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
Throat Singing
Atman – Personal Forest
Our dear friends at the Lollipoppe Shoppe have released a freakily good album out of 1990s Poland. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Atman was an eco-activist collective, that released tape-only pastoral dwelling jams in the fine Polish-Jazz tradition… Hamered dulcimer and exotically tuned 12-string guitars among basket-loads of unknown sounds, Continue Reading
Pelkkä Poutanen – Pyhä Veri Vuotaa
Finland’s Pelkkä Poutanen provide one of 2022’s best World Music albums, combining a wild combination of Scandinavian folk, drone, throat-singing and, if you can believe it, a very light touch of tango.
Yat-Kha – We Will Never Die
Albert Kuvezin (Альберт Кувезин) is a legend in the ethno-rock and World Music community. He was one of the founders of the band Huun-Huur-Tu, which brought throat singing into prominence. He went on to form his own band, Yat-Kha, who I came across in 1993. He was managed to meld Continue Reading
Khara (ХАРА) – Mandragora (Мандрагора)
Khara is an Old Slavonic word meaning “the smile of God.” Truly, God must have been smiling to allow such a weirdly joyful music to come together. Mandragora brings together a bardic style of rock & roll infused with traditional music from their native Khakassia, whose native inhabitants share a Continue Reading