ambient / electronic / experimental / noise
Here in Belgium, as in most parts of Europe, the Americas and Australia, we know many different musical styles. From autotuned R&B to blackened doom metal and everything in between. If it's possible, it exists, that's the basic idea here. Yet, in all our musical indulgence we often seem to forget that there are other areas with a surprisingly varied musical scene. In the past, we have seen bands from unexpected places, like tiny villages in Siberia or crushing death metal from Iraq. Yet, the public opinion about Africa, music wise, is this: rhythmic, repetitive drums and weird chants, which pretty much explains why the sound of Die Antwoord is far from original.
Anyway, who else than Raffaele Pezzella to dive into that vast continent and come back with some amazing tunes. Pezzella can be seen as the Steve Irwin of underground music: searching for the rarest gems and showing them to the world with the upmost respect and admiration. This continent is another baffling example of Pezzella's perseverance and passion. The compilation contains fourteen tracks, each one a unique piece of music. I'm not going to describe all of them. I'll leave the joy of discovering to you. But there are some jewels I'd like to pick out.
FRKTL delivered the opening track, one which immediately puts you in your place as far as your knowledge about African music goes. The opener, titled 'Hverfa af himni heiðar stjörnur' apparently puts everything back to Germany, more specifically the Berlin School. Klaus Schülze and Tangerine Dream clearly come to mind here. I wasn't expecting that so I was pleasantly surprised. A few interesting acts follow, combining ambient with traditional instruments and melodies. Fans of acts like Zoviet France might be interested. Flashes of dark ambient, drones, jazz and noise give the respective tracks their own identity. Some are beautiful, others plain weird.
Healer Oran is one of those act that deals in strangeness. Traditional chants and drums seem to have been processed through an array of effects which gives the track 'TaP{-' a somewhat unsettling atmosphere.Abdellah M. Hassak comes up with immersive drones and ritual vocals. His cooperative track 'Yearnings Complacency (feat Aziz Nadif)' brings some works of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to mind. I think that's a pretty neat compliment. In_o 's track '(J. Krishnamurti)' is a glitchy piece of electronics, excelling in minimalism and a pitch black atmosphere.
Then there is the bewildering closer of AMET and the confusing track 'Imposer Le Savoir'. This is definitely one for fans of musique concrete and everything avant garde. It's an adventurous finale for an adventurous compilation, one I will recommend to every fan of unusual, abstract and enigmatic music. Pezzella has done his ultimate best again, resulting in a mesmerizing set of odd tunes to enjoy.
Serge
Anyway, who else than Raffaele Pezzella to dive into that vast continent and come back with some amazing tunes. Pezzella can be seen as the Steve Irwin of underground music: searching for the rarest gems and showing them to the world with the upmost respect and admiration. This continent is another baffling example of Pezzella's perseverance and passion. The compilation contains fourteen tracks, each one a unique piece of music. I'm not going to describe all of them. I'll leave the joy of discovering to you. But there are some jewels I'd like to pick out.
FRKTL delivered the opening track, one which immediately puts you in your place as far as your knowledge about African music goes. The opener, titled 'Hverfa af himni heiðar stjörnur' apparently puts everything back to Germany, more specifically the Berlin School. Klaus Schülze and Tangerine Dream clearly come to mind here. I wasn't expecting that so I was pleasantly surprised. A few interesting acts follow, combining ambient with traditional instruments and melodies. Fans of acts like Zoviet France might be interested. Flashes of dark ambient, drones, jazz and noise give the respective tracks their own identity. Some are beautiful, others plain weird.
Healer Oran is one of those act that deals in strangeness. Traditional chants and drums seem to have been processed through an array of effects which gives the track 'TaP{-' a somewhat unsettling atmosphere.Abdellah M. Hassak comes up with immersive drones and ritual vocals. His cooperative track 'Yearnings Complacency (feat Aziz Nadif)' brings some works of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to mind. I think that's a pretty neat compliment. In_o 's track '(J. Krishnamurti)' is a glitchy piece of electronics, excelling in minimalism and a pitch black atmosphere.
Then there is the bewildering closer of AMET and the confusing track 'Imposer Le Savoir'. This is definitely one for fans of musique concrete and everything avant garde. It's an adventurous finale for an adventurous compilation, one I will recommend to every fan of unusual, abstract and enigmatic music. Pezzella has done his ultimate best again, resulting in a mesmerizing set of odd tunes to enjoy.
Serge
