Showing posts with label exotica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exotica. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Haruomi Hosono • Tadanori Yokoo ~ Cochin Moon [1978, King, 2005] 320/FLAC





KICS-1139

1. Hotel Malabar Ground Floor …Triangle Circuit On The Sea-Forest… 2:28
2. Hotel Malabar Upper Floor …Moving Triangle… 8:45
3. Hotel Malabar Roof Garden …Revel Attack… 8:58
4. Hepatitis 4:43
5. Hum Ghar Sajan 8:50
6. Madam Consul General of Madras 9:04



Composer - Haruomi Hosono
Keyboards – Shuka Nishihara, Hiroshi Sato, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Programmed By [Computer] – Hideki Matsutake
Artwork - Tadanori Yokoo

'Before performing with Ryuichi Sakamoto in classic Japanese synth pop outfit Yellow Magic Orchestra [or just YMO], producer and onetime session bassist Haruomi Hosono made his share of eclectic music. If you're familiar with YMO, you might imagine he was involved in Kraftwerk-influenced electronic music, or perhaps more traditional pop, but as it happens, he made his name as session bassist and playing in bands like the psychedelic Apryl Fool and folk rockers Happy End-- a far cry from the modernist slant of his reputation in the West. However, he also made a record in 1978 called Cochin Moon with keyboardist Shuka Nishihara, and future YMO bandmates Sakamoto and Hideki Matsutake that is arguably more bizarre and forward thinking than anything he's done since.

Cochin Moon-- co-credited to Pop artist Tadanori Yokoo, who did the incredible Bollywood-style cover art-- is an electro-tropical soundtrack to a fake movie of the same name. That is, there was no film called Cochin Moon, but after visiting India, Hosono was inspired to make music suggesting the exotic, luxurious, and seemingly wonder-filled scenarios played out in Indian cinemas. However, the actual sound he and his cohorts came up with is often a world away from India: Imagine a totally electronic world of chattering bugs, fluttering birds, magic harps and drums that alternate between a thud and a blip. Hosono shares compositional duties with Nishihara, and Sakamoto's playing style is readily on display, as are Matsutake's considerable programming skills. As a historical document to YMO fans, Cochin Moon is interesting; as a slice of out-music stuck somewhere between Tangerine Dream, Wendy Carlos and Disney's Fantasia"

a quick search in the engine reveals that this classic is pretty ubiquitous on the blogosphere, but most everyone seems to be sharing the same source folder. i knew when i embarked upon this blobbing endeavour that eventually eyed share a superior rip of this landmark album of candy coated gloops n' gleeps & that day has finally dawned, so please enjoy the upgrade

Thursday, February 24, 2011

T.K. Ramamoorthy ~ Fabulous Notes & Beats of the Indian Carnatic-Jazz [1969, EM, 2011]



EM1091LP

A1. Gowla
A2. Ranjani
A3. Begada
A4. Mohana
A5. Natta

B1. Udaya Ravu Chandrika
B2. Byag Maya Malava Gowla
B3. Sahana
B4. Kanakangi
B5. Rasikapriya



Musicians taking part in this recording:

[Indian Instruments]

Veena ~ Ch. V. Kameswara Sharma
Gotuvadayam ~ D. Kittapa
Flute ~ K. Sanjeevi
Tabla tharang ~ N.V. Moorthy
Tape ~ J. Dass
Conch [senku] ~ Kuppuswamy
Ghatam ~ S. Narayana Iyer
Mridangam ~ C.P.S. Bhaskar
Chandai & sudha madhalam ~ N.C. Narayanan
Tabla ~ P.S. Lakshmanan
Jalra ~ P. Rajiah
Buyl bul Thara ~ Abubaker

[Western Instruments]

Bass clarinet ~ Varadharajan & Ganesan
Saxophone ~ Erric & Willy Horn
Piano ~ S. Ramalingam alias Babu
Guitar ~ Sadanadan
Double bass ~ P.I. Johnson
Trmpet ~ Newzealand
Drums ~ Tony D'Costa
Bongo ~ P.S. Lakshmanan



'Sly, syncretic combination of Carnatic raga & bachelor-pad lounge. Gossamer background blends worthy of any Esquivel record, snazzy licks on unique instruments, and a lilting, almost blushing sense of swing. Ramamoorthy is a violin player from Tamil Nadu. Like many large cities, Chennai has it's own film industry: Kollywood- named after the neighborhood where the studios are, Kodambakkam. Traditionally, it's known as a center for regional language movies (Telugu, Malayalam, etc), and by far the most famous composer from the area is Ilaiyaraaja. From 1952-65, Ramamoorthy was the elder songwriting partner of the more famous harmonium player and 'King of Light Music' MS Viswanathan (who seems to've played a fast Mort Shuman to his salt-of-the-earth Doc Pomus). Ramamoothy is still around, and recently gave expert singing advice (while wearing a kurta & missing half his teeth) on the Tamil answer to American Idol.' ~ weirdo

perch merch

likely me fav reish this year, which sez a lot i fink. this slab achieves errything you might hope to hear from such a promising title & remains uniquely true to carnatic melodies. one of john zorn's personal faves too, apparently. 320 snakey rips later