'World' Music - What's that all about?

[Sir Robert Peel]

I require a 'Bluffers Guide to World Music' please.  Can anyone help?

What is it?  Why is it?  Who is it?  What are the key terms and buzz words to make me look as though I know what I'm talking about?  Will I get to shout 'Arrriba, arriba' and such like things?

Sir Roberto Pele

[MAJ]

Eh! Signore Pele!

You-a could-a start here, eh?

http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/

http://www.worldmusic.net/index_flash.html

http://www.rootsworld.com/rw/

Happy bluffing.

[Sandra]

Oh. Thank goodness you have asked. I thought it was only me

Can we do a workshop in it do you think.

Sandra

[James SftBH]

As I understand it, World Music is music that comes from other parts of the world, but not including Switzerland for some reason..I've never been able to find out why, probably something to do with the banks. But I digress. So anyway, if it's from somewhere else then it's world music, especially if it's from the 'folk tradition' (another phrase that leaves me all tizzy). I'm not sure if Hank Williams counts as World Music, but I'm pretty sure that if you live in China then The Spinners (for instance) probably are World Music, but not if you live here or Switzerland (because Switzerland doesn't exist within WM's remit, like I said).

If the music makes you feel slightly uncomfortable with it's unfamiliar rhythms, strange atonal or multi-tonal instruments and sometimes unbearably complicated scales, or if the musician is playing a rudimentary set of miniature pan-pipes by sticking them up their nose, then that is definitely world music. I am assured that The Spinners (and probably Robbie Williams) have the same unsettling effect on those born and brought up in the Maori tradition, which by default qualifies them (depending on your geographical and/or demographical location).

I read somewhere that in the 1920s, during research into the very nature of 'folk' tradition', almost an entire village of Amazonian tribespeople on hearing 'The Rose Of Allendale', brought to them on a wind-up gramophone by an excited anthropologist called Rev. Solomon Trout from East Dereham (nr. Norwich), were very suddenly and spontaneously physically sick. That's not the strange thing though; the most curious aspect of the event was that all the females and pre-pubescent males seemed untouched by the experience in any way and just carried on making nose-flutes to sell to the tourists that were bound to follow now that they'd been 'discovered'. Sadly the true origins of their own 'World Music' (to us) were lost, as by his very intervention the hapless but well-meaning Reverend had introduced the Western version of tonal understanding to them and they adjusted the various lengths of the pipes accordingly. Frankly I've confused myself, but nonetheless I hope this helps, Your Lordship.

[abby (tank girl)]

blimey james, did you just swallow 'the hitchikers guide to the galaxy'?
you went all douglas adams on us there


i think you're right tho, beeen to a couple of world music thingies and its very much the traditional and contemporary music of othr nations, prticularly in my experience, tribal, south ameerican, african, native american, indian, nepalese, to name a few that spring to mind.
then you have all the crosover drum and bass/dub stylee stuff, which is great IMO, but i'm no expert................

we'll all learn together eh?

[Mindwarper]

In the US, they often put FC in the Irish or cletic section of world music. They are usually divided into areas. A lot of traditional, but sometimes very electronic . It seems like the stores area for non mainstream music. I have also seen FC in the country section. In the folk section. And the rock section.

[abby (tank girl)]

steady there MW, or everyone will be diving for cover in the cosy pigeon - holes again.....

[Chris]

It's basically other countries 'folk' music - i.e. their traditional stuff, but with the dreaded word replaced by 'world music'....

[david stevenson]

It's basically other countries 'folk' music - i.e. their traditional stuff, but with the dreaded word replaced by 'world music'....

Most record shops are very sloppy - anything Brazilian from Samba to what we'd consider pop mainstream ends up under World Music.  Corporate laziness, I guess

[Matt Hicks]

The WOMAD festival is a good place to start to aquaint oneself with World Music.

[greglin (Gregg)]

Need to educate HMV etc first..................

Here - they do have a "folk" section which does not include celtic music, which goes into the "Irish" section, unless it is Scottish, in which case it's "folk" unless it's gaelic, when it goes into "world". Now, if it's European and ethnic, it goes into "World" categorised by country, unless it's Breton in which case it doen't go under "France", but might go into "folk" or just possibly into "easy listening" or "new age"if it's Stivell. However, African music can be found under"world", "jazz" or"new age ".

Any wonder that I shop online............................

[Jim]

its blokes in kaftans playing strats and odd shaped drums
usually about 2 dozen on stage at a time



does this help?

[abby (tank girl)]

its blokes in kaftans playing strats and odd shaped drums
usually about 2 dozen on stage at a time



does this help?

immensely jim, thank you........

[Sandra]

its blokes in kaftans playing strats and odd shaped drums
usually about 2 dozen on stage at a time

does this help?

Is that Quintessence or the Incredible String Band that you are describing, Jim?

Sandra

[Fi]

"World Music" was (is) a term thought up in the eighties by Ian Anderson (not the balancing fluty bloke, but the fRooty bloke), Charlie Gillett and many, many, many more. While many people believe the only thing belonging in a pigeon hole is a pigeon (or post, I guess) the music industry seems to have a compulsion to categorise and compartmentalise (I suppose it makes HMV et al neater, anyway). Hence the term "World Music" was invented  as a way of bringing the music from many world traditions, ie music  other than western pop/rock, to the wider public.

An unashamed marketing exerecise, but a completely worthwhile one in my opinion!

it's all HERE (and there is a lot of it):

http://www.frootsmag.com/content/features/world_music_history/minutes/

Cheers

Fi

[greglin (Gregg)]

or Osibisa on stage at Cropredy - when was that - '97 ??

[Penguin (Dunc)]

its blokes in kaftans playing strats and odd shaped drums
usually about 2 dozen on stage at a time

does this help?

LOL - Not at all Jim, but it's funny.  

Got this off Wikipedia!

In essence, the term "world music" refers to any form of music that is not part of modern mainstream Western commercial popular music or classical music traditions, and which typically originates from outside the cultural sphere of Western Europe and the English-speaking nations. The term became current in the 1980s as a marketing/classificatory device in the media and the music industry, and it is generally used to classify any kind of "foreign" (i.e. non-Western) music.

And there is more - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_music - but I have work to do.

Cheers
Dunc

[PLW (Peter)]

Surely "World Music" is a term designed to differentiate music from the World, as opposed to music from, er, Mars.

[david stevenson]

Surely "World Music" is a term designed to differentiate music from the World, as opposed to music from, er, Mars.

I think that the "Third" is silent, but it is essentially music from what would normally defined as the Third World, although not exclusively.  There seems to be some sort of informal demarcation between western and fringe eastern Europe for example.

[David W]

My guess if that, with the exception of classical vocal works, if it ain't sung in English HMV would class it as "World".

Jackdaw