8 best world music

World music is a broad and diverse category that encompasses musical traditions and genres from around the globe. It is often used to describe music that is not part of mainstream Western popular music but instead represents the rich cultural and musical heritage of various regions and communities. Here are some key points about world music:

Diverse Cultural Expressions: World music includes a vast array of musical styles, instruments, and traditions from different cultures and regions. These can range from African drumming to Indian classical music, Middle Eastern oud playing to Latin American salsa, and many more.
Cultural Identity: World music often serves as a way for communities to express their cultural identity, heritage, and values through music. It can be deeply rooted in local customs, rituals, and history.
Traditional vs. Fusion: Some world music remains firmly rooted in traditional forms, preserving centuries-old musical practices.Others blend traditional elements with modern influences, creating fusion genres that appeal to a wider audience.
Instruments: The instrumentation used in world music varies widely, and many traditional instruments are unique to specific cultures. Examples include the sitar in Indian music, the kora in West African music, and the didgeridoo in Australian Aboriginal music.
Global Influence: World music has had a significant influence on contemporary Western music, with artists incorporating elements from various traditions into their work. This fusion has led to the development of genres like world fusion, worldbeat, and global pop.
Metal and World Music Fusion: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in blending metal music with world music elements. This fusion can involve incorporating traditional instruments, rhythms, or vocal styles from different cultures into metal compositions.
Media Formats: World music, like other genres, has been distributed in various formats over the years. This includes vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes, and digital downloads/streaming platforms.
Cultural Preservation: World music recordings and performances play a crucial role in preserving and documenting the musical traditions of different cultures. They help ensure that these traditions are passed down to future generations.
Recognition and Awards: Some world music artists and albums have received recognition and awards, including Grammy Awards, which have a category specifically for Best World Music Album.
Festivals and Events: World music festivals and events are held worldwide, providing opportunities for artists from diverse backgrounds to showcase their talents and for audiences to experience a wide range of musical traditions.

In summary, world music is a diverse and rich category that celebrates the music and cultural heritage of various regions and communities across the globe. It encompasses traditional and fusion styles and has a significant influence on the global music landscape. Additionally, it has been distributed through various media formats, including vinyl records and CDs.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best world music on the market

World Music: A Global Journey

Based on 154 reviews Check latest price

Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples

Based on 38 reviews Check latest price

Looseleaf for World Music: Traditions and Transformations

Based on 78 reviews Check latest price

World Playground

PUTUMAYO

Based on 154 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Putumayo Kids World Playground CD is a collection of great songs from around the world. This CD takes children, teachers and parents on a musical journey to faraway places where they can be introduced to other people and places around the world. Makes exploring other cultures a fun adventure for music fans of all ages.

Review

Putumayo presents a dynamic collection of songs from around the world; twelve countries and six continents to be exact. Introducing the musical styles of reggae, zydeco, blues, etc. the Musical Adventure is a cultural awareness tour for all ages. Liner notes provide the song in the original as well as (an English) translation. A 1999 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor Winner. (Kit Bloom, Parents' Choice®) -- From Parents' Choice®

Music of the Peoples of the World

Based on 76 reviews Check latest price

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Worlds of Music, Shorter Version

Based on 44 reviews Check latest price

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Get all your Cengage access codes and online textbooks, online homework and study tools for one price per semester, no matter how many Cengage classes you take or materials you use.

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This includes all your courses on faculty-assigned Cengage online platforms like MindTap, WebAssign, SAM, CengageNOWv2 and OWLv2.

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A lower-cost hardcopy textbook rental for eligible access codes, available within the 50 states

World Music

ROCKET.

Based on 100 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Debut album from the mysterious collective, Goat. Tribal, occult/voodoo, African-inspired psych-scapes from the deepest, most remote part of Sweden.

Review

#4 on Best Metal Albums of 2012

The guitars on their metal-leaning, almost-everything-encompassing debut album have the earthy Midlands crunch of prime Black Sabbath. There's a bhangra beat on Run to Your Mama, as well as an invocation/cover of Boubacar Traore's Malian hit Diarabi . Goatlord is seance harmoniums and Nico's ghost wailing around a bonfire. This myth-shrouded band from a speck on the map crams an atlas-worth of psychedelic sounds into World Music. --Spin

Over insistent rhythms that suggest Spacemen 3 and, at least in spirit, the conjuring drones of Pandit Pran Nath and La Monte Young, Goat weave an ecumenical history of rock'n'roll. They intercept signals from Led Zeppelin and Funkadelic, Jefferson Starship and Fela Kuti, the Congos and the Rolling Stones, bending them into a resiliently consistent album. 8.1/10 Rating --Pitchfork

It s a peek into the minds of the Brothers Grimm as they astral travel from Kinshasa to Detroit, stopping off for a mushroom-fuelled trip with Hawkwind through the valleys of Wales, and a Stockholm-based avant-jazz gig along the way. It s insane, chaotic, and wholly brilliant. World Music is a twisted disharmony of palpable, trance-like grooves, loose jams and masses of wah-wah, reverb and tweaked-out guitar--all of which screeches, howls, clangs and crashes in a wacked-out fuzzy din. Sound good? It s better than good; it s a masterpiece. 8/10 Rating --Popmatters

Kara's Flowers: The Fourth World (Music On Vinyl 180g, Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP

Music On Vinyl

Based on 57 reviews Check latest price

Product description

180g blue with white marble colored vinyl
first time on vinyl for 1997 major label debut, the band went on to become Maroon 5
includes printed insert
limited to 1000 copies
music label: Music on Vinyl 2020