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aapatsos View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Prog and oriental music
    Posted: July 31 2009 at 16:34
I always wanted to discuss this subject

Coming from a country with strong oriental influences in music (Greece) I am always excited when listening to music - and prog in particular - that resembles to oriental/eastern sounds. I believe it gives a different ''spice'' to the prog sound, making it even more innovative.


So in brief

Do you hear oriental influences in prog music - and if yes where?

Would you like to hear more oriental bits in prog compositions?

What are some interesting (or favourite) prog pieces entailing oriental influences?

What would you recommend to a prog fan who would like to explore this aspect of his music?



My limited knowledge of prog only allows me to comment on prog metal; several tunes by Opeth for example or Orphaned Land (the latter derive from the east anyway) reproduce these enchanting eastern sounds...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2009 at 16:38
Roots to Branches by Jethro Tull
Rajaz by Camel
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2009 at 16:53
Have you tried Raga/Indo-Prog?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2009 at 20:13
King Crimson's 'Larks Toungue in Aspic'
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 31 2009 at 22:02
Do you hear oriental influences in prog music - and if yes where?
- Quite often, be it "Kashmir" by LZ, some Spanish bands (MEDINA AZAHARA, MEZQUITA), Italians like INDACO, Rodolfo Maltese (he is not on PA yet), some FABRIZIO DE ANDRE' albums, GUNESH from Turkmenistan or ERKIN KORAY (Turkey) recently added to PA. 

Would you like to hear more oriental bits in prog compositions?
- Sometimes yes, sometimes it's hard to listen to my non-oriental ears.

What are some interesting (or favourite) prog pieces entailing oriental influences?
- Obvious favourite is "Kashmir". Other favs are INDACO and MEDINA AZAHARA (their first 2 albums are the proggiest ones).
I also love IASIS, excellent jazz rock band from Greece, they use elements of different music cultures - Greek, Cretan, Balkan etc.

What would you recommend to a prog fan who would like to explore this aspect of his music?
- Listen to this kind of music and try to get into Wink. If the question is about recommended bands, I already listed some. 
Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2009 at 00:13
Secret Chiefs 3 incorporates Indian melodies into their music seamlessly (along with countless other styles). REALLY well done, you should check them out
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2009 at 03:24
Discus's TOT LICHT is a true prog masterpiece! (From Indonesia).
Rabi Abou-Khalil is a virtuoso on the oud. (Check him out on this site, under his own name.)

N.B. This is going to be my final post for a while...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2009 at 03:54
I very much like non western inputs into my music.
Here is a few i would recomand :
 
Cheika - Cheika, Robert Fripp and Flea
Cheika was an Algerian Rai singer, born in 1923 !!!! - at this recording she is with by Robert fripp and Flea
(Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
The recording is one of Fripp's best outside KC, and Cheika sounds very North African at the same time as its has got the qualities of modern western production.
Can only say to anyone interested in Arabic music, look into this one. 
 
Then off course there is Shakti (John Mclaughlin) , if you dont know them try Elements exelent album.
 
Of the more experimental : Try Laurie Andersons: Mister Hartbreak, inspired by Japaneese / Oriental, Music, and futuring a Japaneese vocalist on one track, (Peter Gabriel on 2 tracks) 
 
From the more well knows european rock scene, there is the Page&Plant unplugged No Quater
With a lot of Maroccan / Middel East influence / contributers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Edited by tamijo - August 01 2009 at 03:58
Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2009 at 08:48
There were some French bands in the 70's that I saw described as influenced by oriental music (I assume the author was talking about the music of the arabo-muslim cultural area): Mahjun / Maajun, Dharma and a few others.
I will check in my book some of these names and try to found some informations about them, they could be interesting to listen to.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2009 at 09:22
Originally posted by CPicard CPicard wrote:

There were some French bands in the 70's that I saw described as influenced by oriental music (I assume the author was talking about the music of the arabo-muslim cultural area): Mahjun / Maajun, Dharma and a few others. I will check in my book some of these names and try to found some informations about them, they could be interesting to listen to.


Maybe Aapatsos could help clarify that, I know that in the states "oriental" is often a misused and ill-defined word. What's up Aapatsos, help us clarify this.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 01 2009 at 09:51
Beatles - Love you To, Within you Without you
Älgarnas Trädgård - Framtiden är ett svävande skepp förankrat i forntiden
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2009 at 00:54
Kingston Wall's first two albums have some influences from Indian music. The cover arts are also very influenced by India.
And on the third album, the songwriter used the stories he heard in his trip to India in the album's lyrics


Edited by Liimatta - August 02 2009 at 01:51
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2009 at 01:07
Lots and lots in the 70s actually...maybe the afterglow of Beatles hadn't faded or what I don't know but it's noticeable.  Some sitar-like stuff in I Know What I Like, the harpischord break coming right after Camp's interruption in Ashes Are Burning, are examples of subtle, tiny nuggets of oriental flavour (where you'd least expect it, I might add!) while Aftaglid or whole parts of Tales From Topographic Oceans have a more prominent and easily evident oriental influence.  That's just right off the top of my head, if I ran through the albums I am familiar with and looked in very nook and cranny for oriental moments, I could come up with many more.  Oh, by the way, I am Indian (and residing in India) so I fancy I know what I am talking about at least on this subject,  even if no other!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2009 at 01:52

Perhaps not "Oriental" music per se, but Balkan music is quite similar and in fact it's origins are Oriental. From former Yugoslavia Begnagrad, Smak and most notably Leb i Sol are worth checking!

Abou-Khalil Rabih from Lebanon is probably the most authentic artist on PA.

There's also a number of Prog Metal bands from Arabic countries.

Honorable mention for Page & Plant's "No Quarter" record.

For faux-Oriental stuff (Baghdad Thief like) I think Rainbow's "Gates Of Babylon" is the ultimate tune.



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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2009 at 02:08
Originally posted by rogerthat rogerthat wrote:

Lots and lots in the 70s actually...maybe the afterglow of Beatles hadn't faded or what I don't know but it's noticeable.  Some sitar-like stuff in I Know What I Like, the harpischord break coming right after Camp's interruption in Ashes Are Burning, are examples of subtle, tiny nuggets of oriental flavour (where you'd least expect it, I might add!) while Aftaglid or whole parts of Tales From Topographic Oceans have a more prominent and easily evident oriental influence.  That's just right off the top of my head, if I ran through the albums I am familiar with and looked in very nook and cranny for oriental moments, I could come up with many more.  Oh, by the way, I am Indian (and residing in India) so I fancy I know what I am talking about at least on this subject,  even if no other!
Yes, if just looking for an Oriental influence on a track or two, its just too many to mention,KC got 1 or 2 songs on most albums. And even most non-prog. or Prog related late 60's-70's bands got some tracks. 

Edited by tamijo - August 02 2009 at 02:10
Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 03 2009 at 13:29
Originally posted by Easy Money Easy Money wrote:

Originally posted by CPicard CPicard wrote:

There were some French bands in the 70's that I saw described as influenced by oriental music (I assume the author was talking about the music of the arabo-muslim cultural area): Mahjun / Maajun, Dharma and a few others. I will check in my book some of these names and try to found some informations about them, they could be interesting to listen to.


Maybe Aapatsos could help clarify that, I know that in the states "oriental" is often a misused and ill-defined word. What's up Aapatsos, help us clarify this.

Good point John, by 'oriental' I mainly mean Minor-Asia or middle-eastern influences - surely Indian music can also be accounted as oriental but the former is what I would normally describe it.

Some of the Greek music is either made or influenced in Minor Asia for example thus the many oriental features. I was listening to Orphaned Land the other day - Mabool is what I would call heavily influenced by oriental  music.

Hope that clarifies it - many thanks for the recommendations so far
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