Friday, August 19, 2011

An Exploration Of Music From Around The World

By Dorothy Dixon


While the world has become globalized due to modern technology, there still remains a sense of unique culture associated with each individual country. Within these cultures lies a distinctive musical style that defines the people of that country. The late 20th and 21st century found artists who have chosen to combine these styles making music from around the world join as one different and alternative sound.

The genre associated with this mixing of different sounds is indie. Indie is a genre that hovers between classic rock, R&B, blues, pop, punk and techno. The most popular of these artists are UK-based and the most well-known is the Kaiser Chiefs. Their sound is defined by a combination of UK punk rock and keyboards.

Punk is a musical style that originated in the USA and England in the 1970s. The anti-authoritarian lyrics were an inspiring force for the frustrated and depressed masses. During the 1980s a punk rock movement developed bringing with it a faster, more intense form of punk rock known as hardcore and oi!.

Pop music contributes greatly to indie. Pop is found worldwide, with one of the most popular recent artists being Justin Bieber. Yet, pop itself is an amalgamation of jazz, classical, R&B, rock, and techno.

R&B originated in the USA among the African American communities in the 1940s. Originally it was a general term for soul, funk, electric blues, and gospel. However, in the 1980s a newer form of R&B was developed using jazz and drum backings. This contemporary R&B was popularized by Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Mariah Carey.

Lastly, it can be seen that different countries produce different musical styles based on their state of affairs and their inhabitants. By revoking these boundaries and mixing the music from around the world one may see that popular and unique musical styles can be created and enjoyed.




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