Global Sounds
Nickii Kane
Just as we experience a new place through its flavors—the bite of a piping hot empanada, a fiery sip of rice wine—or by clapping eyes on a dramatic landscape, finally seen in person, we also get to hear it. There are the atmospheric noises, like the blare of a taxi horn on New York City’s streets or the gentle crash of the Pacific on Tahiti’s shores, that first flood our senses. But through the rattle of a jazz bar, or the salsa shoes tapping on a dance floor, a destination can present itself to the world, telling stories that can’t be put into words alone.
Take Inuit throat singing, a long-held tradition in the rugged Arctic. The huffs and hums, produced by two women standing face-to-face and vocalizing from their throats, is believed to be one of the oldest music forms in the world. But today, go to Canadian cities like Toronto and you might find young artists mixing this sound—meant to mimic nature’s noises on the tundra—with cross-genre back beats. It’s an evolution that charts the course of a culture.
The same can be said of the heavy beats pulsing out of hazy nightclubs in Kosovo this year, on the 25th anniversary of the Kosovo War coming to an end. There, an underground electronic scene has provided much-needed community—and catharsis—following brutal periods of first conflict, and then isolation. But a new dawn is arriving on the dancefloor, as the country joins the Schengen Zone, effectively allowing locals greater access to the rest of Europe, and an era of connection with the rest of the world begins.
To us, these types of sounds—and scenes—are what we hope to find when we travel. They encapsulate decades, and even centuries, of human history; they remind us of what we have in common, despite language barriers, while also displaying endemic traditions you might not find anywhere else. So much of how we experience music on our trips is by chance, like stumbling onto that plaza in Cusco to find a local musician blowing into a pan flute, or realizing a Portuguese music festival is happening the same weekend you’re in the Azores. It’s a lot of being in the right place, right time—you just follow the beat. We want to put luck in your favor. With this collection of stories, we turn the spotlight on artists around the world—from the stages of Lusaka, Zambia, to the shores of Jamaica—and tell you how global sounds are building on tradition and evolving with the times, and where to feel the thrum of music for yourself.
In Peru, the Quechua Language Takes to Hip Hop, Trap, and ‘Q-pop’
By: Sisa Quispe
The Indigenous language of the Incas, still spoken by an estimated 10 million people, has found its footing in contemporary sounds.
In the Remote Azores, Endemic Sounds Are Bridging its Past and Future
By: Philip Sherburne
Folk traditions and bold new initiatives are evolving the identity of the Azores, home to some of Europe's most isolated communities.
In the Arctic, a New Generation of Inuit Throat Singers Are Shaping Their Own Sound
By: Kate Nelson
Inuit throat singing has always mimicked the surrounding environment. For so long, that was the blustery Arctic—but new generations in Canada's cities are evolving the sound.
In Kosovo, Techno Is a Symbol of Resilience
By: Lale Arikoglu
Long a sacred space for catharsis and healing, the smoke-filled dance floors of Pristina have become the backdrop to a changing country.
In Zambia, Psychedelic Zamrock Is Having a Second Life
By: Mazuba Kapambwe
Once Zambia's leading genre, Zamrock is seeing a resurgence—everywhere from the recording studios of Lusaka to the bars in New York City's West Village.
Ask a Local: Reggae Singer Lila Iké's Kingston Itinerary
By: Lale Arikoglu
The Jamaican star shares her favorite record store, music venues, and more in the capital.
Credits
Lead editors: Lale Arikoglu, Arati Menon, Megan Spurrell
Editors: Matt Ortile
Writers: Lale Arikoglu, Mazuba Kapambwe, Kate Nelson, Philip Sherburne, Sisa Quispe
Visuals: Matt Buck, Andrea Edelman, Pallavi Kumar
Copy editors: Marisa Caroll, Damian Fallon
Research: Ivette Manners
Social media: Erika Owen, Kayla Brock
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
