The most interesting music is made where so-called 'black music' meets so-called 'white music'. Most Carribean music has come to contain European as well as African elements, but even where the European influence is strong, you can still hear that African beat - the distinctive flow and shuffle which makes the music so good to dance to. This combination of Africa and Europe is maybe the reason why Lee Perry's music has a larger following in the 'white' West. Reggae is a product of the union of West African rythms and European melody and harmony.
Kraftwerk, the showroom dummies who caused Bambaata to scratch his head and say, "'Scuse the expression, this is some weird shit". For "Planet Rock", Bam used the melody from "Trans Europe Express". Over the distinctive 808 beat, the effect was spectral. The idea of making music from pocket calculators appealed to kids accustomed to scratching vinyl. [...]
Blue-Eyed Soul
Blue-eyed soul refers to soul and R&B music performed and sung by white musicians. The term first came into play during the mid-'60s, when acts like the Righteous Brothers had hits with soulful songs like "You Lost That Loving Feeling." Throughout the late '60s, blue-eyed soul thrived, as acts like the Rascals, the Boxtops, Mitch Ryder, Tony Joe White, and Roy Head had a series of hits. During the '70s, blue-eyed soul continued to be successful, as acts like Hall & Oates, Robert Palmer, Average White Band, Boz Scaggs, and David Bowie updated the blue-eyed soul formula.