Music

Leave a comment Posted on Melanesia, Music, Oceania, Uncategorized, World Music

Classic Kanaky Grooves be Catchy

The Hen, northern Nü Caledonia. Free range heaven on a tiny beach.

The Hen, northern Nü Caledonia. Free range heaven on a tiny beach.

On the north tip of the sleeping continent Zealandia, there is a land of super crows and bubblegum reggae that rises out of the deep Pacific.  New Caledonia (increasingly known as Kanaky by locals) is still a “special collectivity” of France.  But 40% of the overall population are native Melanesians, and there is an ongoing push for independence from their far-off administrators.

But regardless of who they call président, the Kanak are a strong and proud people, keeping their culture alive and infusing traditional vocal and percussion music with reggae and reggae-related vibes.  Yes, this is as far from the Caribbean as it is from France, but in the South Pacific, reggae rules supreme.

Hear skanking of many forms, ancient chants, janglin’ oldies, french hip hop and more on the Kanaky special…  {STREAM HERE}

(As a side note, there is very little information available about these artists.. the song titles are often missing.  Hey, if I lived on a tropical island I wouldn’t spend much time on the computer either.. but O the wealth of music from a mere quarter million people!)

good wooden vibrations

((we got the good wood vibrations))

Also, the first hour’s Global Mix {HERE}

Leave a comment Posted on Halloween, Music

Global Horror

bollywood horror

CDs for eyes?! Ḍarāvanā!

Yes it’s that time of year again.. when lighthearted darkness consumes our minds and we invite spirits to the dinner table.  This year’s Hallowe’en Special is guaranteed to leave you slightly unnerved, with a brain full of foreign tongues and monster grooves.

((Stream the full episode here)) 

…featuring vampire rap, monster reggae, Catalonian hellbilly, Bollywood gore, dark cabaret, zombie calypso, goblin folk, French drone, deep Greek electro, and much gore..

((Check out the playlist here))

Leave a comment Posted on Africa, Central Africa, Southern Africa, World Music

Upcoming Summer Vibes))

Just passing by to share a couple of the summer’s most anticipated African releases.. (well, it’s sort of winter down there- but these are definitely meant for a global audience).

South African DJ Nozinja, creator of a style dubbed ‘Shangaan Electro‘, makes futuristic dance music without compromising any African authenticity.  In another world, he would be as big as Michael Jackson (but so far barely 1000 likes on facebook?!).  Here’s the delightful new video, from his forthcoming debut on Warp Records:

Congolese electric trance orchestra Kasai Allstars release double album ‘Beware the Fetish‘ in late June..  an intoxicating mix of several African cultures, this is music unlike anything else in the solar system.  Visitors will come from Neptune to hear them play..

Considering their ingenuity, it’s rather ridiculous these artists aren’t more popular.  Help spread the good groove to brew in open minds!

 

Leave a comment Posted on Carribean, Music, Uncategorized

ABCs in the Caribbean

Just off the coast of Venezuela are 3 beautifully mixed-up islands… Aruba! Bonaire! Curacao!  Welcome to the land of fusion.. the Dutch Caribbean.

Willemstad, Curaçao: too darn cute for words

Willemstad, Curaçao: too darn cute for words

Far removed from the major-player Caribbean islands (and proudly outside of the hurricane belt), the ABC islands are small but full of technicolor goodness.  The culture (and homegrown language, Papiamento) is a mixture of Dutch, Portuguese, African, Spanish, Native Caribbean and English.  The Dutch brought legalized prostitution (you can call it Amsterdam of the tropics) and the rest brought groovy pan-Caribbean music, creating a local style called tumba.  Masha bon!

Hear the ABC Island soundsplash {{HERE}}

 

Leave a comment Posted on Africa, Central Africa, Music

Wooden Trumpets & Water Drums

In the depths of the great African jungle is a nation forgotten by the modern world.. or perhaps never known.  Welcome to the Central African Republic (a.k.a. Centrafrique).

Bayaka Tribesman // Extreme Honey Collecting

Bayaka Tribesman // Extreme Honey Collecting

While global eyes are on the power struggle in Ukraine, the CAR (a nation of roughly the same size) is currently experiencing its own internal division that is bordering on civil war.  The country has long been split between Christian (from the French colonial period) and Muslim (from northern Africa) populations, echoing the same violent saga that ruptured Sudan.  May the people come together and forgive their differences!

Though political struggles have prevented the development of the CAR music industry, many local talents have nonetheless drawn influence from the potent sounds of neighboring countries (notably, Cameroon and the DR Congo) to carve their own masterwork of contemporary rhythms, including the Bangui Rumba.  These boys were tops:

But the sweetest sounds of all remain gloriously hidden in the great jungle connecting CAR, Cameroon and Gabon, preserved from the rolling ball of modern religion and style. The so-called Baka ‘pygmies’ (a term to describe smaller than average humans) of the forest make some of the wildest, most futuristic-sounding, ancient music on the planet.  (In timeless cultures, everyone is a singer!)  Even Herbie Hancock snatched the Baka’s style.  Oh yeah, they rock on guitars too.

Hear these fine sounds and more on the Wandering Rhythms {{CENTRAFRIQUE SPECIAL}}.