Tuning your ears to world music outside of the U.S. (and England for that matter) will reveal some amazing sounds. Where as most American music tries to present itself as something new, wholly created by itself, and a sound of its own, there are lots of groups outside our borders who revel in bringing together diverse sounds from many sources. One such example of this is the France based band Watcha Clan.Although not a household name in the States, the Watcha Clan have been producing their diversely blended amalgamation of European sounds for close to a half dozen albums. Their latest, Diaspora Hi-Fi: A Mediterranean Caravan is, just as the title suggests, a travel around the Mediterranean that touches on Algerian blues, the cherifian grooves of Morocco, Balkan gypsyness, the dance clubs of Europe, and the word play of hip-hop. While all of these various musical backgrounds are taking shape, on top are laid vocals sung in French, Arabic, Hebrew, in English. I suppose as a point of reference the closest I could touch on would be Zap Mama, but there's less of an Afro-beat here and more of a house-beat.
While the album is still only available as an import here in the States, it's available in digital format through Amazon.com. If you're hunting for the exotic, look no farther.
Watcha Clan - Balkan Qoulou : Diaspora Hi-Fi: A Mediterranean Caravan
Watcha Clan - Travelin' Shoes : Diaspora Hi-Fi: A Mediterranean Caravan
Watcha Clan - Travelin' Shoes : Diaspora Hi-Fi: A Mediterranean Caravan
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