the age of the shrug vol.1

hullo hullo hullo! a quick interruption to post something my brother & i have done together. a mixtape of exotica, funk, soul, jazz, kosmische synths, & heavy psych rock. if you were a fan of my young person's guide to mountaineering mix, then you'll dig this amigos!

much love to my comrade for steering this ship through some heady waters. yr dedication & selection never ceases to impress & inspire me. keep on fighting the good fight.

love,
seymour

The disgrace in bringing in the Fado

Amália Rodrigues' music is often mistaken for Fado itself, such was her importance to the wailful, beautiful Portuguese genre. How fortuitous was destiny to put her and tenor sax giant Don Byas together for a recording session. A single recording session.

That's right, it is said they recorded the entire album -- a superb one, if I may add -- in just one take. Jazz fans will be probably disappointed, as Byas' respect towards Amália's performance made his somewhat timid, but I figure no musical instrument would be a match for the powerful voice of the Queen of Fado.

pw: spooked

It's wrong to create heroes; it's not possible for them to fit the perverse folds of one's imagination.

Well, this marks my 10th post and I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys. You must be tired of Brazilian music, amirite? If so, fortunately I've decided to divert from it a little and dedicate this one to my jefe and accomplice, ryan (I hope you haven't listened to this one already, buddy).

Acknowledging I'm far from being literate in North American music history, it's quite evident, though, how essential John Fahey's sub-chapter was, whether ethnomusicologically or compositionally -- in a similar fashion to Lomax, even though each one excelled in a different field.

I was starting to really get into Cul De Sac (one of my favorites bands until today) when I first heard this album, and having listened to one thing or another from Fahey, I thought it would blow my brains out.

Yeah, I'll admit It wasn't quite like that. This is something you'll probably read around there: at a first listen, the album doesn't sound exactly a collaboration, but a Fahey/Cul De Sac split, with no real interaction between them. I listened to a couple of songs and kinda gave up.

But just like with alcohol, when I got older -- and after getting more in touch with Fahey's works -- I gave it another try and suddenly felt something very compelling about it. And then I would find the missing jigsaw piece [for those who owned a physical copy of the disc *cough*, this was no secret at all]: Glenn Jones' liner notes on making the album. One would argue that music should speak for itself, which I agree in some extent, but sometimes music simply isn't big enough to embrace the life which surrounds it. As Fahey would put, through Jones, "recording is an opportunity to be in touch with his inner self and his emotions", and likewise, notes are somewhat a more intelligible way to translate the relationship between the artist and his work.

I'll go so far as saying that reading the piece is equally inspiring as listening to the album, so go ahead, print it, frame it and place it over yr bed.

pw: spooked

The scoutmaster of awesome music

Since my last post was about Dominguinhos, I thought it would be nice posting something of mr. Baden Powell de Aquino too (in august 6th it'd be his birthday). If there's something in my life I deeply regret is missing the opportunity of seeing him playing in my town, as he would eventually become one of my top artists of all time.

Despite being usually associated with bossa nova -- quite demeaning, IMO -- , he was proficient in countless styles, with a rare combination of compositional and technical prowess. This record, his first album I've heard, gives a glimpse of that -- you'll know when you hear his rendition of Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and Consolação's utter madness.

The tracklist is close to perfection, which makes me consider this one of the best live albums ever recorded.

pw: spooked

Little sundays that will be missed

 A friend recently told me that Baião, with its characteristic upbeat, accordion-driven rhythm, is arguably the most Brazilian of all musical styles -- Bossa Nova had Classical music and Jazz infused in its Samba, which in its part was largely derived from African rhythms, and so on. I've had never thought of it, but didn't even bother to do a research. In fact, like in many folk traditions, one of the most definite (and unfortunate) indication of its "purity" must be the lack of a suitable liege to represent its legacy. And that's exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago: we lost the great Dominguinhos (Wikipedia translates literally to "Little Dominic", but I find"Little Sundays" to be more colorful), pupil and protegé of the one appropriately regarded as "The King of Baião", Luiz Gonzaga.

Unfortunately indeed, unlike his master, Dominguinhos never clearly passed the crown to any of his pupils, probably because he just couldn't find one that deserved it. Or perhaps his and Gonzaga's mission, to make Baião known around the world, was already accomplished. Nonetheless, it's not like we won't miss him, eh?

About the album, I've gladly discovered it while writing this post. It's from a popular live TV show -- there are short interviews between songs --, with Dominguinhos on the accordion, one playing the triangle and another on the zabumba drum. Raw and heartwarming, just like you'll still hear in the remotest desert-like corners of the Brazilian northeast.

pw: spooked

ps. this song he co-wrote with Gilberto Gil is one of the most beautiful Brazilian songs I know. It's a shame there isn't a remotely proper way to translate it.

Una palabra de cuatro letras

This one's a personal favourite, a perfect soundtrack for the earliest hours of the day. Even though the good-looking Eydie Gormé doesn't have any Spanish heritage -- Italian Jewish dad and Turkish mum --, she managed to record a top-notch bolero album, with an aid from the legendary Trio Los Panchos. A charming and pleasing album, romantic but not too corny -- very appropriate for making an impression on las chicas, of course.

pw: spooked

Most concerts of traditional Japanese music is attended by old men and women with no teeth

The post title was taken from the liner notes of this album, and something you'd imagine John Zorn would write -- he also produced it. While I don't fully agree, Gagaku probably wasn't very known outside Japan by the 80's at all, so going to NY was a smart move for the young and ambitious Shamisen player Michihiro Sato. In fact, there wasn't a better place for him to be, since he was starting to trail the free improv path -- a trail with no shape, that is. The stellar cast -- Tom Cora, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, to name a few -- indicates how auspicious this meeting came to be.


pw: spooked

From Merrie Melodies to Basslines Generators

Sorry for the delay, chaps, this week's been a busy one. As a compensation, I'll share the fantastic collection of bleeps and bloops by the maestro Raymond Scott. He was to radio what -- ryan's and our beloved -- Suzanne Ciani was to television, composing many tracks using only LFOASDR in all its glory, promoting analog synthesizers while contributing to its development as well.  

His Jazz work is excellent too. Perhaps I'll post it here eventually.

Oh, one of his sons recently finished a documentary on his life, which I'm eager to watch. Buy the DVD, kids.

One more thing, the title song is arguably one of the most lovely tunes created on a sequencer.


part one
part two
pw: spooked (added in the zip file too)

Lloyd Miller, Dr. and wheatgrass juice advocate

I could spend a considerable amount of time writing about Dr. Lloyd Miller and many of his anecdotes, like the time he was scheduled to play at Woodstock but didn't make it due to helicopter logistics -- he was paid, though --, and his rant on E natural, but what for? The brah is a fucking living legend, having devoted his entire life to eastern music, particularly Persian -- from where the "Dr." came. Devotion is such that he completely despises any "modern" genres such as Rock, Hip-Hop, Electronic, etc, despite having recorded with The Heliocentrics in 2010 (terrific album, btw). A well-deserved statement for someone who, it's said, can play close to a hundred of different instruments. This treat -- which is not the East-West release -- is an early compilation of several singles and EPs. We salute you, doc.

pw: spooked

Yeah scrubs

I'm posting this because: a - I've been re-hearing it all week; b - everybody else should as well. Clinic is a tricky band. They've created such a distinctive sound that it's quite difficult to notice the nuances between their records -- about 10 so far --, thus giving the impression that they might've gotten engulfed by it. To be honest, I couldn't cope well with frustration and had kind of given up since Winchester Cathedral. The most recent one, Free Reign, was ok, although it was Daniel Lopatin's version that made it worth. Perhaps this collaboration could lead to more interesting outputs in the future. Meanwhile, Internal Wrangler is more than you'll need to root for this guys.

pw: spooked

A preamble to dr. LM

This one isn't exactly novel [within the blogoverse] nor as exotic as it might look. John Berberian is an Armenian-descendent born and raised in NY. Notwithstanding, he managed to become an authority in the Oud (worth mentioning his father was an accomplished player himself), bringing considerable western attention to the instrument and middle eastern music in general. This record is probably the most accessible and delightful one, with all the honours. I can't find a single moment in the album that I dislike.

pw: spooked

ps. for the scrobbler chaps, I've given up finding an ideal way to tag his albums.

Home is the farthest place from home

Choosing the first post was though, but I thought it would be nice to honour my Braziland -- nothing to do with football, I swear. Y'all probably have read something about the protests bursting around here, after a long democratic slumber. Without getting too much in-depth, the greatest victory was, indeed, actually going out to the streets and claiming the right to do so. It wasn't always like this until recently, tough.

Fernando Falcão was an active voice against the military regime, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. And like many of other libertarian artists, like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, he was forced to seek exile in another country. He chose France, where he eventually met his wife and made a life for himself. It was also the place where he recorded Memória das Águas (Water Recollections) along with dozens of excellent musicians (ryan and fellow Blacklodgers will probably recognize Raymond Guiot from Jazz Baroque Quintet). An absolute masterpiece on percussion and mood building.

The urge to write a long(er) essay about the album -- and how unfair history has treated it -- is almost unbearable. Just hear it for yourselves, guys.


oh, I've added a password in the mediafire link: spooked. Won't hurt being extra careful these days eh

intro

hello, fellow spookcity residents and vagrants. I'm the one entrusted to keep the sounds coming on, not without questioning my competence on the duty and trying to dissuade our good buddy ryan from leaving in the first place. while I can't guarantee amusing and spot-on descriptions like his, I promise to do my best in contributing to the fine assortment of sounds he collected here. until he's back full-force, of course.

namaste

so long & farewell.

after more than a year of this, i'm walking away from spookcity. i have lost interest in the internet, & spend much more of my time outside instead of in front of a screen these days. i'll be handing the reins over to the quite capable hands of a brasilian compatriot of mine. thanks for following this humble blog amigos.

for my final post, here is a mix i have been working on for the last month or two now. there are inferior versions of this floating around, this is the final mix. a lot of hard work & love went into this one. think of this as a response to brother flash's exotiste mixes. screwed library, funk & soundtrack jams for summer afternoons when the heat is heavy & lazy dust motes float through hazy shafts of sunlight.

thank you, & good night.

saturnin rhythms.

based benin funk workouts.

technological slavery.

more desert blues for my main man mike.

beat boutique.

the spanish end of yeh yeh. fun sunny pop for summertime!

sun ship.

This is one of those albums that encapsulates the very raison d'etre of a reissue label like Finders Keepers, or Trunk for that matter. John Hill's Six Moons Of Jupiter is a dizzying cocktail of avant-garde jazz, cosmic psychedelia and electronic experimentation, intermittently augmented by the poetry of Susan Christie who recites text over parts of certain tracks. There are drum-fuelled beat tracks like 'Io' or the David Axelod-like 'Amalthea', and then there's some woozy, electroacoustic soundscaping on the hazy, effects-laden 'Ganymede', all of which are ideal fodder for library hounds, but 'Callisto' and 'Elara' mark the real creative peaks here, eschewing the kind of exotica-appeal that tends to taint reissues with a hint of kitsch. The latter of these compositions draws a certain amount of influence from Messaien's Turangalila Symphonie in its ambitious, often erratic harmonies and its mingling of conventional and electronic instrumentation. The album is capped off with an alternate, instrumental rendition of 'Europa', which it has to be said, benefits from the absence of Christie's reading - which itself is isolated as a final piece on the album, 'I Am The Storm Of Dawn'. This amazing concept album will undoubtedly appeal greatly to anyone who fell under the spell of Jean-Claude Vannier's L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches and generally to followers of weird and wondeful musics from the archicives. Wonderful stuff - Essential Purchase. - boomkat (sorry, i have to leave for work so i have to use their description)

amazing avant future library cosmic jazz. this is a mind warper.

a profound hatred of man.

for those days when you want to destroy civilization.

still in our dreaming.

avant garde nu classical... drone pieces & cut ups on first cd. second cd is long form guitar meditations. get on it.

pt. 1

&

pt. 2