Week 8 - Charity Shop Gem of the week: Cignol - Logan Systems EP

Ok, so it might be a bit of a stretch to call this either a 'Charity shop' find, or for that matter a 'gem', but this is a record of note one-the-less. Discovered in a box marked 'free records!' left outside a local pub, this was one of several fairly unbearable forays into drum 'n bass / dub-step territory left out upon the pavement, all of which are, on first listen, pretty bloody trite. This particular 12' however, has that peculiar charm wherein a not-very-good record thats played at the wrong speed, suddenly becomes quite-a-good record after all. Gone are the ADHD beats of the original, gone are the all too rhythmic wub-wubs - in their stead we are left with a jaunty, almost early-electro beat, and a pulsing, robotic bass-line straight from the bowels of some swing-less, impossible to program 80's sequencer. Everything about this record improves with a drop in speed - it's both heavier and less cheesy, it's timbres more delicate, less obviously constructed from a 'Massive' preset. I could be being hard on the original - its genre is so far from my cup of tea that its virtually Horlicks (does that work? Probably not). The fact remains however, that it is a far superior record with a nice bit of jaunt.

This is the moment where I would normally provide a link.. however such is the obscurity of this catch, that I can find literally nothing about it online - it's record label has closed down, the artist has a soundcloud page but has not uploaded any music to it, and the record is not held by a single online distributor in any form. In absence of any audio or visual addendums to the Logan Systems EP, I will leave you instead with the next best thing - a poster from the similarly epithetic Logans Run:

Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Three: river run thee

I am still buzzing from catching Matana Roberts live earlier this week, a performance which immediately entered my 'top 5 ever' category. Matana's work springs from a fairly unusual place - political, experimental jazz with a sort of Max Roach feel, yet avoiding ever really becoming free-jazz - a move that makes her sound especially unique given that much contemporary jazz seems to oscillate between twee Coltrane/Davis rip-offs and free-er than free brass-noise affairs. Her last two albums have evoked a sort of ghostly big-band sound, coming off like a particularly drunk and somber Duke Ellington interrupted by often viscous, howling, feminist poetry. The new album differs in so far that it incorporates far more samples - odd snippets of Matana's manipulated voice, drones, clicks, and other unidentifiable and vaguely industrial sounds. There is still Jazz in here mind - both the wonderfully virtuosic (and dare I say pleasant) saxophone that underpins the whole thing, and the creeping sections of more fully fleshed brass-work underneath. The thing that really makes the work shine however, is the unrepentant fury that shines through every second of it, a drenching rage that blossoms as she repeats the same handful of words over and over again, placing them in a seemingly improvised fashion over the dense and juxtaposed sound-world. This is by far her most difficult album, by virtue of its propensity for repetition and minimalism, not her most unpleasant - gone are the anguished howls of her first album, replaced instead by a more mature, but no less pained utility of words, each repeated until they lose all meaning, cycling through humour, anger, joy and sorrow with each iteration.

Mouse on the Keys - The Flowers of Romance

Arriving some 6 years after their last album, An Anxious Object, the new Mouse on The Keys album is notably weirder than their debut, whilst still retaining the danceable, piano post-rock of the original. Having previously paired a couple of keyboards with some exceptionally proficient drumming, the new album adds in a whole plethora of additional textures - saxophones, drum machines, drones, and a bloke from Envy on guitar. It is one of a few albums that could be described as post-rock and isn't A) made entirely by twenty-something white boys, and B) ludicrously boring. The Flowers of Romance manages to mix songs your mum would like alongside fodder for your most experimental art-wanker friend, and does so with a surprising degree of cohesion and musicality -indeed, I struggle to think of anyone who wouldn't be impressed by the scope, technicality, experimentation, and sheer fun this album offers.

Freak of The Week - 6 - Jungle Exotica 2

I'm almost certain that all the bands on this record are white-American, which probably makes it all a bit racist. At the very least, it's almost offensive in its caricaturing of 'tribal' music, like blacking up and shouting 'Um Bongo, Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo' while your band plays polyrhythyms and make gorilla noises.

But, having said all that, there is something interestingly playful about this collection of madcap 50's/60's 'exotic' rock n' rollers. Occasionally catchy riffs, and a genuine sense of fun pervade. It's probably akin to the Black and White Minstrel Show in its cultural sensitivity. Only the music is actually pretty wild and you kind of can't help but be charmed by the whole thing. Songs called things like 'Arabian Jerk' maybe a touch on the offensive side, but there are a few stand out moments such as The Tides' Midnight Limbo. Annoyingly, a few of the tracks from the CD didn't make the vinyl release, but overall it's a pretty interesting compilation from Crypt Records, and a worthy winner of our Freak of The Week!

Incidentally, I've featured Volume 2 purely because that's the copy I picked up - no idea what Volume 1 is like but I'm interested to find out!

Have a listen here

And buy it direct from Crypt here (US) or Discogs here 

Kamasi Washington - The Epic 1, 2. 3 plus poster triple vinyl

Brainfeeder continue to plough their furrow as champions of young(ish), experimental jazz composers with this triple vinyl press that follows its CD release earlier this year. The composer in question is 34 year old Kamasi Washington, an LA-based musician who previously won the John Coltrane Music Award at the tender age of 18. In the last couple of years he's guested on sax for names as diverse as they are famous - Stanley Clarke, Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar.
This triple vinyl package (complete with poster) is an imposing body of work, 17 tracks averaging around the 10 minute mark, of shifting, crescendoing jazz reminiscent of Stanley Clarke himself in places, as well as Miles Davis, Coltrane, Max Roach and Duke Ellington. It's very much a traditional jazz affair - there are no electronic/production tricks at work - just high-quality musicianship and hauntingly beautiful compositions that sound impressively timeless.
The Epic could easily be a dusty opus from 1961 in a faded, nicotine-stained sleeve. As it happens, it's a modern work of astonishing vision, with a depth of sound many can only dream of.

Listen here:

Buy it here: http://www.juno.co.uk/products/kamasi-washington-the-epic-volume-1-2/586945-01/

Stone's Throw 45s Crates

Well, this is a bit sexy... legendary beats label Stone's Throw have released these stunning looking record crates for your 45s. For those who don't know, Stone's throw are the world-renowned psychedelic beats label founded by Peanut Butter Wolf, and having provided a home for artists such as J Dilla, Madlib, Dam Funk and a multitude of esteemed names, their global stock is pretty high. As far as I know, this is their first venture into vinyl storage, and it certainly looks as cool as you'd expect from a perennially taste-making outfit.
At $45 plus postage it's not cheap, but actually they're not as dear as I thought they would be - I tend to pay £20 for my bog standard wood boxes, and would be happy to add a few quid for these lovely little things.Yum.

Buy here: http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/accessories/stones-throw/45-crate-v2

Week 6 - Charity shop gem of the week - Golden Avatar - A change of heart

Only days after the pope announces plans to release a God-themed prog-rock album, I stumble across this similar effort by Golden Avatar, dedicated to the wonders of the Hare Krishna's own Vedic beliefs.  What is ostensibly a fairly standard folk-prog affair, is lifted into the realms of oddity by both the pronounced nature of its theme - replete with multiple "Hare Krishna" chants per song - and its propensity for cheesy, orchestral jazz and funk sweeps. The lyrical content - often the downfall o f such albums - manages to avoid any horrendous mis-steps (despite repeatedly referencing 'the soul' and other potential cliches), and there are some genuinely epic riffs underpinning it all. Far catchier than many of the more famous examples of the genre, and yet concurrently far less pompous, the album is the kind that makes you wonder why it relishes in relative obscurity, whilst the likes of Yes!, ELP, or even Pink Floyd have become household names. I suspect the answer lies in its more heart-felt approach - though offering the convoluted trimmings the prog genre is known for, its content is grounded in a very real, very earnest belief in its subject matter. It also has a fine drawing of some fairies on the front cover.

Week 5(ish) Charity Shop Gem of the Week: Le Steel-Band De La Trinidad ‎– Magie Caraïbe

This week, we welcome our esteemed guest contributor Dan Wall from Funky Navigation, to provide our features...

When Ralph MacDonald sang 'You need more Calypso in your life' he wasn't playin' with ya; you probably do ...and he knew it. There's nothing like a bit of Calypso to raise the spirits and inject some Caribbean swag into your stride. It's like Berocca for the ears. 

Despite the rather ordinary and unassuming title title, this Charity Shop Gem of The Week is no ordinary Calypso LP.  What you get here is an alternate take on the sound of Trinidad; this is a Trinidad after-party, the type not advertised to tourists. Gone is the usual gaiety synonymous with steel bands, this has a different vision, a dark side. The arrangements are sublime, some straight pan, others mixing conga and electric guitar. The tune selection is also pretty surprising. 'Coming Home' is a tidy, low-slung version of the Ben Tucker penned tune 'Coming Home, Baby',  popularised by Mel Torme. The arrangement and lazy vocal styling on their cover of Gershwin's 'Summertime' is so insanely good, one can feel an instant increase in temperature and humidity as it plays. Then there is their unique proto-reggae take on the traditional island ballad - 'L'Homme A La Grosse Tête'; a bitter sweet song full of disillusionment and sorrowful observation, which at 1.57 minutes is the aural equivalent of a shot of Angostura Legacy Rum. If that alone doesn't hook you there are also two original numbers from steel pan legend - Desmond Bowen (sadly no longer with us) that suitably demonstrates that these boys knew exactly what they were doing. The latter of which, 'Calypso Jazz improvisation', can be heard on this Month's Curious Music For Curious People podcast.

Week 5(ish) Freak Of The Week: Wong Ching Yuan – A-Go-Go & Off Beat Cha Cha

This week, we welcome our esteemed guest contributor Dan Wall from Funky Navigation, to provide our features...

Following on coincidentally from the Betty Chung / Jun Mayuzumi 45 featured here back in August, the Orient coughs up another curiosity for us this week in the form of this four- track EP of Singaporean Popcorn/Beat coolness. Now this is all a matter of perspective because our friend Wong Ching Yuan here - responsible for this slice of Mandarin Suave, also happens to be incredibly popular with grannies all across Asia and has recorded around 800 songs in a career spanning 40+ years! That being said, here he manages to craft a sound that is haunting and other worldly. Twanging guitars drenched in echo and a hypnotising vocal style float through the air like wisps of opium smoke. This is a great example of the 'a-go-go' sound he helped proliferate throughout Singapore, Malaysia, and beyond. Check it out on this month's Curious Music For Curious People podcast.

September Podcast now up!

Our newest installment is now live - featuring Dan Wall from Funky Navigation!

CMFCP September 2015 Podcast by Curious Music 4 Curious People on Mixcloud

Chicago - I'm a Man (7" version 1969)

The eagle-eyed may notice that Week 3 and 4 have been announced on the same day. Your CMFCP correspondents were sunning themselves in Turkey last week so you'll excuse our poor time-keeping...

Continuing with the Chicago theme, middle of the road Dad-rockers Chicago step up for Week 4's instalment of Charity Shop Gem of the Week. Except on this record, found in a charity shop bin for 99p, they're about as far from middle of the road as can be!
1969 single I'm a Man, a cover of the Spencer Davis Group hit, is a brutal, almost tribal freakout that has been a mainstay of my DJ sets for 10 years. I just had to share it with you as it has possibly the greatest drum solo of all time. Where the later studio recording is clean, polished and by comparison unremarkable, this is an assault on the ears from a band going full throttle!
The first drum solo lasts about 90 seconds and starts about a minute into the song... it's a fucking bold move but the intensity and raw energy is astonishing. I haven't found this version anywhere on the web so I may upload it to youtube myself, but in the meantime, here's a similar live recording from about the same era. You get the gist, but trust me the 7" version is bonkers!

Art Ensemble of Chicago - People In Sorrow

Offering little info upon its battered sleeve than the title and date of recording, this appears to be a late sixties live jam by Lester Bowie and his cohorts, with a somewhat abstract, sombre bent. Eschewing the playful, upbeat jazz of other Art Ensemble... albums, both of the 20-minutes cuts on offer here are beautifully sparse, with the pops and clicks of the record grooves often more present than the music proper. A meandering marimba (?) propagates throughout, accompanied by the occasionally light percussion or brass, and an underlying (if not omnipresent) bass, with every instrument willing to give the others an abundance of space. The groups competence shines not in fast playing and difficult riffs, but rather in the ability of multiple instruments to emerge at once from a seemingly infinite nothingness in perfect harmony, a sudden burst of flowing bass and melodic trumpet that soon falls back into the intermittent wash of throaty sax purrs and lazy percussion. Even at its most active the music doesn't appear to actually be going anywhere - bass-lines and saxophone solos appear to have no discernible start or end,  looping perpetually with neither repetition or variation, only to be unceremoniously lost in a creeping flux of bells or primitive yells. It sounds a world away from 'experimental' jazz as we have come to expect, invoking a far more ritualistic, organic form, and is utterly captivating throughout.

Freak of The Week 4: Afro Rock Festival (Various Artists)

Lions roar in the distance, hyenas wail and a cacophony of savannah sounds burble away as Assagai's Kondo begins, soon launching into a driving afro-percussion riff replete with monkey-calls and chirping birds, that loops for a few minutes before abruptly ending. 

With more safari soundscapes than you can shake a stick (or spear) at, and some pretty wild afro/rock n roll crossovers that err on the side of the afro, this compilation is pretty bonkers and a shoe-in for Freak of the Week. 

I can't find any of the tracks on the record available to stream on the internets, so perhaps you should wrap your ears around my latest mix, where Osibisa's Black Ant features...

Dead Wax Social Mix by Ewan Hoozami on Mixcloud

Akira Sakata and Konstrukt - Kaishi: Live at Kargart

I am pretty sure you are not allowed a 'curious music' blog without throwing in the occasional free-jazz record, and this one is a veritable corker. A live collaboration between saxophonist Akira Sakata and Konstrukt, the album comprises four parts taken from a single session in Istanbul earlier this year. What makes this so refreshing is that, whilst it retains the wayward nature of free-jazz, it manages to eschew much of the noisier elements of the genre, with swathes of almost funky bass permeating the erratic drums and horn howls. Closer to Albert Ayler than Peter Brötzmann, the work sprawls dementedly over the 15 or so minutes of each part, but does so with palpable form - even at it's most free, the work oozes an over-riding structure and clarity, however abstract. It's also surprisingly melodic, with extended almost Prokofiev styled riffs running through a mist of tape echo one minute, only to be followed by psyche-inspired arabic sequences the next, rendered on a bed of intricate percussion. Add in some monkish throat singing, and a flirtation with drone, and it adds up to a wonderfully engaging take on a naturally difficult genre.

Limited to just 200 copies on double vinyl, you can get it here - http://www.holidaysrecords.it/

DJ Mix - Ewan Hoozami's Dead Wax Social!

Dead Wax Social Mix by Ewan Hoozami on Mixcloud

Recorded in anticipation of my first gig at Dead Wax Social, Brighton's new Vinyl Only bar. Me and Chris Headcount will be in the place to be with the records that count on Sunday August 30th for some Bank Holiday booty shaking, so get down if you're around.

The mix was recorded live in one take. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

1. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - ABDUL HAMEED FEAT NAHID AKHTAR
2. ANNU MALIK FEAT ASHA BHOSTE & CHORUS - SUN O DILRUBA DIL KI YEH SADA
3. DILBARA DILBARA - M ASHRAF FEAT NAHID AKHTAR
4. MOCHA VELVET - JU PAR UNIVERSAL ORCHESTRA
5. VULCAN PRINCESS - STANLEY CLARKE
6. SNEAKING UP BEHIND YOU - OCHO
7. TRIP WIRE - NICK INGRAM
8. EGYSER - SAROLTA ZALATNY
9. BERLIN - HEIDI BRUM
10. GREEN ONIONS - THE EXCURSIONS
11. ONE MINI JULEP - ERIC DELANEY
12. RED RIVER VALLEY - JAAP ZEELAND
13. HE'S A REAL GONE GUY - NELLIE LUTCHER
14. THE BEST THING FOR YOU - DAVID JACOBS
15. SOMEBODY BUY ME A DRINK - OSCAR BROWN JR
16. JUST DROPPED IN (TO SEE WHAT CONDITION MY CONDITION WAS IN) - KENNY ROGERS AND THE FIFTH ELEMENT
17. I NEED YOU - O TERCO / SAME
18. BLUES TRIP - MORGAN STEVENS
19. LOVE LOVES TO LOVE LOVE - LULU
20. BLACK ANT - OSIBISA
21. WILD CHILD - THE GUILLOTINES
22. UNITY - OPERATION IVY
23. 52 GIRLS - B-52S
24. MOON MADNESS - PASCAL & THE LUNAR-TIKS
25. WAITING ROOM - FUGAZI

PS - want to download this so you can keep it for ever and ever? https://www.dropbox.com/s/rrmtz8885iezjzr/Ewan%20Hoozami%20-%20Dead%20Wax%20Social%20Mix.mp3?dl=0

Kojak - 2 Exciting Stories! (Charity Shop Gem of the Week)

Now we're talking... a great example of the kind of bonkers but undeniably cool records that can be found in bargain buckets if you keep your eyes peeled.

This is one of many storybook/record sets I've picked up over the years (almost all without the book)

Littered with great quotes, sound effects and soundbites, all in an ultra-cool New York drawl, with some ridiculous characters and plots that just about make sense... what's not to like?

La Monte Young & Mariam Zazeela - The Black Album

It's like Christmas, but early.
This record has been at the top of my wish-list forever, but the £100+ price tag for old battered copies of the impossible grail always prevented me from buying it. La Monte Young is incredibly prolific, and records everything he ever does, but, somewhat against the grain of internet culture, never actually releases anything. Having a grand total of two commercially released albums (plus a few shoddy bootlegs), it is possible to pick up the 100 hours or so of the rest of his output on torrent sites, but you rarely find anything in the flesh... until now. A limited re-release that seems to be already bordering on going out of print, this album consists of two long-form 'drone' tracks - the first for two singers (Young and his wife Zazeela) and sine tone, with the second for two gongs. Like all Young's music, it's not for the faint-hearted, and you'd be forgiven for assuming a lack of progression throughout the 20 or so minutes of each piece. However, the careful use of specific frequencies creates all kind of odd psycho-neurological affects in the brain, creating a space that is beyond conscious attention - the mind tunes in to a new way of being, freed from the constraints of taste or opinion.
I can't sell this record enough - it is one of the greatest things to every grace wax - designed to be played loudly and in a single, uninterrupted sitting, I defy anyone to not get caught up in its trance-like effect under the right conditions. If you're in New York, Young and Zazeela have an ongoing installation where you can go and sit in on these continuous drones and chants - their house is an open performance space that has been running a perpetual version of this work for nigh on 30 years.

You can pick this up at Piccadilly records for at least another ten minutes - Buy it

Peru Boom: Bass, Bleeps & Bumps From Peru's Electronic Underground

Well, here's a rarity... No, not an ultra-sought-after 1st press of Tangerine Dream's debut album Phaedra (although that would be nice). Even rarer, a record that excites both your Curious Music correspondents in equal measure! As I'm writing this, I realise that we were both slobbering over the Kung Fury record from a few weeks back, but let's not let the truth get in the way of hyperbole...

"I'm going to get this" said Dann, emailing me a link to a new record. Usually, it's some difficult jazz or ultra-minimal drone music so I agree it's a cool record, but not one for me. This time, however, the title alone piqued my interest.

But before I investigate the record in question; an aside. I hate the term 'World' music. It's so patronising, like calling non-white people 'coloured'. At the risk of sounding trite, we're all in our own little patches of planet Earth, and using that term to describe music that's not British/American immediately puts it in the category of 'Other' - you might as well call it 'Funny Foreign Music'.
But I digress. My point is I really like discovering the sounds from far-flung nations, whether old or new, traditional or modern. Some of the most interesting and amazing music I've ever heard has been created when two cultures meet - Indigenous music influenced by a disparate sound, usually British/American music. There are countless examples throughout music history, from Jap-rock to Afro-disco. It's a trend that, with the information-sharing capabilities of the internet, has become even more prevalent in the modern age.

Nowhere is this better showcased than on Peru Boom: Bass, Bleeps & Bumps From Peru's Electronic Underground

At CMFCP we can't often be accused of being at the forefront of the hippest new global club music, but thanks to the aforementioned record, it seems we are! Dance music heavyweights such as Diplo and Major Lazer apparently hoover up the finest South American bass/electronic club music and bring it to mass audiences. We're not too sure how all that sort of thing works but what we hear is some highly unusual and captivating electronic music.
It's been a while since I went to a sweaty rave, which is partly because the music doesn't often appeal. The current crop of celebrated UK Bass artists rarely do it for me - without wishing to sound too much like an overly nostalgic old sod - I remember when club music made you want to dance.
Mount Kimbie would have been in the chillout room back in the 00's. I've nothing against him or his music, but I find it odd that these days he's main room fare.

By contrast, this Peruvian stuff would really get me hyped. (No, not that kind of Peruvian stuff)

2 tunes in and Deltatron's Ego Trip is an absolute banger; with Trap-style hats, 80s throwback synths, heavy 808 bass tones and a steadily ascending lead line that gets into your bones. I would lose my shit to this if I heard it on a big rig.
Qechaboi's Iseecumbiapeopleagain mixes Postal Service style beats with glitchy synths that wouldn't sound out of place on a Game Boy... but wraps it all in a Cumbia shuffle that's kind of the perfect example of what this Peruvian scene has to offer.
Peru Boom: Bass, Bleeps & Bumps From Peru's Electronic Underground has introduced me to new music from an area of the world not famed, traditionally, for pioneering advances in that regard. With acts like Animal Chuki, Tribilin Sound and Pirana Sound System demonstrating this kind of sure touch, it's a scene I will be paying close attention to from now on!

Available on Double-Vinyl with a sweet as fuck cover design, and available direct from Bandcamp or from most good online stores, Peru Boom: Bass, Bleeps & Bumps From Peru's Electronic Underground is highly recommended for anyone interested in electronic music. I can feel a trip to Peru brewing ...

Have a listen here:

Buy direct from Tigers Milk Records here https://tigersmilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/peru-boom-bass-bleeps-bumps-from-perus-electronic-underground

In addition, there's a fascinating video documentary about the thriving Lima electronic music scene... check it out here!

Hohokum - Soundtrack

Ghostly International curate the soundtrack to this indie video game, in which the main protagonist is a kite. A who's who of contemporary synthwave, the artists include Tycho, Com Truise, Matthew Dear, Shigeto and more, all oozing the same brand of rubbery synths and minimalist beats.

A incredibly hip affair - as you might expect from the subject matter - the vinyl itself comes on clear splattered wax, and annoyingly offers about half the track count of the download version.

Still, a pretty good introduction to the world of Ghostly International and their ilk.

P

Pick it up here: http://www.ghostly.com/releases/hohokum-soundtrack

Week 2 Winners!

Every week (ish) we'll be picking weekly winners in the following categories:
Freak of The Week
Charity Shop Gem of The Week
The premise is simply to draw your attention to outstanding examples of the above-mentioned,... whether it's a deliciously baffling record, a great flea-market find, or a superb new re-release!
So, without further ado, get stuck in...

Freak of the Week: Betty Chung 'Bang Bang'

Charity Shop Gem of The Week: Arthur Lyman 'Taboo'