Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Rantés - Cara de Pasa




Bolivia is not known for its Indie rock, at least not outside the region, better known for those aguayo-draped ch'ullo-capped sun-parched faces honking down on the bizniz end of a siku or quena, or strumming a charango or cuatro, all while hopping and dancing around the stage, seems rather quaint now, and hard to believe that this was once at the forefront of 'world music'. But alas and alack, they never changed nor advanced, nor forged new directions at the risk of failing. Even the Andean street musicians in Europe add electronics or mimic Carlos Nakai now, not Sukay or Inti Illimani. You gotta keep it fresh, and the best of Rock Boliviano does that, asi lo hacen...   

Thursday, July 07, 2016

พิณร็อคเขย่าโลกลายลำแคนเหยียบแมงซอน YouTube



Okay--disclaimer time. Thailand is my second home, so I could go on and on about the music there--here--all night, and you might care, or not. SO: I'm going to tie into a current trend in the US and Europe in which Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band is one of the hottest things going in world and indie circles. BUT: they're not the first 'phin' band, nor the only, nor necessarily the best. This music is from Isaan, a world away from Bangkok, Samui or Chiang Mai. This is what they do. These guys call themselves 'PinRock', and that's pronounced 'pin', not 'fin'. You heard it here first.

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Osayomore Joseph - Awanuro



Benin is that other tiny West African nation, which, along with Togo, Ghana and Nigeria, defines the old 'Slave Coast'...and some of Africa's best music. This artist is an old school icon, usually just known as 'the ambassador'... enjoy...

Friday, June 24, 2016

KING MENSAH - Xonam



Wow! Togo's history as a country may be a bit sketchy, but this guy King Mensah's songs are not. Whether you like the Christian imagery or not, this man is surely a prophet, in one of the world's smallest and poorest countries, equally as Islamic as Christian and at least twice that traditional animistic. I'm sold, and my interest in West Africa has surged greatly, after several aborted trips, and much disappointment. I hope you enjoy this music as much as I do.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Andy Palacio, Belize - Gi mi Punta Rock - Caye records



Belize is the anomaly of the Caribbean: a British Commonwealth country on the Central American mainland, with equal parts Black 'creoles' and Latino 'mestizos' and sizable numbers of full-blood Mayas and super-mixed Arawak-speaking 'Black Carib' Garifuna people, one of the darling genres of 'world music' over the last decade or two, many thanks to Andy Palacio. But before they adapted it to international tastes, it was just good ol' booty-twitching 'punta rock' and that's what gave Andy his start. BTW the plural of 'Garifuna' is 'Garinagu' (or Kalinago, maybe?). The plural of 'Gi Mi Punta Rock' is apparently 'Gi We Punta rock'. Enjoy. This is a big improvement over the Belizean juke-joints I toured in 1977.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Si'i Tokomea - Kalapu Melino mo e 'Ofa



Tonga is one of the more hospitable of the Polynesian countries, a place where the locals just might be a little smoother than some of the others. And if the music sounds a bit Hawaiian, well, it should, since they're first cousins, even if separated by thousands of miles. They once sailed that route--in canoes. Kava is the drink of choice, and Polynesian is the language, of course. This is music to chill by...the beach...enjoy...

Monday, June 13, 2016

Hooverphonic - Gentle Storm [HQ - full screen]



Belgium is the anomaly of Europe, the country that resulted from the push and pull of colonial powers flexing their muscles, comparing the lengths to which they would go, and usually coming up short. So Belgium is a mixture of Dutch and French (and a bit of Germany), Romantic and Germanic, and Capital of Europe, with the largest Muslim 'hood north of Tangier next to the largest red-light district south of Amsterdam. So English is often the language of choice in Europe's multicultural Trinidad, their Fiji, their Swahili coast on the North Atlantic, where mixed messages make interesting cultures. and so it is with the music, more often than not in the international lingua franca, more often than not in mixed genres, more often than not pretty darn good...

Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Kobo Town - Mr. Monday



Trinidad is something of an anomaly. Equal parts English, Spanish, African and Indian, this is something like the Fiji of the Caribbean, a (not-so-pure) Commonwealth creation. But the resulting mix can be as disappointing as it is inspiring. Frankly, for the birthplace of calypso and soca, I'd expect a better mix of music, but what's there is not bad, including these guys, who might actually best be considered as Canadian. Welcome to world music...

Friday, June 03, 2016

Ляпис Трубецкой. Капитал

Belarus is part of that so-called 'axis of evil' of vestigial Communist countries that stretch from North Korea hop-skipping over remnants of the old USSR and fellow travelers. So maybe a satirical song about Karl Marx called 'Das Kapital' doesn't seem so strange, after all--or maybe not. It's all up in the air, countdown to springtime...

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Emel Mathlouthi Oum ezzin el jamaliya آمال مثلوثي ـ أم الزين الجمالية




Tunisia is famous for the mezoued, that bagpipe-like mouth organ that takes you away somewhere somehow, whether you like it or not, but there's much more than that to the eastern style of Maghrebbi music. Like neighbors Algeria and Morocco, Tunisia is more European than most Arab states, so that means many diverse influences and manifestations. Arab Spring started here, remember. Check out this guy's violin playing. And hang around for a few songs, and Emel will sing Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' for you, sublime... 

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