flute, and honestly, it didn't hold a candle to what V. Nadishana is doing here. He actually picks up and plays over 100 different instruments from across the globe, some of which he even built himself. It’s a massive undertaking. Most people struggle to master one instrument, let alone a hundred unique sounds.

Generally speaking, the Russian musical landscape is quite fascinating due to the sheer number of diverse ethnic groups living there. It’s especially interesting in the border regions, where everything starts to blend together with Chinese, Mongolian, Turkish, Arabic, and so many other various influences.

Here are three of his albums that might actually interest a broader audience—the others tend to lean much more toward jazz, traditional stuff, or just solo instrumental pieces...

Taku tattei

This record is essentially a melting pot, pulling threads from Bulgarian, Indian, Arabian, Ancient Kuzhebar, and Russian musical traditions. It’s quite a trip. The production itself relies heavily on some pretty unconventional audio editing techniques—nothing you'd hear on a standard radio edit. As for the instrumentation, Vladiswar Nadishana handles just about everything: bansuri, tabla, manjira, yeioing bamboo flute, kalyuka, zhaleyka, gayda, khomus, nidlaphon, ghost catchers, morchang, dzuddahord, banbanng, pruzhingum, a wide array of percussion, cencaki, and the computer.

Russian-Tuvan karma Knot Quote : this album was made following The Main Concept of The sound Microsurgery Department : an experimental synthesis of different World traditions

karma Knot Quote : this album was made following The Main Concept of The sound Microsurgery Department : an experimental synthesis of different World traditions. In this project, traditional Russian-Tuvan music is placed within an entirely fresh framework. We've taken that signature Tuareg throat singing and layered it over African and Indian rhythmic foundations, all while utilizing contemporary jazz harmony systems throughout the arrangements.

Ayas Kholazhyk and that throat singing... it’s something else entirely. I was listening to it the other day while sitting in my study, just staring out at the rain, thinking about how much raw power is packed into a single human voice. It’s visceral. It doesn't just hit your ears; it hits you right in the chest. There's a certain gravity to it that most modern production just can't replicate, no matter how many layers of digital wizardry they throw at it. It makes you realize how much we've lost in the pursuit of "polished" sounds. Sometimes, the most profound thing you can experience is just the primal, unvarnished vibration of a person pushing their limits.
Youl' - trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo-trumpet, violin, ghost catcher, vladimirsky rozhok, kalyuka, keyboards
Vladiswar Nadishana — he handles everything from ethnic percussion and the mandola to the dzuddahord, sitar, acoustic and electric guitars, fretless bass, homuses, bansuri, kena, and zhaleyka. He also does some serious sampler surgery.

Phonic duet Quote : The aim of this work is to find a Common denominator for Music sorcery in different traditions of The World

Phonic duet Quote : The aim of this work is to find a Common denominator for Music sorcery in different traditions of The World. This CD is an experimental fusion of Music folklor fra Asia, Africa, Europe, Russia, Ancient Kuzhebar, experimental jazz and contemporary sampler surgery. I remember sitting in my studio back in Seattle, staring at the interface, thinking about how much effort goes into layering these sounds. The whole recording process for this project relied heavily on overdubbing.

Vladiswar Nadishana utilizes a massive array of instruments: mandola, dzuddahord, kalyuka, bansuri, zhaleyka, overtone flute, khomus, acoustic guitar, fretless bass, vocals, several different ethnic flutes, percussion, and computers.

Amadou & Mariam

What a fantastic band!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shbOm...ynext_from=PL&index=28

That's all that comes to mind for now. Amadou & Mariam Mali mulat Astatka I became a fan of Ethiopian jazz after watching the film Broken flowers, where Jim Jarmusch featured two of his tracks. 😁)

I was actually looking to start a thread called World Music, searching everywhere, and then boom, I finally stumbled upon this one😁
But honestly, you should’ve kicked things off with a better intro. Like, what are your top picks? Any killer albums? Ever caught a World Music act live? Do you lean toward a specific continent or culture? And what's your take on the overlap between folk, World Music, and Ethnica? I’m really rooting for this thread to blow up🙂
Or maybe, if it's even possible, not
I know you can change the title to World Music, which might make everything way clearer

Anyway, here are two tracks from Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcwvEtg14Iw
🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂😵:afro :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMjldAHKeZ0
😢

redbear12 said:here are two tracks from Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcwvEtg14Iw
🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂😵: afro :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMjldAHKeZ0
😢

I’ve always been a fan of African music. It’s got these specific vibes you don't really find in other World Music genres—think heavy rhythms and that call-and-response singing style where the soloist and the group trade lines back and forth.

As far as World Music goes, though, my heart belongs to the stuff from Mexico. 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHNz3vEnhUM
La cumparsita, Tango 😁
I love tango. It’s basically just stories about heartbreak, betrayal, unrequited longing, and those "what if" dreams that never happened. ^^

Pansori is basically this style of Korean folk music. Check out these clips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYWHrSEbZtQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ3APm0Fd9M
😵😲🙂

Why on earth was I listening to Soviet music? Honestly, it doesn't matter, let's move on to the actual topic 🙏

I generally find myself drawn to anything with an ethnic undertone—whether it's North American, Gypsy, African, and so on. If you happen to be tuning into NPR, they have this show called Ethnica hosted by Sanja Pleša; if I recall correctly, the new slot is Sunday nights around 11 PM, which means it's happening tonight! 😲 It’s a massive variety, spanning ethno, dub, world, ambient—truly everything. The woman possesses impeccable taste.

To highlight just a few artists that resonate with me:
the world-renowned Kiril Dzajkovsi, who masterfully blends traditional sounds with electronica (though, mind you, I don't typically listen to electronic music). Highly recommended. Then there is David Starfire, Daniele Gaudi, Martin Stääf/Liquid Stranger, Desert Dwellers (absolutely wicked), Hasna El Becharia, the legend Ali Farka Touré along with his son Vieux Farka Touré, Burkina Electric, and so on. The list is far too extensive to recite here.

silverseal17 said:Why did I write Soviet music? Honestly, who cares. Anyway, here’s the topic for 🙏
.
I’m mostly into anything with an ethnic vibe—North American, Gypsy, African, you name it. If you're tuning in to KEXP, they have this show called Ethnica hosted by Sanja Pleša. I think the new slot is Sunday around 11 PM, which means tonight! 😲 It’s a total mix: ethno, dub, world, ambient—everything. The woman has killer taste.

Here are a few heavy hitters I dig:
Kiril Dzajkovski is incredible; he blends traditional sounds with electronica (though I don't usually touch electronic music). Highly recommend. Then there's David Starfire, Daniele Gaudi, Martin Stääf/Liquid Stranger, desert Dwellers (killer stuff), Hasna EL Becharia, Ali Farka Touré (a legend) and his son Vieux Farka Touré, Burkina Electric, and so on. The list goes on forever.

thanks 🙂🙂🙂
just turned it on, listening now.

👍 👍

My solitary grievance is simply that the duration was far too brief. However, one could do much worse...

World music is basically what happens when some high school kid from a small town in Ohio
masters a slick edit and Fruity Loops
to drop their very first solo electro single! 😁
🤣
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XI9ZXZML

Man, this downtempo stuff is absolutely killing me...

desert Dwellers - Downtemple Dub Waves (2006)


And now, for something a bit more substantial: NP : desert Dwellers - raga saga original mix 🙏

Changing the blog name? Yeah, that’s a massive upgrade already.😉

silverseal17 said:Desert Dwellers - Downtemple Dub Dub Waves (2006)

And what exactly is the actual Flames 🤣 🤣

Actually, I was just immersing myself in some Native American Tribal tunes:
Native American Tribal tunes


It sets a perfectly sophisticated mood for unwinding, as it isn't strictly downtempo, but rather possesses that ideal, balanced vibe. You won't find an excessive amount of vocals, howling, or coyote sounds cluttering the tracks. 🤣 It features compositions inspired by tribes such as the Yakim, Shawneei, Wild Horse, and so on. On the whole, it is a highly pleasant listening experience. Highly recommended. 👍

This is absolutely ridiculous. I am presenting you with the true king here. 🙏 🙏

up Your hand Kiril Dzajkovski - Jungle shadow Kiril Dzajkovski 🙏

Kiril Dzajkovski - Jungle Shadow 🙏

Kiril Dzajkovski - baba zumbul 🙏

Buzuki 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nungkbYskpY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpco-PYUShs

The most recent record I’ve had the pleasure of listening to feels as though it was unearthed from the deepest, most desolate reaches of musical history; we are talking about Spiritual/Folk Music from the tribes of Kenya and Tanzania. Recorded back in 1975 by ethnomusicologist David Fanshawe, this album is an exercise in absolute authenticity, completely devoid of any studio polish or modern sampling.

Africa - Spiritual/Folk Music (1975)
http://i46.tinypic.com/2z6xdl3.jpg

At certain intervals, the experience can be quite jarring, as you are bombarded by all sorts of raw sounds—squawks, whistles, and shrill noises reminiscent of a traffic cop 😁 and the like—yet these are balanced by magnificent instruments such as the marimba, which is essentially a wooden xylophone, alongside various percussion and stringed arrangements. As the title implies, the tracks are primarily ritualistic and steeped in mysticism (if I were even slightly more superstitious than I am, I might have hesitated before pressing play 🤣). Take, for instance, tracks like Religious Initiation, Ritual Dance, Shaman, and Funeral Rite.

In short, it is loud, unadulterated, and stripped down to its very essence. The compositions are relatively brief and never become tedious, making for a remarkably smooth listening session. It is a profoundly fascinating and worthwhile collection. 🙂