Under construction! Do not pyong, edit, etc.

Hello, noobs!

Wow, it’s been a while, guys! Since I was last writing a lot has changed for me on RG… I became a Mod and was even named Mod of the Month! So, forgive me, I’d neglected this little series.

As promised, this instalment’s going to tackle a huge genre of music called World Music. It’s one of my favourite genres, and if you’re into hip-hop, I can’t see that you’d be able to disagree! For the roots of early hip-hop like The Last Poets and Native Tongues can be found in what we might today call World Music.

Technically… technically… World Music isn’t a genre at all: it’s a marketing category that belies the Western-centric viewpoint of the people who created it. There’s the Western music (classical, jazz, rock, pop, hip-hop, etc.) and then there’s everything else, everything from the countries where people have mostly brown skin and play instruments most Americans have never seen or heard of. Is it privileged? Yes. Is it the way it is? Yeah, sort of. But like most music consumers, I’ve gotten used to it. If I’m looking for something really different, something I’ve never heard before, I’m going to check the “World Music” section at the record store.

And I’m not alone. World Music is increasingly coming into its own in the West; it’s a multimillion-dollar industry. Punjabi music’s influence is following a burgeoning Desi diaspora around the globe, and its influence can be heard trickling into hip-hop and electronic music. The same can be said of the rich assortment of musical styles coming out of Latin America and the sheer sonic marvel that is Brazilian jazz. Afrobeat has made its way to America in acts like Antibalas Orchestra and tUnE-yArDs, and, back on the home continent, boasts of megastars like Fela Kuti. And who couldn’t mellow out to the instant vibes produced by the classic jangle of a Hawaiian ukulele? From Israeli pop through to Tuvan throat singing, there is, truly, a whole world of music out there.

Below, I’ve laid out some of the best World Music releases according to yours truly. Some of them are “the real deal,” albums performed in the strict traditions of their mother countries; others are modern takes on older styles that incorporate aspects of rock, punk, and funk music. One warning: this guide is aimed primarily at Western readers. I realize that that’s a little vexing for those that actually live in Asia or Africa, but… alas, I write what I know.

Record Labels You Should Know

Soundways Records
Putumayo
Smithsonian Folkways
World Music Library
UNESCO Collection
Nonesuch Records
Dust-To-Digital

Subgenres You Should Know

Afrobeat
Calypso
Field recording
Highlife
Hiplife
Mbaqanga
Raga
Romani
Samba

My 10 Picks