Today’s selection, as we end the Harrowing of Hell and prepare for Pascha this evening, is from Raushan Orazbaeva, a dombra player from Kazakhstan. This is pure music from the Central Asian steppes, mournful, solitary and strikingly beautiful.
St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church: Chanters and Choir – Pascha: The Feast of Feasts
We celebrate Eastern Orthodox Holy Week and today is Good Friday according to the Julian Calendar. May your Paschal season end peacefully. Thanks to St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee for the wonderful and timely hymns.
Chaigidel & Neraterræ – Lamaštu
Two of Italy’s best dark /ritual ambient projects, CHAIGIDEL and NERATERRÆ, have joined forces and created a deeply evocative ritualistic opus rich in various aural elements and sceneries. The title “Lamaŝtu” pays tribute to the Mesopotamian mythological malevolent goddess, the most terrible of all female demons, daughter of the sky god Continue Reading
Moughenda Village – Calling the Spirits: Missoko Bwiti Music of Gabon
This Moment Records is a record label, “… which is dedicated to producing and promoting field recordings from around the world, in addition to crafting innovative soundscapes for relaxation and meditation,” at least according to their Bandcamp site. As we have never reviewed any music from Gabon before, I looked Continue Reading
Seah – Clouds & Spectres
Seah is an experimental music artist from Bradley, Illinois who produces long, sweeping ambient drone. There is an organ-like elegance to the compositions, especially with the first track, Unfurling, which meanders in a way that would fit in an old 1920s soundtrack of walking on the tundra. Many thanks to Continue Reading
Lumber – The Lotus Bros
Our dear friend Hubert Heathertoes collaborated with Roger Smith (he of some rather amazing experimental music projects like CHEFKIRK) as Lumber for a drony, well-sculpted collection of noise compositions. It’s such a pleasure to hear noise that is well-done, well-composed, rather than the boring vacuum-cleaner-like garbage that pollutes most of Continue Reading
Dolphy Kick Bebop – Smoke a Haiku Cigarette
As I will be back in Beijing in a few weeks from now, I thought I’d spend Western Easter introducing my friends here to Dolphy Kick Bebop, a band out of Hangzhou, China. The label, Space Fruity Records, is connected with Beijing’s coolest record shop, Fruity Space, and the music Continue Reading
George Christian – Nothingness, ou... O Vento
Our friend George Christian has produced an album that is an icy minimal masterpiece. The pieces, especially Track 1, O Vento, is perfectly named. I literally felt a chill hearing the tune, replete with faraway vocals and a windy atmosphere, befitting the song’s title. From his Bandcamp site: “Thanks to Continue Reading
DÜNYA – A Sacred Music Celebration: Greek Orthodoxy and Turkish Sufism
For my friends in the West, today is Good Friday, and I wish you a wonderful, blessed and prosperous Paschal celebration. I send you a gift in the form of the ensemble DÜNYA offering Christian and Islamic chants in celebration of Holy Weekend and Easter.
Various Artists – Old Heaven Books: 地方，音乐与实践 Vol.1 Region, Music, and Practice Vol.1
A compilation of new music out of avant-garde China. From the Old Heaven Books Bandcamp site: “A creative collaboration of producer Tu Fei and artist Liu Qingyuan. Event organization by Tu Fei, artwork for promotion and production by Liu Qingyuan. Event programs include talks, screenings, forums, workshops, musicians’ commission creation Continue Reading