This book offers the first ethnographically informed, in-depth historical study of the Cameroonian popular music genre bikutsi. The thriving dance music in Cameroon's day-to-day life has its foundation in the specific historical processes of the 1970s and 1980s, which led to the recognition of bikutsi as a distinct genre of Cameroonian dance music. Examining these processes in detail, this book analyses the various factors involved in the rise of a popular music genre within a national music scene. The book begins by tracing the roots of bikutsi in the musical traditions of the ethnic groups of the Beti who live in and around Cameroon's capital Yaounde, as well as in the manifold popular dance music practices fashionable in mid-20th-century Cameroon. The volume then considers the musical work of successful groups and musicians, framing their musical practices and success within the socio-political circumstances, musical environment, and ambitions of individuals. Offering an explanation for the changes in Cameroon's musical life, these analyses illustrate the interplay between the innovative ambitions of individual musicians, a specific political situation within the power structure of the post-colonial state, dedicated individuals in media and the music market, and technological changes in recording and disseminating music.

In der ersten Dekade des neuen Jahrtausends war Balkanmusik auf den Weltmusikfestivals, in den Jazzclubs und Tanzlokalen OEsterreichs allgegenwartig. Ein musikalischer Balkanboom hatte das Land erfasst. Doch wie kam es dazu? Welche Voraussetzungen waren noetig, damit sich Balkanmusik im oesterreichischen Musikleben etablieren konnte? Detailreich zeichnen die AutorInnen dieses Buches die Geschichte der Balkanmusik in OEsterreich seit 1990 nach. Dabei wird deutlich, dass es nicht nur professioneller MusikerInnen und der Unterstutzung am Musikmarkt bedurfte, sondern auch einer spezifischen Prasentationsform, die in der oesterreichischen Mehrheitsgesellschaft Resonanz erzeugte.

This book offers the first ethnographically informed, in-depth historical study of the Cameroonian popular music genre bikutsi. The thriving dance music in Cameroon's day-to-day life has its foundation in the specific historical processes of the 1970s and 1980s, which led to the recognition of bikutsi as a distinct genre of Cameroonian dance music. Examining these processes in detail, this book analyses the various factors involved in the rise of a popular music genre within a national music scene. The book begins by tracing the roots of bikutsi in the musical traditions of the ethnic groups of the Beti who live in and around Cameroon's capital Yaounde, as well as in the manifold popular dance music practices fashionable in mid-twentieth-century Cameroon. The volume then considers the musical work of successful groups and musicians, framing their musical practices and success within the socio-political circumstances, musical environment, and ambitions of individuals. Offering an explanation for the changes in Cameroon's musical life, these analyses illustrate the interplay between the innovative ambitions of individual musicians, a specific political situation within the power structure of the post-colonial state, dedicated individuals in media and the music market, and technological changes in recording and disseminating music.