Although the bands themselves on this comp from our dear friends at the Lollipoppe Shoppe might play Kraut-influenced music, this comp is definitely NOT Krautrock. I can’t say that the music is perfectly straight-ahead covers of some of the Grateful Dead’s finest work, but to hear these songs in a Continue Reading
LENsemble Vilnius, Vykintas Baltakas – Horizons
The LENsemble Vilnius, conducted by Vykintas Baltakas, won my attention because of their astounding interpretation of their interpretation of Osvaldas Balakauskas‘ composition Rain for Cracow (1991) for violin and piano. A worthy release.
Jeff Gburek and A.J. Kaufmann – Jazzisthmus
Had I not known the previous (impressive) works of both Jeff Gburek and A.J. Kaufmann, I would have happily believed that this was a lost psychedelic music gem long forgotten about in a basement studio recorded during Soviet times. While the tones are dulcet, you never really get a chance Continue Reading
Forgotten Magus – The Demon Host
From Mike Benoit’s Bandcamp site: Shane Beck & I are here once again here to bring you the next Forgotten Magus album. We both hope you enjoy this as much as we do, and thank you for listening…it means the world to us. Forgotten Magus is Mike Benoit & Shane Continue Reading
Kristo Rodzevski – Black Earth
Here is something rather magnificent coming out of Macedonia in the form of Kristo Rodzevski’s latest album through Defkaz, a great Greek label. There is hope for the Balkans yet! From the Defkaz Bandcamp site: “Black Earth has eleven traditional Macedonian songs infused with African aesthetics, including Gnawa undertones, Congo Continue Reading
A Miscellany Of Tasteful… Is Reactivated
Those of you who have been friends and readers since 2012 know about my old blog, A Miscellany Of Tasteful…, where I used to point readers to music, movies, books and art of interest until Facebook decided it was spam and shut down my ability to share the site. Apparently, Continue Reading
Corrado Maria De Santis – Over a Long Time
One of the great joys of my vocation is discovering musicians I would probably never otherwise encounter. Enter Corrado Maria de Santis, courtesy of our dear friends at Lost Tribe Sound: “Corrado Maria De Santis, an Italian guitarist, skillfully combines the raw spontaneity of improvised guitar with computer-generated sounds, crafting Continue Reading
Elia y Elizabeth – Alegría / Ponte Bajo el Sol
From Vampi Soul’s Bandcamp site: “Elia y Elizabeth Fleta were two Colombian girls who recorded a handful of songs between 1972 and 1973, acompannied by Jimmy Salcedo and his group La Onda Tres, mixing soft-pop with a touch of tropical-pastoral funk, singer-songwriter sweetened by the subtle perfume of Caribbean music Continue Reading
The Drone Pilots #051 – Electric Light
The Drone Pilots are a rather secretive collective I encountered by chance here in Beijing. They specialize in long-form trance mixes, and this particular one uses, of all bands to choose from, the Electric Light Orchestra as base material. From the project’s Soundcloud site: “”I have a message from Continue Reading
Various Artists – The Soul of Congo: Treasures of the Ngoma label (1948-1963)
Before Afrobeat became such a massive influence across Africa, Congolese music seemed to be the pride of the continent. A joyous mix of merengue, rhumba and local music would influence a great deal of West African popular music until James Brown and others came over to topple over the previous Continue Reading