As Americans we tend to fall into an Anglo-American trap when it comes to selecting music. If music falls outside the North American – Continental European divide, it is ultimately labeled “World Music.” It is the quintessential example of why musical categorization (and genres in general) does little to aid the listener in understanding more about the music he/she is listening to.
You have to ask yourself, what is similar about Cuban and South African music? And if you cannot come up with a definitive response then it might be time to give up one’s simplistic classification attempts. We often talk about the afrobeat/afrofunk influences of Talking Heads or Vampire Weekend without really diving deeper into those influences. Not to say that Angola Soundtrack: The Unique Sound of Luanda 1968-1976 is an afrobeat album, but you get the idea. Often, I find myself reading “ he incorporates a lot of tribal influences into his drums,” or something to that effect. I don’t know what that means, but I think “tribal,” in that instance, essentially means non-western.
Having said that, you can hear Congolese psychedelic guitar influences in Angola Soundtrack, reminiscent of the rhythms popularized by Konono No 1. The music itself has a unique Angolan twist. There’s a touch of Caribbean and merengue influences. Much of Brazil’s African population came from Angola. There is noticeable resemblance in the semba music off Angola Soundtrack and the samba heard on Brazilian airwaves today. Angolan-influenced, Portuguese group Buraka Som Sistema brought kuduro, an urban take on semba, to the world. Hopefully, Angola Soundtrack will bring the world to Angola.
Much respect to Analog Africa. They make an effort to go search for the artists of these songs, wherever possible, and make sure they are paid a fair portion of the record proceeds, which has often not been the case in “African” compilation deals of the past. I know we regularly encourage you to purchase the music we post, but we especially encourage you to do so for any one of Analog Africa’s compilations. I first came across their third release African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Sounds From Benin & Togo 70s in a record shop in St. Mark’s Place. I later came across Vol. 5 Legends from Benin looking through crates at Amoeba in Hollywood.
Purchase Angola Soundtrack: The Unique Sound of Luanda 1968-1976 here.
More from Analog Africa.
I agree that the category of "World Music" is a tad ignorant. It alienates media from countries other than the United States. However, genre is a marketing strategy, not a political statement. These categories exist to organize the way in which different works are grouped for business reasons. Everything we buy comes in genres because it allows us to know what we are paying for. Genre is a formula that allows for marketers to sort through media and advertise effectively to the groups who are interested in that specific genre.
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