WOMAD

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  Dear All,

  I was wondering if you could give me some advice regarding a future in music recording and production. I am currently on a gap year and will begin university this September. As a keen enthusiast of “world music” (although I don't particularly like that term myself!) it has been my ambition for some time now to be involved in and hopefully make a career within the world music industry. I am especially interested in the traditional music of Central Asia; it would be a dream come true to work with that music as a field recorder or even through more studio-based production.

  As I am only nineteen, however, and as I live in very rural Mid Wales I have had little opportunity to learn much about the industry beyond what I read in Songlines and on some world music record labels, and my knowledge of the music itself extends only to the music I listen to on my many CDs and from what I've read in a handful of ethnomusicology journals and books. I was hoping you could give me a few tips as to where to go from here. Anything would be appreciated – I would add a “such as” here, but I'm afraid I might suggest the wrong “such as”s, so I'll leave it as “anything” and trust that you'll know what to say instead!

  On a slightly different note, perhaps you might also be able to help me regarding my university choices also. I've narrowed it down to two courses: the BA in music at SOAS and BMus at Newcastle with a year abroad. From a world music perspective I've no doubt that SOAS would be the better of the two, where I could learn the music first hand that I hope to work with in the future. However, I would be sacrificing a couple of other musical enjoyments of mine, namely classical singing and composition. Also, although there would be so many opportunities in London, especially from a world music point of view, I'm not sure I would really enjoy the city and its expenses for three years of undergrad study! Would studying music at SOAS be too narrow a field? Or would you think it perfect for someone who wants to work in the world music industry in the future? Don't worry about helping me with this if you haven't a clue – it's merely something that's been bugging my mind for some time now!

  Thank you very much,
  Hedd Thomas

  Posted on 27-Mar-2009 5:44pm by BreninBoncyn

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  There is some good stuff here on Real World Records from "Central Asia":
  a new release by "Mamer" from Uygur/East-Turkestan, Askhabad from Turkmenistan, the female singer Sevara Nazarkhan with a few releases and we also can add the "throat-singing act" Shu-De from Tuva/Northern Mongolia.
  The best thing you could to is to check out the "catalogue"-section of this Real World Records-site : There You will find a world-map - click the Central Asia-area and You will get more info. In Central Asia the mostly speak languages/dialects, that are close to the Turkish language.

  Posted on 10-Apr-2009 12:30pm by Cimber

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