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Don’t Call It World Music is a free, independent and curated roundup of music news. Each weekly edition of our newsletter features a handpicked selection of articles related to every kind of music, offering insights into genres from every corner of the globe.
Our mission is to provide visibility to a wide array of issues, musical traditions, artists and genres that are underrepresented or overlooked in mainstream media, generate curiosity and drive traffic to original sources, particularly alternative and independent platforms.
Feminism in India examines Dabke as a form of Palestinian resistance, highlighting its evolution from a traditional performance to a political statement against oppression .
Dabke?
Dabke is a traditional folk dance originating from the Levant region, including Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan, characterized by intricate steps and stomps performed in lines or circles, often accompanied by traditional music and singing, popular during celebrations like weddings and festivals.
NPR presents a timeline of significant moments in music history from 1925 to 1949, focusing on the contributions of women. The article highlights pioneering female artists in various genres, from blues and jazz to country and gospel, while acknowledging that some have faded into obscurity despite their lasting influence.
Particularly noteworthy is the controversy behind the Helen Kane / Betty Boop / Baby Esther “boop boop a doop” line.
The Nation recounts the rediscovery of an unreleased Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan recording from 1990 and explores Khan's impact on qawwali music.
Qawwali?
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music originating in South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan, characterized by energetic performances that aim to induce a state of spiritual ecstasy and union with Allah through the recitation of Sufi poetry and music. It involves a call-and-response structure and is traditionally performed by male ensembles with instruments like the harmonium, tabla, and dholak.
Far Out Magazine explores Jim O'Rourke's album Insignificance, highlighting the speed and ease with which it was created, its initial negative reception and its subsequent cult following.
Taipei Times investigates the early development of pop music in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era. It examines the emergence of Taiwanese records, the influence of Japanese record companies, and the fusion of Western musical elements with local Taiwanese music.
Aural Archipelago explores the musical tradition of hatong (buffalo horn) music in Banten, Indonesia, connecting it to hunting practices.
Indonesia at Melbourne analyzes the role of protest songs in Indonesia, particularly in response to resurgent authoritarianism. It also explores the punk aesthetic and the DIY ethos as expressions of musical anarchism .
The Quietus reflects on the state of heavy metal in 1995, a year of confusion and uncertainty for the genre.
The NATIVE explores the evolution and multifaceted nature of Afropop music, addressing its influences, sub-genres, and its increasing global impact. The article touches on some Afropop stars denouncing the genre while also highlighting the rise of sub-genres like Street-Pop and Alte music.
The work of early Afrobeats pioneers like Junior and Pretty is a direct descendant of the burgeoning Hip-Hop blueprint of the ‘80s; while the early 2000s popularity of Ajegunle-based rabble-rousers like Daddy Showkey, Danfo Drivers, and African China occurred tangentially to the rising profile of Reggae on a global scale.
TheCollector provides an overview of Baroque music, emphasizing its key characteristics such as drama, contrast, and ornamentation.
Hanacpachap Cussicuinin is a hymn in Quechua, a native language of the Andes. It can be seen as a form of “passive resistance” against the colonizers.
While it is a hymn to the Virgin Mary, it contains rich metaphors from Quechua cosmology and Andean nature. It is an important work because it is the first printed polyphonic musical composition from the Americas. The composition date is between 1620 and 1631.
EL PAÍS English commemorates the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel's birth, highlighting the premiere of his newly identified composition, Sémiramis.
American Blues Scene reviews "The Lost Recordings: The Original American Folk Blues Festival 1962 & 1963," emphasizing the historic significance and exceptional sound quality of the restored recordings.
sonicstate.com tells the story of the "Hit Em" genre, which originated from a viral tweet describing a dream about a rave. It explains how the tweet led to the creation of a compilation featuring 27 tracks of this super-meta cult genre .
"The origin of 'Hit Em' is not like your average music genre; it was proposed in a tweet."
Portside highlights Chicago's jazz scene as a vibrant expression of the city's Black history.
"In jazz, Chicago always has been a nurturer of fabulous eccentrics — musicians well-aware of what their coastal colleagues are playing but fearlessly going their own way"
The Daily Orange reports on an exhibit that displays how people in the Soviet Union bootlegged banned music onto discarded X-ray films .
Afropop explores the cultural impact of Cape Verdean immigrants in New England, particularly through their music5. It details their history from whaling ship crewmen to establishing vibrant communities.
"Second capital of Capeford is here in Pucket, Rhode Island"
Stephen Jones's blog post discusses Zhongguo chuantong yinyue kaocha baogao [Field reports on traditional Chinese music], a 10-volume compilation reproducing original Chinese fieldwork reports from 1949 to 19661 .
pitchfork.com reviews Alabaster DePlume's new album praising its grace, reflectiveness, and message of forgiveness and responsibility
Tyler King delves into the origins and evolution of Ethio-jazz, pioneered by musicians like Mulatu Astatke. The article traces the genre's roots to the influence of Armenian musicians in Ethiopia ant emphasizes the improvisational nature of jazz and celebrates the unique musical landscape of Ethio-jazz.
Beat delves into the musical world of Pachyman, a Puerto Rican-born, Los Angeles-raised artist known for fusing genres like reggae, jazz and breakbeat .
The blog of the APA explores the emotion of hatred through the lens of Kendrick Lamar's performance of "Not Like Us" at the Super Bowl Halftime Sho0 . The author examines the practice of "signifyin'," to understand the joy derived from this expression of hatred.
Tracking Angle profiles High Moon Records, a boutique reissue label whose mission is to preserve and unearth forgotten music, giving proper distribution to lost records like Arthur Lee and Love’s Black Beauty.
Igloo Magazine delves into the world of glitch music, exploring its origins, techniques like circuit-bending, and its connection to Dadaism and automatism.
"We don’t have enough Dada in this world of too much data" .
Myjoyonline celebrates E.T. Mensah, known as the "King of Highlife," and his contribution to Ghanaian music and national identity.
Far Out Magazine presents a ranking of The Jam's greatest songs, focusing on the band's ability to capture the spirit of a politically turbulent era in the UK .
"Pissing down with rain on a boring Wednesday, Watching the news and not eating your tea, A freezing cold flat and damp on the walls"
Korea JoongAng Daily discusses the revival of the trot genre in South Korea, highlighting its history, popularity, and the reasons behind its resurgence. The article further examines the impact of TV audition programs on bringing trot back into the spotlight and launching new stars.
Trot?
Trot music, known as "teuroteu" in Korean, is a genre of Korean popular music originating in the early 20th century, trot combines influences from Korean folk, Japanese enka, and Western music, featuring emotional lyrics that often reflect themes of love, longing, and nostalgia.
A Statistical Analysis analyzes the recurring use of songs in film and television and its impact on cultural memory and song discovery. The top 10 songs frenquently featured will surprise you (really).
The Quietus reviews Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian's album Noor-e Vojood, highlighting Heydarian's respectful approach to the tanbur, an instrument with a unique place in Iranian music.
Billboard reports on the potential devastating impact of Trump's tariffs on musical instrument manufacturers .
This essay by Jeremiah Lockwood explores how Hasidic cantorial revivalists navigate their musical identities outside traditional synagogue settings. It examines their performance in concerts, internet videos, and kumzits parties.
Kumzit?
A kumzitz (קומזיץ) is a musical gathering where people come together to sing spiritually moving songs, often in a setting with low lighting, such as by candles or a campfire, and may include musical instruments like guitars or violins if it's not on the Sabbath.
