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Various Artists – Ecuatoriana – El Universo Paralelo de Polibio Mayorga 1969​-​1981 (Analog Africa No​.​37)

Analog Africa, one of my favorite reissue labels, is going well above its mission of reissuing African treasures and is now delving deep into the music mines of South America – in this case, Ecuador.  Polibio Mayorga was a hit-writing machine during the early days of Ecuadorian rock, but he also had an interest in sci-fi, weirdly lounge-influenced music and his native cumbia.  From the release’s Bandcamp site:

“In the decades after the second world war, outer space was on everyone’s mind and the ‘space race’ of the 1950s and 60s not only produced groundbreaking efforts to launch artificial satellites, send space probes to Mars and land a human on the moon, it also had a huge impact on the movie and music industry which was taking advantage of the world’s fascination with space voyages and lunar missions to create instruments capable of mimicking imaginary interstellar sounds. These synthesised space effects that captivated the imagination of a whole generation of young Ecuadoreans coincided with a period in which workers and musicians from the provinces started flocking to Quito and to the commercial port of Guayaquil, some hoping to find regular work, others looking to break into the musical big leagues by getting hired by one of the prestigious urban radio station. These artists brought riches of rhythms to the major Ecuadorian cities who would soon witness the explosion of what would be known as “Andean Cumbia.”

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Polibio has never considered his music to be “tropical psychedelia” – although he thinks it would make a good name for a band. He has the sense of humour of a genius and the ability to make anyone laugh, yet he remains discreet, eloquent and humble … but as a musician he is daring and visionary, with an intrepid, vigorous style almost impossible to imitate. More than perhaps any of his peers, Polibio Mayorga established a unique place for himself at the vanguard of tropical music.“

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Various Artists – Thum Nyatiti: Recordings from Western Kenya, 1930​-​1970

This is another stunning collection from Dagoretti Records out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The collection features music from the 1930s until the 1970s with clearly remastered sound.  From the release’s Bandcamp site:

“Nyatiti music’s infectious and hypnotic sounds are unforgettable. The driving beat of the nyatiti rings of far off styles of Western dance and techno music. Nyatiti players are highly respected performers in both rural and urban Kenya are called to show up at weddings, funerals and drinking halls and sing songs in tribute, in remembrance and for people to drink and dance to. Nyatiti music can still be heard to this day all over Kenya, but these recordings represent the unique sound of the first half of the 20th century, and the last visages of the sounds that existed for millennia previous before the music would change to adapt to a changing world.

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Most of these recordings were made by British and Indian entrepreneurs, who sold 78 rpm records to foreign and domestic record buyers. These records were in part intended to document what was seen as an exotic and possibly dying music in colonial Kenya but enjoyed by Afro-Kenyans who presumably listened to these records at parties or through radio. Unfortunately, not much is known about the origin of these records or who bought them. The scant information included on the records make tracing the roots of this music difficult.”

A great document of a rarely covered genre of music.

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Louis Tillett – Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell

One of Australia’s most important, if overlooked, musicians, Louis Tillett, passed away on August 6.  He started off as a musician who experimented with Industrial music in his first band, Wet Taxis, but ended up developing a rough, bluesy style that could really only be compared, vocally, to fellow Australian Nick Cave.  When I was 23, I had started working at a local record shop after traveling a bit called Aron’s Records, and this album, already 6 years old at the time, came onto my desk, as we had first dibs on used albums and CDs.  It blew my mind, and I sought out more, not knowing that eventually, I’d end up striking a conversation with the man himself online.  It’s a tremendous regret that, although I was living in Skopje at the time, I never had the opportunity to cross over to Greece to meet Louis.  May he rest in peace.

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Jettenbach – Extracts from The Diary of Mars

Our friends at Jettenbach, a fascinating project from England, have prepared for us a Martian travelogue.  The concept sounds like something taken directly from a sci-fi movie, dialog and all, and it’s quite an interesting thing to hear.  The music drifts from floating experimental ambient to hard-beat.  This shifts genres rather quickly, so listening was a bit of an adventure, though a worthy one.

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Abatwa (The Pygmy) – Why Did We Stop Growing Tall?

Glitterbeat Records is the label which should be thanked for publishing The Abatwa, a collection of Pygmy artists from Rwanda.  Here are some notes by album producer Ian Brennan, courtesy of Forced Exposure:

“The Abatwa (“pygmy”) tribe is identified as one of the most marginalized, voiceless and endangered populations in Africa. In fact, their name is frequently taken in vain as a generalized slur towards others unrelated to them. Still, many among their group prefer the term to the official, PC mouthful/post-genocidal replacement moniker that they have been straddled with out of clear overcompensation: ‘The people who were left behind because of the facts of Rwandan history.’ . . . We were lucky enough to experience a 19-year-old female freestyle rapper, Rosine Nyiranshimiyimana, who is grittier than most any gangsta’. And right by her side, stood, Emmanuel Hatungimana, the mohawk-cut traditional music master, along with the husband/wife team that traded in eerie harmonies that nearly make Black Sabbath sound a bit trite. And keeping it in the family, mother and son, Ruth Nyiramfumukoye and Patrick Manishimine struck dueling Umudulis. A featured instrument is the 11-string Icyembe, one that has a resemblance not unlike a surfboard and when turned upright, stands taller than some of its Abatwa players.””

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From the Mouth of the Sun – Valley of the Hummingbirds

Lost Tribe Sound has another release featured this week!  This one pairs two leading composers, Dag Rosenqvist & Aaron Martin, working together creating a filmic masterpiece.  The music is tense, influenced by everything from classical music to ethereal.  From the press release:

“American and Swedish composers Aaron Martin and Dag Rosenqvist came together in 2011 under the name FROM THE MOUTH OF THE SUN. Their first album Woven Tide was released by Experimedia in 2012 and they returned in 2015 for their second album Into the Well. In 2016, three pieces from Woven Tide played an integral role in David Wingo’s score for Jeff Nichols’s Warner Bros. feature Midnight Special. Their third album, Hymn Binding was released with Lost Tribe Sound in September 2017, followed by the EP Sleep Stations in 2018, and 2021’s acclaimed Light Caught the Edges. Also in 2021, the duo released an original score for the Oscar shortlisted documentary by Jimmy Goldblum, A Broken House (Dronarivm).

Using a vast array of acoustic and electric instruments, including cello, piano, banjo, pump organ, and guitar, while utilizing analog equipment, Aaron and Dag craft unique musical landscapes full of contrasts, where melodies and ominous textures intertwine. Since 2005, both artists have also had their solo efforts released by influential imprints like Preservation, Miasmah, Type, and Fang Bomb. Dag and Aaron also created the original score for Joshua Weinstein’s film Menashe (A24), released in 2017.”

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Léa Boudreau – Lima​ç​on

empreintes DIGITALes are the finest record label in Canada specializing in electroacoustic music, acousmatics and musique concrète.  It pleased me to see that they are putting up their albums on Bandcamp, and I ended up being doubly rewarded by finding a composer who is new to me.  Léa Boudreau describes herself, rightly, as, “…(a) circuit maker, sound crafter, immersive environments builder.”  This particular album is lively and energetic for an experimental music album.  I have to say it’s a difficult one to describe, so do click on the Bandcamp link and enjoy the sounds.