What kind of music are you listening to right now?

  • There are some exciting developments in Africa around the Soca music genre.

    Soca is not new - at least not in Trinidad-Tobago - but in many African countries this style has been continued in a very interesting way for several years. Always with a wink. :)

    There is too much electronics involved for me, but in view of the financial possibilities there, it is understandable.

    Personally, I'm still missing the guitar. ;)


    Here is an impression of Nigeria what is created there. Some of you have certainly had some impressions so far.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • Electronic music like that has never appealed to me. Let me say I enjoyed the girls more in the first video than the music. :D

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • As someone who grew up in Africa, it saddens me to see the continent gradually (or quickly?) sliding down the path of trap music. Trap is everywhere these days, and my love for decent melodies has never been satisfied by any trap I've ever heard... and I've heard way more than I'd have liked.


    Even when it's executed "best", just as is the case with other pop genres in the K-Pop market, the Sth Korean product still fails to deliver what I'd call melodies with integrity, although I must admit they're much-more-listenable. Trap the world over sounds to me like a case of, "Here's your scale, now pick some random notes from it and call it a melody. If you repeat it enough times peeps will dig it."


    The formula works, unfortunately. I know I sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but in this case I'm happy to. The current top 20 / top 40 charts in western countries deliverer nothing in the way of melody for me. If anything they all sound like the same song reworked with "randomised", "melodic" phrases.


    Scarily, those are the good things I can say about it! So sorry if I've disappointed or offended anyone; that of course is not my intention. <3

  • Monkey_Man

    Actually, I am completely with you.

    For me, however, it was crucial in the above example, that there is a musical and compositional development there.

    Basically, at the moment this is something that does not exist. Either the European or North American continent. In Australia I don't know my way around musically.


    In short: I have not seen any musical development at all in the so-called Western Hemisphere for about 35 years. Maybe the Neo-Soul now...

    Actually, I am completely with you.

    For me, however, it was crucial in the above example that there is a musical and compositional development there.

    Basically, at the moment this is something that does not exist on either the European or North American continent. In Australia I don't know my way around musically.

    On this occasion I mean above especially the development of new styles of music.

    In the 70s, 15 completely new genres were emerged, which were modifications of existing genres, e.g. blues => soul => funk => fusion, but these styles became independent musical directions within 3-4 years.

    Since then I have seen a leaden standstill and current regression that are so bad that they are only caricatures of genres that we knew already in the 80s. Music is currently poured into concrete, in my point of view. In addition, produced carelessly.


    I am completely with you when we observing the Asian region. A lot is happening there too, and I think the development is not over there. A lot could happen in the next 2-3 decades. Good musicians are already there.


    I put the post above here because the arrangements, melodies and grooves are fundamentally interesting and some of them are very good. In addition, they are strongly influenced by culture. I see a basis for more there in Africa.

    I think Africa in particular is predestined for further influences.

    New rhythms? Who if not Africa? ;)

  • Dou you remember this? :) A great song and that BASS ! RIP Randy Castillo.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • A very underrated album from Nuno if you ask me. So much better than the last Extreme album, Waiting for the punchline, that was a big dissapointment at least for me.

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


  • This is a relatively new song out of South Africa. 292 million views, and a viral dance too.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • Maybe you heard about the dancing Massaka Kids Movement of Africa.

    Its great what they doing there:


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • South Africa's a different case.


    Due to the white population for the most part, and bleeding into and including the other ethnicities over time, all the western flavours of pop, jazz, rock, rap, metal, fusion and so on have been commonplace and dominating the charts since before my granddad penned many hits back in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Over 50 of his songs appeared on various albums and in the charts, mostly in western-style pop genres in 3 languages.


    Point being that since long before I was a kid over there, the music scene had fully matured into one indistinguishable from any other typical western one. One of my fave bands when I was 10 was The Gents (from Durban), South Africa's answer to The Police, and it was a ripper. All our fave international pop bands back in the '70s and '80s dominated the charts the same way they did here (in Oz and elsewhere in the west), for example. I say this 'cause I was there and spent my pocket money on them. :D


    Fast forward to today and we see the stereotypical morphing of the charts into the generic trap and rap stuff Kulle and I were "whinging" about, a-la most of the rest of the world. This is a Helluva-lot different from the phenomenon we were discussing where a traditional base "suddenly" spawns, in this case, trap, "out of nowhere" and viola, we have a "third-world traditional" music scene suddenly starting to sound like something out of America or elsewhere.


    Anyway, thinking about the South African scene, a band called Die Antwoord (The Answer) immediately popped into my head as a great example of a creative hip hop / rap outfit. If you've seen the movie "CHAPPiE", the two main characters are Die Antwoord (Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit). I give these peeps great credit 'cause, although it's not my style, I seriously respect their creative approaches. I'd go so far as to say that IMHO they're the most-creative hip hop outfit in the world. They know how to write melodies, direct their own videos, can act and have a sense of humour.


    Since I'm bangin' on about Die Antwoord, I have to say that I'm so impressed by their ability to make every song different in groove and sound (the vast majority of bands out there can't do this), and yet their voices are unmistakable, especially Yolandi's. Useless fact: Both vegans.


    Many examples. Warning - NSFW!


    A silly introduction:

    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    Short video directed by Yolandi:


    Blackface (and body!). You couldn't do this today, of course...


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    Enter The Ninja 2010 - Original video:


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    Enter The Ninja 2010 - CHAPPiE-based video:


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • 8)

    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

  • Been to SA quite some years ago... that was nice! And I like the music of those guys a lot...


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    External Content www.youtube.com
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.