Two Types of Tradition

Yes, it's that time of the week. Again. And no, I still haven't Gone Out and Done Stuff (too lethargic, too uninspired, too reluctant to brave the weather, although it's nice and sunny today!)

Anyway, that aside, here's the new music I listened to this week.


A-WA
This is a Yemenite folk singing group who hail from Israel. I heard about them through Emerald Street's emails (which I only get as a result of my mad month of entering hundreds of competitions) .
Their music is a real fusion of pop and hip-hop with a massive traditional Arabic folk vibe.
They sing in an Arabic dialect known as Yemenite, but I enjoyed it regardless of being unable to understand any of it (besides, occasionally on YouTube there are wonderful people who post translations in the comments. Failing that, there's always google).
I enjoyed listening to this act and think the music is perfect to play during a long drive on a sunny day, or when you want to dance around during a summer rainfall!
A-WA Official Website



Dordeduh
So this was a Romanian act I found via last.fm, and it turns out it was started by former members of Negură Bunget, who I wrote about weeks ago.
I've embedded a music video here, but don't let the atmosphere of this song convince you that this is all this band is about. Dordeduh are a black metal band--other songs have the thrashing guitars, growly metal vocals and rapid drumming more familiar with the genre. If you listen to the song above and expect the rest to be similar, you're in for a shock.
The difference with Dordeduh is that they use traditional instruments alongside the usual kind of band setup (you can see these in the video above!)
It's interesting to listen through their music, because whilst some is really 'in your face' music you want to headbang to (well, I certainly had the urge...) other tracks are much slower and quieter, but nonetheless massively atmospheric.
If you want to know what they're singing, click the little YouTube button in the video to go to the page on the website--there are lyrics in the comments! (Seriously, I love it when people do that!)
Dordeduh on Facebook


This week's acts, despite being hugely different in genre, have a similarity in that both explore their roots to create their music--A-WA by singing in the near-obsolete dialect of their paternal grandparents, Dordeduh through the use of instruments traditional to their country.

Listen with an open mind, and enjoy!