World Music

Horns, piano montuno and clave rhythm set the whole dance floor spinning.

The bandoneón's sighs and staccato writing a dangerous love story in a dim dance hall.

Accordion and guacharaca's two-step shuffle, the riverside town dance that's slow yet impossible to stop.

The rolling rhythm of a full percussion corps, the heartbeat of the carnival parade.

Street parties in Rio's hillside communities: bouncing drum-machine beats, a wall of speakers and an MC's chants.

Guitar, accordion and two-part harmony singing about heartbreak: Brazil's most-played national pop music.

Bright, trembling guitars and romantic voices, the Dominican love song danced close.

One dembow rhythm, and the whole city sways together.

Accordion, brass and twelve-string guitar: from norteño and banda to today's corridos tumbados, Mexico's most local sound.

Traditional corrido guitars with trap attitude and a young voice: new Mexican music sweeping Latin America and the US.

Guitar chops on the offbeat and a cheerful horn section: dance music faster than reggae and sweeter than punk.

A light stroke on the offbeat, giving both protest and love a sunny ease.

Reggae taken apart: drums and bass up front, voices and instruments drifting in and out of echo, the mixing desk itself as an instrument.

Digital reggae: faster, more electronic, made for the dance floor, DJs toasting over riddims.

Light percussion and warm melodies turn a party into an easy, rolling groove.

Log-drum bass, jazzy piano and laid-back house groove, a sunset rooftop party in Johannesburg.

House's four-on-the-floor with South African rhythms, melodies and vocals in African languages: dance music with a spiritual feel.

Rapid guitar rasgueado, handclaps and footwork, with a heart-rending voice.

A lament from Lisbon taverns: the tremolo of the Portuguese guitar and a singer's long sigh, singing of a longing that can't go home (saudade).

Accordion, a rainy cafe and a storytelling singer: French chanson, where the words matter more than the tune.

Trumpets and tubas racing in odd meters, like a street wedding that won't stop.

Balalaika and accordion getting faster and faster, clapping, stomping and squat-kicking: one song becomes a village party.

A wall of bass from dozens of male voices: brass, snare and a solemn melody, as if a whole square were breathing.

Oud, darbuka and ornamented singing with modern pop production, a desert city night.

Big song-and-dance numbers from Bollywood films: strings, tabla and electronic beats all making a grand entrance.