fourth world
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Trying to find a nexus point for anything can seem like a fool’s errand at times. Usually, the lines of history get blurry and the waters of memory get murkier. However, in the case of Hidetaro Honjoh’s 散華 (Sange), there are two planes that meet. Here his roots in traditional folk music clearly spring something…
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Spell-binding. I hate to use that term but what else can you use to describe Nachiko Tateoka’s 1980 debut, 1st – 薬屋の娘 (or The Daughter of a Pharmacist)? An engrossing, hypnotic, melange of vanguard Japanese pop music treating you to ideas gleaned from spiritual jazz, homegrown folk, psychedelia, and next-gen avant prog, seemed the unlikeliest…
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Once again I’m back in front of the tabula rasa. And once again I’m challenged with where to begin. The choice is now obvious, of course, it’s in the ideas of a “new world music” by Chinese composer Cong Su. And it is his soundtrack to the movie 美夢成真 (aka Dreams Come True) that will…
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Nothing lasts forever? If there’s any hope in our current situation, is that all things must end (somehow, some way). Just last year I created a mix touching on music that paid a huge respect to its spiritual leanings. “The Coat Of Many Colors” tried to link our connection with the universal hymn one can…
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It’s not normal for me to phone it in but these aren’t normal times. Yours truly, in case anyone’s wondering, has been under Corona virus quarantine for the past week. In between taking naps, experiencing brain fog, and (in this case) sharing TMI, I’ve taken to going back and listening to my musical “comfort food”…
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I’ve got a confession to make: I rarely dream. I know that’s an odd thing to state but it’s true. When I sleep I find that it’s rare that I can remember my dreams or even if I dreamt at all. Strangely enough, my latest mix for Digging Deep at LYL Radio seems to be…
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I’ve gotta admit. Few albums stump me to describe. Of the few that do, AQ! Ishii’s and Hiroko Taniyama’s 楠劇場 オリジナル・アルバム (Kusunoki Gekijou) must be up there in my personal canon. Much like Mariah’s うたかたの日々/ Utakata No Hibi, Aragon’s self-titled debut, and Godley & Creme’s Consequences, to name a few close brethren, so too does…
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I hate giving you just a taste of anything but Né Ladeiras’s Corsaria has to serve as one today. Ambient and ethereal, Corsaria rightfully belongs in a certain pantheon of Portuguese music, much like the work of Zeca Afonso (and others), trying to bridge that gap between the moorless, Portuguese fado tradition and whatever new…
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In light of everything that is currently happening at the time of this writing, I’d hate to add any dark energy into the world. For times like these, perhaps it’s a good occasion to revisit another work of the trailblazing Hiroki Okano. On ENN, (roughly translating to “circle”), we get to appreciate some of the…
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It goes without saying that this is the silly season for me. While I would like to drop reams upon reams of knowledge on the ins and outs of Ms. Mio Takaki and her New-Tant, unfortunately, I have less time than normal to do so but I’ll do my best. As for those who appreciate…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist mpb neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic