A mixing and mingling of European, North African and Middle Eastern sounds, Watcha Clan creates genre-bending, stylish tunes led by impressive vocalist and lead singer Sista K. Their performances in the U.S. are rare, so if you're interested, make sure to show up Thursday at Artisphere in Arlington. Only two other stops in the U.S. -- in Philadelphia and New York City -- are scheduled during the band's tour.
The group's creative tunes probably have to do with its own nomadic roots: The French group works in music from around the world, from the Mediterranean to Barcelona and the Balkans, when putting together its creations. The term "world music," coined by ethnomusicologist Robert E. Brown in the 1960s, generally describes a combination of Western pop styles with non-Western genres, is often changing and evolving, says Watcha Clan band manager Soupa Ju. The future of "world music," he said, is in crossovers and fusions.
"I think the 'global beat' movement will become more and more important," Soupa Ju said, pointing to the Watcha Clan's mixing of "traditional warm sounds and melodies" with the cool, more eletronica-influenced sounds of club music. "We think this is the best way for traditional music to survive -- to be modernized and shared by all generations. We don't want these musical traditions to die in a museum."
Watcha Clan, Soupa Ju said, believes that various cultures and ethnic groups "have more things in common than we think," and "even if music can't change the world, it has a power, and we have to use it to spread tolerance and peace."
Soupa Ju and Sista K founded the group in Marseille, France, in 1998, after meeting at a music festival. They decided to create a new group that would experiment with a fusion of Jamaican and African rhythms, along with reggae and electro. Since the initial pair, the group has changed size often -- swelling to as many as seven members -- and now includes Matt Labesse on double bass and guitar; Supreme Clem on keyboards, accordion and drum machines and Nassim Kati on gumbri, guitar and vocals.
The hybrid nature of the group is best summed up by Sista K herself, daughter of a Jewish Berber father from Algeria and a mother from the Balkans. A student of many languages, Sista K sings not only in English but also on various other languages on the group's latest album, "Radio Babel," which was released April 4.
The album is "is predominantly concerned with destroying boundaries everywhere," she said. "My obsession is 'the wall,' both concrete and abstract."
To mirror that interest, Watcha Clan's first music video is a mini-documentary focused on border issues between the U.S. and Mexico and is set to the group's song "We Are One." It also features interviews with migrant workers and farmers.
"WATCHA CLAN"
Where: The Ballroom at The Artisphere; 1101 Wilson Blvd.; Arlington
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Tickets: $19-$22 at www.artisphere.com