Diego Olivas

Lins & Ford: Lonely Shadow (1986)

2018/08/28

This post might be shorter on info than what I’m accustomed to adding, but it’s not for lack of trying. Lins & Ford’s Lonely Shadow, a record with a miniscule pressing, released decades ago on an independent German label set outside of Dortmund, doesn’t particularly lend itself to much (if any!) information to sift through.…
Tsugutoshi Goto: City Trickles: 街の雫 (1984)

2018/08/24

Simply impressive. What else is there to say about Tsugutoshi Goto’s City Trickles: 街の雫? Most double-LP’s suffer under the weight of their own reach, but the best one’s justify their length due to the sheer scope of that maker’s vision. And boy does Tsugutoshi Goto have one here. From neck-snapping electro, out-there fusion to impressive…
Mushi & Lakansyel: Koté Ou (1983)

2018/08/21

There’s something special about Haitian zouk music, if you look in the right place. Mushi & Lakansyel’s Koté Ou, much like the cover suggests, is a meditation on the intimate and quite unique musical style of this Caribbean nation. A product of all the touchstone influences that have set foot in Haiti — latin, French,…
Robin Scott & Shikisha: Jive Shikisha! (1984)

2018/08/17

It’s always a good sign when you’re out of step with whatever’s out there. Someone who really lived this idea was one Robin Scott. Robin Scott & Shishika’s Jive Shishika! was a curious release that got shelved by a company who had no idea what to think of it. Before Paul Simon’s Graceland or Peter…
Tony Esposito: Tamburo (1982)

2018/08/14

Let’s unwind for a moment. When I haven’t been busy occupying my days with writing, my mind and body has literally been going to the beach to unwind. Somehow, I’ve lucked out and am living the coastal lifestyle (without actually living on any sea coast). While I would say it takes a change of mind…
Febian Reza Pane: Dreams Of Ganesha (1995)

2018/08/10

How much are we a product of our past? It’s those thoughts that were floating through pianist Febian Reza Pane’s mind when he created Dreams Of Ganesha. From the first piano note you hear played to the last sustained note your hear ringing, instant memories of the deeply inward “jazz” music of Keith Jarrett start…
Ziad Rahbani: Houdou Nisbi (1984)

2018/08/07

First, a huge thanks to Kyle for sharing this wonderful album with me. Too smooth for a Disco Tehran party he dj’ed, I can understand why he thought its sound might be appreciated elsewhere. From the first moment you put on Ziad Rahbani’s Houdou Nisbi (زياد الرحباني) you feel an instant pull that just floors…
Masahiro Sugaya: The Long Living Things (Zoo Of The Sea) (1988)

2018/08/03

Masahiro Sugaya has always been an interesting composer. Based in Tokyo, it’s been his music that’s soundtracked dance theater group Pappa TARAHUMARA’s most known works. Masahiro’s music draws from a mix of minimal, ambient, world, and Japanese traditional styles. So, no one album or song can perfectly distill how varied (in mood and sound) each…
Lino Capra Vaccina: L’Attesa (1992)

2018/07/31

In a not-so-recent interview with Vice Italy, Lino Capra Vaccina laments that out of his recently reissued work we’re missing most of the picture of what he was trying to do. While Antico Adagio was one of these wonderful totems of Italian minimalism, it wasn’t until a decade, or so, later, in the mega rare…
Seigen Ono: The Green Chinese Table (1988)

2018/07/27

This one is a bit special. Last we heard from Seigen, he was introducing us to his very jazz-influenced take on Japanese New Age music. On the follow up to that epic debut, The Green Chinese Table, we find Seigen dividing his time up between recording sessions in Tokyo and New York City. It’s impossible…