| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/1/2008 8:38:44 PM | I, personally, love hearing the human voice as another instrument. Sometimes words don't need to be understood, and just the sound and melody is great to listen to.
For instance, one of my favorite artists is Sami Yusuf, who does English, Arabic, Turkish, and Urdu all in one song. The transition is seamless and beautiful.
Some of my friends, on the other hand, can't stand not knowing what is being said. It drives them nuts, gives them headaches, etc.
What's your take? | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/1/2008 9:05:20 PM | | recently...I started to listen to Psychedelic music from bands based out of South America. The language is often in Spanish or Portuguese...but there can be broken English heard as well. I like it... and the foreign tongue, accents...add to the whole ambience of the music.... I think it is good to listen to music from other cultures... it expands genres...and peoples minds to a certain degree. | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/1/2008 9:11:35 PM | | I agree. Some languages use completely different parts of the tongues and throat to speak. Literally, speaking in "tongues". I forgot to add another favorite of mine is Ladysmith Black Mambazo from South Africa. A South African Swahili style. | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/2/2008 3:10:11 AM |
I, personally, love hearing the human voice as another instrument. This is why I love jazz scatters or singers who sing improvised melodies and rhthyms like the great Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Louis Prima, Slim Gaillard, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vauhn, Carmen McRae, Johnny Guitar Watson, George Benson, Mel Torme,Chaka Kahn, Al Jarreau and Bobby Mc Ferrin(Yes, I even like" Don't Worry Be Happy").
I know little Portugese but I love Samba, Lendu, Carimbo, Bossa Nova,Bomba-meo-boi, Lambada, Afoxe and musica Copoeira.
I also like Hatian Compas and Zouk. My Ethiopian friends turned me on to not only Ethiopian music but Afrobeat pioneered by the great Fela Kuti. From them I also became turned on to Indian musical genre's Dandiya, Rajastahn, Bhangra and of course Indian Hip Hop
I too love Ladysmith But why do you refer to their music as South African Swahili?
Music is touches the human spirit, it may touch you regardless of the language(s) of a singer just as the manmade instruments may touch the spirit. | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/2/2008 5:27:40 AM | It's the best way to describe Ladysmith to people who don't know them or that genre in general. They are from South Africa, and they sing in Zulu, a dialect of Bantu, which encompasses the more prominently known Swahili. Of course, Swahili is not spoken in southern Africa, but I've found people recognize that more.
The literal genre of their music is spelled funny and hard to pronounce. Yay dental clicks! | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/3/2008 3:29:33 PM | I absolutely love Foreign music. It's almost all I listen to when I'm in my studio.
And I agree about the human voice being an instrument, something that is often lost when listing to music in your own language. I think it is the Aboriginals of Australia who say that people actually sing (not talk) to each other... you can really understand that in some languages.
The song I have on my profile is one of the most beautiful songs on the PLANET, but I don't have a clue what it's "about".
James, Seattle, WAshington, USA, Earth | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/3/2008 4:01:20 PM | ...Sigur Ros & Magma come to mind....their languages are REALLY foreign...
My favorite Ali Farka Toure album... "Talking Timbuktu" ...a multitude of languages on that one... | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/3/2008 10:48:31 PM | I just have to say it, Infinity Mine... NOT only do I have three Ali Farka albums, but I GOT THEM while traveling to Timbuktu. (grin)
The Tuaregs (the top nomadic Saharan tribe) actually put on HUGE music festival every year about 10 miles outside of Timbuktu... my goal is to attend one year! EVERYTHING for the festival is brought in by Tuareg camel... tents, food, water, everything . . .
James, Seattle, Washington, USA, Earth | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/4/2008 7:01:34 PM | the shaman's chants, the Inuit throat singers, Telek, Sheila Chandra, there are so many... i love world music!
Love Ali Farka! | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/7/2008 4:21:31 PM | I love foreign music. In fact, I listen to foreign music more than I do American music. I don't mind not understanding the lyrics. I usually just find a translation online. What really does it for me is the passion that's in foreign music. To me, a lot of American music is all about breakups, depression, drugs, sex, etc. It's not a very enjoyable topic, but just as an example, the Chinese music I listen to might not be about positive things all the time, but it sure isn't blunt like American music. It personifies the sadness into a more positive sadness than the straightforward depression. And of course the positive songs are very romantic (I'm such a sucker for romance).
Artists I like:
Jay Chou (Chinese)
Ilaria Graziano (Italian)
Natural High (Japanese)
Josh Groban (Italian, English, and maybe others)
Garou (French)
Didulya (Russian)
And varying other artists. | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/7/2008 8:42:32 PM | I really love listening to music from around the world in their native languages. Some of my favorite artist are...
Cocco (from Japan, alternative rock)
Aya (also from Japan, rock)
Youjeen (Japan, pop/rock)
ONA (Poland, folk/rock)
And several other singers and bands from Norway, Poland, Korea, Thailand, Germany, Ukraine..
Its just really nice to hear other styles of music around the world, even if I don't understand the language. =] | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/7/2008 9:31:10 PM |
I really love listening to music from around the world in their native languages. Some of my favorite artist are...
Cocco (from Japan, alternative rock)
Aya (also from Japan, rock)
Youjeen (Japan, pop/rock)
ONA (Poland, folk/rock)
And several other singers and bands from Norway, Poland, Korea, Thailand, Germany, Ukraine..
Its just really nice to hear other styles of music around the world, even if I don't understand the language. =]
I like Cocco and Aya also, and waaaay off topic, but you have the most adorable dog ever! | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/8/2008 3:54:28 PM | There are a few Hawaiian songs that at one time I had considered the best song ever made.
Kalamaula ~ live version by the late great George Helm is one.
If you want to hear something of pure beauty youtube or get a cd of
George's niece ~
"Riatea Helm"
~ and to realize she's been singing like that since she was about 15. | |
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| Foreign Language Music
Posted: 10/8/2008 8:36:05 PM | | Huge fan here of Johnny Clegg and Juluka (or Savuka). He does sing in English, but as well sings in one of the South African native languages... Zulu I think??? Not sure. Can't understand it anyway. :) Beautiful songs however. | |
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