fRoots

fRoots was a British magazine devoted to world music, folk traditions, and roots revival movements. It documented recording artists, ethnomusicologists, festivals, and record labels across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania, providing reviews, interviews, and field reports. The magazine influenced scholars, promoters, broadcasters, and musicians by connecting scenes from London to Lagos, Havana to Kolkata, and Reykjavík to New Orleans.

History

Launched in 1979 in London, the publication emerged amid a surge of interest in global traditions linked to the folk revivals associated with figures like Alan Lomax, Martin Carthy, Ewan MacColl, and institutions such as the BBC and the British Council. Early decades saw coverage of movements connected to the Greenwich Village scene, the British folk revival, and festivals like Cambridge Folk Festival and WOMAD Festival. The title chronicled the careers of world stages and venues including Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival, Roskilde Festival, and Montreux Jazz Festival. It tracked the rise of labels such as Island Records, Nonesuch Records, Rounder Records, and World Circuit while reporting on policy debates in bodies like the European Union and cultural programs from the UNESCO and UNICEF. The magazine covered geopolitical contexts affecting music, including the Cold War, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the Soviet Union dissolution, and the cultural transitions in postcolonial states like India and Nigeria.

Editorial and Publication Details

Editorial direction linked the publication to critics and editors who had worked across outlets including The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, Mojo (magazine), and Q (magazine). Publishing partnerships involved printers and distributors with ties to BBC Worldwide retail, specialist shops like Rough Trade, and trade fairs such as Midem and SXSW. The magazine used photography and ethnographic notes from contributors associated with museums and academic bodies such as the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, School of Oriental and African Studies, and university departments at Oxford University and Cambridge University. Circulation strategies referenced markets in major cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Paris, Berlin, New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Melbourne, and Auckland.

Contributors and Featured Artists

Regular writers and reviewers included journalists and ethnomusicologists who also contributed to publications like Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Le Monde, Die Zeit, and El País. The magazine ran features on seminal performers and ensembles such as Bob Dylan, Fela Kuti, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Buena Vista Social Club, Ali Farka Touré, Cesária Évora, Salif Keita, Youssou N'Dour, Oumou Sangaré, Miriam Makeba, Sinead O'Connor, Robert Plant, Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Kick up the Dust, The Chieftains, Planxty, The Pogues, Kate Rusby, and Loreena McKennitt. Features often profiled traditional practitioners and regional masters like Mory Kanté, Salvatore Adamo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Cesária Évora, Derek Trucks, Ry Cooder, Amália Rodrigues, Tommy Makem, Eddi Reader, Sophie Hunger, Goran Bregović, Béla Bartók-influenced field studies, and archival projects linked to figures such as Alan Lomax and Zora Neale Hurston. The magazine also highlighted producers and label executives including Chris Blackwell, Joe Boyd, Daniel Lanois, T-Bone Burnett, Simon Emmerson, and Jerry Boys.

Musical Style and Influence

Coverage surveyed genres and scenes from blues traditions tied to Mississippi Delta singers, to flamenco artists from Seville, to Samba in Rio de Janeiro, to cumbia in Colombia, to música sertaneja in Brazil, to raï in Algeria, to bhangra in Punjab, to gamelan from Bali, to tango from Buenos Aires, to fado from Lisbon. The magazine traced influences between artists and movements, documenting collaborations such as those involving Ry Cooder with Buena Vista Social Club, crossovers like Paul Simon's work with Brigadier Jerry-style DJs, and transnational projects linked to festivals like WOMAD and labels like World Circuit. It explored instrumentation from sitar players associated with Ravi Shankar through to kora players in Mali, and discussed stylistic hybrids cultivated by producers in studios like Abbey Road Studios and Sun Studio.

Reception and Legacy

The title was cited by scholars, broadcasters, and curators in contexts including programming at the BBC Radio 3, exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution, academic syllabi at SOAS University of London, and documentary films screened at festivals such as IDFA, Sundance Film Festival, and SXSW. It influenced the careers of artists who later won awards like the Grammy Awards, the Mercury Prize, and national honors in countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, India, and Japan. Archival issues are held in collections at institutions such as the British Library and the Library of Congress, while featured subjects continue to appear in retrospectives at venues like Tate Modern and Museum of Modern Art. The magazine's role in shaping programming decisions at promoters like Live Nation and AEG Presents and in supporting independent labels and grassroots festivals remains part of its enduring influence.

Category:Music magazines