"World Music"

[Jeanette X]

You know what I hate? The fact that any non-American traditional folk music, whether its Mongolian throat singing, Balkan chanting, or belly dance all gets thrown into this big lump catagory called "World Music" or "Ethnic Music". It doesn't all sound the same! It can be totally unrelated to the other stuff in that catagory but it still all gets lumped together because its "exotic". I hate it. It is fucking ethnocentric. >:
I also hate the fact that nobody else ever seems to listen to it. And that they often make fun of it when they do because it sounds so different. I mean, for crying out loud, give something else a try besides rock and jazz! There's more out there, you know!

[Perndog]

I used to volunteer at a local concert hall that books music from around the world - some of my favorite acts that came through are the ones that play techno, industrial, or metal in the style of their country's folk music (think Flogging Molly). There's a Finnish industrial band called Garmarna who sells out when they play here, and I caught the first US show of an Italian technoish group called Fiamma Fumana. :rock

[Jeanette X]

Ah, good for you! I did change the original post from "Do any of you listen to really obscure music" to a rant about world music, but its good to hear that at least someone is trying something new! :)