I love these series and have almost every single album. And to my surprise I just read a review that
'they have a little hint of smugness about them, that whiff of Starbucks multiculturalism -- the kind that suggests you're a slightly bad person if you fail to buy. You see the faux-naïve cover art, the simplistic representations of other cultures, the faintly imperialist "Putumayo Presents" album title, and you think "This collection is going to consist of nothing but touristy ethno-pop.'
Well if you are an idiot living in a cave maybe?
First of all this series has been around for 20 years (!) so a reviewer might have his facts straight by now? Truth is people love to buy these albums and collect them for both the music and the cover art, because every single one of them is done by English artist Nicola Heindl.
Second there is nothing cheesy about Putumayo. It is originally a clothing company, founded by Dan Storper, with a goal to sell clothes in one country, that are popular or traditional in another country.
In 1991, on his way home from Bali, Storper stopped in San Francisco, California. In Golden Gate Park, he heard the Nigerian band Kotoja. He was impressed by the music and the way it gathered many different people. This made him reflect on how he presented music in his stores. He made a compilation of music he had gathered on his journeys and gathered a positive response. This led him to give out his first release in 1993.
With the same idea: bring music that is either popular or traditional in one country to other countries.
My choice from this album is an instrumental track, not because it is the best track on the album, but because it is so typical South African.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDIGjBUeq_w
No comments:
Post a Comment