A universe in itself: The modern muzik of Slovakia. Quality 1960s bigbeat swonk, sophisticated artrock, ancient hip hop, 80s synth pop, and fujara flutescapes… Enjoy the rhythmic odyssey to the Tetra peaks of Eastern Europe.
The Rap Steady Crew from Bratislava, with classic ’93 old-school swagger:
Oh, and for the trivialists out there, the Dobro guitar was invented and manufactured by the Slovakian Dopyera brothers (the Do-Bros!) in 1928. On behalf of the Country/Jazz/Bluegrass communities, thanks gents!
We have grown familiar with the sensation of biting into unexpected musical delicacies. Even so, this trip caught us off guard. The richness of musical experiments being cooked up in Angola throughout the 60s and 70s, as the south-western African country was wriggling its way towards independence, was a bittersweet beauty to behold. With hundreds of years of Portuguese influence, and groovin’ musical neighbors like Zaire (now the D.R. Congo) setting powerful precedents, Angolan musicians were ripe to develop their own hotpot of dance styles. Though very few Angolan musicians achieved recognition outside the country, the local scene thrived and supported its own artists.
Our feature on Angolan music is slanted heavily towards this time period, when garage rock, semba (a cousin of Brazilian samba), kizomba (upbeat marimba big band), and a myriad of other styles were helping to articulate the struggle for freedom, and create a sense of hope for the people. The years between 1975-2002 were plagued by civil war, and the music industry suffered as many artists were killed or forced to leave the country. But Angola is now home to one of Africa’s most dynamic hip hop scenes, as well as a style of frenetic electronic music known as kuduro that has taken the lusophone world by tropical storm.
Also on the show: Evan Catalano, a blue-haired punk rocker from Nelson-based band Thus Far, who discusses and debuts songs from the band’s new EP… recorded last week!
All hands and ears are back at the control board this week. As South Korea is busy launching rockets into space, we have been given the heroic mission of exploring the many peaks and valleys of the South Korean soundscape.. The old (the Gugak), the new (the Yangak), the psychodilly 70s, the drum n bass music of 1672, , the hiphop, the trot, and nary a K-pop song in the lot (we respect you). Yes, South Korea, in all its world-friendliness, has grown into the sophisticated polar-opposite of its twin (the Korea we don’t talk about). But for all the modern dilemmas of open and closed minds, the twin Koreas will always share the same Gugak. History is something you can’t take back. Ditto for disco funk.
Alright I admit it, we couldn’t fit any Trot into the program.. but it’s an important piece of the Korean puzzle – the first global style to be adapted by Korean musicians, back when the nation was one. So here’s some good ol’ Japa-merican inspired Foxtrot for you swingers out there:
Found on the farthest western tip of the African continent, this small country packs just as big of a punch as its neighbors. Mbalax music, also native to Gambia, is the popular form of dance music and Kiara (who is unfortunately alone again!) will be playing some of the most popular Mbalax musicians including Youssou N’Dour, Thione Seck and Baaba Maal (who is more popular globally for his adventures in other styles of music).
This week is a turn away from the second-hour-country-focus we usually do. Yes, this week we’re focusing on garage rock instead.
Garage rock has a home where ever it may lay its pretty head. Although the garage rock sound was popularized in the United States, throughout the 1960s one can clearly hear how other nations and cultures appropriated the fuzzy-wuzzy rockin’ sound and really made it their own. Kiara often picks punk music as one of her favourite types of globally translatable forms; therefore, it is only appropriate that we introduce how the rest of the world first got introduced to western angst and noisy teens before punk hit the nail on the head. As an added bonus, bands will be played from far away who are fuzzin’ hard in the present time. Kiara’s friend Alex Brown, who used to have a show on CKXU in Lethbridge AB, will be joining today also.
From last week’s country of focus, enjoy os Vigilantes from Puerto Rico.
WANDERING RHYTHMS RADIO 