LET'S TAKE A TRIP

GERMANY, CANADA, RWANDA
Corneille's story is almost as interesting as his music, and his diverse heritage is embodied in the music that he makes. Corneille was born to Rwandan parents in Germany back in the late 70's. His family eventually returned to Rwanda, where he would spend most of his childhood. In 1993 his musical career began to take off in Rwanda but in 1994 his family and his life were torn apart by the Rwandan genocide, he lost his parents and numerous other family members and decided to leave Rwanda for Germany. In 1997 he moved to Canada to study, and that is where his musical career really began to flourish. Corneille draws a lot of inspiration from American soul and R&B artists, which adds yet another layer to his unique musical upbringing.



BRASIL
Sergio Mendes is a musical giant. He was a brilliant arranger and his work is a fusion of Brazilian samba and styles from around the world. This particular song features some electronic tones, it's one of my favorites off of his album Brasileiro (which is one of my favorite albums period). Everything that he touches is pretty much genius, if you haven't had a chance to listen to this album or more of Mendes' work I strongly suggest you take the time to get familiar with him.



FRANCE/GUADALUPE
The group's name is Kassav, they are a francophone band from Paris who have become the biggest name in Zouk music in the world. Zouk music surfaced in the 1980s in The Caribbean, it was a fusion of dance music from Guadalupe and Martinique, and since its genesis the music has become a major staple of Caribbean music in general. Kassav's recordings and acclaim have been crucial in bringing the music to the rest of the world.



SENEGAL
This band is probably the biggest hip-hop group to surface from Senegal, or from Western Africa for that matter. They rap in French, Wolof, and English, and their music and style is an eclectic mix of cultures and sounds. I love this song because it draws heavily on both Western African musical traditions and modern Western rap. It's a brilliant fusion that I haven't been able to stop listening to for literally days.




JAPAN
This guy is legit. I don't really know how to explain it very well, and I know little about him other than the fact he is a musical genius. His music seems to borrow from a number of sources but is unique in every sense of the word (almost seems like a major theme in all of these artists). Enjoy.