Online World Music Lessons

Early Experiments

The World Music Method is the brainchild of Edd Bateman, one of the UK’s foremost exponents of multiple non-Western genres.

In 2001 Edd had a chance encounter with the Zimbabwean band Chimanimani. Having just arrived from Harare they were auditioning for a bassist at his neighbour’s house in rural Devon.

Despite his youthful inexperience, his heavy metal background and the fact that the only African music he’d ever heard was ‘Ladysmith Black Mombazo’ singing acapella on a Heinz baked beans advert he got the job and joined the UK tour.

Within a month he was headlining at Covent Garden’s legendary Africa Centre (at the age of just 14). It was the start of a remarkable 20-year musical odyssey which has seen him cross continents and genres to work with some of the most outstanding exponents of world music.

Growing Experience

Edd has toured and made guest appearances with pioneering African acts such as Solo Cissokho & Jalikunda, Cheikh Lo, Orchestra Baobab, Seckou Keita and Baka Beyond. He’s worked with countless Swamis and Indian spiritual singers including Indradyumna, Govinda and Vaiseka Das. His gigging has taken him across Europe, Africa, Australia and the USA – from major venues to South American backstreet bar gigs with Puelle Meurre, Grupo Familia and Silas Giron.

He’s mastered more diverse genres than most people can pronounce including Chimurengua, Dombollo, Bougarabou, Mbalax and Diambadong. Now settled back in the UK, Edd leads his own eccentric West African Beatles tribute band – London Astrobeat Orchestra – and runs his own music management company.

Edd has toured and made guest appearances with pioneering African acts such as Solo Cissokho & Jalikunda, Cheikh Lo, Orchestra Baobab, Seckou Keita and Baka Beyond. He’s worked with countless Swamis and Indian spiritual singers including Indradyumna, Govinda and Vaiseka Das. His gigging has taken him across Europe, Africa, Australia and the USA – from major venues to South American backstreet bar gigs with Puelle Meurre, Grupo Familia and Silas Giron.

Chimanimani

Chimanimani

2001

Bulawayo - 2009

Bulawayo

2009

Sadio Cissokho 2016

Sadio Cissokho

2016

London Astrobeat 2020

London Astrobeat

2020

He’s mastered more diverse genres than most people can pronounce including Chimurengua, Dombollo, Bougarabou, Mbalax and Diambadong. Now settled back in the UK, Edd leads his own eccentric West African Beatles tribute band – London Astrobeat Orchestra – and runs his own music management company.

Inspiring Others

The World Music Method has grown out of a modest teaching experiment on Youtube. Its surprise popularity convinced Edd that there was an unfulfilled demand for a new kind of online world music teaching platform. One designed to suit all learning styles and led by top professionals adept across multiple styles and formats, able to communicate the intricacies of their indigenous genres in a wholly accessible manner.

This is the beginning. Masterclass.com kicked off with a $15,000,000 funding round. This initial phase of the World Music Method has been built on a thousandth of that sum – a £12,000 Arts Council grant. But £12,000 in the hands of an expert, instinctive teacher and a group of passionate professionals on a mission to share their music-making skills.

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