Reflection – Culture and society

MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS Fusion in popular music

Modern technology makes it easy to take sounds from all over the world and mix them into a trendy medley. But to truly understand other cultures, you need more than just a cosmetic patchwork of sounds. The British composer Nitin Sawhney and the Swiss alphorn player Eliana Burki offer two possible routes to a deeper musical understanding.

TEXT_Hanspeter Kuenzler

Travellers through a musical universe full of contrasts.

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Global Fusion Mixing together music from different cultures is certainly ity and beyond skin” – was the credo for “Beyond Skin”, his Bank Sarasin-Alpen and its not an invention originating from the latter part of the 20th breakthrough work that won the Mercury prize in 2000 for investment banking associate, Alpen century. The roots of European gypsy music can be traced as the best British album of the year. Since then Sawhney has Capital, organize the musical concert far back as India. In the USA, rock ’n’ roll was the result of tirelessly expanded his perspectives in search of his inner self. Global Fusion every year for their a fusion between blues, swing, gospel, and electric guitar. The journey has taken him to Nelson Mandela’s home, clients. This flagship event features In the early 60s the nightclubs of Senegal were gripped by a Paul McCartney’s studio, to the Native Indians in America and world-renowned artists from various passion for Cuban music – and a unique style of Senegalese the aborigines in Australia. On his latest album “The Last genres integrated into a single rumba was soon born. Today this type of fusion is much Days of Meaning” he brings together everything the world musical experience. The concert was easier. You don’t need lessons in how to play the Argentinean has shown him in an attempt to understand an embittered introduced to mark the launch of concertina, the bandonéon, to be able to play tango like old man who feels alienated in his own country. “Music is a both companies in Dubai in 2005 Astor Piazzolla. All you need is a laptop. Anyone wanting universal language,” he says. “It is also an abstract form of and provides a unique platform to to embellish their techno beats with flutes from Samoa can expression that speaks directly to people on the subconscious showcase and integrate the best of simply download the relevant samples from the Internet and level. Yes, I really think that music can change people.” both traditional and contemporary immediately they have their “Samoa Trance Sound”. music from different musical her- “Fusion” as a voyage of discovery On her album “Heartbeat” she mainly played funky pop itages. Till date, eight Global Fusion “Fusion” as a form of self- Since she was a child, 28-year-old Eliana Burki from Switzer- music. On her latest album “Travellin’ Root” you can hear concerts have been held in Dubai, expression land has been attempting the seemingly impossible: she strong influences from North Africa and South America. three in Doha and three in Muscat But Nitin Sawhney wants wants to play the traditional alphorn in an unconventional “The influences come mainly from the countries that we and featured over 85 artistes from nothing to do with this way. When she first came across the instrument at the age of have visited,” she says. “You have the chance to get together all over the world. shallow type of “culture six she immediately knew: “That’s the instrument for me.” with local musicians, to absorb their music and to get in- surfing”. He was born in Three years later she started to rebel. She was the only girl at volved, and this gives you inspiration for your own compo- Global Fusion also promotes talented 1964, just after his parents the yodelling festival and had to wear the traditional cos- sitions. Anyone hearing my music relives my own experience local artistes in the Middle East and emigrated from India to a tume for that region – otherwise she wouldn’t be allowed to of new horizons opening up.” provides them with an opportunity to small town near London. play. “I told my mother: Sorry, I can’t do this any more.” Not work with world renowned musicians He was the only pupil in only was the costume totally alien to her, but she could and share the same stage with them. the school with a dark skin. hardly breathe when wearing it. “I wanted to play jazz. Miles In addition to fusing various genres of That made him an outsider even though he grew up with the Davis, Chet Baker and the harpist Andreas Vollenweider We reached an im- music, the concerts also include the same pop culture as his contemporaries: the Beatles, punks were my heroes – despite my tender age!” portant milestone visual element of dance combined with and Beano comics. But he didn’t feel at home in his parents’ at the end of Janu- music and has highlighted some key culture either: after all, he had never lived in India. Nitin “I’m sure my mother must have been embarrassed on a ary 2011 with the dance forms such as flamenco, tap threw himself into music. On the piano he played Bach, number of occasions when we were out together. I have successful migra- dance and sufi kathak to name a few. Chopin and jazz improvisations, while also studying classical never minced my words.”_Eliana Burki tion of our Asian Indian music and Flamenco guitar. Everything that influ- locations in Hong Bank Sarasin-Alpen and Alpen enced him flowed into his music as well. “The fusion of dif- The official Alphorn Association has ten basic rules govern- Kong and Singapore to the Avaloq Capital were honoured with the ferent musical styles produces nothing if it is merely dabbling ing every aspect of an alphorn performance. For example, it banking software. After very intensive prestigious Sheikh Mohammed Bin in unusual sound combinations,” he says. “You have to get is compulsory to wear the traditional Alpine costume, each project work, our employees in Asia Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the heavily involved with different types of music before you can melody must not contain more than five tones, and no stac- can now access the same system Arts Award in 2010 and 2011 for bring them together in such a way that the cogs of their cato or rapid tone sequences are permitted. Burki ignored all functions as other Avaloq users their patronage of music through wheels mesh together and create forward motion.” these conventions – and frequently received letters from in- across the Sarasin Group. In addition, their Global Fusion concerts. censed traditionalists accusing her of betrayal. Making the all the functional, legal and regulatory “The fusion of different musical styles produces move into jazz was also a move towards artistic freedom for requirements for the operating nothing if it is merely dabbling in unusual sound her. “Disobedient is not business in Asia have been fully im- combinations.”_Nitin Sawhney quite the right word,” she plemented in the system technology. laughs. “But I’m sure my This lays a cost-effective foundation Sawhney was not the only young offspring of immigrants mother must have been for the Group’s future growth. As who tried to define his cultural identity through music. In embarrassed on a number far as synergies are concerned, the Bhangra, a genre of folk music from the Punjab, many of his of occasions when we were main benefit is improved efficiency contemporaries discovered a vehicle that was ideally suited to out together. I have never and quality in business processes, cross-cultural experiments. The term “Asian Underground” minced my words.” Since the reduction of operational risks, was coined for this new musical movement. Sawhney was part then Burki has travelled shorter time frames for launching of this scene. He wasn’t interested in belonging to a fashion- across the entire world, new products and the scalability able movement, but in trying to tackle everyday issues and both literally and figura- of systems and processes._Peter Sami, prejudices through music. “Beyond politics, beyond national- tively, with her alphorn. Head Logistics

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