Interactive Poll: Sounds of Asia |
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jamesbaldwin
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 25 2015 Location: Milano Status: Offline Points: 5986 |
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MY PODIUM AND SPECIAL AWARDS_ I see two masterpieces in this poll, two very elaborate and inspired pieces, which involved me a lot (even more than my Ali Khan, which I consider an excellent song with a great impact for the author's vocals but not a true masterpiece) and these are: 1) Geinoh Yamashirogumi: Osorezan 2) Jambinai: Onda/Prelude KOR For third place, I have several candidates: - The Chieftains ft. Akiko Jano: Sake in the Jar IRL/JPN - Isfar Sarabski & Band: Novruz AZE - Black String: Hanging Gardens of Babylon (GREAT AND PUMPED MINI SUITE) -Baraka: Balinese Monkey Chant Which one to choose? I go with the ethnic choir of 3) the Balinese Monkey Chant So, 4) Black String (almost masterpiece) 5) Isfar Srabskj 6) Akiko Jano plus the honorable mentions already ... mentioned. Grand Prix of the public: -Fatih Erkoç: Emmoglu TUR -Mono Grand Critics' Prize: Toshimaru Nakamura: Live @Japanorama -----
Edited by jamesbaldwin - September 12 2021 at 10:26 |
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Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion.
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jamesbaldwin
Prog Reviewer Joined: September 25 2015 Location: Milano Status: Offline Points: 5986 |
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Excellent poll!
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Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion.
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The Anders
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 02 2019 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 3529 |
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Thank you for the vote. As for how modern it is, the piece is composed by Dewa Alit (whom you can see conducting towards the end of the clip), and without being an expert on Gamelan music, I believe it would count as a modern take on the genre. A bit like much of the folk music that is made in Europe today btw.
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Mila-13
Forum Senior Member Joined: June 02 2021 Location: Switzerland Status: Offline Points: 1555 |
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This was a first attempt to
approach traditional music from East and Southest Asia that I am hardly familiar
with. I used the term ‘ethnic music’ as a synonym for ‘roots music’ and as a
differentiation from ‘folk music or song’. Based on the traditional music from
Japan, Tibet and Bali that we have seen here I was trying to recognize some characteristics
and put them in relation to what I know. I am aware that this is a greatly
simplified view. But my intention was primarily to point out this contrast between tradition and this distinctive individualism that we can see in the contemporary work of the Japanese video game music composer Kikuo and the free imporvision of Toshimaru Nakamura That is why I put it up for discussion since music from that
part of Asia was well represented in this poll. Another reason why I decided to
introduce an artist from Azerbaijan since oriental music and music from India
and Pakistan is what I know best from Asia. Edited by Mila-13 - September 12 2021 at 17:08 |
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Mila-13
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@Lorenzo I'm glad that you enjoyed the poll! It's not easy to find a new topic after so many editions. Edited by Mila-13 - September 12 2021 at 14:35 |
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The Anders
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 02 2019 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 3529 |
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Second batch Mono: Nowhere, Now
Here JPN Starts with some
silent guitar in the left channel. Bass and lead guitar enter after a
minute or so. The arrangement builds up gradually with more
instruments (cellos). Around 3:20 there is a sudden change of tempo
and mood, and the music becomes more like metal (the more soft
corners of it). A whole string orchestra is added along with the rock
instrumentation. The electric guitars beomre more prominent in the
soundscape after some time. It all culminates around 8:00. Not so
much my thing, but it’s not uninteresting. Poor violinists, they
have to try and read the notes while all these epileptic light
effects are on. The Chieftains ft.
Akiko Jano: Sake in the Jar IRL/JPN This one begins with
some drums.. Then the music moves towards a folkish sound containing
a pentatone melody which is sung with a lot of ornamentation.
Instruments include flutes, some string instruments, a marrimba (?)
and a harp. From 3:00 there is also some jazzy piano. Very charming,
and it is a strong contender for my part. Toshimaru Nakamura:
Live @Japanorama We are in the
experimental electronic area here. It builds very slowly with some
very dissonant sounds that are sort of floating around (probably as a
result of being out of tune, thus creating a vibrating sound). Very
minimalistic. Around 3:00 a ”beat” of sorts is faded in while the
previous sounds fade out. Various sounds are floating in and out
while the ”beat” is on, including, after 8:00, what sounds like
electronic feedback. The beat fades out, and the ”feedback” is
alone as the track moves towards the end. The music ends rather
abruptly. Strong contender. Altin Gün: Tatli
Dile Güler Yüze TUR/NLD I knew some songs by
Altin Gün, but not this one. The song is in the funk-rock universe,
with a prominent guitar riff in the instrumental sections. Think I liked some of their other songs a bit better, but I enjoy this one too. Fatih Erkoç:
Emmoglu TUR The song starts with
oriental sounds in the Lydian mode, but then the music changes to
something more American, complete with Louis Armstrong type of
”growl”. Then back again to the oriental, and at last he goes
hard rock. Overall it’s more like a medley than a song, and it’s
a tad too gimmicky for my taste. But tastes differ. Edited by The Anders - September 14 2021 at 15:56 |
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The Anders
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 02 2019 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 3529 |
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Last batch Isfar Sarabski &
Band: Novruz AZE Very intimate
atmosphere in the beginning with only the piano. The main chord
progression after the intro reminds me a bit of ”Everything in the
Right Place” by Radiohead. Before the 2:00 mark, a band sets in,
including, double bass, drums, violins, cello, plus a string
instrument that I am not familiar with. We get a few bars with the
7/8 time signature. Then the piano is alone again, and we move into a
traditional jazz trio section with double bass and drums. The
previously mentioned string instrument has a solo from just before
5:00. Looking at the frets, it appears it was built to contain
microintervals of some sort (some frets are very close). I am aware
that music from that area often contains microintervals, so it should
come as no surprise. Then there’s a piano solo which gets kind of
”wild” towards the end. Very enjoyable performance, and it is
another contender. Baraka: Balinese
Monkey Chant IDN The music here
starts in quite a cinematic mood until there’s a very surprisng
transition to a rather wild choir. It reminds me a bit of the Finnish
shouting choir Mieskuoro Huutajat. I like it a lot. Nursat Fateh Ali
Khan: Mustt Mustt PAK This one has reggae
vibes, and there is a funky slap bass too. Call-and-response between
the main singer and the backing vocalists. There’s an accordion too
(I think). Monks of
DipTseChokLing Monast: For Gya Ling&Dung Chen,Tibet The thing is,
despite being traditional Tibetan sacred music (so the description
says), it sounds kind of avant-garde to my ears. But then avant-garde
music from the western world is often inspired by music from other
parts of the world. I wonder if it is some sort of bagpipe that we
hear? The low-pitched wind instruments sounds like a tuba or a deep
trombone, but I believe it is a local instrument too. I wish the info
in the clip provided informantion about this. I like this piece a lot
too. Contender. Edited by The Anders - September 15 2021 at 09:30 |
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Mirakaze
Special Collaborator Eclectic, JRF/Canterbury, Avant/Zeuhl Joined: December 17 2019 Location: (redacted) Status: Offline Points: 4063 |
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My picks are as follows: 3. Jambinai - Onda I'm not a huge fan of most post-rock and I've never paid this band much attention for that reason, but the traditional Korean instrumentation certainly adds a whole new dimension and flavour to this style of music that I can certainly appreciate. 2. Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Osorezan This group I'm familiar with because of their work on the Akira OST and their 1990 release Ecophony Gaia; this is a much less "listener-friendly" side of theirs that I wasn't aware of. I'll definitely try to check out more of their older works. 1. Isfar Sarabski - Novruz I don't think it was as specifically Asian-sounding as my other two selections but this is what I was most engaged by while listening to this playlist. A fantastic performance.
The titular Dung Chen and Gya Ling are the names of the instruments, the former being the low-pitched 12-foot metal trumpets and the latter being the high-pitched "bagpipes" (the liner notes to my disc copy describe them as oboes but they're actually more related to the zurna). Both are played in pairs.
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Mila-13
Forum Senior Member Joined: June 02 2021 Location: Switzerland Status: Offline Points: 1555 |
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The name of that string instrument is 'tar'; it belongs to the family of long-necked, waisted lutes used by many cultures in and near the Caucasus and Central Asia. Here you have an overview of all traditional music instruments used in that region. |
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The Anders
Forum Senior Member Joined: January 02 2019 Location: Denmark Status: Offline Points: 3529 |
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Thanks to Mirakaze and Mila for explaining the instruments :) These are my votes: The Chieftains ft. Akiko Jano: Sake in the Jar IRL/JPN Toshimaru Nakamura: Live @Japanorama Monks of DipTseChokLing Monast: For Gya Ling&Dung Chen,Tibet Honorabe mentions: Jambinai: Onda/Prelude KOR Isfar Sarabski & Band: Novruz AZE
Edited by The Anders - September 16 2021 at 14:14 |
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Snicolette
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 02 2018 Location: OR Status: Offline Points: 6039 |
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Thank you for the Chieftains vote, Anders! And yes, much thanks for the instrument information to Mirakase and Mila!
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"Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp
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