Ori Kaplan of the awesomely named band Balkan Beat Box recently confessed to Xpress Arts & Entertainment Reporter Alli Marshall that he doesn’t like world music. (Read the full piece on April 18.) It’s an amusingly ironic statement, but also disingenuous, since BBB is a well-respected world-fusion act.
But since Kaplan said it … since it’s OUT THERE NOW … who else would like to second that emotion? A few years ago, a publicist came to the office extolling the virtues of a well-known Afro-pop sensation traveling through town. “I love Afro-pop,” said this well-meaning, sensitive, enthusiastic, middle-aged white lady. “And I’m sure you do, too,” she urged. Well … not really. I smiled wanly, and she saw right through me, her eyes hardening. I suddenly wondered if she were about to report me to the ACLU.
Hey listen, I’ve got nothing against Afro-pop. I can understand its frenetic appeal. I applaud its message. I marvel at the virtuosity of its best players. But I don’t seek it out. Indian music doesn’t do it for me, either. Something about the sound of a sitar plucks at my last nerve. I’m heavily of Irish descent, but a penny whistle’s striving wheedle makes me want to giggle. That doesn’t mean I won’t assign stories on world bands (any arts editor has predilections, but you can’t always give in to them; cover only what you like and you’re publishing a zine, not a newspaper). It’s just not what I listen to.
Am I a bad person? Or just under-traveled? Do you have to go to Africa to really appreciate Afro-pop? Must you actually scale the Balkans to fully rock the Eastern Bloc vibe? Every time a new release from world label Putumayo comes into the office, I eagerly fondle the new arrival. If you’ve never seen one, Putumayo CDs feature eco-minded cardboard covers and uniformly gorgeous cover art. I love the look and feel of them! And I’m sure somewhere inside one of them lurks a world-music band destined to change my mind.
— Melanie McGee Bianchi, arts & entertainment editor
No, you aren’t a bad person. If someone makes you feel bad or racist because you don’t like an “afro-pop” band, then they should really go away and do something naughty to themselves.
I love world music — liked it back before it was a genre — but I’m picky. For instance, I don’t get Afro-Celt, a lot of Sheila Chandra‘s work mystifies me, and don’t even get me started on Celtic Woman. But, for anyone looking to delve into world music, I highly reccommend the Sabri Brothers, Habib Koite and the Idan Raichel Project. Or just pick up a Putumayo collection — there’s likely to be something you’ll like on any of those CDs,and if the word “lounge” is in the title, you’ll feel cool just having it in your CD collection.
Does Big Country count as world music?
I’m terrible categorizing genres, but i have loved since the 70s Mama Africa, Miriam Makeba, but a lot of afro-pop leaves me underwhelmed. Same on the Celt side – i enjoy Clannad but a lot because it’s done subtly with taste – a lot of Celtic music is too anxious to prove its roots in a frantic way that seems just as rabid as Lord of the Dance.
So i say like what you like and don’t give a fig about classifying it or trying to read too much into whether you’re ‘supposed to like it’ or not.
Personally, the concept and category of “World Music” has always left a bad taste in my mouth.
How obnoxious.
It’s like – here are the zillions of genres of music coming out of America and other English speaking Europen countries – – then there’s all the rest which we will lump into “World” and maybe give half of an aisle to at Tower Records.
I’d say it’s more obnoxious that an entire genre of music has been made for obnoxious white people to listen to out of the musical heritage of many people all around the world. Instead of learning about the culture, we combine the styles how we please so that we can appear more “diverse” to the Subaru and Teeva set.