V/A Rembetika: Songs Of The Greek Underground 1925 - 1947 (Trikont) 2cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Fairly caught with our pants down around our ankles we were when Sharpling & Wurster's "Music Scholar" suggested that every self respecting record store would have a large collection of Greek Rembetika music. Checking our inventory we could only attest to have ever had two different collections. It is with our heads hung in shame that we belatedly attempt to correct this oversite. Trikont, the friendly German label that brought us such crucial staples to the music lover's diet as 'Ho!: Roady Music From Vietnam', 'Texas Bohemia' and 4 volumes of recordings of the song 'La Paloma', now presents us with a handsome double disc set of Greek Rembetika music and, all kidding aside, this is fine collection.
Rembetika music developed early in the 20th century amongst the poor habitants of Greece. Much like the American blues, these marginalized members of Greek society wrote songs about pain, death, prison (many of the rembetika musicians of this time were jailed merely for playing their music), drugs (the word "rembetika" is derived from "tekes", meaning hash den), sorrow, etc. Comparisons have even been drawn to Harlem of the same period. The music is centered around the bouzouki, a home grown lute invented by rembetika musicians, but can include baglama (a smaller bouzouki), santouri (dulcimer), lyra (or violin), guitar, oud, clarinet and vocals of course. One of the things that made their music so rich was the absorption of musical influences from around the Mediterranean. Two tragic events, both in 1922, helped add to this melange: a fire that consumed the city of Smyrna on the coast of Asia Minor forced the Greek inhabitants back to mainland Greece and the Greco-Turkish war, which caused massive shifting of populations. Both events saw a new influx of poor immigrants who added their distinctive styles and melodies to the form. By 1937 the Greek government, viewing the anti-authoritarian and Arab influenced sounds as a cultural and political threat, banned the music from being played on the radio, favoring instead the more mainstream Piraeus style of rembetika. The 45 tracks on this two disc collection capture this brief and musically fertile phenomenon, featuring some of the best of the day, including Markos Vamvakaris, Rita Ambadsi, Evangelos Papazoglu and much more. This fine edition from Trikont comes with two booklets, and though the back cover claims to include an English translation there is in fact only a brief translation of some of the lyrics. All the historical documentation will require an understanding of German.
RealAudio clip: VAMVAKARIS, MARKOS "Efumernam' Ena Vradi"
RealAudio clip: AMBADSI, RITA "Hanumakia"
RealAudio clip: PERPINIADIS, STELLAKIS "I Foni Tu Argile"

V/A Rio Baile Funk 2: More Favela Booty Beats (Essay) 12" 9.98

V/A Rio Baile Funk More Favela Booty Beats (Essay) cd 16.98
If you love your booty shakin then you probably got the first installment of this totally endearing and bumpin' collection of Baile Funk deep from the heart of Rio. That held us over for a bit but our booty's were in need of a recharge and we got it thanks to this 2nd volume in this collection. A raw, mutant mixture of booty bass, hip-hop, carnival, and mash-up culture at its most contagious. What makes this collection so infectious is that you can't help but hear how these songs were made free of irony, and giving us a little peak into what a colorful and risquŽ kind of party scene is happening in Rio. Throw this on in between some M.I.A and Lady Sovereign and you're sure to get everyone around you shaking their booty like it's meant to be shook. 100 percent F-U-N!
MPEG Stream: EDU K FEAT. DEIZE TIGRONA "Sex-O-Matic"
MPEG Stream: OS MAGRINHOS "Japonesa"
MPEG Stream: ISAAC DJ "Montagem Jiu Jitsu"

V/A Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats (Essay) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ok, how does this sound: Dirty, DIRTY! sex rhyme booty beat music from Brazil. Sounds interesting, mmmmno? I think it might be called a couple of other names, bt this comp's titled Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats. The sound is a rudimentary hodgepodge of beats/breaks/melodies appropriated from all sortsa other music: Os Mutantes, Def Leppard - or is that Ace Frehley?, an assortment of late 80s/early 90s Hip Hop, and 90s New Wave/Top 40 all mixed into an incessant percussion, over which a (for the most part) singular (and sometimes a child's) voice yells totally explicit sex rhymes! Now, I don't know Portugese, but it doesn't take rocket science to imagine what they're yellin about here. First of all, what comes to mind with the term dirty sex ryhmes? Hmm, ok. If you haven't gotten the hint yet, imagine where it comes from: the ghettos of Rio and its millions of homeless children ruling the city with violence day and night. In a place like this, nothing but this type of music would be appropriate. Regardless, the beats are amazing, the lyricism (well, yelling) is hilarious but fierce, and the overall sound is fresh, inspiring and ridiculously fun. Crazy recommended!
MPEG Stream: RICARDO E ESQUISITO "Muhler Coca Cola"
MPEG Stream: BONDE DO TIAGRO "O Baile Todo"

V/A River Songs Of Bangladesh (Arc) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Field recordings by ethnomusicologist Deben Bhattacharya, freshly recorded in February 2001. Traditional Bangladeshi music can be divided into two forms, the more traditional Indian-influenced Raga-Tala system, and the more simple form known as Deshi ('of the land'). Deshi is what we hear on this cd: gorgeously simple, stark folk songs played on just a few instruments including multi-stringed lutes made out of jack-fruit wood, single-steel-stringed drone intoners, bamboo flutes, and wooden clappers. Male and female voices are melancholy and sing of hard river life, such as "The river banks are crumbling down and falling into the water / My heart too is dissolving in pieces like the river itself."
RealAudio clip: ANURUPA RAY WITH NARAYAN CHANDRA RAY "Dhalla Nodi"

V/A Robert Crumb Presents Hot Women: Women Singers From The Torrid Regions (Kein & Aber) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's an interesting collection. Put together by Robert Crumb, at the behest of his wife Aline, from his personal collection of 78's. The collection moves across the globe by continent, starting in Louisiana, USA moving south through Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America; then touching down in Europe (Spain, Sicily, Greece and Turkey), moving south through Africa, on to India and South East Asia (Burma & Vietnam), and finally resting in the South Pacific. Most of the recordings come from the 30's (with a few from as early as 1927 and as recent as 1950) and are quite likely to be tracks you've never heard before in your life. Some artists, like Greek singer Rita Abadzi, first lady of Cajun Cleoma Falcon and Norteno musician Lidya Mendoza are well known, and have plenty of recordings assuring their place in history. But of much of the others on this disc, very little is known. In a typically erudite, but self deprecating and witty form that is unique to himself, Robert Crumb leads us through his recordings armed with what little knowledge he's been able to glean about each performer (mostly from the internet and, Crumb insists, with the help of others who understand such modern technology).
MPEG Stream: GRUPO DE "LA ALEGRIA" "El Tambor De La Alegria"
MPEG Stream: MABOUDANA AND BADOLO "Chant d'Invitation A La Dance"
MPEG Stream: CO BA-THINH, KHAM-THIEN "Hat Du"

V/A Rock En Arequipa (Repsychled) cd 14.98
Fuzz and groove from the Andes, mostly circa 1969-1974, uh huh! If there's anything we've learned from all the cool comps and reissues that have come out over the years, is that almost ANYPLACE on Earth you can think of, no matter how out of the way, chances are they had their own happenin' psychedelic garage rock band scene back in the day, chock full of cool bands that we'd never have ever heard of but for the diligent efforts of collectors and compilers. Certainly we already know this to be the case in '60s/'70s Peru, as we're already in love with such great bands from that land as Traffic Sound, We All Together, and Tarkus. Now from the same Lima-based label, Repsychled, that just so happens to be responsible for reissues of albums by all of those, we get this killer compilation devoted to bands from Peru's second largest city, Arequipa, located in the south of the country, high up in the Andes. None of these groups recorded full albums, but they did release rare singles and make live 'party' cassettes and left behind enough cool music that this disc is packed, 21 tracks from five bands: Los Texao, Free Love System, Los Incognitos, Madera Fresca, and Opus.
Los Texao, named after the type of flower associated with Arequipa, have the lion's share of the tracks, ten of 'em, including some covers (Cream, The Guess Who, Steppenwolf). They are also responsible for several of the best originals on here, especially their druggy groovy freakout "Stone", which by itself may justify the purchase of this disc, and exemplifies their own musical style called niebla (= fog in English), we're told "because of the effect produced by the band's rotor amps and reverb and echo effects". But Free Love System don't let us, or Arequipa, down either (with a name like that, you gotta be good!) and their four cuts are also pretty cool and, uh, foggy, including one with driving fuzz guitars and a kind of "You Really Got Me" riff, entitled "Correteando Anoranzas". They (as well as Los Texao and the others) also do some dreamy pop stuff, with melancholic psych guitar solos, so it's not all heavy and rockin', but mellow and moody too.
Meanwhile Los Incognitos have more of a twang, sounding a bit like something out of a Spaghetti Western on their four cuts. And then there's a couple by Madera Fresca. In particular, their track "Anytime" is pretty crazed, though also extremely lo-fi (fortunately it's the exception in that regard amongst the tracks here), and heck even if it wasn't, that'd be ok with us, we'd happily crank a whole album of this sort of distorted worbbly-warbly instrumental jamming. And then Opus, a band formed by Free Love System's former guitarist in '76, wraps up the disc with track #21, the only one on the disc that's not actually from the '69-'74 time frame, though it sounds it, despite being recorded as late as 1982.
Whoo! Along with our recent initiation into the wonderfulness of the "chicha" sound (which combined Andean folk traditions with psych/beat influences), this comp certainly adds to our infatuation with Peruvian music of the psychedelic era. If you dig stuff like the Love, Peace & Poetry: Latin America comp you'll want to hear this. The cd booklet is illustrated with vintage photos and press clippings, and includes informative liner notes in Spanish and (somewhat abridged) English.
MPEG Stream: LOS TEXAO "Stone"
MPEG Stream: FREE LOVE SYSTEM "Correteando Anoranzas"
MPEG Stream: LOS INCOGNITOS "Ya Sera Tarde"
MPEG Stream: LOS TEXAO "Pobre Gato"

V/A Roots Of Chicha 2: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru (Barbes) cd 15.98
We know we aren't the only ones crazy for the sounds of Chicha, at least judging by the number of copies we sold of the first Roots Of volume, not to mention the amazing collection of songs by Juaneco Y Su Combo. It's pretty much impossible to be into a wide range of music and not be floored by the rad sounds of Chicha. Fuzzy and psychedelic, washed out and surfy, all wrapped in the sounds of cumbia, carimbo and Peruvian traditional music. Barbes is doing such a great job with this series helping expose the truly amazing music coming from this scene in Peru from 1968-1981. It not only has such a cool sound that tons of bands today wish they could recreate, but the songs also have such a sense of soul that makes this one of those records that gets everyone in the store shaking gently back and forth and tapping their toes and we have lost count with how many times we get asked what is playing when this is on as its a record that appeals to such a wide range of tastes.
It shows how rich this scene was that Juaneco Y Su Columbo aren't even on this volume, yet all the other bands included we would kill to hear more from. We know if this was on Sublime Frequencies we would sell even more of these, so c'mon if you love amazing sounds from different parts of the globe you've got to get on the Chicha train!
MPEG Stream: LOS DESTELLOS "Constelacion"
MPEG Stream: MANZANITA Y SU CONJUNTO "Paga la Cuenta Sinverguenza"
MPEG Stream: LOS WALKERS "Siboney"

V/A Roots of Gamelan, the (World Arbiter) cd 16.98
Possibly a bit of a misnomer in the title, as the "roots" of gamelan predate any recording equipment by nearly a thousand years. 1928 however, when these earliest recordings of Balinese gamelan were recorded, could well be considered the roots of Balinese gamelan as it exists today, as the now ubiquitous Gong Kebyar of Bali was born, by most accounts, a mere fourteen years prior to these recordings (see "Music of the Gamelan Gong Kebyar Volume 1" from list 128.) In a sense, these seminal recordings exist thanks to all the wrong reasons. Apparently two record labels, Odeon and Beka, had the idea that they could record and market Balinese music to Bali on records. They put together 98 sides on 78 rpm discs, but the Balinese were completely uninterested in shelling out the dough for those recordings for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was that by the time the recordings hit the shelves they were pretty much old news. The discs sold in small amounts on the international market, but for the most part the concept was a flop. Today, however, we are left with a wonderful time capsule of Balinese gamelan as it stood at the beginning of the century. Along with the early kebyar examples here, there are also several tracks of gamelan pelegongan, gender wayang (the quartet that accompanies puppet theater in Bali), jangger (a comical form featuring a chorus of young boys and girls, with the boys singing in a vocal style which we today are more familiar with as kecak) and anklung. Due to the limitations the 78 rpm disc and its 3 minute capacity, much of the works contained here are broken up semi-artificially into movements. Also included at the end of this disc are six tracks of gamelan transcriptions performed by Canadian composer and Balinese music scholar Colin McPhee (of whom the records which make up this collection belonged) and Benjamin Britten on piano and Georges Barrere on flute. These performances are quite interesting in and of themselves, especially for anyone who's familiar with McPhee's later classical compositions (or even fans of Lou Harrison) which were based entirely around Balinese music. Includes a healthy 27 pages of well scribed liner notes on the recordings and Balinese music in general.
RealAudio clip: GONG OF BELALUAN "Kebyar Ding III: Oncang-Oncangan"
RealAudio clip: JANGER GROUP OF ABIAN TIMBUL "Putih Putih Saput Anduk"
RealAudio clip: MCPHEE, COLIN & BENJAMIN BRITTON "Gambangan"

V/A Rough Guide To Afro-Peru (Rough Guides) cd 13.98

V/A Rough Guide To Bollywood (Rough Guides) cd 13.98
It seems there's a "Rough Guide" for practically every kind of music from every inch of the world. Sort of like those "Idiot's Guide To..." or "... For Dummies" books which I have to admit are pretty darn helpful and informative, if somewhat insultingly titled. Luckily this compilation series isn't as unfortunately named, but is however less in depth and fulfilling. Certainly it's doesn't proclaim to be more than just an introductory tutorial, but although key figures are included like Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan and Mohammed Rafi, it really barely skims the surface of this amazing genre. So if you're just looking for a basic sampler history lesson in Indian film music, this might do ya fine, but for those looking to delve a little deeper, don't wait another moment to check out the following titles: Doob Doob O'Rama Volumes 1 and 2, Vijaya Anand's Dance Raja Dance, Bollywood Funk, and The Best Of Asha Bhosle. Although these titles focus a lot more on the "golden age" of Bollywood than the more recent decades, they're much more thorough collections.
RealAudio clip: ASHA BHOSLE AND MOHAMMED RAFI "Chura Liya Hai Tum Ne"
RealAudio clip: UDIT NARAYAN "Jaadu Teri Koi"
RealAudio clip: CHITRA "Kehna Hi Kya"

V/A Rough Guide To The Music Of Balkan Gypsies (World Music) cd 14.98
Balkan Gypsies refer to themselves as "Roma", derived from an Indian Word meaning "a man of low caste who gains his livelihood by singing and dancing." The artists on this album hail from Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Greece and have drawn influence, according to the the booklet accompanying the cd, from sources as varied as "Spanish Flamenco to Django Reinhardt's French Gypsy swing to Turkish bellydance clubs." As such, there's a lot of variety throughout the album, reflecting the diversity within Rom culture. Very intriguing collection!
MPEG Stream: MAHALA RAI BANDA "Mahalgeasca"
MPEG Stream: TARAF DE HAIDOUKS "Cintec De Dragoste Si Joc"

V/A Rough Guide To The Music Of Indonesia (Rough Guides) cd 13.98
The Rough Guide's primer here on the music of Indonesia should not be mistaken as a definitive sampler of the music from this archipelago -- even Philip Yampolsky's thorough 20 disc "Music Of Indonesia" series on Smithsonian Folkways could hardly claim that distinction -- but focuses more on those genres arising out of Indonesia's urban centers, music that has a distinct western influence. Which isn't to say that the music is limited to a western bias when it comes to the elements which inform it. There's CBMW, from Western Java which blends together local degung style gamelan with a bamboo idiom from Jakarta along with Balinese elements and even Brazilian samba rhythms. The example presented here is, while bordering on the NPR-segue-music side of things, is unlike anything else you're likely to hear. There's the wacky, Indian film music influenced Dangdut with its genre bending, frenetic energy. Then there's the beautiful kacapi and suling (plucked zither and bamboo flute) duets in which the zither accompanies while the flute, in place of singing, plays improvised melodies. Can't leave out the mudic of Ibu Maimunah Mochtar & Group which combines Malay, Portuguese and Middle Eastern musical elements on accordion, frame drum and vocals. 15 tracks, representing as many styles are included here, though a few out and out pop tracks made the cut as well and I can't say they were crucial additions. 12 pages of liner notes on the artists, source listings for the tracks and a brief introduction to the islands round out the package.
RealAudio clip: CBMW "Sambasunda"
RealAudio clip: L.S. GELIK "Jeruk Manis"
RealAudio clip: NASIDA RIA "Boleh Bersuka Ria"

V/A Rumble In The Jungle (Soul Jazz) cd 21.00
When we first got wind of this comp, for some reason, we just assumed it was gonna be another amazing Soul Jazz reggae comp, it didn't even occur to us that it would be a collection of killer classic jungle jams from the early nineties. But we threw it on, and were just knocked on our asses, transported back to '93/'94 when we first discovered jungle, particularly, ragga-dancehall-jungle or whatever you wanted to call it, a killer blend of traditional Jamaican dancehall, and this new breed of sped up hip hop that had grown out of the rave scene in the UK.
The history and genealogy is complex, but there's been plenty written about it, the liner notes here are particularly informative, tracing the development of ragga-jungle from the early Reggae sound systems, through the rave scene, UK hardcore hip hop, and beyond. Ragga jungle was a flash in the pan, existing for 3 or 4 years before most of the folks making it moved on to two-step, garage, drum and bass and on an on. But for our money, this was it. This was THE music we had been waiting for. We have loved dancehall forever, the harder and faster the better, so here was the toasting and melody of dancehall, draped over chopped up stuttering and pounding hip hop beats, all sped up into a rhythmic frenzy.
If there's one track that sums it up for us, it's DJ Zinc's "Super Sharp Shooter", with its interminable vocal and squelchy synth intro, the loping creeping reggae groove, the buzzing melody, the simple shuffling drum beat, the slowed down Method Man sample, and that's all before the track actually even drops, and when it does... Whoooowheee. We remember hearing this for the first time in one of the few clubs in SF that played jungle back in the day, and it nearly knocked us out of our seats. We ended up buying a DJ mix tape from one of the DJs spinning, and thankfully it had "Super Sharp Shooter" on it, and from that point on, we listened to it over and over every day, in the car, cranked as loud as it would go, bass pumping (as much as the bass could be said to pump in a crappy old van). So fucking heavy and hooky and funky. When the track finally kicks in, it's massive, relentless serpentine pass line, ultra complex drums, funky and groovy but so tangled and dense, every once in a while the bass line locks on a single not and just hooooooooolds steady until it drops, hard, and we're off on another junglistic jam. As far as we're concerned this would be worth it just for this track, but thankfully, the rest of the disc is just as kick ass.
Lots of familiar reggae and dancehall names, Ninjaman, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Cutty Ranks, and for those in the know, the rest of the names read like an early nineties jungle all star lineup: Ragga Twins, Poison Chang, Ragga Twins, DJ Zinc, Shy FX... but even if you don't know any of these names, the music speaks for itself. Check out "Original Nuttah" by UK Apachi & Shy FX, beginning with some super hooky sing songy reggae vocals before the track launches into a maddeningly dense rapid fire snare workout underpinning a raw and tongue twisting flow. Furious and intense and so goddamn good. Then there's tracks like Ragga Twins' "Illegal Gunshot", with its playful and circusy melodic loop, but juxtaposed with some seriously aggro toasting, some Bomb Squad like production, and some outrageously funky drumming.
Pretty much every track on here is a killer, never has a record so much made even us non-dancers want to head for the dancefloor and go fucking nuts. The cool thing about this stuff, is even if you're dancefloor phobic, is that these tracks are so dense and multi layered, full of convoluted rhythms and mad drumming and rapid fire rhymes and wild toasting and strange melodies and killer grooves, that they're almost as fun to listen to as they are to dance to. Almost.
Like all Soul Jazz stuff, gorgeously packaged and extensively researched. Tons of liner notes, track notes, photos, all wrapped up in a full color slipcase.
MPEG Stream: DJ ZINC "Super Sharp Shooter"
MPEG Stream: RAGGA TWINS "Illegal Gunshot"
MPEG Stream: ASHER SENATOR "One Bible"
MPEG Stream: POISON CHANG "Press The Trigger"

V/A Rumble In The Jungle (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
When we first got wind of this comp, for some reason, we just assumed it was gonna be another amazing Soul Jazz reggae comp, it didn't even occur to us that it would be a collection of killer classic jungle jams from the early nineties. But we threw it on, and were just knocked on our asses, transported back to '93/'94 when we first discovered jungle, particularly, ragga-dancehall-jungle or whatever you wanted to call it, a killer blend of traditional Jamaican dancehall, and this new breed of sped up hip hop that had grown out of the rave scene in the UK.
The history and genealogy is complex, but there's been plenty written about it, the liner notes here are particularly informative, tracing the development of ragga-jungle from the early Reggae sound systems, through the rave scene, UK hardcore hip hop, and beyond. Ragga jungle was a flash in the pan, existing for 3 or 4 years before most of the folks making it moved on to two-step, garage, drum and bass and on an on. But for our money, this was it. This was THE music we had been waiting for. We have loved dancehall forever, the harder and faster the better, so here was the toasting and melody of dancehall, draped over chopped up stuttering and pounding hip hop beats, all sped up into a rhythmic frenzy.
If there's one track that sums it up for us, it's DJ Zinc's "Super Sharp Shooter", with its interminable vocal and squelchy synth intro, the loping creeping reggae groove, the buzzing melody, the simple shuffling drum beat, the slowed down Method Man sample, and that's all before the track actually even drops, and when it does... Whoooowheee. We remember hearing this for the first time in one of the few clubs in SF that played jungle back in the day, and it nearly knocked us out of our seats. We ended up buying a DJ mix tape from one of the DJs spinning, and thankfully it had "Super Sharp Shooter" on it, and from that point on, we listened to it over and over every day, in the car, cranked as loud as it would go, bass pumping (as much as the bass could be said to pump in a crappy old van). So fucking heavy and hooky and funky. When the track finally kicks in, it's massive, relentless serpentine pass line, ultra complex drums, funky and groovy but so tangled and dense, every once in a while the bass line locks on a single not and just hooooooooolds steady until it drops, hard, and we're off on another junglistic jam. As far as we're concerned this would be worth it just for this track, but thankfully, the rest of the disc is just as kick ass.
Lots of familiar reggae and dancehall names, Ninjaman, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Cutty Ranks, and for those in the know, the rest of the names read like an early nineties jungle all star lineup: Ragga Twins, Poison Chang, Ragga Twins, DJ Zinc, Shy FX... but even if you don't know any of these names, the music speaks for itself. Check out "Original Nuttah" by UK Apachi & Shy FX, beginning with some super hooky sing songy reggae vocals before the track launches into a maddeningly dense rapid fire snare workout underpinning a raw and tongue twisting flow. Furious and intense and so goddamn good. Then there's tracks like Ragga Twins' "Illegal Gunshot", with its playful and circusy melodic loop, but juxtaposed with some seriously aggro toasting, some Bomb Squad like production, and some outrageously funky drumming.
Pretty much every track on here is a killer, never has a record so much made even us non-dancers want to head for the dancefloor and go fucking nuts. The cool thing about this stuff, is even if you're dancefloor phobic, is that these tracks are so dense and multi layered, full of convoluted rhythms and mad drumming and rapid fire rhymes and wild toasting and strange melodies and killer grooves, that they're almost as fun to listen to as they are to dance to. Almost.
Like all Soul Jazz stuff, gorgeously packaged and extensively researched. Tons of liner notes, track notes, photos...
MPEG Stream: DJ ZINC "Super Sharp Shooter"
MPEG Stream: RAGGA TWINS "Illegal Gunshot"
MPEG Stream: ASHER SENATOR "One Bible"
MPEG Stream: POISON CHANG "Press The Trigger"

V/A Russkie Wig-Out! Surf / Electro / Exotica From Behind The Iron Curtain (The Omni Recording Corporation) cd 17.98
One of two new comps from one of our favorite reissue labels, the Omni Recording Corporation, and while the other one, The World Is A Monster fits squarely within Omni's country/folk/bluegrass focus, this one does NOT. Instead of lost recordings, rescued from plundered record label vaults or transferred from scratchy old records, instead of Dolly Parton or Porter Wagoner, instead of twisted country or bizarre bluegrass, Russkie Wig-Out! finds Omni collecting various recordings from the last ten years of "Demented Surf / Electro / Exotica From Behind The Iron Curtain". Which is as good as it sounds.
Some folks are probably familiar with Messer Chups, whose records have been issued stateside, and who we remembered as being more a sort of modern rockabilly outfit, but this comp kind of knocked our socks off, and not only features a handful of Messer Chups tracks, but also the various post Messer groups, offshoots and solo records. And the sound here is not at all rockabilly really. Instead it's crazed sample driven Joe Meek like exotica surf rock weirdness.
Twangy guitars, wild fluttery Theremins, lots of synths, groovy percussion, haunting Halloween melodies, and loads of samples, like some twisted hybrid of Les Baxter, Joe Meek, Perrey & Kingsley, Tipsy and Aavikko, this comp is like the ultimate party record. Just check out "Gitarkin Fast Food Empire", with its groovy horn riff, its counted off "1,2,3,4" vocal sample, culminating with a hurl like "BLEEEARGHHHH", not to mention the cool weirdo sort of scatting, the exotic female vocals, so good.
Or check out "Bukva F" which is essentially a Perry & Kingsley cover, right down to the weird animal calls, but here it's revved up a little and given some extra vibe melodies and strange vocals.
The whole record is totally fun and wild and ridiculous and catchy, it's sort of the music we'd imagine the house band on the Flintstones would play, or some fifties version of Pee Wee's Playhouse, or an alternate reality version of Gilligans Island, if Gilligan ran a seedy bar on the island. Totally far out, and totally recommended.
MPEG Stream: MESSER CHUPS "Cannibal Twist"
MPEG Stream: MESSER FUR FRAU MULLER "Gitarkin Fast Food Empire"
MPEG Stream: OLEG KOSTROW "Bukva F"
MPEG Stream: MESSER FUR FRAU MULLER "The Best Girl In USSR"
MPEG Stream: OLEG KOSTROW "Lego-Marsch"

V/A Saigon Rock & Soul - Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974 (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
We made this our Record Of The Week when it first came out on vinyl back in 2010, and that's been out of print for a while now, but has just been reissued, this time on cd, so we figured it oughta be ROTW again...
It seems like of all the Sublime Frequencies releases, all of which are incredible, many so incredible we felt compelled to make them aQ Records Of The Week, none has been as hotly anticipated as this one, ever since word of this release first surfaced, we would constantly get requests and inquiries, folks DYING to get their hands on a copy, and we'd be lying if we said we weren't pretty excited ourselves. So finally, here it is, Saigon Rock & Soul, a collection of fuzzy psychedelic Western influenced Vietnamese garage rock and pop, from the late sixties to the early seventies, heavily influenced by Western music of the time of course, but still somehow so totally and uniquely Southeast Asian.
And like most of these collections, the sounds vary greatly, from super distorted acid drenched psychedelia, to fuzz guitar funk, to wild ramshackle garage rock, to dark smoky soul ballads and pretty much every stop in between.
The history of this music, and the story of its creation, is as amazing as the music itself, as all of these tracks were recorded while the Vietnam war raged, recorded in makeshift studios, sometimes in US Army, camps, released as super limited 45's and tapes, the sounds constantly evolving as local musicians were exposed to the music American G.I.'s would bring over with them, from the surf rock of the Ventures and the Shadows, to stuff like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Santana, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix, hence the heaviness of some of these tracks, with bands emulating that super distorted guitar tone and that druggy sixties psychedelic vibe.
And some of this stuff really is heavy, the record opens with CBC Band's "Tinh Tuyet Voi", which explodes out of the gate with some seriously fuzzed out caustic guitar riffing, and then there's the "yeah yeah yeah" chorus, that almost sounds like the record is skipping, totally psychedelic and mesmerizing, wild drumming, lysergic leads - here's hoping Sublime Frequencies has a CBC Band reissue in the works!
The rest of the tracks, while maybe not quite as heavy, are still super fuzzy and rocking and groovy, from wild horn drenched exotica, to organ driven garage rock grooves, to funky psychedelic soul, horns all over the place, wild psych guitar leads, super distorted fuzz basslines, pounded piano, loose chaotic drumming, lots of distortion and reverb, even some sampled birdsong (!), the vocals wailed and howled and growled, some of the tracks getting all dark and soulful and smoky, no doubt a nod to the Motown sound, also a huge influence on Vietnamese music of the time, but for the most part, the sound of Saigon at the time was fuzzy and buzzy, wild and rambunctious, rocking and totally psychedelic. Fantastic stuff, and while many of the groups featured here are some of the most popular artists in Vietnam at the time, most of them have remained pretty much entirely unheard by Western ears, until now.
As always, extensive liner notes on the music, the musicians, and the era, as well as some amazing photos.
MPEG Stream: CBC BAND "Tinh Yeu Tuyet Voi "
MPEG Stream: CAROL KIM "Noi Buon Con Gai (The Sadness Of Being A Girl)"
MPEG Stream: LE THU "Sao Bien (Etoile Des Neiges)"
MPEG Stream: ELVIS PHUONG "Kho Tang Cua Chung Ta (Our Treasures)"

V/A Saigon Rock & Soul - Vietnamese Classic Tracks 1968-1974 (Sublime Frequencies) 2lp 30.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It seems like of all the Sublime Frequencies releases, all of which are incredible, many so incredible we felt compelled to make them aQ Records Of The Week, none has been as hotly anticipated as this one, ever since word of this release first surfaced, we would constantly get requests and inquiries, folks DYING to get their hands on a copy, and we'd be lying if we said we weren't pretty excited ourselves. So finally, here it is, Saigon Rock & Soul, a collection of fuzzy psychedelic Western influenced Vietnamese garage rock and pop, from the late sixties to the early seventies, heavily influenced by Western music of the time of course, but still somehow so totally and uniquely Southeast Asian.
And like most of these collections, the sounds vary greatly, from super distorted acid drenched psychedelia, to fuzz guitar funk, to wild ramshackle garage rock, to dark smoky soul ballads and pretty much every stop in between.
The history of this music, and the story of its creation, is as amazing as the music itself, as all of these tracks were recorded while the Vietnam war raged, recorded in makeshift studios, sometimes in US Army, camps, released as super limited 45's and tapes, the sounds constantly evolving as local musicians were exposed to the music American G.I.'s would bring over with them, from the surf rock of the Ventures and the Shadows, to stuff like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Santana, Deep Purple, Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix, hence the heaviness of some of these tracks, with bands emulating that super distorted guitar tone and that druggy sixties psychedelic vibe.
And some of this stuff really is heavy, the record opens with CBC Band's "Tinh Tuyet Voi", which explodes out of the gate with some seriously fuzzed out caustic guitar riffing, and then there's the "yeah yeah yeah" chorus, that almost sounds like the record is skipping, totally psychedelic and mesmerizing, wild drumming, lysergic leads - here's hoping Sublime Frequencies has a CBC Band reissue in the works!
The rest of the tracks, while maybe not quite as heavy, are still super fuzzy and rocking and groovy, from wild horn drenched exotica, to organ driven garage rock grooves, to funky psychedelic soul, horns all over the place, wild psych guitar leads, super distorted fuzz basslines, pounded piano, loose chaotic drumming, lots of distortion and reverb, even some sampled birdsong (!), the vocals wailed and howled and growled, some of the tracks getting all dark and soulful and smoky, no doubt a nod to the Motown sound, also a huge influence on Vietnamese music of the time, but for the most part, the sound of Saigon at the time was fuzzy and buzzy, wild and rambunctious, rocking and totally psychedelic. Fantastic stuff, and while many of the groups featured here are some of the most popular artists in Vietnam at the time, most of them have remained pretty much entirely unheard by Western ears, until now.
SUPER LIMITED of course, vinyl-only, and it's pressed on nice heavy vinyl, and housed in a thick full color gatefold sleeve, with extensive liner notes on the music, the musicians, and the era, as well as some amazing photos.

V/A Samba Soul 70! (Ziriguiboom / Crammed) cd 16.98
Soul influenced tracks from Brazil dating mostly from the mid to late seventies. Laced with funky electric bass, rhodes piano, horn sections, female choruses singing backup, and even the occasional string section, this is a perfect soundtrack for swank retro cocktail parties to get those guests dancing. A must for fans of the saucy soundtrack releases on the Crippled Dick Hot Wax label. Includes cuts by Gal Costa, Wilson Simonal, Banda Black Rio, Erlon Chaves, Elis Regina and more. Compiled by Beco Dranoff & Marc Hollander of Ziriguiboom and Dj Dalua of Bossacucanova.
RealAudio clip: CHAVES, ERLON "Cosa Nostra"
RealAudio clip: COSTA, GAL "Barato Total"

V/A Saoco! Masters of Afro-Cuban Jazz (Rhino) cd 16.98
Collection of Afro-Cuban jazz from the genre's heyday, with tracks from as early as 1958 and on up to 1974. This is an assortment of smooth, clean, pristine and very controlled tunes that, fair or no, always makes me think of Cal Tjader -- so it should come as no surprise that he's included on this compilation. Both well known and not-so-well-known orchestras and cuts are compiled here (a number of influential artists were unfortunately left out due to licensing restrictions) including Tito Puente, Mongo Santa Maria, Machito, Cachao, Willie Bobo, the aforementioned Cal Tjader with Eddie Palmieri and much more. This is the type of music that just dares you to attempt a listen without spilling your martini on the hi-fi. Comes with a handsome booklet with liner notes by both Chuy Varela and Bobby Matos.
RealAudio clip: BOBO, WILLIE "La Descarga Del Bobo"
RealAudio clip: TJADER, CAL & EDDIE PALMIERI "Guajira En Azul"

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind - Music Of Central Asia - Ethnic Music Classics: 1925-48 (Yazoo) cd 16.98

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind - Music Of North Africa - Ethnic Music Classics: 1925-48 (Yazoo) cd 16.98

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. 1: Ethnic Music Classics 1925-48 (Outernational) 2lp 31.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Somehow we slept on reviewing this series when the Yazoo label began issuing them on cd back in the mid-nineties (the cds are still available by the way). It wasn't that we didn't love them, of course we did! But we started carrying them way before our website was in its current form, and they just never made the transition in the usual hectic shuffle of putting together these bi-weekly new arrival lists. Besides, this series really didn't need our help to move them. They always looked very cool and mysterious, promising the discovery of some very far out and lost old world of music that folks here were naturally drawn to while shopping for cult metal, field recordings or obscure psych.
But now that Mississippi, Sublime Frequencies, Honest Jon's, Parlortone, and other like-minded revival labels have spearheded a much renewed interest in obscure early ethnographic recordings on vinyl, it was only a matter of time that this highly influential series would make the transition to wax, here's the first volume, and it's an amazing and beautiful package. Like The Black Mirror, String of Pearls, Mata La Pena, and Sprigs of Time compilations, this is an eclectic but choice collection of music from many different regions and covering many styles and traditions, starting in Nigeria with a church choir and pump organ, and working through Sardinia, Russia, Ceylon, Rajahstan, Cuba, Romania, Vietnam, Macedonia, Tahiti, Morocco, South Africa, Japan, India, the Basque country, Sweden, Poland, Jamaica, Abyssinia, Andalucia, Visayan Islands, and finally leaving us on Fiji with a lonely love song sung by school girls. Sigh.

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol. II - Ethnic Music Classics: 1945-48 (Yazoo) cd 16.98

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol.II Ethnic Music Classics: 1925-48 (The Secret Museum Of Mankind: Central Asia Ethnic ) 2lp 31.00
Somehow we slept on reviewing this series when the Yazoo label began issuing them on cd back in the mid-nineties (the cds are still available by the way). It wasn't that we didn't love them, of course we did! But we started carrying them way before our website was in its current form, and they just never made the transition in the usual hectic shuffle of putting together these bi-weekly new arrival lists. Besides, this series really didn't need our help. They always looked very cool and mysterious, promising the discovery of some very far out and lost old world of music that folks here were naturally drawn to while shopping for cult metal, field recordings or obscure psych.
But now that Mississippi, Sublime Frequencies, Honest Jon's, Parlortone, and other like-minded revival labels have spearheaded a much renewed interest in obscure early ethnographic recordings on vinyl, it was only a matter of time that this highly influential series would make the transition to wax, here's the second volume, and it's an amazing and beautiful package. Like The Black Mirror, String of Pearls, Mata La Pena, and Sprigs of Time compilations, this is an eclectic but choice collection of music from many different regions and covering many styles and traditions, from regions including Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, India, Mozambique, Ukraine, Trinidad, Kazakhstan, Ceylon, and Tibet. Highly Recommended.

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind Vol.III Ethnic Music Classics: 1925-48 (Outernational) 2lp 28.00
The third incredible volume of outerworld music from lands and peoples past and lost. Twenty-four tracks from Matabaleland (once Southern Rhodesia), Samarcand (central Asia), Poland, Spain, China, Epirus, Angola, India, Russia, Turkey, Arizona (Navajo), Mongolia, Dominica, Congo, Nyasaland, Burma, Tuscany, Persia, England, Albania, Laos, Tunisia, and Kiwai Island. Brought to us as always in a nice gatefold package with plenty of notes and information about the traditions and tribes of the people who made this incredible music. A must have!

V/A Secret Museum Of Mankind: Central Asia - Ethnic Music Classics: 1925-48 (Outernational) 2lp 28.00
Here's the 4th volume of the wonderful Secret Museum series to make the transition to vinyl, 'twas originally released on cd by Yazoo years ago. A compilation of rare ethnographic recordings, taken from old 78s, from the region of Central Asia: Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Azerbaijan, and elsewhere. Like the rest of the series, quite recommended. In fact, this is one of our favorites. These new vinyl versions are limited editions of 1000, and packaged in gatefold Stoughton tip-on sleeves. Outernational should do as well with these as Mississippi has with similar archival vinyl releases, we think.

V/A Sensacional Soul: 37 Groovy Spanish Soul & Funk Stompers 1966/1976 (Vampisoul) 2cd 27.00
While labels like the Numero Group and Soul Jazz have been doing a great job of digging up amazing old soul sounds from the past, this collection of soul and funk from Spain from 1966-1976 popped up out of nowhere and has ended up being maybe one of the best soul collections we've ever heard! It's everything you want soul and funk from that era to be. It's infectious, playful, gritty, groovy and totally addictive. While none of us had too much experience with the soul scene in Spain, this comp proves that it was pretty damn healthy and vibrant. These songs are damn near impossible not to be swept away by. Even Andee who is maybe the least funk-obsessed AQ-er was caught totally digging on these sounds. And then for those of you who are already attracted to great funk sounds of the era, this is like hitting the funkrock jackpot! After getting this the first day it arrived at AQ, I (Irwin) managed to play cuts from it during no less than three different DJ sets in the next 48 hours. And every single time I played a song from it I was immediately met with someone running to the DJ booth (and the phone lighting up when it was during my radio show) with the same excited question...What the heck is this and where can I buy one!!?? What makes this collection so outstanding are the strange splashes of eccentric spirit that keep it from sounding too same-y and keep the disc from ever losing steam, like lots of soul collections tend to do. This is one of those amazing records you can't help but fall in love with! If you have a pulse or a heartbeat or are at all alive, you won't be able to resist!
MPEG Stream: SHELLY Y LA NUEVA GENERACION "Vestido Azul"
MPEG Stream: LOS IMPALA "Todo Gira"
MPEG Stream: MANUEL GAS "I'm A Man"

V/A Sensacional Soul: 37 Groovy Spanish Soul & Funk Stompers 1966/1976 (Vampisoul) 2lp 29.00
Now on vinyl!!
While labels like the Numero Group and Soul Jazz have been doing a great job of digging up amazing old soul sounds from the past, this collection of soul and funk from Spain from 1966-1976 popped up out of nowhere and has ended up being maybe one of the best soul collections we've ever heard! It's everything you want soul and funk from that era to be. It's infectious, playful, gritty, groovy and totally addictive. While none of us had too much experience with the soul scene in Spain, this comp proves that it was pretty damn healthy and vibrant. These songs are damn near impossible not to be swept away by. Even Andee who is maybe the least funk-obsessed AQ-er was caught totally digging on these sounds. And then for those of you who are already attracted to great funk sounds of the era, this is like hitting the funkrock jackpot! After getting this the first day it arrived at AQ, I (Irwin) managed to play cuts from it during no less than three different DJ sets in the next 48 hours. And every single time I played a song from it I was immediately met with someone running to the DJ booth (and the phone lighting up when it was during my radio show) with the same excited question...What the heck is this and where can I buy one!!?? What makes this collection so outstanding are the strange splashes of eccentric spirit that keep it from sounding too same-y and keep the disc from ever losing steam, like lots of soul collections tend to do. This is one of those amazing records you can't help but fall in love with! If you have a pulse or a heartbeat or are at all alive, you won't be able to resist!
MPEG Stream: SHELLY Y LA NUEVA GENERACION "Vestido Azul"
MPEG Stream: LOS IMPALA "Todo Gira"
MPEG Stream: MANUEL GAS "I'm A Man"

V/A Serge Gainsbourg: Great Jewish Music (Tzadik) cd 15.98
French superstar songwriter and performer Gainsbourg, like Burt Bacharach before him, gets the Tzadik treatment here in tribute performances by Mike Patton, Fred Frith, Cyro Baptista, John Zorn, Cibo Matto, Eszter Balint (yes, the actress from Stranger Than Paradise), Kramer, and Medeski, Martin and Wood.

V/A Shadow Music Of Thailand (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
It's almost impossible to pick a favorite Sublime Frequencies release. Every one is amazing, mysterious, wondrous, fantastical, funky, fun, far out, in fact, we could just have a standing Record Of The Week reserved for all the Sublime Frequencies records. However, no matter how hard it is, we do in fact have favorites, and this is most definitely one. Not sure how SF decides which records to release as vinyl only, or cd only, it's definitely frustrating for the format specific fan, the vinyl is expensive, limited, and often ends up on eBay for crazy amounts of money, the cd is simple and cheaper, and most of the releases are in fact cd, most likely never to make it to vinyl. Thankfully, at least for the digitally inclined, all of the lp only releases seems to eventually make it to cd, they may make us wait, make us sweat a little, but it always happens, and it's always worth the wait. We wanted to make this Record Of The Week when it first came out on vinyl, but it seemed sad to leave out the still sizeable group of turntableless music lovers, but now it's on cd (and sadly out of print on vinyl), so here we go, another fantastic Sublime Frequencies release, and latest Aquarius Record Of The Week, Shadow Music Of Thailand!
So what is Shadow Music Of Thailand? Well, it's Thai pop heavily influenced by UK instrumental rockers The Shadows of course. More specifically it's a strain of sixties Thai guitar pop heavily influenced by Western music, rock, garage and especially surf. The guitar being the most obvious influence.
So here we have a collection of some of the most notable purveyors of "Shadow Music": The Son Of P.M., P.M. Pocket Music, P.M 7 / Jupiter and Johnny Guitar. You may have noticed the recurring P.M., well that stands for Payong Mukda, one of the most prolific composers and performers of the time and the music genius behind all of those P.M. groups.
On first listen, the Shadow Music here doesn't sound all that different than much of the Thai Pop we've heard before on other collections, and no doubt there is some overlap. But keep listening, and all sorts of strange and unique little sonic flourishes reveal themselves. Really, where else can you hear gamelan percussion with super fuzzed out ? And The Mysterions style organ and wailing surf guitar? From groovy garage rock to shimmery surf, lots of organ, and plenty of gamelan, vibraphone, xylophone, gorgeous vocals, strange harmonies, mysterious melodies, but it's those guitars, it buzzes and howls, chugs and twangs, woven into all of the songs here, creating this strange hybrid, Thai Pop, Bollywood, surf rock, blues rock, Latin, soul, all woven into a wild groovy psychedelic fuzzy funky garage folkpop that will totally hit the spot for fans of exotic grooves and wild and wonderful sounds.
Full color booklet with tons of original Thai artwork and brief liner notes.
MPEG Stream: THE SON OF P.M. "Luk Tung Klong Yao"
MPEG Stream: P.M. POCKET MUSIC "Kack Toi Mor"
MPEG Stream: JOHNNY GUITAR "Mon Du Dow"
MPEG Stream: P.M. 7 / JUPITER "Susie Wong"

V/A Shadow Music Of Thailand (Sublime Frequencies) lp 25.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Another super limited lp installment in Sublime Frequencies' ever expanding collection of fantastic and mysterious world musics. It's unclear, why a few releases have been vinyl only, and if the shelf-life of the last Sublime Frequencies lp was any indication, these won't last long at all.
So what is Shadow Music Of Thailand? Well, it's Thai pop heavily influenced by UK instrumental rockers The Shadows of course. More specifically it's a strain of sixties Thai guitar pop heavily influenced by Western music, rock, garage and especially surf. The guitar being the most obvious influence.
So here we have a collection of some of the most notable purveyors of "Shadow Music": The Son Of P.M., P.M. Pocket Music, P.M 7 / Jupiter and Johnny Guitar. You may have noticed the recurring P.M., well that stands for Payong Mukda, one of the most prolific composers and performers of the time and the music genius behind all of those P.M. groups.
On first listen, the Shadow Music here doesn't sound all that different than much of the Thai Pop we've heard before on other collections, and no doubt there is some overlap. But keep listening, and all sorts of strange and unique little sonic flourishes reveal themselves. Really, where else can you hear gamelan percussion with super fuzzed out ? And The Mysterions style organ and wailing surf guitar? From groovy garage rock to shimmery surf, lots of organ, and plenty of gamelan, vibraphone, xylophone, gorgeous vocals, strange harmonies, mysterious melodies, but it's those guitars, it buzzes and howls, chugs and twangs, woven into all of the songs here, creating this strange hybrid, Thai Pop, Bollywood, surf rock, blues rock, Latin, soul, all woven into a wild groovy psychedelic fuzzy funky garage folkpop that will totally hit the spot for fans of exotic grooves and wild and wonderful sounds.
LIMITED ONE TIME PRESSING OF ONLY 1500 COPIES. 180 gram vinyl, super thick, gatefold sleeve, full color with tons of original Thai artwork and brief liner notes.
MPEG Stream: THE SON OF P.M. "Luk Tung Klong Yao"
MPEG Stream: P.M. POCKET MUSIC "Kack Toi Mor"
MPEG Stream: JOHNNY GUITAR "Mon Du Dow"
MPEG Stream: P.M. 7 / JUPITER "Susie Wong"

V/A Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa (Honest Jon's) cd 17.98
With the abundance of amazing comps and reissues of lost gems from all over Africa in the 1970s, it can get easy to forget that there is the here and now, and that there is equally damaged, brilliant, fucked up and contagious sounds being made throughout the globe RIGHT NOW! Don't get us wrong we love all the reissues of '70s psych glory that's being dug up and rediscovered all over the world, including so much from Africa, but damn it's so refreshing and invigorating to get a set of brand new sounds from across the globe being created at this very moment that grabs a hold of our imagination in such exciting ways. Shangaan is a new form of dance music coming out of Soweto that merges the sounds of traditional mbira (thumb piano) music with hyperactive synthesizers. It really is like nothing we've heard before. Call and response glory wrapped in 180 bpm craziness!
In some ways this feels like the spazzy cousin to the great Congotronics compilation from a few years ago, as that also showcased a new form of charged and body moving sounds coming out of Africa. But this is even more dance minded. You have to make sure you go online to YouTube and check out the actual dances that are performed to this music, so spirited, full of a new folklore and such a psychedelic aura. The sound of the songs is kind of like some early Nintendo game getting hijacked by Omar Souleyman armed with a karaoke machine and a troupe of boys, girls, men and women all ready to move on their feet as fast and furiously as possible. There are parts of the music that sound like Fever Ray played on the wrong speed, or what we imagine M.I.A. would blast at an afterparty. Forget about the World Cup, this may be the most mind blowing cultural phenomenon going down in South Africa that we are lucky enough to get to hear and appreciate NOW. Beyond recommended!
MPEG Stream: TSHETSHA BOYS "Nwampfundla"
MPEG Stream: TIYISELANI VOMASEVE "Vanghoma"
MPEG Stream: ZINJA HLUNGWANI "N'wagezani"
MPEG Stream: NKATA MAWEWE "Khulumani"

V/A Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa (Honest Jon's) lp 22.00
With the abundance of amazing comps and reissues of lost groovy gems from all over Africa in the 1970s, it can get easy to forget that there is the here and now, and that there is equally damaged, brilliant, fucked up and contagious sounds being made throughout the globe RIGHT NOW! Don't get us wrong we love all the reissues of '70s psych garage glory that's being dug up and rediscovered all over the world, including so much from Africa (like, The World Ends comp on this very list), but damn it's so refreshing and invigorating to get a set of brand new sounds from across the globe being created at this very moment that grabs a hold of our imagination in such exciting ways. Shangaan is a new form of dance music coming out of Soweto that merges the sounds of traditional mbira (thumb piano) music with hyperactive synthesizers. It really is like nothing we've heard before. Call and response glory wrapped in 180 bpm craziness!
In some ways this feels like the spazzy cousin to the great Congotronics compilation from a few years ago, as that also showcased a new form of charged and body moving sounds coming out of Africa. But this is even more dance minded. You have to make sure you go online to YouTube and check out the actual dances that are performed to this music, so spirited, full of a new folklore and such a psychedelic aura. The sound of the songs is kind of like some early Nintendo game getting hijacked by Omar Souleyman armed with a karaoke machine and a troupe of boys, girls, men and women all ready to move on their feet as fast and furiously as possible. There are parts of the music that sound like Fever Ray played on the wrong speed, or what we imagine M.I.A. would blast at an afterparty. Forget about the World Cup, this may be the most mind blowing cultural phenomenon going down in South Africa that we are lucky enough to get to hear and appreciate NOW. Beyond recommended!
MPEG Stream: TSHETSHA BOYS "Nwampfundla"
MPEG Stream: TIYISELANI VOMASEVE "Vanghoma"
MPEG Stream: ZINJA HLUNGWANI "N'wagezani"
MPEG Stream: NKATA MAWEWE "Khulumani"

V/A Shangaan Shake (Honest Jons Records) 2cd 17.98
Here we have a fantastically frenetic compilation from the always SO SO killer Honest Jons Label. Shangaan Shake compiles all of the releases from the "MEETS" 12" series in which current electronic heavy hitters and aQ faves like Actress and Demdike Stare took on the "Shangaan" dance music sound of South Africa (a genre celebrated by Honest Jon's great Shangaan Electro compilation 2 years ago, as you hopefully are aware). We didn't ever list any of the 12"s, they flew out of here too fast, but we were looking forward to listing this collection, which ends up being a high powered, schizophrenic double disc set of ass shaking dance floor BLISS! But this ain't yer typical floor fodder...oh no. True to form, Honest Jons only asked the best of the truly far out electro experimentalists to contribute to the series...fucked up foot work, abstract drifty dream techno, stripped down long form minimal workouts, spacey ghost vibez DUB, and super-future slo-mo ELECTRO!
The Oni Ayhun (alias of Olof Dreijer of aQ faves, The Knife) Meets Shangaan Electro is the first tune to really set it off for us, a super frantic and hypnotic electro shuffle, the original vox from the Shangaan source being endlessly pitch bent into some truly bizarre yet catchy as hell melodies, while the hi-hats and claps stutter and fall out of phase, resulting in an hallucinatory funky freak out! Peverelist follows suit, but somehow ups the WTF quotient with his take on Tshetsha Boys. Starting with some industrial sized hi-hats, drifting in a syncopated haze, before a simple mid tempo electro drum pattern enters on an unexpected beat. It chugs along like this for a minute before yet ANOTHER hi-hat pattern enters bringing the track into a subtle yet transcendent groove, the sound design of which is seldom heard on this planet. Excitingly NEW sounds for sure. Actress, of course you know by now, will not bring something to light unless it is of the utmost quality, and here he does not disappoint. His take on Shangaan is truly mesmerizing, a jam that starts out as a sort of blissy dubby techno groove, albeit with some seriously deranged synth squelches and disassociated Shangaan vox atop, is all of a sudden transformed into something entirely different with the introduction of some discordant, Liquid Sky meets Rinse Dream meets Badalamenti sounding cyber-skronk keys! These chords are the twist yr ears up element, ultimately subverting your expectations and leaving you with something that feels entirely FRESH! Old Apparatus (whose Tapeworm cassette was a big highlight last list), turns the tempo down a bit, and treats us to some spooky ass Shangaan rub-a-dub! Pristine synths and that killer xylophone sound stretched and reverberated through a vast cave of FAR-I DELAY. We COULD go on and on...the rest of this double disc comp maintains this top shelf quality, with highlights ranging from the legendary Theo Parrish's ruff neck cut-up Mancingelani remix, to Demdike Stare's haunted house dubwise fraidy-pants minimal Soweto soundscape...not to mention forward thinking contributions from aQ faves Villalobos/Loderbauer and Hype Williams, as well as a funky ass Detroit style electro BBC mix from the venerable Afro-Futurist, Anthony "Shake" Shakir!!!
Ahhhh!!! Too much good stuff! Honest Jon's have outdone themselves, by first of all sharing this Shangaan goodness with the world, and then following it up with a perfectly concise and meaningfully curated remix series, by some of the best, brightest, and down right weirdo-futurist producers of the now! Essential!
MPEG Stream: ACTRESS "Actress Meets Shangaan Electro"
MPEG Stream: OLD APPARATUS "Old Apparatus Meets Shangaan Electro"
MPEG Stream: DEMDIKE STARE "Demdike Stare Meets Shangaan Electro"
MPEG Stream: HYPE WILLIAMS "Hype Williams Meets Shangaan Electro"
MPEG Stream: RICARDO VILLALOBOS & MAX LODERBAUER "Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer Meet Shangaan Electro"

V/A Shbahoth: Iraqi-Jewish Song From The 1920's (Renair) cd 22.00

V/A Shir Hodu: Jewish Song From The Bombay Of The 30's (Renair) cd 17.98
Fascinating collection of Hebrew paraliturgical songs by Eastern Jewish singers from the Bene Israel and Baghdadian Jewish communities residing in Bombay, India during the thirties. Originally released on 78's from the King, Hebrew, and Jay Bharat Record labels, these recordings from various Hazzanim (cantors and prayer leaders), music school directors, an entrepreneurial meat-shop owner, Shofar (ram's horn) blowers, and instrumental stars of the Indian cinema are the long lost sonic artifacts from a nearly forgotten world of Indian Jewish musical traditions. We never realized before how intertwined these two musical traditions were, but of course it makes sense with the cross-pollination of Eastern European, North African and Middle Eastern populations through the bustling trade city of Bombay, that the cultural traditions would intermingle and possibly influence each other. Thus this is also recommended for fans of early Indian music, as well as for those intrigued by rare Jewish music recordings. The cd comes with a richly illustrated 24-page booklet with memories and photos of the descendants, relatives and friends of the singers and instrumentalists, gathered from across the globe.
MPEG Stream: SIMEON JACOB KHARILKER "Adon Olam"
MPEG Stream: ABID DAVID "Deror Yikra"
MPEG Stream: ZAKY SOLOMAN ISAAC "Yodukha Raayonai"
MPEG Stream: NATHAN SOLOMON SATIMKAR "Deror Iqra"

V/A Shrine of Afrodigital: Future Sounds From the Motherland (Ocho) cd 19.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
"Shrine of Afrodigital" is sort of a sequel to the "Shrine of Afro-funk" that Ocho released last year. This compilation presents tracks from urban African artists exploring the future of afro-beat, drawing from legendary artists to up and coming afro-house dj's and remixers. The album is unfortunately a bit of a disappointment. The most notable tracks being Tony Allen's vocoder laden "Ariya", a Senegalese hip hop track from Youssou N'Dour's label which features sampled snippets from traditional Senegalese musicians, and a fairly catchy Rai-House track from Cheikha Rimitti. Also on this disc are Femi Kuti (remixed by Francois Kevorkian), Cesaria Evora (remixed by Body & Soul, a.k.a. Francois K. & Joaquin Clausell), Vivian N'Dour (who pays homage to Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody), Babacar Faye and more.
RealAudio clip: ALLEN, TONY "Ariya"
RealAudio clip: KANTIOLIS "Comportement"
RealAudio clip: RIMITTI, CHEIKHA "Nakhla"

V/A Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba Volume One (Waxing Deep) cd 17.98
Take any preconceptions about Cuban music you might have and throw them out the window. This is simply one of the most exciting and awesome compilations we've heard in a while from a period that has never been fully explored before, the seventies and early eighties. We've heard rumors that the compiler, Dan Zacks, of Waxing Deep Radio, had to go to great lengths to obtain these recordings including risking his life sneaking into Cuba and bribing government officials, but it seems the efforts have paid off. This compilation offers an amazing glimpse into an extremely fertile period of socialism and artistic freedom, one rife with the same progressive musical styles (son, disco, fusion, soul and jazz) that were hitting the New York and LA Latin scenes around the same time, but with their own inventive use of production, unusual instrumentation, psychedelic influences, electronic experimentation, and as the title promises, funky beats. Each track is beautifully remastered from the original Cuban sessions. Who would have thought that Communist Funk would sound so liberating? Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: JUAN PABLO TORRES Y ALGO NUEVO "Son a Propulsion"
MPEG Stream: GRUPO MONUMENTAL "Si, Para Usted"
MPEG Stream: LOS 5-U-4 "Baila, Ven Y Baila"
MPEG Stream: MIRTHA Y RAUL "Casina Y Epidecus"

V/A Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular Vol.2 1960's-1980's (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
Elsewhere on this week's list you'll find a review of another Sublime Frequencies release, the Shadow Music Of Thailand, where we discuss how hard it is to pick a favorite release, cuz they're all so goddamn good.
And such is the case with this one too, a sequel of sorts to 2007's Thai Pop Spectacular 1960s-1980s, this one titled Siamese Soul, but the first one was pretty soulful as well, so we'll presume that it was just chosen as a catchy title, because this does play out like a continuation of the first part which is in no way a bad thing, in fact, we'd been hankering for more ever since that first volume.
As the loner notes discuss, Cambodian pop has gotten so much attention lately, that it seems almost criminal that Thai pop wasn't getting the same attention, which becomes even more apparent listening to Siamese Soul (as well as the first volume). In the review of the first volume we described Thai Pop as "an awesomely confusional mix of Molam, Bollywood, Ethiopian groove, funk, soul, American pop and surf rock, all tangled up into amazing shapes, and peppered with killer hooks, amazing vocalists, bizarre production techniques, but most of all amazing amazing songs." Which of course still absolutely applies. Heavy Western funk to Ethiopian sounding grooves, tripped out organ drenched fuzz rock, with creepy sexy female vox to Shadows / Ventures style surf rock, a bunch of the songs like many of the tracks on the two Molam: Thai Country Groove Sublime Frequencies comps, totally remind us of whatever Thai song the Butthole Surfers appropriated for their song "Kuntz", that distinctly Thai vocal melody is so unmistakable and unforgettable. The whole record is just so wild and fun and varied and out there, slipping easily from classic sounding pop, to mysterious folk music, to stomping funk, to twangy soundtrack sounds to smokey bar ballads, to slithery soul, to far out almost Bollywood sounding exotica, all with a distinctly Thai flavor. Funky, groovy, soulful, so so good. Check out the sound samples. Sometimes we feel words can't quite do sounds like these justice. And the more we listen to this, the more THIS one is becoming one of our favorites, and heck, we could very well have made this another Record Of The Week too!
MPEG Stream: DAW BANDON "Bong Ja Bong (Bong, Oh Bong)"
MPEG Stream: KWAN JAI & KWAN JIT SRIPRAJAN "E-Saew Tam Punha Huajai (Advice Column For Love Troubles (Part 1)"
MPEG Stream: KWAN JIT SRIPRAJAN "Panatibat (Sin No. 1: Do Not Kill)"
MPEG Stream: ROONG PETCH LAEM SING "Kob Kanong Fon (Frogs Dancing In The Rain) Ê"

V/A Silk Road: A Musical Caravan (Smithsonian Folkways) 2cd 29.00

V/A Simla Beat 70 (Particles) cd 17.98
Originally reissued some years ago as a double cd, this killer collection of Indian psychedelic garage rock, has now been split into two different compilations, delineated by date, one disc for 1970, the other for 1971, but odds are you're probably gonna want both of them anyway. If not, either one is a great place to start. Some of you may remember the Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! Psychedelic Funk Music In India 1976-1983 compilation we made our Record of The Week a while back, a few of those tracks were taken from these comps, but for the most part, most of this stuff is exclusive.
While Simla Beat may sound like some cool record nerd classification for Indian psych from that era, Simla was in fact a cigarette company, who recognized that besides smoking, the kids also really dug rock and roll, specifically the sort of Western influenced sounds that were bringing surf and garage rock to India, so they founded a battle of the bands, complete with an awards show with the prizes presented by Bollywood stars, and the winning songs would get released, and hence we had these Simla Beat compilations. There were rumors, that since none of these tracks feature sitar or tabla or any distinct Indian instrumentation, that they were in fact hoaxes, and that none of these bands were in fact Indian, which was obviously proven to be false, and while there may not be sitar or tabla, there is a distinctly Eastern vibe to these tracks, and the sound, as well as the various productions, definitely takes the more Western version of surf rock and garage rock and makes it into something new and exciting.
Both discs contain some killer jams, and we could easily go through both track by track, but we'll just pick out a few highlights, and there are samples below too, which you should check out, pretty hard to resist we think. Simla Beat 70 starts off with "Voice From the Inner Soul" by the Confusions, which is so good, and catchy, it sounds like it must be a cover, but as far as we can tell it's an original, crunchy guitars, fuzzy organs, a groovy stomp with a KILLER chorus. Then there's the Dinosaurs, who offer up another original that sounds super familiar but is not a cover, the vocals raspy and scratchy, wound around some skittery drumming, and some fuzzy guitars, and another wicked hook. You probably remember X'lents' "Psychedelia" with its "Secret Agent Man" opening riff and some seriously kick ass psychedelic garage rock. The Dinosaurs also cover Creedence Clearwater Revivals's "Sinister Purpose" and make it their own, even more raw and fuzzed out than the original.
The 1971 installment is just as great, starting off with The Fentones' "Simla Beat Theme" which is total surf rock bliss, a littler off kilter, with some killer guitar playing, which gives way to the Nomads' "Nothing Is The Same" which begins with a dark swirling cloud of heavily effected guitar buzz, before slipping into a woozy surfy groove, then there's Hipnotic Eye's "Killing Floor, which is a dead ringer for the imaginary band the Sacred Cows from Get Smart (YouTube it!), and then there's Velvette Fogg's droned out organ heavy nearly 8 minute groover "I'm So Glad", and so it goes, like the 1970 volume, killer jam after killer jam!
Again, not sure why they split em up, cuz it's tough not to want both, but even if you choose just one, each has much to offer, although if you're music nerd obsessives like we are (and we're figuring you are), you might as well just grab 'em both...
MPEG Stream: THE CONFUSIONS "Voice From The Inner Soul"
MPEG Stream: THE DINOSAURS "You Can't Beat It"
MPEG Stream: X'LENTS "Psychedelia"

V/A Simla Beat 71 (Particles) cd 17.98
Originally reissued some years ago as a double cd, this killer collection of Indian psychedelic garage rock, has now been split into two different compilations, delineated by date, one disc for 1970, the other for 1971, but odds are you're probably gonna want both of them anyway. If not, either one is a great place to start. Some of you may remember the Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! Psychedelic Funk Music In India 1976-1983 compilation we made our Record of The Week a while back, a few of those tracks were taken from these comps, but for the most part, most of this stuff is exclusive.
While Simla Beat may sound like some cool record nerd classification for Indian psych from that era, Simla was in fact a cigarette company, who recognized that besides smoking, the kids also really dug rock and roll, specifically the sort of Western influenced sounds that were bringing surf and garage rock to India, so they founded a battle of the bands, complete with an awards show with the prizes presented by Bollywood stars, and the winning songs would get released, and hence we had these Simla Beat compilations. There were rumors, that since none of these tracks feature sitar or tabla or any distinct Indian instrumentation, that they were in fact hoaxes, and that none of these bands were in fact Indian, which was obviously proven to be false, and while there may not be sitar or tabla, there is a distinctly Eastern vibe to these tracks, and the sound, as well as the various productions, definitely takes the more Western version of surf rock and garage rock and makes it into something new and exciting.
Both discs contain some killer jams, and we could easily go through both track by track, but we'll just pick out a few highlights, and there are samples below too, which you should check out, pretty hard to resist we think. Simla Beat 70 starts off with "Voice From the Inner Soul" by the Confusions, which is so good, and catchy, it sounds like it must be a cover, but as far as we can tell it's an original, crunchy guitars, fuzzy organs, a groovy stomp with a KILLER chorus. Then there's the Dinosaurs, who offer up another original that sounds super familiar but is not a cover, the vocals raspy and scratchy, wound around some skittery drumming, and some fuzzy guitars, and another wicked hook. You probably remember X'lents' "Psychedelia" with its "Secret Agent Man" opening riff and some seriously kick ass psychedelic garage rock. The Dinosaurs also cover Creedence Clearwater Revivals's "Sinister Purpose" and make it their own, even more raw and fuzzed out than the original.
The 1971 installment is just as great, starting off with The Fentones' "Simla Beat Theme" which is total surf rock bliss, a littler off kilter, with some killer guitar playing, which gives way to the Nomads' "Nothing Is The Same" which begins with a dark swirling cloud of heavily effected guitar buzz, before slipping into a woozy surfy groove, then there's Hipnotic Eye's "Killing Floor, which is a dead ringer for the imaginary band the Sacred Cows from Get Smart (YouTube it!), and then there's Velvette Fogg's droned out organ heavy nearly 8 minute groover "I'm So Glad", and so it goes, like the 1970 volume, killer jam after killer jam!
Again, not sure why they split em up, cuz it's tough not to want both, but even if you choose just one, each has much to offer, although if you're music nerd obsessives like we are (and we're figuring you are), you might as well just grab 'em both...
MPEG Stream: THE FENTONES "Simla Beat Theme"
MPEG Stream: NOMADS "Nothing Is The Same"
MPEG Stream: HIPNOTIC EYE "Killing Floor"

V/A Singapore A-Go-Go (Sublime Frequencies) cd 16.98
Sublime Frequencies seemingly can do no wrong. A keen ear and a deft curatorial skill means that every release is not just interesting sociologically, but is musically kick ass as well. Singapore A-Go-Go is a collection of singles recorded and released during a brief period in the sixties and seventies, when various Southeast Asian countries were bucking the stringent requirements of the Chinese state, embracing both Western pop and traditional Chinese music, which were essentially banned. Thanks to American G.I.s and Radio Free Asia, young people grew up listening to both Chinese music, and all manner of Western pop, the fact that the economy was booming, also meant that kids could afford records and record players, and musicians could afford instruments and studio time, which of course meant tons of records reflecting this classical Chinese / Western pop hybrid. The liner notes this time around are dense and fascinating, all about the time and the culture and the climate, the musicians and the proliferation of small labels, which is all just icing, on this amazing compilation of gorgeous garage-y girl group pop, the mix of cultures and sounds is definitely heady. Morricone-ish twang, soulful grooves, and sing songy traditional Chinese music will coexist peacefully and perfectly within the same song, pounding drums, whirring organs, Joe Meek style instrumental surf rock will wrap around jazzy vibraphones, and funky basslines, some songs sound like American TV show themes, others sound almost Bollywood, while still others sound like Perrey & Kingsley. Soft easy listening Lawrence Welkisms flow right into more rocking psychedelic rock, the Mission Impossible theme is reappropriated, with vocals added for a cool brooding surfy rock jam, Eastern style melodies are infused into classic sixties girl group sounds, and the vocals mostly female, are exuberant and girlish and wide eyed and playful, and make this whole collection so much fun. Like everything on Sublime Frequencies, way way way recommended!
MPEG Stream: GRACE LEE AND THE STYLERS "Each And Every Flower"
MPEG Stream: LINDA YONG AND THE SILVERTONES "Good Luck In The New Year"
MPEG Stream: CHARLIE ELECTRIC GUITAR BAND'S SOUND OF JAPAN "Carnation"
MPEG Stream: LIM LING AND THE SILVERTONES "(Funny, Funny) Why Do I Fall In Love With You?"
MPEG Stream: LIM LING AND THE SILVERTONES "Si Li Li Li Li Our Hearts Beat As One"

V/A Singing For Life: Songs Of Hope, Healing, And HIV/AIDS In Uganda (Smithsonian Folkways) cd 16.98
This is one of those records that reminds us of how totally powerful and intense music can be, affecting people in such deep and meaningful ways. Faced with how the HIV/AIDS crisis has devastated so much of Africa, a movement in Uganda has arisen to use music, dance and performance as a means to address, educate, empower and raise awareness in the community about all aspects of the epidemic. While there are many records made for good causes, and plenty of projects with the best of intentions, this is one with music as raw, true and intense as the cause and the people it serves. The sound is mostly vocal driven a capella numbers accompanied only at times by hand claps, raw percussion, and sounds of nature. So cool. This is not some feel good watered down benefit record, the songs are powerful and have titles that translate to "Death Killed All The People", "The Graveyard Is Our Home", "AIDS Finished Us" and "Is Someone There?". The intensity and raw honesty is felt so directly in the tone and resonance of every one of these songs. Comes with a 36 page booklet filled with information and translation of all the songs, this whole collection is proof that music does have the ability to enlighten, educate and empower.
MPEG Stream: MEETING POINT KAMPALA "Abange Ab'eno? (Is Someone There?)"
MPEG Stream: BUKONA WOMEN'S GROUP "Silimu Okutumala! (AIDS Finished Us!)"
MPEG Stream: WALYA SULAIMAN & PADA "Eitu Lilimuki? (What Is In The Luggage)"

V/A Sitar Beat! Indian Style Heavy Funk Vol. II (Guerrilla Reissues) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We all know that very often sequels pale in comparison to the originals. But leave it to the irresistible Sitar Beat series to throw that convention out the window. The first volume of Sitar Beat brought together their previously vinyl only releases on one cd and it became one of our most played and favorite cds of last year! Volume two keeps the fire going with 16 more totally perfect, sitar fueled, groovy 'n heavy Indian funk delights. Pulled mostly from obscure soundtracks, most of these tracks we had never heard before but we've already lost count of how many times we've listened to this since it arrived in the store a week ago and now most of them have become all time AQ faves just like that! All the obvious names are represented: R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Kalyanji Anandji, etc. While the tracks with vocals are all great (how could they not be with folks like Bhosle and Mangeshkar singing) but Sitar Beat is truly about the smokin' funk jam instrumentals. It just doesn't get more funky and fun than this! But it's not just kitschy fun, these are some seriously rocking jams, totally mind blowing music that reminds us once again that music can be strange and inventive yet immediate and exciting at the same time. AQ pal John Dwyer said it best when he came in while this was playing "Damn, this is hot!"
MPEG Stream: KALYANJI ANANDFI W/ LATA MANGESHKAR, ASHA BHOSLE & MAHENDRA KAPOOR "Pyar Zindagi Hai"
MPEG Stream: R.D. BURMAN "Freakout Music"
MPEG Stream: USHA KHANNA "Tera Jasia Pyara Koi Nahin"

V/A Sitar Beat! Indian Style Heavy Funk Vol. II (Guerrilla Reissues) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We all know that very often sequels pale in comparison to the originals. But leave it to the irresistible Sitar Beat series to throw that convention out the window. The first volume of Sitar Beat brought together their previously vinyl only releases on one cd and it became one of our most played and favorite cds of last year! Volume two keeps the fire going with 16 more totally perfect, sitar fueled, groovy 'n heavy Indian funk delights. Pulled mostly from obscure soundtracks, most of these tracks we had never heard before but we've already lost count of how many times we've listened to this since it arrived in the store a week ago and now most of them have become all time AQ faves just like that! All the obvious names are represented: R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar, Kalyanji Anandji, etc. While the tracks with vocals are all great (how could they not be with folks like Bhosle and Mangeshkar singing) but Sitar Beat is truly about the smokin' funk jam instrumentals. It just doesn't get more funky and fun than this! But it's not just kitschy fun, these are some seriously rocking jams, totally mind blowing music that reminds us once again that music can be strange and inventive yet immediate and exciting at the same time. AQ pal John Dwyer said it best when he came in while this was playing "Damn, this is hot!"
MPEG Stream: KALYANJI ANANDFI W/ LATA MANGESHKAR, ASHA BHOSLE & MAHENDRA KAPOOR "Pyar Zindagi Hai"
MPEG Stream: R.D. BURMAN "Freakout Music"
MPEG Stream: USHA KHANNA "Tera Jasia Pyara Koi Nahin"

V/A Sitar Beat! Indian Style Heavy Funk Vol.1 (Guerrilla Reissues) cd 14.98
We were in absolute buzzing raga drone, funk soul heaven when we learned that those amazing and totally fun vinyl-only releases in the Sitar Beat series had now been compiled onto a cd. Most of us were never lucky enough to get the lps but now we can get our sitar funk on all the same! Chances are if you've been in the store in the last couple weeks you've heard us playing this, as this is one of those rare records that every single one of us can't help but be in love with. '60s, '70s and early '80s Bollywood jams and Indian-influenced psych-grooves HEAVY on the sitar. R.D. Burman, Ananada Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Serge Gainsbourg, Klaus Doldinger just to name a few of the responsible parties East and West who will henceforth be making your parties way more fun!!! But be prepared for tons of questions when all your friends start asking you what it is you're playing. We've been fielding those questions for weeks, but we're more then happy to answer with a simple reply: "It's Sitar Beat!..." and before we can even finish our sentence said questioner is on his or her way out the door with a copy. We rest much easier at night knowing that we're doing out small part to spread these amazing soul stirring buzzy freak funk grooves far and wide, filling ears and shaking souls!
MPEG Stream: SERGE GAINSBOURG W/MICHEL COLOMBIER "Pyschastenie"
MPEG Stream: KALYANJI ANANDII "Somebody To Love"
MPEG Stream: R.D. BURMAN W/ASHA BOSHLE & KISHORE KUMORE "Aa Dekhen Jara"

V/A Sixties Girls Volume 1 (Magic) cd 23.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compilations of vintage French pop have a way of blossoming up much to our delight, only to vanish without a trace just as quickly as they appeared. Well good news folks, we just got a bunch of new-to-us collections that have proven to have some serious staying power. Hurrah! Here is the first of five volumes of the Sixties Girls series from Magic Records, France. We played all five back to back, and had a full-on giddy Francophone afternoon. This fine label has been reissuing music from the '60s for years now, and they've consistently done it up right! Each comp contains at least twenty tracks digitally remastered from the original master tapes and comes packaged with cover reproductions and liner notes. This one features Christine Lebail, Agnes Loti, Christine Delaroche, Francoise Hardy and Les Petites Souris avec Pussy Cat. The ladies are dishing out the sounds of kicky Ye Ye, dreamy lounge, sultry cabaret, perky go-go and sugary girl group pop. Sure to tickle you pink!
Psst, we've also gotten in a few titles by single artists of the pop and psych varieties such as Brigitte Bardot, Triangle, Les Variations and Pussy Cat. Mon dieu, we can't get enough!
MPEG Stream: LEBAIL, CHRISTINE "Deux Jours Avec Toi"
MPEG Stream: LES PETITES SOURIS "Ce N'est Pas Triste"

V/A Sixties Girls Volume 2 (Magic) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compilations of vintage French pop have a way of blossoming up much to our delight, only to vanish without a trace just as quickly as they appeared. Well good news folks, we just got a bunch of new-to-us collections that have proven to have some serious staying power. Hurrah! Here is the second of five volumes of the Sixties Girls series from Magic Records, France. We played all five back to back, and had a full-on giddy Francophone afternoon. This fine label has been reissuing music from the '60s for years now, and they've consistently done it up right! Each comp contains at least twenty tracks digitally remastered from the original master tapes and comes packaged with cover reproductions and liner notes. This one features Les Roche Martin, Liz Brady, Audrey, Les Twins and Cris Carol. These ladies are dishing out the sounds of kicky Ye Ye, dreamy lounge, sultry cabaret, perky go-go and sugary girl group pop. Sure to tickle you pink!
Psst, we've also gotten in a few titles by single artists of the pop and psych varieties such as Brigitte Bardot, Triangle, Les Variations and Pussy Cat. Mon dieu, we can't get enough!
MPEG Stream: AUDREY "Le Mal De Leurs Vingt Ans"
MPEG Stream: LES TWINS "Je Suis Timide"