Episode 33
Episode 33 was originally posted on January 21, 2019.
Tracklisting:
01) “-Agri Dagindan Uctum” by Turku.
From the 1998 album Alleys of Istanbul.
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
The band’s website says: “Turku plays music from the western half of the Silk Road. They have played for audiences as large as 8000 people and as far away as Samarkand, Uzbekistan since 1998. Their music has received radio play as far away as Portugal and Uzbekistan. South Carolina Public Television has shown Turku's performances on many occasions. The members of Turku live in the Carolinas of the USA,” while their Facebook page describes them as: “"300 Year Old Rock & Roll from the Cradle of Civilization.”
02) “Kembali Ke Dunia (Return to the World)” by Senyawa.
From the 2018 album Sujud.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Senyawa is the experimental musical duo of Rully Shabara and Wukir Suryadi and their Facebook page says: “The music that they create is a combination of extended vocal technique and a homemade instrument. The instrument was handcrafted by master instrument builder Wukir out of one long piece of bamboo, it is a string instrument with guitar pick-ups—it is amplified and processed through several effects pedals but at times is played as an acoustic instrument, percussion and string instrument.” Their website further explains: “Jogjakarta’s Senyawa embodies the aural elements of traditional Indonesian music whilst exploring the framework of experimental music practice, pushing the boundaries of both traditions.”
03) “A Habibi Ouajee T'Allel Allaiya” by The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar.
From the 1992 album Apocalypse Across the Sky.
Jajouka, Morocco.
As their Facebook page says: “We are The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar. We are the authentic group of Mster Musicians from the village of Jajouka in Morocco.” Then, instead of actually listing a biography, they have some quotes by some randoms:
“One of the most musically inspiring groups still left on the planet.”
– Mick Jagger
“This music is human music, music that preserves life.”
– Ornette Coleman
“The original Rock & Roll band, that leaves you wanting more.”
– Slash, Guns & Roses
“The gods will surely dig these grooves, as well as the promise implicit in Bachir Attar’s strong loving wail.”
– David Fricke, Rolling Stone
“The primordial sounds of a 4000 year old rock ‘n’ roll band.” “...Bachir Attar is without any doubt, the sole rightful inheritor of the mantle of Leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka, and his band of musicians, who are the only rightful ‘Master Musicians.’”
- William S. Burroughs, Beat Writer
“This exuberant music will gradually reveal a timeless savvy.”
– Milo Miles, The New York Times
“The music is an evocation of sustained ecstasy. It is chaotic, cacophonous, sometimes at war with itself. And it is utterly intoxicating.”
– John Leland, Newsweek
If that’s not enough to pique your interest, then these guys probably aren’t your thing.
04) “Aurore Cosmic” by Popera Cosmic.
From the 1999 compilation Electric Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers Vol. 4.
France.
We’ve made no secret of our love for compilations for discovering great music from all over the world. They can be a terrific jumping off point to discovering all kinds of music. It’s been a while since we’ve posted anything from one of our favorite compilation series, Electric Psychedelic Sitar Headswirlers. We featured "Mango Pu" by Paroni Paakunainen from volume 6 of the 8-part series on Episode 11 of The Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow. As we said then:
Allmusic describes the scope of this terrific set (though their review focuses on the compilation of volumes 1-5): "This is a massive collection (97 tracks spread over five CDs -- each volume was originally released in numbered limited editions by Purple Lantern Records) of swirling psychedelic folk and rock featuring the sitar from the late '60s and early '70s. It draws on bands and performers from the U.S., Britain, India, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Australia, and several other points on the planet, and it’s difficult to imagine getting more flower power drone for the dollar anywhere else.
This compilation is a lot of fun and worth seeking out. Not every track is killer, but most are certainly not filler.
The track “Aurore Cosmic” by Popera Cosmic comes from the ultra-rare 1969 album Les Esclaves, which was reissued by Finders Keepers Records and is available here.
Purchase the compilation at Amazon.
05) “Adeus, Maria Fulô” by Os Mutantes.
From the 1968 album Os Mutantes.
São Paulo, Brazil.
Wikipedia tells us: “Os Mutantes are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. Although the original line-up made the most notorious breakthrough for the group, it has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence.”
Follow the group on Facebook.
Purchase Os Mutantes’ music at Amazon.
06) “Lajok” by Geoffrey Oryema.
From the 1993 album Beat The Border.
Soroti, Uganda.
Oryema was Ugandan musician. Wikipedia tells us that “In 1977 after the murder of his father, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who was a cabinet minister in the government of Idi Amin, he began his life in exile. At the age of 24, and at the height of Amin's power, Oryema was smuggled out of the country in the trunk of a car.” Oryema sang in Swahili, Acholi, and English, toured with WOMAD, and collaborated with Peter Gabriel, among others. His website adds:
Geoffrey Oryema is an internationally renowned musician who was born in 1953 in Soroti, Uganda. His father was a politician who rose to the rank of minister and his mother was a director of the national dance company called The Heartbeat of Africa.
Geoffrey’s family was immersed in Uganda’s traditional cultures and were storytellers, poets and musicians. As a teenager, Geoffrey wrote songs and learned how to play the guitar, flute and lukeme (a metal thumb-piano).
07) “Afroman” by Plastilina Mosh.
From the 1998 album Aquamosh.
Monterrey, Mexico.
Plastilina Mosh is an electronic and alternative rock group who are part of the musical movement known as Avanzada Regia. As of 2018, they have released four studio records.
As always, browse the interactive map to see where each of our artists are from. This week’s artists are marked with green colored map-points. Since Google Maps only lets us show 10 episodes per map, see all the other episodes here.