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
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!
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
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.
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. 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.
Tashi 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
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.
Check out this new mini-doc about the magical and mysterious world of renegade electronic musician William Onyeabor — a fascinating little homage to 1970s Nigeria, the quirky culture of record collecting, and the idea of true innovation. However, expect more questions than answers; the man is a true enigma.
WANDERING RHYTHMS RADIO 