Since the birth of pop, the world's airwaves have been saturated with rock and disco. So when disaffected Western listeners discovered the traditional rhythms of the Third World, fused with modern instrumentation, the explosion of interest in World Music was immediate. Today artists like the Bhundu Boys and Youssou N'Dour are stars with major record deals, but they are only the tip of the iceberg. The Virgin Directory of World Music is an accessible, country-by-country guide to these and other indigenous musicians. It highlights leading performers, explaining their varied styles, and provides authoritative answers to the bewildering range of questions that have emerged. Who, for example, are the leading Algerian raj singers? Which Spanish rumba-rock group predated France's Gipsy Kings by fifteen years? What is the difference between banghra and gawwali?\nWith entries listing the artists of more than 130 countries, discographies for hundreds of performers, and commentaries from Peter Gabriel, Andy Kershaw, Gilberto Gil, and Manu Dibango, among others, The Virgin Directory of World Music is the essential companion for devotee and beginner alike. It will bring music lovers \"as close to experiencing the music as possible without actually hearing it\" (Lois Darlington, City Limits).\nPHILIP SWEENEY is a much-traveled free-lance journalist who contributes regularly to the Observer Magazine, Sunday Times, Time Out, Sunday Correspondent, and, in particular, the Independent, for which he writes on world music.