Just come back from a few days in Israel – been mainly working but also checking out the music scene while I was there. I was amazed to discover what types of music are popular over there. I’m not talking mainstream, local radio style popular but probably equivalent to indie and dance music in the UK. Anyway big in Israeli clubs is Nitzhonot, which is like a cross between psybient and uplifting trance – a bit dated but a lot of fun in the right environment. Also what is quite popular is neofolk and industrial/martial music. For various reasons, mainly I think the uniforms, the martial drum beats, the screaming German vocals and the WWII imagery, neofolk is often accused of having fascistic overtones. It can be great but some of it makes me feel distinctly uncomfortable, so it was strange top find it so big in a country with Israel’s history. There are even Israeli neofolk bands and neofolk labels. I found it particularly unnerving to be in a club, surrounded by pogoeing conscripts in uniform, with guys on the door carrying Uzis and Ghalil assault rifles, listening to an Israeli band who were wearing uniforms and deaths head badges, screaming in German, playing Liszt and Wagner samples, playing military style drums and producing loads of feedback. Exhilarating but overall just very strange.
Anyway what I wondered was, what other unexpected types of music are popular in other countries that you know of?