Listening to Music From All Over the World
Thoughts on using technology to explore records outside of our own geographic center.
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Technological innovations of the past 10 to 15 years have helped me become a better student of recorded music. I’ve discovered so many amazing cover songs thanks to Second Hand Songs and WhoSampled. In all honesty I probably would have missed a lot of them - especially the most obscure ones - if it wasn’t for these sites.
Norwegian vocalist Inger Lise Rypdal’s 1973 cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” from the compilation På Treff Med 4 is among my favorite discoveries from the past year. It’s one of the earliest reworks of Dylan’s classic and it currently has a very modest 687 views on YouTube. In my opinion Rypdal’s rendition deserves a much larger audience. I think it’d perfect for a emotional scene from a movie or TV show.
Second Hand Songs and WhoSampled (along with Discogs) have all been immensely helpful in expanding my understanding and appreciation of different artists and genres. YouTube has also been a game changer for me. YouTube music curators are some of my favorite people to follow for an endless stream of music that I’ve never heard of, both new and old. From Pinoy Grooves (rare records from the Philippians spanning many genres) to SouldjahFromTheNorth (tape rips of ‘90s Memphis rap) and and hundreds of others, these dedicated folks have helped me expand my musical palate to an extent that I didn’t realize was possible.
In addition to helping me build a deep love of different genres spanning many eras, YouTube curators have allowed me to work through some Americentrism when it comes to my taste in music. I’ve discovered countless gorgeous covers a la Rypdal’s take on Dylan. The Pinoy Grooves and Thai Funk channels have broadened my horizons and reminded me how much I have yet to learn about the vastness of recorded music. And WhoSampled recently turned me on to a goldmine of German music from the 1970s.
It would be in poor taste if I didn’t also show my appreciation for Andre Navarro II. Andre is hands down one of the greatest music curators on all of YouTube. He maintains his channel with a degree of consistency, dedication, and love that is difficult to fully appreciate until you experience it. He focuses on music from the 1970s from all over the world and I can honestly say my life has improved since I started following him.
Andre’s discipline in highlighting forgotten and underappreciated gems from a broad variety of geographic locales is so inspiring. During my most recent visit to his channel I discovered the tune “Eyemaya Erayemare” by the Nigerian group Sir Waziri Oshomah and His Traditional Sound Makers from the 1980 LP Sir Waziri Oshomah And His Traditional Sound Makers – Vol. 3. I immediately fell in love with their sound.
I had never heard of vocalist Sir Waziri Oshomah (who now goes by Alhaji Waziri Oshomah) and his band before so I decided to look into their work a bit more. The Superfly Records website has an excellent 2016 blog post about Oshomah’s personal life and artistic output due to their reissue of some of his work. Here’s a quick excerpt that discusses underappreciated music from mid-western Nigeria and Oshomah’s stature as a celebrated artist.
“It is rare though, that the spotlight is leveled towards the mid-western region of the region of the country, the territory encompassing the modern-day Nigerian states of Edo and Delta. Edo in particular boasts of a wealth of musical traditions that is both deep and broad, yet shamefully under-explored; and among this assortment of musical traditions, one of the richest is the music of the Afemai, or Etsako people. And in the field of Afemai music, the undefeated champ is Alhaji Waziri Oshomah.”
In addition to his upbringing, early career, influences, and historic importance, the article also highlights how remarkably prolific Oshomah has been for extended period of time. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact number of records he has recorded in his five-decade-long career, but he estimates the number to be somewhere around 150. Unfortunately, much of his catalog - including his revered work from the 1970s and ‘80s - appears to be unavailable on streaming platforms at the moment.
Thankfully for curious Micro-Chop readers the YouTube channel Shayko Finds has several full-length albums by Oshomah available. These include the beautiful Sir Waziri Oshomah And His Traditional Sound Makers – Vol. 3 - the album Superfly Records decided to reissue. This impeccable LP and the rest of Alhaji Waziri Oshomah’s massive catalog are humbling reminders of how many incredibly talented musicians there are in the world.
Andre Navarro II and Shayko Finds’ channels preserve so much music to explore from across the globe. While we must of course celebrate music from where we come from, it is also important to look for new sounds far beyond the geographic borders of the place we call home.