Sound Energy Flux

Shantel - A DJ With Balkan Roots

2010-10-29T15:23:00.003-05:00

Shantel is a German DJ and producer who mixes the Balkan music from his Romanian origins with the fun beat of electronic music, to produce a festive, colorful and energic sound.

During his career, started around 1987 with the first of numerous upcoming productions, Shantel has won important international awards, including the prestigious BBC Radio 3 award. The song Disko Partizani, from the 2007 album with the same name, is one of his best known hits.

Disko Partizani (2007)

Bucovina (2003)

Tonolec - Electronic Toba Music

2010-10-28T10:52:00.008-05:00

The Toba are an indigenous group from Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. The Argentian band Tonolec plays tribute to them by mixing some of their traditional songs with Electronic music, producing one of the most inspiring fusions I've heard recently.

Techo de Paja (2008)

Charo Bogarín, the singer, has Guaraní origins. She formed with Diego Perez the band Tonolec in 2002. In 2005 they released their first album, named after the band.

Llora Tus Penas (2008)

Voice Group - Opera Rock From Mongolia

2010-10-26T07:33:00.012-05:00

Sometimes one feels lucky to find some good bands that happen to be awesome. I stumbled upon Voice Group while brosing a Mongolian music blog. I sadly didn't find much about this band on the web, the only thing I know is that they rule!

Voice Of Mongolia

Much to my surprise they also sing one of my favorites songs ever: "Prekrasnoe daleko", which was the main theme of a 70s Soviet Russian tv series called Gosti Iz Budushego. Voice group's version of this song is superb.

Gegeen alsiin duu (Prekrasnoe Daleko)

Mohammad Fouad - Egyptian Pop Singer

2010-10-21T20:09:00.008-05:00

Mohamed Fouad is a popular Egyptian singer, actor and songwriter. He rose to prominence in the 1980s when he released his first album Habeina.

Wala Kol

El Hob El Habibi

Antonio Zepeda - Music Before The Conquest

2010-10-20T20:43:00.008-05:00

Antonio Zepeda was one of the first Mexican musicians who studied pre-Hispanic music and instruments. Living for long periods with Mexican indigenous people, Zepeda learned about their culture, philosophy and, of course, their music.

He describes pre-Hispanic music with this words:

In the pre-Hispanic cultures, music had a sacred dimension, the instruments themselves were thought to communicate the mortal with the eternal: the caracol, the flute, the huehuetl and the teponaztli, were voices whose origin was attributed to the Gods. The instruments had arrived from the world of deities to cheer up the perishable world.

Señor Fuego Azul

Agua Celeste

Donis - Ethno-Electronic Experiment

2010-10-18T20:52:00.004-05:00

Donis is a fascinating journey through Lithuanian folk with the electronic musician Donatas Bielkauskas as the guide. With a complex modern sound, indigenous chants and drums fill the space with a colorful and mystical charm.

Debuted in 1998 with the tape "Deinaina", Donis has released 8 albums, cooperating with many other projects in such as Rasa Serra, whose spiritual voice is featured in the following songs.

Bite Lingo (2007)

Zalio vario (2005)

Igor Vdovin - From Russia With Sound

2010-02-25T22:47:00.005-05:00

He began his career as a member of a punk rock band named Leningrad Together. Nowadays, Igor Vdovin, that rebel young man who once played noisy music mixed with folk music, is one of the most prolific Russian musicians and the producer of Zemfira, another successful Russian band. He preserves the folk part of his music as of today, while experimenting with electronic music. The result? An avant-garde experience that includes from Brazilian music to Balkan sounds with attractive and unusual instrumentations.

Gipsy band goes to the sky (2003)

Russian Sailor's Trip In (2003)

Mulatu Astatke - Ethiojazz

2010-01-26T23:56:00.002-05:00

When I listened to the following song in the Jim Jarmusch movie “Broken Flowers”, I liked its jazzy vintage style:

Yegelle Tezeta (2005)

However, it never occurred to me that the author of this song was African, maybe because I had an stereotyped view about how African music should sound, like tribal chants or something. Since I started this blog, I have discovered that African music can sound in so many different ways, that it always surprises me. Anyway, this cool music belongs to the brilliant musician Mulatu Astatke, the creator of a new African genre, the Ethiojazz. Astatke, an arranger, vibraphonist and composer, has played with prominent musicians such as Louis Armstrong, and was the first African to study at the Berklee college of music.

Yekermo Sew (2005)

Yangjin Lamu - A Sacred Voice From The Heart

2010-01-22T17:25:00.002-05:00

I love to find those rare artists who sing straight from their hearts. Yangjin Lamu is one of them. Born in Tibet, the melodies of her songs come to her during meditation sessions. Many of her albums were spontaneously recorded live in the place she was at the moment, often sacred places like meditation caves in Tibet, sacred gardens or Buddhist monasteries.

After co-founding one of the largest Tibetan pharmaceutical companies in China, in an attempt to promote the endangered Tibetan culture, Yangjin felt that she had to do more, so she donated almost all of her assets to charity. A few year later, she began to hear the melodies from the deities, so she started composing spontaneously, recording 5 albums in the following years.

Dharma Flower

Be As You Are

Nneka – Europeanization Of African Roots

2010-01-19T01:55:00.001-05:00

When Nneka travelled to Europe from Nigeria, her homeland, she wanted to study singing. She grew up in Warri, the Delta region of Nigeria, where she had contact with gospel music. Nneka migrated at the age of 18 to Germany, the country where her mother was born. There, she studied Anthropology and later, she met Dj Farhot, a producer who lived in Hamburg who helped her to define a musical style. Despite the fact that her songs have European and Anglo elements, she has included some rhythmic basis in her tunes and has incorporated Igbo lyrics to her songs, since she and her father speak that language.

Heartbeat (2008)

Kangpe (2008)

Fabrika - Russian Devushki

2010-01-15T09:38:00.001-05:00

From the beautiful country of Russia, comes the pop girl group Fabrika. After their participation in a talent show called Star Factory, where they finished second, they have released two albums, and a third is coming in 2011. Initially formed by four members, one of them left for unclear reasons (to me :P ). Their pop style is markedly influenced by Russian traditional music and sometimes, traditional clothing.

Gadalka (2007)

Romantika (2008)

Alexandre Lima - Reggae - Electronica - Psychedelia

2010-01-14T09:30:00.001-05:00

Released independently, Rádio Experienza, Alexandre Lima’s first album, is full of experimentation, not stopping himself in just one genre but exploring the possibilities of well conceived fusions. From reggae to rock to electronica, the sound of Alexandre is fresh and captivating. For the recording of Rádio Experienza, many recognized Brazilian musicians collaborated, such as the legendary guitarist Dado Villa Lobos or DJ Alex Zeela in the song Os Deuses do capitalismo (The gods of capitalism).

Ouro Negro (2008)

Os deuses do capitalismo (2008)

Fever Ray – Insomniac Swedish Songs

2010-01-12T22:44:00.002-05:00

The rare and soft voice of Karin Dreijer, made even stranger through distortion effects, is the main component of Fever Ray, a solo project undertaken by this singer after being the lead voice of The Knife. Karin, who captivated me with the vocals in the Royksöpp’s song ‘What Else is there?’ , recorded her first album in 2009, simply named Fever Ray.

This album brings us unusual and dark sounds, inspired by the chronic insomnia which tormented Karin after the birth of her daughter. Her songs, rhythmically varied and dense, sound to me almost like ritual chants, as they have an unusual atmosphere. This can be seen in the following video, directed by the Danish Martin de Thurah.

When I grow up (2009)

I'm Not done

Curupira - Aphrodisiac Colombian Music

2010-01-11T00:15:00.003-05:00

The vibrant sound of the Colombian bagpipes (or gaita, if you prefer that name) and the voice of Malpelo, a traditional singer from Cartagena and the lead voice of this band, are the elements that I first loved from Curupira. Their wild sound with a touch of rock guitars has made them one of the pioneers of the contemporary folk movement in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

Created by Juan Sebastián Monsalve, this group has incorporated rhythms from almost all the Colombian regions: the coasts, the Amazon and Orinoco. Its name means ‘jungle spirit’ in Ticuna language. Curupira made its debut with the following song, El Borojó, a fabulous piece about a fruit famous for its use to increase the sexual appetite.

El Borojó (2003)

Oye perilla (2003)

Kokolo Afrobeat – The Fela’s International Heritage

2010-01-08T20:35:00.001-05:00

Led by the Venezuelan guitarist Ray Lugo, Kokolo Afrobeat is one of the most popular afrobeat bands since Fela Kuti. Started in New York, where other groups such as Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra or The Daktaris are also part of the local afrobeat movement, Kokolo Afrobeat is an American band that has tried to prove the universal character of Afrobeat , which is a mix of funk and jazz with a huge influence of African rhythms.

Its members, who have different origins (India, Venezuela, USA) decided to name their project Kokolo, which is a word used in the Latin Harlem, used to designate a fan of African music.

Donkey (2007)

Talk - action = zero(2007)

Gnawa Diffusion - Roots Revolution

2010-01-04T23:55:00.002-05:00

Gnawa Diffusion is known for its mix of roots reggae with Gnawa music. Gnawa music is, in turn, a mix of Arabic music with sub-Saharan rhythms. This fusion is so well done that I certainly could try hopelessly to describe it without capturing their real essence. So, make yourself a favor, and listen to them, I wait...

Ya Laymi (2004)

Now that you know how they sound, you may want to know a little more about them. World Music Central has a very nice review of the band. Now listen to the following reggae jewel from their 2004 album Souk System. I could keep putting music from this band, they are great, but I have reached my self-imposed limit of 2 songs per post. See you tomorrow.

Saharagga (1999)

Vanessa-Mae - You may already know her!

2010-01-03T23:09:00.001-05:00

Vanessa Mae doesn’t need introduction. So we aren’t going to introduce her! :). Visit her official site for lots of information. I will only say that I used to like her music a lot when I was a teenager. She was like a bridge between the pop music world I was used to live in, and the classical music world that at the time I was just starting to discover. I was listening to her 2001 album, Subject To Change, and I liked the last song. Here it is.

Update: Unfortunately, the Youtube user removed both videos which were the pieces titled Jamais and The Blessed Spirits. I will change the not working videos for other ones that I also like.

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (1995)

The following piece was one of my favorites from more than 10 years ago. Unfortunately this version is truncated due to Youtube limits. The complete piece is about 14 minutes long. Update: The video was changed (see note above) .

Contradanza (1995)

Cicala MVTA - The Chindon Avant Garde

2009-12-29T17:57:00.017-05:00

Directed by the clarinetist Wataru Ohkuma, Cicala MVTA is a contemporary ensemble that plays the old style of Chindon music, or music played by marching bands. Their fusion with brass music, jazz, funk, punk, and even with Japanese folk music includes some influences of the Zeuhl music. Produced by Tatsuya Yoshida, who leads Koenjihyakkei, Cicala MVTA is a progressive band that incorporates impressive wind solos, the sound of violin, Chindong and gorosu to their songs and a vibrant live performance.

Indomitable people Shikaramuta

The pillow walk (2004)

Adrian Dutchin - New Soca From Guyana

2009-12-27T14:08:00.001-05:00

After an intense search through the music from Guyana for several days, Adrian Dutchin came to me as a surprise with a beautiful Christmas song featured in Guyana Music Arts blog. Upon a little internet investigation, I knew this was the Guyanese artists I was looking for. A clever mix of soca rhythms, a very popular style in this country, with influences from R&B and chutney.

Display

At the age of 22, he released his first album titled No limits, after his participation in several bands, including one called Seven which was dissolved. Recently, in 2009, he released an album called Finally. Dutchin was also nominated to the 2009 Accolade awards, nomination which, according to Guayana Music Arts, excited this talented artist. With Adrian Dutchin, Sound Energy Flux now has music from all the South American countries! Yaaayy! :D

Merry Christmas!

Mari Boine Persen - The Sami Performer

2009-12-25T13:01:00.012-05:00

Born in the Sami tribe in the region of Laponia, Norway, Mari Boine Persen wanted to sing, despite the beliefs of her people, who belong to the Laestadian sect, a fundamentalist christian cult. They used to consider that music was diabolical. Mari Boine researched the ancient traditions of Sami culture, found the shamanic chant and drums and mixed them with some African, Indian and South American instruments, trying always to keep the Sami essence.

Vuoi Vuoi Mu, Idjagiedas (2006)

Cuovgi Liekkas (1994)

Jackson C. Frank - The most unlucky musician of all time

2009-12-23T20:07:00.002-05:00

Everything changed for the American folk singer Jackson Frank after a furnace exploded near his Elementary School, when he was 11 years old. Fifteen of his fellow students died, and he was hospitalized for seven months.

This event left a deep mark in Jackson’s life. His lack of self-confidence and depression increased steadily after a series of events following the recording of his first album, which was simply titled Jackson C. Frank.

The death of his first son caused his depressive tendencies to increase to the point of being committed to an institution. From this moment on, his life went down hills, having to live on the streets for many years, until one of old friends found him and helped him find a decent place to live.

I Want to Be Alone (Dialogue) (1965)

Soon after this, Jackson was shot in the left eye by an stranger, blinding him, at the age of 55. One year later, Frank died of cardiac arrest and pneumonia.

Milk And Honey (1965)

By the way, the title of this post was taken from a Reddit post, where I knew about this singer. So thanks for that!

Inga & Anush – Musical Armenian Sisters

2009-12-23T00:04:00.003-05:00

Sisters Inga and Anush Arshakyans studied music for several years before joining forces to create the phenomenal modern folk band named after themselves, Inga & Anush.

Anush, born in 1980, studied piano and vocals. Inga, born 2 years later (the same year than me :)) studied violin and also jazz vocals.

Tamzara (2004)

Jan Jan (2009)

Cankisou - Intercultural Czech Music

2009-12-22T23:51:00.009-05:00

The huge presence of the singer Karel Herman (literally a huge presence) and his powerful voice, gifted with a big tessitura is one of the first things that I listened from this band. But when instruments from Asian countries and a rock sound started, I realized that this Czech group was very atypical.

Cankisou, an experiment formed by seven musicians interested in world music, is a successful fusion band, which has played Mongolian and Pakistani sounds with heavy arrengements.

Anay yo (2005)

Zuha (2008)

Urban Symphony - Classical Pop Girl Band

2009-09-10T10:37:00.002-05:00

Urban Symphony hasn’t released its first album yet, but it has already some recognition after their successful participation in Eurovision Song Contest 2009, where its song Rändajad gained the 6th place.

The band has four members. Sandra Nurmsalu, 20 years old, sings and plays the violin. Johanna Mängel, who has dedicated 12 of her 18 years studying cello. Mari Möldre, who is just 16 years old, has already played cello in numerous places in the world. Mann Helstein plays the viola, having been part of several European orchestras during her 21 years.

Päikese Poole (2009)

Rändajad (2009)

Transglobal Underground – Ethnic Melodies From East And West

2009-09-07T01:02:00.001-05:00

The sounds of ethnic-electronic music is the essence of the collective Transglobal Underground, one of the first bands to mix folk music (Arab, Indian and African rhythms) with electronic music. Formed in 1990 in London, this band has featured Johnny Kalsi, Heitham Al Sayed, who are British musicians with Asian and African origins, and Natacha Atlas, the famous Egyptian-Belgian singer who started her career with them. This band won in 2008 a BBC world music award in the Club Global category.

Delta Disco (1998)

Army of forgotten souls (1993)

The Orange Sky - Heavy Metal + Reggae

2009-09-05T14:26:00.001-05:00

The Orange Sky is a band from Trinidad And Tobago that plays a fusion of heavy metal and reggae. It has toured with many first class metal bands such as Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen, White Lion and others. Their live shows are recognized for being very good. “Our live show is sex for us,” says Nigel, the band’s guitarist. “That’s where we make our real connection. The recording is one thing, and we respect that, but the real connection is the live show. We love to play and we love to connect in that way.”.

Yesterday & Tomorrows (2009)

Is There Anybody There (Scorpions Cover) (2009)

The Bambir - Avant-Garde Armenian Folk Music

2009-09-03T17:09:00.002-05:00

After listening to Armenian music for hours, I have finally decided to make this post about The Bambir. This band has a remarkable sound that mixes Armenian folk music (which is very nice on its own) with progressive rock. The more I listen to this band, the more I like it. This band is unfortunately not very well known outside of Armenia, I was unable to find their music outside of youtube.

Children's Games

Imitate

Tom Waits - A Husky Bark Of An American Man

2009-08-27T20:58:00.008-05:00

Born in the city of Pomona, California, Thomas Alan Waits has one of the most harsh voices of the American musical panorama. In fact, the critic Daniel Durchholz described his voice "like it was soaked in a vat of Bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car". Waits, who recorded the off voice of a Purina ad in 1981, invented his own musical genre, the 'Waitsian', influenced by the other genres he has used: Blues, Jazz, Cabaret, swing and others.

Lucinda (2006)

God´s away on business (2002)

Dhafer Youssef - The Jazzy Sufi Music

2009-08-20T22:31:00.002-05:00

The warm sound of the Oud, a string instrument from the Arab region similar to the lute, is the main gift that Dhafer Youssef offers to this flux. This musician, composer, singer and, of course, Oud player, was born in Tunisia, but has recorded and produced almost all his music in different European countries. His music, inspired by the Sufi tradition, has a touch of contemporary genres like jazz (which makes it a little bit irregular) or electronic music. This mix has led him to create melodies with a lot of musical elements from the West and the East equally, so Youssef can’t really be considered a folk musician.

Nafha

Youssef’s mastery of this instrument gives characteristic colors and shades to his songs, and a very pleasant effect of a well executed piece with a clean and atmospheric sound. Youssef, who started singing at the age of 5, sometimes includes vocal effects in his music. He also has a touching depth in his voice and uses it to sing passages with the ancient influence of Islamic chants.

Ysamy

Ukamau Y Ke - Rap With Andean Music

2009-08-15T17:35:00.002-05:00

Wow, it’s been so long since our last post. But no, Sound Energy Flux is not dead. Something that has brought so much to our life can’t simply die. Here we go again.

Ukamau y ke has been one of my favorite bands lately. Their lyrics denounce social injustice and economic inequality in Bolivia. Their fusion of hip hop with Andean folk music has, likewise, a social reason behind it, namely, the highlighting of the Bolivian culture and heritage, which is slowly getting lost due to the dominance of foreign interests in the media.

América Latina (2007)

In an unfortunate event, Abraham Bojorquez, Ukamau y ke's founder, recently passed away being only 26 years old in a vehicular accident. Abraham headed the Wayna rap movement, which is, in my opinion, one of the most original things that has happened to Latin American hip hop, featuring rapping in Aymara, a native Bolivian language, dressing with traditional Bolivian clothes (as opposed to the American hip hop clothing) and, of course, mixing traditional folk melodies with rap.

Medios Mentirosos (2007)

Koenjihyakkei – A Progressive Sound From Japan

2009-07-20T22:57:00.002-05:00

Rare, or maybe weird is how I would qualify the band that I post today. The musical complexity of the Zeuhl, a genre derived from progressive rock, is the seal of Koenjihyakkei, a Japanese band led by the drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, who had played before in a popular Japanese duo called Ruins. The powerful sound of this band, which is frequently reminiscent of Japanese music, rock, or even symphonic music, makes me at times remember the eclectic and singular Frank Zappa’s style.

Avedumma

Their music, which occasionally sounds subtle in the voice of Aki Kubota (who sings in a nonsense language), unexpectedly evokes fierceness and majesty through strong rhythmic transitions, key changes and occasional jazzy progressions. The Avant-garde sound of this band may not have a pleasant effect to the more conservative tastes, but despite being unusual for me, I think it has a really good and crafted style.

Ioss

Asa – The Rhythm Of Finnish Hip Hop

2009-07-12T23:29:00.001-05:00

Foreign languages can be barriers sometimes. In the case of ASA, I can’t understand the political message that, according to the reviews, he sings to the listeners. But the reason why I post today about this Finnish hip hop MC, is that his music is very attractive to me. His singing in Finnish, although not intelligible for me, is very rhythmic. His arrangements (which are a combination of rap and genres from other parts of the world) have a non conventional instrumentation, including brass sometimes. The following song is an example of this:

Persepolis

Alas Virtaa Ararat

Simphiwe Dana – The Political South African Diva

2009-07-08T23:28:00.004-05:00

The vibrant voice of this South African woman makes me remember some soul and jazz divas. But the sound of Xshosa, the language she uses in her lyrics, and her unusual rhythmic patterns, are the best proof of her music's African essence. Regarded by some critics as the Miriam Makeba´s successor, Simphiwe Dana uses a poetic and political tone in some of her lyrics just like Makeba. The following verse, which belongs to the song Bantu Biko Street (a tribute to the killed anti-apartheid leader Stephen Biko), is an example of her talent:

“Bantu Biko Street is the only street paved with our hopes and dreams, a golden highway which exists first in our minds”

I really loved the following song when I discovered it. The rythmic changes (with continuous rhythmic variations) and the background female voices, which appear surprisingly in the beginning, had an unexpected effect on me. I wish it was longer, but I really like it anyway.

Ndiredi

Zandisile

Novalima – Afro-Peruvian Fusion

2009-07-03T01:51:00.001-05:00

Recently Novalima released a new album with Cumbancha titled Coba Coba Remixed. I encourage you to go visit the last link in order to listen to the album or to purchase it. But if you want to know more about this Peruvian fusion band, we will tell you here the basics.

It all starts when four friends from Lima who travelled to different parts of the world, Peru, Spain, UK and China, and lived there for many years, returned to Peru to make a musical experiment previously unheard of in their country: Afro-Peruvian rhythms are mixed with dub and other electronic music genres.

Machete

Cumbancha rightly describe their music as a search for the common ground between past and future, between tradition and innovation:

Their efforts have also helped bridge the divide between the Peruvian mainstream and the Afro-Peruvian community, a minority population that has struggled against discrimination and the threat of cultural dissolution for generations.

While their sound is futuristic and cutting-edge, the roots of Novalima's music stretch back hundreds of years to the times of slavery and Spanish colonial rule.

Libertá

The Cinematic Orchestra – Emotions Made Music

2009-06-27T23:01:00.007-05:00

Cinematic Orchestra is not an orchestra in the traditional sense. Its music, consisting of electronic and acoustic sounds, is a combination of synthesizers, piano, saxophone, trumpet and guitar, with the mixes of Jason Swinscoe, a DJ and visual artist. Swinscoe, who leads this ensemble, has created different melodies influenced by jazz improvisation in electronic backgrounds. Sometimes, chamber music instruments complement the arrangements.

The voices of singers such as Lou Rhodes, Patrick Watson, or Fontella Bass are the accompaniment of sweet and melancholic ballads which have been played in TV Shows and Movies because of the moving effects of its lyrics. To build a Home -a particularly stunning song - is an example of how emotions can be explored in a song with just a touching piano tune and emotional and intimate vocal passages.

To build a Home (2007)

Breathe (2007)

Michael Jackson - Rest In Peace

2009-06-26T10:28:00.004-05:00

I still find yesterday's news unbelievable. I have no words to describe the big gap that Michael Jackson’s death has left in the pop world and in the heart of many people, including me. With the web flooded with information about him, in this post I just want to briefly describe how much his music means to me.

One of the first album I’ve ever bought was Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, when I was 8 or 9 years old. After that, I started to collect his LP’s, one after another, spending whole days listening to his music and even recording my own “best of” compilations. I was particularly proud of having found a rare vinyl where he sings with the Jacksons’ 5, after many many days searching through the city.

I remember myself trying to dance like him, as thousands of people did at the time, singing his songs, learning his lyrics (despite I didn’t speak English very well), watching Moowalker over and over again and dreaming with going to any of his concerts, which was unfortunately not possible.

The following song, while not one of his best known, is one of my favorites. I really LOVE this song.

Liberian Girl (1987)

Damn, I'm trying to choose a second video but I'm realizing that I have specific memories related to a many of his songs, and that's making the selection very difficult! (Sigh) Ok.

Earth Song (1995)

There's an echo right now in the whole world. I join my voice to it... Rest in peace. We'll miss you.

The Most Recorded Song Ever: Summertime

2009-06-23T13:22:00.005-05:00

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

The song of a mother who is lulling her baby asleep, is the most recorded song ever, with a little bit more than 1000 different covers. The main aria of ‘Porgy and Bess’, an opera composed by George Gershwin, has an ironically hopeful lyric, in contrast with the melody, which has a sad tone.

This work of Gershwin, called ‘The American opera’, is an avant-garde composition, given its atmosphere (a miserable suburb of black people, of Charleston, North Carolina), the inclusion of black singers in the cast and its jazz and blues influences.

1. Original Version

The following version is performed by the soprano Kathleen Battle, and it’s the original version created by Gershwin in 1935.

Kathleen Battle (1935)

2. Angelique Kidjo's Version

The following a capella version is sung by the Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo. It includes nature sounds and a women's choir who made the perfect background with vocal percussion sounds. Even though Kidjo sings in Swahili, this heartbreaking tune preserves that effect of helplessness of the original song.

Anjelique Kidjo (2003)

3. Giora Feidman's Version

Giora Feidman, an Argentinean Jewish saxophonist and clarinetist, made this instrumental version of Summertime with the Russian virtuoso violinist Maksim Vengérov. The sound of klezmer gives to this piece a touch of strength, with the typical sound of this folk music style.

Giora Feidman

4. Janis Joplin's Version

This version is maybe the most unrecognizable of all. The freestyle of Janis Joplin in this recording makes it a different song in and by itself. Only when you listen to the lyrics with attention, you are able to discover in the husky voice of Janis, the touching words that Ira Gerswhin wrote to his brother.

Janis Joplin

5. Billie Holiday's Version

Finally, the Billie Holiday's cover. This version can be considered the most jazzy of the covers in this post. The accompaniment, which includes brass and clarinets in the 50’s swing style, and the melancholic style of Holiday, are the perfect complement to this song. For me, it sounds like the real poor mother who sings in a sort of English slang a hopeful song to her baby.

Billie Holiday (1936)

Junoon – And Sufi Rock Was Born...

2009-06-22T00:55:00.002-05:00

If you live anywhere near Pakistan, you certainly know Junoon. Maybe you have one of their albums, as they produced in 1998 and 1999 the best selling album in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Needless to say, they are one of the most important rock bands in Asia.

As pioneers of the rock movement in Pakistan, Junoon made a clever fusion of rock, influenced by Led Zeppelin, with traditional Pakistan folk music and raga inspired melodies.

When they started back in 1990, rock music from Pakistan was practically non existent. They had to open this new way, and it was not at all easy. For years, they struggled to find an audience. It was not until 1997 that their hit Sayonne got to the number 1 spot in the top South Asian charts, staying there for over 2 months.

Sayonee (1996)

Saeen (1995)

Daara J – A Rapper Boomerang

2009-06-17T21:29:00.004-05:00

'The School of life' is the meaning in Wolof of Daara J's name, a Senegalese rap group. Through English, French and Spanish, they sing tunes in the Tassou style, a native musical form which recites the daily life and the opinions of the Senegalese people. This style is very similar to rap.

The band's name somehow reflects their commitment against the political issues of its land, such as the fight with the corruption in the elections of 2000. This rap doesn´t speak about bling-bling or hot girls. It is a very catchy style that clearly presents Africa as the place where the rhythm was born.

Boomrang

The previous theme, a song featuring the Malian singer Rokia Traoré, is a reference to boomerangs, those objects that you throw and they come back to you. Like a boomerang, hip hop music, whose origins are black, returns in its African version to its roots.

Slavery

Lunascape - Tears From The Moon

2009-06-16T00:20:00.000-05:00

The ethereal voice of Kyoko enters the tridimensional space with the same subtlety that the nocturnal wind crosses the moonlight. The trip hop band Lunascape, which has released three albums over a decade, started in 1998, when Kyoko joined Walter Hilhosrt, after her participation as the lead vocalist of the also famous band Hooverphonic.

The sound of Lunascape is an hybrid between magic and electronic music. It’s a world of fairies and blue butterflies made of light. Rather than trying to describe it, let’s listen to it.

Lane Navachi (2001)

Tears From The Moon (2005)

Gondwana – Good Vibes From Chile

2009-06-14T00:33:00.000-05:00

The most important Chilean reggae band, Gondwana started back in 1987. Their success was not effortless. They played for almost 5 years in schools, universities and small events, before they could launch their first album, titled Gondwana, in 1992. From that moment on, however, their music has been a commercial success, and more than one thousand live concerts are part of their history.

Felicidad (2002)

Armonía de amor (1998)

Susheela Raman - International Tamil

2009-06-13T22:58:00.017-05:00

Music is not always the reflect of the land where we are born. Susheela Raman is an example of this fact, and a proof of how sound can be multicultural depending on the multiple influences that a musician receives during his life.

The music of Susheela Raman shows all of her cultural background, as a Tamil descendant who was born in England: the sounds of pop music, mixed with the Carnatic music, a kind of Tamil music that emphasizes the singing with the melodic accompaniment of violin and the rythm of mridamgham.

Maya (2001)

Susheela, who grew up in England and Australia, listening to classical music from the South of India, came back to the her parents' country in 1995 and lived there for two years. There she improved her vocal style, which had a lot of Western influences because of her participation in a rock and a funk band when she was young.

Her sound, which adapts some of the Tamil elements to jazz and pop has a really sensual and delicate texture, with some references to the environment where she grew up. She said in this regard:

(...) my music is more shaped by growing up in Australia, going to the beach, the vibrations of the ocean... the spatial dimensions are different (of other indian musicians) and that means my music is different."

Mamavatu (2001)

Foula - Voodoo Jazz

2009-06-12T12:56:00.003-05:00

We are proud to announce the addition of a new fun widget to Sound Energy Flux, the Flux Radio Play Button on the right. Just push play and enjoy all the music of the blog in random order! Thanks to SimplePie and YouTube for making this possible!

Special occasions require special music. Enter Foula, a group which, according to Wikipedia, was the first in Haiti to make a successful fusion of Jazz and Voodoo music.

The YouTube description of the following video says a lot more than I could possibly say about this group… it is extremely difficult to find information about Foula online.

One of the best groups from the "Mouvman Rasin" (Roots Movement) music scene in Haiti. Foula called their music "Vodou Jazz". The members of the group were: Jean-Raymond Giglio (percussion), Gaston "Bonga" Jean-Baptiste (percussion), "Rasin" (percussion), Wilfred "Tido" Levaud (guitar & lead vocals), Yves "Chico" Boyers (bass) and Thurgot Theodat (sax & percussion).
This music video was shot on location in LaPlenn, Haiti, the song "Sove", is a Rara (traditional processional/carnival from Haiti).

Sove

Neg Kap Pote (1990)

Thomas Mapfumo - Revolutionary Struggle

2009-06-10T00:53:00.000-05:00

‘Chimurenga’ is the Shona word for ‘struggle’. This was the word picked by Thomas Mapfumo, to call his music style, a fusion of Zimbabwean traditional music and rock, where the guitar is played as if it was a mbira, a very popular instrument in Southern Africa.

‘Struggle’ is a word that represents what Thomas Mapfumo has done during his life. As a political activist, his music has revolutionary lyrics, asking for the human rights and social justice. He was prosecuted by the government, his music banned, and he was detained for three months as a political prisoner in 1979. He made, however, many friends there, prisoners and guards alike, as his music and personality were loved and admired by everyone.

Shumba

Mapfumo didn’t sing many love songs, as he commented: "All you need if you wanna get into the bedroom... You've got a wife. You do it. You don't have to sing a song about it."

Pfumuvhu Parizevha

5 Terrifying Horror Movie Soundtracks

2009-06-07T23:34:00.017-05:00

Soundtracks are the best complement to a movie, aiding in the creation of the psychological effect that the director wants. Sometimes they are so good that become as famous as the movie itself. In horror movies, music has a fundamental role, as it increases the sensation of uncertainty of the plot. Let’s listen to five of the most terrifying soundtracks I’ve ever heard, in no particular order.

1. Suspiria

Suspiria is a horror film masterpiece, characterized by its art direction with saturated colors and innovative photography. Dario Argento, its director, asked the members of the italian band The goblins to compose and play the music for this movie. They composed a heavy album full of rock sounds in synthesizers and guitars. The following track features frightening breathing sound effects.

Sighs - The Goblins – Suspiria (1977)

2. Tetsuo

Tetsuo, the story of the transformation of two men in iron, is an example of the horror film movement in Japan. With cyberpunk aesthetics, it's one of the first movies on this trend. Its soundtrack is an industrial work with a sound completely generated by electronic means. It features a vibrant and frenetic dub of metallic sound effects with a synthesizer track. This music is the perfect theme for the technological nightmare this movie is.

Magnetron - Chu Ishikawa - Tetsuo (1989)

3. The orphanage

The story of a mother who does everything to save her son from a strange force that inhabits the same house where she grew up, is the plot of The Orphanage, a Spanish movie directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. The music of this film was composed by Fernando Velásquez, who made a fantastic soundtrack played by a symphonic string ensemble. The following song is the background music of one of the crucial parts of the movie.

Sola en casa - Fernando Velásquez - The orphanage (2007)

4. Halloween

The director of Halloween, John Carpenter, made by himself the soundtrack of this movie to reduce costs. As it turned out, it became one of Hollywood's most famous soundtracks ever. The music that accompanies the crimes of Michael Myers, is a simple piano tune in 5/4 meter, which Carpenter showed to an unimpressed Fox executive. The simple progression of notes played in piano and synthesizers in a cyclic way is an effective example of how music makes a movie complete.

Main Title - John Carpenter - Halloween (1978)

5. Rosemary's baby

Rosemary's baby, the movie of Roman Polanski is not creepy enough to scare us today. But the ending theme Lullaby, sung by Mia Farrow, the main character, is delicately terrifying. Although most of the score is a bunch of jazzy and chaotic melodies that made the perfect accompaniment to the pace of the film, this tune, with its simple key, is maybe more disturbing than the whole movie.

Lullaby - Krysztof Komeda - Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Fanfare Ciocarlia – The Skylark of Brass

2009-06-03T01:15:00.001-05:00

The richness of Roman music has been acknowledged in this blog in previous posts. The sense of membership of Gipsy people, their fight against discrimination, and their strong voices have been some of the discussed topics. But one of the most typical features of this music is the role of the brass bands, as a musical support. Fanfare Ciocarlia, a Romanian band is an example of this feature. Formed by twelve vigorous gipsies who play their music by randomly adding fast melodic solos, with instrument such as trumpet or clarinet. Fanfare Ciocarlia includes instruments like tubas, saxophones, percussions, clarinets and trumpets.

Its name is composed of two words which mean 'brass band' and 'skylark', respectively. The fusion of Carpathian Mountains' folk and some tunes of Turkish and Austrian brass bands, has the bucolic spirit of the village's small bands, which learn this songs by memorizing them and playing them in family parties.

Manea Cu Voca (2001)

Nicoleta (1998)

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Classical Guitars On Fire

2009-06-02T01:12:00.001-05:00

Although they started as a thrash metal band, Rodrigo y Gabriela found their true language in the sound of classical guitar, through a fusion of rock, folk, and Latin music which, as they explain, is not easy to define.

This Mexican guitar duo is mainly acclaimed outside of their country, from where they parted while searching for new sonorities and a wider public. Success was waiting for them in Ireland, where their fast and rhythmic playing style felt like home.

Ixtapa (2006)

The previous song, Ixtapa, is named after a beautiful Mexican town. Being Led Zeppelin fans, they describe this song as “our very own Stairway to Heaven!”. The wild Hungarian violin that joins the guitars in the middle of the piece, is the perfect complement.

Rodrigo y Gabriela were picked by MTV as their Artist of the Week. For this special occasion, they recorded a couple of videos, the following is one of them. Tamacun is the name of an eccentric Mexican who lives in Ixtapa. He is known for handling crocodiles to show them off to tourists, while teaching kids to respect nature.

Tamacun (2006)

Tiki Taane – Aotearoa Sounds

2009-06-01T01:32:00.000-05:00

Salmonella, a well known dub band in New Zealand, was led by Tiki Taane, a musician, DJ, producer and sound engineer. However, Taane, who was born in the Maori tribe of Ngati Maniamoto, wanted to start a new project, despite the fact that his band was one of the most successful of NZ. His album Present, Past and Future expresses in its tracks the feeling of being from Aotearoa, the New Zealand of Maori people.

The first single, Tangaroa (which means 'God of the sea'), shows the strength of the Haka Dance, an antique Maori tradition that was usually performed before a battle. This song is one of the first where Taane openly shows his roots. The sounds of percussion and chants, create not only a song, but a mystical experience to the listener.

Tangaroa (2007)

Dub Soldier (2007)

Samitha & Iraj - A Fortunate Collaboration

2009-05-31T04:38:00.000-05:00

This post is about two Sri Lankan artists, Samitha Mudunkotuwa and Iraj, who despite being from different generations and styles, have got together to create a couple of great songs.

Iraj is currently one of the best selling artists in Sri Lanka, he’s the head of the hip hop movement there, while Samitha has a successful career spanning 20 years, with several Sinhalese pop hits in her bag.

They both deserve a blog post on their own, so I will skip further details and go directly to the fun part: the music!

Saara Sadisi

Oba Hinda (Kalpana)

Jurga - Lithuanian Art Rock

2009-05-29T13:49:00.002-05:00

If I close my eyes while listening to Jurga’s music, I start to see precious landscapes, the wind subtly blowing on my face, the sun lightly touching everything with its gentle light. It’s like a trip to a distant place, a trip where the only luggage is her charming voice.

Jurga is a Lithuanian art rock singer who started her musical career back in 2005. After the successful release of her first album, followed by a second one in 2007, Jurga has won several awards, and, more importantly, the admiration and love of her many followers in Lithuania and Europe.

The following video was filmed during a trip to Afghanistan. It was based on an Afghan folk song. There is an English version, called Sandman’s child, but I love the sonority of the Lithuanian language.

Smelio Zmones (2007)

Prie Žalio Vandens (2007)

Andrea Echeverry – Songs of the Motherhood

2009-05-27T02:06:00.005-05:00

Today we are celebrating our 100th post in Sound Energy Flux. For this special occasion we want to talk about one of our most loved singers, a figure that has greatly influenced the Colombian rock scene.

Andrea Echeverry used to be an artist who worked in ceramics. She studied arts and made post-graduate studies at the School of Art and Design in Plymouth, UK. But in 1990, when she joined a band called Delia y Los aminoácidos, she started an unexpectedly prolific career as a singer. In 1992, this band turned into Aterciopelados, the most innovative rock band of Colombia and Latin America.

Andrea hasn’t been the typical hot female pop singer. The way she dresses has always been recognized for its extravagance. The strength of her voice, her sincere lyrics and her natural attitude, oppossed to the pop star stereotype, have captivated people and critics around the world.

Lactochampeta (2006)

Her solo album, a tribute to motherhood, was recorded in 2006 after the birth of her first daughter, Milagros. This album, whose lyrics are primarily about maternal feelings, contains the song Lactochampeta, an ode to lactation and a lullaby to her baby.

The following song is an adaptation of Canción Protesta, composed by Andrea. It was performed by various artists who come from many countries around the world, and was part of a campaign of Amnesty International against the impunity in human rights violations.

The price of silence (2008)

Shadia Mansour - Free Palestine!

2009-05-23T22:59:00.007-05:00

I don’t have anything to add to the eloquence of Shadia Mansour’s own words, describing the events that lead her to make the beautiful hip hop song Kollon 3endon Dababaat (below).

I wrote this song a couple of hours after witnessing the gruesome attack on the innocent men,women and children in Gaza on the morning of December 27th 2008.

I was in sheer shock, I was crushed, angered, disturbed, devastated, these are just a few of the emotions that ran through me. I am harsh in this particular song and feel that I have the right to express myself freely as an artist, as a Palestinian AND as a woman. I am a passionate believer in peace between the people, the fact that I am stating the facts from one side does not necessarily mean I have a personal grudge against another nations victims.

Kollon 3endon Dababaat was released as a tribute to Gaza. To all the men, women and children who stand on the front line of the battle field. Who are fighting the occupation of their land and daily offenses and abuses inflicted upon them for over 60 years. I grew up seeing pictures and clips of Palestinian kids as young as 5 throwing hand size rocks at military tanks, the image of Palestinian kids throwing stones at these tanks has become symbolic. It has become a significant trademark to the Palestinian resistance.

Ever wonder where all these rocks come from? These rocks are the remains of peoples homes, the rock is the pride, these kids hold their dignity in their hands. The rock is the pain within, the shattered dreams, the haunting memories, the loss and survival till the end.

Kollon 3endon Dababaat

Arme D'espoir

Visit her website for more info and songs. I don’t want to finish this post without saying something to all governments in the world: Fuck you.

Enzo Avitabile E Bottari – Music in Barrels

2009-05-22T00:45:00.001-05:00

Born in Naples, Enzo Avitabile fell in love with soul and jazz, and learned to play sax when he was young. He became one of the most important Italian musicians, performing with stars like Tina Turner and James Brown.

But in 2000, Avitabile had a crush with his own roots, and created a new and unique project, which brought back an old tradition from the South of Italy: The Bottari, a style of percussion performed at the San Antonio Abate's feast day in Campania, a southern region of Italy. This custom, which involves the beating of wine barrels to scare away evil spirits, gave rise to Enzo Avitabile & Bottari band, an experiment that has been nominated twice to the BBC World Music Awards (in 2004 and 2006).

A' Peste to

The sound of the beaten wine barrels, which is played by The Bottari of Portico -a band that preserves the musical heritage of the Portico village- is mixed with the saxophone and the voice of Avitabile, who recites during the songs. The lyrics, sung in a Neapolitan dialect, refer to the social injustice and the poverty of their region and around the world.

Cruxifixus

Frente! - The admiration sign deserves to be there

2009-05-21T23:45:00.005-05:00

This Australian band added a thin page to the history of pop, but it was a page full of color and of admiration sings. Frente! released their first album in 1992, from where many songs became hits in Australia. Their success grew overseas when the single Bizarre Love Triangle, a cover version of New Order's song, reached the most important rock and pop charts in Europe. Unfortunately, after the second album in 1996, which wasn’t very successful, Frente! disbanded.

I came to this band thanks to a recent revival of some 90’s music that was resting in the depths of my hard drive. I only knew one song of Frente!, so I investigated a little and was pleased to learn that this band is actually very good. I will put two songs, one of them was a popular single in Australia, the second one is less known, but it is easily my favorite.

Cuscutlan (1992)

Labour of Love (1992)

Les Boukakes – The Räi Rock

2009-05-20T23:04:00.010-05:00

'Boukake', a term composed of the words 'monkey' and 'Moorish' (in french), is an insult to denigrate North African people who have immigrated to France. Les Boukakes, a band whose members come from countries like Tunisia, Algeria, Kurdistan, Corsica, Italy, Morocco and France, is an example of how this minority can go beyond the offenses and make music that many Europeans like, despite the meaning of its name.

The sounds of gnawa, räi and the Arabian Andalusian music blended with rock or electronic music form a genre that the members of Les Boukakes have called 'The Räi of the cities'. Les boukakes, who have been nominated in 2007 to a BBC World Music Award, have shared stage with musicians such as Femi Kuti, Manu Chao, Natacha Atlas and others.

Amina

Seur feur

Diana King – And the 90’s nostalgia

2009-05-19T16:30:00.007-05:00

Today I re-discovered Diana King, a singer from Jamaica whose song Shy guy I used to love when I was a child, even though I didn’t understand the lyrics. But who cares about the lyrics when you have a song that features a playful rhythm, passionate voice arrangements and an overall groovy sonority that was able to playback over and over in my mind. I particularly like how she plays with the words to create a cheerful beat.

Shy Guy (1993)

Diana’s music is a clever fusion of soul, reggae, pop and R&B. On her website, in the context of her latest album, Respect, she explains her musical evolution:

I spent a lot of my life trying to figure out my style. I started out as a singer but reggae rapping is a part of my history. I battled with it for a long time because I was afraid of being categorized as either a pop and soul singer or a reggae artist but with this new album, I’m coming to terms with who I am musically.

I couldn’t find any streamable song from this album, so I will put another of her singles from her second one. This song is in the same spirit of the previous one, but with a bunch of nice touches that gives it a personality of its own.

L-L-Lies (1997)

Ba Cissoko - The Jimi Hendrix of Kora

2009-05-18T22:44:00.014-05:00

The epic songs of the Mandingo tribe are the main inspiration to Ba Cissoko, widely regarded as the Master of kora and the most gifted pupil of the legendary musician M'Bady Kouyaté. Ba Cissoko has been called the Jimi Hendrix or the Eric Clapton of Kora by Nat Geo Music. His hypnotic melodies and his skills to combine urban sounds, tribal cadences and his kora, have made him and his band one of the most important Guinean groups and the best known in Europe, where they have performed in countries like the United Kingdom and France.

Konkouré

Ba is the son of Kandara Cissoko, the leader of Ballet Djoliba, a famous troupe of dancers and musicians that used to perform in different rituals in Guinea. His band is formed by the two sons of Kouyaté (Kórou and Sékou Kouyaté who play the kora and the bass respectively) and Ibrahima Bah Konkouré, a percussionist who has spent his childhood and part of his teen years playing in the beaches to earn some money.

Yélé

Sepultura - Metal roots

2009-05-17T17:26:00.005-05:00

Sepultura doesn’t need presentation. This is one of the few metal bands whose importance gets to the point of helping define the metal genre itself. Powerful guitar rhythms, ethnically inspired percussions, emphasis on groove over speed (from the release of Chaos A.D onwards), socially aware lyrics, and the potent voice of Max Cavalera (who was later succeeded by Derrick Green), are some of Sepultura’s most acclaimed attributes.

The Hunt(1993)

The following song comes from their sixth studio album, Roots. This album masterfully continued what Sepultura had started in Chaos A.D 3 years earlier, namely, an experimentation with the Brazilian music rhythms that were as far as inviting Carlinhos Brown, a popular Brazilian musician previously featured in this blog, to participate in the co-authoring and vocals of the following song, titled Ratamahatta.

Ratamahatta (1996)

Gogol Bordello – Multicultural punk

2009-05-16T19:40:00.006-05:00

When Eugene Hütz was 14, he had to leave his native Ukraine because of the explosion of two reactors at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant. Nowadays, Hütz is the leader of a Gipsy punk band, formed by two Russians, an accordionist and a violinist (Sergey Ryabtsev, Yuri Lemeshev), a bassist and a guitarist from Israel (Oren Kaplan, Thomas Gobena), a percussionist from Ecuador (Pedro Erazo) and three percussionists from USA. Gogol Bordello is a multicultural band that mixes cabaret music, punk, hip hop, reggae and Gipsy rythms. Regarding this, Hütz said in an interview to Mondo sonoro.com:

I never think about ‘musical styles’, I just think about music and use elements of any genre. It’s like the gipsy punk genre, is not a style of music, is a label to help the critics who always need to classify things.

Start wearing purple

This band, based in New York, was named after the Russian-Ukrainian writer Nikolái Gogol. Its most singular feature is the unexpected burstings of strong parts with battery in the middle of melodic passages with guitar. Rolling Stone magazine put them in the 'best 20 bands alive' list, where they got the 15th place.

American wedding

Oleg Fesov - Atmospheric Traditional

2009-05-13T01:07:00.000-05:00

The War of Tajikistan during the 90’s led Oleg Fesov to emigrate from his country, Tajikistan, to Moscow and later to Germany. During these trips he always carried with him a great love for the traditional Tajik music. His passion is clearly reflected in his compositions, where subtle rhythms and soft melodies in Sitar, Oud or Guitar, are accompanied by the calmed sound of his own voice. All this brought together in a tranquilizing atmosphere created by keyboards, a sign of Western influence.

Chudat Medoni (1994)

Chashmi tu

Gjallarhorn – The band that sounds like the mythologic horn

2009-05-12T02:16:00.006-05:00

Gjallarhorn was, in the Scandinavian mythology, a horn whose Heimdal, guardian of Asgard, announced the battle of the world's end. This Finnish quartet took this word to name its music, a strange mix of didgeridoo (which was later replaced with a contrabass), viola, percussion, and voice. The result is a deep sonority, which has a special resonance with the beatiful voice of Jenny Wilhelms, a student of the famous Sibelius Music Academy.

Eldgjald

The fusion of contemporary rythms like jazz or rock, with instruments like Yembe -imported from Africa- and folk music, has been praised by many world music experts. Based on Ostrobothnia, a region where most people speak Swedish as a consequence of a colonization process that dates back to the middle age, Gjallarhorn includes in its lyrics extracts from epic poems of Icelandic literature.

Suvetar

Dancehall Crew - Surinamese reggae

2009-05-11T00:43:00.001-05:00

Start with African rhythms. Add some Indian instruments and harmonies. Now put Caribbean energy and landscapes into the mix. Finally, add some lyrics in Dutch and push play. What you get is the music of Suriname, one of the most distinctive countries in South America.

Dancehall Crew is a good example of the Surinamese authenticity. I don’t recommend you to watch the following video if you are easily impressed, since it contains some violent images. The structure of the song is, however, interesting. It starts with one rhythm and, all of a sudden, it turns into another one, in a different tempo. The same thing happens several times during the song. This is something you don’t see often in Reggae music!

Faya in a ghetto

Wakafaya

Julien Jacob – The Nonsense Of Pure Sound

2009-05-10T23:13:00.011-05:00

When you listen to a song in a foreign language, it happens that if you like its sound, then you ask about its meaning. But, what would you think about a musician that invented a new language only to highlight the sound of the words, a language that doesn't have meaning at all? Julien Jacob, a singer, poet, composer, and ‘spiritualist’ -as he likes to be called- did just this; creating a visceral music with an emphasis in the vocal texture. His influences are the sounds of many languages and the rythms of the different places he has visited. An intimate and clean sonority are the result of his musical purpose: the creation of songs that transmit feelings that anyone with some sensitivity can understand.

Yab (2005)

Julien Jacob, whose mother is from Martinique and her father from Guadalupe, was born in Benin, and moved out to Marseille, France with his family at the age of four. He started in music at 17 as a rock singer, and later, travelled around the world and discovered other cultures such as the celtic, the hinduish or the vodoo, which had a profound impact on him.

Ankelson (2005)

Bola de nieve – The voice of feelings

2009-05-08T01:30:00.003-05:00

Ignacio Jacinto Villa Fernández, Bola de Nieve, was maybe one of the most charismatic singers of Cuba, an island that has a lot of talented musicians. He didn't have a really good voice, in fact, I think he wasn't a good singer at all. But the strength of his performances, and his expressive facial gestures, were a personal seal that I really liked when I saw an old recording in which he sang and played Ay mama Inés, a traditional Cuban song. His piano melodies were really good and very appreciated by artists like Rita Montaner, who gave him the nickname, or the legendary pianist Ernesto Lecuona, who admired him.

Drume negrita

Songs like Drume negrita are a proof of another remarkable feature of his style: a peculiar Afrocuban accent, particular of popular classes in La Habana. Edith Piaf, one of his admirers, said that Bola de Nieve's version of La vie en Rose was the best version ever.

Si me pudieras querer

Johannes Brahms - Happy Birthday!!

2009-05-07T21:04:00.008-05:00

On May 7th, 1856 , Johannes Brahms’ mother wrote to him in a letter:

“… This morning I woke up at exactly the hour at which you first saw the light of day, 23 years ago. Half an hour later I had you in my arms, at my breast… and now you are so far away from me!

No words are more sincere and eloquent than these when talking about Johannes’ birth, on May 7th, 1833, in Hamburg.

In 1865, 11 years after the letter, Brahms’ mother passed away. This event led Johannes to write his most sublime choral work, A German Requiem. Its fifth movement, which we listen next in the emotive voice of Barbara Bonney, was the last one added to the requiem, expressly in the memory of his mother.

A German Requiem Op. 45 - 5th Movement (1868)

Johannes Brahms has been previously featured in this blog and there’s a good reason for it. This blog wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for his music! The two authors of Flux (as we have come to call this blog to save time) got to meet each other partly because we shared a big interest in his works. Natis, the heart of this blog, has played Brahms’ music on clarinet, for her own constant delight and amazement. Alejandro (me!), has listened to almost all of Brahms’ works, enjoying every musical note created by him. This post is our small tribute to one of the greatest musicians of all times. Happy Birthday, Johannes!

Clarinet Quintet in B minor Op. 115 - 1st Movement (1891)

Dadawa – A peculiar Chinese voice

2009-05-06T02:32:00.006-05:00

Zhu Zheqin, better known in Asia as Dadawa, is one of those musicians that have a special sensibility for the Tibetan culture, in spite of the fact that she is not from there. Born in the province of Guangzhou, Dadawa was discovered by He Xuntian, an Tibetan music expert. Her voice, which has a powerful timbre, is similar to other voices of her country but is characterized for its strenght.

Seven drums (1998)

Her two albums, recorded with eight years of difference, have two definite styles. The first one, Voices in the sky, has a marked tibetan influence, including the song instrumentation. The second one, Seven Days, has some buddhist references and is closer to the Chinese culture. Dadawa, who has been called by some critics the ‘Chinese Enya’, is recognized for her particular music, which some classify as new age, but others label as experimental, because of some atypical harmonies.

Seven Days (2006)

Kevin Volans - Africanization of European music

2009-05-05T05:34:00.001-05:00

Between African and European music there is a gap that not only consists of the compositional style and instrumentation, but which goes as deep as the attitude towards the individual in society. While in European music there’s a tendency to make the unique style of a performer to stand out of the band or orchestra, in traditional African music it is often the sound of the band as a whole what is important. Kevin Volans, in a highly recommended article in 1986, put it succinctly:

We as Westerners admire much more the man who can do the work of ten men, than ten men working as one.

Kevin Volans, born in South Africa in 1941, studied music in Johannesburg and, thereafter, made post-graduate studies with Karlheinz Stockhausen in the UK. In the early 80’s, rejecting the Apartheid, a system of racial segregation enforced by the South African government until 1994, Volans started an exploration of diverse African compositional techniques, as applied to Western music. Volans himself explains his motivations:

I wanted to reflect in the music an image of a multicultural society - one in which the traditions of different cultures are represented, honoured and, above all, shared - no more 'separate development'!

“Mbira” was the first of this series of works. It was composed for two harpsichords re-tuned in African tuning, and a rattle. This work gets its name from the Mbira, a traditional instrument from Zimbabwe, which is central to a music genre with the same name. In the first part of this work, Volans emulates the Mbira music patterns with the harpsichords. The coda, however, follows a non-traditional style.

Mbira (1981)

In 1982, Kevin Volans composed one of his best known works, titled “White Man Sleeps”. It was originally written for two harpsichords, viola da gamba and percussion, but in 1986, at the request of the Kronos Quartet, it was re-worked for string quartet. The innovative character of this work is captured in the following excerpt from Volans’ own exposition:

It was a bit like introducing an African computer virus into the heart of Western contemporary music. Thus I concentrated on the anti-hierarchic nature of traditional African music, the interlocking techniques, shifting downbeats, the largely non-functional harmony, the open forms, the extremely fast tempi of some music, the non-developmental use of repetition, contrasting and irregular patterning, the tone colour, the energy and the joy.

Let’s listen to the second movement. The other movements are available as well.

White Man Sleeps - 2nd movement (1986)

Daniel Melingo – Damned tango

2009-05-04T02:27:00.002-05:00

The strength of some tango lyrics has been an enigma for me. I have never understood the Lunfardo, but I have a feeling that the lyrics say something about the people you can find on the streets and their lives. The following song of Daniel Melingo is more understandable to me. That strange slang is used less but preserves that melancholic and vigorous energy that made me feel attracted to the urban nature of tango:

Narigón

The bizarre lyrics of Melingo tell stories about the underworld of the city of Buenos Aires: the city of the drug addicts, the prostitutes or the criminals, with a touch of black humor and updated to our times.

Daniel Melingo, who was a member of the band ‘Los abuelos de la nada’, is nowadays a poet of tango who sings about the lives of marginal people. The following song, included in his last album ‘Maldito tango’ is an example of his particular style and a tribute to the old poets of Lunfardo slang.

Leonel el feo

Juan Luis Guerra – Brilliant Latin talent

2009-05-03T06:14:00.004-05:00

How many musicians do you know who have had their music put on several radio stations simultaneously for 12 hours straight? And who have also won 5 Latin Grammy Awards in the same night? With an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music, one of the most important conservatories in the world?

If your answer was Juan Luis Guerra, you are right! Born in Dominican Republic, his career spans more than 20 years, during which he has sold over 20 million records worldwide. His first singles were in the musical style of merengue, a popular dance genre in Latin America.

Si tú te vas (1991)

Bachata, another Dominican music genre, was popularized worldwide by Juan Luis Guerra. Many of his best compositions are a mix of this soft and romantic style with elements of pop, jazz and classical music. The following song is just an example of what happens to an already beautiful genre when it is put in the hands of a genius like him.

Cuando te beso (1992)

Ali Hassan Kuban - Nubian jazz

2009-05-02T21:57:00.013-05:00

When he was a child, Ali Hassan Kuban used to sing in the boats that sailed over the Nile river.

Born in Nubia, a town in the south of Egypt, Hassan Kuban used a vocal style popular in that region, which years later would turn into really catchy melodies that mix the magic of the ancient Egypt with some wind instruments such as clarinet and bagpipes.

He had a revelation when he listened to a band from Harlem in a nightclub in Egypt. That performance inspired him to create these captivating rythms that nowadays sound like oldie songs from the funk and jazz scene of the seventies, but sung in arabic language. For this style he would be called 'The Godfather' of Nubian music.

Mabruk

Habibi

Dengue Fever – Cambodian Psychedelic Rock

2009-04-30T13:26:00.023-05:00

The brothers Zac and Ethan Holzman were fans of vintage Cambodian music. Singers like Sinn Sisamouth, whose music was banned during the regime of Pol Pot in 1975, were among their favorites. When they met Chhom Nimol, a karaoke star from Cambodia who had moved to L.A., the band they had dreamed of for years was created: Dengue Fever. The Oriental voice of Nimol along with the psychedelic sound of guitars and keyboards, is the characteristic seal of their music. They were successful in Cambodia, where Khmer Rouge, a communist political party, killed some of the musicians because of the mix of pop and cambodian music they played.

Seeing hands

"Sleepway through the Mekong" is the name of a documentary that shows the trip to Cambodia that the members of Dengue Fever had to do in order to perform at the Water music festival. The name of the band was inspired by a trip to Cambodia that Zac did. He was in a car with a friend, who was sick with dengue, and the music of Sinn Sisamouth was on.

Sleepwalking trough the Mekong

Cem Adrian - A voice from another world

2009-04-29T07:37:00.004-05:00

Cem Adrian has the extraordinary ability to sing from bass to soprano. His vocal chords are three times the length of an average person’s. Born in Turkey in 1980, Adrian has been interested in theater, radio publishing and photography besides music.

His love for songwriting led him to record more than 250 songs before having the opportunity to start a career in music. Some of these songs were later included on his first album, Ben Bu Şarkıyı Sana Yazdım, released in 2005. From this album comes the following song, a very nice display of his higher notes.

Ben bu şarkıyı sana yazdım (2005)

After the success of the first release, which sold about 16000 copies, Adrian has recorded three more albums, two of them in 2008, year in which he also produced the music for the movie Sıcak.

Bir Melek Ölürken (2008)

Susana Baca – The black side of Peru

2009-04-28T18:59:00.008-05:00

The afroperuvian music had been for many years an unknown heritage that was hidden behind the traditional andean music. But in 1995, when David Byrne discovered Susana Baca’s talent, the sounds of instruments like the peruvian cajón were shown to the world, in the disc ‘El alma del Perú Negro’, edited by Luaka Bop, the record label of Byrne.

Born in Chorrillos, the black neighborhood of Lima, Susana Baca grew up in an atmosphere with a high musical richness. Her father was a guitarist, and her aunts sang with the style of Aretha Franklin. Now Susana, a descendant of black and indigenous people, is considered the most important singer of Peru, and the heiress of Chabuca Granda, a legend of the afroperuvian song.

Toro mata

Married with the sociologist Ricardo Pereira, Susana Baca has dedicated her life to the research of the afroperuvian music with him. They published the book ‘El fuego y el agua’, where they included testimonies and documents of this ethnic group and its musical legacy.

De los amores

Arian Band – The Real Face of Iran

2009-04-27T12:11:00.008-05:00

Some bands have so many good songs that it gets difficult to select the two that will accompany a post. Arian Band, an Iranian pop band born in 2000, is one of these. The formation of this band is something not very often seen in the West, let alone in the Middle East. With nine members, three of them females, Arian Band has broken through the gender barrier to become the first band of its kind in their country.

Ghasedak (2008)

The political climate in Iran has been changing during the last years, making possible for them to tour outside of their country, thus letting the world know about them and their music. They have taken advantage of this opportunity to show a different face of Iran to the world. As Ali Pahlavan, the leader of the band, said in an interview with the BBC:

If you go to Iranian movies all you see is misery - nothing else. People think Iran is like this - everything is a desert, all the people are crying... We wanted to show the real Iran.

Nagoo (2008)

X Plastaz – Masaai MC’s

2009-04-26T00:18:00.002-05:00

Based in Arusha, a small town of Tanzania, X plastaz has become one of the most successful hip hop groups of East Africa. Its mix consists of a fast rapping in swahili (that sounds very rhythmic, by the way) combined with the traditional chants of the Masaai tribe. In fact, one of its members is among the best known masaai singers in this country. This first video shows us how is the life in a masaai village in the middle of the desert. A part of this song says: "We would make fire under a tree, consuming meat and milk in the traditional way... Please don't laugh, even if it's funny."

Aha! (2004)

The singer who appears in the first part of the previous video, Faza Nelly, was killed by a violent neighbour three years ago. Since then, X Plastaz has not recorded any album but has toured and played in different places of Africa. However, this year the members of X plastaz will come back to a recording studio.

Msimu kwa Msimu (2004)

Umalali - The Garifuna Women's Project

2009-04-25T15:17:00.006-05:00

During 10 years, a Belizean musician and producer, Ivan Duran, worked on a project that started as a search of unknown but exceptional female voices throughout the Garifuna villages in Belize, where a Central American ethnic group known as Garifuna people, live.

The recordings of these voices were initially in daily places, like kitchens, living rooms or in the streets, but, as the project matured, Duran set up a studio, where he started recording what later became the album titled Umalali: The Garifuna women’s project, available on Amazon.

Mérua (2008)

Many of the songs were composed by the women who sang them, which is something common among the Garifuna people. As Duran explains,

With women, music is more part of their daily lives. They are the bearers of most of the traditions, they are the ones who teach the Garifuna language to the children.

However, Duran made many arrangements, mixing the traditional singing with elements of blues, rock, Latin music and African music, thus creating a warm atmosphere that is able to appeal to a wide audience.

Nibari (2008)

Visit their myspace page to listen to this song in a complete version as well as more awesome songs.

Buika – Black Flamenco

2009-04-24T22:34:00.006-05:00

Born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1972, Concha Buika is the daughter of two inmigrants from Equatorial Guinea. Her mother taught her to listen to jazz voices, and the ‘cante jondo’ style that sang gipsy people around her neighborhood. Her stunning and heartbreaking voice, between black music and spanish ‘quejío’, is the particular seal that has seduced musicians like Chucho Valdés or Rachelle Ferrell. Her music, that mixes rythms like R&B, electronic, pop, hip hop, and, of course, Copla Flamenca, makes reference with its lyrics to the abandonement and the lost love.

No habrá nadie en el mundo (2008)

Mi niña Lola (2006)

Julio Jaramillo - Hate him

2009-04-23T17:38:00.003-05:00

“Hate me, but keep in mind that you only hate what you have loved” translates the song "Ódiame" (Hate me) of Julio Jaramillo, an Ecuadorian Pasillo singer acclaimed in all of South America, but specially in his country, where he is almost a national symbol. He was only 42 years old when he died, but in this short time he recorded nearly 3500 songs and still had time to procreate 42 children.

Ódiame

The following song, titled “Nuestro juramento” (Our promise) talks about a promise of love that lasts beyond death. The video is from a biographical movie about Jaramillo, where his role is played by his son Julio Jaramillo Sanchez.

Nuestro Juramento

Checkpoint 303 - Electronic wail from Palestine

2009-04-22T23:05:00.001-05:00

Inspired by the life of people from occupied territories, Checkpoint 303, a group of musicians from Palestine and Tunisia, has based its sound in live recordings over the streets of the main Palestinian cities. "It is not so much the fact that the founding members are of arabic origin that defines the issues we talk about in our music. It is rather a strong conviction that injustice anywhere in the world should be reported, fought and exposed to the world" said its founders, SC Yosh and Sc Mocha, in an interview.

They capture the daily sounds of local people and mix it with samples and melodies played in Oud. Their name was based on 'Checkpoint 300', a zone between Bethlehem and East Jerusalem that is guarded by soldiers, restricting the passage of Palestinian people to Israel.

Streets O' Ramallah (2007)

One of the most unique features of Checkpoint 303 is the fact that they are clearly not interested in selling. Their listeners can only get their music by downloading it on their website. Furthermore, their lyrics are very critical about the situation of people in Palestina, who, according to them, need to resist the military abuse and the human rights violation. They don't want to be restricted to say what they think, so they prefer to produce their music by themselves.

Abraj

Rasmus Lyberth Band - Extremely cold music

2009-04-21T13:11:00.002-05:00

Around 1970, Rasmus Lyberth liberated the music of Greenland from its merely functional role in society, by making it an entertainment for itself. Although Greenlandic language is spoken by less than 55000 people in the world, Rasmus always sings in it "because it is so full of passion and power". His lyrics describe the unique landscapes of Greenland and the life of its people, who on a daily basis struggle with a never-ending winter.

Ajajajaa

Elven

Fela Kuti – The afrobeat ‘president’

2009-04-20T21:45:00.009-05:00

‘AIDS is the illness of white man’ said Fela Kuti, a Nigerian singer, keyboard, sax and trumpet player, before his death, caused by the Acquired Inmunodeficiency Syndrome. Kuti, the creator of the Afrobeat rythm, never accepted that this disease was a result of his sexual promiscuity.

Sorrow Tears and blood

Fela Kuti was a human rights defender and a candidate for president of Nigeria two times, representing the Movement of the People (MOP). He was always a rebel during the dictatorship of Nigeria. Without fear, he mocked the servile attitude of the Nigerian army in his 1997 album called ‘Zombie’. After that, the soldiers destroyed his neighborhood, hit and raped women there. Fela´s mom died in this attack.

Teacher Don't teach Me No Nonsense

Ace Of Base - The wheel of fortune

2009-04-19T14:45:00.009-05:00

I’m sure you have listened to at least one hit of Ace of Base, a techno pop band that has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Singles like The Sign, All that she wants, Don’t turn around or Lucky love were played everywhere in the 90’s.

With four members, two of them female singers, the band was born in 1987. Initially, it was difficult for them to gain recognition cause in Sweden the preferred genre was heavy metal at the time, but they finally did it with their first single, the excellent song Wheel of fortune.

Ace of Base has been one of my all time favorite bands. Since this blog is primarily about new music, I will put two songs that weren't singles, but that for me are among their very best productions.

My Déjà Vu (1995)

Edge of Heaven (2005)

Agustín Barrios - How to write a poem with a guitar

2009-04-17T09:42:00.005-05:00

Agustín Barrios Mangoré, born in Paraguay in 1885, is one of the most important classical guitar composers of the 20th century. At the young age of 15, he started his music studies at the Asuncion National University. Just 8 years later, in 1909, he made the first commercial classical guitar recording in history.

His broad knowledge of music, allowed him to make compositions that ranged from baroque to folk music arrangements. The following work, interpreted by the Colombian guitarist Fernando Ramirez, is one of the finest arpeggio studies for guitar.

Las Abejas

Many world-class guitarists were fans of Barrios, with Andrés Segovia, David Russell and John Williams among them. John Williams, who plays the piece Choro da saudade in the following video, said of Barrios:

As a guitarist/composer, Barrios is the best of the lot, regardless of era. His music is better formed, it's more poetic, it's more everything! And it's more of all those things in a timeless way.

Choro da saudade (Recorded in 1979)

Yoshida Brothers – Rock in Kimono

2009-04-16T22:08:00.009-05:00

Shamisen, an old string instrument from Japan, has been played since the 16th century. Nowadays, the sound of Shamisen has become popular because the theme song of the Nintendo Wii game console is entirely played with this instrument by the brothers Ryoichiro Yoshida and Ken'ichi Yoshida, who formed Yoshida Brothers.

The way they always dress like Samurais, with Hakama pants and a kimono, along with their Shamisen, may look very traditional. But the music of Yoshida Brothers is a fusion of rock and the sound of their ancestors, which they play with amazing agility.

Rising

Nikata (2004)

Nameless - Good energy for everyone

2009-04-15T23:48:00.009-05:00

“There are two kinds of people in the world, those who have got names and those who are nameless”. Thus starts the hip hop song Megarider, that in 1999 led David Mathenge, better known as Nameless, to fame.

Although he didn’t have formal training as a musician, after winning a music contest on a Kenyan radio station, he started a unstoppably successful career that has not only reached many African countries, but also USA and the UK.

The following song won the Channel O Music Video Awards for Best Male Video, the Kilimanjaro Music Awards for Best East African Song and the Kisima Music Awards in 2006 for Best Video.

Sinzia (2006)

The following song also won the Kilimanjaro Music Awards for Best East African Song in 2009. Nameless' formula for success is to create songs that are energetic and positive. “I like to describe happy and enjoyable situations that take place within the society. I want to make people forget their problems and look at life in a positive way.” And he does this very well.

Salari (2008)

Saban Bajramovic - King of gipsy music

2009-04-14T18:11:00.021-05:00

Balkan music has become famous in recent years because it's been featured in movies from directors like Emir Kusturica, or because musicians, like Goran Bregovic, have used it in their albums. But Saban Bajramovic, who had sung this music since he was a child, ironically died poor and sick, even though he had influenced a generation of musicians. Born in 1936 and died in 2008 in the Serbian city of Nis, Bajramovic, like other gipsy musicians, learned romani style singing with older people in the streets . Known for his powerful and heartbreaking voice, Bajramovic is considered the king of gipsy music.

The following song was procclaimed the international gipsy anthem during the First International Gipsy Congress. Its title means "I walked, walked" and it's related to the nomadic nature of gipsy people.

Djelem Djelem

This song is the first version of the famous song "Mesecina", by Goran Bregovic, which was included in the soundtrack of the movie "Underground".

Djeli Mara

Classic songs from commercials around the world (Part 1)

2009-04-13T08:10:00.005-05:00

If you don’t remember at least one song from a commercial, where have you been all these years? It’s no secret that television advertisement has been playing with our minds from the very beginning. One of their favorite methods has been to create catchy tunes for us to sing. In fact, we loved some of these songs as a child, we knew them by heart, and surely we still know them by heart.

To be fair, old commercials were very nice with our innocent minds, compared to the ones we see today. Carrie McLaren explains:

Early advertising music had different aims than it does now. Music then was used as a mnemonic device, using rhyme and repetition to help keep a brand name in mind. Music now is more often employed as 'borrowed interest,' capturing a feeling, setting a mood, recalling past experiences and playing them back on behalf of the sponsors.

Fortunately, the following ads are somewhat old, they were made around the 80’s or the 90’s, so you will still be half sane by the end of this post. An interesting thing to notice is how similar are they to one another, despite having been created in distant places. Most of these commercials caused me some nostalgia, even the ones I haven’t seen before!

1. Cafe Águila Roja - Colombia

Lets start with the one I sang as a child. This commercial was put on the air every Christmas since the late 80’s and was repeated until everybody had learned it. I believe it was put until recent years, for a grand total of three Colombian generations listening to it. The advertised product: coffee. The target audience: children. Why I have a cup of coffee over my desk right now is a no brainer.

2. Tootsie Rolls – United States

Tootsie Rolls are one of the best-selling candies in the world. The catchy tune of this commercial is easily remembered by thousands of Americans:

The world looks mighty good to me, 'cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see
Whatever it is I think I see, becomes a Tootsie Roll to me
Tootsie Roll how I want your chocolatey chew,
Tootsie Roll I think I'm in love with you
Whatever it is I think I see, becomes a Tootsie Roll to me.

According to Wikipedia, this is one of the more enduring jingles in American popular culture:

Recorded at Blank Tape Studios in 1976, it is still occasionally played today. The jingle was sung by a nine-year-old girl and a thirteen-year-old boy. The children were paid $50 each for their work.

There’s also a psychedelic version someone made for fun.

3. Cucurucu – Russia

Cucurucu, a Russian chocolate candy, was created soon after the fall of the Soviet Union, around 1992. The economic situation in the new Russian Federation was critical, so not many Russian children had the opportunity to prove Cucurucu. But, apparently, the ones who did, if you trust random comments on the internet, didn’t like it so much!

4. Aranciata Sanpellegrino – Italia

The next commercial is about an Italian orange juice called Sanpellegrino. I liked the jingle because of the cute voice of the children. I then read some of the comments the people made on the video. It caught my attention that a kind of mispronunciation called erre moscia, is hated by many Italians. If you, like me, haven’t heard the term before, listen to it for yourself:

I had to pay careful attention in order to catch the infamous erre moscia in the voice of the kid. But it didn’t bother me at all. Did it bother you?

5. Faber-Castell Aquarela

We conclude this post with a colorful commercial that features a remarkable song composed by two key figures of the Brazilian music. This is the kind of commercial that I would have remembered with pleasure had I been Brazilian.

The composers of the song, called “Aquarela”, were Toquinho, a Brazilian guitarist with a career that spans 40 years, and Vinícius de Moraes, who was a seminal figure in the contemporary Brazilian music, nothing less than the man who shaped the bossa nova to its current form. The video was directed by Guto Carvalho, an artist that loves birds and studies their motion as well as the motion of the clouds. We can easily see the outcome of his passion in this Faber-Castell’s remarkable commercial.

To be continued…

The world of advertisement music is exciting. We will continue this series some time in the future. Meanwhile, keep enjoying the daily music flux from all over the world!

Los Kjarkas - Music from the high mountains of Bolivia

2009-04-13T03:38:00.003-05:00

Inspired lyrics, beautiful folk melodies and more than 35 years of history make Los Kjarkas one of the most representative bands of Andean music. They have performed around the world, particularly in Japan, where their song “Florcita azul” got the 10th place on a folk music contest, among more than 1800 contestants. All in all, I liked the following song more :)

Tiempo al tiempo (1986)

Their most popular song is, however, “Llorando se fue”. This song reached international fame when the French band Kaoma adapted it to caporal rhythm without authorization, peaking at the singles charts worldwide for several weeks. A successful lawsuit was filed by Los Kjarkas, for which Kaoma had to share some of their earnings with them.

Llorando se fue (1981)

Baobab Orchestra - Senegal

2009-04-12T23:01:00.030-05:00

In the mid seventies, the Baobab Orchestra was considered one of the best bands in Africa. The fusion of many different cultural elements of afro cuban music (popular since the 40's in Dakar) and Senegalese music, characterized it. A proof of the orchestra's uniqueness is its mix of Senegalese rythms with latin rythms like son cubano, and its lyrics in different languages like wolof, diola or even spanish.

Dee Moo woor

This orchestra, founded in 1970 to make enjoyable the meetings of the ministers of the Senegalese government, became very succesful in Africa and Europe very quickly. It recorded fifteen albums until 1987, year in which Baobab was dissolved. In 2002, however, the orchestra was reunited with the help of the famous Senegalese singer Youssou N' Dour.

Bul Ma Miin

Yat-Kha - Ancestral Rock

2009-04-11T15:25:00.006-05:00

Yat-Kha is certainly unique in the rock world. Its founder, Albert Kuvezin, is a musician from Tuva, a federal subject of Russia, but moved to Moscow, where Yat-Kha was born in 1991. Tuvinian music is known primarily for its particular singing style, known as throat singing. This vocal technique, developed for generations, is remarkable for its use of overtones, producing more than one note at the same time.

Come Along (2003)

Yat-Kha has won important awards, including the renowned BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in 2002 in the Asian category. The path from their beginnings wasn’t easy, though. They had to fight against communist musical censorship in order to play their music and win the international recognition they now enjoy. Visit their official website for further information.

Ahoi (2005)

Carlinhos Brown - Brazil

2009-04-10T18:52:00.023-05:00

When Antonio Carlos Freitas, best known as Carlinhos Brown, was 20 years old, he had already composed singles to people like Sergio Mendes or Caetano Veloso. But when he came back to his neighborhood, a brazilian favela of Salvador do Bahia called Candeal, and knew that five friends had died in a police riot, he thought that music had saved him.

Afterwards, Brown, currently one of the most prolific brazilian musicians, created the Pracatum Popular Musical School, a conservatory that has helped boys and girls from poor ghettos. Carlinhos is not a conventional music star. In fact, he never abandoned his original neighborhood, and although he is a successful singer and percussionist, he still lives there and has built a recording studio and an a concert hall.

Yarahá (2008)

Brown, who has performed with bands like Sepultura, or artists like Caetano Veloso, was in the 90's the director of Timbalada, a group of 100 singers and percussionists. Later, he sang as soloist and recorded this song, A namorada, one of his best known hits. This song reminds me the music that was put on the radio when I was 10 years old.

A namorada (1996)

Nuttea - 10 years looking for a song of him

2009-04-09T12:52:00.005-05:00

About 10 years ago, my sister showed me a French song that I instantly loved. However, the song was on a custom compilation given out to her by a friend, and the title of the song was just a nasty “Artist - Track 10”. Being in french, I couldn’t understand at all the lyrics, so the artist and the song remained a mystery to me. About a week ago, I happily got to know that the infamous “Track 10” that I liked so much for many years, was “Unité”, by Nuttea.

Unité (2000)

A French ragga singer born in 1968, Nuttea’s real name is Olivier Lara. His 2000 album Un signe du temps sold more than 700000 copies, positioning Nuttea as one of the most important exponents of the French reggae scene. The following song was the biggest hit of this album.

Elle te rend dingue (2000)

Namgyal Lhamo - Classical Tibetan music with modern instruments

2009-04-07T20:27:00.009-05:00

Paradise Lost (2007)

Om Ah Hung (2007)

For information about Namgyal Lhamo, visit her website http://www.namgyallhamo.com or her Myspace http://www.myspace.com/namgyallhamo.

Cake - United States

2009-04-07T01:19:00.020-05:00

When Gloria Gaynor listened to her legendary song 'I Will survive' in the version of a Californian alternative band she felt upset because she preferred her classic theme. This song, a famous disco hit in the 70's, was transformed by Cake in a catchy theme that includes very nice trumpet and guitar solos. The suffering of the abandonment is now sung by the melancholic voice of John McCrea, who has made his particular style through a combination of spoken and sung lyrics.

Even when Cake has been very successful with its really particular sound that mixes genres like ska, funk, country and hip hop and has recorded five albums, its lead singer has declared that he plans to quit touring and become a farmer.

I will survive (1996)

The distance (1996)

Gigi - International voice born in Ethiopia

2009-04-05T23:19:00.003-05:00

It was a surprise to me to find out that the music I related with the desert in my childhood was actually the music of Ethiopia. You know, the music of the snake charmers, with those rapid notes on wind instruments. It was even more surprising to learn that for the most part Ethiopia isn’t a desert! Moreover, snake charmers are from India, even from Morocco, but definitely not from Ethiopia!

Fortunately, out of this confusion I learned something about Ethiopian music, including the fact that it is extremely diverse. I thus expected to easily find a very good artist, and in fact I did. Ejigayehu Shibabaw, best known as Gigi, is a talented singer with a voice that may not charm snakes but totally charms my ears.

Gud Fella (2001)

10 years ago she moved from Kenya, where she had been living for some time, to San Francisco. There, she recorded her first album, titled Gigi. With an unusual setup of American jazz musicians accompanying her voice, the traditional music from Ethiopia acquired new colors with Gigi. Given the quality of this fusion, it was no surprise that the album was an international success, giving her widespread recognition and admiration. The following song is, like the previous one, from this album.

Guramayle (2001)

Gipsy Cz - Czech Republic

2009-04-04T20:13:00.018-05:00

Hip hop has been since its origin a style of music that criticizes the social system and denounces problems like unequal economic conditions, the dangers of streets and corruption. Now, with Gipsy Cz, hip hop is used for showing how the ethnic minority of romani people has been mistreated for ages and how discrimination against this nomadic culture continues.

The sound of a violin, an accordion and a guitar together with the beatboxing and voice of a gipsy hopper are the parts of the mix that have represented Czech Republic in the last Eurovision Festival. This band has demonstrated that a song in romani language can be a hit that sounds everywhere in cities like Prague, even when gipsy people have not been totally accepted in Europe.

Jednou (2008)

Love Love (2009)

El Cuarteto de Nos - Uruguay

2009-04-03T05:23:00.002-05:00

The members of El Cuarteto de Nos, one of the most popular uruguayan rock bands, are Rover, Riki, Santi and Alvin. They have been playing music together since 1984, releasing 11 albums so far, with a 12th coming this year. The band is acclaimed for their funny lyrics and their original live shows. In 2007, they were nominated for a Latin Grammy with the song “Yendo a la casa de Damián” (Going to Damian’s house).

Yendo a la casa de Damián (2006)

Ya no sé qué hacer conmigo (2006)

Calle 13 - Puerto Rico

2009-04-02T00:14:00.011-05:00

El tango del pecado (2007)

Un beso de desayuno (2007)

Daby Touré - Just listen to his music

2009-04-01T10:00:00.004-05:00

Born in a country where musicians are in the lowest caste and nobody supports music economically, Daby Touré’s father didn't want him to become a musician. “In Mauritania, the profession of musician doesn't really exist”, explains Daby. In spite of this, music was in his veins and he used to play different instruments with his friends wherever he went.

Later on, he moved to Paris, where he started to forge his own style by experimenting with different kinds of fusion of african and european music. In his own words, “All the music I picked up when I was young is still in me and that doesn't change. But in my music I am still searching, and mixing, and trying new things. I am African but I am also European.”

Setal (2008)

His first album, Diam, was the product of many years of work in his home studio, where he did all the composition, performance, arrangement and mixing of the songs. The outcome is a unique sound, where he sings in many languages, including English, French, Wolof, Pulaar and Hassaniya.

“My songs are about giving people an emotion, making them feel good... even if they don’t understand what I am talking about because I’m not speaking a language they understand”, says Touré, regarding Stereo Spirit, his second album.

We don't need (2008)

Recently he teamed up with Skip McDonald, an old school bluesman from Dayton, Ohio, to produce their new album, Call my name, released just a couple weeks ago.

Sevara Nazarkhan – Uzbekistan

2009-03-31T02:11:00.014-05:00

It's perhaps contradictory for a singer to have been in a pop band similar to the Spice girls, and then to become one of the support artists on the latest Peter Gabriel tour. But the musical career of Sevara Nazarkhan is one of the most eclectic in Central Asia. Born in a family of musicians (her mother was a music teacher and her father promoted traditional uzbek music in Radio Taskent) Sevara studied singing and etnomusicology in the Conservatory of Uzbekistan. In 2004, she won the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music, as the best artists of Asia-Pacific. Her abilities with ancient persian instruments like the Dutar and her style, between pop and traditional uzbek music make her a rare but nice mix to our ears.

Sevgi alam (2006)

Yol Bolsin (2003)