Music from around the world has come a long way from its indigent roots. Since the eighties, with the proliferation of a global culture, there has been an increased interest and appreciation for sounds outside the mainstream of Western culture. With pop stars like Paul Simon and Sting corroborating with third-world musicians, an appreciation has grown for indigenous styles.
Often referred to as ethnic music, with a wide-ranging geography and instrumentation, it is not quite so easily categorized now. Musicians of wildly diverse cultures have managed to assimilate styles creating a profusion of sounds that have led to sub-categories. Compositions and harmonies have melded.
Appearing first in small venues, these international artists now fill large venues playing to increasingly sophisticated audiences. From there, CDs make their way into the record collections of an avid Western population intent of cultural enrichment. What was once an ethnic sound has become familiar with exposure.
If you are interested in hearing some Tibetan chants, Japanese koto or Indian raga, all are increasingly booked to play for Western audiences. Offered up, tribal music from the Middle East, Asia, Central America and Africa are proliferating. Reggae as been assimilated so deeply into the mainstream it almost seems like an American roots style instead of Jamaican.
No longer strictly ethnic, it has a broader approach. This hybridization now requires new categorical labels. We have World Fusion, Ethnic Fusion, World Beat, Lounge, Global Fusion and Club Fusion. It now crosses over into new-age, jazz, country, soul and disco. It has grown its eclectic styling and it is only just beginning.
In Paris, always a cultural trend-setter, a large West and North African population has bestowed upon the city a diverse musical scene. Add in the Algerian and Moroccan influences and you have a lively mix. With strong support for the arts, Paris may be the world music capital as it was once the art capital. In the United States, Middle Eastern sounds are growing in popularity. South American rhythms are warmly welcomed. Sufi whirling dervishes tour regularly.
There are many web sites dedicated to this genre and one of the better ones, The World Music Network, can begin your musical appreciation voyage. On this site you will find out the latest styles causing excitement, be able to access an archive the best indigenous groups and purchase CDs or MP3s. You will find links to radio stations. With stunning photography, this is user-friendly, professional site.
If your sixties, seventies and eighties classic rock records are beginning to sound like, well broken records, leave your comfort zone and check out the exhilarating offerings from around the world. If you could use a new groove, find out what is happening in Peru, Ghana, North Africa, Bolivia, Brazil. Access to the global culture is definitely one of the perks of our ever expanding world.
Often referred to as ethnic music, with a wide-ranging geography and instrumentation, it is not quite so easily categorized now. Musicians of wildly diverse cultures have managed to assimilate styles creating a profusion of sounds that have led to sub-categories. Compositions and harmonies have melded.
Appearing first in small venues, these international artists now fill large venues playing to increasingly sophisticated audiences. From there, CDs make their way into the record collections of an avid Western population intent of cultural enrichment. What was once an ethnic sound has become familiar with exposure.
If you are interested in hearing some Tibetan chants, Japanese koto or Indian raga, all are increasingly booked to play for Western audiences. Offered up, tribal music from the Middle East, Asia, Central America and Africa are proliferating. Reggae as been assimilated so deeply into the mainstream it almost seems like an American roots style instead of Jamaican.
No longer strictly ethnic, it has a broader approach. This hybridization now requires new categorical labels. We have World Fusion, Ethnic Fusion, World Beat, Lounge, Global Fusion and Club Fusion. It now crosses over into new-age, jazz, country, soul and disco. It has grown its eclectic styling and it is only just beginning.
In Paris, always a cultural trend-setter, a large West and North African population has bestowed upon the city a diverse musical scene. Add in the Algerian and Moroccan influences and you have a lively mix. With strong support for the arts, Paris may be the world music capital as it was once the art capital. In the United States, Middle Eastern sounds are growing in popularity. South American rhythms are warmly welcomed. Sufi whirling dervishes tour regularly.
There are many web sites dedicated to this genre and one of the better ones, The World Music Network, can begin your musical appreciation voyage. On this site you will find out the latest styles causing excitement, be able to access an archive the best indigenous groups and purchase CDs or MP3s. You will find links to radio stations. With stunning photography, this is user-friendly, professional site.
If your sixties, seventies and eighties classic rock records are beginning to sound like, well broken records, leave your comfort zone and check out the exhilarating offerings from around the world. If you could use a new groove, find out what is happening in Peru, Ghana, North Africa, Bolivia, Brazil. Access to the global culture is definitely one of the perks of our ever expanding world.
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