World music magazine fRoots famously describes the music within its pages as ‘local music from out there'. In many ways this is one of the neatest definitions of the hard-to-define world music phenomenon, as one of the main features of world music, roots music, traditional music and folk music is a strong sense of place. This is music that comes from somewhere — each and every exotic world music style starts out as someone’s local music.
Some of this sense of place comes from environmental influence — the natural sounds that inspire musicians, the lifestyle that encourages certain instruments and musical forms. But it also comes from the influence of the local community and in particular that many world music styles have evolved in isolation. Isolated communities set up feedback loops of inspiration that tend to emphasise differences. The greater the isolation, the more unique the culture becomes. Just as some of the most extraordinary plants and animals have evolved on detached continents like Australia, many of the world's most interesting musical forms come from remote islands and isolated mountain ranges.
Centuries ago every village had its own musical culture, slightly different from the music in the next village. These days increased migration and globalisation are starting to change all that and it remains to be seen whether regional differences will disappear completely. Certainly there is a movement in the opposite direction — a yearning for authenticity and uniqueness. Paradoxically, this is often at its strongest amongst people who have been separated from their roots.
For many migrants, and children of migrants, music can become a powerful symbol of connection with their homeland. Music is something that is easy to take with you when you migrate, and can provide an emotional anchor when culture shock becomes overwhelming. Many migrants develop a strong interest in their local music only when they have left their homeland (see Silvia Entcheva’s extended interview), and many performers find themselves reaching for a deeper connection with their native tradition whenever they perform overseas (as described by Stiff Gins in Endangered Words).
At the same time that electronic communications are breaking down the barriers of isolation that have allowed regional traditions to develop, they are also providing migrants with a convenient way to access their own culture. Using CDs and the internet, migrants can ‘reconnect to the source’ whenever they want.
Australia is a country with many significant expat communities who enjoy thriving musical scenes. Many Greek Australians say that their traditional music is healthier in Melbourne than it is back in Greece. Some of the finest performers of South American music now live in Australia as political exiles. In First Get a Goat, we hear Linsey Pollak talking about old traditions that have died out in Macedonia being revived within the Macedonian community in Australia.
