Although Nicaragua has yet to give birth to a style of music heard round the world, the largest country in Central America nurses many young styles between its two coasts. African-influenced Reggae and Punta music shakes the Caribbean shores, while Spanish-inflected folk and Chicheros brass music pumps up the Pacific. But marimbas are everywhere! Shake it boys!
This week’s trip also includes orchestral hip hop, uncensored funk, ’60s Spanish-Invasion rockn’roll, and the music of revolutions..
Call it Holland or call it the Netherlands, just don’t call it a late bloomer. The Dutch are always on top of musical trends, from the dawn of rock n roll to the electropop 90’s.
Strangely enough, one of the most exciting bands in Dutch history actually comes from Southeast Asia. By the time the Tielman Brothers emigrated from Indonesia in 1957, they were already world-class innovators of a hybrid style of music (dubbed Indorock). In reality, this was an early version of Surf music, combining Polynesian beauty with the rawness of electric guitar fuzzardry. But what really amazes is their showmanship.. I quite honestly didn’t know people moved like this in 1960:
What other sonic gems from the lowlands remain undiscovered in the far west? Wander with us.
Mauritania has a population of only 3 million, and no record industry to create or disseminate music across its vast sandbanks. Although they get much less exposure than their Malian neighbors to the East, Mauritanians are expert guitarchitects of frantic bliss. They have been playing lutes (locally known as xalams or tidinits) for centuries, and thus they were warmed up and ready once the electric guitar migrated their way. Tune in to this week’s episode, and hear ancient Mauritanian sounds transcend the modern soundscape…
Or if you prefer, we could make the old and new battle it out for ultimate supremacy:
And while you hear, lend an ear to this beautifully bizarre new Circus-Dub band from England:
We are back in full life-force this week, singing in your ears like a billion pollen-filled honey bees. It is time we took a trip to China, the colossal 壹 in the room. Here in Vancouver, we have a fairly intimate vantage point to view Chinese culture. But there’s no doubt that beautiful secrets are hidden beneath the rolling pin of popular taste.
To aid in this quest for sonic glory, we are joined in-studio by Toronto-based synth-harmonic soundsmith Bryan Sutherland — half of veteran electro-punks OPOPO, and new cosmic manifestation Saturns. He will create live future-bound sounds, debut freshly recorded material, discuss the problems with light suits, and somehow tie it all back to his Chinese ancestry.
Nestled in the middle of Southcentral Africa, Zambia is an underlooked country amongst overlooked countries. A shame, considering the potency of the music blooming within its borders. In the 1970s, freshly freed from the colonial rule of Britain, politics fueled and inspired a gritty guitar groove that became known as Zamrock. This is dark, beautiful music that seemingly came outta nowhere, then faded away without a trace before the rest of the world had even caught on to its existence. Thankfully, decades later, we have unearthed aural records from this flickering space in time:
And this timeless piece of music is hypnotizing on a completely different waveform. These kids can feel it…
Also, during the first hour of the show, Nick shares stories and sounds that moved him during the ArtsWells and Shambhalamusic festivals over the past weeks — truly some of the most inspiring manifestations of love and music in British Columbia. On Wandering Rhythms, we set our sights on the global music community, but we recognize that there is much to celebrate right here within our own soundscape. We are blessed.
WANDERING RHYTHMS RADIO 