world music
Non-Western musical traditions
World music is a commercial category for popular music from non-Western traditions or blending Western pop with indigenous sounds—African highlife, Brazilian samba, Indian classical fusion, Celtic folk.
The term emerged in the 1980s as a marketing label for record stores and has been criticized for lumping diverse traditions into a single exotic "other." The world music section had everything from Malian blues to Bulgarian choirs.
Nigerian funk-jazz fusion genre
- highlifeLuxurious wealthy existence
- jujuMagical West African charm
- calypsoAfro-Caribbean satirical music
- reggaeJamaican offbeat music style
salsa · cumbia · samba · tango · flamenco · bhangra · klezmer · gamelan
Global folk-pop hybrid
- crossoverGenre-blending work or transition
- blendCombine into mixture
- hybridThing of mixed parentage
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
synthesis · experimentation · eclecticism · intermingling · Peter Gabriel · Paul Simon · Graceland · remix
Regular common people
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- tribalOf a clan
- ceremonialRelating to formal rites
ancestral · acoustic · heritage · chants · ballads · anthems · rituals · oral tradition
Sound through impact
- drumsStruck membrane instruments
- djembeHand-struck goblet drum
- tablaIndian paired hand drums
- sitarIndian plucked lute
kora · oud · balalaika · didgeridoo · pan flute · erhu · shamisen · steel drum
State of varied elements
- multiculturalIncluding multiple ethnic traditions
- cross-culturalInvolving multiple societies
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
- globalizationWorldwide economic and cultural integration
exchange · transnational · cosmopolitan · intercultural · unity · identity · celebration · festival
afrobeat
Nigerian funk-jazz fusion genre
- highlifeLuxurious wealthy existence
- jujuMagical West African charm
- calypsoAfro-Caribbean satirical music
reggae · salsa · cumbia · samba · tango · flamenco · bhangra · klezmer · gamelan · fado
worldbeat
Global folk-pop hybrid
collaboration · synthesis · experimentation · eclecticism · intermingling · Peter Gabriel · Paul Simon · Graceland · remix · sampling
folk
Regular common people
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- tribalOf a clan
ceremonial · ancestral · acoustic · heritage · chants · ballads · anthems · rituals · oral tradition · regional
percussion
Sound through impact
sitar · kora · oud · balalaika · didgeridoo · pan flute · erhu · shamisen · steel drum · bouzouki
diversity
State of varied elements
- multiculturalIncluding multiple ethnic traditions
- cross-culturalInvolving multiple societies
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
globalization · exchange · transnational · cosmopolitan · intercultural · unity · identity · celebration · festival · community
- World ArtsAfrican art, Asian art, European art, Indian art, Japanese art
- cultural diversitycultural diversity, ethnic enclave, ethnic neighborhoods, Chinatown, Little Italy
- diverse artcross-cultural art, ethnic art, diverse perspectives, diverse voices, artistic traditions
- cultural artsart, dance, theater, opera, ballet
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- music genresblues, pop, jazz, rock, classical
world musicmainstream pop
Widely popular commercial music
rock · classical music · Top 40 · British rock · Europop
world musicelectronic music
Synthesizer-based musical genre
EDM · synthpop · techno · industrial music · digital music
world musicpunk
Raw, fast rock genre
grunge · bebop · Chicago blues · Motown · Detroit techno
world, music, museum, musical, musician, worldwide, worldly, mused, musing