June 21st marks not only the beginning of summer in Canada – it is also our National Aboriginal Day. In honour of the 20th anniversary of our country’s re-awakening, Wandering Rhythms this week presents an hour of diverse and sublime aboriginal music from Canada (first half) and worldwide (second half). From traditional drumming to hip hop and many burgeoning scenes in between, these cultures are reclaiming their power and moving into the new age with power and purpose.
hip hop
Kashmiri Sounds like Peace
The recent history of the Kashmir region is both complex and tragic, yet the music is truly beautiful. This hour of music draws on the many cultures in the region, including the Hindustani classical music of the Kashmir Valley and neighboring Jammu, upbeat Pahari beats from Pakistani-controlled Azad Kashmir, and Tibetan Buddhist spiritual pop of Leh, among other amazing sounds.
Young renegade hip hop freedom fighter MC Kash is also featured – hear his story in this short doc:
The Smokin’ Strings of Kenya
I have returned from a stellar and fruitful and beautiful journey to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize – and thus the radio show is back for the first episode of 2016! The first hour features exciting new music from China, Argentina, Thailand, Belize and other Earth-based locales..
The second hour takes us on a historical safari to Kenya, a land where elephants and stringed instruments roam supreme. The guitar and nyatiti form the backbone of most Kenyan music, and singular styles have flourished here for many musical generations. But the real soul of modern Kenyan music is a genre called Benga, which draws on Congolese Rumba and takes it in new hyperkinetic directions. This music is pure joy.. you just gotta let it in!
Heaven and the Sahel
Niger is quickly becoming a new hotbed (up to 40ºC) for innovative African music. Explore fresh Nigerien sounds on this sandstream:
Among the many grooves, a song from the soundtrack to the first ever feature film in the Tuareg language – an improbable remake of Prince’s Purple Rain (and not only because there is no word for purple in Tuareg):
Stream the first hour’s global mix here:
Rings Around Kurdistan
Palagan Village, Iran/Kurdistan
National boundaries can be messy, temporary creatures. Towards the north of the Middle East, there is an ethnic group numbering over 25 million that spill over the borders of four nations, estranged by all of their governments. The fall of the Ottoman Empire nearly 100 years ago and subsequent divisions left the Kurdish people without a land to call their own – but the dream of a free and independent Kurdistan has never faded.
The current conflict between ISIS (or ISIL, or now often called Daesh – which is more derogatory) and the ruling regimes of Syria and Iraq holds lasting implications for the future of Kurdistan, and the Kurdish people (equipped with their own army) have thus far been very successful in driving the extremists from their land. The borders may yet shift again.
Swingin’ in the ’70s, Iraqi Kurdistan
Music has been the glue that held Kurdistan together through a century of struggle. It’s high time to acknowledge the sublime sounds of hope that the Kurdish have conjured over this dark era. (Heck, Kurdistan even has a pop star). Let music light the way!
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