Music in my opinion is a universal language that goes beyond borders, connecting people through different cultures, sharing stories. With this traditional and modern music of different cultures, all this type of music expresses their own identity and history. In this blog post, I will show you the different traditional and modern cultures music to analyze them and learn a little bit more about them.
Of course I have to start with my own country and culture, Bolivia. Bolivia’s music is a beautiful mix of tradition and modern influences. Traditional for me sounds like the morenada bring the coutry’s history to life with its rhythms, bands, and of course colorful festivals. On the other hand, Bolivian modern genres like cumbia have taken a famous role in our music, that are popular at parties and celebrations.
This next video is a morenada that is maybe not very old, but very traditional.
Now, this song is a modern genre in Bolivia that is cumbia. And this song became really famous a few years ago. I really like it and I hope you will too.
For the traditional music part, I chose South Africa. South African traditional music is full of rhythm and soul in my opinion. It includes powerful vocal styles, where this groups sing in harmony to tell stories and share emotions. Instruments such as drums, marimbas, and more add energy to this beautiful genre. These traditional sounds are not just music, they also are a way of celebrating history, culture and community as well.
This song I used is from a scene of a very good movie called “Zulu”. The Zulu warriors sng to honor those who’ll be killed in the upcoming battle. They are difnifying there enemies. In my opinion, cinematic perfection and a film of great importance and significance.
And lastly, for the modern music part, I chose a genre that I enjoy listening a lot which is Jamaican Reggae. Reggae is the heartbeat of modern Jamaican music. With its relaxed rhythms, lyrics and melodies, this type of genre shares messages of love, peace and social change as well. Artists like one of my personal favorites, Bob Marley, made reggae famous aroun the world, and its influence can still be felt in music today. Reggae isn’t just a genre, its also a way of life that represents the soul of Jamaica.
In my opinion music plays a very important role in rituals as like a very powerful thing for emotional connections and also the atmosphere of the ritual celebrating. For my first experience I am going to talk about my brother’s wedding. They played really meaningful songs all along the wedding it self. Some of them very romantic or some of them very exciting, specifically to make the people happy and dance a lot. Traditional wedding songs in my country are really cool and I would love to share one of them at least so they gain more popularity since I feel like Bolivian music is not very well known around the world.
There is one special event that happens in many not only weddings but also in celebrations or rituals, specially in my city (Santa Cruz) in Bolivia. It is called “La Hora Loca” which is like a point in the night where lots of dancers come in the wedding and start playing music with lots of balloons and good stuff. “La Hora Loca” translated in English is the crazy hour. The song I am going to attach is called La Bomba and it is by Azul Azul, of course a bolivian band. Like I said, it is really well known in my country, specially in my city, but it makes it a traditional and cultural ritual to every wedding, and also of course to my brothers wedding.
Last song was a traditional song that is very important to lots of Bolivian weddings as a fun thing where everyone celebrates and gathers together. But this song that I am going to talk about, it is even more traditional to my city cultural and traditional rituals, specifically for birthdays. I could say that at birthdays when we are celebrating we sing the happy birthday song (in Spanish), but this song is just used in my city, Santa Cruz. For people that were born here, it is really important to know it and sing it for every birthday of the family. Specially for old people, they use to sing it all the time for birthdays, but over the years people have been forgetting the song and Bolivian people really need to keep using it so it is passed to the next generations. For this song video, you’ll be able to see a man with a guitar and a really traditional costume of my culture with the our distinctive hat. He is singing the song in a very large and famous river that cross my city called “El Pirai”. I always remember sing it for all my birthdays so it makes it very special for me as well.
Well, for this interview, I had to choose between my family members or even friends that are very close to me. However, I decided to interview my uncle Luigi (yes, his name is also Luigi and thanks to him I got my name) and also one of my cousins that I grew up with in the same house, her name is Ninoska. Both of them are grown ups, with families and living with their kids. So, I thought they might have really good anecdotes and opinions about music in general. Not gonna lie, I listen also to a lot of what they also listen to, thanks to them of course, because I know all this artists and bands since I am a child and I am very familiar with. Not to spoil anything, I’ll just start with the interview and I really hope whoever is reading it will enjoy it. (this interviews were in Spanish so I had to do all the work and translate them in English)
Uncle Luigi
Me: Who is an artist or band that really had a great impact on you growing up?
Unc: A band that really had an influence on me growing up is Enanitos Verdes. I remember a lot being a kid and living in this house that you wouldn’t even remember because you were just a baby, listening to this new band. Me and my two older brothers were really surprised when their songs started becoming really famous, it was kinda like a boom they had at that time. Even I remember your mom listening to them on the radio a lot, she really loved them too.
Me: That’s awesome, even I listen to them a lot till this day. Okay, so the next question would be: have you ever been to a concert? just in general, it doesn’t have to be from the same band.
Unc: Yes, of course. Actually the concert was from the same band as well. So it was in Carnaval (a very traditional thing we have in Bolivia), can’t remember the year exactly right now. Me and your uncles tried to buy the tickets at any cost. When we got the tickets and we were at the concert we really couldn’t process to be there, because it was my first concert as well and I was with who it is your aunt now and the mother of my kids. We really had a great time and I think it was the first time they came to Bolivia as well.
Me: I wish I was born before to be there, that sounds so sick. So, perfect, last question and I won’t bother you anymore, favorite song of all time and why?
Unc: Favorite song? That’s a hard one. If I had to pick one I’ll guess it would be Luz de día by Enanitos Verdes. It’s just my favorite song and I really can’t say why. I just love it so much and listened to it a lot back in the day.
decided to add this one from the same band because it is my personal fav, hope you can give it a chance
Cousin Ninoska
Me: Any favorite artist or band you can tell me about?
Cous: Omg yes, I have so many tho. Between my favorites are Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Rakim and Ken, Los Wachiturros, Rombai, Ricardo Arjona. This are just some of the artists and groups I listen to a lot on a daily basis and also since I am a teenager. I would say my personality really comes from all this people, most of them are different genres but this are really the artists that made me who I am today.
Me: So many, but impressively I listen also to some of them till this day, kinda crazy. Next question: any concert you’ve been that you really liked?
Cous: Yes!! I’ve been to quite a lot but if I had to choose It’ll be Ricardo Arjona and Luis Miguel. You know how much I love them and if I could, I would go as many times as I can. I really love Arjona’s song and you know how Luis Miguel was when he was younger. He was the most attractive men on the planet, his concert was full of women screaming and crying for him, of course I know he is most known by Spanish speaking people but if you could show any song to your friends, do it because you know that he was attractive but he also had some very very good songs.
I got to say that Arjona’s concert was a little better tho because I felt like the people there were more like calmed, if you know what I mean. And his songs are also something special, they really made me cry that night.
Me: I actually remember you going to the concert that night, but not really clear memory tho. Okay perfect, last question: favorite song of all time?
Cous: Has to be Abrázame by Angela Aguilar and Felipe Botello. It is a very recent song but I feel like it really gives me the chills every time I play it and is giving me good vibes all the time. I even play it to my kids a lot so they can also remember the lyrics because it such a beautiful song.
House music is a genre that I listen to and I enjoy it a lot on a daily basis. It became really famous this past few years, gaining a lot of fans in the industry and the genre (electronic music). Yet, despite the global popularity it has, there remains maybe a notable gender disparity within the whole industry. While many iconic male DJs that I listen to every day, and also producers, have become household names, women in house music often face significant challenges in gaining similar recognition for this type of music.
Historically, the house music scene worldwide has been dominated by male figures, both in terms I would say of public visibility and the industry influence. In my own experience, I am talking about this situation because I feel like there is not as many male DJs as from the opposite gender. I want to clarify, not because people might say men are better for it but maybe because of some other circumstances that women might face. Amazing DJs like Marlon Hoffstadt, Mochakk, Sam Alfred, Chris Stussy, and many more, have shaped the genre’s development and its global reach. Their prominence has set an authority, but it also created a landscape where male dominance became the norm of the genre.
Women in not only house music but also electronic music overall, despite their talent and contributions, often struggle to achieve the same level of fame. Some artist that I can name like Peggy Gou, Sofia Kourtesis, Honey Dijon are notable exceptions, yet I think they still face obstacles to this disparity include industry gatekeeping and representation issues.
Some really good songs I listened to from female house music artists are:
(this song became really popular not very long ago and it is in my top songs that I listen the most this year for sure by a female house music artist- Peggy gou)
And also, this DJ setup by DJ Tinzo is really sick, you can really feel her vibes on it.
To finish my post, while the house music genre in my opinion is very wide and has already an exciting present, the gender disparity remains a significant issue. And by acknowledging the challenges faced by women in the industry and advocating for change, we can help ensure that future generations of female artists receive the recognition I think they absolutely deserve.
Hi everyone. My name is Luigi Ballivian and I am from Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I am here at Converse thanks to a friend that gave my phone number to the Swim coach and he gave me the opportunity to swim for this school. I swim since I am only 6 years old, and I kept practicing for my whole life. I did also lots of sports when I was little because my mom kept signing me in several of them, but I sticked to swimming because that’s the one I liked the most (and soccer).
I grew up in Santa Cruz (best city in Bolivia for sure). I’ve traveled a lot in my life, I always like to go to new places and meet new people. I really like Spartanburg and also the school, since I came from a really small school in Kansas, that I studied there for 2 years before coming here.
I have a dog. His name is Vito and I choose that name because one of my favorite movies is the Godfather. He is just 4 years old and I wanted to get him a brother but my mother would kill me probably.
I really like music and I listen to a lot of tunes every day, so I hope you can go through this post and give it a listen and you may like it too.
1. It was hard to just choose one song that I like but this one that I picked, I really can’t go wrong with it.
I already knew this song for a long time, but it became one of my favorites till today because it reminds me of spring break with my friends. And I really cannot get bored of it. It is just right every time I play it. Me and my friends listened to it for spring break the two weeks we were in Florida because we had Nationals there and then we stayed another week for spring break. So yeah, I hope you like it as much as I do.
Another song that I really listen a lot till this day is Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza by Mac Miller. There is not really a story behind. I guess I would just say that I listen to mac a lot and I really like this album too.
2. This song that I am going to share is very meaning full to me. It is not about the lyrics or the singer. It just reminds me of my brother every time I play it. I think the first time I heard it it was on a trip we did here in the US because he was a student in another school here in the US at that time. And he really liked it so he played it in the car. It is She will be loved by Maroon 5.
3. An example of music that I really don’t connect with is country. I know that a lot of people here in the US listen to it. I just don’t like it and I never listen to it. I think I get why people listen to it, because of the slow beat, and lyrics (I guess). It is just not my type of music and I don’t have any problems with people that like it, (again) I just don’t really listen to it.
(this is the only song I could came up with because I know Morgan Wallen makes country music)
4. I would like to share this song that I have the honor to be friends with the guy who did it. There is not a music video but he should do one. I will just share the link of the song, and hopefully you can give it a listen. Love this guy, he is Aussie and hopefully I see him again very soon. (love you louis)
