Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25233
Does the nightly news make you think twice about bush- whacking your way through the Philippines in search of perfect waves? Did you get laid off from your dot-com job and can't afford that snowboarding trip to the Andes? Whether it's geopolitics or finances holding you back, don't stop exploring the world. If you're not ready to get on a plane, travel through sound waves. Turn on your stereo and strike out in new directions. Setting out to investigate new musical cultures is very guidebooks similar to planning a trip to some unknown corner of the planet. Whenever you venture into unfamiliar territory, gather some infor- mation about your destination before you strap on your pack or your CD player. The best places to start exploring new sounds are published world music guides and compilation CDs. NOTE: Don't let non-English lyrics get you down: Think about heavy metal-how many of the singer's lyrics do you really understand? ---------------- - - - - -------- - - --- - ------------- --- - - ---- - - - - -------- - -- ------------------------------------- -------~ WORLD MUSIC MUSIC HOUND WORLD THE ESSENTIAL ALBUM GUIDE (musicHound,2000) One of the best music guides out there, it is organized alpha- betically by artist. On one page you might find a slack-key guitar player from Hawaii, a Tuvan throat singer and an mbira player from Zambia. If you know which musician you're look- ing for, the musicHound guide gives an in-depth overview of each artist's career, including recommended albums (and the ones to avoid). At over a thousand pages, it's a very complete listing. THE ROUGH GUIDE (Rough Guide, 2000) In 1994, the Britain-based Rough Guide company produced their first guide to world music, an encyclopedic volume of more than 700 pages. Divided first by continent, then subdivided by country, the book sought to give a cultural context and general overview of the music, as well as recommendations about specific albums. Given the explosion in the availability of world CDs, the folks at Rough Guide, have recently released a new, expanded "World Music: The Rough Guide," a staggering two-volume work of more than 1400 pages! In clear terms, record producers and regional experts have written entertaining and opinionated essays about the history and current musical styles of everything from Albanian pop to Zimbabwean gospel. At the end of each section, there is a discography of recommended albums. - - - ------------ -- --- --- --- ------------------- - ---- - --------------------------- ----------------------------------- - -~ compilations NEW YORK CITY: GLOBAL BEAT OF THE BOROUGHS (Smithsonian Folkways, 2001) Certainly you don't always have to go far to come up with new sounds. In most major cities enclaves of immigrants celebrate their native cultures with traditional music and provide the traveler at heart a chance to hear the musics of the world in their own cities. This fascinating two CD audio portrait of New York City, assembled by Smithsonian Folkway Recordings, is a musical journey around the city's vibrant ethnic communities. You'll find both pristine traditions and innovative cross-cultural fusions, from Afro-Cuban jams to Bulgarian wedding music. While the set's wide range can induce a bit of sonic whiplash as it moves from a gentle Chinese melody to the raucous steel pans of Indo-Caribbean dance music, the range underscores the ethnic richness ofthe recently beleaguered city. THE ROUGH GUIDE TO AFRICA BOX SET (Rough Guide, 2000) In addition to the written manuals, Rough Guides has collaborated with World Music Networks (www.worldmusic.net) to release compilations of 72 music from different regions ofthe globe. To date, there are over 60 titles covering everything from individual artists like South African reggae star Lucky Dube to entire continents, such as The Rough Guide to the Music of Africa. Though the idea of an overview of African music on one CD is a bit absurd, it is a good starting point if you are a complete newcomer to world music. This CD comes with extensive notes and recommendations on where to look for more information on the web. ESCENA ALTERLATINA: THE FUTURE SOUND IN ESPANOL (Ark21 Records, 2001) The jaw-dropping compilation find of the year so far is a collection of Spanish language cuts by alternative rock and hip-hop acts throughout the Americas and Spain. From the first track by LA's Delinquent Habits, with a lazy mariachi trumpet soaring over a gritty rapid-fire Spanglish rap, replete with scratch break, the album grabs your attention. The diversity of the tracks is astounding and yet the elements are familiar: these are artists who grew up with American music in the background. The frenetic punk/ska of San Francisco's Orixa or Spain's reggae/son group, Hechos Contra El Decoro are fresh hybrids that make most American alternative rock sound tired by comparison.