IASPM Journal

Editorial

Abigail Gardner — 2025-11-24

Kilindini Docks: a case of ‘mondo music’?

Guglielmo Bottin — 2025-11-24

This paper examines a case of ethnoforgery in postwar Italian popular music represented by the 1957 song "Kilindini Docks" and the 1959 album 8 African Ritual Songs. Presented as vernacular African music, these recordings were instead composed and arranged by Italian musicians and accompanied by a fabricated ethnographic narrative. Contributing to ongoing debates about cultural representation and the politics of musical invention in transnational popular music, this study sheds light on the songs' production, international dissemination, and reception, revealing how pseudo-African musical elements were strategically employed to construct a veneer of authenticity that was marketed globally for decades and remained largely unquestioned.

Black on Black sounds

Monique Charles — 2025-11-24

Examining literature on the under researched areas of Afrobeats and African migration to Britain, this article identifies significant internal shifts in the ethnic diversity of Black Britain —i.e., from Caribbean (predominantly Jamaican) to West African (Nigerian, Ghanaian) (ONS 2011). Interpreting literature and applying to the British context, it highlights how Afrobeats reshapes Blackness in Britain, particularly the incorporation of desirable Africanness through Afrobeats music. It argues that demographic and musical shifts in Britain result in a renegotiation of the Caribbean and US dominant 20^th century Black Britishness — ‘UK Blak’ identity (as identified by Bradley 2013, Gilroy 1993 & Palmer 2011). It proposes a new 21^st century ‘NU-K Blak’ identity that incorporates West African culture and aesthetics. The article contextualises and builds upon limited research on Afrobeats, Black British youth and their musical identities and elucidates the significance of migration, London and West African values to Afrobeats’ commercial success.

Imported sound, Imported Style

Tal Vaizman — 2025-11-24

This study explores the influence of saxophone player and musical director, Jaroslav Jakubovič, on Israeli 1980s pop-rock music, by “importing” the saxophone timbre and production style made popular in the US. I demonstrate that the saxophone timbre, as manifested in 1980s music world-wide, represents America’s cultural influence on Israeli music, leaning on two central claims: (1) for a while, the saxophone was an integral cog in what Regev refers to as ‘aesthetic cosmopolitanism’, the ethnonational cultural uniqueness, expressed through the global resonance of rock music, and (2) that the saxophone timbre of the 1980s was introduced in Israel mainly as a specific case of the American cultural influence, with Jakubovič acting as a mediator. The study demonstrates how a unique historical and professional convergence enabled the transfer of an American cultural commodity that reshaped Israel’s musical landscape during the 1980s.

BTScience and Beyond

Flaminia Di Paolo — 2025-11-24

This article delves into the global cultural phenomenon of Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS), utilising hermeneutic analysis to explore the group’s profound impact across various dimensions. It examines 100 academic articles in multiple languages to understand BTS’s roles in mental health advocacy, economic contributions, digital media engagement, and transcultural influence. Such studies reveal BTS’s unique departure from traditional music band models and illuminate its profound influence on economic, socio-cultural, and musical dynamics. This research analyses the perception of the BTS phenomenon within the academic community, offering insights into how BTS reshapes global cultural perceptions and advocates for social issues, thus making a multifaceted impact on its worldwide audience.

Review Music Artist Managers

Tom Wagner — 2025-11-24

Review: The Routledge Handbook of Progressive Rock, Metal, and the Literary Imagination

Florian Walch — 2025-11-24

Island Time: Speed and the Archipelago from St. Kitts and Nevis

Kimberley Watson — 2025-11-24

Diversity of approaches on Popular Music and Crisis: a review on the IASPM UK and Ireland Branch Postgraduate Conference 2025

Belisa Zoehler Giorgis — 2025-11-24