Did "world music" become tainted by several ill-conceived crossovers with rock/pop?

Y'know, lately it hasn't been Peter Gabriel or David Byrne or whomever plundering the "world music" nearly so much as like EVERY HIP-HOP PRODUCER WHO HAS TRACKS ON THE RADIO RIGHT NOW, btw.

*meanwhile downloading Xtina songs

x-post ha ha ha ha very good point Al *mentally replaces Xtina in above post with Metallica*

Did I just read that right that Geir said this?

Ironically think Gabriel's attempt at borrowing technology/elements from contemporary electronic music on "Up" is far less successful.

Lee may be right about the DX-7s. Example: I enjoyed Vusi Mahlasela's acoustic tracks on the Amandla soundtrack, pure and bright and moving in their simplicity. But when I heard his studio recordings, his beautiful voice was surrounded by dull, plodding, Dave Matthews Band-esque arrangements.

Save world music from shitty Western production styles!

fave examples: Tropicalia, Afro Funk, Ethiopiques, Black Rio, Italian Prog, Middle Eastern Psych Rock, French Rock, Japanese Psych and Kraut worship, hell, even the whole continuum of Jamaican Reggae - Rocksteady - Dancehall started off as an interpretation of American Soul (and now hip hop).

I'm not so into it when western musicians try to give other cultures a western sheen, or as Geir says, "smoothening the rough edges". just look at the majority of Bill Laswell's productions.

there's a Morrocan band called Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effect that falls into both categories. in the early 80s they put out a fucking amazing debut album that mixed (what sounds like to me?) traditional Morrocan music mixed with distorto guitars, primitive sampling (they even sample Funkadelic), tons of echo and just overall freaked out-edness. Amazing. but then Laswell discovers them and puts out another album or two of just pure diarrhea (meaning smooth crap). he added synths and dance beats and just turned it into crap.

International shows, despite post-9/11 passport problems, are bigger than ever, partly because the "world" is moving to America. Salsa nights are also a huge industry. The only thing suffering is the record business, but I don't think it's "tainted."

Except when it comes to synth-pop and prog-rock.

I'm constantly amazed that some Minneapolis punk band doesn't start ripping off Somali funk, which exists only on cable access and at weddings. They could make a fortune and stay perfectly DIY. And where are the retro bands covering Dark City Sisters? And why isn't there a Spanish language punk band taking advantage of a virtually captive local audience in South Minneapolis? And why is it that so little African music makes it into underground hip hop? Is it not cool? When a bunch of hipsters try to do Fela, they end up being a facsimile, like Antibalas. (Same with northern white kids doing New Orleans brass band music, like Mama Digdown's.)

The problem I see with many of these bands is that they are either not businessmen or ideologues or extroverts enough to try to mix audiences, musicians, and genres. I'd be very curious to find who the next Pete Seeger, Clash, or Wyclef Jean will be.

and to post the rest of that last post that ilx wouldnt let me because it was too long: i think we've blown our chance of getting an s.a. dizzee/'grime'. best we can hope for now is a local roots manuva. there's a south african "where is the love" getting airplay now, featuring a kwaito mc, but it's the equiv of having a dancehall mc on yr hiphop song, and the actual track is straight up hiphop.

There has never ever been such a thing as purist prog. Prog, from day one, has been about mixing genres together.

Maybe it stems from the scenesters need for authenticity. The same need that prompts many of them to wear Carhardt jackets and Pabst hats and pretend they have a blue collar jobs. Everyone wants to appear authentic. Many people actually are.

The ones that aren't were rejects from the Tyrell factory.