Here is some global fusion at its best: Buddha Bless.
According to their Myspace page, Buddha Bless is the first and only Reggae/Dancehall Band in Thailand. The three members Gui Oui, Goa M, and Gow Tong were born and raised in Thailand, and represent the three colors of Reggae.
Their first album Red Light Green Light was launch in March 2007 with their hit single Fire. The single stayed number one on MTV for three weeks straight.
We gotta hand it to these guys - not only are they fusing music between 2 very different cultures, but their music is hot and their videos are hilarious!
Check out this video for their song Paktakrai. This is the nuttiest thing we've found in a while...a must watch!!
South Africa is taking over the music scene worldwide! Especially when it comes to dance music.
Last week we featured one of our favorite South African artists, Black Coffee, and his brand of African flavored soulful house music. Check out his tune Turn Me On on the GLOBAILE Podcast.
Now we're bringing you more house music from South Africa. They have their own genre in fact, and it's called Kwaito. The word originates from the Afrikaans word kwaai, meaning "cool". Kwaito took shape in the township Soweto at the same time Nelson Mandela took office as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Since those origins, Kwaito led a post-apartheid township subculture into the mainstream.
Instrumentally, Kwaito music uses slowed-down house-music beats, and also draws upon music that was popular in South Africa during the early 1990s, including disco, hip-hop, and contemporary R&B.
Here is a video from Arthur Mafokate, known as the "King of Kwaito". We love the song and the dance moves are dope! Check it out:
For more bangin' music from South Africa, check out our homeys from the Passport to Global Sound radio show and their latest feature program on South Africa:
We all know that in the year 2010, Hip Hop is a worldwide phenomenon. But Japan seems to really be at the forefront of keeping the culture alive.
Japan has a thriving Hip Hop community, and a deep respect and love for the genre. Many of the best breakdancers in the world reside in Japan, and in GLOBAILE Episode 4: Spotlight on Asia, we did a feature an inside look at Japanese Bboys in Tokyo. They kill it! Check it out!
Here we have the Kick the Can Crew - a classic Japanese Rap trio. With their melodic flow and fun sense of humor, they are sort of a Japanese version of the Beastie Boys.
Here is their hit song Sayonara, Sayonara. Hot beat, dope flow, great delivery...Arigato Japan!
Yup - French Electro Trip Hop Trio Télépopmusik came prepared! Their hit single Breathe was so successful, they made not one, but 2 music videos (not to mention the countless homemade videos from fans all over YouTube).
As if a gajillion music videos wasn't enough, the track has also been featured in the French film The Beat That My Heart Skipped, a Mitsubishi and a BMW commercial, and on the TV show Six Feet Under. Daaaaamn! Just Breathe!
Wanna know what all the hype is about? Check it out. We like the earlier "For promo use only" video better, but we posted them both. You be the judge:
We can't get enough of Major Lazer - the Jamaican commando who lost both arms in a secret zombie war in 1984 who fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket-powered hoverboard.
Oh, and we also love the musical group by the same name.
Major Lazer is made up of DJs Diplo and Switch - the two were introduced after working with M.I.A.. The duo's first album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do was released in June 2009 and the duo has been taking over the underground ever since.
Amongst their work with M.I.A. and on Major Lazer, Diplo and Switch are all about fusing sounds from different countries - primarily Brazil, Jamaica & the UK - together to make one crazy infectious catchy sexy sound.
Here's a new Major Lazer music video for their song Percumajor - a remix of the classic dance jam, The Perculator. FIYA!
No, that's not Pink. It's Robyn - one of the biggest pop stars in the world, hailing from Sweden.
She's been on the scene since 1995 when she was just 16 years old, and has been releasing pop tunes steadily ever since. She's best known for her international hit Show Me Love.
Nowadays, Robyn is releasing a trilogy of albums throughout 2010 entitled Body Talk. Part 1 came out in June, peaking at #1. The album's lead single Dancing on My Own was released a few weeks prior to the album's release, and became a hit single worldwide. A follow up album, Body Talk Pt. 2, was released on September 6, entering straight at #1 of the Swedish charts. The final album of the trilogy, Body Talk, will release in 22th November 2010 with first and only single Indestructible.
Can't wait until then for more Robyn? Well you're in luck - Robyn will be featured in tonight’s episode of Gossip Girl. See a preview of the episode on the website here.
Here is a video from her album Robyn - the album preceding her Body Talk trilogy. The body paint is sick! In fact, it looks like Robyn was onto something waaaaaay before Willow Smith came along...Check it out:
