Uzbekistan

Music History

Uzbekistan has a very long and rich music history.  Most of Uzbek music is shaped by the Middle East, which is what they now called folk music.  During the 1950’s USSR banned radio play of Uzbek folk music from the Soviet radio station.  Then after 1990’s when Uzbekistan declared independence from the USSR folk music started to get it’s audience back and became more popular when television and radio stations started regularly playing folk music. There are many different types of music in Uzbek along with traditional folk music such as Rock, Pop, and Rap.

Shoxrux

Shoxrux is a rapper, entertainer, and producer in Uzbek. He had his big break in 2004 when his song “Hayr Bevafo” (Farewell Unfaithful) that helped him be named New Generation in Music of the Year award at the annual music award ceremony in Tashkent. He has a very similar hip hop sound blended with some traditional instruments making appearances in his beats.

https://www.youtube.com/user/shoxruxofficialtv

 

Rayhon:

Rayhon is a very influential person in Uzbekistan because she is a singer, songwriter, and film actress. She got her big break in the Uzbekistan music industry in 2002 with her song “Baxtli bo’laman”(I’ll be Happy), which was recorded in both Uzbek and Russian.

 

Rayhon, unlike Shoxrux, came from a family of well-known actors. Her mother and father were a well-known actor in Uzbekistan and several other Soviet countries.

She has recorded 13 studio albums and she won the Tarona Award giving to the Best Female singer in Uzbekistan in 2002 and 2004. Rayhon won two Tarona awards for best Album with Baxtli boʻlaman in 2003 and Faqat Muhabbat in 2005.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Xo7POwDM4&spfreload=1

Rayhon is a pop singer who uses the piano as her main instrument with a middle eastern sound, which is a big influence to all Uzbekistan music.

Traditional music is Shashmaqam

 

Shashmaqam is a traditional style of music not just in Uzbekistan, but all over Central Asia. Shashmaqam means six Maqams(modes) in Persian. Dastgah being named for Persian modes and Maqams being the name from the modes.

Shashmaqam is made up of a pair of long-necked lutes the Datar or frame drum, with jingles, which is very much like a tambourine, and a sato or bowed tambour, which resembles a bass fiddle.

Web site with pictures of bands and instruments:

Shashmaqam – Oriental Traditional Music

More Youtube Videos of Shashmagam

 

Education

Literacy rate (15-24) in 2008-2012 for males is 99.9% and females 100
Primary School Participation is 2008-2012 for males 96% and females 93.2%
Primary school participation survival rate to last primary grade from 2008-2012 for administration data is 98.1% and survey date is 99.5%
Secondary school Net enrollment 2008-2012 for males and females is not listed
Secondary school Net attendance for Males is 91.4% and females is 89.5%

-http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uzbekistan_statistics.html

Economy

Uzbekistan is a lower-middle- income country with a small sized economy and world ranked 73rd largest economy by nominal GDP.
Uzbekistan is a serviced based economy with Agriculture being 19.14% while employing 38.5% of the population. Manufacturing and industry accounting for 26.27% of GDP and employing 35.2% of a population. The service sector accounts for 55.59% of the GDP and employs 35.20% of the population. Government debt was nonapplicable, but revenue in 2019 was 34.95% with a government spending of 34.25%. Uzbekistan currency is called Uzbekistan Sum (UZS) and the exchange rate as of March 3, 2015, is 2,465.36 UZS per 1USD.

-https://www.quandl.com/collections/uzbekistan

Musician Comparison

Rayhon and Shoxrux both were raised and become an artist in two very drastic ways. Shoxrux I assume grew up in a middle-class family because I could not find out anything on his family besides he had two brothers. He went to what we call high school, then went to the Tashkent State University of Economics. His education and hard work have allowed him to be an artist with no label, which basically makes his the Jay-Z of Uzbekistan.

On the other had Rayhon was raised and great up to around music her whole life. Her parents were renown, Soviet actors. She was well-traveled and her passion and knowledge for music came a very young age. This being said, I do think the economy and education affected both and a great way, but economy for Rayhon was better than the economy that Shoxrux started out in.

Turkmenistan

 

 

Classical Turkmenistan Music

Classical music from Turkmenistan is called Mugan.

The most traditional instrument from Turkmenistan is a Dutar. A dutar is the most representative instrument of Turkmen folk music. It uses many styles ranging from the Mukamiar and Saltiklar to the Kirkalnd and Nave.  They are performed by professional musicians that they call Sazanda.

They are performed by professional musicians that they call Sazanda.

 

Tach

Tach is not a regular musician from Turkmen because he creates his own music and videos, which is something many Turkmen musicians don’t do. He also sings in English,which he picked up from when he studied abroad. So he is a very cultured musician in his own right.

MaRo

 

MaRo is a very contraversal rapper in Turkmenistan. He has been imprisoned by the government for his son Sen Oyan translated to English as “Wake Up.” The Turkman Government perceived it as a call for Citizens to resist the state. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment in 2011 after an initial 15-day detention.

This is the translation of this MaRo song Sen Ryan:
This song is for our friends, yeah , yeah, yeah / The sun sets and stars appear / Hours, days and years pass / You should try to make something remarkable in this world / Because time doesn’t wait and there is no coming back / Don’t sleep for too long, wake up / And trust only yourself / Life is not easy, so listen to me if you are real, friend / You will cope with all troubles with every breath you take / Every day and everywhere when you feel sad / Let help come to your life / And you can reach your dreams

-https://globalvoices.org/2013/05/10/turkmen-pop-music-make-love-not-politics/

 

In 2013 MaRo was granted amnesty on the Day of Turkmen Flag in February of 2013. After serving two years of his five-year term.

Ma-Ro sings mainly about love and his homeland, outside of his strong political songs.

This political cartoon explains the relation between music and government in Turkmenistan.

Education:

 

 

Youth from 15-24 literacy Rate 2008-2012 male 99.8 and female 99,9
Number per 100 populations 2012 mobile phones 76.5 and internet users 7.2
Primary school participation 2008-2012
-Gross Enrolment ratio male and female N/A
-Net enrollment male and female N/A
Net attendance is male 99.1 and female 98.9
Survival rate to last primary grade 98.9
Secondary school Net attendance 2008-2012 for male is 84.1 and female 84.2

-http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Turkmenistan_statistics.html

Economy

 

Turkmenistan is a upper-middle-income country with a GDP of USA 40.57 Billion in 2013, which makes it the world’s 87th largest economy. Turkmenistan’s economy is predominantly service-based with services accounting for 37.01% of GDP, but there was no employment percentage. Manufacturing and industry accounts for 48.44% of the GDP and Agriculture account for 14.55% of the GDP, with either having any stats for employment.
Turkmenistan currency is called Manat (TMT) and the exchange rate on March 3, 2015, was 2.85 TMT per 1USD.

No stats for unemployment rate

-https://www.quandl.com/collections/turkmenistan/turkmenistan-economy-data

 

I decided to research Tach and MaRo because of how they wanted to push thought the government and release music that they felt need to be heard.  Tach proves that an artist can produce music in a second language, which I feel is very improtant and allows poeple from multiple coutries to enjoy his music.

Tajikistan

Tajik music is closely related to other forms of Central Asian music. The Tajik form of Classical music is Shashmaqam, a genre shared with other Central Asian countries. Folk music from Southern Tajikistan is called falak and is played at ceremonies like weddings and circumcisions.

Tajik pop music is like a lot of pop music in Central Asia, it takes elements from modern western R&B and popular European dance music and often features traditional Tajik instruments.

One popular artist from Tajikistan, Noziyai Karomatullo, sings in native Tajiki, a dialect of modern Persian, but occasionally sings in Hindi. Karomatullo attended a musical conservatory in New Delhi, India and graduated with honors. She is the daughter of famous Tajik singer Karamatullah Qurbonov. According to UNICEF 90% of men and 80% of women in Tajikistan enroll in secondary education.

According to the BBC, one third of the Tajik population is under 14 years old. If the consumption of pop music in Tajikistan matches the way pop music is consumed in the United States, we speculate the industry will continue to or have the potential for a huge audience of young people.

In the comments below, please share your favorite Tajik pop star. How did you hear about them? What do you like about them that sets them apart?

Are you a musician in Tajikistan? Please share your music below.

Kyrgyzstan

Traditional music from Kyrgyzstan is nomadic and rural, with Russian elements and is characterized by long, sustained pitches.

Like other Central Asian countries, pop music from Kyrgyzstan features elements of dance and electronic music but seems to feature some elements of pop R&B. In 2013, the Kyrgyzstan UN system collaborated with a variety of Kyrgyz pop artists to produce a song, An Ocean of Drops, to inspire youth in Kyrgyzstan to be more involved in the countries development.

Currently in Kyrgyzstan the net enrollment in primary school is 87% and 43% for tertiary education. There is 1 teacher for every 24 pupils (UNICEF). According to Worldbank, those in rural areas are predominantly more impoverished.

What are some ways Kyrgyz pop music could be improved upon?

If you are from Kyrgyzstan or a neighboring nation, what are some of your favorite artists?

Kazakhstan

Music History and Progression

Musically, Kazakh music is oriented around string instruments, specifically the dombra (a two-stringed lute) and the kobyz. These instruments were made of a combination of wood and animal products (such as leather and hair). When the Soviet Union entered Kazakhstan, the kobyz was modernized–the horsehair strings were replaced with steel strings.

The introduction of the Soviet state changed several things about traditional Kazakh music. Traditionally, Kazakh folk music was about communities, local needs or social unrest. The Soviet Union, with a propensity for censoring its controlled states, discouraged politically charged songwriting. The Soviet Union also converted traditional Kazakh music into classical European forms, especially with the introduction of formal orchestras and symphonies. Eventually, Soviet officials took Kazakh-styled songwriting to produce “patriotic” music–propaganda of the state.

In 2016, Kazakh musicians are attempting to preserve the heritage of Kazakh sounds. This includes a return to traditional, pre-Soviet Kazakh songwriting–but of course, pre-Soviet union, musicians were not formally trained as they are now. The impact of globalization is evident in Kazakhstan, as many modern musicians blend traditional Kazakh sounds with more modern styles and tastes.

Last.fm provides an overview of the most popular Kazakh music, including artists such as Ulytau, Holy Dragons and Buhar Jerreau.

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Music Education

Music education in Kazakhstan is available to all students who are enrolled in the country’s general school program, however, it is not offered in high school. For students who are enrolled in high school, there are plenty of music schools within the cities and towns throughout the entire country. To be eligible for tuition and music education after the general school program, the student must be at least seven years of age. The only exception to this are the students who are particularly talented in music, and they may be sent to a fully residential music school, where the student need not pay for tuition. This program lasts seven years, and qualifies the student for a Certificate of Education upon completion. After receiving the Certificate, the student becomes a post-graduate and can either take leads on employment, performances, or as a teach in a College of Arts.

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Economy

Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s largest economy. Oil is the main source of any sort of outstanding economy in this country, however in recent years their growth has been shrinking due to weak demand and low production of the product. Kazakhstan’s authorities have been implementing institutional and structural reforms to diversify the economy so that it does not almost completely rely on oil production. These reforms include adjusting income rates and adjusting domestic prices of goods and services.

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Bulgaria

Bulgaria music is primarily focused on folk and contemporary styles of folk. Music and other forms of art are deeply embedded in Bulgarian culture, with surrounding countries influencing their sound and even following their example. For instance, one method of church singing within the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Eastern melodic, incorporates both Greek and Byzantine music. Musical traditions can be followed all the way back to the Middle Ages with Bulgarian composer Yoan Kukuzel. Bulgarians sing at their churches, festivals, and in choirs. Bulgarians are also widely known and held in high esteem for their  singing ability and range of their voice. However, this traditional music and dance are not popular among youth and are most often performed at weddings and festivals. There are still groups of Bulgars that travel around their world singing traditional folk music. One of the most famous of these is the State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances, led by Philip Koutev.

Neli Andreeva and Phillip Kutev Choir – “Malka Moma”

Bulgarian music popular among young adults still incorporates folk into their musical styles. Galina Vicheva Gencheva, “Galena”, is a famous Bulgarian singer and has won many awards for her music. She sings a Bulgarian music genre called Chalga, which is a folk-inspired dance music style. This genre pulls from traditional Bulgarian folk as well as Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Romani, Serbian, and Russian music.

Galena Feat. Faye – “Habibi”

If one were to visit SoundCloud and search for artist that are from Bulgaria, you see that most of the music being produced by independent artists still focus on Folk. Compared to other countries and their transition to contemporary music, Bulgaria has remained very traditional and it’s surprising to see younger people keeping this traditional Folk alive.

However, this doesn’t mean that this tradition of Folk is an obstacle. In fact it has actually incorporated itself within music genres such as disco and electronic and have been received very well.

Though places like SoundCloud provide individuals the opportunity to create and spread their music to others, to produce music within the country itself is a different matter. “Commercial productions like Jaro’s From Bulgaria with Love represent a transfer in musical ownership from the collectivity of the socialist state to a world of private, foreign enterprise in which Bulgarian musicians collaborate, but which they neither dominate nor control.”

Portugal

There are many music genres that generated out of Portugal because of its rich history. One of those genres, fado, is type of folk music that can be traced all the way back to the 1820’s. If one was to create fado music, though you can sing about anything, needs to meet specific traditional guidelines. Most often than not, you usually hear fado as a form of music characterized by mournful melody and lyrics, usually about the sea, poverty, or longing. One of the most famous fado singers in Portugal was Amália Rodrigues. She was known as the “Rainha do Fado'” or the “Queen of Fado”. She traveled across the world and was instrumental in fado’s popularization. Even after her death in 1999, she remains as the best-selling Portuguese artist of all time. She was also the first artist to appear on American television on ABC in 1953.

Portugal, “has also expanded the accommodation of other styles like Portuguese Rock, Pop, Punk, Pimba, Metal and Hip-Hop, but regional Folk music is still very popular. Over the years this genre has been updated and modernized, particularly in places like Tras-os-Montes, located in Portugal’s northeastern sector. Portuguese music history extends from medieval Gregorian chants and emotionally filled symphonic compositions, to modern creations of today’s composers, to music from the underground scene.”

In the historical context, it was at the beginning of the 20th century when new recording technologies was able to capture the essence of Portugal. A makeshift recording studio was set in the city of Porto at the Hotel Frankfurt where he recorded famous artists like Duarte Silva and Jose Brito. “He recorded fados, folkloric dances, hymns, and other popular musical genres, some of which were played by the Banda da Guarda Municipal do Porto, who performed every week at the Cristal Palace Gardens in the city of Porto”. It was a beautiful time in Portugal when the gramophone was in almost every household. So popular was the music and the way it was heard that the streets would be filled with all different kinds of music, sometimes melding with one another in odd ways, which sometimes required police intervention.

Amalia Rodrigues “Cancao do mar”

Like mentioned before, Portuguese music now focuses on hip hop and rap, and there are some artists that are taking fado and putting a contemporary, modern spin on it.

Jimmy P Feat. Diogo Picarra “Entre As Estrelas”

Jimmy P is another popular musical icon in Portugal focusing on Rap and R&B while still incorporating the musical styles that are essential to Portuguese culture.

Others have taken a more rock and roll approach. For example, Christina Quest is a prominent musical figure playing classic rock. Some of her songs also take on a very somber tone reminiscent of fado.

Christina Quest – Our Precious Time

I talked with Christina and she talked to me about how she first got into the music industry in Portugal. She was able to get involved in music through the radio and moved on by having connections with some friends who were already in the music business from there. She talked about how there aren’t that many labels or publishers and that you just really need to work hard in order to make progress in your career. She also says that distributing music would be easier if the industry was bigger and would therefore make the market for Portuguese music bigger as well.

 

Sweden

History

Sweden has an impressive history in music production, supported by several successful musicians that spanning from pop sensation, ABBA, to indie pop band Miike Snow. Music progressed in Sweden thanks to it’s foundations in instruments. Most early Swedish folk music was recorded with accordions, clarinets, and fiddles, in a very lively fashion that usually involved dancing. It’s easy to see how new artists like Avicii, Elliphant, and Basshunter have built successful careers in the dance music industry.

 

Artists

There have been a number of musicians that have made an impact from Sweden outside of the electronic and dance music scene. One of those musicians would include Max Martin, who has made quite a splash in the United States. He has produced 22 number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 over the past 17 years. His most recently produced number-one hit, “Can’t Feel My Face,” was a pop sensation in the summer of 2015, yet his earliest number-one record dates back to 1998, with Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time.”

Here’s an awesome video of an acoustic version of Spears’ 1998 record:

 

While a Swedish background may not be immediately present in Martin’s pop music, the same certainly cannot be said about music group Peter Bjorn and John. The group personifies the history of Swedish folk and dance music, as their use of percussion and numerous other instruments create high tempo, happy melodies. With pioneers like ABBA and Ace of Base, it is no wonder that Swedish musicians are continuing to have an impact on the global pop music scene.

 

MIYNT is another Swedish artist, but not quite as popular as the other artists mentioned above. The singer-songwriter has her own distinct sound, adding vocals to, once again, instrumentally heavy tracks, influenced mostly by the dance genre. Considering her low fan base online, it’s safe to assume she produces her own music, or has at the very least the final say in what is and isn’t included in her songs. In this light, the artist is a perfect candidate to seek out help from an organization like the Audio Engineering Society. The production value of MIYNT’s music is undeniably noteworthy, however help from an industry professional could take her music to the next level.

 

Several playlists consisting Swedish music can be found here.

 

Societies and Groups

The presence of AES in Sweden is undeniable, especially considering the popularity of Swedish artists. The general quality of production in Sweden is higher than that of the countries in Central Asia, and AES is a huge reason why. Other groups that offer help in music production include the Swedish Sound Engineers Society. The SSES, along with AES combine are two great examples of musical resources in Sweden. The two groups combine to almost 500 members, a rather large tally when considering both organizations are non-profit.

There is no question; the more resources that are made available, the better the production will be. Sweden sets a precedent with their audio engineering community, which is something that could be learned by several other countries.