--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had grown up on Folkway's Nonesuch…" description: "\"“I had grown up on Folkway's Nonesuch field recordings and the stuff Lomax had done for the Library of Congress, but the production values on the Ocora..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/david-byrne-1206_international-music_i-had-grown-up-on-folkway-s-nonesuch-fie_2229693.jpg" --- # I had grown up on Folkway's Nonesuch field recordings and… ![“I had grown up on Folkway's Nonesuch field recordings and the stuff Lomax had done for the Library of Congress, but the production values on the Ocora releases were on a whole other level. Eno and I realized that music from elsewhere didn't need to sound distant, scratchy, or 'primitive.' These…” quote by David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/david-byrne-1206_international-music_i-had-grown-up-on-folkway-s-nonesuch-fie_2229693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/david-byrne-1206_international-music_i-had-grown-up-on-folkway-s-nonesuch-fie_2229693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/david-byrne-1206_international-music_i-had-grown-up-on-folkway-s-nonesuch-fie_2229693.jpg) > ““I had grown up on Folkway's Nonesuch field recordings and the stuff Lomax had done for the Library of Congress, but the production values on the Ocora releases were on a whole other level. Eno and I realized that music from elsewhere didn't need to sound distant, scratchy, or 'primitive.' These recordings were as well produced as any contemporary recordings in any genre. You were made to feel, for example, that this music wasn't a ghostly remnant form some lost culture, soon to be relegated to the almost forgotten past. It was vital, and it was happening right now. To us there was strange beauty there, deep passion, and the compositions often operated by rules and structures that were radically different from what we were used to. As a result, our limited ideas of what constituted music were exploded forever. These recordings opened up myriad ways that music could be made and organized. There were many musical universes out there, and we had been blinkered by confining ourselves to only one.”” [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He realized that high‑quality production can make world music feel contemporary, breaking stereotypes of it being primitive or outdated. **In simple terms:** Good production makes foreign music sound modern and relatable. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse music without bias. Themes music production cultural perception globalization Mood curiosity open‑mindedness Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - curating playlists - recording world music - teaching music history - producing cross‑cultural collaborations Key Concepts ethnomusicology audio engineering cultural exchange Questions to Reflect On - How does production affect your perception of unfamiliar music? - What other factors shape cultural stereotypes? A Different Perspective Production quality alone may not change deep‑seated cultural biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [“as if it were the equal of Western classical or art music. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/technology-has-altered-the-way-music-sounds-how-it-s-composed-and-how/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [A lot of that worked itself out in the recording.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/a-lot-of-that-worked-itself-out-in-the-recording/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [I came to New York to be a fine artist - that was my ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-came-to-new-york-to-be-a-fine-artist-that-was-my-ambition/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [Sometimes the European and North American public like some things to be exotic and kept at arm's length. They don't want sometimes to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/sometimes-the-european-and-north-american-public-like-some-things-to/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [Why not invest in the future of music, instead of building fortresses to preserve its past?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/why-not-invest-in-the-future-of-music-instead-of-building-fortresses/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) [Explore all 274 David Byrne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) ## More Music quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. 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I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) [Browse all 55,293 Music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I had grown up on Folkway's Nonesuch field recordings and the stuff Lomax had done for the Library of Congress, but the production values on the Ocora releases were on a whole other level. Eno and I realized that music from elsewhere didn't need to sound distant, scratchy, or 'primitive.' These recordings were as well produced as any contemporary recordings in any genre. You were made to feel, for example, that this music wasn't a ghostly remnant form some lost culture, soon to be relegated to the almost forgotten past. It was vital, and it was happening right now. 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