Discover music from around the world
If you’re interested in discovering new music or learning about different languages and cultures, you might like to check out my Spotify paylist.
The general theme is music from different places around the world. There is no (or very little, depending on your definition) pop music. A lot of it is folk or traditional, but plenty is more modern. As long as it has a sound specific to a country or region, it can be included.
The result is it can include some very obscure languages. If you find yourself unsure, see if you can guess!
With over 300 songs (28 hours of listening), there should be plenty to keep you listening for a while.
Some of the songs and artists have very interesting backgrounds. I’ve highlighted a few for you below.
So if you like finding new music or hearing different languages, you can check it here or embedded below.
An overview of some of the artists
Jeremy Dutcher – Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
A classically trained indigenous operatic tenor from Canada, Dutcher wanted to produce an album which brought the endangered language to new generations of Wolastoqiyik people. He developed these songs listening to wax cylinder recordings of Wolastoqiyik people singing their traditional songs recorded in the early 20th century. It is these same recordings you can hear sampled in the album itself.
Song recommendation:
Geoffrey Oryema
Oryema was a Ugandan musician who fled Uganda following the murder of his father, a cabinet minister during the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin. He lived the rest of his life in exile in France.
Song recommendation:
Issam Hajali
A little known Lebanese Jazz and folk rock musician, Issam Hajali spent his life in and out of exile. Despite his talent, he never achieved wide acclaim. The album you will hear in this playlist almost faded into complete obscurity, with only 100 copies being sold or given away.
Song recommendation:
Lakou Mizik – Leave the Bones
Lakou Mizik are a multi-generational collection of Haitian musicians, and together with electronic artist Joseph Ray produced Leave the Bones, a very unusual collaboration that dives into the heart of Haitian culture. The songs combine both trance and traditional Haitian styles. It’s also cool to hear Haitian creole sung.
Recommended song:
С. Старостин, Л. Федоров, В. Волков, А. Котов – Душеполезные песни на каждый день
Done in a traditional liturgical style, this Russian album actually dates from 2008. The name translates roughly as “Spiritually useful songs for every day”. I’m including it because of the powerful vocals, and it absolutely warrants a listen.
Song recommendation:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a Pakistani singer who primarily sung qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. His family’s tradition of qawwali singing spans over 600 years. Khan’s father initially didn’t want him to follow the family tradition as he felt qawwali artists had low social status, but Khan’s aptitude and interest eventually led him to relent.
It’s just as well he did. Khan was incredibly prolific and his music spread around the world. Today he is generally recognised as the single most important qawwal of all time.
Song recommendation:
This is just a small sample of the many interesting stories and origins. If you find something you like, I recommend looking into the artist. And one last thing – if you like this kind of thing, consider staying in touch.
