Saturday 22 June 2013

How Amazing South African music culture



South African music culture consists of diverse genres, from rap, kwaito and gospel to pop and alternative rock. Jazz includes a special place in South African music culture and South African artists are well-known for pushing musical boundaries and doing things in new and exciting ways.Which makes it, listening to it or moving into it; in South Africa, music infuses every aspect of our way of life. The country has a rich musical heritage which includes both popular and folk forms, encompassing genres for example jazz, blues, gospel, rock, pop, reggae, rap, kwaito and more.This vibrant contemporary music scene reflects an extended and colourful history that saw African, American and European music forms mix, evolve and will continue to entertain diverse groups of South Africans within the decades.

In fact, the key to understanding South African music is in realizing where it comes from. Be it the adaptation of Dutch instruments in the 17th century by Indonesian slaves, or the mutation of 1990s house music into township Kwaito, home-grown and foreign sounds mingle to produce a singularly South African sound. And like so much of South African culture, music is inextricably linked with the political upheavals of the last century.

Vocal harmony is the oldest music tradition and culture in south africa, with its roots in communal dances accompanied by elaborate call-and-response patterns. This movement, defined as gospel acapella, has long been popular in South Africa, but it was the band Ladysmith Black Mambazo who first propelled it into the international arena.

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