unusualmusic_lj_archive

Public schools are facing massive budget cuts. And as they struggle to keep their doors open they aren't getting the money they need. What can be said for a society that allows its public schools to fail while bailing out banks with billions of taxpayer dollars? We need less testing and more stimulating says Brian Jones. And we need more money not for a few select schools but for every school.

They live their lyrics. Rebel Diaz—Lah Tere, G1, and RodStarz—came together in Chicago a few years ago when brothers Rodrigo and Gonzales Venegas teamed up with Teresita Ayaya and let their music and their activism rip. In their songs they have taken on racism, police brutality, immigration, war, the bank bailout and even Barack Obama's politics. These days, they can be found organizing on their home turf of the South Bronx and performing all over the world–using hip hop as a tool for education and change.

Brazil has a long history of international musical fusion. Indeed, almost every style of music has been mixed up, experimented with and enjoyed by a nation of people who adore music, and love to dance. PLAYLIST visits two different acts who are changing the world of electronica as we know it Napalma and Ramiro Musotto.

PLAYLIST visits the USA, where a new musical genre is bursting out Muslim punk rock that goes by the name of Taqwacore. A fusion spotlighted by the novel The Taqwacores, this is a new punk sound political, rousing and just as important as it was the first time around. Al-Thawra is one Muslim punk rock band currently smashing perceptions, and making their mark.

PLAYLIST rides a musical caravan from Algeria to the heart of European Muslim culture in Paris, checking in with some of the artists whose journeys from North Africa to Western Europe have produced a unique blend of sounds, including Speed Caravan with Mehdi Haddab, Akli D and Akim El Sikameya.

Mexico meets California meets Bavaria in the music of Calexico. A North American collaboration that bridges the US-Mexican border, this unique band mixes folk, indie and rock with Mexicos mariachi horns. And if thats not enough, the sound is rooted way back in the Ompah bands of German beer halls. What sounds like a messy recipe results in a tasty feast of sounds the music of Calexico.

PLAYLIST travels to Morocco to meet some bands that are mixing it up there, as new musical styles and trends emerge all the time. Traditional sounds, beats and vocals are punctuated with elements of rock, reggae, roots, metal and hip hop. Among those genre-breaking bands are Hoba Hoba Spirit, Darga and Elam Jay.

Were out of Africa with a pair of musicians Gambias Juldeh Camara and Britains Justin Adams whose sounds echo the days of the slave trade. PLAYLIST tells the story of how the African blues sound really came into its own.

It's not the country's most well known export or even - depending on your musical taste - its best. But a heavy metal band from Iraq has been building a steady international fan base. The group was forced to flee Baghdad during the war. And though they're now seeking refugee status in Turkey, their ultimate goal is to jam back home.