Stories about Music from May, 2007
Morocco: Bono in Fez
“The View from Fez has its ear to the ground and can confirm a rumour that has been floating around the Medina (city) for the last two days. Bono is in Fez. Why? Well according to one source he is recording here with U2 – another is that he has...
Barbados: Um-ba-rel-la?
“Where did she get that pronunciation from? I could forgive her if she was speaking bajan and pronounced it ‘am-brella'…but Um-ba-rel-la? Anybody ever look at you and say ‘buddy that rain just hit outta nowhere I could share that um-ba-rel-la with you?'” Jdid has a few issues with fellow Barbadian...
Lebanon: Rich Arab Rap Song
Lebanese blogger Leila links to a hilarious rap song by what is apparently a rich Arab.
Arabeyes: 1001 Tales from Libyan Taxi Rides
Can taking a taxi be an eye-opening experience to the society you live in? Libyan blogger Libyano takes us on a ride of a lifetime which gives him the chance to contemplate on his society, the behaviour of young men and the antics of some taxi drivers. Enjoy the ride!
Mexico: Shakira Concert in the Zocalo
More than 200,000 fans of the Colombian singer Shakira packed Mexico City's Zocalo to attend a free concert. Many of the fans waited the day before for a chance to get close to the stage, and when she did begin performing they were not disappointed. Dfinitivo [ES] r
ka,na,da,ra,ma,ba,sa…
ka,na,da,ra,ma,ba,sa… the Korean alphabet has been used for a love poem.
Bulgaria: George Michael For Tripoli Six
Eternal Remont reports that George Michael has joined the “You Are Not Alone” campaign to raise awareness of the Tripoli Six, “the six Bulgarian nurses who await death by firing squad in Libya.”
Children’s songs that reflect the times
Children’s songs that reflect the times. A blogger shows how lyrics and rhythms of children’s songs demonstrate the mood of the time period. The examples from the 1970s and 1980s when Korea was in its struggle for democracy are especially revealing [ko].
Children’s songs that reflect the times
Children’s songs that reflect the times. A blogger shows how lyrics and rhythms of children’s songs demonstrate the mood of the time period. The examples from the 1970s and 1980s when Korea was in its struggle for democracy are especially revealing [ko].
Love for students and rapper trainee teacher.
Love for students and rapper trainee teacher. Finishing his practice teaching at a middle school, a trainee teacher expressed his love for students with a rap song which he composed and made it into a video clip on the internet. It was hit more than 65,000 times so far. Students...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Drummer Muhtadi Thomas
Geoffrey Philp features Trinidad multi-media artist Elspeth Duncan as she talks about the experience of working on a Leda Serene documentary about Master drummer Muhtadi Thomas: “I asked him if he would open our filming session in the same way that he opens his drumming sessions, with his hands playing...
Cuba: Welcome The Beatles
“It’s taken the best part of 40 years but The Beatles have finally arrived in the part of Cuba where I grew up. Officially, that is,” writes Child of the Revolution, who thinks that the opening of a replica of the tavern where the Fab Four first found fame is...
Bahrain: Second Podcast
Bahraini blogger emoodz posted his second podcast in Arabic and English, lamenting the ‘tasteless’ music youth listen to, the political situation in Bahrain and his opinion of some of the local bloggers.
Trinidad & Tobago: Soca Star Arrested
Trinidad and Tobago girls, politics, sports, technology, carnival and lifestyle reports on the arrest of soca singer Machel Montano following an incident that occurred outside Zen nightclub a few weeks ago.
Barbados: Rihanna and Tuk
As Gallimaufry celebrates fellow Barbadian Rihanna's accomplishment of being the first artiste ever to reach Number 1 on the UK singles charts solely on the basis of digital sales, she also takes a look at Tuk, a musical genre indigenous to Barbados.
Taiwan and China: Chinese speech
ESWN translated a debate over a popular song called Chinese Speech by S.H.E. The song criticized by Liberty Times (pro-independent newspapers) for misleading and corrupting the next generation in Taiwan into thinking that they also use ‘Chinese speech.’
Ukraine, Hungary: Sziget
Two bands from Ukraine – and Gogol Bordello – will play at Sziget music festival in Budapest August 8-15, uaMuzik reports.
D. R. Congo: Park Rangers Attacked, Flying over Katanga, Music meets Social Activism, and Ants 2 – Brian 0
Access to the Internet in the Democratic Republic of Congo is gradually improving (World Bank figures suggest there are already over 6 million users), but will remain prohibitively expensive as long as service providers are dependent on satellite connections. In such a context, it should come as no surprise that there are only a handful of Congolese bloggers. Chatrooms and instant messaging are very popular, however, and with the influence of the Diaspora, it’s easy to imagine that many more young Congolese people will soon be following the footsteps of pioneers like Cedric, perhaps blogging in Lingala, Luba, Kikongo and Swahili as well as French.
Seyni Kouyate on Yankadi Reggae
Roots and Culture has an interview with Seyni Kouyate (Fr), a Yakandi reggae musician from a griot family in Guinea-Conakry. Kouyate says Yakandi reggae is not a Western-African fusion; it's a fundamentally African music form. “It's the meeting of traditional African rhythms, specifically from West Africa, with Jamaican skunk…the beating...
UAE: Student Band Rocks!
“Dubai rockers Asking Alexandria dropped into the studio and we filmed their live performance. They're about to start a 9 month tour of the UK and they've been asked to play 4 songs on MTV Europe's segment on Dubai. Not bad for a bunch of students from the UAE, one...
Uzbekistan: Pop Politics
Registan.net discusses an Uzbek pop star's anger at the daughter of the country's president. The singer believes that her fame is being used by the president's daughter to build up a bid for the presidency later this year.
