Balagana Where the World's Rhythms Come Alive

Balagana

Where the World's Rhythms Come Alive

Latest Articles

Seven African Music Genres That Are About to Take Over Your Playlist
Global Sounds

Seven African Music Genres That Are About to Take Over Your Playlist

Africa's music scenes are moving faster than most American listeners realize. From the hypnotic piano-driven pulse of Amapiano to the chaotic, thrilling hyperpop experiments bubbling out of Lagos and Kinshasa, a new wave of genres is lined up and ready to reshape what mainstream US audiences think they know about African music. Here are seven sounds you need to know right now.
Strings Attached: How Gen Z Fell Hard for the Banjo, Oud, and Everything In Between
Music Trends

Strings Attached: How Gen Z Fell Hard for the Banjo, Oud, and Everything In Between

Something unexpected is happening in the bedrooms and studios of the youngest generation of musicians: they're putting down the laptop and picking up instruments their grandparents might recognize. From sitars going viral on TikTok to indie artists weaving West African kora melodies into their debut EPs, Gen Z is staging a full-on acoustic revolution — and it sounds absolutely gorgeous.