World music, McGuffins, Elvis and the Makiling Ensemble

Douglas Coupland (author of Generation X) wrote an article in Details about "Generation X" and he equates it with an Alfred Hitchcock term called "McGuffin." A McGuffin is an apparatus used for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands. And since there are no lions in Scotland, then there is no McGuffin in the first place. World music is a sort of McGuffin.

What is this vague beast, this McGuffin called "world music" anyway? Several definitions of world music: 1) A convenient label critics use in classifying music that falls outside the margins; 2) A marketing artifice that encompasses music that’s not pop or rock or electronica — the sonic "other" in short; 3) A musical genre that employs non-traditional instruments such as the African bata drums, djireidou, tabla, gongs, the village idiot’s false teeth, etc.; 4) A rack in a record store where discs from King Sunny Ade, Babatunde Olatunji, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan gather years and cobwebs; 5) A musical term birthed by Americans and Europeans in the 80s in order to classify ethnic and pop music that has already been in existence since the invention of the reel-to-reel tape; 6) Posthumous recordings of the King singing through a throatful of cheeseburgers; 7) Music that can’t be covered or "revived" by Regine Velasquez and Martin Nievera, or sung in SOP by the bumbling vocal duo of Dingdong Dantes and Gabby Eigenmann.

At best, world music is characterized by transcendent grooves and riffs that are primal, heady and wild: Imagine the apes in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey drumming along to the mushrooming strains of Richard Strauss’ Thus Spake Zarathustra. Or a bunch of African tribesmen jamming an old headhunting song. At worst, world music is characterized by chants and choruses that are as irritating as massacre-movie-queen-turned-gameshow-host’s early evening caterwaul. Or a politician’s litany of personal accomplishments. It depends on what disc you pick up in order to satiate your curiosity as to what the frig world music is all about.

Good if you happen to chance upon albums by Khan and Ade or those which feature Western artists flirting with world music such as Van Morrison ("Irish Heartbeat" with the Chieftains), Peter Gabriel (anything except "So"), Paul Simon ("Graceland" and "Rhythm of the Saints" prove that there is life beyond Art Garfunkel), Ry Cooder, and David Byrne (whose former band the Talking Heads created the excellent "Remain in Light" with its infectious Afro-beat).

Incidentally, Byrne once wrote an article called "Why I Hate World Music." It’s about how pissed he was that artists (from cultures somewhat different from that seen on American television) were being lumped into the world music category, rather than perceiving them as creative individuals. For the lead Talking Head, world music has become a label for something that is not sung in English or anything that doesn’t fit into the Anglo-Western pop universe; music that is exotic and beautiful but irrelevant. A McGuffin.

Byrne does have a point. It’s good for him to point out that Westerners are the one who have developed the paradigms and parameters in appraising music. (Artists like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, etc. are the musical benchmarks.) Anyway, labels are oftentimes delimiting and unfair. Didn’t Kierkegaard once say, "Label me and you negate me." Or was that Wayne of Wayne’s World?

Besides, genres these days are morphing into each other. Linkin Park, POD, Limp Bizkit are supposed to be rock bands but they all have vocalists who rap and spiel hip-hop rhymes, and two of these acts have doting DJs. Moby is pigeonholed as an electronica artist, but he employs screaming rock guitars and classical piano flourishes in his albums. Sting is regarded as a pop star but he has incorporated jazz and bossa nova in his compositions, and he even sang with that Cheb fella. The list goes on.

I don’t have the jones for what the critics, the label merchants call "world music," but I do enjoy rock, jazz or quasi-classical with strains of Indian, Caribbean, African, Middle-Eastern rhythms — specifically the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and Weather Report (more on them in future articles, promise).

Here in the Philippines, we can boast of artists who sprinkle their rock and pop with generous helpings of ethnic soundscapes such as Grace Nono, Joey Ayala, Kontragapi, Pinikpikan, Ato Mariano, Pen-Pen, Elemento, Benjie Juvero’s Banyan Tree, and the Makiling Ensemble.

The Makiling Ensemble’s Diwa De Leon (who plays violin, hegalong, guitar, didjeridu and percussion for the group) sent me two Makiling albums — the debut "Medyo Modern," as well the group’s latest, "Patintero sa Ilalim ng Buwan." And both discs are quite good.

Makiling is composed of De Leon, David Sicam (guitars), Otto Hernandez (percussion), Evan Britanico (vocals, bass, percussion), Wed Lodriga (percussion). The group was formed in December ‘97. Diwa and the gang’s first performance was at the CCP in an event called "Biyaheng Makiling." And it has been a heady trip for the ensemble since that first gig.

What I like about "Medyo Modern" is the track called Indian Ragas, a song that revolves around an Indian-inspired melody played on strings. Dig Bo Razon’s African bata drum passages and that eerie, eerie chanting — as if George Harrison were trading riffs and basi shots with Pen-Pen. Sinalimbay starts out like Dear Prudence and then quickly morphs into a trippy dance. It’s a wonder how these lads in Makiling Ensemble could play around a slithery minor scale riff. Makiling No. 1, with its sobbing violins and strong counterpoint melodies, is a great track.

But no matter how strong "Medyo Modern" is, there’s still something lacking. I discovered the answer when I listened to "Patintero sa Ilalim ng Buwan" — the bass guitar.

It’s nice to hear the hegalong, kulintang, djembe and other exotic instruments counterpointed by a fat bassline. Sinulog, the opening track of "Patintero," Skalinga, and Patintero are testaments to that.

Another gem in this album is the Caribbean-flavored Kalayaan, with Noel Cabangon, formerly of Buklod, guesting on lead vocals. (An aside: The old Buklod song called Kanlungan is one of the best Filipino songs ever recorded, along with Juan De La Cruz’s Ang Himig Natin and Yano’s Senti.)

Great tracks on both albums. It’s really hard to believe that the young guns of Makiling Ensemble are responsible for such complicated pieces like Keltic Tune and Spanish Dancer. A caveat, though: Except for Spanish Dancer, Makiling songs are quite short. Each clocks around four minutes or less. Not enough improvisational cud to chew around. But no matter how the critics and merchants categorize "Medyo Modern" and "Patintero sa Ilalim ng Buwan," whether they call it world music, ethnic rock, or freakin’ McGuffin, these albums deserve the ears of all those jaded with rap metal bands, novelty acts and revival-fixated balladeers inundating the industry.

Now, pass the pipe around and crank up the beautiful McGuffin.

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There will be gig this Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:00 p.m. at Freedom Bar, Anonas, Quezon City, courtesy of CrankMusicRelief. Featured bands include Chicosci, Bad Burn, Skychurch, Death After Birth, Loads of Motherhood, Witchtreesymbol, Zone 32, First Degree, Resurrected, Extreme Response, R.A.F., Forum, Raul, Milk & Money, Glass Onion, Candlefire Kills 4, and Black Love Ritual.

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For comments, suggestions, curses and invocations, e-mail iganja@hotmail.com.