After a best mate of mine introduced me to Fela Kuti’s works I’ve been real interested in hearing music from other cultures you don’t hear much stuff from. Doesn’t have to be traditional music styles (love it when genres and cultures fuse together, like Masayoshi Takanaka taking influence from Brazilian music), but I’d love to hear that as well!
Ariesta Birawa Group
A group called Otyken. They are a Siberian/Russian folk music group
May I have the honor of introducing you to African Rhumba: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O3BexfHBTIg
That is a favorite one. The album is by two of the greatest in African music: Franco Luambo (of TPOK Jazz) and Tabu Ley (of Afrisa International). They did this album to cool down rumours that they were fighting and don’t see eye to eye. They called it Lisanga ya Banganga (Congress of the Wizards).
This specific song I share is solemn, as they are mourning the death of their mentor, Kabaselle.
Check their respective Wikipedia entries. It is a whole new world you are peeking into.
Very, very nice. Thanks.
I’m a big fan of Tinariwen who are from Mali
Also: Toe from Japan
Also also: yin yin from the Netherlands
And in a similar vein: l’eclair from Switzerland
Also tbh, if you want a great selection of eclectic artists from all over the world, look up a playlist of artists playing on the West Holts stage of Glastonbury for any given year—when I’m at the festival it’s always my go to stage if I’m feeling like trying something new and it’s rarely disappointed me
I came here to suggest Bombino, who is Nigerien but part of the same Tuareg desert blues genre. That stuff is excellent
Toe are lovely, I’ve been listening to their live album (currently in Japan too).
The Mongolian metal band The Hu fuse tradition instruments with metal styling and a badass attitude that Genghis would approve of
Also their name is great.
If you like The Hu check out Uuhai and Batzorig Vaanchig.
And they will finally play their homeland for the first time since making it!
Ah yes the bad that gave me tinnitus. Wonderful to see live just make sure you have earplugs and stuck by the crowd next to the speakers with two beers and a deaf sound engineer.
Loop Experience ones are good. Otherwise, tissue.
The Hu at this point might be more famous than the country they’re from (which to be fair, isn’t THAT obscure, but how often DO you think of Mongolia?)
Thinking of Asian metal related music reminded me of Senyawa who are from Indonesia
Great band, on the more experimental side of things
Al-Namrood (Metal, Saudi-Arabia)
Mdou Mactar (Desert Blues)
Leliță Săftiță (Aromanian folk song)
Hrdza (Folk Rock, Slovakia)
Kamo Mphela (Amapiano, South Africa)
If you’re into metal, here are a few bands renowned for mixing cultural music with heavy metal off the top of my head:
Norway - Ulver (They have possibly the most varied discography in all of music, but their first album is a mix of black metal and Norwegian folk music, and their second is entirely Norwegian folk music)
Brazil - Sepultura (From Arise to Roots they started incorporating a lot of Brazilian musical ideas)
Romania - Negura Bunget (They’re the only reason I know what a nai is)
Kenya: Just a Band. Funky, rocky at times, just great music.
Iran: not a band, but a movie representation of the scene. No One Knows About Persian Cats. I have a personal connection to this movie; if you watch it, let me know and I’ll fill you in (not publicly though, you’ll understand why).
Cambodia: Reign in Slumber. Metal. Changed singers (new one is from the Philippines), still great.
Vietnam: Cut Lon. Metal. Used to dress in hilarious Pikachu balaclavas. Fun, loud, entertaining.
Belarus: Molchat Doma. Gloomy. Oppressive. Wonderful. Makes me think of the Soviet Union in the 70s (not that I was there or alive then).
Really digging Reign in Slumber. Thanks for the recommendation.
On the topic of Asian metal, Voice of Baceprot just played the Glastonbury festival, which is pretty awesome. All-female Indonesian band.
Also, the dude who works at the gas station down the street introduced me to Minerva, a Bangladeshi metal band.
Sweet! Also check Doch Chkae (like a dog), also Khmer metal (and all Cambodians).
Baceprot, listened to them a few months back and, while nice they’re getting coverage, it didn’t grab me. Hoping they mature well in the coming year!
Oh, and check After God also (Khmer). Drummer turned singer, just released an EP (YouTube I think).
Brazil isn’t an obscure country, but there’s an indigenous band called Uakti that builds their own instruments. It’s some of the most unusual music I’ve heard. They also have some classical albums, and one by Phillip Glass that I like to listen to when I’m coming down from a trip.
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O-Zone (of “Numa Numa” fame) is from Moldova; that’s pretty obscure, right?
Ylvis (“What Does the Fox Say?”) is Norwegian.
“Epic Sax Guy” is… also Moldovan, apparently. Huh.
That’s a list of Eurovision hits right there.
Moldova had a good run for a few years. Don’t think they’ve made the finals over the last few though.
O-Zone
I curse you just for mentioning them. I freaking hate that song.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadril
Belgian folk groupSpecifically: https://www.discogs.com/release/6421340-Kadril-La-Paloma-Negra
made with the band Alumea.Review: https://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/kadril-alumea.shtml
This two-disc set is a studio version of a concert program produced jointly by Galician family combo Alumea and Flemish folk-rock band Kadril, inspired by Flemish pilgrims in Galicia. The results are peculiar but satisfying.
I wish I could find the KCRW episode about this album. That’s (I think) how I heard about it.
NZ - Supergroove, Che Fu, DD Smash, Dragon, Darcy Clay, Trinity Roots, Salmonella Dub, Katchafire - the NZ dub and roots scene should be checked out by anyone who likes roots. Ignore six sixty.
Germany - Colour Haze
Nick Drake - more people should listen to this guy.
Soda Stereo from Argentina, and Monsieur Periné from Colombia
May be Maximum the Hormone. They’re probably pretty big in Japan though.
