GWSS Blog Post #4

Candace Chang
I felt that an important part of this week’s readings was the importance of the way styles are created. In American Sabor, the author discusses the way many genres are built through the contributions of a variety of communities and people. For instance, they note, “The marketing of hip-hop as an African American genre shows how ethnic and national labels can limit our understanding of music and it should remind us that other genres of American music - from country to jazz to rock and roll - have also been shaped through sharing between diverse communities” (231). They further talk about how such styles and scenes are created in response to... “problems of racism and prejudice facing marginalized communities” (251). I think this is significant because we often think of genre too simply. Yet the experiences and stories that go into these musical streams are so important. This could also be seen in Martha Gonzalez’s “Imaginaries.” In detailing her own musical career she emphasizes the importance of having experience in multiple styles, “I use my overall experience as a musician familiar with the genres of Africa and its diaspora to compose zapateado patterns. Intuitively, but not deliberately, I rely on my percussive training with the congas, bata, chekere (shaker), and the music and dance of Cuba and Ghana” (369). Similarly, she also emphasizes the struggles she faced as a Chicana as an important part of developing her sound. Style is complex and tied to multiple experiences, often from different communities. But the beauty comes from the similarities they find with one another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Nd5WMWHEQ
The first song I want to recommend is chachacha by Girl Ultra. Girl Ultra sings in her native Spanish- connecting to the theme of identity shaping style. However, she also blends her music with inspiration from early 90s contemporary soul and r&b. Here we see, multiple streams influencing the style of the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9-FPSPFuMA&list=PLErWMVNXg8qhg6ZofAuE2cK84d3SqutzT
The second song I want to recommend is Gospel For a New Century by Yves Tumor. In this song, Yves defies expressing a single genre. When I play this song for others they don't expect the singer behind it to be a black man. This relates back to the idea that genre is not always connected to one identity, and multiple experiences shape the sound of all music.