Our resident Viking Lars Gotrich explores epic Japanese storytelling, soul-sampling powerviolence, ambient rap, and beautiful noise. Topics include unexpected sample sources in experimental music, the history of documenting everyday sounds, the relationship between time and memory, the concept of home, and the transformative power of music and collaboration.
Experimental electronic duo Matmos celebrates the history of the Smithsonian Folkways catalog by sampling non-music records like bird sounds and office noises in their album Return to Archive.
French Prague rack band Poil Ueda collaborates with Japanese folk singer Junco Oleda to create an album called Yoshitsune that combines traditional tales with captivating vocals and the sound of the satsuma bewa to breathe new life into ancient stories.
Deep dives
Matt Mis album Return to Archive reimagines non-music records
Electronic duo Matt Mis creates experimental and accessible music by sampling non-music records from the Smithsonian Folkways catalog. Their album Return to Archive is a celebration of the 75-year history of the record label and features unconventional sources such as recordings of birds, frogs, and sounds from the office.
Poil Mueira's album Yoshitsine brings ancient Japanese folk tales into modern music
Poil Mueira, a French Prague rack band, collaborates with Japanese folk singer Junco Oleda in their album Yoshitsine. The album features tales from the 12th and 13th centuries about the hero Yoshitsune, told with captivating vocals and the sound of the satsuma bewa, a large pick-struck string instrument. This unique blend of genres breathes new life into ancient stories that would normally have a limited audience.
Mesa Jalud's album Maja unearths a forgotten battle from the Lebanese Civil War
Mesa Jalud, a historian and musician, explores a little-known battle from the Lebanese Civil War in her album Maja. Intrigued by the lack of education on this topic, she meticulously mapped out the battle sites and created a record that serves as a reminder of the forgotten history. Through her music, Mesa Jalud emphasizes the importance of learning from our past to avoid repeating it.
Ruth Anderson and Annya Lockwood's album Tet-A-Tet captures intimate conversations through field recordings
Electronic musicians Ruth Anderson and Annya Lockwood collaborate on the album Tet-A-Tet, which blends field recordings with conversations. The tracks feature real-time conversations layered over nature sounds, creating a sense of intimacy and connection. The project invites listeners to reflect on memory, time, and the ever-shifting nature of our existence.
Our resident Viking, Lars Gotrich, connects epic Japanese storytelling, soul-sampling powerviolence, ambient rap and beautiful noise through thematic webs of history and memory.
Featured Artists and Albums:
• Matmos: "Music or Noise?" from Return to Archive • PoiL Ueda: "Kokô part 2" from Yoshitsune • Mayssa Jallad: "Baynana" from Marjaa: The Battle of the Hotels • Ruth Anderson & Annea Lockwood: "For Ruth" from Tête-à-tête • Zulu: "Lyfe Az a Shorty Shun B So Ruff" from A New Tomorrow • Yungwebster: "Stay FOCUSSSS [fast+reg]" from Yungwebster • Liis Ring: "after-image I: nothing stands still" from Homing • Chuquimamani-Condori: "Breathing" from DJ E • Sunwatchers: "World People" from Music Is Victory over Time