Dance Music Goes Global: Six CDs from Music Mosaic - by Abimbola Cole

Dance music fusions that draw upon elements from world music are becoming increasingly popular amongst American listeners. Fans of dance music have learned to appreciate world music fusions that are influenced by genres like techno, ambient, house, and trip-hop, to name a few. Labeled "ethno-trance" and "ethnic fusion," such musical hybrids are introducing new musical sounds. These musical fusions are usually European-produced surfacing in countries like France, Britain, and Germany. However, there also appears to be a growing electronic dance music fusion scene emerging in Australia, presenting musical mixtures that have never been heard before. It is capturing the attention of local fans, and is slowly appealing to international audiences as well.

Music Mosaic, an Australian record label specializing in world and new age music, recently donated six electronic dance music fusion albums to the Ethnomusicology Archive. These compilation albums represent the current electronic world music developments. The Music Mosaic recordings have titles such as Didgeridoo Trance Dance, Drumming Planet, Dance Planet, Groove Temple, Spice Groove, and Tribal Groove. On these albums one can hear the sounds of an Australian didgeridoo blended with drum n' bass, South East Asian tabla mixed with house music, or African chant combined with trance. These are certainly experimental musical combinations. Nonetheless, on each album there is some sort of theme that unifies each of these musical collages.

The main themes of the Music Mosaic compilations relate to either a musical instrument or geographical region. Didgeridoo Trance Dance is devoted to the Australian didgeridoo. Drumming Planet brings together drumming from the South Pacific, Africa, the United States, and Europe. Groove Temple is largely inspired by the music of India, but also features music from Australia, Central Europe, and Africa. Spice Groove is a combination of vocal and instrumental music from India, Europe, the United States, and Australia. Finally, Tribal Groove highlights music from regions in Africa, the Middle East, Australia, Mongolia, and Tibet.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of these Music Mosaic compilations is the variety of music incorporated in the musical fusions. Each compilation takes traditional music out of its original context and remixed with electronic beats. This recontextualization of the music gives it a fresh new sound. The song descriptions accompanying each album emphasize the ways in which electronic music can change the original version of a song. For instance, "Watsi Watsi" from Dance Planet is a song where "[h]umorous African voodoo chant and talking drums meet doof beat and sound tweaking." "The Prodigal Son" on Drumming Planet is an example of "[t]ribal rhythms, didgeridoo and a sweet melody appearing from the African bush [which] give a sense of the Orient." Another track, "En Afrique," which appears on Tribal Groove, is a "[d]ancing voyage into the deep forests where pygmies, elves and pink panthers move along drum, bass, guitars and flutes."

Although these descriptions are meant to help the listener understand the significance of the songs, they also raise issues of exoticism. Listeners should pay careful attention to the wording Music Mosaic has selected. Songs that feature "humorous African voodoo chant" and "tribal rhythms" are clearly meant to conjure up images of music and performers from exotic locations. Additionally, the "voyage into the deep forests" of "pygmies" seems reminiscent of the concept behind Deep Forest, the controversial 1990s world music fusion blending music of the Mbuti with techno music.

Unlike Deep Forest, which exploited the Mbuti, the Music Mosaic compilations succeed in promoting world music. All of the artists featured on these albums are either on Music Mosaic Records or appear courtesy of other labels including Oreade, New World, and Heaven & Earth. Thus, Music Mosaic has formulated legitimate collections of music fusions with traditional artists. Didgeridoo Trance Dance, Drumming Planet, Dance Planet, Groove Temple, Spice Groove, and Tribal Groove are all unique interpretations of electronic dance music fusions. They provide a glimpse of Australian contributions to the scene. Music Mosaic does an excellent job creating music that will undoubtedly appeal to diverse audiences. Therefore, they are fulfilling the goal of their record label, which is to remain "the pulse of global harmony."

Abimbola Cole is a second-year graduate student in the Ethnomusicology Department. Her musical interests include South African hip-hop, American hip-hop, and house music. She currently works in the Ethnomusicology Archive as a Graduate Student Researcher. Additionally, she is a DJ on the Archive's weekly radio program, "Sounds From the Vault," which airs on uclaradio.com.