Music

1 Comment Posted on Europe, Nordic

The Land of Post-rock Vikings

Viking metalheads from the band Týr. Real nice guys.

Týr:  Classic Viking metalheads reviving the 90s.  The 1090s.

Midway between Norway and Iceland lies a splattering of islands lost in time.  O the mysterious Faroes.  Only 50,000 humans make up this quasi-nation, politically tied to Denmark yet refusing membership in the European Union (as decided by the conservative Norse Gods).  Yet despite geographical isolation and the continued practice of whale hunting, the Faroese are surprisingly futuristic in their musical meanderings.

Tindholmur island

Tindholmur Island. Get your free-range organic pilot whales and puffins here (not approved by PETA).

Aside from the requisite Viking-revival bands wielding electric axes, the Faroe Islanders are also making some very tasteful electro-funk hip hop, jangly folk, sinister drone-scapes, ambient jazz, experimental pop, and my personal favourite: grit hop played on giant industrial machines, courtesy of the band ORKA.  To boot, there is a great Faroese record label, TUTL, that provides a potent platform for local bands to broadcast their music in Scandinavia and beyond.

Dig into these sounds and more on the [[FAROESE FEATURE]].

Leave a comment Posted on Asia, Central Asia, Current Episode, Music, South Asia, World Music

Ancient Thunder Dragon Beats

Bhutanese dance groupTashi Delek!  Welcome to the last Shangri-La, the magical moutain kingdom of Bhutan.  Yes, they still have a king – and he is on Facebook.  Wedged in the Himalayas between the two most populous nations on Earth, the land of thunder dragons somehow manages to keep a very low profile and a well-preserved cultural identity.  Miraculously, television wasn’t legalized in Bhutan until 1999, so they were essentially the last country to leave the real world and be hypnotized by the warm electric glow.  Tragic, but inevitable.

Bhutan is so special because it represents the preservation of ancient Tibetan Buddhist culture, now that Tibet has been wiped out by China.  Bhutan was united as a nation in the 17th century by runaway Tibetan lama Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, and has since evolved in isolation.  Perched safely in cliff-side dzongs, the Bhutanese are one of the very few societies to have successfully resisted occupation from outside powers for their entire history.

Taktsang Palphug Monastery, with ample parking for up to 6 thunder dragons

Taktsang Palphug Monastery, with ample parking for up to 6 thunder dragons

Until the last few decades, only traditional (really just another word for ‘local’) music existed in Bhutan.  All traditional music can be divided into Boedra (Tibetan style) or Zhungdra (developed in Bhutan).  This stuff is sacred.  And then there’s rock n roll..

Sure, it’s pretty positive stuff.  So is everything on the young Thimphu-based record label M-Studio. But where will they be in another 20 years?  Death metal thrash dub-step polka?  For now, Bhutan teeters the line between ancient depth and innocent modernity.  May they retain their uniqueness, and dragons; forever.

Hear the soundscape of Bhutan {{HERE}}

Leave a comment Posted on Asia, Eastern Europe, Europe, West Asia, World Music

The Devil Went Down to Tbilisi

Downtown Atlanta: this is not

Downtown Atlanta: this is not

Orient your cochleas towards the Caucasus, here drifts a wave of sublime sounds from Georgia.  Not the southern American state, but rather the magical country on the far east of Europe – or if you prefer, the western fringe of Asia (continents are surprisingly nebulous entities).  The rugged Georgia-Russia border is only a few dozen kilometres from the current Sochi Winter Olympic Games taking place in the deep south of Russia, but Georgia is still light years removed from the global cultural spotlight.  And so we dive…

Sonically speaking, Georgians are best known for their age-old mastery of polyphonic vocal harmonies.  This is a technique that has spread to all corners of the planet, yet Georgians have been doing it for so long that they still seem to do it better; this effortless layering of voices has found its way into non-traditional genres as well.. like throw-back choral swing!:

Stream the Georgian broadcast [[HERE]], featuring some of the world’s most potent vocalists, with sides of prog, folk, hip hop, and mystery beats.

Leave a comment Posted on Africa, Current Episode, Music, World Music

Avant-Garde Africa

Pioneering Gambian musician, Bai Janha

Gambian pioneer of electric wizardry, Bai Janha

In celebration of Black History Month, we feature an hour of experimental music from Africa and the African diaspora.  Yes, African musical traditions run incredibly deep, but there is also a pressing need to acknowledge the amazing contributions that Africans have made to modern music around the world.  Blues, jazz, samba, cumbia, rock, funk, reggae, hip hop.. all globally dominant styles that originated in the struggle for freedom that Africans have faced since being forced from their ancestral homeland.  As we all try to make sense of the modern age of mixing, the African quest for cultural and creative freedom has indeed made the universe a much richer place.

Hear samba-funk, mystic chants, saharan-disco, bizarro-rap, interstellar jazz, and much more on…

AVANT GARDE AFRICA: {{STREAM HERE}}

Also on the program, a late-night interview with the wonderful UK-based singer/accordionist Anja McClosky, who discusses her victorious first tour through snowy BC and Alberta with guitarist Dan Whitehouse in support of their sublime new Still EP.  Hear the interview with Anja {{HERE}}