Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2018 Thread Once Known as World Music

I think a lot of critics see rockism as the privileging of tropes of a specific genre (or culture?) when analysing music not from that genre, and that genre doesn't have to be Rock (though it usually is). At least that was the answer here some time in the early to mid 00's when someone brought up if there could be "popism", "reggaeism", etc.

There are lots of reasons someone might privilege folk traditions over popular music that have nothing to do with Rock music (and lots of reasons that such an approach would be anti-Rock in its essence). I think thinking about African music might obscure this for the very reasons that Reynolds claims is afflicting these supposed "rockists." People aren't familiar enough with African folk to know what it is so they're assuming it's just proto-Blues & Rock. If you talked about non-African folk traditions though this distinction would be obvious. No one would accuse a klezmer purist who preferred Dave Tarras (1955 klezmer artist) to Golem (contemporary punk-klezmer outfit) of being a Rockist. Maybe of being misguided in other ways (Klezmer has always had outside influences, Tarras was not himself as genre pure as you'd assume, etc), but Rockism would be a bizarre accusation. I think similarly with African music - if someone loves Mbuti pygmy music and thinks that it's more authentic than Congolese rumba I think that person is missing out but I doubt they're animated by rockism so much as ethnomusicological biases.

they're all just different ways of esteeming some notion of authenticity

"not all status quos are the same."

Re: egregious over- and mis-use of the term 'rockism': ILM gonna ILM.

not even all rockisms are the same. if anyone's got a better shorthand pls avail us

prescriptivism?

Gatekeeping?

if someone thinks western art music is the height of music and pop music is all garbage aka a classical music snob are they also "rockists"? i mean acc to the idea that rockism is just emphasizing some forms of music as more authentic than others then definitely but it's v stupid calling someone who hates rock music a rockist.

Yeah but 'prescriptivism' sounds less like 'racism' so idk.

It is my understanding that yeah, as the term was used from the get-go it could indeed apply both to yr hypothetical klezmer fan and yer classical music snob. I see why you would think that to not be very helpful as a term but in this particular context I think it's pretty obvious what Reynolds is getting at, anyway.

historically informed performance you could call rockist, but snobbery can run in all sorts of directions, likewise gatekeeping could be done on a rockist basis but not necessarily

Mordy otm

trying to assess folk traditions in terms of the vocabulary of a very specific school of British pop music criticism seems massively short-sighted to me

"rockism" was invented to take Robert Christgau down a peg not to describe African music

i don't love the SR piece but it's not doing that, you guys are v rockist about the usage of the term rockist

yeah, it's about western perceptions of African music and "world music" as a category, it's got nothing to do with trying to describe any actual music

'My coinage is so utterly exemplary that it turns any and all proximate terms into subcategories of it'.

prescriptivism is the correct term imo
it is what i was going to post before i decided i didn't want to get into the discussion that far (and then changed my mind)

there is nothing wrong with exploring and appreciating the roots of popular music if it is informative; if it is prescriptive ("this is the greatest music right here") then obviously that is not in the correct spirit of music appreciation

I kind of want to thank this thread for validating every misgiving and suspicion I ever had about the concept of "rockism".

(the term itself, obv, not the nebulous thing it supposedly refers to)

Moving on slightly from the authenticity discussion-

So I saw Malian band BKO Quintet last night in a small DC club. I liked the way the musician on the electrified ngoni uh rocked. Not flashy, but quick fingers that created rhythm and noisey notes. The drummer, percussionist, & kora player added funkiness. But I guess they’re considered roots/ traditional since they don’t rap, or use autotune, or programmed beats.

I am guessing that in Mali BKO’s audience is different a bit from Malian rappers, but I don’t know; and don’t know how folks of different ages and classes there view traditionalism and pop and authenticity.

BKO Quintet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZNm3dZbGI4

this looks cool haven't heard it yet

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2440170954_16.jpg

That does look intriguing. Currently listening though to a more serious Arab world effort-- DC based Palestinian singer/oud player Huda Asfour whom I have touted here before. She's on Spotify and her latest album Kouni is very good.

La Lechera, how was the Chicago fest? Did you see Jupiter & Okwess? Did your students go to any of the events?

It was amazing, as usual! In fact, before I tell you any more I learned that the webcasts have been archived and you should be able to view them from the facebook page -- this should work? https://www.facebook.com/pg/WorldMusicFestivalChicago/videos/?ref=page_internal

I caught Juana Molina (awesome, inventive, super fun), Rio Mira & Orquesta Akokan (their only US appearance?! wut? two students came to this and both enjoyed it a lot, insanely packed venue), and Jupiter & Okwess (no students showed but the performance was great and I enjoyed Quantic's DJ set a LOT) I didn't get to all the events I wanted to see, but it was satisfying.

By the time last Saturday rolled around I was completely exhausted but that is what I want from WMF -- it helps a person save up good memories to last through the winter

i like this - it's on spotify:

https://thevinylfactory.com/news/african-acid-is-the-future-launches-new-label-ambiance-vinyl/

Oh will have to check that out, as it includes “the queen of mbira” Stella Chiweshe from Zimbabwe. I didn't recognize the Kenyan names on it.

Rio Mira, the Ecuador/Peru marimba music act, that was one of the groups La Lechera saw at the Chicago Fest, are gonna be in the month long October DC Global Music fest. The DC Fest has a mix of paid ticket and free shows, plus they're showing movies also like Zerzura: A Saharan Acid Western (made by Sahel Sounds )

Oh, thanks for the Facebook video links for the Chicago fest performances. Just checked out a bit of Rio Mira and the retro-mambo Cuban and more group Orquesta Akokan

I need to find time to check out more of those Chicago Fest videos

The DC Flash of the Spirit month-long global music fest is going on. A mix of ticketed and free gigs. Gonna probably see Ethiopia's Fendika tonight (who play music and dance) with the Brooklyn-based Anbessa Orchestra (made up mostly of some Israelis into Ethiopian music who moved to US) . Fendika played in NYC the other night with my Ethiopiques DC based fave guitarist Selam Selamino Woldermariam

Fendika were afro-folkloric and rhythmic with some good dancers; Anbessa have the old-school Ethiopiques sound down tight.

I love Fendika! <3 Melaku <3

just listening to Benin guitarist Lionel Loueke's The Journey album rn, like it!

Been loving the Kamal Keila reissue on Habibi Funk - amazing that they managed to get such sound quality out of tapes of radio sessions that, as per the liner notes, got wet and damaged in the meantime. It's "Sudanese Jazz", which feels to me more like Funk crossed with local influences. Very much worth hearing.

x-post--just listening to Benin guitarist Lionel Loueke's The Journey album rn, like it!

― calzino, Monday, October 8, 2018

In the past Loueke's playing has always been more jazz than Benin-sounding, which is ok but didn't dazzle me. Fans of his insist even his jazz is unique because of what he brings to it, but perhaps I haven't listened close enough to hear it.

Saw at Richmond, VA Folk festival yesterday a Baltimore-based Caribbean carnival troupe, Tribu Baharu (Afro-Colombian champeta band), and Orchesta El Macabeo (Puerto Rican punks gone salsa) plus Mavis Staples, Sherman Holmes Project, and more

not gone back to that Loueke album much since tbh, it seems to go a bit off the boil after the first few tracks.

Oh well, re Loueke.

Unrelated:

I still have so many Afropop.org episodes to catch up with.

I see that someone else likes the Louke album on the jazz thread. Still too many other things I want to listen to before that (as I like stuff on this thread more than instrumental jazz).

I didn't see Rio Mira and their call & response vocals over marimba at either the DC festival or the chicago one, but am liking the video of one of their Chicago gigs better than i expected I would. more rhythmic and uptempo than I thought it would be.

https://www.facebook.com/WorldMusicFestivalChicago/videos/266948357485706/

When I saw South African guitarist/singer Vusi Mahlasela a long time ago he seemed a little too folky for me. It might have been a solo gig. My wife had never seen him and she wanted to go see him this past weekend and we did. I liked him better. Joined by a band, and talking a lot between songs about his new upcoming live album recorded where he grew up, and about politics and hate (this was a Saturday night gig in a DC synagogue hours after the Pittsburgh synagogue killing), his voice seemed more powerful over the township jive throwback rhythms from his band. He noted he had been struggling with his health but was now doing better. His inspirational performance reminded me a bit of seeing longtime American civil rights activists now; people who have endured so much and are still enduring and are still pushing forward for justice.

Glanced at Pitchfork Best albums page link and I see a couple of folk and country releases and some metal among the rap, rock,experimental, and electro, but I don't see anyone from any genre from the continent of Africa, plus no Caribbean acts and no Central or South American. Hven't looked closely for Asian or other parts of the world. Some so-called niche genres just don't count I guess. I haven't looked at the Pitchfork best tracks list to see if things look better there-- maybe a reggaeton or Afrobeats track... Hopefully.

Pitchfork tracks list has a jazz track, folk/ country ones, electronic and experimental but none that are afropop, afrobeats, reggaeton, dancehall, or soca

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ObS-u4XXYb0

I saw footage circulating of new Minnesota congressperson Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American celebrating with family to this great Somali dance song

I was about to witness a three day ceremony with five gong players, each man holding one gong, drunk on new rice alcohol fermented for three weeks. All I knew when I left Banlung (a Khmer town) was wanting to check Kavet territory and luckily winter is the time of celebration when people of the villages congregate. Some have not seen each other for months or weeks and reunite on the territory of the village after rice harvest has been finished.

Excerpt from article about Laurent Jeanneau, aka Kink Gong, who traveled around Southeast Asia between 1996 and 2014 recording traditional musicians

https://www.popmatters.com/sounds-of-zomia-kink-gong-2608153653.html

thanks for posting -- saving for later
five gong players!