Tuning in Around the World: November 2008
Posted by Jesse Coy on 11.11.2008
The first edition of this column takes you to France (with Akim El Sikameya), Sweden (with Dungen), Ethiopia (with Dub Colossus), Ghana (with Seprewa Kasa), and Japan (with Shugo Tokumaru).
T U N I N G
I N
A R O U N D
T H E
W O R L D
Intro… the situation was simple. Through my good European friend, Victorella, I started getting some music passed my way that was not of this tongue. The language wasn't English. It's world music we're talking here. In some ways, I felt out of my league. How can I make full reviews on some of this stuff without blathering on like an idiot about exotic instruments whose origins I didn't fully know, or some exquisite and cherished cultural sound to which I would surely do an injustice were I just to ramble, ramble, RAMBLE…
(I'm on Starship Exile nowadays, so I have time to ramble)…
For sure there's someone who would call my bluff, who is far more qualified than me to preside over a sampling of world music once every month or so, right? But then, I got to thinking… damn, my feet have been upon many a country around this globe. We're at fifty-six countries and counting. Furthermore, foreign music, especially stuff not sung in English, appeals to me. If the lyrics are stupid, I'll probably never know. I can't understand it. Instead, I'll focus on the actual music. And with world music, what fascinates me the most is what fascinates me to a similar degree about travel.
You have all the same basic blocks that make up a people and a culture. They aren't too different from country to country, these basic building blocks. What creates such variation is how they are combined or reconfigured. That's what makes it fascinating. So, too, is the same for world music. Here are some of the same building blocks, just entirely restructured. Or…
…shut the hell up and get on with it, right? Yes. Here's your ticket and itinerary for this edition of…
T U N I N G I N A R O U N D T H E W O R L D
Who… AKIM EL SIKAMEYA
Where in the World… France
Album… Introducing series
General… the musician here is Algerian, but has been living in France since the mid-90's. As a result, the overall impression of this CD is that it feels like a crossroad of cultures. I can certainly identify Akim's voice as being of an Arab type, with a higher range at times, and that sort of quiver I associate with maybe Middle Eastern or North African music. But then you have the blend. At times, the instruments are those stringed variety I'd pick as sounding Arab, but then there's a lot of traditional European instruments thrown into the blend. To top it off, the beat is often of a Latin or maybe Spanish sort. All of the parts come together in such a way as to belong together, making a unified sound, despite being from different cultural groups.
Standouts… the opener, "Chouia L'Mon Coeur" is a good way to start things off. There's that Latin beat I mentioned, some stringed instruments that sound North African, and Akim's unique vocal style, delivered in French. The fifth track, "Ma Chaude Comme Le Braise," is a rip-roaring gypsy sounding track, the sort whose tempo continues to get faster and faster and faster.
Who… DUNGEN
Where in the World… Sweden
Album… 4
General… this is actually their fifth album. I say "they," but musically, both in writing and recording, it sounds to be nearly all Gustav Ejstes. As far as foreign music goes, it's definitely not ethnic world music. This is psychedelic rock, which would probably sit well beside your early Pink Floyd, Iron Butterfly, or Cream albums. If I didn't know it came out this year, I might be easily tricked into thinking it was recorded back then. It's drippy, jammy, and trippy. And I mean that in a good way. The piano is a pretty important component throughout many of the tracks. I like this best when the guitar is let loose and allowed to get that big jam sound.
Standouts… the sixth track, "Fredag," is a good example of one of the spacey, instrumental jam tracks that are sprinkled throughout this one. The piano and guitar play against each other, the piano rhythm based, and the guitar occasionally unrestrained and able to let loose. The eighth track, "Mina Damer Och Fasaner" starts off quite sweetly, but has a nice, dark, chugging riff. I think the vocals fit best on this one.
Who… DUB COLOSSUS
Where in the World… Ethiopia
Album… A Town Called Addis
General… Dub Colossus is the nickname of English music producer, Nick Page. The gist of this release is the merging of traditional Ethiopian sounds and music with the style of dub and reggae associated with Jamaica. "Addis," for the world travelers out there is in reference to the capital of the nation, Addis Ababa. My exposure to dub and reggae is limited to Bob Marley (and yes, I'm talking more than just Legends, his greatest hits album) (I've been to his final resting grounds in Jamaica, too), the Bad Brains (punk reggae hybrid), the Clash (who periodically dabbled in dub), PIL (more dub dabbling), the Slits, and other Two-Tone artists from the 80's. As for this release, all of the things I liked and like in what I've heard of dub is contained here. At times, the melodies can be very haunting. I'm speaking specifically of the guitar and horn work. Couple that with the stamp left on the material by the Ethiopian artists who are key components to this release, and you have a very unique sound. Many of the tracks feature female vocals… famous throughout not only their home country, but also the entire region. I'm a sucker for female vocalists with this dub style (such as those from some of the Two-Tone acts, or the Slits). So it's just perfect on this album.
Standouts… "Sima Eda" became an immediate favorite, the main vocalist being male, but that background chorus provided by the three women vocalists, very catchy. I just wait to hear it punched in again and again. The closing track, the instrumental "Mercato Music," has horn work that reminds me of John Zorn. It's a sleek, dark, frantic rambler that conjures up mad night prowling. I could picture listening to this while cruising around at 2am through some abandoned city.
Who… SEPREWA KASA
Where in the World… Ghana
Album… Seprewa Kasa
General… so it's the name of the instrument as well as the band. The seprewa, from the pictures I see of it, sort of looks like a guitar. It's a box shaped base, and the strings are attached from there to the long handle. There are three seprewa players on this release. Apparently, it's an instrument that was almost lost, currently being rediscovered for its unique tonal qualities. It sort of sounds to me like a harpsichord. The sound of the music on this one is very ethnic, as opposed to some of the other releases in this column, which tend to go for a hybrid sound. It's acoustic. The percussion is shaker rhythms. The overall effect is a pretty relaxed or relaxing release.
Standouts… a lot of the tracks here have a similar feel to them. I guess if any one really stands out for me, it might be the title track, "Seprewa Kasa." I think a xylophone type instrument is added to the mix.
Who… SHUGO TOKUMARU
Where in the World… Japan
Album… Exit
General… this is a third album by this musician, who is also a member of a Japanese pop act, the Gellers. There is quite a range of instruments at play on this release, some traditional in nature, some quite unconventional. It makes it rather difficult to pin down the nature of the sound. The closest I've heard to this sort of thing before might be Mr. Bungle. There's a playful quirkiness, aided no doubt by some very different drum instruments, which give me the impression of wind-up toys in a toy factory running amok. This one was labeled as pop, which I find to be far too vague and simple a label for what I'm hearing. It would be as though Frank Zappa were labeled as a pop rocker. In other words, I'm paying this release a pretty big compliment.
Standouts… I particularly like "Clocca," which is a perfect example of the range of varying and unusual instruments used on this release. On the surface, it's quite the happy ditty, although there's a darker refrain that appears in the beginning, and later, carries the song to its conclusion, played concurrently with the happier melody. "Button" has throughout a monotonous, wind-up toy clank of a percussion line as its backbone that rarely varies. Yet it ushers in a series of very upbeat and varying progressions.
There you have it. If you have any specific questions about these releases, don't hesitate to send me a message. Otherwise, and until next time… HAPPY TRAVELS!
