4/24/12

Jamiila - Songs from a Somali city

Songs from Baraawe — These recordings were conducted in the Eighties in the streets of Baraawe (or Brava, a few kilometres from Mogadiscio); they are little gems of popular african music. As in major areas of the horn, Arab and Asian influences are very strong, the guitar is played like the ’ud and the vibes of Bollywood trill through a small flute. Most surprising is however the free use of a small electric Casio-type organ and of its cheap drum machine, which gives quite a "video games" feeling to this rudimentary and totally unheard Taarab.
— Original Music {OMA 107} / 1987 —

4/10/12

Saw Le Aung

Picked-up on a market in the north of Burma where it was unreservedly played on a loudspeaker, this tape is the recording of a young boy known as Saw Le Aung (from what I got as tranlsation), singing solo on an electric mandoline. His tunes are pretty cheerful with subtle variations of tones and attacks. The recording will enrapture lovers of repetitive musics and children voices, and those also keen on modern versions of traditional mountain tribes music from the area, such as the lao-thaï Mo Lam.
Listen to some excerpts here.