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Rachid on Grammy.com
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Grammy Magazine, Rachid on Grammy.com >>
Algerian-born, Paris-based Rachid Taha, who has been mixing punk, rap, techno, rock, Latin and Arab rhythms for decades, also rejects the world music tag. "If you think global pop is new, you have no knowledge of musical history. Bollywood composers always mixed everything - ragas, Russian folk music, rock and roll, Arab music. Spanish music has mixed Arab and European styles for centuries. The Spanish brought European and Arab music to Cuba, which blended with the African music of the slaves to make son, rumba and cha cha cha. If people would learn history, they would see how all music on Earth is a mix. Since I'm the product of a diverse culture, my music reflects that."
One thing these global pop stars have in common is residency in big cities with large international populations. Italian born Sabina Sciubba is the lead singer of Brazilian Girls, another New York City-based band with a global outlook. Their music ranges from raunchy Jamaican dance hall beats to smooth swaying sambas, Argentinean tangos and classic American saloon songs, often on the same track. "We live in New York City, surrounded by all the colors of the [international] rainbow," Sciubba said. "[The band members] have lived all over the world and listen to music from everywhere, so when we arrange a song our collective taste
> comes out. We call it PoWoW: Post-orbital-wave-osmosis-warp."
San Francisco-based DJ Cheb i Sabbah, who has been spinning an international mix of dance music in clubs since the '80s, said there's a difference between fans of global pop and world music. "World music people tend to be older. They go to concerts and buy CDs, but they don't go to clubs or dance. The dance clubs playing global pop are still underground, and although it's growing fast, especially in Europe and South Asia, it's still a small scene that might take years to break out."
In the meantime, Sabbah is working on his own vision of global pop, a style he calls "Groove Electronica," a mixture of traditional music and electronic beats. "I just came back from Morocco where I recorded eight songs from eight different groups of traditional musicians. I tell them that the recordings will keep their traditions vital, while the electronic touches make the music come alive for today's audience. I never put too many modern touches in. I want to make music that appeals to young people but also to older people who may know the old songs." 04/08/05 >> go there
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