weekend listening: cubanismo!
We’re still patiently waiting on new arrivals from the mighty Honest Jon’s label (Surely there must be some kind of deal we can strike, Damon, to prioritize the arrival of the London is the Place For Me series?) but I wanted to take a few moments to call out an exceptional new HJ comp that’s well worth your time: The World is Shaking: Cubanismo from the Congo, 1954 – 1955. This collection fulfills all my Awesome Comp Rules: it focuses on an unbelievably obscure strand of music. It is particular to a region. It has more than two titles, one of which is a date. One day I am going to develop a random-comp-title-generator website to accommodate this fetish. Let it End in Ecstasy: Expat French New Wave from Belgium, 1978 – 1984. But I digress.
What’s important here is the music, and The World is Shaking is as close to perfect as any recent comp I’ve heard. The songs are fantastically scratchy, clearly mastered from old vinyl or cracking tape reels. Like many of the other recent Honest Jon’s comps, these songs come from the ancient archives of EMI, which HJ recently acquired.
The Honest Jon’s site does a better job of laying out the historical context than I ever could but, in brief: in the mid 50s, African workers began flocking to the city of Leopoldville (what today is called Kinshasa) in search of factory jobs. Slowly, a metropolitan nightlife scene began developing, with clubs devoted to performing traditional African music with a hip flair. Add to this the easy access to 78s of Latin American music, and what you’ve got is an irresistible mix of styles and sounds.
Listen to “Matete Paris,” that sawing violin, the ululating vocal, that weird stalking guitar part in the background — its about six different genres at once, all battling for supremacy. The song right after it sounds like highlife, but with the swagger and sway of tango. The vocal on “Bengela Ngai Bosele” could have been lifted from the Ethiopiques series. Cubanismo is full of moments like this, making for a fascinating, essential listen.
I’m anxious to get this. I was hoping it would be “album priced” at 12 “credits,” but that’s life. Very excited to hear you anticipate more from the label.
I hear you, Daniel. This ones worth it, though.
What I’m hoping is that HJ delivers some of their earliest stuff –particularly that AMAZING Cedric Im Brooks comp. It’s all kinda wait-and-see right now, but I have some gaps in my collection I’d love to fill in.
Cedric Im Brooks: too essential. London is the Place for Me? my first HJ purchase years and years ago, still love it. Give Me Love. Living is Hard. basically, HJ is one of the most crucial, crucial excavators in music right now, and more of their catalog would be highly welcome. i’ll definately check out this comp, thanks for the heads up.
I’m a huge fan of HJ, and the Cedric Im Brooks. Still one of my fav. roots albums ever. I’m loving “sprigs of time” in a big way right now. It’s world-meets-time-travel aesthetic never gets old, and I find myself listening to it with my 2 year old daughter as we read stories…always adds a new dimension to dora the explorer.
I need to spend more time with Sprigs of Time. That one and Open Strings haven’t gotten much of my attention lately, and I need to remedy that.
I dig that Open Strings disc a lot.
Hey, Joe: I mentioned this on the Soundways thread, but there is a KILLER song on the Panama 2 disc that you have to hear: The Duncan Bros., “Dreams.”
BTW, what do you think of Elmore Judd’s “Unborn Again,” which is also on HJR?
I love that comp!! I am not sure, off the top of my head, which song that one is, so I’ll put it on now.
I don’t know the Elmore Judd record either! I have serious catching up to do. My Honest Jon’s weakness is that I end up wanting them all on vinyl — which is impractically pricey! I have stood in record stores just holding certain titles in my hand and staring at them. I broke down and bought Lagos Chop Up, and was not disappointed.
What’s the Elmore Judd like?
From the soundscans, the Judd disc has a tribal vibe in the rhythm section (like Konono No. 1, actually), and there’s also hip-hop’s trick of having an off-beat rush up fast behind the prior beat (I think I’m expressing that right; apologies if it’s inarticulate).
Let me know what you think of “Dreams.” It’s one of my finds of 2009.
Playing now: Big Bam Boom. Love love love H & O.
You just sold me on the Judd – grabbing it tonight. Sounds awesome.
“Rich Girl” is my major H&O jam, followed by “Kiss on My List.” But this month’s challenge (and beyond)? Work my way through the terrible Dylan records. Shot of Love, here I come.
Heresy, I know, but I kind of hate Bob Dylan.
! This is definitely a discussion we need to have at some point!
Sure! If you’d like, we can broaden that discussion out to my absolute ambivalence toward most 60s music. I’ll take this decade; the 1980s; the 1990s and the 1970s (tie on those last two) way over the 60s.
I downloaded the E. Judd, too. So far, so good.
That’s fine Daniel, Esq ’cause Dylan did/has done all his best work in the 70s, 80s and 90s and 00s. If I had to make mt top 10 Dylan songs, only one or maybe 2′d be 60s.
So you’re off the hook, and free to come to the light without giving up the 60s hate!!
Wow, that Elmore Judd is a great find! Thanks Daniel. I usually check through HJs catalog on eMusic and I somehow missed that one.
I was waiting for a post on the World Is Shaking compilation since it went up so discreetly on Sunday. It definitely doesn’t disappoint. I had the chance to buy London Is The Place For Me, Part Four on vinyl for a not-so-pricey amount and somehow passed it up. I regret that decision all the time.
Joe, I hope you do some sort of overview of Dylan’s average to terrible records, that would be fun and awesome. Empire Burlesque needs some attention.
To the extent that such a thing exists in the Dylan catalogue (not), I wouldn’t call Empire Burlesque average to terrible. Dark Eyes alone puts it over the top, then there’s Tight Connection, I’ll Remember You, and When the Night comes Falling which is epic.
Look at me, boosting the Sony drop when you won’t even let me download it.
I really wanted to grab the Panama 1 comp from Soundways but according to one of the reviews there are glitches on some of the tracks (a HUGE pet peeve of mine) and, despite the EXTREME price increase, I don’t have much hope that the level of service is going to improve to match…which means bad tracks will continue NEVER being fixed.
Sigh.
Oh I almost forgot another joyous fact: with the new friendly ‘redownload’ policy, you can’t even keep trying to redownload the glitched tracks in the irrational hope that they may someday be fixed.
I know I have already tried downloading some of those Porcupine Tree glitched tracks more than 4 times. Of course it was futile anyway….
Sorry I know it’s not ‘cool’ to complain, but tough.
At least download that Duncan Bros. song I mentioned (off Panama 2). I don’t recall any glitches in it. You’ll be glad you did.
Oh yes I was definitely planning to grab vol 2. Thanks for the rec that track does sound very awesome in the preview.
something completely different;
now that the Hospitals’ Hairdryer Peace is no longer vinyl only, is there any chance we’ll see it on emusic?