🌍 World Music — Albanian

Albanian music varies greatly between the north, centre and south of the country. Iso-polyphony, mainly associated with the Tosk and Lab peoples of the south, combines solo lines with a collective drone called iso; it therefore does not represent all Albanian music. The north notably has epic songs accompanied by the lahuta, while clarinets, violins, lutes and percussion are used in other traditions. Brass bands are not a general feature of Albanian folklore, even though Ottoman and Balkan influences are significant. Pop, modernised folk, hip-hop and productions aimed at the diaspora today hold a major place across Albanian and Kosovar spaces.