Article published in New Statement magazine. Written by Rahul Verma

1. Arts & Culture by Rahul Verma
Published 10 April 2008
The term "world music" has finally become redundant in 2008
"We don't do world music and think about the
roots and what this sound has been like in the
past. We think about the past, present and future.
It's a new approach." Lil' John is one-third of the
trio known as Buraka Som Sistema. They hail
from Portugal but their music is an offshoot of
kuduro, an aggressive form of dance music born
in Angola, but now influential in youth culture
across Europe and the United States.
Buraka Som Sistema are just one group in a wave of music that is confounding stereotypes of "authentic"
African, Asian and Latin American sounds. They and other rising stars of dance and rock music, such as the
British-born rapper MIA, Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) and Bonde do Rolê (both from Brazil), and the American
producer Diplo, draw on urban culture in developing countries, where young musicians are more interested in
bumping basslines than acoustic sounds, making their tunes for the dance floor rather than the concert hall. "The
way African music is perceived in the UK, you had black music in clubs - hip-hop, rap, funk, reggae, dancehall
and R'n'B - but no African music in clubs," says the DJ Eric Soul, who has pioneered African dance music in
the UK. "Dialogue between the two was just not happening."
The new scene is distinguished by its global outlook, but it offers a marked contrast, even a riposte, to the
conventional "world music" scene, which was born from the success of nostalgia-tinged acts such as the Buena
Vista Social Club. "World music has been stuck in old formulas," says Lil' John. "There are African cities with
McDonald's and H&M, big cities in Africa the same as Europe, and world music has presented one view of
whole continents like Africa, mostly from outside of cities."
The BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards, presented this year on 10 April, represent the old guard, regularly
honouring in the main acoustic, folk and jazz acts such as the Malian ngoni player Bassekou Kouyate and the
flamenco group Son de la Frontera. The awards have been slow to move with the times, ignoring international
rock and dance acts that do not sit comfortably in the "world music" box. The token "Club Global" category has
for years been dominated by the same acts - in this year's case, the fusion veterans Transglobal Underground.
Initially, the world music scene created much-needed opportunities for acts from outside Europe and the US,
argues David Jones, director of Serious, the UK's leading producer of world music events. "Seven years ago,
when we were asked by the BBC to create the World Music Awards, our starting point was we wanted to take
music from all over the world to people who weren't listening to it. In 2000, there was an awareness of
important figures like Baaba Maal and Youssou N'Dour but there wasn't a constant sense of new names and
artists being exposed."
AFROGROOV: A JOURNEY ACROSS THE BLACK ATLANTIC
www.myspace.com/afrogroov_ericsoul - afrogroov@yahoo.com

2. Jones understands why artists are wary of the old categorisation, but defends it as a necessity. "It is a phrase
many musicians absolutely hate: why should music from Africa be any more 'world music' than music from this
country? On the other hand, I don't know how you would do without it. The fragile foothold it has created
means that people like [the Malian singer] Salif Keita get their music heard."
There is a sense, however, that the situation is now changing. Thanks largely to the democratising influence of
websites such as MySpace, international sounds have been able to penetrate the mainstream without the help of
unimaginative middlemen. As a result, ever-growing numbers of successful dance, pop and rock acts are
emerging from outside the usual pop-cultural hubs of London and New York. CSS have performed on an ME
tour as well as on Jonathan Ross's talk show. And their compatriots Bonde do Rolê are signed to Domino
Records, home of the rock groups Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys.
Some American and British musicians have also actively been helping international acts gain exposure. The
new single by the dance superstar Moby features a Nigerian rap group, 419 Squad. Damon Albarn, formerly of
Blur, has collaborated extensively with West African musicians and has even set up a record label - Honest
Jon's, in conjunction with the London shop of the same name - that is described as a purveyor of "sounds
unlimited and outernational".
Alan Scholefield, an Honest Jon's co-founder, detests the world music label. "It's a nasty phrase. It made my
blood run cold when I first heard it, it still does now and it always will," he says. "At Honest Jon's, we have
long been aware of cooler, rougher and younger strands of music emerging. They are not perceived as authentic,
but at the same time they're not deadened by the 'world music' tag. This music is interesting and difficult to
pigeonhole. It's impossible to predict, but in ten years I don't think the term will exist."
None of this implies that events such as the World Music Awards need be redundant. As Jones points out, they
"give a very important leg-up to artists in terms of international status. They make connections and go to
festivals all over the world. Right now, it feels important that something exists which gives that weight and
prestige of the BBC to this music." However, if the producers and promoters of international music want to
avoid getting left behind, they will have to get to grips with the new world order.
The BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music are broadcast on 11 April on BBC Radio 3 from 7pm-8.45pm….
The new wave: ones to watch
Bonde do Rolê Trio from Curitiba in southern Brazil. Fuse sexually charged lyrics and a punk attitude with
baile funk dance music
Buraka Som Sistema Portuguese act blending Angolan kuduro with British grime and US techno
Cansei de Ser Sexy Electro-rock group from São Paulo signed to the legendary US rock label Sub Pop
MIA British-born rapper who draws on her Sri Lankan origins and other global influences
Diplo Philadelphia-based producer who brought baile funk to the British dance scene
AFROGROOV: A JOURNEY ACROSS THE BLACK ATLANTIC
www.myspace.com/afrogroov_ericsoul - afrogroov@yahoo.com