Soft Tempo Lounge offer the best of easy / cheesy / sleazy listening all in one program. From the station’s website: “Mentioning the first foray into content creation with the ‘UNCLE JERRY’S PAD’ channel, eventually transforming into SOFT TEMPO LOUNGE 13 years ago, is more perfunctory rather than illuminating. Likewise Continue Reading
Exotica
Oidopuaa Vladimir Oiun – Divine Music From Jail
A snippet from Oidopuaa Vladimir Oiun’s outsider release at his Bandcamp site: “Oidupaa spent 33 years of his 55 years of life in prison – in fact, this album was recorded in prison. Oidupaa himself claimed that his conflicts with Soviet legislation were slander, which often happened with other Tuvan Continue Reading
Floreana – Floreana One
I don’t do top tens, but if I did, this album might be EP of the year. It’s that good. Imagine early Brian Eno or Tuxedomoon with a sound updated for the 2020’s. Yes, these names are the ones I’m happy to drop for this release. From Floreana’s Bandcamp site: Continue Reading
Jorge López Ruiz – Un Hombre de Buenos Aires
I have to say that, until a few days ago, I knew nothing about Jorge López Ruiz, but after reading this writeup and listening to the funky exotic jazz on this album, I’ve become a fan. From the Bandcamp website: “Jazz, funk, and bossa vibes kiss each other, all wrapped Continue Reading
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 Continue Reading
mama!milk – Concert at Art Gummi Kanazawa, 2022
mama!milk are a project out of Japan who mix the experimental music vibe of Pauline Oliveros and tango. Weird mix, but beautiful in its own way.
Domenique Dumont – People on Sunday
I came across a “composer” (really, a duo) based in Riga, Latvia called Domenique Dumont. The pair consist of Latvian multi-instrumentalist and producer Arturs Liepins and vocalist, ethnomusicologist Anete Stuce, and they have produced a shimmering, gentle piece of electronic music. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “People On Sunday is Continue Reading
The Jagaloons – Ruin The Party
The Jagaloons are an instrumental surf/garage-rock band out of Albany, New York. They have the energy of a punk band, the suaveness of those who play exotica, and can work in spaghetti western themes into their music. Brilliant stuff.
Various Artists – Sabroso Go Go
Spain’s Munster Records has a legendary reputation for putting out some amazing garage rock albums, including a lot of prime reissues. This compilation covers some lost gems from the Venezuelan Discos MAG for your enjoyment.
Arthur Lyman – Island Vibes
The ever-brilliant Aloha Got Soul Records is about to release a lost masterpiece of exotica. Arthur Lyman played vibraphone and marimba, and with these tools, nature sounds and some fine musicians backing him up, he managed to conjure up images of life in the South Pacific and Hawaii, which had Continue Reading