Thank my friend Predrag for this slice of Soviet New Wave.
[Music] Various Artists – Palenque Palenque: Champeta Criolla & Afro Roots in Colombia 1975 – 91
Colombia is noted for its melange of European, Indigenous and African cultures which have produced gorgeous women, amazing cuisine and, of course, some of the wildest music in South America, giving the mighty Brazil a run for its money.
From the Bandcamp website:
Boasting twenty one pulsating tracks drawn from the northern coasts of Colombia, ‘Palenque Palenque!’ reveals a unique and fascinating story of how Afro Colombian music developed from the 1970s onwards and how the local sound-systems in Cartagena and Barranquilla played such an important role in shaping the sound of the Colombian champeta.
Co-compiled by Lucas Silva (resident of Bogota and owner of Palenque Records) and Soundway Records’ Miles Cleret, the album highlights the long relationship that the Caribbean coast of Colombia has with Africa stretching back to the 17th century. Specifically, the rise of the percussion heavy champeta sound, born out of a wave of popularity for psychedelic Afro, Latin & Caribbean music inspired by the DJs of the time.
The influence of the sound-systems spread to local artists as well as re-energising traditional African folk songs and rhythms that had survived since the days of slavery. Record labels recognized the major change in direction from the days when cumbia and porro ruled the hearts of the ghettoes and began employing bands that began experimenting and tapping into these new cultural and musical movements. Disco Fuentes were one of the first labels to recognize this sudden swing and duly signed Wganda Kenya who went onto record some of the first Afrobeat records in Colombia. The trend in recording African music continued at pace with labels like Machuca, Discos Tropical, Orbe & Costeño quickly adapting to the newly adopted sound of the Palenques and bands like Son Palenque, Cumbia Siglo XX and La Cumbia Moderna de Soledad went onto readapt Afrobeat rhythms with a Caribbean slant.
The vinyl version comes as a triple LP with two extra bonus tracks.
“Every track on this revelatory compilation throws a new element into the oddball mix.”
-The Telegraph 5/5“Abelardo! It’s great music, and it fills a space, stylistically and sonically, that was previously empty.”
-Pitchfork 8/2
A revolutionary comp, giving the African Colombian music community their due.
[Music] Donnacha Costello – Together
Some sad news. No, no, not a passing! Donnacha Costello, the second-finest composer based in Dublin (sorry, folks – Daniel Figgis is still number one in these parts) is taking time off from recording music.
In an act of magnanimous generosity, however, he is offering the whole of his digital back catalog for the more-than-fair price of €15.
Together is a perfectly drone-laden slice of ambient heaven, relaxing to the ear, and a fine way for Donnacha to say farewell until he is ready to grace experimental music with his return.
[Music] Bill Seaman ~ The Topologies of Blue — a closer listen
The gold standard for post-rock blogs.
Bill Seaman‘s The Topologies of Blue is a little sweet and a little scary, like a Sour Patch Kids commercial in reverse. The album is inspired by Gestalt psychology and the treatment of blue conditions. The packaging ~ lovely in letterpress ~ includes disturbing imagery. To listen is to be lulled into a narcotic haze, beautiful yet […]
[Music] archiv: merzbow
Our friends at the sunday experience share the wonders of Merzbow.
archive review originally posted on the losing today site mid 00’s ……
MERZBOW
TAMAGO
(Plan DX 17)
Expensive and ultra limited to only 350 hand numbered copies, (my copy incidentally number 302) housed in an egg shaped hinged card sleeve and specially commissioned by Plan DX-17. ‘Tamago’ as though if by surprise, is as uncompromising as anything previously laid down by Merzbow.
Merzbow, as though introductions are of any consequence or relevance, is Masami Akita who to date has released more albums than most people have eaten hot dinners, admittedly we lost count sometime in the mid 90’s. Prolific isn’t in it, such is his release rate he could arguably keep not one but maybe four or five labels working busily on overtime until Kingdom come with each passing collection continually pushing the boundaries of the previous. Widely recognized as the expert exponent in the field of noise his analogue…
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[Music] Yvette Johansson with The Pearly Shells and the Belmar Hummingbirds – Uranium / Jesus hits like an Atomic Bomb
I would never have guessed that Yvette Johansson is a retro artist, as these recordings sound as authentic as anything I heard from the 50s. Good, bopping beat, great vocals, this single is a lot of fun. Belmar Records is the place to go to find similar swinging sounds.
[Music] A Future Without Borders: The Music of Suns of Arqa
It’s thrilling to see Michael Wadada, mastermind of world-dub fusionists Suns of Arqa, get his due. He was doing something along the lines of World Music far before many of his contemporaries, and he’s still going strong.
Read about his projects here at Bandcamp Daily.
[Music] Scott Walker – Farmer In The City
The loss of Scott Walker is about as monumental for many as was the loss of, say, David Bowie or Mark Hollis. Though I had known about his pop music (including the reinterpretation of Jacques Brel’s hit, Le Chanson de Jacky), this song was a revelation. It was so far removed from pop music that I figured it sounded more like a combination of cabaret music done by experimental or apocalyptic folk musicians. It was a brilliant career pivot, and he ended up working with some really intriguing characters until his passing yesterday.
[Music] Orchestra Baobab – Made In Dakar
From about 1970 to 1983, there were few bands as dominant as Orchestra Baobab. The had released a slew of 20 records and were acclaimed as the giants of Africa’s music industry, playing a mix of son cubano, Wolof music, and to a lesser extent Mande musical traditions.
Made In Dakar is some of their freshest material, recorded in 2007. It’s light, intricate, joyful music.
[Music] Various Artists – The Library Archive: Funk, Jazz, Beats and Soundtracks from the Vaults of Cavendish Music
Though I’m enthralled with library music at the moment, thanks to my friend Chris, who has served as a bit of a guru for me, I’m disappointed to see that there isn’t much in the way of literature documenting how these classic discs came to be. Thankfully, through the work of labels like BBE Music, we’re being treated to some remarkable compilations, giving a synopsis of the brilliant music we managed to miss out on.
From the Bandcamp site:
Join two of BBE’s most prolific artists and compilers, Mr Thing & Chris Read on a voyage into the mysterious, strange and wonderful world of Library Music, courtesy of Cavendish Music. Founded in 1937 and originally known as Boosey & Hawkes Recorded Music Library, Cavendish Music is the largest independent Library Music publisher in the UK and also represents a host of music catalogues across the globe.
During the Library Music heyday of the 60s and 70s, thousands of original instrumental tracks were produced across a broad range of genres for companies like Cavendish, who then created vinyl and tape collections, often arranged by theme or mood, for their customers in radio, television and film. Cult British TV shows such as The Sweeney and The Professionals as well as documentaries and feature films relied heavily on these catalogues, and companies like KPM, De Wolfe and Boosey & Hawkes went a long way toward defining the sound of British popular culture at the time.
Never commercially available, music created for these libraries that never made it to the promised land of TV or Radio was destined to languish in Cavendish Music’s vast London vault; only recently unearthed by a new generation of DJs and producers searching for rare gems or a perfect sample.
Mr Thing & Chris Read were first invited to examine the contents of the Cavendish Music archive in 2014 as part of WhoSampled’s ‘Samplethon’ event in which producers created new tracks against the clock using sample material mined from the catalogue. Whilst digging through box upon box of records and tapes looking for interesting sounds, the pair also discovered a host of 70s library music which has not only stood the test of time, but deserves to be heard in its original form.
From dramatic big band numbers reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin’s film scores to atmospheric proto-hip hop instrumentals produced before the genre’s existence, right through to fairly straightforward jazz and funk cuts; this amazing collection of music is sure to inspire and delight DJs and beatmakers the world over.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 