[TR24][OF] Valina - Container - 2014 (Noise Rock, Math Rock, Neo Prog, Indie, Experimental)

Companies etc
Recorded At – Electrical Audio
Mixed At – Electrical Audio
Mastered At – Chicago Mastering Service
Credits
Artwork – Thomas Draschan
Bass – Florian Husbert Huber*
Drums, Vocals – Anselm Dürrschmid
Guitar, Vocals, Words By – Anatol Bogendorfer
Layout – 100k*, Andi Ehrenberger
Photography By – Michael Leumüller
Recorded By, Mixed By – Steve Albini
Saxophone – Werner Zangerle

As offered by Lobefood.
SF001-051
*Note that missing SF numbers are not in fact "missing", they are actually video DVD's and not part of the album collection.
The massive Sublime Frequencies catalog collected by Alan Bishop and his team of avant-garde ethnomusicologists may be the largest treasure trove of forgotten recording gems ever unearthed. This is the only place to get all of the Sublime Frequencies CD and LP releases from SF001-SF051.
The collection comes on 3 hand labeled storage DVD's. Each disc has folders containing lossless FLAC files for each album.

Sublime Frequencies Catalog (audio titles)
About Sublime Frequencies
SUBLIME FREQUENCIES is a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media, or corporate foundations. SF releases sound recordings and video works from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America and is focused on an aesthetic of extra-geography and soulful experience inspired by music and culture, world travel, research, and the pioneering recording labels of the past. With an approach that sidesteps academic protocol and corporate funding, SF present their releases from an aesthetic viewpoint of promoting music, sound, and images that are rich in expressive ideas past and present from ignored areas of the world. Sublime Frequencies is a small, independent record label completely self-financed and motivated to elevate International recognition for artists and styles of music somehow ignored by the world entertainment industry with a major focus on the popular music renaissance that began during the 1960’s and continues to this day. The label has issued 41 titles on CD, LP, and DVD in the 4 years it has been operating. This current catalog is scheduled to grow to over 50 titles in 2008. Geographic locales which are the priority of the label’s coverage are Southeast Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Sublime Frequencies is owned and operated by Alan Bishop and Hisham Mayet, however the label has many contributors including Mark Gergis, Robert Millis, Laurent Jeanneau, Tucker Martine, Richard Bishop, fm3, and Carlos Casas.
SF001 - Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol.1
The equator runs through only ten countries on earth and I bet that you cannot name them all without consulting a map. Indonesia is one of them and the only nation in Asia with the equatorial stripe impaling it. There are so many different cultures spread-out on these islands, that it would take several lifetimes to experience them all properly. Within this umbrella of diversity is one of the world's richest and most dazzling sound museums. Sumatra is the northwestern entry point to the great archipelago. It is a large island approximately the size of California. There are jungles, mountains, swamps, various forms of myths and folklore, hustlers, Padang Food, Tigers, the Durian, dozens of cultures and languages, and more music than you've ever been allowed to hear. The selections on this CD are a combination of droning beat pop, pseudo-gypsy songs, jungle folk trance, and other improbable traditional and hybrid styles heard by only a handful of outsiders. These recordings are from old cassette tapes received as gifts, in trade, or purchased from sources in Sumatra in 1989. Some of the tapes are unmarked with the artists unknown, yet all of them are decaying documents of various sound quality containing some of the most eccentric artifacts ever uncovered from this fascinating island.
SF002 - Radio Java
Java is the center of Indonesian culture. Three out of every four Indonesians live on Java. It is the home of some of the most elegant musical styles to be found anywhere. To the veteran international sound collector, Javanese music is no secret. For the uninitiated, rather than going through an introductory outline of Javanese music history, I will wish you away to the internet, a library, or bookstore where you can find plenty of information on the subject. The selections on this CD are a combination of random radio excerpts sequenced in collage form and assembled in the summer of 1989. This disc is a highly unique document featuring many angles of Javanese sound finally slipping through the cracks. Among many other oddities, you'll hear several examples of Javanese pop (from Dangdut and Keroncong to Hard Rock and Disco), news snippets, folk music, radio commercials, Jakarta DJ's, The west Java Sundanese sound, spooky theatre extracts, and high-octane Jaipongan variations that are completely over the top. There has never been anything like this!
SF003 - Night Recordings from BALI
The island of Bali is Indonesia's most popular place. With the modern beach resorts at Kuta and Legian, the lovely, tropic interior of palm-covered hills and rice paddies, and a rich variety of art, dance and music, it is a destination of choice for travelers around the world. But, regardless of their increasing role of servicing an ever-demanding tourist industry, the Balinese are a strong-willed and tight-knit society. The island is a tiny enclave of Hinduism within a massive nation of Islam, yet, their Gamelan music is faster, tighter, and louder than their mighty neighbors to the west, the Javanese. Balinese Gamelan stylings and the Ketchak dance are legendary throughout the world and have been immortalized in sound recordings and on film for decades. But, beneath the creeping exterior of a pseudo-western culture slowly overtaking an amazing tradition of unique human expression, the moods of the island are governed by magic and superstition. The hills, forests, rivers, and crossroads are alive with tales of demons (Leyaks) and a flesh-eating Ogress (Rangda). A lesser-known darker side of Balinese life secretly balances the lighter side "tropical paradise" of tourist brochures. This CD is composed of field recordings from August and September of 1989. The majority of the recordings were made at night in and around the villages of Peliatan and Ubud. Amidst the excerpts from Gamelan performances, rehearsals, and Ketchak, are sounds of the surrounding forests and mysterious crossroads where packs of dogs seem to take on forms of angry demons. Also encountered here are odd folk stylings for flute and drum, outdoor village theatre, and other various sound anomalies from the Balinese interior.
SF006 - Princess Nicotine: Folk and Pop Music of Myanmar (Burma)
How do they do it? Are they smarter? Are they better? How can it be ignored or denied? How is it possible that one of the most unique, perfectly composed and performed, intense and awe-inspiring musical legacies the world has ever known is looming north of the equator physically tucked-between world cultural giants India, China, and Thailand, without more than a whisper from ethnomusicologists or those who define themselves as "purveyors of world music"? Not only are the roots of this music unique, but so are the results after incorporating outside instrumentation from modern colonial and (unavoidable) international influence. What the Burmese have done with a piano is so precise in its adaptation to existing form and melody that one would think they invented it. Burmese music has a very distinct sound and whatever instrument is assimilated into its core only seems to magnify its original intent without depending upon outside ideas as they relate to each component of it.
This collection will immediately bring you up to speed to what you have been missing all along. I'll leave the over-analyzation to those who undoubtedly will suffocate the world music community with praise for this music in the future because the time is NOW to dig it and to put the REAL music of Myanmar on the map ONCE and for ALL. This is the first TRUE compilation of this phenomenal scene from Yangon to Mandalay and beyond. Here are some of the greatest names from the past 50 years of Burmese musical history from the original recordings featuring Mar Mar Aye, Bo Sein, and the incomparable Tonte Theintan. Listen, and be amazed!
SF007 - Radio Morocco
It was the summer of 1983 in Morocco. The Polisario guerillas were operating in the Southern Sahara and the mood was tense in the Arab world. The Government of King Hassan was suspicious of anything out of the ordinary. Checkpoints were everywhere along the highways. Aids was the new disease. The American entertainment industry was grinding Michael Jackson's THRILLER into the world conciousness as US export culture supreme. Dr. J won his first and only NBA Championship ring. I knew all this from the small transistor radio I carried from Tangier to Marrakesh. I rented an apartment in Essouira on the Atlantic coast and began my swan dive into international radio collage. A songwriter by the name of Younes Megri had the number one hit during the summer of 1983 in Morocco. Radio Tangier International had the strongest signal in Northwest Africa. They played everything from Euro-pop to Be-bop to Heavy Rock to Moroccan folk trance. Less-powerful stations played berber folk music late into the night. This collection is 20 years old and has grinded into my skull as Moroccan export culture supreme. This is some of the greatest music ever known displayed here amidst snippets of news, commercials, radio noise and a host of otherwordly transmissions. Arabic music is HIGH ART. At its best, it transcends western music even as it utilizes it as a display of emotion and celebration. The Moroccans are deep contributors to the high art of Arabic music. May this disc download into your mind as an anti-virus. It worked for me. I don't even remember THRILLER by Michael Jackson.
SF008 - Radio Palestine: Sounds of the Eastern Mediterranean
From the traditional Nubian sounds of Southern Egypt to the cultured Arabic pop of Beirut, its all here in super-sonic collage: Cairo Orchestral/Greek Sartaki/Palestinian Folk/ Jewish and Euro-hybrid music styles/ Jordanian reverb guitar....all placed deep within the mirage of an 18 year-old time capsule of news, commercials, radio plays, UFO signals, Secret agent messages and chainsaw shortwave! Recorded in the summer of 1985 from Aswan to Jerusalem, this is a cerebral-smashing 65-minute listening experience soaked in raw beauty. If you don't like gettin' your ears pierced, then Clear the path NOW....the Radio Collage Revolution has been unleashed!
SF009 - I Remember Syria (double album)
A jaw-dropping expose of music, news, interviews and field recordings from one of the least-known quarters of the Arab world. The country of Syria has been politically and culturally exiled for decades by the western media leaving little known of its rich heritage of art, music and culture. Recorded and surgically-assembled by Mark Gergis from two trips to Syria in 1998 and 2000, disc one of this 2-CD set features recordings made in Damascus and is a virtual documentary of sound from the legendary Capital including street scenes, a wedding, a mosque interior, spontaneous live music and interviews with citizens, radio broadcasts, a song about Saddam Hussein, and the mystery of an underground city called "Kazib". Disc two extends to Greater syria with the same approach capturing live musicians, political opinions, radio excerpts, an interview with an anonymous homosexual, and unique sound documents from this small but highly-influential corner of the Middle East.
SF011 - Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk & Pop music Vol. 1
An unbelievable collection of dynamic Cambodian music recorded between the 1960s and the 1990s, both in Cambodia and in the United States. A truly Khmer blend of folk and pop stylings - Cha-Cha Psychedelia, Phase-shifting Rock, sultry circle dance standards, pulsing Cambodian new wave, haunted ballads, musical comedy sketches, Easy-Listening numbers and raw instrumental grooves presented in an eclectic variety of production techniques. Male and female vocalists share the spotlight, embellished by roller rink organ solos, raunchy guitar leads and MIDI defying synthesizers. Culled from over 150 ageing cassettes found at the Asian Branch of the Oakland Public Library in California, these recordings showcase a pre and post holocaust Cambodian musical lineage that can't be ignored.
SF012 - BUSH TAXI MALI: Field Recordings From Mali
Bush Taxi Mali is an aural tour through the heart of Mali. These field recordings were made by Tucker Martine in 1998 while traveling throughout the West African country. This blend of bluesy Ngoni’s, clamoring street sounds, the stunning voice of Jalimusa Amanita Diabate (of the famous Diabate family), passing radios, Fulani flutes, runaway sound systems and chants from the Dogon country creates a unique portrait of Mali’s rich musical heritage. Eventually Martine found himself in the backseat of a beat up Peugeot on his way to the village of Kela, a Jeli village, where the songs and traditions of the Mande people have been scrupulously preserved. Many of the musical performances heard on this disc were made during that visit. Bush Taxi Mali is a strikingly original tapestry of the ancient traditions of Mali in the modern era.
SF013 - Brokenhearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia
There is a legend in Burma stating that swarms of male dragonflies gather to join in choruses of high-pitched tones to court their mates. The ones that don’t succeed in mating eventually scream so loud that their chests explode and they drop dead to the ground. These recordings are a tribute to this legend. Droning cicadas, dragonflies and other insects display their charm as masters of the High Frequency Airwaves recorded live and unprocessed by Tucker Martine in the lush settings of Laos, Thailand, and Burma. Enter the supernatural world where Entomology and Electronica converge in a tropical hallucination of alien sound. Anyone who’s ever wondered if these strange symphonies could be recorded or preserved AS precisely as they sound in the field need look no further! Martine has done it and you will be transported to the exact experience one would encounter in these mysterious lowlands. Liner notes by Hakim Bey!
SF014 - RADIO INDIA: The Eternal Dream of Sound (double album)
A swan dive into perhaps the most astounding radio treasure chest the world has ever known, this amazing collection of audio art is a testament to India’s Museum of Sound. This two hour listening experience features Radio Collage of music-only edits on disc one, with a more adventurous mix of music, radio commercials, news, DJs, and miscellaneous sound dimensions on disc two. Contents include: plenty of traditional folk oddities, choice pop hits and film themes, spectacular Classical music, incorporated styles from beyond the subcontinent, and an indescribable cache of raw sound materials edited from hours of bulk tapes recorded on location in 1989 and 1996 from Bengal to Rajasthan and many points in between. Ragas, Bollywood breaks, electric guitars, chenai and violin bliss, creepy folk songs and top-notch vocalists make this the best introduction to India’s music scene ever assembled!
SF016 - Streets of Lhasa
“Streets of Lhasa” lifts us to the high plateau of Tibet where anonymous street balladeers sell folk songs for a living and ghostly voices drift in an ambience of time forgotten. Children, birds, trains, prayers and a traditional temple activity called "bian jing" (where monks discourse about scripture and punctuate their points by clapping loudly) provide the backdrop for this disc with the folk music of the street taking center stage. These enterprising musicians sing passionate songs and play instruments like the “Erhu” and the “San Xian”. The recordings are as clear as the strings of these banjo and violin-like instruments scathed by leather fingers of the high, thin air. Tibet has been under Chinese control for nearly half a century and their leader, The Dalai Lama, resides in exile to the south in Dharamsala India. Bhuddism remains of primary importance here and chants of song and prayer are heard throughout the plateau. This ornamental carnival of sound was recorded by Zhang Jian (of the Beijing-based sound collective “fm3”) on the streets of Lhasa, ZhaDa and Shigatse in August 2003. Liner notes written by Steve Barker (ON THE WIRE/BBC).
SF017 - Harmika Yab Yum: Folk Sounds From Nepal
“Harmika Yab Yum” is a divine blend of Radio excerpts and field recordings from Nepal compiled by Robert Millis. This exciting mosaic snares among other oddities, a “King Cobra” snake charmer, the sounds of slaughtering buffaloes and guns firing amidst a Durga Puja festival, dreamy folk music, Sarangi and Harmonium players seeping in from unknown radio signals, pounding drums, praying monks, child choruses, street sermons, loudspeaker promotionals, and quiet footsteps at the top of the world. Millis has produced many curious audio works as a member of the group“Climax Golden Twins” and this collection of Himalayan ephemera captures the timeless beauty of the world’s highest Kingdom, land of the rhododendron, the Kumari (a “living goddess”), and the legendary “Yeti”. (Recorded in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Gorkha, and other undisclosed locales in 1996)
SF018 - Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol. 2
Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra (Volume 2) expands our presentation of the world’s least-known, outstanding musical improbabilities. From the infectious trance beat of Sumatra’s Folk Dangdut music, featuring Rabab (Violin) or Saluang (Flute), to the highly-refined and glorious Orkes Gambus (Orchestral Arabic music with “Gambus” literally meaning “Oud”), said to have been brought to the island by Islamic settlers from Yemen, the 18 tracks featured here will instantly convince the listener of the expressive beauty and diversity that Sumatra has contributed to the world music theater. Most of the musicians on this release are “Minangkabau” or “Minang” people who are devout followers of Islam as well as the world’s largest Matrilineal society (a Minangkabau child is the descendent of his/her mother, not father). These tracks (chosen from stacks of old cassettes) were recorded from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and are all but dismissed by many Sumatrans who seem to prefer a more contemporary sound. This is an assortment of relics from a forgotten period of transition in Sumatran music when psychedelic organs echoed underneath arabic string sections and rustic violins sawed atop trance beats from poorly-lit night markets. The Minang sound is like no other and it represents a vital link in the somewhat cloudy history of Sumatran music. Keep in mind that this is NOT a document for the mere purpose of preservation, although it may serve as such. This IS among the very best music you’ve never heard and you need to hear it NOW!
SF019 - MOLAM: THAI Country Groove From ISAN
Molam is a multi-faceted folk music native to Laos and the predominantly rural Northeastern region of Thailand known as Isan - home to myriad ethnic groups and provinces, and once a part of present-day Laos. Mo meaning "master" and lam meaning "song", molam literally translates into "master singer", but it remains more of an umbrella term covering over a dozen types of lam styles in which male and female singers can be backed by a free-reed bamboo mouth organ called a khaen, indigenous lute-like instruments (the phin or the soong), a bowed fiddle called a sor and a percussion ensemble featuring finger cymbals and hand drums. Lam phun and lam sing are the two molam styles featured most prominently in this collection. Also in the musical family is look thoong, a slower, more tragic style, usually lamenting lost love and perpetual poverty. Examples are heard on tracks 10, 15 and 20. Costumed Isan comedy troupes called Talok incorporate hyper-eccentric molam and look thoong renditions with low, vaudevillian comedy and high social satire on stages and TVs throughout the country. Maniacal examples are heard on tracks 2, 8 and 11. The classic recordings featured here are selections from rare vinyl LPs, 45s and cassettes recorded in Isan and beyond between the 1970s and 1980s. This was a pivotal time when music of the region began to be electrified and integrated with Western instruments. When electric bass, effected guitars, electric organs, kit drums and horns played alongside the khaen and the phin. Molam had never sounded this way before -and due to the typically ephemeral nature of the music industry and the introduction of the modern keyboard workstation, molam will never sound like this again.
SF020 - Radio Phnom Penh
Cambodia’s people, economy, and culture have been “re-mixed” perhaps more than any place on earth for the past 50 years. The name was even changed to Kampuchea and then back again to Cambodia. So it almost seems natural that modern Cambodian record companies have been re-mixing the old classic pop and rock tracks from the pre-Khmer Rouge era, overdubbing drum tracks, and sometimes all instruments leaving only the original vocal in tact. These re-mixes, designed to hold the interest of younger listeners, are the staple for current programming on Phnom Penh’s FM radio stations as the AM flagship “National Radio of Cambodia” remains the only source regularly featuring the original master recordings.
This brain-melting concoction of Radio transmissions is a combination of AM/FM samples from the airwaves of Phnom Penh. The older, classic Pop/Rock FM cuts are ALL re-mixed versions while the newer forms/other styles of Cambodian music collected here are not. All AM recordings are from the Original masters. Regardless of the debate between “original” and “re-mix”, this is the most diverse assortment of Cambodian musical treasures you’ve NEVER heard. Flowing from traditional to Modern, from rock and pop to folk and hybrid, all excerpts are as unique as the best of what’s been presented by other compilations of late. And it’s sequenced here in the spirit of how it was captured: as radio programming designed to immediately transport you into the heart of Cambodia’s Capital.
SF021 - Radio Sumatra: The Indonesian FM Experience
The music and production encountered here represents a cross-section of Sumatran FM radio and to a greater extent, what’s happening now in Indonesian culture. From the signature sounds of Sumatra (Melayu, Minang Pop, the Batak ballad) to the widespread Indonesian phenomenon of Dangdut, this exclusive “FM only” Radio Collage will leave your skull shattered, wondering why it’s taken so long to be turned-on to the modern pulse of the world’s fourth largest country. Some of these selections come from Java and other parts of Indonesia via the FM airwaves of Sumatra’s major cities. Islamic Folk, Gambus Rock, and gorgeous anomalies are also placed in the mix amidst brief news reports, advertisements, prayers, and karaoke call-in shows. Many of the station ID’s could be mistaken for American or European networks and much of the music is highly influenced by western pop/rock/punk/metal/rap/etc. But beyond these obvious comparisons is an explosive musical kaleidoscope; still fresh, somewhat sincere and naive, and a bit resistant to the grasp of the world’s cultural export Moguls. This is an essential listening experience. There is undeniable evidence here of how Indonesians have crafted some of the world’s most thrilling popular music….yet the rest of this world somehow refuses to recognize it….that is, until now!
SF023 - Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk and Agit Pop from the Hermit Kingdom
Schmaltzy synthpop, Revolutionary rock, Cheeky child rap, and a healthy dose of hagiography for Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, this is the now NOW sound of North Korea! A hermit kingdom with a rich folk history and an even richer tradition in over-the-top praise for the ruling House of Kim, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remains a diplomatic thorn and a culture never Neverland. Boasting a heady mix of Stalin opera, Tokyo karaoke and brooding impressionism, the sound of present-day Pyongyang distills into warped agit-pop and lost-in-time commie funk. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in North Korean music, this is your vehicle for exploration. Christiaan Virant has visited this mysterious land and has assembled this amazing audio collage. Captured within are rare live recordings from various performances and mass games demonstrations, sounds lifted from People’s Army television dramas, samples from hard-to-find CD releases obtained in the capital, and of course, news reports from the “real” Radio Pyongyang, which continues to broadcast to this day, albeit under the new, strikingly anodyne moniker “Voice of Korea”.
SF024 - Guitars of the Golden Triangle: Folk and Pop Music of Myanmar Vol. 2
Shan State is Myanmar’s largest province and larger than the entire State of New York. Most outside this Burmese region have never heard of Shan State, but this massive sub-tropic tableland has an average elevation of 3000 feet, perfect for the cultivation of poppies for which it is very well known (in fact and fiction) as the center of the “Golden Triangle”. Never before presented outside a tiny minority of the Burmese community, this unbelievable collection of garage and psychedelic rock, raw folk blues ballads, and country -western styled music is a product of Shan and Pa’o musicians hailing from the early 1970’s. Discover the music of Lashio Thein Aung (AKA the “Burmese Texan”), Khun Paw Yunn (a “Black Shan” Pa’o rocker) and Saing Saing Maw: The original Shan legend who wrote and sang garage psyche rock songs, usually backed by a tight unit of organ, bass, drums, and perhaps the most stinging electric guitar in Burmese history. There is little reliable information about these mysterious pioneers and most Burmese have never even heard this material. The cuts on this CD are almost impossible to find in ANY form or quality. They were transferred directly from old cassette tapes and a few tracks have dropouts (some of them quite severe). Most of the master tapes are thought to have been lost or destroyed many years ago so this may be the only link to a phenomenal “lost scene” and we’re thrilled to resurrect it for those interested in folk, rock and pop styles from lesser-known regions of the globe.
SF025 - Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq
Meticulously selected from Iraqi cassettes and LPs found in Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, this unique collection of folk and pop styles displays a wealth of outstanding music that is exclusive to Iraq and has rarely been showcased abroad. There are many reasons why Iraqi music stands alone in the dynamic world of Arabic music: one example is the unbelievable rapid fire machine-gun rhythms fluttering atop the main tempo. This is the work of a unique nomadic hand drum called the Khishba –also known as the Zanbour (Arabic for wasp). A style prominently featured here is the infamous Iraqi CHOUBI -a driving rhythmic style that can include fiddles, double reeded instruments, percussion, bass, keyboards and oud over its signature beat. Other styles featured are the BASTA (an urban Baghdadi style), the BEZIKH, and the pulsating HECHA. Also heard is the MAWAL- a vocal improv that sets the tone of a song, regardless of the style. Additionally there are three cuts from Ja’afar Hassan’s 1970s record, "Let’s Sing Together". Being a folk-rock record, it’s a true anomaly for Iraq. Hassan was a mouthpiece for the Iraqi Socialist movement just a few years before Saddam Hussein. But most of the music in this collection was produced during the Saddam period– between the 1980s and 2002. Since the 2003 invasion and the wholesale disassembly of the country, classic tracks like these may already be part of a disappeared past.
SF027 - Ethnic Minority Music of Northeast Cambodia
For the first time, here is a recording that documents the ceremonial animist music from the mysterious tribal villages of Northeast Cambodia. The Tampoans, Krungs, kavets, Braos, and Jaraîs of Ratanakiri Province and the Phnongs in Mondolkiri Province have been living amidst each other in this region for centuries preserving and expanding their unique cultural heritage, sometimes at peace and other times in conflict with one another or with foreign invaders. The music includes hypnotic gong ensembles, guitar ballads, bamboo flute, and unique local instrumentation such as the “Gungteng” and the “Mum”. The superb singing styles and vocals present throughout are absolutely mesmerizing. These tracks sound like nothing you’ve heard before, all magnificently documented transporting the listener into the heart of each performance. Recorded on location by Laurent Jeanneau over a 2-year period from 2003-2005 with his revealing liner notes and a detailed tracklist included within.
SF028 - Radio Thailand: Transmissions from the Tropical Kingdom (double album)
This 2-CD set is an exhaustive collection of Thai Radio transmissions recorded over a 15-year period from 1989 to 2004. These 23 collage tracks have been assembled and distilled from dozens of cassette and minidisc recordings captured on location from the capital of Bangkok to Chaing Mai and Isan Province in the north to Hat Yai in the south. The Music presented here is relentlessly mystifying and seductive: Molam, Luk Thung, Kantrum, folk and pop, classic Thai guitar Rock, antique ballads, novelty tunes, traditional ceremonial music and other miscellaneous styles rarely heard outside the Kingdom. Also featured are various commercials, DJ’s, radio ID’s, news reports, mysterious folk radio, language lessons, sacred chants, bumper cues and plenty of audio anomalies only the sheer genius of Thai Radio can supply. Tune-in to the amazing audio experience of Thailand’s Tropical Kingdom.
SF029 - Radio Algeria
Radio Algeria is a multi-dimensional assembly of audio culture from the Mediterranean coast to the undefined border areas of the Sahara Desert and beyond. This is perhaps the most diverse collection of the Algerian listening experience ever presented featuring raw Berber folk, modern Arabic pop, sacred Islamic traditional, Andalusian orchestral, Guesba (the origin of Rai), classic early Rai, Khabyle, Tuareg, Saharaui, and hybrid music styles influenced by Europeans to the north and sub-Saharan Africa to the south. The presence of French culture is a relevant factor in some of these tracks as modern history would suggest and the language is still spoken by a large portion of the population. No English is spoken on Algerian-produced radio. Collected, assembled and edited in 2005 from AM, FM, and Shortwave broadcasts recorded in Algeria, there are radio finds here that defy categorization. Excerpts of bumper music, DJ announcements, advertisements, and radio station Id’s reinforce the transitions between the musical segments throughout this production.
SF030 - Group Doueh: Guitar Music From The Western Sahara
If you think you’ve heard all the great electric guitar styles in the world, think again. This Saharan sand-blizzard of fine-crushed glass will grind your face to a bloody pulp. Group Doueh play raw and unfiltered Saharawi music from the former colonial Spanish outpost of the Western Sahara. Doueh (pronounced “Doo-way”) is their leader and a master of the electric guitar. He’s been performing since he was a child playing in many groups before finally creating his own in the 1980’s. Doueh says he’s Influenced by western pop and rock music especially Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. His sound is distorted, loud and unhinged with an impressive display of virtuosity and style only known in this part of the world. His wife Halima and friend Bashiri are the two vocalists in the group. Saharawi songs are from the sung poetry of the Hassania language. The music is based on the same modal structure as Mauritanian music, however, Doueh’s style is a looser appropriation infused with a western guitar scope, one that relies, in his words, as much on Hendrix as it does traditional Sahrawi music. It also adds a playful pop element that rarely filters through in this region. Doueh has turned down countless offers from Morocco and Europe to release his music but he decided to offer us access to his homemade recordings and photo archive for this amazing debut LP. This is a one-time pressing of 1000 copies, the first Sublime Frequencies vinyl release. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and comes in a gatefold full color jacket stocked with great photos of the musicians and liner notes by Hisham Mayet.
SF031 - Omar Souleyman: Highway to Hassake (Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria)
Omar Souleyman is a Syrian musical legend. Since 1994, he and his musicians have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout Syria, but until now they have remained little known outside of the country. To date, they have issued more than five-hundred studio and live- recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city. Born in rural Northeastern Syria, he began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that remain with him today. The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music. Here, classical Arabic mawal-style vocalization gives way to high-octane Syrian Dabke (the regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others. This amalgamation is truly the sound of Syria. The music often has an overdriven sound consisting of phase-shifted Arabic keyboard solos and frantic rhythms. At breakneck speeds, these shrill Syrian electronics play out like forbidden morse-code, but the moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Oud, reeds, baglama saz, accompanying vocals and percussion fill out the sound from track to track. Mahmoud Harbi is a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman. Together, they commonly perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry used in Dabke. On stage, Harbi chain smokes cigarettes while standing shoulder to shoulder with Souleyman, periodically leaning over to whisper the material into his ear. Acting as a conduit, Souleyman struts into the audience with urgency, vocalizing the prose in song before returning for the next verse. Souleyman’s first hit in Syria was "Jani" (1996) which gained cassette-kiosk infamy and brought him recognition throughout the country. Over the years, his popularity has risen steadily and the group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon. Omar Souleyman is a man of hospitality and striking integrity who describes his style as his own and prides himself on not being an imitator or a sellout. Sublime Frequencies is honored to present the Western debut of Omar Souleyman with this retrospective disc of studio and live recordings spanning 12 years of his career, culled from cassettes recorded between 1994 and 2006. This collection offers a rare glimpse into Syrian street-level folk-pop and Dabke– a phenomena seldom heard in the West, not previously deemed serious enough for export by the Syrians and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees.
SF032 - Thai Pop Spectacular (1960's-1980's)
Thai pop history has been largely ignored and neglected by the international musical community for far too long. By the late 20th century, Thai pop music had developed as many faces as localized roots music such as Molam or styles like Luk Thung or Luk Krung, (each with their own respective pop-sectors). Bangkok – always the hub of the Thai recording industry – attracted musicians and singers from across the country that were both informed by tradition and inspired by the wealth of international sounds entering the region via radio and phonograph. Jazz, for instance, had a profound influence on early Thai pop music, the King of Thailand himself being a noted Jazz composer.
This superb collection features modern Thai music styles combining with elements of surf, rock, funk, disco and comedy, revealing the use of clever instrumentation, brilliant vocals, great arrangements, twisted breaks, and resourceful production techniques. Discover the Queen of Luk Thung, the 1960s “Shadow Music” sound, classic tracks from Thai films, blazing examples of Bangkok disco from the 1970s, legendary Thai comedy Pop, and the most outrageous version of "The Night Chicago Died" you'll ever encounter. Thick horn sections, wah-wah guitars, tight drums, and funky organs help round out this astounding set which proves beyond a doubt that the Thai were a completely unique and powerful force during the 1960's, 70's & 80's global popular music explosion.
SF033 - Molam: Thai Country Groove From Isan Vol. 2
MOLAM is a multi-faceted folk country music native to Laos and the collection of rural Northeastern Thai provinces called Isan. "Molam” is an umbrella term used for numerous Lam styles. It literally translates into "expert singer" or "expert song". Featured here in volume 2 of this series are Lam Phun, Lam Thuy, Lam Plern, Lam Dern and Lam Sing styles of Molam recordings from the 1970s and 1980s. All of these forms are built from a tradition that is centuries-old. A few examples of Molam/Luk Thung (Thailand’s national country music) hybrids are also featured here. In the late-1960s, at the onset of Molam's modern genesis, electric guitars and organs were introduced alongside the extant folk sounds of the khaen (bamboo mouth-organ) and Phin (Thai lute). Hybrid styles were formed with an electrified sound that jived with tradition while creating something entirely new. Much of the music relies on stock formulas, designed primarily to showcase the stylings of various singers from the region. But, as this brilliant collection demonstrates, the rules tend to bend a bit as more adventurous groups experiment with the genre and the production. Sound effects, flamboyant vamping, odd vocal styles or trick intros and finales based on popular rock themes show up now and then, among other playful and dynamical shifts, making for some exceptional listening. So join us now in our perpetual and confounding love affair with Thai Isan Molam. Enjoy this rarely heard music, culled from vintage cassette and vinyl recordings, rescued from the silent places in which they've rested for the past decades.
SF034 - Group Inerane: Guitars From Agadez (Music of Niger)
Group Inerane is the now sound of the Tuareg Guitar Revolution sweeping across the Sahara Desert and inspired by the rebel musicians that started this music as a political weapon used to communicate from the Libyan Refugee camps in the 1980s and 1990s. Spearheaded by the enigmatic guitar hero Bibi Ahmed, Group Inerane has been together for several years and carries the rich tradition of Tamachek guitar songs for another generation. These ten tracks are a combination of amplified roots rock, blues, and folk in the local Tuareg styles at times entering into full-on electric guitar psychedelia. This music is performed with two electric guitars, a drum kit and a chorus of vocalists. The recordings were captured live in the city of Agadez in the Republic of Niger. Group Inerane was also featured in the Sublime Frequencies DVD “Niger: Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel”. Recorded by Hisham Mayet, this is the second Sublime Frequencies Vinyl Release. 180 gram vinyl, full-color gatefold jacket, and limited one-time pressing of 1000 copies.
SF035 Music of Nat Pwe: Folk and Pop Music of Myanmar Vol. 3
In Myanmar (Burma), many people believe in ghost spirits called NATs. These spirits are historical figures who met tragic or violent deaths. They are said to possess the power to assist or devastate the lives of those who recognize them. A PWE is a ceremony held to appease a Nat. Pwes are arranged daily throughout Myanmar for many purposes including the achievement of success in business, a happy marriage, or improving one's health. A Nat is summoned through a Kadaw; the flamboyant and charismatic master of ceremony dressed in elegant costume. The Kadaw is a spirit medium, singer, dancer, storyteller, and magician who exposes the crowd to a living incarnation of the Nat. Cash money is thrown and cigarettes and whiskey are hand delivered by the Kadaw to the willing faithful. Audience participants are often ecstatic, spontaneously launching into trance as the Nat spirit possesses their bodies while the melodically ornamental and thundering sound of the Nat Pwe orchestra plays on as perhaps the last great internationally unknown musical juggernaut existing anywhere. This collection of music documents the phenomenon known as the Nat Pwe orchestra. There is absolutely nothing like it anywhere else on earth. If you are looking for some music to groove to, soothe your mind, or relax to, this is NOT for you! This is some of the most jarring, intense, and maniacal music being created on earth today. Your head will be spinning amidst the cranked reverb and echo of the vocals as they swirl like locusts in a floating graveyard as the bells, cymbals, and tuned metal bars crash and spill down an endless staircase while the hand drums and Hsaing-Wang circle of rhythm pound the beat in and out of a million twists and turns until you’ve either had enough or you get with the program. Turn it up and submit. This is what it’s ALL about, schoolboy!
SF036 - Ethnic Minority Music of Southern Laos
This is a collection of landmark recordings by Laurent Jeanneau documenting music created by the Harak and various Brao ethnic groups in Southern Laos. Here you can hear the true historic roots of Molam music (now a venerable popular music style in Laos and Thailand) played on the Khaen along with vocal styles from this region. Also featured here are Gong ensembles, various stringed instruments, cymbals, drums, and sung poetry all captured live on location with the ambient sounds of the surrounding villages. These recordings were made in Xekong, Champasak and Attapeu provinces and because much of this music is unknown, this is probably the first time recordings have ever been released of indigenous music from these remote areas of Southern Laos. This is the second release in a series of spectacular field recordings from some of the more remote ethnic minority communities in Southeast Asia. Features insightful liner notes by Laurent Jeanneau and extended track listing with added information about each track recorded.
SF037 - Ethnic Minority Music of North Vietnam
This third volume in a series compiled by Laurent Jeanneau from his continual journeys into the more remote tribal areas of Southeast Asia features field recordings of the Giay, Lu, Red Zao, and Black Hmong peoples from North Vietnam. The five selections presented here by the Red Zao are of an unusual vocal style called “Baozoo”. The Baozoo singing technique can either be a responsive song, or canon singing where a lead singer has his or her words repeated with delay by 1, 2 or 3 singers. We’ve never heard anything quite like it before. The instruments used in other selections include Kheng (Bamboo mouth organ), jew’s harp, bamboo sticks with coins, and the Piem Zat (a reed instrument or oboe affiliated with Baozoo singing). Recorded in and around Sapa, this CD includes an extended track list with added information about each track recorded along with insightful liner notes by Laurent Jeanneau.
SF038 - PROIBIDÃO C.V: Forbidden Gang Funk From Rio de Janeiro
PROIBIDÃO is the name given to a certain kind of electronic funk music produced in Brazilian favelas, especially in Rio de Janeiro where it started to appear in the beginning of the 90’s as a parallel phenomenon to the growth of drug gangs along the city’s more than 600 slums. A raw mix of live funk vocals and Miami bass structures, these anonymous funk tracks are spread illegally by DJs and gang sponsored parties. Proibidão is a raw musical genre that captures the dark side of Brazilian favelas. The explicit lyrics of apology to drug gangs and the violent content makes them illegal to broadcast through radio or as live public events. Proibidão can only be heard in the bailes or dances that the gangs organize and that run every day of the week in different locations in the slums around Rio. The production of a Proibidão occurs in different ways. A DJ spins Miami bass rhythms straight from sample CDs, and an MC talks on top of it, mainly live in street bailes and then recorded through a simple multichannel to a minidisk or simply straight. No mix is done and only sometimes an extra production is done. The gang leaders, to spread the respect and love for the gang as well as hate to the other gangs, finance the bailes and hire the DJs and sound systems. At most parties this is recorded live and spread then as an mp3 or CD to different other DJs and bailes. Its life runs a minimum of 6 months and depending on it’s popularity it can go on for more than one year. The selection featured on this CD compiles music recorded live during the beginning of 2003 in different favelas from Zona Sul, South Rio de Janeiro, a zone once controlled by the drug gang called Comando Vermelho, mainly responsible for the city’s growing rates of homicides and power corruption, as well as Rio’s and Brazil’s growing drug consumption. C.V Comando Vermelho (Red Command) is a criminal organization that was founded in 1979 in the prison Cândido Mendes, on the island Ilha Grande (RJ), as a connection of common prisoners and militants of the Falange Vermelha (Red Phalanx), which fought the military dictatorship. During the entire 1990's the criminal organization was the strongest in all of Rio de Janeiro, but today the principal leaders have been arrested or are dead, and the organization is not as strong. The Comando Vermelho still control parts of the city and seeing streets tagged with "CV" is common in many favelas in Rio de Janeiro. This CD is in no way an apology for these groups but a document to portray a moment in time in Rio de Janeiro musical and social history. All audio imperfections are left as they were when collected as these tracks are the only remaining documents of this music. Recorded and assembled by filmmaker Carlos Casas courtesy of some anonymous MCs and DJs in different bailes along the favelas of Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro during March-April 2003.
SF039 - Latinamericarpet: Exploring the Vinyl Warp of Latin American Psychedelia Vol 1
Historically Latin America was the part of the “new world” that Christopher Columbus “discovered” in 1492, which soon was brutally conquered by the Spanish and Portuguese. Obviously it was only a “discovery” from a Eurocentric perspective because, in fact, on these vast lands there were hundreds of advanced native cultures living for centuries. However after countless years of violent colonization and internal wars, the independence emerged on the whole continent launching a group of new countries with their own and unique identities. But what is Latin America nowadays? A complex answer for a complex puzzle: some people would say it’s a huge cocktail that combines -in a more or less chaotic way- the rests (or ruins) of Pre-Columbus Cultures and diverse European traditions mixed with a high dose of pseudo-tropical weathers, Latin manners and unstable economies... although that’s also a simplification: Latin America is just Latin America and it deserves to be “rediscovered”... But let’s go straight to the record.
Latinamericarpet is a non-stop collage of vinyl artifacts culled from stacks of forgotten LPs of the 1960’s and 1970’s from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Isle de Pascua (Easter Island). This compilation brings together some glittering sounds from LPs that have been somehow forgotten over the years. Although most of the tracks presented here were recorded during the peak of the psychedelic era in the late 60’s and early 70’s, this is not a collection packed with guitar group psychedelia although there are a few unknown gems here that qualify as such. There are also pop and folkloric songs, children’s songs, odd instructional record excerpts, and a few other anomalies from our neighbours to the south. For sure these selections are only brief samples of what was done in Latin America in those glorious years, but while we wait for further works that can bring to light more sounds from this “undiscovered” continent, just relax, turn on your stereo and keep this magic Latinamericarpet flying. (Compilation/Liner notes by Albano Costillares in Argentina)
SF042 - Shadow Music of Thailand
SHADOW MUSIC was a broad term given to the Thai guitar pop movement of the 1960s and the groups that came out of it, all under the profound influence of early Western rock and roll. British instrumental wonders The Shadows (as in Cliff Richards & the Shadows) were the origin of the genre's title, also coined 'Wong Shadow' or early Thai 'String' music. Shadow records were often marketed as 'Thai Modernized Music' which it was in the truest sense. Traditional Thai melodies were given the Shadow treatment; incorporating rock, surf, a-go-go, exotica, soul, blues, Latin and other worldly styles of the times. Inventive compositions and instrumental genius meet the occasional odd vocal arrangement and the results range from plaintive guitar and organ-driven lullabies to full-blown electric garage folk-psychedelia! Featured on this collection are a handful of the leading recorded artists from the time; P.M. Pocket Music, The Son of P.M., P.M.7, Jupiter and Johnny Guitar. Throughout the 1960s, these groups forged a unique and highly self-referential Thai sound. One time pressing of 1500 LP copies and each of these beauties come in a full-color heavy-duty tip-on gatefold jacket featuring gorgeous original Thai Shadow LP artwork and of course 180 gram vinyl, so don't sleep on this one.
SF043 - Bollywood Steel Guitar
Bollywood Steel Guitar is the most comprehensive collection to date of Steel Guitar pop instrumental music from India. All 21 tracks featured here were Film hits from 1962-1986 and all the masters of the steel guitar sound from the period are represented: Van Shipley, Kazi Aniruddha, S. Hazarasingh, Sunil Ganguly, and Charanjit Singh. An entirely different approach that rocks, swings, and grooves through some of India's most beloved film tunes, the electric steel guitar as lead instrument transforms the already infectious melodies into a multitude of higher sound dimensions. This CD was compiled and carefully selected from rare LPs over several years by Stuart Ellis. Here are some excerpts from his liner notes:
The term "Bollywood" originally referred to the Bombay (now known as Mumbai) Hindi language film industry. Although there are a number of other studios that produce films in other languages, more recently the definition has been expanded in the West to describe pretty much all films produced on the sub-continent. But where in most countries a film's soundtrack would merely be used as a promotional tool for the film, in India, film music has become an industry unto itself with playback singers and dance numbers. The music is just as important as the film and lives on long after the film has left the theaters. These songs are, for the most part, the pop music of India. As with most popular music, other artists sometimes recorded cover versions of these songs. Of these musicians, a small number specialized in instrumental arrangements and created what could be called the elevator music of India. While there were a few who used the harmonium or mouth organ, the most popular instrument used in these instrumental favorites was the steel guitar.
SF044 - Radio Myanmar (Burma)
The Union Solidarity & Development Association (USDA) has grown to become one of the most pervasive organizations in Burma, claiming over 22 million members (nearly half the country's population). Very little is known of the USDA to the outside world, but it has become imbedded throughout the social infrastructure of the state. It's widely published statutes expressing the importance of state sovereignty and public solidarity can be found in all mediums throughout the country: newspapers, television, billboards and radio broadcasts. Known as the "Three Main National Causes", "Four-Point People's Desire", "Seven Point Road to Democracy" and "Twelve Political, Economic and Social Objectives", each broadcast day begins with their recitation.
Most of the recordings featured in this radio collection were captured in Yangon during March and April of 2007. With the authorities attempting to control all information coming into or leaving the state, rarely does the world catch a glimpse inside Burma. This is a special opportunity for listeners to delve behind the headlines and into the airwaves; to hear for themselves the sounds, rhythms, and voices of urban Burma's radio experience, unfiltered by the international press or state-spokesmen. Myanmar's Voice broadcasts nearly twenty-four hours a day across much of the country, playing an assortment of Burmese classics; USDA pledges; and recitations of articles published by the state-run The New Light of Myanmar Times. Due in part to the near blackout of all foreign music on state airwaves, the few FM stations that do exist in Yangon and Bago divisions, transmit a rather bizarre assortment of music from 7am to 9pm: synth ballads, hip-hop jingles, and internationally popular songs re-recorded in Burmese. This release also features assorted tracks recorded between 1994-2002 highlighting many wonderfully strange and beautiful pop, folk, and classical music styles. There are vast resources easily available to anyone interested in learning more about Burma or the USDA; this recording is simply intended to showcase the extraordinary sounds rarely heard beyond its borders.
SF045 - 1970's Algerian Proto-Rai Underground
This is Rai Music from Algeria as you've not heard it before. In the early 1970's, a new group of singers and musicians were operating on the northwest coast and what they pioneered was a sound that eventually reached worldwide status by the end of the decade, however their names are relatively unknown to this day outside Algeria. This crucial and defining period of the development of Rai is criminally ignored and overlooked by Algerian music historians and Raï's fans. Due to censorship and government controlled music diffusion, this scene and lyrical style was forced underground and banned from broadcasts yet slowly built a small following around the seaside cabarets of Wahran (Oran). The early 1970's witnessed the rise of artists such as Groupe El Azhar ("The Flowers" group) and Messaoud Bellemou, who can comfortably be considered the godfather of the modern Raï's sound. His group, L'Orchestre Bellemou, rewrote a heritage of centuries by using modern instruments and especially the trumpet which became, during the 1970's, the backbone of the Wahrani genre. Reinterpreting the gasba melodies on trumpet, Bellemou backed singers such as Boutaiba Sghir & Sheikh Benfissa who carried on the lyrical tradition of their forefathers singing about daily preoccupations and problems as well as love affairs, alcohol, or simply owning an automobile! Toward the late 1970's, Cheb Zergui brought a newer ingredient: an electric guitar with a wah wah pedal. Thankfully, the late 1960's saw the development of vinyl pressing in Algeria. This new industry allowed many small artists including the Wahrani "scene" to record and release singles documenting their repertoire. This compilation is a selection of the Proto Raï's scene's vinyl 45s. The LP is limited to a one-time pressing of 1500 copies on 180 gram vinyl and comes in a full color gatefold jacket with photos of the musicians & informative liner notes by the man who compiled it, Hicham Chadly.
SF046 - Group Bombino: Guitars From Agadez Vol. 2
Group Bombino is the latest salvo from the Agadez music scene. Led by the guitar virtuoso Omara Mochtar (Bombino), the group’s debut LP-- Volume two in the Guitars from Agadez series, represents the latest chapter in the modern sound of the Tuareg revolution. As of 2008, the Tuareg rebellion is in full force again, and Bombino is in exile to parts unknown. Agadez has been cut off from the rest of Niger. The only road that connects this legendary city with the rest of the country is littered with land mines and the only escorts are the military. This music and its messages of hope, justice, and desire for validation of the Kel Tamachek way of life ring louder than ever. Group Bombino are gaining mythic status in and around the Tuareg community for their incendiary live performances. Coming from the same scene as Group Inerane and sharing some of the same musicians, Group Bombino showcase both sides of the Tuareg Guitar style. Side one features the “Dry Guitar” sound, an unplugged selection of songs sung among the dunes and stars of the Tenere desert. Side two showcases the electric fury of the full band, a melding of heavy, psychedelic guitar heroics with a raw garage sound, back beat percussion, all swirling in extended trance rock moves. Recorded live and unfiltered in Agadez and the surrounding desert in early 2007, with the band’s equipment powered by generators and an unflinching dedication to the rebellion, Group Bombino’s music transcends any influence and ignites the raw passion of its message to the outside world. This is a one-time pressing of 1,500 copies. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and comes in a gatefold full color jacket stocked with great photos of the musicians and liner notes by Hisham Mayet.
SF048 - Group Doueh: Treeg Salaam
Group Doueh’s follow up to their now legendary debut LP is here. While most would think it damn near impossible to top the former release, in terms of sheer “shock and awe”, Treeg Salaam (Streets of Peace), blows hot and dusty from the infernal sand swept dunes of the Western Sahara. Compiled from Group Doueh’s personal archives, these five tracks (note sidelong piece on the flip), are as brain shifting in their ecstatic brilliance as any music ever heard. From the Wah-stroked lead off track to the blazing dexterity of Ragsa Jaguar, the whole of the first side is an entrance to the lip-puckering tea den of Saharan trance heaven. Salmou Baamar's (Doueh) guitar/tinidit runs explode in cosmic shrapnel, raining down on the temporal nodes of the listener’s brain. On side 2 we have a 20 minute, smoky, slow burning, psychedelic excursion into the great unknown. A meditation on the arid and inhospitable landscape that inspires this music and its people. This is a one-time pressing of 1,500 copies. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl and comes in a gatefold full color jacket with great photos of the musicians.
SF049 - Omar Souleyman: Dabke 2020 (Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria)
Sublime Frequencies is pleased to present the 2nd volume of Northeast Syrian Dabke music from legendary vocalist Omar Souleyman and his group. This CD was compiled by Mark Gergis to coincide with the Sublime Frequencies UK/European tour in May and June of 2009 featuring live performances by Omar Souleyman. Culled from dozens of cassettes recorded in Syria from 1999-2008, the music here is an extension of Omar’s “Highway to Hassake” release touching on some previously unheard angles. Their trademark serpentine synthesizers, electrified bouzok (traditional stringed instrument) and driving rhythms forge a severe form of “new wave dabke” with a live energy and integrity that captures the essence of the Syrian Northeast; one of a kind Syrian Dabke party tunes, regional Atabat-styled crooners, and unbelievable Iraqi party jams. The CD is packaged in a cardboard sleeve with paper insert.
SF050 - Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular Vol. 2
This second volume in the Thai Pop Spectacular series brings together regional artists from across Thailand. Some were modest pop players of their time, while others were major stars. Siamese Soul features 1970’s hard-grooved roots funk, hypnotic Luk Thung tracks from the Northeastern Thai countryside, 1960’s rock & roll and 1980’s groove anomalies. All cuts come heavily laced with electric organs and guitar, thick horn sections, the traditional khaen, driving bass and
stunning vocal performances with a richness that can easily be called Thai soul music of the highest order. These creative sounds formed by hybrids with Western instrumentation and genres, result in an incredibly dynamic music that is distinctively Thai. Selected from cassette tapes and vinyl found buried on bottom shelves in rural locales, these tracks serve as further evidence of a vital Thai pop scene that’s been kept from Western ears for far too long. This CD comes with a 16 page booklet of amazing exclusive photos documenting the era with translated song titles and liner notes by Mark Gergis and Alan Bishop.
SF051 - Singapore A-Go-Go Vol. 1
Sublime Frequencies works its way down to the tip of the Malaysian peninsula with this superb collection of Singaporean 60’s beat, pop, and “off-beat cha-cha” instrumental classics from original vinyl 45’s. These 22 supercharged beat-a-go-go tracks defy a common held belief that the Chinese couldn’t rock, groove, or swing back in the 1960’s. The vocals are sung in the dialects of Mandarin and Hokkien and they soar with catchy hooks atop groovy, clever beats. There’s plenty of electric guitar, organ, and crazy percussion rocking and twisting behind it all, at times reaching quite a mad and freaky state of affairs. The record’s finale “Happy Lunar New Year” sung by Linda Yong may be the weirdest New Year greeting ever recorded. Every single cut is a winner and it never lets up from start to finish. Although most of the lyrics focus on love, innocence, and festive atmospherics, there’s an epic vibe to the music that rivals other extremely well-recorded and unique pop styles emanating from the surrounding Southeast Asian scenes during the late 1960’s. Seminal bands of the period like The Stylers and The Silvertones are well represented here backing up a wide array of popular vocalists with Charlie Electric Guitar Band’s Sound of Japan ripping it up on four brilliant instrumental tracks. CD comes with a 16 page booklet featuring gorgeous full-color photos of the original 45 sleeves and extended liner notes from compiler William Gibson.