Cartilage Consortium

Robots in Paradia

2012-03-09T10:09:00.042+01:00

Roland Bocquet - Djerba

Bocquet isn't exactly what you would call hidden treasure now that he already resurfaced on several blogs, mainly with his double Robot bleu / Robot rose. But I already noticed how much some of our followers occasionally don't mind a subsequent post overviewing or summarizing one of their heroes' course. And the comeback of the mighty Henriette Coulouvrat on stage, thanks to the blatant monastical efforts of Musikmekanikcircus, gives me a good opportunity to talk a bit about the one she describes as her favorite composer.

Catharsis - Christophe

Starting as a decisive member of the french prog band Catharsis, Bocquet's career firstly follows the band's impressive discography. Keyboardist, he brings a highly specific Farfisa touch that made the band's sound distinctive, as you can notice on that b-side packed under a delicate artwork. Following the Catharsis' cessation of activity, he released the Paradia solo LP, followed by Robot rose (including songs from Paradia) and the brand new Robot bleu on the library label RCA media. His perreyesque Marche des canards as well as songs Le flipper amoureux and Le repondeur automatique rightly titillated the label enough to give him a 7" exposure outside of the library field.

Across the 80's, he cumulated commercial works, layering his arpegiators on a massive amount of highly dispensable french tv anthems (X-or, Mask, les Petites canailles) or soundtracks (La Balance). Even a single for Marie Dauphin (Y'en a qui).

Henriette Coulouvrat - Rockin on the red book

Now get ready and spread the word: the syldavesque madame Henriette, for whom Bocquet composed killer hits, is back. And her last month's live appearance in Paris announces more events to come. We all know how much this kind of comeback on stage is risky and rarely works for people with such a fabled profile: this is why we got struck to almost surprisingly shiver and dance on a performance that brilliantly honoured all together the sound (no shitty remixes but pure vintage backing tracks), the voice and the crazyness. We clapped, she laughed. Ha ha ha hi hi.

The scream of the universe

2012-02-25T13:27:00.006+01:00

Kyô Kawanishi - Andromeda maruberu seijin

Kyô Kawanishi - Maruberu pause no uchuusen

Amongst the shelves of the praised Nakano bookstore Taco che, there was no way to miss such a striking artwork, blending the best of karaoke computer graphics with a unique Friday 13th aesthetics applied to kayokyoku. But it took time to put a name on the enthusiasming music, and to decode the various infos provided by the garrulous yet obscure liner notes: something that was made possible thanks to the help of Tadao Takeuchi, from the band Tartine, who actually attended a Kawanishi Kyô concert during an Oz disc festival in 1993, and taught me most of what I know now about the man.

As written on the cover, here comes "the first work sang in the language of the universe": a statement that perfectly explains the highly specific use of onomatopoeia in the two excerpts provided here. In the booklet of his self-produced item, this japanese citizen, whose lyrics are for some reasons often historically obsessed by the situation of Korean people, is credited with more than 1000 songs written between 1988 and 2007. Something partly confirmed both by the "Volume 1" label, and by a few promo videos lost somewhere deep down youtube.

It would be hard to render the unique syntax by translating song titles such as "spaceship of the maruberu break". With an opening song directly refering to the Andromeda galaxy, it is almost impossible not to think he might have a astral match with another highly specific character, the lovely andromeda hime Aoki Ai. Direcly connected to the universe, he's also a bashful perfectionnist, who couldn't help apologising in his booklet for the recording quality. God knows how many other jewels are still somewhere on the shelves ...

These gross stripping youngsters

2012-02-01T11:06:00.023+01:00

Zin-say - Karan Koron no uta

Zin-say - All night long

Zin-say - Maboroshi no homerun ou

Zin-say - Venezuela no akai hoshi

Comparing to the big names who got recently rediscovered by westerners interested in japanese new wave titillating archives (think Uchôten, P-model, Plastics, or Hikashu), Jinsei remains so far outrageously confidential outside of its own country.

Also spelled Zin-say or 人生, this former project involving future members of techno unit Denki Groove started circa 1985 while its protagonists were still young male students. Thanks to its wild homemade first recordings, it quickly caught the attention of Uchôten leader Kera and his label Nagomu. A catalytic connexion, propeling the band who managed to build a substential aura with its blend of sonic insanity, cracked up electronics, gross stage costumes and occasionally poetical lyrics like "there is something rotten in the asshole".

Each one of these fellow bands from the 80's experienced a different destiny: some like Uchôten ended up signing on major labels, others like, Picky Picnic, managed to release some of their records in Europe ... Despite a reissue as part of the Nagomu collection, a decent thread on Mutant Sounds, and the efforts of a few hardcore fans like femaletrouble, Zin-say's mutation into Denki Groove might partly explain why its cult got less maintained outside of Japan than others. Like Karate Bakabon, its irrecoverable amount of oddness maybe did hold off the most conservative listeners. Scared pussies ...

Support Nagomu !! ---> Be a man, get your collection

Stiroes of disck and essas

2012-01-20T12:07:00.004+01:00

Hoistires de tibes et d'ulcs - L'accident

Hoistires de tibes et d'ulcs -

Hoistires de tibes et d'ulcs - Si

Hoistires de tibes et d'ulcs - Les menus travaux

This is the kind of item that can't even be considered rare. Easy to find, it simply remains under the collector's radar because of its vague junk aura. But it's way more than another collection of these bawdy songs french people excell into: well-composed and written, this anonymous bunch of sexually explicit songs save themselves from the expected vulgarity with an original piano / organ drum machine combo layered on classy lyrics. Classy, well, as much as can be.

No label, few credits, ... At most three aliases, "Mac Fornick" being the most notable. A surprising graphomania seems to be the only clue we have regarding the man, acccording to the unusual amount of "signed copies" avalaible online. Even less infos regarding the mysterious"G.Crisland", and we will also never know if this J.dupont credited has anything to do with the one who commited La danse des pompiers ... Men fade away, talent remains.

La femme publique

2012-01-15T15:24:00.023+01:00

Alain Wisniak - Au Studio

Alain Wisniak - La femme publique (Générique début)

While this opus by polish director Andrzej Zulawski is still in the memories (wether to acclaim Kaprisky's naked dances and borderline actor's performances or to bitch on the overall general hysteria), its soundtrack didn't draw the appropriate attention, if you consider the killer qualities of some of its synthetic elements.

As a fundamental disco producer, Wisniak is especially known as Cerrone's sidekick (a collaboration that would later become seriously conflictual due to alleged Cerrone's wish to exclude him from credits). But he's also representative of those ghost producers responsible for countless interesting productions, in his case from Chi-Chi Favelas and the black & white band to Régine's incursions in the genre. His works for soundtracks include l'Année des méduses, the second major success Kaprisky got recognized for. Possibly could we also mention his work on the score of "Joy" (sounding sometimes so much like Quincy Jones is both embarassing and impressive at the same time).

Alain Wisniak - JOY Ost - New York

Rest in piece, Rosy Varte, who just passed away while this post was about to be written. None of us will ever be able to get out of his head this Wisniak opening theme for your TV show that grandma used to love so much.

Reboot / jingle bells

2012-01-07T18:13:00.019+01:00

Patrick Duperray - Indicatif

Patrick Duperray - Jingles

Patrick Duperray - Message

Nothing is better than a little jingle to break an embarassing silence and get off on the right foot.

Would you mention the recent lack of activity obeserved here that we would incriminate various elements: not only that the next Cartilage records release is on its way, but also that we've been asked for a few huge time-eaters written contributions by some french magazines, among various other things. Meanwhile, a few of our guest contributors moved to more specialised realms, but our root team is back on the tracks, with enough fuel in the tank to gently warm up those january days of domestic hibernation.

Stop violence

2011-09-11T19:05:00.004+02:00

Albatros - Stop-stop violence

Although Albatros' discography is full of mellow disco-funk nuggets such as Ha-Ri-Ha or Gran Premio, here comes an especially surprising morodeiconnesque acid disco classic from that italian band involving the million seller Toto Cutugno. Probably one of their most unusual and titilating compositions, alongside the slightly more classic bassline of Santamaria de Portugal...

Albatros - Santa maria de Portugal

Singer of L'Italiano, Cutugno is also the kind of man who allowed so many french artists to make a hit by covering one of his melodies that you would barely believe it: from l'Eté indien to Laissez-moi danser, he also composed with Albatros the best thing Ringo probably ever sang, Les oiseaux de Thaïlande (aka Vuelo AZ 504) and its grandiosa synthetic orchestral arrangement.

Ringo - Les oiseaux de Thailande Vidéo gotti57 sélectionnée dans Musique

Mystery remains: as all of these tunes seem to be avalaible only as second hand 7 inches, someone will have to explain to me why the hell is the only "Il meglio" cd fairly avalaible made of awfully sounding cover versions ...

Marre marre marre

2011-09-03T10:56:00.002+02:00

Journal intime - Marre marre marre

Another french synthpop one shot from the band Journal Intime, which drum machine and mono bassline reminds us of other typical tunes such as Bisou's one. One of the band members, Dominique Rousseau, can be tracked down as a producer of either Michel Legrand's Disco Magic Concorde or the furry hit single Kiki Spatial. Moreover, he was also the one in charge of the 1979 disco-funk soundtrack of Les Givrés, one of these comedies that cement our national pride, challenger of the other classic reference in the field of winter sports' gag released exactly the same year: Les Bronzés font du ski.

Les Givrés - Nathalie's theme

One shot in a wave

2011-09-01T11:12:00.011+02:00

Banann Panthair - Qui n'a pas son p'tit Klaus

Pure product from the 80s in France, the ambitiousness that you can feel in the few words spread across press reviews by these five french boys from Lyon attests that they had moving dreams, huge ones. Just born and already overtaken by some tragic circumstances (death of one of its members), Banann Panthair had enough time to prove to Paris that they were worth it (live at Gibus), but despite all their efforts didn't manage to give a little brother to their only 7" and its typically misty hit: a sour item that now belongs to the archives of french coldwave.

Les héroïnes du mal

2011-08-30T11:30:00.007+02:00

Les héroïnes du mal - Le Chien

Another example of mink-lined 7inch: frustrated by the chamber orchestra main theme ? Turn it to get a surprisingly synthetic B-side that will cuddle your ears. From polish director Walerian Borowczyk, these Immoral Women belong to the list of now classic erotic french oddities.

A few names from the casting might sound more or less familiar to you: on the woman's side Gaëlle Legrand and Pascale Christophe, on the men's one Jean-Claude "What a flash" Dreyfus or the institutionnal Henri Piegay (a name we met a few days ago here regarding another 7")

Real life being sometimes more crazily creative and unexpectable than fiction, you'll find as co-composer the now right-wing deputee, air pilot, photograph and musician Olivier Dassault: a surrealistic profile that makes him the most unexpectable member of a Dassault lineage I will let to your appreciation ... You might also note that he's actually responsible for a countless amount of sonic signatures he composed across the years for clients such as Le Futuroscope, Institut du Monde Arabe, Tati or Vulcania, among many others ...

Philippe D'Aram - Le suicide

Besides, the movie also involves some people related to Jean Rollin, like actress Marina Pierro (La Morte Vivante) and soundtrack composer Philippe D'Aram, in charge of the score for Les deux orphelines vampires, Fascination, La Morte Vivante and Perdues dans New York, all recently reissued by Crippled Dick Hot Wax and Lucertola media.

Back to our movie director, Borowczyk in his early years also acquired recognition with his experimental animation movies: here an interesting example alongside Chris Marker, which soundtrack by polish contemporary composer Andrzej Markowski challenges many experiments of the french GRM at the time.

Morbido Music

2011-08-29T14:43:00.007+02:00

The Dreams – Aloha Miami

Dans la foulée du Lp sorti en juillet dernier chez les américains Kill Shaman, THE DREAMS seront en concert ce soir (+ Delacave & Le Chomâge): reggae night/tropicalia degueu/induswave !

... pour les snobs il y a aussi une version cassette (Yerevan Tapes).

Plus d'infos:

La Mécanique Ondulatoire
8, Passage Thiéré
75011 Paris
M. Bastille
5€ / 20h30

> http://grandetripleallianceinternationalest.blogspot.com/

FINNSHITS - comedy songs

2011-08-24T15:32:00.003+02:00

In a country where comedy artists & satyrical bands seems more inclinded for popular success than any others; comes a selection for what sound best to my hears. I've never been actually to Finland and once again came across for those via various cd's friends brought me back & forums.

Jope Ruonansuu - Re-Te-Rik

Finnish superstar and top selling artist, Jope Ruonansuu deserved to be first to be introduced there. He began early in the 80's as a stand-up actor, then go on relasing records. I've only managed to get few of his albums blended with phone jokes and cheap parody songs. Giorgio Moroder meets Harry Merry meets Russian Army Choir (more or less).

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Hullujussi - Rope Ja Kake

Claiming to be hugely influenced by the whole US pop, Hullujussi (fronted by the excentric Viktor Kalborrekin) gained notoriety with running shows on finnish pirate radios back in the early 70's. The "Rope Ja Kake" song comes from a 7inch single as released in 1975 & also appears on their very first eponym LP...

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A second part to come soooooooooon.

Comment sa va ?

2011-08-21T00:23:00.057+02:00

Luna - Comment sa va ?

From 1985 and still fresh as a watermelon, a discreet yet cheerful EP from the mysterious Lula on Zero records . Moreover, a good opportunity to talk a bit about this label which catalogue seemed to contain all the roots of a music tree that would later become fundamental in the field of japanese independant music. While many of the musicians who happened to release their early recordings on Zero are still active, they furthermore developped a decisive influence through the years on a younger generation, wether you consider the now classic Shonen Knife or the less highlighted Luna Park Ensemble (which member Hiro Nakazaki now belongs to Maher Shalal Hash Baz), among many others.

This label's releases, now belonging to the tough world of collectors, start to resurface from time to time on various blogs: check Stalking Duppi for the highly recommended Kumiko Suyama's haunted vocals layered on filtered noises, or Mutant Sounds for the delicately detuned works of Che Shizu:

Che Shizu - 連舞

The rich Aura Music compilation, featuring various artists from the team, also offers an interesting panorama, including incursions into more synth oddities with such a kind of electronic tune:

It's not a surprise to learn that this label happened to release the japanese edition of After dinner's Paradise of replica and Souvenir Cassette (compilating live recordings from european and japanese tours): its whole catalogue seems to be cemented with a deep coherence, a (sub?)conscious trademark that will allow you to find connexions between many of the artists, projects and specific musical aspects they developped.

Sundanese calung: Darso

2011-08-06T09:38:00.037+02:00

Darso - Modern Calung - track B2

Darso - Modern Calung - track B3

A floating tempo principle inherited from traditional sundanese music played with Calung (a bamboo tube xylophone from the west Java), blended with soft MIDI tambourine and drums, give to these tracks from indonesian superstar Darso a specific and titillating sound that makes me feel highly grateful to my wise friend Makiko who kindly brought me the original tape back from her last travel here.

Trying to dig Darso's impressive career that goes from the 70s - with more psyche-related material - to recent karaoclips that remain full of unexpected ingredients, a search on the insanely completist Madrotter blog for more will lead you to this creme de la creme synthy jewel piece of him featuring Detty Kurnia. So good and underrated that I can't resist to include an excerpt:

Darso & Dety Kurnia - 03 Datang Deui

Brilliant all way long, get the whole thing from Madrotter >>> HERE

The ethiopian devil synth ?

2011-07-30T16:00:00.007+02:00

Francis Falceto, the editor of the worldwide known and praised compilation "Les Ethiopiques", said in this 2005 interview ( http://www.afropop.org/multi/interview/ID/109 )

" We should speak first about Ethiopian production in Ethiopian nowadays, I mean in the past 20, 30 years. It is a pure disaster. It's the one-man band. A synthesizer playing all the lines. It's very cheap production. Many musicians are discouraged. "

(...)" I am a fan of the golden age of Ethiopian music, but I would like to see this music today very alive, not continuing what the veterans have done, but being still stronger than them, because this is the challenge. They don't have to imitate the older generation. They have to be better than them. But there is a lack of producers, a lack of arrangers. There is not any more arrangement. When you listen to the old recordings, the ones you find in Éthiopiques, if you listen to the horn lines, for instance, how intermingled, how sophisticated they are, how groovy it is—I don't see anything comparable nowadays. That's why I say it's very sad to see… It's not decadence. But it's a bit long to wait for a renaissance. It's now been 15 years since the new régime came. The musicians can express themselves. They can play the music that they want, produce what they want. Nothing seriously innovative has happened. I see nothing seriously innovative in the picture. Nothing. "

you agree ?

Don't forget to check the ethiopian youtube: http://www.diretube.com

Muñeclips

2011-07-01T21:26:00.008+02:00

Cumpleaños Sensacional

Muñequitas Elisabeth is a mexican video producer for children songs/videos. They started making videos with Ana Celia, a cute young singer that became the xuxa of the new underage fapping generation.

After some cool synth songs they became bigger with more crew on the videos like Jacko el payaso or Nina la bailarina. New songs are mostly really bad, but there are some cool pirate costumes on the videos and some cool covers like this one. They also switched powerpoint-like backgrounds to some crappy 3d landscapes.

Muñeclips Youtube channel

French heat #2

2011-06-27T19:38:00.012+02:00

Bernard Gérard et Jacques Datin - Fait chaud

This is what I call "appropriate":

Under one of the most brilliant artwork ever seen among the dusty piles of french 7" production, you'll find a gently rascal easy-listening tune setup by a very specific team of people at the time:

Co-composer Bernard Gerard (with Jacques Datin) was a specialist in writing scores for various french movies (Melville, Lautner, as well as one of Michel Magne's favorite fellows and arrangers. Besides, Anne Germain who sings the soft background vocal, sang on some of the Magne soundtracks for Jean Yanne (see the well-known Jesus Java), often written or co-composed by her husband Claude Germain.
She also got involved in the production of dozens of flexible commercial 7" intented at the time for advertisement.

Finally, let's say that the charming dialog here involves french actor Henri Piegay alongside Dany Danielle, who strangely seems to have a kind of specialisation regarding weather and season songs.

Casse-tête jungle

2011-06-27T10:30:00.001+02:00

Les espions - Casse-tête jungle

Among the members of that not-so-usual french synth-pop band, you will find Daniel Chevenez, future half of Niagara (who also produced les Calamités, among various other things), for what happens to be their only 7"release from 1981.

Infos are scarce on the band and its other mysterious members so we'll simply extract here the sweet mesmerizing B-side and also will notice that Pierre-René Worms, in charge of the cover portrait, is well-known for his experience as a photographer who shot the eclosion of new wave in France at the time.

Live report: Shangaan electro / Paris

2011-06-26T14:18:00.057+02:00

A short video footage of the south-african Shangaan electro team, currently on tour in Europe, who stopped in Paris thanks to Etienne Tron's Secousse for a night at Point Ephémère: successfull night for these inventors of modern Shangaan and their trademark sound, sometimes slightly repetitive and a bit hard to follow for lazy euro dancers but 100% exciting all way long, with the demonstration that nobody really cares about violent start/stops and fadeouts when it's all about managing to let something happen in da place.

For those who might have miss it, the complete story as told by producer Nozinja here describes everything you need to know. A very good article also to check here, while it's still time to catch on and follow the rest of the tour:

June 28th: Brussel - Les Ateliers Claus
June 29th: Rotterdam - Worm @ Heidegger
June 30th: Berlin - Berghain
July 1st: Roskilde fest.
July 3rd: Lisbon - Gulbenkian foundation

Buy their merch ! Brought to you from South Africa, tones of fantastic bonus tracks on Cd and K7 from the various bands produced by Nozinja and Mackzella (Tiyiselani Vomaseve, B.B.C. ...) completing your overview from the initial LP released by Honest Jon Rds.

Tiyiselani Vomaseve - Voseveni

As you already heard the speedup tracks when the record got out, here comes an interesting slower and mellow one, with a very specific disco-funk use of the marimba bass.

A cover industry: disco dangdut #2

2011-06-20T18:13:00.058+02:00

Campur Dki - Kopi Dangdut

Covering, remixing, recycling: the whole story of indonesian dangdut is inhabited by these elements in a frenetical way. Being in itself an original adaptation and upgrade of traditionnal elements into a pop format, it developped in the 80's an industrial interest in adapting an impressive amount of foreign sources and western billboard hits to local sound and instrumentation.

One of the biggest indo hit, Kopi Dangdut ("Coffee Dangdut"), and its 90s version by Campur Dki is actually an adaptation of venezuelian Hugo Blanco's "Moliendo Cafe", a 1961 #1 hit in Argentina. Remaining absolutely unknown in Europe, this version also became a success in Japan, probably due to the work and reputation of producer Makoto Kubota, member of Sandii & Sunsetz, probably responsible of the tr-808 catchy miami-style inserts.

Although the local songs' fate is quite the same (don't expect to ever overview the countless versions of Mabuk Janda) this habit dangdut has to cover international hits sometimes lead to amazing cheerfull high realms of nonsense, like this "Hotel California" version that brings us very far away from the american landscapes and atmosphere, also thanks to an amazing accent.

Barat Dangdut / Terpopuler 95 - Hotel Carlifornia

(check the amazing Journey of dangdut database for similar more or less successfull cover attempts)

Nowadays, the recent trancy dangdut / dugem club production, keeping alive that commercial pop tradition, looks like a steam factory declination of a few beats and loops exactly in the same way as baile funk or reggaeton. More than covers, these tunes are related to a certain piracy remix tradition quite common in a club field: here again, foreign hits get inserted and mashed-up into the local groove, as you will notice in those examples, one latin hit adaptation alongside another tune including a huge sample you'll easily recognize ...

Telephone (DJ Agoes)

New Guantanamera - dugem mix

Ponchak music #2: minimal synth tapes

2011-06-14T21:15:00.043+02:00

Unknown artist - side B - Part 3-1

Following our first post on the now classic E pak sa hero of the genre, finally come a bunch of digitalized tunes directly rippped from original korean ponchak tapes: strictly instrumentals, these are structured by groups of 3-4 songs played with same beat and autobass, while the whole tape is recorded using the same synth or group of synths and drum machine, covering what sounds like traditionnal themes and not necessarely representative of the usual techno-trot beat trademark.

Unknown artist - Side A part 4.mp3

Unknown artist - Side A part 2-1.mp3

Ponchak is often said to be music for truckdrivers, but the artwork suggests they're here probably more intended to be background music for circumstance events like dinners or celebrations, although such a level of cheesiness reveals these oddities' specific psychedelic power. With my apologies for the lack of artist's names in this post, I'd be happy if anyone could help on that side.

While trying to dig for infos that are scarce online, I discovered that a recent band is actually trusting the ponchak tags under the mysterious name of Bolbbalgan for what looks like a super appealing 2001 upgrade of the Ponchak idiom.

Researches in progress, more posts on the topic to follow soon here ...

Les Freres Zergui

2011-06-13T12:57:00.001+02:00

Les Freres Zergui - Khalti Fatima

Algerian early rai legendary band from the 70's who gained notoriety for imposing their "Abassi" music style playing (different to the Oranese one). They're beng collaborate with early Rai legends such as Groupe El Azhar, female rai singer Chaba Fadela amongs others...

The band was fronted by Ahmed Zergui (pic below) who go on after the group disbanded, releasing many other tapes. I can't really confirm if he's the same artist who appeared under "Cheb Zeguir" on Hicham Chadly's "Proto Raï" as they are quite a lot of: "Cheb Seguir", "Mohamed Zaguir", "Sghir" etc in the whole rai scene. (Anybody to confirm ?)

> Official Myspace HERE.
> Buy Ahmed Zergui music at Algerian Music Online Store.

Mezclas, Modern Champeta Sounds

2011-06-12T10:11:00.001+02:00

Dra - El Gato

Coming out from mp3 crds I got offered from friends, hours of intensive donwloading on some peer to peer softwares and few song trades with other colombians djs are selected tracks of what I presume could be described as modern champeta sounds (which DJ Champeta Man from Palenque Rds once confirmed me).

Unknown - El patacon

Sampling madness for what could sound like some answer to brazilian funk music. Vids on youtube are better than any attempt to describ for those champeta mezclas...

Also, regarding the quality for the uploaded song I don't know if those are live recording or studio ones but I'd say most of them seem to be total live improvisation.

Unknown - La Pirra

All pics from the post are taken from Africolombia's "Picos Sound System", go have a look as there is a lot more on the blog.

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For related post, DJ Afred Hitchock Magazine previously uploaded some cheesy 80's Elio Boom champeta music HERE.

GROOOOAAAAR !!!

Musica, El Musical

2011-06-11T13:32:00.002+02:00

Hollywood blockbuster style video from Internet2, the new PENELOPE CRUZ!

Internet2 - Música, El musical (eng subs)

FULL STORY:

"I'm working now on a video for an exhibition in a museum, it's gonna be vernisaged next 10th, so I'm crazy busy since a month ago. It's like a movie trailer of my musical project (Musica, el musical) So I decided just making this trailer and forget about finishing the whole thing cose it's infinite job and I like to change my mind about my projects very quickly. But it's cool cose They supported for producción so I recorded the musical score with 5 orchestra players and made a hollywood-like video. Now I'm making special effects with hardcore timing..."

Brazil - Kodiak Bachine, 80's Avant-garde

2011-06-05T21:59:00.001+02:00

Kodiak Bachine is an organic and electronic progressive one-man band from the great country of Amazon river, Iguazu falls and kings toucans.

He played during the 80's an electronic avant-garde music with some productions references to the incredible extravagance of brazilian vegetation and the mystic of life, instead of mechanicals thematics and electronics first semblances. A kind of mix bettween A. Jodorowsky, Kraftwerk and François de Roubaix. Before his solo carreer, he played solicitating in a band called Agentss, in the same axis, but with a bit less of flamboyance (for me).

His great hit is called "Electicidade" 1982, and the video won lots of awards :

Kodiak Bachine - Electricidade

You can find for free quasi all his musical work on his website here,

and also some quite cool drawing works he does.

I highly recommend you to have a look at his pre-90's music works...

Here are two tracks that I love especially :

Kodiak Bachine - Estados Alterado

Kodiak Bachine & Helena muller - Why these dogs like the sand

Beijos grandes e saude !

Musik til din reklamefilm

2011-06-04T13:00:00.007+02:00

Sygnok - PaÌŠ_RÃ¸verman'er_MAVEE

Sygnok- Min'e_Egenskabur_Sjom_Robot_FEJL!

Let's simply forward the historical yet always too confidential announcement: Goodiepal is speading the word about a free download new album release under the alias Sygnok here:

http://www.denfri.dk/2011/05/abent-lyd-brev-til-kenneth-bager/

Those who might have fail in tracking down his recent numerous activities, now either slightly more scarce or dematerialized than the well-covered 2003 Nag Nag Bacon release, might refer to the impressively complete biography here detailing his projects through the years. Including the mechanical bird construction, the bunch of Mort aux vaches music objects distribution plan, as well as the various kinds of lectures he gave completed by the Radical computer music book, it constantly highlights the striking and singular care of an anti-authority craftsman for both concepts and objects.

Such a detailed wikipedia overview, as well as his talkative nature and specific taste for classy theory quickly pull the rug from under our feet in these fanbase attempts to add a few words to the character depiction: both intellectual and wild, possibly fluxus if not terrorist in a V/Vm way, he's modestly in charge of an ambitious anti-ideology danish gentleman's life project that encompasses way more than the music shapes produced, and should not be simply reduced to it.

This is why we highly recommend that you, the most attentive of you readers, take a bit of time to refer directly to the Radical computer music theory elements avalaible in english here or there, waiting for the day when some french institution might luckily find the balls to invite him for one of those smart lectures with the appropriate hi-tech translation system he deserves.

Chandrabose - PTBMR Outsiders #1

2011-06-03T17:51:00.000+02:00

First in a number of few posts dedicated to other fascinating Tamil / Kollywood score composers who did not appear on the tracklist of our "Play That Beat Mr. Raja #1" compilation...

Chandrabose, sometimes also known as "Chandra Bose", was a hugely popular Tamil composer who scored for around 300 movies and was kind of emblematic in the late 80's to early 90's..

Chandrabose - Kaalai Kaalai (feat S. P. Balasubramaniam & S. P. Shailaja)

At first comes one song as taken from "Manithan's score, a 1987 Kollywood blockbuster starring Rajinikanth. The movie being quite famous too for its ending with the violent and explosive death of the villain and some dreamy & beautiful music clips.

As for the anecdocte, back in 2008 when we thought for a Tamil score compilation (which was supposed to be a 2xLP record), that song was planned to appear...

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Dilikku Rajavanalum - Paati Solle Thattathey

Rougher and South Indian folklore inspired second song, from "Paati Solle Thattathey"(1990) with a pic (above) taken from its cartoonish style animated generic.

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To end properly comes one last extract from one of Chandrabose's most popular succes: "Raja Chinna Roja" (1989).

A S.P.Muthuraman movie based on the 1965 English Musical: "The Sound of Music".

Chandrabose - Poopoo (Raja Chinna Roja)

Iran - Persians songs for children, Pari Zangeneh

2011-06-01T15:45:00.035+02:00

Iranian music scene is one of my favorite in the all world, it's dark as the night, refined in a very special way, quite mystic. Here I want to introduce two greats albums of the sweet singer Pari Zangeneh (Pari Zanganeh in some others traductions). The first one is called "Series of music for young adults", 1978, from arranger Varoujan. Pari sings for children a selection of persian folklorics songs with poetic arrangements and a fine and sweet 70's orchestra. A love master piece for kids.

Pari Zangeneh - Do Beh Do

Pari Zangeneh - Baroun Barouneh

The second one is from a composer named Fariborz Lachini.

It's an audio story book named "Boze Boze Ghandi", 1989, based on a traditional Persian story. The songs and background effects are quite wild, Pari Zangeneh give her voice to the tale and sing also with Elahe Hamidi somes cool songs like you can heard in the following extract.

It's available to buy in MP3 here, with some greats others, like "Carnival of Animals" a 1979 album.

Pari Zangeneh - Boze Boze Ghandi (extract)

For the end we can also see Pari singing "Asmar Asmar Djan" from "Series of music for young adults" in one of her rares videos available on the web :

خداحافظی با تو خدا ♥

Peru - Pintura Roja, 80's Chicha

2011-05-28T14:22:00.019+02:00

Pintura Roja - Amiga

Pintura Roja is a peruvian band from the compositor Alejandro Zarate and the beautiful singer Princesa Mily.

During the 80's they played in a style named Chicha, a mix between Tropical music, Cumbia rhythms and Huayno folkloric bewitching melodies.

El telefono is their most famous song, well beyond the montains of Peru :

I like even more Chinito, Jamas or Amiga but finally all songs are HITS :

Con mucho amor, que viva Perú !

Rashamen

2011-05-20T11:06:00.020+02:00

Haruko Wanibuchi - Prologue & Rashamen Basha

Following the post on the horror movie Hausu soundtrack composer Kobayashi Asei, I'd like to briefly focus on another musical item related to one of the film's actress Haruko Wanibuchi (playing the role of the mother): in the wake of her appearance in the 1977 Toei movie drama Rashamen, a delicate LP was released. Produced by Kazuhiko Karo, from the mighty Sadistic Mika band, and Folk crusaders, it happily got reissued in 2006 by Vivid records, with a few copies are still avalaible for foreigners.

House of Kobayashi

2011-05-09T20:44:00.074+02:00

Asei Kobayashi & Micky Yoshino - Oriental Melon Man

Asei Kobayashi & Micky Yoshino - Hausu Main Theme

I admit it's a bit of an obvious celebrated deviant horror soundtrack classic, already posted on various other blogs, a score influenced by Goblin in the same way that the movie echoes the Argento's maestria, but I'd like to take the opportunity to mention an amazing serie of rare screenings at the Paris' MCJP, that give us a rare opportunity to overview more than 40 years of ghost-related japanese movies in every details.

Recommended gossips regarding Hausu's production story and its soundtrack maybe be read here.

Also, this lead me to partly track down the traces of one of the co-composers, Asei Kobayashi (who worked alongside Mickie Yoshino and his band Godiego): acting in the movie as the farmer selling watermelons (!), his name may be found in a huge variety of productions, from commercial songs (Suntory whiskey) to 1969 funk bombs like soundtrack for the Toei's Flower Action 009 1, reissued by Solid records.

In the world of anime, he composed for Mahou Tsukai Sally (known in France as Mini-fée), being especially credited for the Mahou no mambo tune, sang by Yoko Maekawa: a fantastic ending theme that was kindly brought to my attention by the encyclopedical Kishino Yuichi, before I include it in a recent podcast here.

I finally also found Kobayashi credited for the composition of that Pin Pon Pan Pajama Man 7", related to a 50s and early 60s Fuji TV children tv program introducing the lovely wild character Deberon that makes the cover artwork so instantly compelling.

Deberon - Pin pon pan pajama man

Raymond Lefévre 1929 - 27/06/2008

2011-05-04T17:30:00.004+02:00

As a a pianist, arranger and composer in a french kind of easy listening field, Raymond Lefevre is especially famous for his scores dedicated to several films starring Louis de Funès, especially in the series of "Gendarme" with the unforgettable: Douliou, Douliou, Saint-Tropez (in "Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez") or "La soupe aux choux", "Faites sauter la banque","Les Grandes Vacances", or "Jo".

Raymond did not think some of his compositions would become so popular, but he became very famous in Japan (where he was rewarded with golden records) but also in Germany and in many other countries.

As he composed a lot for comedies, he suffered from a "light music" label. However, just listening to his scores will lead you to appreciate the melodic direction, accuracy and efficiency of his orchestrations alongside an immoderate taste for speed.

Stéphanie/indicatif de la rose d'or 1970 (V.Papathanassiou/arrangt R. Lefevre)

5th symphony (Beethoven/arrangt R. Lefevre)

C'est la fête (M.Fugain/arrangt R. Lefevre)

All the scores for the films of Louis de Funès, PlayTime were reissued on CD's as still findable limited editions. The French 7' is impossible to find, though, so here is the japanese copy !

Douliou-Douliou Saint-Tropez (Geneviève Grad/Raymond Lefèvre)

And here comes the poster for the film, a classic Sunday night on TF1:

le gendarme pop (Raymond Lefévre)

Bonus:
Finally, here you'l find a big dirty REMIX music by Raymond for "The cabbage soup. " Gabber too!

Houria Ivanan: Pop music From Kabylia

2011-04-25T16:33:00.003+02:00

Houria Ivanan - Tghaded

Houria Ivanan - Khina

I recently came across that tape from 1984 which absolutely blew my mind away. Some of you following for the recent trend of oriental psych reissues (TOO MUCH) might have already heard for Les Abranis or Frères Megri (already posted on the blog HERE) but this seems now to be completely obscure stuff.

Well obscure not exactly as in the end H.I. was nohting but an early pseudonym for Kabylian Diva from Djurdjura origin: Nora At Brahim.

Thanks to les Freres Idjouadiene & Henri.

A techno kayô unsung hero called Kanji Honma

2011-04-11T16:24:00.013+02:00

I recently acknowledged Kanji Honma’s existence by randomly browsing Sony’s Techno Magic Kayôkyoku anthology and crisscrossing data about the unsung producers of the Techno Kayô electro pop tidal wave at the beginning of the 80s. Of course YMO’s Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi were the movers and thinkers of the movement, but some drudges and innovators had to make up for the huge demand of both label A&Rs and sci-fi crazed teens in the audience (and the Techno Magic Kayoukyoku focuses exactly on them)... In spite of surnames written in kanji only and out-of-print releases and reissues, I managed to redeem a few mavericks like the short-lived Targets (who only released two albums in 1982 and 1983 but still managed to have a best-of album released on P-Vine in 2000), the beautiful Shi-Shonen or ex Yonin Bayashi Daiji Okai’s Pegmo, whose first eponymous album sounds like a psyched-out and even more hectic version of P-Model. Supposedly the first Japanese musician to own a CMI Fairlight’s working station, Honma (real name Jôyô Katayanagi) weirdly enough seems more famous among vintage manga aficionados for the use of several tracks from his own Honma Express solo project’s You See I in anime opening credits :

More importantly, Honma joined forces with Takumi Iwasaki (also known as plain Takumi) in pure electronic duet TPO, who recently had the honour of a full-fledged CD anthology and had a minor hit with the marvelously silly “Hoshimaru Ondo”, composed as the official song of the international Expo'85's weird mascot Cosmo Hoshimaru (interested nerds can go to this youtube channel for details):

TPO - Hoshimaru Ondo

Both were also part of Films, a supergroup of some sort inspired by the Buggles which also included future members of Jun Togawa’s Yapoos and Portable Rock (in case you don't know, the great electropop unit which introduced Maki Nomiya to the world before a decade or so before Pizzicato 5). Obviously, the songwriting efforts in both TPO and Films are never half as good as in YMO’s members’ related projects, but Films’ first album entitled Misprints, which was reissued by P-Vine a few years back as part of the Techno Ca-Yo Collection, is pretty great on numerous levels. First of all, it‘s a thematic album about the future (I’m not sure how) with an instrumental opener, skits and all; second, it’s gorged with synthetic burbles and lush polyphonic pads; eventually, there’s an uncanny sensible indie pop feel buried deep inside both its pristine melodies and the hesitant vocal performances courtesy of Chuji Akagi (also a virtuoso of the Theremin, if you need to know) and Yoko Kojima. All in all, it’s a winner. Consider the long-ish, multipartite track called “30^th Century Boy”: of course it begins with Sakamoto tinged notes and a lead synth part that wouldn’t sound misplaced on a Logic System track; but once Akagi’s fragile voice and the guitars show up, it just doesn’t sound like anything else.

Films - 30th Century Box

“Take Me On The Liner Jet” sounds even more ominously naïve: the bassline is a regular upbeat Moroder stomp, Kojima’s voice is even cruder than Narumi Yasuda’s and both the vocoder-ed hook and the staccato arpeggios stand on the verge between awful and sublime. A true high-end second division techno kayô oddity!

Films - Take Me On The Liner Jet

Always the technology lover, Honma recently achieved a whole album only using a Nintendo DS called “DS I Love You” and Sakamoto is a fan (well, he tweeted about it). We wish him the best.

Affaires étrangères

2011-04-08T17:48:00.018+02:00

Electropic - Affaires étrangères

A back from the grave extract from this 1982 french synthpop LP following a first 1980 7"appearance (with a cover of La Belle de Cadix).

Produced by a Berlow / Liberman tandem (who later both moved to the world of major music business), it features the mysterious "Lise" and her BB style vocals + a consequent collection of synths provided by a credited shopkeeper that lead them all to some fields familiar with Telex or Mikado. As you'll notice from the pic, expect a general comedy abuse, but, like this Affaires Etrangères tune, record has its very good moments.

Far-east approximations #1

2011-04-01T12:57:00.062+02:00

P.A.O.L.A - Yokohama

There was a time, following WWII, when japan was still for many french people synonymous of an unaccessible question mark. For many of the nowadays geeks evolving in an instant globalized world, fascinating may be these years of careful approximation, paved with pitfalls and naïve misunderstandings: pure product of that context, this Yokohama obsessive hit is a perfect audio pendant to movies such as Typhon sur Nagasaki or Rififi à Tokyo (maybe not major masterpieces, but an interesting testimony for those who do care about that specific western / eastern encounter age). An uncomfortable and ambigüous INA document refers to Danielle Darieux's experience in that country during the Typhon movie's shooting in the 50's, in which she appears both fascinated and bitterly annoyed as a woman (also very unpurposefully yet slightly condescending with her japanese co-actress Kishi Keiko).

More generally, other far-east countries had a quite similar statu in the french collective unconscious, despite a different colonial situation. As already mentionned by Choron, one of the only way for common people to travel and see Indochine in the 50s - before mass-tourism arises - was, insanely, to military engage. Or to get one of these musical postcards intended to help the listener to travel, let's say, in a less butcher way...

Henri Génès - Le Cornak de Bangkok

Introducing the "Cornak de Bangkok" song during one of his concerts in Bobino, the sweet Henri Génès described it as "a song I brought back from India... where I almost managed to go". Bangkok being located in Thaïland, this gives you a certain idea of the lyricist's level of approximation...

Colo(de)nial #1

2011-03-31T19:35:00.095+02:00

Bill Wichita - Oh missié blanc

Behind the obscure "Bill Wichita orchestra", you will find producer Maurice Tézé (aso responsible for the lyrics of Henri Salvador's Juanita Banana) and Gérard Gustin, both active in the 60s, also especially for people like Sascha Distel.

A highly controversial track, layering its caricatural cannibal lyrics on an exotica fuzzy instrumental, that gives us the opportunity to reopen an uncomfortable specific dark folder in the library of french chanson production. Through the years, indeed, the country developped a collection of silly visions towards what was at the time the colonial world and its inhabitants: a wide range of songs, sometimes simply based on a bunch of exotic clichés, but also sometimes more openly offensive. You know, "oh, the funny black people ..."

Although link may be obvious with the blackface practice, this tune also has to do with a countless amount of typically french gauloiseries that could be grouped under the Michel Leeb banneer. It includes, in no particular order: open odes to sex tourism, pathetic couscous song attempts (including Gotainer's advertisement), a unique example of 8bit racism, that was shamelessly broadcasted on the N°1 tv channel during the late 80s (accent imitation attempt + mix of djellabas and guys cleaning dustbins + of course the scooter in the story was stolen). Oh, and obviously him, our most unbearable uninhibited specimen.

On another level, there is also a controversy going on regarding the children's song Mamadou avait mal aux dents, in this case typically representative of an ambiguity that nobody will ever probably be able to solve: basically, according to lyrics, Mamadou has bad teeth, has lice, has no shoes and is fat. What a vision. But people who give him advice are actually his parents. Not Michel Leeb. Mamadou transforms the adult's wise advices into surrealistic things (toothpaste on bread, marmelade on his shoes). He might be seen as nuts yet creative in the rebellious way that makes children love him. Reports have been made that some children named Mamadou also love this song. Others have been persecuted. Please, comment.

You might also check that commercial production, trying with full force to transform a highly criticized advertisement character into a positive heroïc figure (according to the lyrics), in a desperate attempt to hide the company's original mistake.

Also, let's recommend a detailed article related to the release and distribution of the compilation "le beau temps des colonies", angry with reasons, but also concluding that the topic might be a good opportunity to "launch a socio-cultural work in anthropology applied to the imperial gesture".

Open Harbour, Softcore Tourist, Foreign Exchange

2011-03-23T16:54:00.029+01:00

Open harbour, Softcore Tourist, Foreign Exchange - mixtape

For this radio mixtape made on demand for both french magazine Telerama radio and french blog Le Musicassette, Gangpol & Mit took the opportunity to pay tribute to music and people who were influential in the making of their new record, subjectively united here under the temporary banneer of international music exchanges, mutant folkloric reappropriations, western/eastern connexions and carefully traded exoticisms in what I imagine as an old-time open international noisy harbour.

For such a legal podcast, I allowed myself to include or quote more classically celebrated bands than usual, that maybe will sound quite obvious to you. Howere, I hope that the thread will make sense, from mambo electronics to dangdut upgrades, blended traditionnal sources, and an occasional anglo-saxon tiny spoon of lyrics.

Both avalaible on Le Musicassette:
http://lemusicassette.com/gangpol-mit-exclusive-mix

And Telerama website, with interview (in french):
http://www.telerama.fr/musique/le-mix-de-la-semaine-73-gangpol-mit,67045.php

Tracklist (with links):

Intro – (With Aoki Ai Extract)
Toshiyuki Yasuda – Volevo Un Gatto Nero
Urichipangoon – Lazer Stickers n°4
Maekawa Yoko – Mahou No Mambo
Constance towers – Kumogoro 2-Go
Otomo Yoshihide feat. Hoahio Play Takeo Yamashita – Boken Gaboten Jima
Asa Chang & Junray – Parlor
Lucky Dragons – Clipped Gongs
Marsada band – Sihutur Sanggul
Bird Thong Chai – Oh la Naw
L?K?O? – Thai Village Classics Intro (+ Ubat Ni Stress A Capella)
Sakura – Dangdut Empire Remix
Lissa – Bekas Siapa
Cumbias Reventadas Vol.2 – Intro Red Music
Unknown artist – Cumbia Warrecha
Dancing Queen – Cumbia Mix
Goodiepal – Speech Extract + Flap Nippers
Francis Rimbert – Eire
Yello – Pinball Cha Cha
M.Kawahara & The Exotic Sounds – Jungle Drums
Terry Snyder – Persuasive Percussions (Taboo)
Euros Child – Like This The Try This
Children – Kaeru
Miharu Koshi – La Nokoto De La Cattleya (Cattleya No Yoru)
Keiichi Ohta – Jingaidaimakyo (Track A6)
Gangpol & Mit – Skillful finger + The 1000 People Band Part 2
Thiaz Itch – Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
Sparks – Under The Table With Her

Rigodon

2011-03-12T19:57:00.006+01:00

A funny track I found on Masala, great canadian blog dedicated to current world music.

- ‪L'Xtrmst Zen - Ziggy za ziggy zi rigodon‬ (Canada / 2010) 2:11

This modern rigodon not only sounds nice, but reminds me how much I'm fond of this music even if I must admit that I know few about it: basically, a folkloric musical genre from France who spread to canada, now synonym of happy & danceable folkloric stuff in Quebec.

Another example with this track I especially love, recorded in the 30's by one of Quebec's major musical character: "La bolduc". Being the most famous popular singer of her time, influenced by folkloric music, she deserves another especially dedicated post that will follow in the near future.

- Mary Bolduc - Le joueur de violon (Canada / 1930 ) 2:14

I love the vocal gimmick she uses in this song ("Turluté" we call it in french, nice word isn't it ?): a specific vocal technique she used in many different tunes.

Dj Alfred Hitchcock magazine

Gérard Calvi

2011-03-08T15:57:00.003+01:00

Born in 1922, Gerard Calvi completed his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris with a presitigous Prix de Rome in composition.
He also composed many symphonic pieces, other ones for solists, chamber music alongside musical scores for theater and cinema.
In 1967, he started producing soundtracks for "Astérix le gaulois", then "Asterix & Cléopatra" animation movies: they will remain mythic.

In these tunes, bantering instruments dialog in the most garrulous and burlesque way: saxophones gossip while trombones chuckle. Calvi could be seen in some ways as the french Spike Jones: there is a health that solace you, an irrepressible joy for life, also with a slight touch of gaité à la Offenbach.

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Un spectacle de Robert Dhéry (1974):

la ringarde - Roger Carel/Gérard Calvi/Françoise Dorin

biniou pop - Gérard Calvi

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Un film de Jean Herman (1972):

thème et générique - Gérard Calvi

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Un disque dur à trouver:

sur la plage - Gérard Calvi(196?)

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Un spectacle de Robert Dhéry(1962):

dans mes godasses - Louis de Funès/Robert Dhéry/André Maheux/Gérard Calvi

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Anda 1976 television report with two children asking questions to Mr. Calvi and Mr Uderzo (Asterix's dad):
>>> here

Mister AUBRUN

The rhythm of the night

2011-03-04T14:57:00.003+01:00

Sayphone - Unknown title - Track 7

The recent discovery of a blessed and deeply kind new dealer allowed me to discover and get a copy of this 2003 allmighty output by a new hero who could be seen as the laotian Haddaway. Again, the general lack of informations sadly draw the limits of my poor speech, although I can't help noticing a quite direct sunglasses connection with his youtube khmer cousin Ta Chea.

Boogie Not Boogie #2: More West African Disco & Synthie Nuggets

2011-02-28T11:34:00.000+01:00

Joe Moks - Boys & Girls

First I'd especialy like to thank Eric D. Johnson, who soon after reading for the first "Boogie post" pointed me on the freshly released compilation "Brand New Wayo" as compiled by Uchenna Ikonne from "With Comb & Razor" and released on the eponym's label.

Think for some forgotten Shina Williams hypnotic disco cut recorded at Wilfilms Studios and you got what's in my opinion the compilations's highlight moment.

> Get the record!

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Tony Okoroji - Whishing You Well

I know this could sounds ridiculous as I've only came accross three songs only; but actually I have to recognize I'm a huge Tony Okoroji fan!
I know for two records but they might be some more. Is this "typical" boogie stuff, I'm not so sure but as the man was involved producing many boogie artists including Dizzy K. Fafola (as mentionned in the previous post) i thought i had to include one song i do love especially (I'm insisting)

Very special thanks to Naija Kendo for providing a clean mp3.

Kingsley Bucknor - Someone Is Talking And Shouting

Who Kingsley Bucknor was, I have no clue & the sleevery art don't help me much. By the way, this is the only song filled with "Moroderesque" synhtie sound from the record...

Roger Robert

2011-02-25T16:27:00.007+01:00

Roger Robert - Donus

Latest release on the very nutty parisian record label Le Vilain Chien (a bit late). New project comprised of Maïa "ROGER" (Le Club Des Chats) & Solène "ROBERT" (Dudu Geva, Nouvelles Impressions D'Afrique).

En Francais: R.R. qui sera en concert ce Dimanche 27 Février au Bouillon Belge, nouveau spot de l'équipe du Tunnel (RIP) aux côtés de Charlene Darling, Massicots....

> Infos Pratiques
Bouillon Belge
6 rue Planchat
Paris 20éme
Métro Buzenval / Avron

PAF: 5€

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Maïa ROGER toujours, dont vous pouvez voir les images et installations en ce moment à La Gallerie Du Jour Agnes B. dans le cadre de l'expo collective "Musique Plastique" (28 janvier / 02 avril), avec également Julien Langendorff, Hisham Akira Bharoocha, Daniel Johnston, blablabla...

Stickers

2011-02-25T16:09:00.003+01:00

Oooops, I almost forgot about it but we just received our very first stickers.
Designed thanks to Shoboshobo (just like our blog's banner)...

For those living abroad you might get a chance top pick one getting a copy of the latest Cartilage Rds release: "Play That Beat Mr. Raja #1".

Sahel's Sounds

2011-02-21T09:27:00.006+01:00

If you're keep looking for interesting music from all over the world so you should check this blog. It is run by an american Ethnomusicologist who traveled a lot in this area. Of course everybody have already heard the sound of the tuareg's guitar. Beautiful stuff like Tinariwen. But on this blog you may find also modern stuff, and things he record by himself.

Here's a splendid love song in french by a African hobo:

Le marchand de sable - Laila (Africa - 2010) - 4:20

You will also find there two very good releases : "Music from saharan cell phone". In this region people use cellphone as mp3player. Forget K7. This is now the first way for listening music in this zone. So he swap these track from cellphone to cellphone via Bluetooth with the people he met in Kidal (Mali).

So here come a few tracks from these major compilations.

From # 1:

Kabablon Blon - Moribayassa (Mali/2010)
Balani show. A Kind of coupé décalé from Mali

From # 2:

Yalah (No more info) - 1:03
A kind of arabic musical youth

Lakal Kaney- Soul Tamasheq (Niger) - 5:27
Famous Rappers from niger.

sahelsounds.com

Dj Alfred Hitchcock magazine

Tropical bass for kids

2011-02-15T00:58:00.013+01:00

Hello everybody , i am Dj No Breakfast, a new bee on Cartilage Consortium.

I am pleased to introduce to you a nice little compilation "tropical bass for kids". This is a collection of music produced/composed by Green Pepper Boy from Amsterdam between the years 2000 and 2006, as he said "be careful with your ears/speakers because the track are NOT MASTERED!"

Expect flutes, bongos, electronic sounds, video games anthem, singing kids, human frogs, pollitos and a bunch of fun samples!

Green Pepper Boy Ft. L@s Cabr@s Chic@s :The Singing Frog/Cantaba La Rana

Green Pepper Boy Ft. L@s Cabr@s Chic@s :The Chicks Say/Los Pollitos Dicen

Listen/download tropical bass for kids via soundcloud.
Released by Antartek Records

Remote encounter with Angèle Assélé

2011-02-14T19:05:00.025+01:00

Angèle Assélé - Au hasard des rencontres

I was looking for some African love for V Day when I found this dramatic nugget on youtube. It’s about thunder at first sight and its consequences on a young girl’s mind. Angèle Assélé was 17 in 84 and sang the wanderings of passion with the smoothest voice. Her song is dedicated to the mysterious “Being” (“Etre” in French) whose gaze “shook her sentimental strings” during some hazardous encounter. The orchestration of Les Diablotins, and the final intervention of the backing singer really put her metaphysical quest to the next level (Jesus, E.T. ?).

Here is the beginning of it

“I met a Being that I am loving
Without knowing why
And without realizing
But I'm afraid of this Being
Which for me is like the wind
This Being which is everything and nothing
Which leads me to the cruelty
Being who are you ?
Being where are you ?
Being what’s your name ?
Being why are you ? ”
X 2

Behind « Esperancia », the first album of Angèle Assélé, stood two monsters of the Gabonese show business. Her aunt, the diva Patience Dabany, wife of President Omar Bongo then, now exiled in L.A., and her father, General Jean-Boniface Assélé who directed the first recording studio in Libreville, a controversial politician who still leads the Circle of Liberal Reformers.

Between 84 and 86, Studio Mademba released three other angelic albums : « Amour sans Frontières », « Angèle Assélé et Les Diablotins », and « Papi ». They invest not only in music but also in humanitarian causes and Angèle becomes an artist-ambassador for the United Nations. Then she retired from singing for ten years and entered the direction of Cultural Affairs.
She finally made another album, « Feeling Love », in 1998.
She still performs today.

El Entraterrestre (E.T. #2)

2011-02-14T18:03:00.005+01:00

El Entraterrestre - Primera Aparicion

El Entraterrestre - Segunda Aparicion

As far as I can remember, I came across E.E. music nearly 3/4 years ago. At that time there was a myspace account linked with the whole Dick El Demasiado, Sonido Martines or Los Siquicos Litoraleños.
"I wanted to believe" but also find out who was hiding behind El Entraterrestre. I tried to get in touch & had for only answer: "thanks for the hospitality" !!??!!

E.T. El Extraterrestre

2011-02-12T17:48:00.002+01:00

Afrosound - E.T. El Extraterrestre

Behind the quite uninspiring "Afrosound" name, hides one of Discos Fuentes's best formation the record label ever released. Afrosound was a chicha music inspired band from Colombia. As "cumbia" was a colombian native music style & "chicha" some sort of peruvian cousin (with its typical psych guitar playing mixed with amazonian & huaynos elements), the case is pretty strange...

Boogie Boogie: West African Synthie Nuggets #1

2011-02-03T17:47:00.001+01:00

Love it or hate it, African Boogie music is largely underrated... I believe few blogs around have accorded and shown interest & with most record labels exclusively focusing on Fela's contemporeans & heritage it seems there is no place for those cheesy pieces of west african pop-funk songs.

Dizzy K. - Fummi Love

Dizzy K. (Fofola) who is generally considered as an iconic african Boogie figure cut 6 records, all of them engineered by the mighty Tony Okoroji (music producer but also "auteur" for the afro pop gem "Mama & Papa") whome I believed had a huge influence on Dizzy's electrofunk compositions due to surprising similarities between both artists.

Today Mr. Fofola (now a Londoneer resident), is making a living as a succesfull gospel interpret...

> For some more "sweet Dizzy K. music", have a visit at "With Comb & Razor" who uploaded a couple more songs.

Al Diamond - Tashi Mu Taka (Hausa)

> Sorry guys but I wasn't able to find serious informations, any comments regarding Al Diamond would be greatly appreciated.

William Onyeabor - Let's Fall In Love

As taken from the B side of african synthi wizard W.O.'s LP: "Good Name". A two track killer Lp (his biggest record on demand) which despite of not being considered by specialists as real Boogie musics is full of bizarre & progressive synth driven funk songs just like his latter efforts.

> The long promised Onyeabor's anthology post should come soon.

Emma Dorgu - I Missed My Favourite Tune

As far as I know and considering the record list on discogs "Girl" is Emma Dorgu's lattest record. Pretty different from his earlier LPs & much less sophisticated african disco-funk style songs, by far my favourite record. There is also an instrumental dub mix for the song on the B side.

> An E.D.'s song can be found on the recently released compilation "Lagos Disco Inferno" as compiled by Frank from Voodoo Funk.

Catherine Lara

2011-01-29T18:16:00.002+01:00

Violin virtuoso who started practicing at the age of five, Catherine Lara is mainly known in France for her 1983 unbearable "The diamond rocker".
In 1973, she recorded 3 albums as a first violinist with Janko Nilovic: songs intended to illustrate films or television soundtracks. Since then, Miss Lara also recorded several movie scores, including the one for Les hommes préfèrent les grosses (Gentlemen better like them fat) in 1980: an electro and very cheap comical opening theme.

générique début du film - Catherine Lara/Jean-Pierre Sabard(1980)

>>> Site officiel

Saeki's thread, Mikami's needle

2011-01-25T17:48:00.082+01:00

The numerous connexions between Toshi Saeki and the world of psych-folk music through LP artworks, already known from most of collectors and highlighted by the Works in music tabloid japanese edition published by Presspop in 2009, give me the opportunity to spread the word here that current Saeki Toshio's current exhibition in Paris at the Da-End gallery should be displayed a bit longer than expected, until mid-march 2011.

A worth-visiting one, even for those already familiar with his production, regarding its interesting selection of both original drawings and prints, including a few sheets detailing his instructions for setting colours.

Among the various artworks that Saeki regularly produced for the living legend Mikami Kan, here above appear the one for Hiraku Yume Nado Arujanaishi, one of his most celebrated output from 1972, and the 1991's world of Kan Mikami . However, I'd rather allow myself to focus on a release which artwork wasn't produced by Saeki, but that strangely always was the one among Mikami's release I revered the most: a scarce live recording from 1970.

Mikami Kan - Imoutobaika

From all the people gravitating around P.S.F. records, Mikami is maybe the one whose popular roots (born in a small fisher's village that he left when turning 18) irradiate the most: something you can feel in that specific form of blues that only belongs to him, on a unique edge between idiom and freedom. Something that sweats also from his strongly physical involvement live, playing with his body sometimes in a very specific purposefully humoristic way he developped through a monster career, in which also the relentless repetition of some specific chords evolved from a trademark to a purposeful and meaningful obsession.

The text by Shuji Terayama, introducing visitors to the world of Saeki for the exhibition, indirectly reminds us the connexions between all these artists in the late 60s: Mikami Kan appeared himself in one of Terayama's most famous movie Pastoral (Den-en ni shisu). Although the video extract of that specific performance recently and sadly got removed, you can still have a look at the teaser of that whole gem in itself.

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Toshio Saeki - Kuro Hozuki / Galerie Da-End
17 rue Guénégaud - 75006 Paris
09/11/2010 - 12/02/2011 (might be extended to mid-march)

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Town of tiny loops

2011-01-23T19:13:00.080+01:00

Mami Chan - Mauvaise Graine

Musically piloted by the lady herself, in charge and control of every details from the musical scores to the home recording, self-made impressive mix and carefull fabrication featuring her long-time friend Stéphane Blanquet on the graphic side, here comes Mami Chan's brand new solo opus, after more than 10 years of waiting since her last solo on APC.

Remembering our first contact with her music brings us back in time more than 15 years ago right to the pages of the fanzine Popo Color, when it started advertising her first album on the Saravah's sublabel Popo Classic Collection run by Pierre Barouh's son Benjamin Barouh. However, while these early albums were joyfully developping a baroque sandbox dimension, with a generous excess of tools, guests or directions, this new one limits itself to Mami's most fundamental characteristics on purpose, until a wonderful coherence arises.

Striking is she, in the way that she owns a sense of how to place things, sincerely, accurately. Strong even in its simple moments, detached from any care regarding trends, the result is moving in its honesty, from intimate songs to orchestral instrumentals, intricate with neoclassic piano pieces highlighting her feeling in riffs: playing as a keyword, until your hands happily start to drive out of the road.

During the past years, Mami Chan worked a lot through a galaxy of collaborative projects, including music for the animations of Blanquet, in charge of the illustrative work for this specific object. An appropriate collision between his dark-inked universe and a music that exactly required such ambivalence to get revealed for what it is: not as naïve as you might think at first sight. There's oddness, melancholy, small dramas also in this collection of characters, shadows, plants and insects: promenade in the woods, friends, or village parties, it's never that simple.

For complete listening experience and enthusiastic orders, please check: http://mamichan.bandcamp.com

Mami Chan - Bon voyage - Bon bon bon

May this post be an opportunity to quickly explore a few things from the past. Extract from the Love and Beauty limited promo EP, here comes, according to me, one of the best example of her early years madness: four tracks in one, arranger keyboard abuse and woody wild drums for a deviant unique instrumental anthem.

Mami Chan & Haco - Mori no kuma san torokéru sugar

And, as a last nugget on the lo-fi side, another tune featuring the ultimate revered queen Haco, extract from a now sold out 1 minute women collective 7" published by the parisian collective Dokodoki.

++ Archive pics thanks to and courtesy of Yama

Modern shima-uta, ups & downs

2011-01-17T14:42:00.014+01:00

Most people have heard more Okinawan folk music (and drunk more Okinawa awamori) than they know: the peculiar sound of the three-stringed sanshin is almost as ominous to Western ears than that of its descendant the shamisen, and the tradition of Okinawan shima-uta (島唄, "songs of the island") has been kept alive and kicking through the very popular crossover efforts of Takashi Hirayasu and (before him) Champloose leader Shoukichi Kina, who composed the very first greatest hit song to come out of Okinawa, "Haisai Ojisan".

A frequent collaborator of Ry Cooder, Kina even had the honors of a David Byrne curated compilation as volume 2 of his Asia Classics collection on Luaka Bop (the very same series that saw the release of Vikaya Anand's anthology Listen Now! Dance Raja Dance, a very special Cartilage favorite indeed) and it's easy to understand why: mixing enka styled country music, 70s rock, punk rock energy and burbly synthesizers courtesy of Sandii & the Sunsetz co-leader and Haruomi Hosono collaborator Makoto Kubota, Kina's fusion efforts are magnetic and nothing short of irresistible - at least up to the mid 80s (things inescapably turned ugly with the advent of DX7 driven salon world music). Recorded in 1977 at the peak of his creative moment, "Tokyo Sanboka" is super energetic bliss:

Shoukichi Kina & Champloose "Tokyo Sanboka"

Not an Okinawa native himself (he was born in the district of Minato, in Tôkyo), Hosono has incidentally entertained a long-lived fascination for Okinawan music, which is at least as prominent as that of his passion for Hoagy Carmichael’s “Hong Kong Blues” and Martin Denny’s imaginary Hawaii. From his exotica-driven pop trilogy of the 70s to his great ambient masterpieces of the 90s, his extensive recreation of shima-uta is pretty much a constant feature of his music, and an influential one for that matter: hokoten superstars The Boom had an amazing hit single with an allegedly Hosono (ugly) pakuri called “Shimauta” which sold more than 1.5 million units.

More surprisingly, his super long-time YMO sidekick Sakamoto Ryûichi himself also revived the idea of a pop version of Taketomi Island’s hymn “Asadoya Yunta" (which he had helped Hosono cover on his own Paraiso 1978 masterpiece) at the time of his great “world music Quincy Jones” years. Apart from the Youssou N’Dour annoying singing exercises, one can only relish at the tenderness of his own version, magnified by the presence of Nenes leader and great sanshin player Misako Koja:

Even sweeter is his version of traditional song “Chinsagu no Hana”, which adds burkinabé percussions and typical emotional strings to the ethereal mixture, to heart-rending effects (I kind of take it for granted you're not of the cold-blooded type of reader):

Ryûichi Sakamoto "Chinsagu no Hana"

Obviously, Hosono’s nods to Okinawan music remain the more relevant and less predictable ones, especially when they power up his ventures into electronic music. Apart from the 100% Okinawa culture driven ethno-ambient soundtrack “Paradise View” (released in 1985 and annoyingly hard to find, you tell me if you find a copy), fragments of shima-uta can be heard in the least expected surroundings. They are for instance all over YMO’s “Absolute Ego Dance” (with a typical vocal performance by Hawaiian born Sandii), released on their hits collection Solid State Survivor:

Yellow Magic Orchestra "Absolut Ego Dance"

Similarly, the hectic gem he composed and produced for the short-lived techno-kayôkyoku unit E.S. Island, lead by 70s idol Sanae Takahashi, screams Okinawa all over, in the weirdest, most convulsive manner:

E.S. Island "Tech Tech Mummy"

Closer in style to his hippie-ish pop ambient project Love, Peace & Trance (formed with Wha-ha-ha singer Mishio Ogawa), Hosono recently came back to shima-uta with the heavenly nostalgic and delicate “Roochoo Divine”, which intensely echoes his own 1974 song “Roochoo Gumbo” and was released as opener of his rarities collection Archives vol. 1. Accordingly, it is the single most beautiful piece of music he recorded in recent years, which says a lot about how great a song it actually is.

Haruomi Hosono "Roochoo Divine"

Following Kina's and Hosono’s pioneering gestures, a great number of current Okinawan indie pop bands still display the obligatory nods to shima-uta, even if not in the most creative manners. I’m not sure it means the folklore is actually in full bloom or artificially kept alive, but I can’t think of any other example of folk music in Japan which have entertained such a constant dynamic of reinvention. Next time, let’s go back in time and see what Okinawan musicians of the 60s had to say about the matter, with a survey of the wonderful Ryukyu Rare Groove - Shimauta Pops in 60's-70's compilation (Yara Family, anyone?).

Revolum als curiòs

2011-01-16T00:33:00.019+01:00

Jacmelina - Cançon per Puig-Antich

Hit it with all the snobbish smiles you want, I always found uncoherent how french people can celebrate hip folk or obscure french prog through british recent reissues, but will keep on picking their nose when occitan music shows up.

First in line for this late 70s thread, Jacmelina's stunning vocal folk is a typical example of these gems that are known from a few record collectors, but didn't resurface on the blogosphere yet.

Quite despairing is this obligation to recall every time the authority of figures such as Makoto Kawabata to convince people outside of the occitan circles that this production is worth listening to. Famous since years for his love of occitan music (with a special interest in Rosine de Péira), Kawabata remains surprised when the question is asked regarding why or how: his reply being more or less "why the hell not ?".

The Riga Raga LP, already posted here, was one of the entries that pushed me to dig for more, and to explore a serie of records on the Revolum label, run by Rosine de Péira, whose laboratory can be seen as one of the most interesting yet most unknown adventure in french folk.

Tòcabiòl - Tot es gris

Tòcabiòl sings about factory work and ghost villages: blues music in its lyrics, surprisingly orchestrated with Roland SH-5 and Farfisa arrangements, packed under a classy artwork.

But there's always a bitterness, almost a misunderstanding, regarding a lot of occitan music production. Like many, I might admit I have issues with the emphatic singing here. Like many, I'm the kind of guy searching for unusual stuff when the true challenge is definitely not here: Sicre was sometimes describing the Riga Raga record as the one which convinced and pleased the critics from Paris, who like references to Zappa, beg for modernity, but will predictably shoot at Rondeaux or polkas covers by, let's say... Madier in Perlinpinpin Fòlc.

This summarizes in itself the whole french tragedy: we can keep on whining listening to Brazil, Ethiopia or whatever is our fix, but here comes the Blues that France lost on its way. And understanding why and how could be our most powerful analytic tool in order to counter what appears to be the fondamental french drama: a now frightening gap that never was so huge between the elite and the people, in a land whose folklore is undead, in a zombie way that few other countries could even understand.

Perlinpinpin Fòlc - Cançon de la Cigala

The patient and careful collection, exhumation and renewed performance of traditional anthems is something Perlinpinpin Fòlc became specialised into. Although it's an original composition, this tune remains rooted in blues as a circumstance song: a kind of thing you'll sing while at work in a rural context.

If sometimes those artists were political through their lyrics, at a time when militantism was meaning something close to Spain and Franco, and before the deadly 80s, their political charge could therefore also be seen in their musical landscape: truely rooted in blues.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

2011-01-14T23:12:00.005+01:00

Following my metal post i'd like to express my best wishes for the year 2011. Hope it will be a happy one. So, to go that way, let me propose you one of my personnel exhilarating Tropical anthem.

Elio Boom - Vamos todos a bailar (Colombie) 3:20

Elio boom is the king of Champeta a musical genre, which is born under the crossed influence of african music (soukouss, afrobeat, highlife) & Caribbean stuff (Soca,ragga): a funny mixture made for the sound system of the Cartagena's ghetto .

Dj Alfred Hitchcock Magazine

Croire à l'amour

2011-01-11T00:03:00.005+01:00

Philippe Mordan - Les filles de Janzé

Philippe Mordan - Croire à l'amour

Giving up any attemps to make an appropriate link with the previous brilliant slayerish post, allow me to simply welcome another great trasher in this thread: the holy Philippe Mordan, one of the scarce jewels in the joyfull category of french amateur incidents 7 inches.

A lyricist we sadly have few informations on, whose lyrical sense of singing could be compared in some ways to the moving François Juno, with a more insane synthpop avalanche smashing his competitors straight to the grave. Credited as composer and artistic director, Gilbert Constanza also produced a worth listening Constanza sister's single, Elysées Night, released on the Mondo Melody label as well.

This precious list of informations wouldn't be complete without mentionning that Janzé, hot city celebrated in the song for the beauty of its titillating girls, is also one of the best places in France regarding supa-quality free-range chicken farming: Le savoir-faire à la française.

CALIENTE METAL

2011-01-06T23:41:00.005+01:00

I love Trash Metal, but it's a such conservative music style ! So when I find several good examples of Latin metal stuff, I want to tell it to the whole world.

- Sonido del principe - Reign in cumbia (Hollande/2009) 3:51

The best digital cumbia's producer pay his due to the best trash band ever : Slayer and his ultra classic "Reign in blood".

- Sepultura - Chaos B.C. (Brésil/1996) 5:11

Remix from a trash anthem in a batucada way.

- Asesino - Triquiado (Usa/2006) 4:14

Brutal Mexican stuff !

BONUS

Wicked vidéo of Paralenos, a combo from argentina's who releaseed in 2002 this song about Megadeth, in a popular cumbia style.

Salsa lovers, Fuck you !

- -

Dj Alfred Hitchcoock magazine

Ziad Rahbani #1 - Instrumental Hits Of Fairuz

2011-01-04T12:50:00.001+01:00

Composer, stage director, comedian & virtuoso pianist, Ziad Rahbani son of Libanese pop superstar Fairuz & Assi Al-Rahbani is both an iconic & controversial figure in Middle Estern countries. Appart from his contribution to many succes of his mother is the man behind many remarquable scores for various Libanese, Egyptian movies...

Ziad Rahbani - Al Yadi El Yadi

While digging for rare soundtracks from the man (a post should follow soon), I felt on that record compiling rearranged instrumental tracks from the Lebanses diva. There's not much more to say, anyway those of you dear readers familiar with the likes of Vladimir Cosma or Francois De Roubaix should highly enjoy the songs posted above.

At last a Mozart's Symphony N. 40 cover.

Ziad Rahbani - Ya Ana Ya Ana

Makossa wishes, Soukous fireworks

2011-01-02T13:49:00.008+01:00

Lokassa - Bonne année

Another circumstance tune, reblogged from the Makossa impressive archival blog, dedicated to classic Cameroon tunes from the seventies and eighties.

Makossa was partly influenced by Soukous, both finding some of their roots in latin music styles like rhumba: this is the transition I needed to introduce an extra congolese graphic firework festival, for your eye's pleasure: champagne !

Hallelujah & Happy New Year

2010-12-31T11:24:00.003+01:00

Hallelujah 2000 - Hallelujah (vocal)

Great love, power & energy for 2K11 from the Cartilage Consortium, happy new year !!

First steps in Batak

2010-12-30T11:22:00.004+01:00

Marsada band - Sihutur Sangul

In many ways, Batak music seems to be a very generic keyword recovering various sides of music from North Sumatra: some of them being very traditionnal, others having more to do with popular songs full of midi orchestrations.
Even on the traditionnal side, you'll find many variations in styles and band composition, as a reflect of the huge diversity among Batak people: linguistic differences, as much as specific music styles, will then allow you to locate wether they come from the North, the East ... All of them having in common the celebration of adat.

Marsada band is a Toba-Batak indigenous group of musicians blending both traditionnal elements with slightly more modern arrangements (incorporation of western acoustic guitar): it's dance music, pleasing our appetite for metronomic percussions and slightly detuned flavors of wooden instruments.
An album, Pulo Samosir, was released and still avalaible here. In many ways, it is odd how much those productions can be related to the peruvian ones, as if they developped symetrically at differents points of the globe (check theTecno San Juanitos post as an example). Besides, many other bands are worth having a look at and starting a transe:

Parang Christmas Music (Kings & Queens Of Chutney #2)

2010-12-29T16:41:00.003+01:00

Drupatee Ramgoonai - Christmas Time

Combining elements from both Trinidadian & Tobagoian music, indian migrants folklore & Venezualian folk music heritage from the Spanish Rule, Parang Music, which is mostly performed for Christmas, is kind of a strange case...

First, check Drupatee Ramgoonai's (80's Chutney superstar) classic, a song featured on most of Parang Christmas compilations around.

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Kenneth Salick - Bone

Extra Parang joint with the "outsider": Kenneth Salick, a 50 years old Trinidian farmer who wrote the "Radica" hit song in 2009 & won the Chutney Soca Monarch 2k9. Appart from that, he is also one of the few Chutney artist not to sing only about "rum rum rum" or "roti" (think Rikki Jai)...

Bring the Sitar, bring the Tabla, it's Christmas Time !

> Kings & Queens Of Chutney Music #1

Hong Kong Christmas syndikat

2010-12-28T13:39:00.004+01:00

Wong Jim 黃霑 - Hong Kong Christmas 又到聖誕

Santa Claus comes on the 6th of December and Jesus was born in October. Historically there is no reason to celebrate Xmas on the 25th and spend 24 hours of family madness with a distended stomach unless you’re a miscreant enslaved to the Law of Capital or late Christendom. But if you’re a Hong Kong humorist like Wong Jim, then you can sing it all year long and it's never too soon in Toyland.

This parodic medley was first uploaded by Zoundcracker - Godtube bless him. The album was released in 1990. Hong Kong was still a British colony then and the toy industry was flourishing. However "Uncle Jim" chose the middle way, and decided to mock both his communist and liberal neighbours in a classic buffoonish style. Followed by a children choir and a saxophone, he swings all the way down to the mall, trashing drunken fathers, warning against the coming of Deng Xiaoping, and praying for Hongkongers’ independence. Zoundcracker was charitable enough to post the lyrics in Chinese, Google will translate them for you.

又到聖誕
（Santa Claus Is Coming To Town）
喂　又到聖誕　啦　又到聖誕
下個聖誕有無今年咁嘆
鄧小平is coming to town
趁又到聖誕　人就要嘆啦
第處聖誕有無香港咁嘆
阿鉅子誠都怕且就 yang
八番次共你聚聚　唱歌搭住晚飯
九七先至諗大鑊飯　係要今年玩多晚
趁佢又到聖誕　人扮下懶
伴你嘆下　撇甩左阿燦
趁鄧小平未黎到自己嘆哈
八番次共你聚聚　唱歌搭住晚飯
九七先至諗大鑊飯　係要今年玩多晚
趁佢又到聖誕　人扮下懶
伴你嘆下　撇甩班阿燦
趁鄧小平未黎到自己嘆哈

跳啦老豆
（Silent Night）
跳啦老豆　跳啦老豆　依家就跳夠喉
係話乜都會照舊　但係怕佢一轉左 tun 後
總之今晚跳先　聽朝事聽朝先抖
笑啦老豆　笑啦老豆　九七後怕應酬
但係今天不靠左靠右
儘量 long weekend 散多兩舊
總之依大個口　出年事出年追究
do . . do . . do . . do . .
醉啦老豆　醉啦老豆　酒精係你汽油
茅台 XO 都殺啦老豆自便加冰水雪啦老豆
總之乜都係趁手　今晚未必有回頭

乜鬼都買
（Joy To The World）
乜鬼都買　好鬼高興
Christmas shopping shopping
一九九七一早注定　新衫新錶應早買定
莫待日後賣清　到時頭暈頭慶
買件油多都要話睇身份證
今天不買　他朝盞慶　
Shouting 小平　小平
因此今天不必冷靜　沙堡罌撐一早買定
莫待日後買清　到時頭暈頭慶
買盒牙簽都要話擔心呃秤

香港長是我的家
（We Three Kings Of The Orient Are）
香港你長是我的家　風打雨淋係我聖地
我愛香港　萬年亦不變　點肯點忍你別離
啊　我會發狂抱住你　我要永恒照住你
我愛 Hong Kong We Love Hong Kong
愛國愛民愛護你
香港你長是我的家　千千百年係我聖地
我愛香港　熱誠絕不變　點都不會別離
啊　我會有頭有尾　永遠永恒照住你
我愛 Hong Kong We Love Hong Kong
愛國愛民愛護你

我發奮做人
（Away In A Manger）
一想起中國　我發奮做人
長懷熱誠民主與自由既心
一想起東西德　我發力做人
同胞一德一心　會將牆撞冧
一想起中國　我發奮做人
抬頭望埋架仔　就自然勇敢
歐洲加洲乜洲　我拍住做人
同保可愛香港　要佢將來莫冧
一想起中國　我發奮做人
人權自由民主已熱紅我心
一想起淺水灣　我搏命做人
同保可愛香港　再講明就 chum

祝你聖誕快樂
（We Wish You A Merry X＇mas）
從聖誕想到日後　若果他朝一切未舊
如果九七肯押後　人人未洗換竇
同志無曬事　任我地自由
我個陣既家財　銀行十間未夠
臨聖誕許個願望　望香江好到日後
唔洗九七押後　人人停止互鬥
同志你快樂　換我地自由
我祝福你身裁　同埋肥肥互鬥

又到聖誕
（Santa Claus Is Coming To Town）
喂　又到聖誕　又到聖誕
下個聖誕有無今年咁嘆
鄧小平 is coming to town
趁又到聖誕　人就要嘆啦
第處聖誕有無香港咁嘆呀
巨子誠都怕且就咯
八番次共你聚聚　唱歌搭住晚飯
九七先至諗大鑊飯　係要今年玩多晚
趁佢又到聖誕　人扮下懶
伴你嘆下　撇甩左阿燦
趁鄧小平未黎到自己嘆
趁鄧小平未黎到自己嘆

Wish I can post more often next year
Big bisoux to all comrades

Christmas waiters

2010-12-25T13:36:00.001+01:00

The Korgis - Wish you a Merry Christmas

Due to yearly circumstances, a slightly delayed yet accurate reblogged tune by this cutely discreet british band, whose hits like Everybody's got to learn something or covers by Zucchero (!) maybe hide other kind of oddities and a general taste that deserves attention (for more, check HERE). Penetrating the charts didn't preserve the band from splitting, though, after their third album. Quite a schizophrenic team who didn't commit only one, but at least a second whammish Xmas song, None of them entered their best of, reissued recently. WHY ???

Get Flunky

2010-12-23T17:10:00.003+01:00

En Français s'il vous plait...Ce jeudi soir donc, le tout dernier show de Kania Tieffer & votre dernière chance "EVER D'ÊTRE FLUNKY" (copyright l'artiste), plus d'excuse !

Kania Tieffer Against The Machine - Parc A Thèmes

Les infos Pratiques /

* Kania Tieffer
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106, boulevard de Belleville - Paris 75019
Metro: Belleville - Couronnes

Paf: 5€ - A partir de 21h

W.U.S.

2010-12-23T12:16:00.006+01:00

Wrong Notes - Verequoi

Two hot cuts as taken from the latest installment of the W.U.S. compilation series. Like the previous one the record is pretty well assembled with absolutley unkown Middle Easter bands but also including some rare & early stuff from nowadays Nothern Africa superstars like Naïma Samih (mp3 & picture below)...

Naïma Samih - Zifaf Filfada

Tecno San Juanitos

2010-12-22T17:08:00.005+01:00

Desconocido (unknown artist) - Chui chui.mp3

While spending some time on the youtube looking for modern andean music I got stuck on those kind of vids coming out from Ecuador.

I was absolutely blown away with that bizarre mix of folkloric "altiplanos" music elements blended with the cheapest form of today's dance music. Sadly, it's pretty hard to get any information about it. I've been questionning some of the uploaders, and thankfully one of them sent me some music plus a little explanation...

Desconocido (unknown) - Ayayay Mi Corazon

Although it isn't by far the most popular music in Quito, "tecno sanjuanitos" (as it seems to be named) is hugely popular among ecuadorian andean people, with a consequent number of hits sung in various indigineous languages (Kishwa generally).

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The cdr's i was sent were mostly filled with anonymous "Carnaveles Megamix", but there were also a few compilations dedicated to specific artists such as "Los Conquistadores" and their "Mike Jaggeresque" leader.

Los Conquistadores - Mi gitana

Si Senor !!!!

PEDRO SANTOS (1919-1993)

2010-12-20T23:05:00.002+01:00

At the beginning of this year the blog Brazillian nuggets have post a very rare record by this brilliant percussionnist . It's, with no doubt, the record I play the most this year. So I began to look after whatever I can find about this mystérious Pedro santos. Sadly, I realise he only record only one solo album and 2 with the guitarist Sebastiao Tapajos.

He was mostly a session musician and he play on many brazillian recording during his carrer (Jacob do Bandolim, Baden Powell, Elis Regina, Elza Soares, Milton Nascimento, …) He was also an inventor of percussion. His most famous one was the sorong, wich became his nickname. Sometimes you can find some record credited with the name Pedro sorongo.

- Pedro Santos - Dual (Brésil / 1968) 2:34

- Pedro Santos - Flor de lotus (Brésil / 1968) 3:13

This two track extract from this unique album "Krishnanda"

- Sebastiao Tapajos & Pedro Dos Santos - Cantico Del Agua (Brésil / 1972) 1:49

- Sebastiao Tapajos & Pedro Dos Santos - Despedida De Mangueira (Brésil / 1972) 3:11

This two extract from the eponym album "Sebastiao Tapajos & Pedro Dos Santos Vol. 1"

pedrosorongo.blogspot.com

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Dj Alfred Hitchcock magazine

Antilles #4

2010-12-11T19:12:00.039+01:00

Erick Cosaque & X7 Nouvelle Dimension - Cliché

Erick Cosaque & X7 Nouvelle Dimension - Misik Go Kwa

Following DJ Arc de Triomphe's introduction of Erick Cosaque here, the mysterious ways of second hands' fate lead my hands to another LP by Guadeloupean legend Erick Cosaque, here in company of the mysterious "X7 nouvelle dimension" unit: a progressive electric and percussive jazz nugget, which harmony could show some similarities with Lalo Schifrin or even François de Roubaix harmonies. Note that the first theme, Cliché, is composed by another guadeloupean composer Harold Abraham, while the other one is by Cosaque himself.

I have to say that this blog could dangerously dive into various electric jazz and mondo lounge excesses, a thrill that is worth begging the haitian Leon Dimanche to come and save us. Besides, his strangeness could also be our best support in these times of Christmas celebrations: beyond the lyrics, reminding us how we should take care of poor people in these times of excesses, this is so far the best bontempi chorus and charley mix you could ever dream of.

Listen & buy the FULL MASTERPIECE HERE ! Gloria in Excelcis.

LES PARISIENNES ( 1964-1971)

2010-12-05T16:00:00.002+01:00

Les Parisiennes were a french girl band with a quite long activities, for a girls band. All music were written by Claude Bolling, french jazzman and great composer. He was influenced at that time by the sound of the new orleans. In fact this band had a very personnal swingy sexy sound. Remember in the mid sixties most of the french "yéyé" singers use to record american classic in French.

They were popular during all their careersand they release almost 30 singles. See there !

- Les parisiennes - Les parisiennes (France/1964 ) 1:57

- Les parisiennes - Java (France/1964 ) 1:46

- Les parisiennes - les fans de mozart (France/1965 ) 2:40

- Les parisiennes - Dans la poche du kangourou (France/1967 ) 3:02

This Four songs came from a 3CD Box set "Les parisiennes L'intégral"

And To finish see them dancing in this funny scopitone.

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Dj Alfred Hitchcock magazine

Christian Bruhn

2010-12-03T22:21:00.005+01:00

Successful both as a composer and music producer, Christian Bruhn did not only score the music for films he's often known for in his long career, but also wrote 2000 nearly songs for stars such as Johnny Mathis, Roy Black, Freddy Quinn, Peter Alexander, Katja Ebstein and french singer like Mireille Mathieu, France gall etc...

In the 70 and 80, he worked primarily on televisin series for which he created various distinctive soundtracks: remember his work on the series "Wickie"(72), "Capitain Future"(74), "Sinbad"(76), "The Red Zora and his gang"(79), "Timm Thaler"(79), "Silas life"(81), "Jack Holborn"(85) or "The door Wichert next"(86).
Through these works was developped a good mix of synthetic German disco and funky contemporary music.

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Captain Future - Christian Bruhn(1974)

Gefahr - Christian Bruhn(1974)

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Timm Wird Gejagt - Christian Bruhn(1979)

Dass Boot - Christian Bruhn(1979)

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Sindbad Titellied - Christian Bruhn(1976)

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Akropolis Adieu - Mireille Mathieu/Christian Bruhn(1975)

Zwei Kleine Italiener - Conny Froboess/Christian Bruhn(1962)

Heidi - Gitti & erika/Christian Bruhn(1974)

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Titre Bonus for the Juicy Music From German Commercials 1960-1975

Ford Capri II - Christian Bruhn

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>>> Christian Bruhn Herzlich Willkommen

Ben Braille

2010-12-01T15:39:00.001+01:00

Ben Vautier - Ca suffit comme ça

He probably can be considered as the most most misunderstood french artist, hated by many for the irritating pervasiveness of his commercial works, a supeficial tree that hides the forest of a long-lasting and peculiar production. Ben Vautier is way more than a cute sentence on the workbook of a college girl, or that quaint character cheering up gallery owners who forgot who is their uncle: through more than 50 years of carrer, from his early performances to the letterings he's famous for, he declared a humoristic, radical yet paradoxal war against ego in art, often in a jubilant bad faith. He was there for Nouveau Réalisme, Fluxus and later Figuration libre, started web production in 1996 through website and newsletters, in a constant production bulimia questionning fundamental topics such as identity, popular and wise cultures, or self-representation. And sex.

Ben Vautier - Ca c'est l'histoire d'un raté

Ben Vautier - Soprano de Ben 1964

In summer 2008, he started pulishing various songs on his website, for a short period of time: childish outsider blues, with obsessive vocals à la Dubuffet layered on stolen instrumentals, I still wonder why he suddenly stopped such a fancy-full activity. May he know that us, pleased listeners, hope to hear more as soon as possible.

For more, actually mountains, visit:
http://www.ben-vautier.com/

GREGORY ISAACS RIP + 1951-2010

2010-11-28T12:13:00.005+01:00

Gregory Isaacs die from a lung cancer a few days ago. He was one of the most beautiful voice of Jamaïca. To celebrate the man, here come 2 songs taken from this huge discography, keeping in mind that he recorded more than one hundred albums .

Gregory Isaacs - Madly In love with Sharon (1992/Jamaica)
Taken from the quite good album "Hard-core"

Gregory Isaacs - Madly In love with Sharon (1977-Jamaica)
Taken from the classic album "Mr Isaacs "

More jamaican stuff to come…

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Dj Alfred Hitchcok magazine

Play That Beat Mr. Raja #1

2010-11-25T22:38:00.003+01:00

Illaiyaraaja - Vikram Vikram

Our new record, CART003 is out !!

"Play That Beat Mr. Raja" is the very first compilation dedicated to Tamil recordings in the West. It explores the wild shores of these late 80's Kollywood music productions. With an avalanche of cinematic strings, analog synths, mind-blowing vocal punchlines and drumkit earthquakes mixed with folkloric percussive elements, it reveals the audacity of composers such as Ilayaraja, Shankar Ganesh or Hamsalekha.

Covering an impressive range of styles, it features Kamal Hassan's vocoded rap "Vikram Vikram", Shankar Ganesh's disco stomper "Coca Cola", and the irresistible bontempi instrumental "Love Theme", among many other hits. Straddling boundaries between traditional southern indian identity and digested western influences, these selected oddities remain a lesson of creativity and freedom in the world of soundtracks, with their stunning incorporation of the most typical of 80s tools in a classical context, and a constant love for daring structures and demented arrangements.

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"A well-assembled foray into the often hilarious landscape and cheap tweakery of 80's and 90's Tamil film music anomalies. Hyper-charged, and ready for the dance-floor or the headphones..." (Mark Gergis - Sublime Frequencies)

"This album contains so many supreme micro-compositions that it would be a re-editors dream, were it not for the fact that each track is so enjoyable under its own terms of accordant miscellany." (20 Jazz Funk Greats)

"Both iconoclastic and coherent, all the tracks will astound you, so you’d better get ready for it. And that’s how you recognize a great compilation, innit?" (Etienne Jaumet)

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> Available now !!
> Distribution via HONEST JON'S.

Jaime e Nair, an A & an I

2010-11-25T09:22:00.005+01:00

The duet of proggy-folk heads Jaime Alem and Nair Cândia was the rarest of things: a unit that managed to be both sweet and challenging. Akin to the hazy, vaporous, candid and complex masterpieces of a few Brazilian acts of the 70s (everything Joyce recorded between 1971 and 1980, and most of the Clube da Esquina related acts after the Nascimento and Lô Borges eponymous 1972 album), their breezy yet slick pop music was a dreamy super mixed bag of tradition and forecasting, latin and Western, earth and air. In terms of etiquettes and in spite of its superficial slickness, it contained even more multitudes than the most excessive and cannibalizing melanges of Tropicália - western folk music, country music, psychedelia, post Beach Boys polyphonies, modernist samba, Nordeste forró and Rio de Janeiro choro - but in a much more cohesive, solid way than most crossover contemporaries (I'm thinking of futbol fans Novos Baianos, for instance, who quite simply, even if effectively, played bossa nova licks and hyperactive samba to typical 70s electric guitar pyrotechnics). A solid composer, São Paulo born Jaime Alem mostly composed soundtracks for theater plays (and Maria Bethania) before lauching the duet - with his wife Nair - that would make him famous. Most of the LPs they recorded together are low-key gems in their own rights - predictably enough, they recorded the obligatory cover albums of Jobim and Nascimento - but nothing touches their first eponymous album of 1974.

"Sob O Mar" ("under the sea"), the opening song, is classic 70s stuff (those strings, those strings!) and seems like it was plucked from the masterpiece Nelson Angelo e Joyce, but it's brilliant and cosmic (allright, seaborne) in its very own manner.

Jaime e Nair "Sob O Mar"

Starting ominously in beatlesian manner, "Nevoa Seca" ("dry haze") goes further in the crossover direction: it's got slide guitar à la George Harrison, europop strings (panned on the left) and doesn't sound Brazilian at all - except for Jaime's voice and words, which seem oddly inappropriate in such a lushly European context. Of course, it's beautiful, too.

Jaime e Nair "Nevoa Seca"

Slightly more predictably, "Nigua-Ninhas E Coco Do Norte" verges on Gilberto Gil territory: a Nordeste dance tune played on an electric piano, with sweet, heart-wrenching verses to cool things down a little.

Jaime e Nair "Nigua-Ninhas E Coco Do Norte"

Playing the crossover game in modest and inconspicuous manner, "Sabia, Diga La" is probably the most adventurous of the bunch; it's wearing all the characteristics of a 70s country rock song on its sleeve, but it's driven by a typical Brazilian beat. And need I mention the grandness of its chorus?

Jaime e Nair "Sabia, Diga La"

Talk soon.

Istanbul

2010-11-20T12:15:00.005+01:00

Minx - Istanbul

Fans for the "Lucifer's Dream" Lp beware, despite the fact "Minx" pseudonym hides german flutist Ralf Nowy... This is no orchestral spacey rock in here!
Could be compared to his other and later efforts...think Methusalem but in a far cheesier way.

Bellemou

2010-11-15T00:02:00.005+01:00

Born in 1947, Messaoud Bellemou started learning the trumpet following the encouragements of a french teacher from his village: the elder man was convinced that the young boy had serious music predispositions and could probably escape from a life of labour in the fields.

In the early 70’s, Bellemou injected a modern style in Raï, replacing the ghasba flute (a flute made of reed) by his unique sound of trumpet, with a spicy hispanic touch.

Sidi’h’bibi, one of his first reccordings, made an huge succes in Algeria. It’s a very personnal version of a beautiful melody from the Judeo Moroccan folklore that many people actually recorded, one of the most interesting version being the furious rock version recorded in 1989 by the french band Mano Negra.

- Bellemou (singer Boualem Bouchkara) – Sidi hbibi (Algéria/1973) 6:17

In company of his friends Bouteiba Sghir & Benfissa Younés, Bellamou came to the big city of Oran in order to play music in the clubs and earn a living with their art. They made several recordings together, true classics from this era, creating a new sound which announced the next generation of Raï production, from which big star of the genre are issued.

- Bouteïba Sghir - Gouli Wah (Algéria/1975) 5:08

Although Bellemou is now recognized as the father of pop Raï, he's stil living in his village, in a modest way, teaching music to children.

- Gana El Maghnaoui & Bellemou - Lala H´bibi (Algérie/1996) - 3:58

For more Bellemou stuff, you can get the Algerian-Proto-Rai-Underground compilation on Sublime Frequencies.
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Tracks 1 & 2 : Compilation "Barbés café Vol.1" 1999 - Label Night & day
Track 3 : "Le roi de la trompette Raï" 1996 - label Blue silver

La mort d'Orion

2010-11-11T18:14:00.004+01:00

« Où l’Horizon prend fin, où l’œil jamais de l’homme n’apaisera sa faim, au seuil enfin de l’Univers, sur cet autre revers trouant le ciel de nuit, d’encre et d’ennui profond, se font et se défont les Astres »

La mort d'orion: introduction - Gérard Manset - 1969/70

La mort d'orion: où l'horizon prend fin - 1969/70

Written in 1969 and recorded 1970, the symphonic rock oratorio "Death of Orion" is one of Manset's greatest work on arrangements in a chanson format. At that time, he was one of the few songwriters-producers to own his own recording studio: there occured many artists such as William Sheller or Ange.
Death of Orion is enlightened by the deep voice of Giani Esposito, and the clear tone of Anne Vanderlove, one of the most beautiful voice in the Latin Quarter, who brought her specific sweetness as a counterpoint.

The aura of mystery which developed around Manset arose from the scarcity of his media appearances, the lack of concerts, and moreover his belonging to a tradition of out-of-fashion characters: uncompromising, singular and poetic in his work. Every new album is a great and rare event, sometimes with defaults but always renewed, celebrated by an enthisiastically addicted community.

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Death of Orion followed Manset's decision to produce in 1968 his own first EP Animal we are wrong

From the album "Death of Orion":

Check out here for a detailed analysis (in french):
>>> Pop-Rock.com

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