Catchall categories: New Age, Worldbeat, Alternate

[danlo]

Worldbeat is fairly cut and dried: I guess it's basically music from other cultures and countries--even Ska and Reagge get lumped in this category, as do Celtic, Peruvian, Bossa Nova, Samba, Cuban, Native American, Portugese and Brazilian Fado on and on. And, as I said b4, The Marleys, sometimes Flamenco etc.., I don't kno if that's fair but I guess industry people have sorta pigeonholed them that way.

New Age is a category I'm not very com4table w/either: I put Ottmar Liebert, my fav artist, in the Jazz/Smooth Jazz/Jazz fusion topic but many listings and radio sations stick him in this "New Age" category. The Gipsy Kings are a great group 2, but they's always being tossed back and forth between World Beat and New Age. People just don't kno how 2 classify groups like these so they inevitably get tossed in this strange catchall catergory. I guess folks like George Winston, Andres Vollenwieder, Enya, non-popish Dido songs, Kitaro, Deep Forest, Yanni, Enigma, so on r lumped in2 this category.

Alternate, as opposed 2 Alternative--is where every1 who can't b classified ends up...sometimes odd electronic music like the type Lady Thea has hinted at in her topic and some experimental and atonal stuff get thrown in here, it's probably the saddest classification of the 3...

I'm sure u can think of more...there is alot of great music here and I think it's lumped unfairly...but where should it go...?

[duchess of malfi]

Threre is a lot of fantastic stuff in the categories you're describing. I had a wonderful music appreciation teacher who really turned me on to Brazilian and Cuban jazz. I also love Ottmar, and Dido, and many of the other artisits you're mentioning...when I went to the Bahamas I developed a love for Junkanoe music, as well...

[Infelice]

Enya, Dido, Deep Forest and Enigma.... love the New Age stuff...well a bit of it at least. Not into the other categories much, but I'm always open to new experiences.

[Samadhi Foul]

Hmm, I'm fond of New Age and Alternate, but I'm not sure if I like Worldbeat. I'll have to listen to more of it to see if I can learn to like it.

[Hellfire]

I just adore Enya. I've been listening to them for a long time- Water Mark, Shepard Moon, Memory of Trees- really beautiful soothing music. If there were angels, I think thier music would sound alot like the music of Enya. That song they have on TLOTR soundtrack is just awsome as well but I don't have it yet. I think I'll go and download it.

Deep Forest and Enigma are similiar but for some reason I just can't get into thier stuff as much.

[Infelice]

I cannot believe it!!!! Finally someone else who appreciates Enya!!! I agree totally with you Hellfire. Enya's music is wonderful. I listen to her song May It Be from FOTR over and over again. I've got Watermark and the others are high on my list of must gets.

[Earthfriend]

That scene in Patriot Games - where the IRA extremists are coming to kill another IRA extremist - and Enya is playing on the tele, talk about pathos!

And iv'e recently heard someone on the radio describe a 'type' of music as Eurotrash - some sort of electronica, i think So i guess some of the alternate stuff would be more 'acurately' categorised there.

[Reisheiruhime]

I believe another term for that is "Europop" *shrug*

[danlo]

bump for current interest...

[Edge]

Worldbeat is fairly cut and dried: I guess it's basically music from other cultures and countries

Just wanted to point out that your definition of 'other cultures and countries' depends entirely on your country of residence.

Or are you specifically saying that 'worldbeat' is any non-American music... ?

Perhaps a better definition would be 'indigenous music with a contemporary feel'?

[Cail]

I know what you mean by "hard to classify". I'm a huge fan of Andy Summers' post-Police solo stuff. Hell, I can't describe it. It's new-age-ish, jazzy, rockish, atonal, classical. It's all over the place. I usually just get blank stares when I try to explain.

[danlo]

I would say that Native America is definately American...as is NY Puerto Rican, TexMex, Salsa and other forms of American based "World Beat" it's just that mainstream, prejudiced s expletives decide to pigeonhole it elsewhere... <major shrugh>

[Dragonlily]

I liked alternative rock when it first started coming out. By the time it got set in its ways enough to become a category, it was no longer original and I lost interest.