URCKarm Recordings
V.A. : Post-Asiatic Lost War Music
-a compilation of eastern influenced experimental music -2cd- (US,2007)***°'
With the upcoming growth of the Arab world, Chinese economy and the importance of India for world administration, and dealing with a long-prepared tendency to conquer the world in order to feel accepted, or just in the name of growth, with the help of oil-related conditions that forced governments and kings secretly to accept easier the “war with the fertile wombs”, a deliberate process which increased the number of Islamic (as well as Jewish) people in areas all around the world, with for Islam its irreversible results, it is also the best time for creative persons not only to leave in the growth of this process ruled by ‘economic’ reasons and in benefit of total ‘independency-with-its-own-nature’ ; it is in this context almost a wishful task for creative persons, to adapt more to the feeling for the whole heritage of cultural richness, to enrich the possibilities with it, in this too fast growing economic and independency-seeking change, that wants to grow so much faster than it is possible to achieve it often falls back on its primitive aggressive nature, while those who are lucky to achieve some progress only takes part of such a globalizing culture that might forget the depth of all the former inner cultural processes. Those who are so much focused on the processes of change for personal benefits are no longer so much processed with depth, with the communicative and spontaneously developed possibilities of its culture, in its own times and natural needs, with communicative intelligence and with the acceptance of creative spontaneity, so that post-colonialism does not get the chance to be balanced by culture. I guess it is a much better idea that other musicians, from here, do that work of adapting the factor of spontaneous mix with interest, because these musicians tend not only to be able to feel the common roots from where they stand and maintain its still available sources. They could also revive anything new to their own opening up, personal worlds. What isn’t more close to a western typed/felt hypnotic pleasure than the influence of Middle Eastern rhythms, of Indian trance-droning sitars, of Tibetan overtones, of Eastern dreams for romantism ; what is more missed than the far-east charming innocence and every colourful exotism. All these additions feel natural for adaptation, because these qualities are still rare here and also therefore, like expensive spices still greatly appreciated.
The inspiration is not always too direct. The first source is often the eastern instruments which many of these groups used. The label compiled this album obviously very carefully and it is perfectly compiled for a great listen, with some red wires, certain slow changes and perfect alternation with five short fragments in between the tracks, of local Indian environmental recordings were taken from an album called “Indian Soundscapes”. Another red wire is the use of acoustic percussive instruments, mostly combined with electronica and certain more experimental processes or approaches. Not all of the tracks are equally recognisable as being inspired by the east, but then the tiny bits of percussion mostly makes them all hang together well. Especially Neung Phak is known to play direct inspirations from far-east (Thai) music, and also The Venerable Showers plays clearly with gamelan. Many groups have much their own idea and feelings of how Middle Eastern/Eastern/Indian or even with elements of Africa are felt in their own way of post-world experimental music (Auto Da Fe,The Hop-Frog groups, the Amps For Christ track and so on).
The track by the Forgotten Fish Memory Orchestra sounds very much like inspiration from Chinese theatre, chamber-music, with a Chinese sounding rhythm on wooden block and temple-like bells, violin, amplified guitar or bass, and an arrangement with an eastern clarinet-like whistle instrument, and then suddenly a few strange small touches of distorted sounds. Added to this are a few strange small distorted sounds. (I have reviewed some of their albums later here). Amps for Christ is most known for such an approach of acoustic music, distorted by noise (some previous releases are reviewed on next page->). Their track is heavily arranged, sounds more like moody trance-dance drone-psychedelia, played with tons of sitar-like instruments (electric sitar, sibanjar, dulsitar), distorted guitar, something that sounds a bit like like violin (wheel bow ?), what sounds a bit like glass percussion (cookie can collection?) and should also have some bass, oscillator and Spline Axel (?). Also Hop Frog’s Drum Jester Devotional sounds psychedelic, and played a track led by electric saz, with trance-semi-acoustic rhythms and programmed textured rhythmic sounds. (Some of their albums are reviewed here). Pyramids on Mars is different, but the album evolves and is mixed perfectly into their track. This is darker like post-waverock track, is with hand percussive rhythms, with not happy but neutralizing vocals, singing something that reminds of the word Allah bit isn’t. After a longer environmental track from “Indian Soundscapes”, the track by Volcanosis sounds like a simple Turkish-like improvisation on guitar, with a hand percussive repetition on frame drum and buffalo drum. More experimental is Bill Horist’s track, with an improvisation on electric bow (a bit eastern, semi-or post- but distorted in nature), with electronic bleeps as echoes. The C.O.T.A. track after this fits well but steps away even a bit further from the east, with its sequenced and reverb rhythms, while it is produced on eastern semi-acoustically processed percussive instruments, like the kyobanggo from Korea, daf from Iran and zils from Middle East, combined with a Roland SH-1 and a gong. Neung Phak plays real Thai ethno-folk in a folk-rock covering way, and gives a great experienced Americanised vision on Thai originality. Refrigerator Mother from the Hop-Frog experienced musicians in a reinterpretation of the east/Middle East recorded a Middle Eastern clarinet tune, which is combined with rhythmically remixed vocal samples and real singing (by Jewelie Off) and Middle Eastern percussion (Carl F.Off). This is a rhythmically, moody track which added electronic soundsthat fit perfectly within these rhythmical feelings. This flows beautifully into the gamelan track by The Venerable Showers Of Beautiful Gamelan with the Lewis & Clark Gamelan players. This seems to be based on a true gamelan piece; I am not absolutely sure what is changed or contemporary in this. After another environmental recording from India (a funny one with railway station announcements with a keyboard tune), a harsher rhythmical track from Muslimgauze is added. This is a bit emptier with descriptiveness, and is a cold wave danceable train-like rhythm with a certain complexity, a track which is good that it’s near the end of the first CD. This group is associated with its concerns on Palestine and always has some related political-inclusive effort or vague agenda being part of their musical inspirations and fears. Of course this fits well enough with the quieter dark electronic/experimental/dark “erotic” vocal sample and vocal breathing track by Ramona Ponzini & Z’Ev. This has a few touches of percussion samples, reverb sounds, is ghost-like for it and extremely dark. Also here I am not sure how as an inspiration this fits in well, except that the last word was in Japanese. Oh yes, I almost forgot: Japan is also part of the east, although this island has many different stories and connections and developments compared to many other countries generally associated with the East.
While Soriah’s track sounds like it has some Tuvan overtone singing, it says this is a Nahuatl chant (=Aztec, old Mexican), accompanied by frame drum, cymbals (Soriah), singing bowl (Joanthan), played as if it’s electronically processed, a track with a certain rhythmical evolution. Auto Da Fe is the next group who have their own experience in playing in semi-middle eastern mode, with an acid folk association (review of one of their releases on next page). Also Kamilsky’s track has a certain rhythmical drive, and is performed by sitar, keyboards, strange synth sounds, bass, djembe, sounds a bit like trance-psychedelia with these weird, not really absolutely necessary elements. Weird is the original Burma recording after this, because it almost sounds experimental, a combination of slightly chaotic (mono recording ?) ethnic percussion, bits of vocals shouts, festivity music, wild and a bit uncompromising with its keyboard-like chimes/gamelan (or is it really keyboard? I cannot distinguish it too well), and something like clarinet. Metal Rouge is more like a slowed down personal ritual, which has a slight industrial environment feeling because the total of sounds feel lost in a big recording environment, until most of it becomes like droning echoes, full distortion. Baba Larriji (AKA Larry Thrasher, known from many cooperations with Psychic TV) mixes middle east and Indian sounds with kind of post-80s dance wave rhythms, like slow beat jungle electro, with for world-music typical wordless echoing vocals, a constant tanpura drone, spoken word nonsense on eternal things, and a few sarod touches ? This is rhythmically interesting. The guitar used has some surf-effect. Post-worldmusic dance music this is. Nequaquam Vacuum’s track clearly is a live improvisation, free music with lots of clicking rhythms on percussion of metal and plastic mostly, and colourful bells. After another public environmental recording in some busy centre in India, a very strange, otherwordly feminine track can be heard, post-Scelsi styled if you like, from Aditti Tahiti, with the reciting of an introverted devotional mantra of some crazy or outsider, mixed with equally crazy, operatic, wordless trance-vocal harmonies, and a threatening droning, fear-evoking harmonium. Weird. The Sikkharta track mixes pygmy sounds (Asiatic??) with what first sound like heavy African percussion (Burundi ?) but I guess this will be Japanese Kodo, mixed with it. With a bit of rather chaotic texturing of more vocals and other things I wonder how much of these recordings were just stolen and mixed and disorientated from their origins, literally how much of this fits in the theme ? Some elements of it, the kind of mix and musically relations, actually makes this fit well. The F-Space track starts calmly with a tampura drone, hand percussion, some reverb drum effect touches, reverb electric guitar, wave electric bass, all a bit somewhat psychedelic, with some dark voice with spoken word, suddenly evolves to rawer psychedelic rock, while continuing with its vocals. Also Sardonik Grin (Llewyn Maire) uses an original recording of Buto theatre (koto, vocals), deforms it completely to a rhythmical new process. This still is a bit chaotic, and mostly the rhythms save the construction. The Moe!Staiano track sounds like a remixed percussive track, but this isn’t true. It is a mad and clever, rather impressive heavy percussive live track made from prepared drums, gongs, roto-toms, ebow, guitar, brass bell, aluminium slates. Very heavy stuff with no overdubs it says. It is good to have some retreat with the recording of a monsoon rain recording just after this, followed by another Burma festival music recording. A nice conclusion is done by Catastrophic Mermaids on Parade. Also this is a deformed original recording, of a solo voice Buddhist chant with impressive overtones. This is mixed with semi-electronic sounds. This isn’t processed in a simple way, because the track evolves further until it creates new rhythmical deformations, forming a different sound process, with additional electronic movements, an interesting new world..(review of a seperate album here).
with homepages of the groups or info :
CD1:
CD1, Tr.2,6,13 : Indian Soundscapes recorded by Charles Powne :
CD2:
Tr.16, Catastrophic Mermaids on Parade : see review here
