[FA Worldmusic] music chains and knowledge transfer

[Dore Stein]

What I meant is I'm not a fan of music categorization.  It results in
arbitrary boundaries that encourage pre-conceived biases and
discourage open-minded listening.

I don't have an answer for folks who sell or market music. But as a
programmer I try to break these barriers down and avoid using phrases
like 'world music' on the radio. I prefer 'cross-pollinating' and
words I have made up that have become part of the lexicon of my
Tangents program: such as 'tangential'.


On 8/14/07, Bill Bragin <bbragin at publictheater.org> wrote:
> "I wish labels would just go away."
>
> This is a pretty controversial thing to say....not that it isn't the
> first time I've heard people make a statement like this on a list-serve.
>
>
> But what do you mean by it?
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fa-worldmusic-bounces+bbragin=publictheater.org at folk.org
> [mailto:fa-worldmusic-bounces+bbragin=publictheater.org at folk.org] On
> Behalf Of Dore Stein
> Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 11:36 AM
> To: Gail Sidibe
> Cc: fa-worldmusic at folk.org
> Subject: Re: [FA Worldmusic] music chains and knowledge transfer
>
> Just my two cents but I have a hard time accepting New Age listeners
> morphing into World Music listeners. Other than chant and meditative
> recordings such as on Sounds True, I don't see the connection.
>
> I wish labels would just go away. (Spoken as a programmer, not a
> marketer.)
>
> Looking forward to seeing many of you at WOMEX.
>
> Dore Stein
> tangents.com
>
>
>
> On 8/13/07, Gail Sidibe <gsidibe at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I have to chime in here!
> >
> > Being involved in music retail all these years one of the "trends" I
> noticed
> > went like this...
> >
> > New Age listeners of the '80's became World Music listeners in the
> '90's.
> > That's of course a generalization, but as New Age sales declined -
> World
> > music sales increased. Think Loreena McKennitt. All the world
> influences on
> > New Age music opened so many doors for many people. Deep Forest comes
> to
> > mind. Enigma. Not necessarily New Age. But this was "accessible" cross
> over
> > music to many.
> >
> > I know my next statement may be controversial to some... But I also
> believe
> > Peter Gabriel and Realworld helped bridge the gap for many people many
> years
> > ago as well. In some ways this represents my personal path.
> >
> >
> > On 8/13/07, Dmitri Vietze <music at rockpaperscissors.biz> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I grew up with my mother listening to Alan Stivell and Balkan folk
> dance
> > > music. When Graceland came out she bought that and started
> backtracking to
> > > artists like Miriam Makeba, who her parents had listened to out of
> their
> > > interest in the New York Jewish union-organizing folk days. And then
> Luaka
> > > Bop cracked things open with the Brazilian compilations and a
> Haitian one.
> > > Independent from that, I went from late 1980s socially conscious hip
> hop
> > > (KRS One, Stetsasonic, Public Enemy, Tribe Called Quest) to
> listening to
> > > jazz (because of the jazz samples in hip hop) to taking a History of
> Jazz
> > > class in college, whose first class was about the African roots of
> blues
> > > (field hollers as African knowledge transfer to the Americas). And
> before
> > > that, influenced by the street performers of NYC, I started
> experimenting
> > > with bamboo flutes, panpipes, and Bolivian quenas. There was this
> guy
> > > named
> > > the Goat Man (white beard) who played a bamboo flute accompanying
> himself
> > > on
> > > a shruti box (free reed Indian drone bellows), which he played with
> his
> > > foot.
> > >
> > > I have heard that there has been some debate in the jazz realm about
> > > whether
> > > smooth jazz leads people "up the chain" to jazz. Some people thought
> it
> > > would and then later realized it didn't. I wonder what research has
> been
> > > done out there about the influence of samples in one genre of music
> > > leading
> > > to interest in another genre. Also about whether/how often customers
> who
> > > make impulse buys of compilations (such as those by Putumayo), "move
> up
> > > the
> > > chain," and research deeper into an artist catalog or into a
> particular
> > > genre or cultural repertoire.
> > >
> > > Much respect,
> > >
> > > ===> Dmitri!
> > > music at rockpaperscissors.biz
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Robert Weisberg" <robwv at panix.com>
> > > To: "fa-world music list" <fa-worldmusic at folk.org>
> > > Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 6:28 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [FA Worldmusic] knowledge transfer...
> > >
> > >
> > > > Testimonial:
> > > >
> > > > My personal case history (age 44):  I heard the Specials, Selecter
> and
> > > > Beat in high school, I followed the trail to the Intensified
> > > compilations
> > > > of 60s Jamaican ska and rock steady - and the rest is history!
> > > >
> > > > An old but fun radio dj trick (and educational, kiddies!) is to do
> sets
> > > > based around this kind of musical chain)...
> > > >
> > > > Rob W / WFMU / http://www.wfmu.org/tsp
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > FA-Worldmusic mailing list
> > > > FA-Worldmusic at folk.org
> > > > http://www.folkserv.net/mailman/listinfo/fa-worldmusic
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > FA-Worldmusic mailing list
> > > FA-Worldmusic at folk.org
> > > http://www.folkserv.net/mailman/listinfo/fa-worldmusic
> > _______________________________________________
> > FA-Worldmusic mailing list
> > FA-Worldmusic at folk.org
> > http://www.folkserv.net/mailman/listinfo/fa-worldmusic
> >
>
>
> --
> =================================
>
> NOTE: NEW MAILING ADDRESS and EMAIL
>
> Dore Stein
> Producer/Host
> Tangents Radio
> 301 Gambier St.
> San Francisco CA  94134-1341
>
> Customized MONDOMIX Tangents shows are available listen-on-demand at
> tangents.com and mondomix.com/en/radios.php
>
> Broadcast Saturday Nights 8p-mid on KALW (91.7, San Francisco) and
> webcast at www.kalw.org
>
> Playlists are uploaded in real time at tangents.com
>
> Website: www.tangents.com
> Email: tangentsradio at gmail.com
>
> Tel: (415) 584-4367 (Mon-Fri 2p-7p)
>       (415) 841-4134 (Studio: Sat. 8-mid)
> _______________________________________________
> FA-Worldmusic mailing list
> FA-Worldmusic at folk.org
> http://www.folkserv.net/mailman/listinfo/fa-worldmusic
>


-- 
=================================

NOTE: NEW MAILING ADDRESS and EMAIL

Dore Stein
Producer/Host
Tangents Radio
301 Gambier St.
San Francisco CA  94134-1341

Customized MONDOMIX Tangents shows are available listen-on-demand at
tangents.com and mondomix.com/en/radios.php

Broadcast Saturday Nights 8p-mid on KALW (91.7, San Francisco) and
webcast at www.kalw.org

Playlists are uploaded in real time at tangents.com

Website: www.tangents.com
Email: tangentsradio at gmail.com

Tel: (415) 584-4367 (Mon-Fri 2p-7p)
       (415) 841-4134 (Studio: Sat. 8-mid)