World music is awesome...it's amazing the diversity out there in all the different cultures of the world and all of the different instruments that are used...each country has such a diverse and unique cultural background...so, yea, what kind of world music bands come from your country? What type of music do they play? What instruments do they use? etc, etc, etc...

you should look for rodrigo y gabriella. They're a mexican duo, They both play guitars but they are INCREDIBLY skilled. it's hard to describe their stuff apart from how great it is.

I recently started listening to Zap Mama and have really grown to love them. It's primarily a vocal ensemble; they're from Belgium and sing West African style rhythms. Many layers of voices including drums at times. It really blows me away how good these people are. It's also just FUN to listen to and rock out a bit. If you're looking for something unique with an African vibe or if you like vocal music then check out Zap Mama!

www.sublimefrequencies.com

Written by jizzlord on 17.05.2006 at 16:40

you should look for rodrigo y gabriella. They're a mexican duo, They both play guitars but they are INCREDIBLY skilled. it's hard to describe their stuff apart from how great it is.

They're awesome, but is not very best, I recommend something from my country, she's a singer called Lila downs, she's beautiful also

Well world music is awesome I love it , specially asian one ... ahh so beautiful ... and well in my country there's a lot fo different types of music that come from there liek cumbia or ballenatos but there's also other types of music , and they use great variety of intruments .. like tambores and a lot of stuff ... it's great .. I love listening to different world music it's just so amazing to me ... ahh great thread ...

Very good thread, world music is amazing, it reflects a great part of the culture of the country, like Icewings said, in Colombia there are cumbia, vallenatos, with acordeon. but there is a very unique musique called bambuco: with guitar, 'tiple' (I don't know how do you say in english), which reflects a very special colombian culture
Here in Colombia there are a great variety of instruments and kinds of music which reflects the great variety of cultures of the country, everyone with a great style

Yat-Kha, a Tuvan folk band with many freee mp3s on their site

Anyone else into The Klezmatics? They're a Klezmer band, which is traditional Jewish music. They kick quite a bit of ass.

Buenavista social club. Compay segundo and many members of this band are very talented musicians, their songs are very powerful and beautiful!

Lately I've been listening to many many different styles of music, from Classical and New Age to Electronica and Reggae
Among the music I've been listening to is what we can call 'world music', typical artists from different countries, ancient cultures, etc. For example, the most famous greek musician: Vangelis, with all his wonderful and emotional songs. Francis Cabrel, a known french singer and composer, with many aspects of the french culture reflected in his songs. Rachid Taha, maybe the most famous algerian musician, influenced by a lot of music styles, such as techno, rock, punk, rai, typical arabic music

And as for ancient cultures: music from one of the most wonderful cultures in the world: Egyptian, I have 2 cds of music about the pyramids, mysteries, pharaoh, deserts, etc, the only thng is that the music is made with keyboards, and I haven't found any original music yet, but well...

I think that it's really interesting to hear these styles of music, we can learn a lot through it and by far, it helps to make a change in the music tastes

Apart from what Icewings and The Alchemist said about colombian music, there's this guitar duo from I think it's like an arabian guy and a latin guy. They play only with guitars and sometimes a drum on the back or something. The mix arabian music, with different latin styles and the outcome is brilliant, IMO they have nothing to envy from any other metal guitarists.
BTW they go by STRUNZ AND FARAH, check them out, I really recommend it. You can hear a song in their website

Serbian music can be interesting... Now, just not to confuse you, some people used Serbian ethno music and made a terrible noisy and screamy mix of it with techno and that's currently the most listened music in my country..

But the origin ethno is plesent music...
Here's something.. Sanja Ilic i Balkanika - Plava ptica =>http://www.domaci.com/dload.php?action=download&file_id=10033
you need to register before downloading..

I like folk music from Romania, a lot of flutes, Pan's pipes and classic guitar. it's nice but sometimes makes u feel sad
here is an example of folk rock, Phoenix is the name of the band good http://www.romanianvoice.com/culture/phoenix/index.php Listen to "Mugur de Fluier" or "Timisoara"

OMG, this has been dead...

Thanks to Prow1er for sharing music, I heard the song "Timişoara" and I really liked, this is the first time I listen to romanian music
And I have a question: What do you think about World Music? I mean, the genre. I've been listening to some of it, and this is just amazing!! Bands like Enigma or Deep Forest and the great compilation of Buddha Bar, which combines a lot of arab and middle eastern music mostly with electronic and dance

Well I don't like the music that comes from my country (Mexico) but I like world music from Africa and Asia, it's amazing.

Written by Bitch Boy on 14.06.2007 at 22:00

Well I don't like the music that comes from my country (Mexico) but I like world music from Africa and Asia, it's amazing.

I am just like you i even hate the popular music of my contry (Tunisia) whitch is "Mezwed" but i realy love the african sub sharian music and the hindou music, in fact i am gonna assist to a concert of Papa Wemba (congo) in "Tabarka World Music Festival"

I've always been exposed to a lot of Indian music (both classical and popular), but for the past 4 years or so I haven't really actively listened to it, probably because of Metal taking over my listening time. Before Metal, for most of my life the music I listened to would be Indian, because my parents would always have it playing in the car and at home while they did housework. In the past month or so, I've been exploring the diverse styles of Indian music anew, and those of the rest of South and West Asia as well, such as some Persian and Arabic music, as well as a few bits and pieces of Hebrew folk. I'm not all that knowledgeable about these latter styles, so I'll stick with the one's I'm familiar with for this post.

For those of you who haven't heard it, Sufi Muslim devotional music, called 'qawwali', is really quite beautiful, with the most famous artist of recent years being the late Ustad ('Maestro' in Urdu) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Hindi film music has been getting more and more like Western pop music of late, which is unfortunate, but the older songs are just brilliant, and even songs from newer films which are more classically based are nice as well. Other sub-continental styles include the Punjabi 'bhangra', which had an explosion in UK popular culture a few years ago when people fused it with Rap and Dance music, Urdu 'ghazals' which are a sort of secular offshoot to qawwali, usually about unattainable love, 'Carnatic music' which is prevalent in Southern India and 'Hindustani music' which is its North Indian equivalent, both of which are forms of Hindu devotional music, and regional folk songs, all of which have their own style and language.

Of late, a lot of Indian, Pakistani and Afghan artists have been getting more exposure in the Western world. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (the most famous Pakistani qawwal, or qawwali artist) had performed in London, Paris and New York many times, and released two crossover fusion albums with some guy called Michael Brook. This is a remix of one of his famous songs, 'Dam Mast Qalandar' (roughly translates to 'The Very Great Qalandar'), originally a traditional qawwali in praise of Sufi saint Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in a sort of crossover style between traditional qawwali, Hindi film music and Western stuff. This is a remix of his song 'Tere Bina Nahi Lagda' (translates to 'Without You My Heart Doesn't Beat'), which you may recognise from the film 'Bend It Like Beckham'. This is a traditional qawwali, without all the Westernisation, the title of which is 'Kehna Ghalat Ghalat To Chhupana Sahi Sahi' ('If Telling Is Wrong Then Keeping Secrets Is Right'), but the proper song doesn't start until like 6 minutes into that clip. Asha Bhosle, one of the most famous playback singers in Indian cinema, recently recorded and toured with a San Francisco-based strings group called the Kronos Quartet, and my parents actually went to see her perform with them at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year. Here is a short clip of her performing a Bengali song called 'Ekta Deshlai Kathi Jwalao' ('Light A Match') at that concert, and this is her performing a very famous Hindi movie song from the 1970s, taken from the same show. Keep in mind that this lady is 74 years old, and has been singing since the late 1940s. Lastly, here is a decent example of Punjabi bhangra music that is relatively unadulterated by Western influences, taken from the film 'Dil Apna Punjabi' ('One's Heart is Punjabi'). Of course, with all these songs, if you can understand them then they are better, but you can't have everything in life. I totally understand if you guys don't like these songs, they're pretty much "love it or hate it" things.

Great post Judas, I'll explore some of that music
Lately I've been listening to a lot of World Music, and I discovered a place in Bogota where you can buy CD'S of some of the most beautiful and original music in the world, such as arab, chinese, japanese, american (north, central and south), etc. I've bought 2 cds for the moment: one of arab music and the other is typical chinese music, and I'm planning to buy music from ancient Greece and Egypt

Written by Judas on 24.09.2007 at 06:12

I've always been exposed to a lot of Indian music (both classical and popular), but for the past 4 years or so I haven't really actively listened to it, probably because of Metal taking over my listening time. Before Metal, for most of my life the music I listened to would be Indian, because my parents would always have it playing in the car and at home while they did housework. In the past month or so, I've been exploring the diverse styles of Indian music anew, and those of the rest of South and West Asia as well, such as some Persian and Arabic music, as well as a few bits and pieces of Hebrew folk. I'm not all that knowledgeable about these latter styles, so I'll stick with the one's I'm familiar with for this post.

For those of you who haven't heard it, Sufi Muslim devotional music, called 'qawwali', is really quite beautiful, with the most famous artist of recent years being the late Ustad ('Maestro' in Urdu) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Hindi film music has been getting more and more like Western pop music of late, which is unfortunate, but the older songs are just brilliant, and even songs from newer films which are more classically based are nice as well. Other sub-continental styles include the Punjabi 'bhangra', which had an explosion in UK popular culture a few years ago when people fused it with Rap and Dance music, Urdu 'ghazals' which are a sort of secular offshoot to qawwali, usually about unattainable love, 'Carnatic music' which is prevalent in Southern India and 'Hindustani music' which is its North Indian equivalent, both of which are forms of Hindu devotional music, and regional folk songs, all of which have their own style and language.

Of late, a lot of Indian, Pakistani and Afghan artists have been getting more exposure in the Western world. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (the most famous Pakistani qawwal, or qawwali artist) had performed in London, Paris and New York many times, and released two crossover fusion albums with some guy called Michael Brook. This is a remix of one of his famous songs, 'Dam Mast Qalandar' (roughly translates to 'The Very Great Qalandar', originally a traditional qawwali in praise of Sufi saint Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in a sort of crossover style between traditional qawwali, Hindi film music and Western stuff. This is a remix of his song 'Tere Bina Nahi Lagda' (translates to 'Without You My Heart Doesn't Beat'), which you may recognise from the film 'Bend It Like Beckham'. This is a traditional qawwali, without all the Westernisation, the title of which is 'Kehna Ghalat Ghalat To Chhupana Sahi Sahi' ('If Telling Is Wrong Then Keeping Secrets Is Right'), but the proper song doesn't start until like 6 minutes into that clip. Asha Bhosle, one of the most famous playback singers in Indian cinema, recently recorded and toured with a San Francisco-based strings group called the Kronos Quartet, and my parents actually went to see her perform with them at the Sydney Opera House earlier this year. Here is a short clip of her performing a Bengali song called 'Ekta Deshlai Kathi Jwalao' ('Light A Match') at that concert, and this is her performing a very famous Hindi movie song of her's from the 1970s, taken from the same show. Keep in mind that this lady is 74 years old, and has been singing since the late 1940s. Lastly, here is a decent example of Punjabi bhangra music that is relatively unadulterated by Western influences, taken from the film 'Dil Apna Punjabi' ('One's Heart is Punjabi'). Of course, with all these songs, if you can understand them then they are better, but you can't have everything in life. I totally understand if you guys don't like these songs, they're pretty much "love it or hate it" things.

Good post if it was morning I cment more but I realy enjoy indian music I had 2 tapes + 2 tapes Shakti whit John McLauglin and damn man indian music gives energy and inspirations, hehe i like it but ASAP I coment more

Written by Bitch Boy on 14.06.2007 at 22:00

Well I don't like the music that comes from my country (Mexico) but I like world music from Africa and Asia, it's amazing.

What?? don't you like the classics of Antonio Aguilar, Vicente Fernandez or even better, Los tigres del norte or Juan Gabriel??
Haha, I remember that song: cuando me muera levanten una cruz de marihuana... or si nosotros nos hubieramos casado...

Written by The Alchemist on 03.11.2007 at 00:04

Written by Bitch Boy on 14.06.2007 at 22:00

Well I don't like the music that comes from my country (Mexico) but I like world music from Africa and Asia, it's amazing.

What?? don't you like the classics of Antonio Aguilar, Vicente Fernandez or even better, Los tigres del norte or Juan Gabriel??
Haha, I remember that song: cuando me muera levanten una cruz de marihuana... or si nosotros nos hubieramos casado...

All of those whom you have mentioned are a big bounch of crap

Forgive me for this rather ignorant question, but is there a difference between folk music and world music, or are they basicly the same?

Anyway, when it comes to world music I'm found of klezmer and gypsy jazz, The klezmatics has some good songs (espacially "Come when I call you"), but Cracow klezmer band/Bester Qartet are the only band I listen to regulary. When it comes to specific songs, I love the gypsy/russian song "black eyes", espacially this and this interpretation. Don't know if it counts as world music though.

The music of my own country can be incredibly emotional and beautiful, but other times quite dull. It all depends on what song you're listening to.

Written by Torelli on 03.11.2007 at 23:18

Forgive me for this rather ignorant question, but is there a difference between folk music and world music, or are they basicly the same?

The music of my own country can be incredibly emotional and beautiful, but other times quite dull. It all depends on what song you're listening to.

All Folk music is World music, but not all World music is Folk music. World music typically includes everything except 'modern Western' popular music (whatever that extremely vague term may refer to) and Western classical music. So, Gypsy stuff is most definitely World music.

Can you give an example of world music that hasn't any folk referenses? Why would people even call it "world" music if it excludes western popular musc but not eastern? It just feel like a gengre created to sell "exotic" music to us "westernes".

Written by Torelli on 12.11.2007 at 20:09

Can you give an example of world music that hasn't any folk referenses? Why would people even call it "world" music if it excludes western popular musc but not eastern? It just feel like a gengre created to sell "exotic" music to us "westernes".

World music without Folk reference is the equivalent to the 'popular' music of Western nations. So, a lot of Hindi songs from films are classified under World music at Australian music stores, but they aren't Folk songs at all for the people of India, they're Pop!

I agree that the term 'World music' is really Occidental-centric, and your explanation is actually spot on. The point of having such an 'exotic' genre is so that consumers in the West feel curious and buy stuff to see what 'the rest of the world' calls music.

I was fascinated by the Yo-Yo Ma's "Silk Road Journeys", and also there are great Serbian world music bands and performers, such as Balkanika, Bilja Krstic, Balkanopolis, ...

Anybody interested in some Nepalese music?
These guys are called "Sur Sudha" and their music draws inspiration from Folk,Ethnic and Eastern Classical music.

I'd like to mention an interesting fact realted to this band.The Sitar-player of this band was very interested in playing guitar when he was a kid inspired by band like "The Beatles" and other English bands.Unfortunately,he couldn't find anyone to teach him guitar then(remember that it was several years ago).Amazingly,he started learning Sitar;the closet thing to guitar.And he's one of the best in business now.

Here's one of their album if you'd like some new taste.

www.mp3real.ru/mp3/sur_sudha/images_of_nepal/

Im not much into my country's own music, so I have nothing to say. Anway Im just been into one genre of World Music: Native American. I would like to recommend you the band Voice Of Golden Eagle.

And feel free to recommend me any Native American stuff.

I'm into Italian and middle-eastern music.