07 février 2010
The Very Best of Hugh Tracey, SWP rcds, CD, 2008
Let me introduce you Hugh Tracey. He is one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology, he starts recording in the 50' in Africa. He has created and directed the International Library of African Music (ILAM) now located in Zimbabwe. His recordings are edited in a collaboration between ILAM and SWP records (great website - cd's are rather cheap), and this comp is a good starting-point to discover the serie.
Liner note : "Englishman Hugh Tracey (1903-1977) dedicated his life to recording African music. In an era that no one else took African music seriously at all, Hugh Tracey crisscrossed central, eastern and southern Africa recording what he found. He foresaw that much of the music would disapear through urbanisation and outside influences. In so many cases we are lucky to have his recordings of so much amazing music - no one else recorded it. His archive constitutes the musical memory of half a continent. And, as well as being one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology, he was a damned good recordist ! In this series we have been able to present many of the foremost musicians of the 20th century from the African subcontinent - and that is a gift. It is especially a gift to the peoples involved, for the legacy as played by their forebears belongs to them."
"Hugh Tracey made a couple of notable 'discoveries' during his recording trips - artists who went on to fame and fortune after being recorded by him. # 22 to 27 are bonus tracks by a 21-year-old Jean Bosco recorded on sunday morning February 3rd 1952."
HT is also the creator of the Kalimba.
03 février 2010
Pacific 231, Unusual Perversions, VP231, LP, 1984
Pacific 231 is the musical project of Pierre Jolivet (site, myspace, wikipedia), he is the pioneer of the industrial french scene at the begining of the 80'. Together with Axel Kyrou (Vox populi!) he creates VP231, an independant music label, and this lp was produced in 1984. He multiplies collaborations with Vox Populi!, Le Syndicat, Psyclones (= Psy 231) and many more. After a solo break in the 90', Pacific 231 is reactivated in the middle of the 2000.
About this lp Pierre told me : "Unusual Perversions was my first mature production. Before that - Psychic Euthanasia was a limited edition auto-produced tape of my first experiments from 1981-83. After the short lived Berlinerluft, a outfit including Axel Kyrou, Bertrand Wolf and myself, I felt moving away from the New Wave genre toward a raw Industrial sound as been much closer to my sensibility of the time. I consider the album as my very first step toward was I consider now: sound exploration."
Self-Governement side : 01-Final Erector 02-Blut und Boden (Aktion Live 2) 03-Rate of Destruction 04-Mental Central Units 05-Passion Murder 06-Contraction 07-Ultra Body 08-Pedophilia
Gathering side : 09-Satyriasis 10-Die Reaktion 11-Shouts 12-49 Murders 13-Mutilate Distortion 14-Konzentration Lager 15-Allgemeine Fist Fucking 16-Atrocity Exhibition
Thanks to my friend Xavier for lending me this record.
DOWNLOAD you also buy this record here (re-issue on Ladd-Frith label - personnel of Psyclones)
29 janvier 2010
Pierre Henry, Le Voyage, Prospective 21e Siècle, Lp, 1963
Another record, one here, by Pierre Henry master of sounds, master of us all. It would be edited yesterday I will named it harsh noise, but it's from 1963 and that's concrete music.
Side A : 1. Souffle 1 2. Après la Mort 1 (Fluide et Mobilité d'un larsen) 3. Après la mort 2 (Mouvement en 6 parties)
Side B : 1. Divinités Paisibles 2. Divinité Irritées 3.Le Couple 4.Souffle 2
Thanks to my friend Xavier for lending me this record.
23 janvier 2010
Vox Populi!, Live, Excalibur - Paris, 19 March 1988
The band Vox Populi! (myspace / wikipedia) was created at the begining of the 80' in Paris by Axel Kyrou. Together with his friend Pierre Jolivet (Pacific 231), he created VP231, an indépendant music label. In 1983 7" 'Ectoplasmie' has been edited. At first his music registers in a synthetic, cold and minimal vein, representative of this period. But after he mets vocalist Mitra (his future wife) and her brother Arash (percussions), coming from Iran, Vox Populi! gets a very unique tint, melting post-industrial, psychedelic and ethnic colorations. During the 90' Vox Populi! had a rest, but have been reactivated on the second half of the 2000. Some bloggers consider Vox Populi! as the "France's best kept secrets".
Today I share an extraordinary document, a live recording of VP! Axel offers me this tape last summer, when this blog doesn't exist yet. He told me that nearly all tracks appear on tapes or compilations, but you've never heard an entire live of VP! don't you ? It's all the interest of this recording as a token of what was Vox Populi! on stage in 1988. It's as if you were there, only few cuts. The sound quality is very good, it's recorded directely from the mixing desk outputs, and digitalisation has been checked by Axel himself. They allways ended their shows with an improvisation, tracks #10&11 are some them remixed, it's "bonus". Unfortunatly the first track is cut at its begining.
Axel remembers : "People mainly came for the second band, Rosa Crux (king of gothic french scene). We were dressed in coloured, psychedelic, exotic, the atmosphere was black and cold ... at the beginning only".
At the time of this recording, VP! were :
Axel Kyrou (aka Gnouf Tap) : synth, small instruments, mixing desk
Arach Khalatbari : percussions, small instruments
Mitra Kyrou Khalatbari : Vocals
FR6 Man : Bass
Laurent Perrier (courtesy of Nox) : Guitar, Trumpet
Laurent Pernice (courtesy of Nox) on #8 : percussions, tape
Tracklist : 01.Totem 02.Sirene 03.Tchi Tchi Vox 04.La Grande Plante
Fibreuse 05.? 06.Opération Banquise 07.? 08.? 09.Impro 10 & 11 Bonus
Get the (un-)complete VP! recordings, from past :
Teen Recordings [cassette] 1979-1981
Introduction À La Théorie De La Subjectivité Relative 1982
Ectoplasmies [7"] 1983
Imaginaires [Cassette] 1984
La Cathédrale Morte [Cassette] 1985
Myscitismes [LP] 1985
Ebats Spirituels [Cassette] Cthulhu, 1986
Half Dead Ganja Music [Cassette] Cthulhu, 1987
Untitled [Cassette] - "Creations Alternatives" 1988
Aither [LP] 1989
Face To Face Vol. 2 [LP] 1989
Cthulhu Revisitation [CD] Buy / Try
1987-1990 [CD] Buy / Try
Soft Entrance To Nature's Camino De Luz [Mini CD / FLAC] Buy
Mystic Entertainment [CD] Buy
Aramesh [CD] Buy
Right now a new line up of Vox Populi! is working on a real new album. Axel is a music maniac, he owns the biggest private record collection I've ever seen, very open musicaly, interested in heavy, crazy stuff (such as first Chrome, Meat Beat Manifesto, nowadays Sightings, he enjoys noisy wall of sound ...) as well as more flighty stuff but never commercial stupidity of course. It's this light side of music they work out, the experimental side is reserved to collaboration (w/ Pacific 231 or Valley Of Capsule).
-- All musics and pics come from Axel's achives, thanks to him
-- Link's inspiration : Nostalgie de la Boue
22 janvier 2010
Lem Phago, Live, Hôtel des Vils C-Fd, 13 Jan. 2010
This post wasn't planned, but I went to the show last wendnesday, and it was great. luckily I had my recorder on me then I caught the sound.
Lem Phago is a trio (guitar, bass, drums) from Bern-Switherland. They do a kind of free art rock, maybe free punk maybe something else I don't know. The truth is that their music is very energic and refreshing.
Unfortunatly the sound is not quite good, but the energy is here, isn't it?
Lem phago website / myspace.
DOWNLOAD 11 tracks / 35 min.
19 janvier 2010
Die Bunker, C40, VISA, 1983
First casstte by Die Bunker, french minimal synth, but close to first german or belgian EBM such as DAF or Front 242. Very dark, very cold, the sound of the 80'.
After that, they released 2 other lp, always on legendary french label VISA, in a more "cabaret" way, music for spectacle ... Their entire discography is re-issued by Infrastition.
15 janvier 2010
Emirats du Golf Arabique
Very spiritual and hypnotic music. If you like Muslimgauze you should enjoy this record.
Side A : 1.HEDJAZ NAWA ATHER (Début du Hedjaz) Solo de K'anoum (cithare) 2.KHAWALI (Mariage persan à Bahrain) Djerba, Tabul (tambour), Tambourins 3.MUSIQUE DE MARIAGE Tamboura avec accompagnement de tambours et ceinture en sabots de chèvres 4.SABA (Tristesse) Solo de Ney (Flûte) 5.AZF MONFARID FALA - Solo d'A'ud (Luth) 6.LAWA, musique de fête, Surneay et tambourins
Side B : 1.MARIAGE A ABU DHABI Haban et gros tambour 2.LA BRANCHE D'OR - Solo d'A'ud (Luth) 3. HEDJAZ - Solitude du désert, Solo de Neay (Flûte) 4.FOLKLORE DE L'ILE DE BAHRAIN K'anoum, Neay, A'ud et 2 Merwas (tambourins)
12 janvier 2010
UT, Early Live Life, Blast First, Lp, 1987
UT is a New York No Wave classic's band formed in 1978. This lp presents live recordings from 1979 to 1985.
Side A : 1-Fire In Philadelphia (NYC, 1985) 2-Brink Over Chicken (CBGB, 1979) 3-Surgery (London, 1983) 4-Ampheta Speak (NYC, 1980) 5-While I Wait (NYC, 1980) 6-Mouse Sleep (NYC, 1980) 7-Sharp's Loose (CBGB, 1979)
Side B : 1-This Bliss (NYC, 1981) 2-No Manifesto (CBGB, 1981) 3-Feed (London, 1983) 4-Limbo (Brighton, 1982)
Liners notes : "These are live recordings and there is distortion".
09 janvier 2010
Jeffrey Lewis, 12 Crass Songs, Rough Trade, CD, 2007
Jeffrey Lewis (site / myspace) takes an important part of the New York "no folk" scene. In 2007 he realised an entire album of crass cover, his aim : to play crass in a more accessible way to "bring the songs out into the light". He is also a cartoonist, here is the story of that album (click to oversize):
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
Today, I propose you to download either this album of covers, or the originals ones wich makes a good crass comp.
Trackslist:
END RESULT (feeding of the 5,000 - maxi 1978)
I AIN'T THICK, IT'S JUST A TRICK (station of the crass - 2xlp 1979)
SYSTEMATIC DEATH (penis envy - lp 1981)
THE GASMAN COMETH
(station of the crass)
BANNED FROM THE ROXY (feeding of the 5,000)
WHERE NEXT COLOMBUS ? (penis envy)
DO THEY OWE US A LIVING ? (feeding of the 5,000)
SECURICOR (feeding of the 5,000)
DEMOnCRATS (station of the crass)
BIG A, LITTLE A (Nagasaki Nightmare - ep 1980)
PUNK IS DEAD (feeding of the 5,000)
WALLS (FUN IN THE OVEN) (station of the crass)
DOWNLOAD Jeffrey Lewis - 12 crass song (with all pics)
DOWNLOAD 12 originals CRASS songs (no pics)
BUY some records (penis envy by example, to me the best crass album)
06 janvier 2010
Live announcement : Big City Orchestra 30 years Ultimate Show
Das, former member of phenomenal band Big City Orchestra, has contacted me for a show announcement :
30 years of noise in 3 hours
KFJC PRESENTS:
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA
Thirty Years Of NOISE, In Three Hours.
If ever there were a BCO show to see, it would be this one.
Over
20 members spanning the 30-year history of the Orchestra will assemble
at the Cafe Du Nord on January 31, 2010 to perform their favorite BCO
tunes.
Featuring puppets, an array of artwork and posters from the collective years, exciting visuals and more.... not to be missed.
Date:31 January, 2010 / Time: doors 8pm-show 9pm / Cost:$10
Venue:
Cafe Du Nord
2170 MARKET STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114
bigCityOrchestre web: http://ubuibi.org
For the unlucky who won't able to be there (like me), the show will be netcasted here.
Report, photo, video of their 30th Anniversary European Tour (sept. 2009) here.