Category:World Music

World Music is a broad genre encompassing traditional, folk, and contemporary music from cultures around the world. It includes indigenous sounds, regional folk styles, and fusion genres that blend traditional elements with modern production.

Characteristics

• Diverse instrumentation, often featuring traditional instruments from various cultures (e.g., sitar, djembe, oud, kora).
• Strong connection to regional and indigenous musical traditions, preserving cultural heritage.
• Can be acoustic or electronic, depending on whether it leans toward traditional or fusion styles.
• Incorporates local rhythms and scales, often differing from Western musical structures.
• Fusion with contemporary genres, such as worldbeat, Afrobeat, and electronic folk.

Artists and Labels

World Music has been championed by various artists and labels, including:

• Real World Records
• Putumayo World Music
• Nonesuch Explorer Series

Notable artists in the genre include:

• Youssou N'Dour
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
• Ali Farka Touré
• Miriam Makeba
• Celia Cruz
• Peter Gabriel (for promoting World Music through Real World Records)