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Gibraltar Drakus – Hommage A Zanzibar

Awesome Tapes From Africa, the legendary blog and record label, have produced another winner, this time from a Cameroonian artist called Gibraltar Drakus, who produced bikutsi, a local dance music.  From the release’s Bandcamp site:

“By the early 1990’s, Les Têtes Brûlées were indisputably the most famous and influential artists in bikutsi, due in part to the innovations of their incendiary guitarist Théodore Zanzibar Epeme. The band captured everything that was exciting about the fast-developing bikutsi scene, lending their virtuosity to countless albums behind the major singers of the day and supporting each other on solo outings. Their signature post-modern face paint, outlandish haircuts, ubiquitous backpacks and irreverent vibe (a striking image dreamt up by journalist/impresario/bandleader Jean-Marie Ahanda) coalesced around astounding arrangements and perfect, interlocking musical performances by simply extraordinary technicians. Following their first European tour in 1987, the band blew up internationally but Zanzibar tragically, and mysteriously, passed away on the eve of their return to Europe, which nearly brought an end to the band completely. In hindsight, the consensus among most Cameroonians is Zanzibar’s contributions to biktusi were transformational and immeasurable.“

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Samo Salamon, Emanuele Parrini & Vasco Trilla – Eating Poetry

Another dear friend of the blog, Samo Salamon from Slovenia, brings along a few friends for a well-done, gorgeously recorded improvisational album.  Joining Salamon on this disc are Emanuele Parrini on violin and Vasco Trilla on drums and percussion.  From Samo’s Bandcamp site:
“A great improvising trio session of three fantastic improvisers from three different European countries. Samo Salamon (Slovenia) has this time played exclusively acoustic guitars – 6 and 12-string string. Especially the 12-string guitar is a hugely underrated instrument in the improvising context. Naturally, names such as Ralph Towner or Marc Ducret come to mind, but still Salamon has quite a unique approach to the instrument. Salamon has teamed this time with two incredible musicians – Vasco Trilla (Spain), who is one of the most active improvising drummers, and Emanuele Parrini (Italy), who is a monster violin player with an amazing sound and technique. The music is incredibly intense, yet also very quiet and emotional, at times almost lyrical. All three players listen to each other with open years and create a wonderful sound world. Also the unique combination of violin, acoustic guitars and percussion/drums helps to achieve this.”
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Baklava – From Skopje With Love

Our friends over at the indomitable CPL-Music have released a charming disc of traditional music from my second homeland of Skopje, Macedonia!  Baklava, the subject of today’s listening, work with folk music and does sterling work reinterpreting it for a more modern, updated sound.  Speaking of that sound, the band develop it with a wealth of instruments, including ancient local ones like the tambura, the kaval and the daf, as well as bagpipes, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, accordion and (the very much non-Macedonian) ukulele.  The music is upbeat, fun, and shines a good light on the wonders of (North) Macedonian music.

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Jeff Gburek – Vigilance Suite I & II

Fellow giromondo Jeff Gburek offers another incredibly profound album, balancing perfectly his own signature experimental sound touched with folk and blues, with the spirits of Robbie Basho and John Fahey once again coming along for the ride.

For the influence behind this album, please consider taking the time to read his liner notes at the release page here.

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Ernesto Diaz-Infante – Bats in the Lavender Sky

We have a cause to celebrate here at the MYNTH office, as our friend, the erstwhile Bay Area guitarist Ernesto Diaz-Infante has released a new album on a label you will be hearing more about on this website.  Ramble Records, an Australian label, is releasing some high quality guitar music, and has previously featured the American-Polish guitarist Jeff Gburek’s work.

Ernesto’s album is more a drone-laden psychedelic trip of an album.  There are lo-fi elements to it, a fair amount of minimal strumming, and the music simply sets brilliantly when heard through a decent set of headphones.  No surprise from Ernesto, who is always brilliant, and much respect to Ramble Records for curating such amazing talent.

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Various Artists – GRAMMOFON​-​MISSIONEN – A Selection of Swedish Jesus Music 1967​-​1982

As a practicing Eastern Orthodox Christian, this Jesus music might be a subject I know a little something about, though my normal preference is more Byzantine, Arabic or Slavonic and dates back to at least the 5th Century rather than the 20th.  Still, give mad respect to Subliminal Sounds for digging up all these odd Christian psychedelic gems and putting them into one stunning collection.

For those with a bit more coin to spend, there is a book/magazine package that runs for around US$70, and it looks to be well worth it.

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Various Artists – Gl​ü​cklich VI – Compiled by Rainer Tr​ü​by

From his days as a member of the seminal A Forest Mighty Black to collaborations with the who’s who of downtempo music (think Kruder & Dorfmeister, Jazzanova and so many others, Rainer Tr​ü​by has been of Trip-Hop’s finest tastemakers.  We can celebrate today that after 20 years, there is a new installment, courtesy of the legends at Compost Records, of the Gl​ü​cklich series.  This one features a lot of latin-tinged marvels that will make you want to explore both Rainer’s back catalogue and Compost Records‘ release schedule much more deeply.

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Charif Megarbane – Marzipan

Habibi Funk presents the latest release of Beirut, Lebanon’s most prolific producer, Charif Megarbane.  Though there are only two tracks available to listen to on Bandcamp, you can surely find more tracks to hear on quality sites like Qobuz or Deezer to check out the album in its entirety.  From the Habibi Funk Bandcamp release site:

“Following his previous release of EP “Tayara Warak” in 2022, “Marzipan” is a sonic journey that seeks to capture the full scope of Charif Megarbane’s habitus in 17 tracks. As a composer and producer, Megarbane touts hugely versatile, sometimes volatile musicianship—his 100+ catalogue of projects (including groups like the Cosmic Analog Ensemble, the Free Association Syndicate, Monumental Detail, etc.) features a huge domain of sonic direction. This collection was previously developed in Megarbane’s own Hisstology which hosts a wealth of collaborative efforts. Now, Habibi Funk represents Megarbane under his own name. Megarbane finds a sonic through-line in his surrounding soundscapes as he draws on the chaotic energy of the crowded Beirut metropolis (“Souk El Ahad”), the warm atmosphere of the Lebanese countryside (“Chez Mounir”), or the lushness of a Mediterranean beach resort (“Portemilio”). Reflecting the aural composition of his direct surroundings into kaleidoscopic instrumentation provides a unique insight into how one musical phenomenon transposes sight into sound. “
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Various Artists – TogoPop: Marche Noire

I realized I didn’t have many records from Togo listed on the blog, so, going down the rabbit hole, I found this curious compilation on TogoPop Records.  It sounds NOTHING like what I was expecting.  If anything, the artists on this compilation sound more like they were influenced by French 1980s Cold Wave and Italo Disco.  It’s a weird record, and brilliant for it.