New releases – April 2020 (2)

Alternate African Reality – Electronic, electroacoustic and experimental music from Africa and the diaspora (2CD & digital, Syrphe)

Alternate African Reality could be seen as a drastic improvement of 30.2, a compilation released in 2012. The CD included nine artists from Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Angola, Mauritius, South Africa, Réunion and Madagascar/France. But even if I was very happy with the result, I always thought I should do a deeper research, and another issue I faced was the fact that I didn’t manage to include any women in the project.

Alternate African Reality is musically diverse, including abstract but also beat-oriented music such as ambient, electronica, electroacoustic, noise, singeli, bass music, industrial hip hop, etc.

It includes 32 artists and bands from 24 African countries and the diaspora, and last but not least, 14 women are among those vibrant musicians and composers from South Africa, Nigeria, DRC (Congo), Lesotho, Angola, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritania, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, eSwatini (Swaziland), South Sudan, Ethiopia/Somalia, Cameroon, Egypt, Mozambique, Rwanda/Belgium, Algeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Réunion, Madagascar/France, Ghana/France, Tunisia : Sukitoa o Namau, Mash, Pö, Jako Maron, Robert Machiri, Cobi van Tonder, Aurélie Nyirabikali Lierman, Shadwa Ali, Hibotep, Ibaaku, Emeka Ogbo, Chantelle Gray, Yao Bobby & Simon Grab, Catu Diosis and more ! [cdrk]

---

Yasuyuki Uesugi – I Deny Others Because My Heart Can’t Afford To Accept Others (digital, self-released)

Japanese artist Yasuyuki Uesugi plays some old school repetitive noise, somehow mechanical and mesmerising, listening to this album is like visiting the core of some gigantic machines. [cdrk]

---

Sooncrazy – Live at sanen sessions (digital, POTONG JARI)

Powerful harsh noise live session recorded at Kedampunk, in Denpasar (Bali). Not for the average tourist ! [cdrk]

---

SAABA – Inside out (digital, POTONG JARI)

Three tracks by Indonesian artist SAABA. The first piece’s beginning slowly starts with a dark loop on top of which layers of noise and crackles are being added step by step turning into noise, a crescendo that leads the listener where it suspected to go : a fantastic harsh noise climax. The second piece is made of  dark repetitive loops, ambient but sinister. The third piece is a classic harsh noise wall piece. [cdrk]

---

Dirar Kalash and David Birchall – Dynamisms (digital, al-bayān)

Palestinian composer and improviser Dirar Kalash spent several years in Europe, especially in the Netherlands and Germany to study and perform a lot of concerts, solo and with other improvisers. This album includes three tracks recorded with David Birchall (electric guitar) while Dirar, depending on the tracks improvises with electric guitars, violin, electronics or oud. Three tracks, three different atmospheres in the field of jazz, experimental and free improvised music. [cdrk]

---

Sharif Sehnaoui – Concave​/​Convex (digital, Sounds from the Corridor)

Well-known figure of the Lebanese free improv scene, founder of the yearly festival Irtijal together with improviser Mazen Kerbaj and the labels Al Maslakh and Annihaya, Sharif Sehnaoui recorded two new acoustic guitar pieces this month during the lockdown. [cdrk]

---

BEEATSZ v2.0999x – You Should Already Know Where This Is Going (minidisc & digital, self-released)

Turkish project BEEATSZ v2.0999x is hyper active as always : “recorded in Berlin, 45+ days into the block on life with logistic support of BUSS: Big & Ugly Soundsystem”, a sound system made to resist the harshest and noisiest music ever produced here.
Expect very short radical noisegrind tracks with a touch of industrial sometimes. [cdrk]

---

Midori Hirano – And I Am Here (digital, self-released)

Japanese artist Midori Hiran first published this album on Staaltape in 2014.
It mostly consists of short piano pieces, some mixed with field recordings from Europe and Japan and unlike some of her other releases contains almost no electronics.
Here slightly detuned piano creates intimate and ambient atmospheres, tiny postcards sent from some peaceful countrysides. [cdrk]

---

Sun Dawei – 現時之光 / Light From Now (digital, self-released)

Chinese composer Sun Sawei aka Sulumi presents two versions of an instrumental ambient electronica track, a bit pop, a bit melancholic. [cdrk]

---

Grisha Shakhnes – the lesser the water the firmer the jelly (digital, self-released)

Israeli composer Grisha Shakhnes aka Mites published three 20+ minutes pieces made of field recordings creating a minimalistic, eerie and sometimes oppressive atmosphere.
Two of the tracks have been recorded at home during the quarantine so rather than sounds of nature or urban traffic, expect more intimate sounds. [cdrk]

---

Li Nashao – L’intuition d’un devenir (cassette & digital, Senko Issha)

Improvised  electric guitar solo from Taiwan. Two live tracks, between dark free improv and noise, with a touch of space rock here and there. [cdrk]

---

Kamal Sabran – Obat Bunyi II (digital, self-released)

Malaysian composer Kamal Sabran presents the second part of his Obat Bunyi series.
Meditative ambient music where electronic and folk music blend. Malay and Indian instrumentations meet 1970s minimalistic and psychedelic music without falling deep into nostalgia or new age. Highly recommended. [cdrk]

---

Individual Distortion – 808acidgrind (digital, self-released)

Individual Distortion mixes various genres for years, from metal to harsh noise. This time as the album title tells it, acid music with cybergrind, hence, acidgrind as a new (?) genre. It starts with gentle acid techno that quickly becomes cybergrind. Interesting hybrid, Indonesia will never cease to surprise me ! [cdrk]

---

v.a. – Social Isolation (digital, Social Isolation)

“Created and compiled during the last week of March 2020, this compilation brings together the sound of artists in isolation creating music that’s reflective of our collective struggle during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Fifteen Indian ambient artists (mostly, a few tracks are rhythmical) : PhilterSoup, Corridors, Eashwar Subramanian, Coma Conscience, Swaroopa, Mallo, etc. [cdrk]

---

v.a. – Social Isolation II (digital, Social Isolation)

“This is the second edition of Social Isolation that was compiled during the first week of April 2020. The compilation brings together the sounds of various artists in confinement and quarantine who are creating music that’s reflective of our collective struggle during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Twenty Indian ambient artists and a pinch of ambient electronica and techno : Liquid Memoirs, Jayant Manchanda, Bidisha Das, Kaali, Manyu, Yidam and more. [cdrk]

---

Cenk Ergün & JACK Quartet – Sonare & Celare (digital, self-released)

D. Lippel say about this release : “Turkish-American composer Cenk Ergün writes music that achieves a hypnotic effect through masses of sound, repetition with subtle variation, and microtonality. Sonare & Celare are paired works written for the JACK Quartet that stand in opposition to one another. Sonare is mostly vigorous and loud while Celare is ethereal and soft. Despite the drastic contrasts between the two, both demonstrate Ergün’s fascination with delicate shadings of pitch and subtle shifts in phrase syntax that constantly reveal new vantage points on limited material.”
And there is nothing more to tell, this is a brilliant recording !

---

hashtag_blacknoise – SANS CoV​-​2 (digital, self-released)

One 27 minute piece by South African noise artist hashtag_blacknoise. Distorted vocal (I suppose a talk by Cyril Ramaphosa), distorted ambient and looped atmospheres. Perfect sound track for a dystopian sci-fi film telling about a pandemic… Oh, wait ! [cdrk]

---

Sulk Station – Dheere / Deewarein (digital, self-released)

Based in India, Sulk Station is a duo made of Tanvi Rao (vocals) and Rahul Giri (from Nepal, if I’m not mistaken, and living in India), their minimalist production are a mix of ambient electronica and synthpop with traces of Indian classical music. [cdrk]

---

Thylasine – weight  (digital, self-released)

Thylasine is a duo based in Cape Town, they play music based on cello, electric guitar, electronics and voice. They are heavily influenced by the new wave and post-punk scene from the 1980s, sometimes taking the most abrasive part of it. This new piece, between ambient and new wave is simply fantastic, sad, emotional, if I may give my humble opinion. [cdrk]

---

Government Alpha / scum – Live At OTOOTO Collaboration with Government Alpha (digital, self-released)

Collaboration between Japanese 1990s noisician Government Alpha and 2010s noisician scum. [cdrk]

---

Aragorn23 – Selected modular atmospheres vol. 2 (digital, self-released)

“As with my first volume of modular atmospheres, the pieces gathered here represent snapshots of longer sonic spaces created for inner travels.

Each track is composed using generative techniques on a modular synthesiser – once I’ve created a musical space with knobs, buttons and patch cables, I leave the system running, typically for several hours, while I sit with headphones on and allow myself to drift off.

Several of the pieces in this collection were created in the shadow of Covid-19 and the lockdown in South Africa; creating and listening to them has helped me tremendously with remaining grounded and calm. I hope you benefit from them too, in whatever way.

The final track, Lockdown, contains a rather beautiful poem by Franciscan monk, Brother Richard Hendrick. The hour-long mix was created as a soundtrack for my friend Neil’s Covid-19 virtual art exhibition, which you can read more about at 212 Productions.

This collection of music is totally free, but if you do wish to pay for it, all proceeds will be donated to local food outreach organisations that serve meals to vulnerable people.” [Aragorn23]

---

DJ Die Soon – Kappa Slap (vinyl & digital, Morphin Records)

Japanese beat maker DJ Die Soon join force with some great names of the Ugandan and Kenyan radical hip hop and death metal scene : Ecko Bazz, MC Yallah, Lord Spikeheart, as well as British MC Infinite Livez and Japanese MC and spoken word artist MA.
Here is finally the result of some great solo sets and collaborations performed in Jinja (Uganda) during Nyege Nyege Festival 2019 : electronic experimentations, industrial hip hop, distorted dark hop, spoken words, death metal growling, all combine to create this unique LP. [cdrk]

---

Don & The Multiverses – Up in the air. Suites (digital, self-released)

Don & The Multiverses is an ambient folk musician from Bangkok. This new album includes four tracks made of looped and processed electric guitar, harmonica, and sometimes distant voices. Don & The Multiverses explores ambient and drone atmosphere that could perfectly be featured in a surreal or horror film. [cdrk]

---

Wukir Suryadi – @home#01 (digital, self-released)

One track composed with a Thai jaw’s harp (pretty similar to the Vietnamese ones) by Indonesian instrument maker Wukir Suryadi (Senyawa). [cdrk]

---

Ash Koosha – FOREST (digital, self-released)

Based in London, Iranian composer Ash Koosha composed 17 electronic music pieces in the field of electronica and glitch occasionally tinged with some ambient pop and eastern melodies. [cdrk]

---

the nois society – Transmission (digital, self-released)

From Nepal, Ritesh Maharjan collects sounds from his daily life, experiment with them and seems to like distortion and feedback a lot. He is this time playing with wave transmissions, the result is less noisy than some of his other pieces but nevertheless interesting. [cdrk]

---

Menzi – Impazamo (cassette & digital, Hakuna Kulala)

Ugandan label dedicated to East African and Congolese electronic music goes down to South Africa, Durban to be precise. Durban is the centre of gqom, a very minimalistic version of kwaito, which is already a pretty minimalistic form of afrohouse, Menzi is one of its pioneers.
I often find that  many gqom artists all sound the same, partly due to the minimalistic aspect of the music but this one is an exception. All typical element of gqom are here : slow, deep, minimalistic, typical toms, voice samples but the darkness of Menzi’s music and the way he manages to turns this into a ritual is impressive and pretty unique, especially in the track GQOM Tera that features Uganda MC Ecko Bazz. [cdrk]

---

Aurat – Zeher (digital, self-released)

Aurat is a Pakistani-US duo whose music is deeply rooted in the 1980s post-punk scene. There new EP will make you travel in time from pure new wave (Waiting For You, Rehem, Aana) to minimal wave (Nasha), industrial (Saanp) and noise (Aaghaz). [cdrk]

---

Ytamo – Limited Leaf (digital, Room40)

Ytamo comes from Osaka, her music follows the tradition of minimalistic experimentations of some of the Japanese avant-garde from the 1970s and earls 1980s ( Haruomi Hosono – Coincidental Music or sometimes Phew but more gentle and perhaps a bit more gloomy), a fusion of pop, synthetic melodies, piano, minimalist and repetitive music, arrangements that seem to be out of sync but perfectly work together. [cdrk]

---

madam data – for Agnes Martin, six architectures in light and water (digital, self-released)

From Singapore, relocated in the USA, madam data presents six very minimalistic drone pieces : “Each piece is either the entirety or an excerpt of a long piece for modular synthesizer. Each had its beginnings in improvisation, but its details were refined over repeated recordings. Further small edits were made on a computer.”
The pieces are dedicated to and thoroughly fit her minimalistic abstract paintings. [cdrk]

New releases – November 2019

v.a. – pɹnsqɐ (digital, Absurd TRAX)

pɹnsqɐ is a compilation of remixes of previous releases of Kelvin T, ASJ, ANNA and Alexmalism published on Hong Kongese label Absurd TRAX.
The tracks mostly cover the local bass and club music genre that is developing in Hong Kong and China for many years now : beat-oriented music with a certain amount of traditional music influences. (cdrk)

---

Mario Swagga and DJ Silila – Mapenzi Digital (Digital Love) (vinyl & digital, Signrecords)

If you like super fast beats, this one may be for you. Mario Swagga and DJ Silila play singeli music, an electronic music genre coming from Tanzania and influenced by taarab music that sounds more like taarab on speed than anything else. It’s party music, the voice is loud, the rhythm goes up to 180bpm or more. You can get the vinyl through the label here. (cdrk)

---

33EMYBW – Arthropods (digital, SVBKVLT)

Based in Shanghai, 33EMYBW plays electronic music above all based on rhythms, syncopated samples, she is part of a new generation of Chinese electronic musician who develop an form of local alternative club music such as Zaliva-D, Gooooose, or Mun Sing, grabbing various influences from traditional Chinese music to ryhmical industrial,  bass music, distorted techno and, for some, breakcore.
The album includes one track featuring noise musician and free improviser Li Jianhong and remixes done by Ugandan electronic artist Don Zilla and Uruguayan electronic musician and dj Lechuga Zafiro.

---

Tusuk Lubang Telinga – Akan Tiba Waktunya Keruntuhan Tata Surya Dan Kumpulan Objek Benda Langit Tidak Lagi Terikat Oleh Gaya Gravitasi. (E​.​P) (digital, self-released)

Just based on the title of Tusuk Lubang Telinga’s latest EP alone, Akan Tiba Waktunya Keruntuhan Tata Surya Dan Kumpulan Objek Benda Langit Tidak Lagi Terikat Oleh Gaya Gravitasi (the time will come when the solar system collapses and everything in the sky is no longer bound by gravity), we know that this EP will take us on an catastrophic journey through space. The solar system is dying and we are powerless.

Ketika Pluto Tidak Lagi Mengorbit Matahari Secara Langsung. (when pluto no longer orbits the sun), the EP’s first track establishes the apocalyptic mood and focuses our attention with a consistent wailing from the Pluto’s barren glacial atmosphere. We can’t quite tell what is happening yet, but it fills us with dread. The cold and unforgiving drones are juxtaposed with the haunted metallic clanging from abandoned satellites crashing into the arctic surface. This ominous soundscape signals the beginning of the end.

By the time the EP transitions to the second track Terbiusnya Bumi Oleh Vaksin Bajakan. (sedate the earth with pirated vaccines) we are greeted with screams for help in the form of harsh feedback and heavy distortion. The solar system is in full collapse. The stars are falling faster and faster. We can only sit back and watch from our vantage point on Earth. Being over medicated has made us comfortable, and nothing we do can stop this attack on everything we cherish. The sky is on fire, our eyes are burning. Grab your loved ones because we are not coming out of this alive. The falling stars come crashing to Earth, it has changed the landscape and threw all the plants out of sorts. We are doomed, but can not process how bad.

Terbentuknya Lahar Mars Menyerupai Kepala Manusia Bertanduk. (mars’ lava resembles a horned human head) is a track that calms us down after the previous heavy assault. However, our moment of peace is short lived. We realize we have reached the red planet, synonymous to hell. Here the buzz sawing drone cuts through the planet, a constant reminder there is no quarter given. In the distance the demonic Martians are constantly at work making ruckus in their torturous industrial factories. Voices wail out, looking for help in a place where there is none. The sawing continues and doesn’t stop. It is pulsing through our brains and begins speeding up. We look around and feel the anxiety brought upon by this nightmarish hellscape. Is this were we went after the end of everything? The floor is lava and we can’t move. Suddenly a horned head emerges, and saws our brains us into a million tiny pieces. We are enveloped with the sawing until we only see red

For the last track Nafl Untuk Bintang Dari pertarungan Mentari Dan Rembulan. (nafl [prayer] for the stars of the sun and moon battles) we emerge from the red and are witness to the final epic battle between our Sun and Moon. Whoever wins, we lose. At first we are instructed to say a prayer. The pulsating rhythms provide us an opportunity to reflect on our last human moments. This was a wild ride, we have seen the end of our solar system. The moon tries to eclipse the sun, but it is too powerful. The Sun engulfs the Moon like a mother welcoming her forgotten child. This sets a chain reaction, and enormous solar bursts begin to explode from the Sun’s surface. All at once there is a bright light and then darkness. It is completely silent, and that is it. (Sean Stellfox)

---

Dominowe – SiyaThakatha (vinyl & digital, GQOM OH!)

Gqom, a South African music genre more minimalistic than kwaito (really ?), darker but still groovy, Dominowe’s repetitive sequences pushes the listeners into trance (a real trance, not techno trance),  this release differs from a lot of qgom music I heard before, with a clear house touch in the Club Killer track and a pinch of dub in the track Umzabalazo (WE BROKEN). (cdrk)

---

Sabiwa – DaBa (vinyl & digital, Chinabot)

Sabiwa is an audio-visual artists from Taiwan now based in Berlin, her album’s dreamy atmospheres sometimes remind a bit of Psapp or CocoRosie sometimes but more tortured. You will find many influences in her composition from electronica to sound collage, looped vocals, electroacoustic processing, glitch, ambient and a touch of industrial in the track Enigma. (cdrk)

---

Daniel Slabosky – Five Minutes (vinyl & digital, Uganda)

“Second E.P. for Tel Aviv / Jerusalem based producer / singer songwriter Daniel Slabosky.
Five Minute delivers 5 euphoric, dark, alienated blend of traditional folkish song writing gently synthesized with some beats added that redefine the boundaries between indie rock and electronic club music.” (from the label’s page)

---

Maenad & the Ravers – SUNDOWN (CD & digital, self-released)

Formed in Hong Kong in 2017, Maenad and the Ravers is Cecilia, Ming and Wing. Their music is heavily influenced by 1980s new wave and post punk but with a touch of 21st century music here and there.
The album has been produced by Cecilia Nox (the singer and keyboardist) & Eric M.Y. Chan (aka e:ch, from Macao). (cdrk)

---

KMRU – Variations (Installation) (digital, self-released)

Variations (Installation) is made of field recordings and looped field recordings made in three different cities, and additional electronics . It is part of a three channel sound installation that has been exhibited at Abuja Art Week (Nigeria) in November 2019 and might be presented in March 2020 Nairobi. (cdrk)

---

gΔitφ – Volcano Jazz (digital, equnatrecord)

Japanese noise drummer Gaitoh sounding like someone drumming on top of an active volcano. (cdrk)

---

Ouwan Itaru – Breath&Blood (digital, equnatrecord)

If I’m not wrong, another incarnation of Gaitoh. Feedback, noise, growls, deconstructed drums, a lot of energy in here, a work that reminds me of some of Utku Tavil‘s performances. (cdrk)

---

Nyctalllz – Esion 2 : Dissolve (digital, Zāl Records)

Esion 2 : Dissolve is the second album of Iranian artist Nyctalllz (aka Xerxes The Dark, etc.), the album had previously been released on Amduscias Records in 2008 and has been re-mastered. The music is often more rough than what Morego does as Xerxes The Dark ; apart of dark ambient, some tracks go into noise and ambient industrial. (cdrk)

---

Ma – Ama (vinyl & digital, Morphine Records)

“MA comes from the rap and hip-hop Tokyo scene, but throughout the years he evolved into a more noisy and experimental beat making. He blends ritualistic ancient Japanese lyrics and vocal methods, on music that he creates using also his voice or field recordings. The result is alienating, weird and haunting but at the same time fascinating and futuristic. MA’s Beehayden is being remixed by Sugai Ken, another outstanding artist and performer from Japan. MA made his first short live performance at Dommune Tokyo in may 2019, revealing his craft and performative side.” (from the label’s page)

---

Yan Jun & Bani Haykal – Rats in the bright southern sky (vinyl & digital, where is the zeitgeist ?)

A collaboration between two improvisers and poets, Chinese musician Yan Jun (no-input feedback, contact mic) and Singaporean experimentalist Bani Haykal (text, voice, coding. Voice collage, feedback, loops and glitch, minimalist music in the style of Onkyokei. (cdrk)

---

Hexenoise / brokenchelust (Split)  – Hexenoise / brokenchelust (Split) (digital, self-released)

Two long noisy tracks.
Hexenoise is a power electronics project from Russia, brokenchelust is a death ambient, industrial and noise project from Azerbaijan, this time featuring Queenigar. (cdrk)

---

Contagious Orgasm – Maschinenfest comp tracks (cassette & digital, raubbau)

Japanese electronica and post-industrial band Contagious Orgasm just published six live tracks recorded between 2001 and 2018 at the defunct Maschinenfest, a festival that took place in the Western part of Germany during twenty years.
This album is part of a collection of live recordings made by artists during the Maschinenfest. (cdrk)

---

Omar Fadel Hadi – Vanishing Form (digital, self-released)

Omar Fadel Hadi is an Iraqi musician based in Baghdad whose music oscillates between ambient and techno, for this release he recorded two long pieces reminding of 1990s techno, pretty minimal, a bit ethereal and without any harsh compression, Omar definitely takes the opposing view of today’s ultra loud pop music world. (cdrk)

---

v.a. – Noise A Noise 19​.​3 (digital, Noise À Noise)

Noise À Noise is an Iranian label that just published its third compilation this year. Each one includes a majority of Iranian artists and some foreigners but this one seems to be more dedicated to Iranian artists.
This third volume presents 20 tracks by 20 composers such as Alireza Mirhajebi, Ghodsea, Mohamad Nikpour, Ali Sasha and Zhoobin Askarieh, Parham Izadyar, Owrang, etc.
Dark ambient, electroacoustic, electronica, eerie and experimental music. (cdrk)

---

v.a. – Anthology Of Persian Experimental Music (digital & CD, Unexplained Sounds Group)

This compilation was published three years ago in digital format only and is now pressed on CD ; the new digital version includes four more artists who are unfortunately not present on the CD.
Many of the artists are active for years in and ourtside Iran, such as Tehransmission, Umchunga, Nyctalllz, NUM, Spectro Duo, Bicolor, and so on.
The whole CD is more dedicated to dark ambient, electronica, and drone with various influences, from Western music to Persian melodies and even includes an oriental post-rock track by Ostanes. (cdrk)

---

v.a. – “shelTer” (digital, Müstesna Records)

shelTer is a compilation that includes 25 artists, a lot form Turkey but international ones too in the field of techno, electronica, electro, and other rhythmic electronic genres.
The compilation has been done in order to provide financial support for creating national and international awareness about the trans murders and trans suicides in Turkey (the country has the highest rate of murders of trans people in Europe, and the ninth in the world). The benefits will be donated to “Eylül Cansın Trans Guest House” which was founded by the Istanbul LGBTI Solidarity Association and named after Eylül Cansın, a transgender person who committed suicide January 2015.
Some of the musicians included on the compilation are Houschyar, Emnre Can Swim, Tolouse Low Trax, Anatolian Weapons, Salih Topuz, Neu Verboten, Mahmet Aslan, Mekine U Teksi, Venderstrooik, Osilator, etc. (cdrk)

Back after two years on hold !

Hello,

After two years and a half on hold, too busy with other projects, I decided to reactivate this blog. This website will be run in parallel with the newsletter of Syrphe that is being sent at least once per month. Running the label, radio shows, composing music, doing some research and writing, as well as organising events keeps me very busy, so publishing or forwarding news, events, and releases here is time consuming for me hence, I’m looking for a collaborator or two if you think you could help, at least for posting some news and short reviews, interviews or new releases from artists from Asia, Africa and perhaps Latin America, feel free to contact me (preferably if you are from or live in Asia/the Mid East/Africa/Latin America), send me a few words about you and what you’d like to do. Reviews/news, perhaps articles would be published in English but could also be bilingual if you master another language such as  Indonesian, Chinese, Arabic, Farsi, Swahili, French, Spanish, etc. There is no money involved, unfortunately, I do this without any budget, I don’t pay myself and buy a lot of the music I speak about, each time I can.

cdrk

Asian Music Network, an interview with DJ Sniff, by C-drík.

In 1969, South Korean artist Seok Hee Kang founded the Pan Music Festival where himself and Hwang Byungki performed a piece for daegeum and tape, four years later, in 1973, the Asian Composers League was founded in Hong Kong with the aim of fostering contemporary music which uses both Western and Asian Pacific instruments.
Today in the 21st century, a new generation of composers, free improvisers, noise artists and turntablists cross the barriers again but this time in a less classical and conventional way : Far East Network (FEN), Asian Music Network, and more are reshaping the far east and south east music landscape…

Photo by Kuniya Oyamada –  写真　小山田邦哉

The Asian Music Network festival 2015 took place in Tōkyō and Kyōto and was the first avant-garde festival in the region to include such a large variety of artists from east and south east Asia  : dj sniff (Hong Kong), Bin Idris (Bandung), To Die (Yogyakarta), Iman Jimbot (Bandung), Kok Siew Wai (Kuala Lumpur), Leslie Low (Singapore), Yuen Chee Wai (Singapore), Yui-Saowakhon Muangkruan (Bangkok), Nguyễn Hong Giang (Ho Chi Minh), Lương Huệ Trinh (Hanoi), Sachiko M (Tokyo), Tadashi Yonago (Osaka), Tatsuhisa Yamamoto (Tokyo), Kimiya Sato (Tokyo), Shinobu Kawai (Tokyo), Tamura Fumitake (Tokyo), KΣITO (Tokyo), Ai Watanabe (Tokyo), Ryoko Ōno (Nagoya), Ōtomo Yoshihide (Tokyo).

The 2016 festival will be held in Tōkyō, Kōbe and Kyōto, from the 5th until the 12th of February and featuring the following artists : Ōtomo Yoshihide (Tokyo), dj sniff (Hong Kong), Fiona Lee (Hong Kong), Okkyung Lee (New York), Pete TR (Bangkok), Skip Skip Ben Ben (Taipei), Natalie Alexandra Tse (Singapore), Krisna Widiathama (Yogyakarta), Son X (Hanoi), Yong Yandsen (Kuala Lumpur) and guest Japanese artists Umeda Tetsuya, True Oshiro, Takahiro Kawaguchi, Toshio Kajiwara, Doddodo, Yoko Higashino, Mizuuchi Yoshito, Katsura Mouri and more !
Feel free to listen to the following mix prepared by dj sniff that include the 2016 participants and some of their projects while reading the interview.

Photo by Kuniya Oyamada –  写真　小山田邦哉

1. How did you and Yuen Chee Wai got the idea to create the pan Asian network ?

The idea originates from Ōtomo Yoshihide’s long standing work in trying to connect experimental musicians, in mainly East Asia, with Japanese musicians and the public.

Ōtomo worked extensively in Hong Kong during the early 90’s, and since early 2000’s he had been playing in China and Korea which evenly lead to his band FEN with Yan Jun, Ryu Hankil and Yuen Chee Wai. In 2005, he organised the first Asian Meeting Festival which was born out of both an optimism towards new communities enabled by the internet, and fear that it is also accelerating hate speech and xenophobia in Japan. Since my time at STEIM in Amsterdam, I was always trying to invite any Asian musician that was on tour in Europe, and Chee Wai was also active in organising events that featured Asian experimental musicians in Singapore. I moved to Hong Kong in 2012 after finding Europe being utterly dead, and wanting to tour more in Asia.

2. Do you have more logistic and financial ease and possibilities in Japan than in, let’s say Hong Kong or Singapore ?

For our project Ensembles Asia / Asian Music Network, yes, because we are funded by The Japan Foundation Asia Center (国際交流基金アジアセンター) which is a government cultural body. Ōtomo was invited to lead a new project that focussed on cultural exchange between South East Asia and Japan, and he invited me and Chee Wai. Japan also has a larger audience and generally better infrastructure than Hong Kong or Singapore, so that helps too.

Photo by Kuniya Oyamada –  写真　小山田邦哉

3. I noticed that step by step, some networks are being build in Asia, connecting musicians and organisers to each other : Asian Music Network, FEN, Border Movement. Seeking independence ?

It is still a challenge. Generally Asian people would rather work with people from the West for such cultural projects. It has to do with local prestige and also not wanting to be confronted with long history of dispute between neighbouring countries. For us we have to be very careful in running a project supported by Japan in Asia – scars from war don’t disappear that easily.

4. Does living in Hong Kong makes it easier for you to connect people together and travel around than when you were in Japan ?

I don’t know if it makes it easier, but it does give me an identity and edge within the scene. I haven’t lived in Japan for more than half of my life now, so I can get away with being “ignorant” to certain local conversions or political tension – that is quite convenient.

5. Would you organise the festival or some other events in other Asian countries and outside of Asia, such as FEN slowly does ?

Yes, we are trying to do this more. Our vision is that we develop programs and collaborations that take place initially in Japan, but can be brought to other cities. This is very challenging because each country has their own difficulties, but what we keep hearing is that it’s much more difficult than we think for South East Asian artists to connect with each other. We hope we can be a catalyst for new forms of collaboration within the region. Also we would like to bring these artists to Europe and North America as well. This is of course to introduce them to a wider audience but also playing in Western countries significantly helps them back home to receive recognition or funding.

Photo by Ayane Morishita -　写真　森下綺音

---

Some recommendations, references and links.

Asian Music Network is part of Ensembles Asia, that also includes Asian Sound Research (a project started in 2014, directed by Japanese musician Sachiko M that focuses on sound art research, including Malaysia, Cambodia, etc.) and Ensembles Asia Orchestra (a project launched in 2014, with the mission of creating a free-form orchestra that engages with people who are not professional musicians. The project is organized by the Japan Foundation Asia Center, with musician Ōtomo Yoshihide as artistic director. Ensembles Asia Orchestra aims to uncover new and unprecedented ways of making music and connecting with people, by sharing the joy of making music and fostering communication with people from elsewhere in Asia – site in Thai, Japanese, Indonesia, Tagalog and English).
You can follow Asian Music Network 2015 on Soundcloud.
And see a few interviews and short live extracts here.

FEN (Far East Network) recently performed at the Festival All Ears in Norway. FEN is an improvised music project group made up of musicians from different parts of Asia. The quartet comprises Ōtomo Yoshihide (Japan), Ryu Hankil (South Korea), Yan Jun (China) and Yuen Chee Wai (Singapore). FEN was started by globally renowned musician Ōtomo Yoshihide and it made its debut in 2008 at MIMI Festival in Marseilles, France. Following its début, FEN has performed extensively throughout Europe and all across Asia.

Border Movement is a platform that aims to encourage interaction between the electronic music scenes of South Asia (Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan) and Germany. Border Movement tends to be more on the dance side than FEN and Asian Music Network but includes also a few sound experimentalists.

Syrphe contains a database which included more than 1500 references of artists, venues, radios, labels, magazines, networks working in the field of alternative electronic music, electro-acoustic, free improv, noise, electronica, chiptune, breakcore, industrial, ambient and more, it is regularly updated.

Some pan-Asian compilations (and beyond for one and we need more like this !).

Live at Htein Lin’s Studio / 7000 Padauk, Yangon, Myanmar, (Syrphe, 2014, digital), an compilation of live recording made in Yangon, Myanmar and featuring six artists mostly living there and coming from Asia and Europe. Free download.

Art of the Muses (Syrphe, 2012, CD and digital), an experimental music compilation featuring 10 female composers from far east Asia (Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Singapore).

Beyond ignorance and borders (Syrphe, 2007, CD and digital), an African, Middle-Eastern, Asian noise and electronic compilation which includes electronic, experimental and noise artists from 21 Asian and African countries (Vietnam, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Israel, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Lebanon, Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Singapore, South Africa, Laos, Tibet, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia).

Soundtracks For Bride Of Sevenless (Auscultare Research, 1998, CD), 12 noise and sound artists from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong.

Eternal Blue Extreme: An Asian Tribute To Derek Jarman (Somnus, 1994, CD), 9 noise, experimental and industrial artists from Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

---

If you happen to be in Berlin in early February, I (C-drík) will give a lecture during CTM festival : An introduction to electro-acoustic, noise and experimental music in Africa and Asia, 2 February, 13h, Kunstquartier Studio 1 .

My new essay Power through networking : reshaping the underground electronic and experimental music scenes in East and South East Asia will also be available in CTM Magazine to be out very soon. More info soon !

 

Feminism in electronic and experimental music, the failure of most Westerners.

For a few years now, I see and meet plenty of feminist enthusiasts who try to develop new networks, events, workshops, festivals dedicated to women and feminism in the often male-centric experimental and electronic music scenes, where indeed, most djs represented are men, most famous electro-acoustic composers are males, most power electronics artists are males, most famous electronica artists are males and so on and so forth.

Many of those who call themselves feminists and quite rightly scream and shout that they want more equality, more exposure and recognition and want to offer women more opportunities to access the electronic and experimental music world have for most a western-centric vision of the scene.
Never did I see them promoting female artists in the field of electronic and experimental music who come from Asia and Africa (or even Latin America). The victims of exclusion exactly behave like their oppressors and should definitely admit that their fight is a failure and will remain so unless they include all women of the various scenes (including underground rock, metal, punk, grindcore, etc.), no matter what their ethnicities, nationalities, geographic locations, social classes are.

Of course, I hear some of you fulminating against me, accusing me of disempowering them, telling me : “But we didn’t know ! We never heard about them ! How could we imagine there were women doing this music in those places !?” (sic).
It sounds to me like those men telling :”Seriously ? You know of women building modular synthesizer ? I never imagined that it would be ever possible !”
Zero difference.
This is one of the problems of the Western World, it is so much self-centred that it often lacks of imagination and curiosity (even not going so far away as Asia or Africa, how many times did I hear some being surprised that there are musicians in Sardinia or Kosovo or whatever remote village lost in the Swiss mountains who do play underground music).

Now that we live in a more and more interconnected society, to me it is some kind of pure egotism and a certain form of social racism to imagine that only women (or people in general)  in the west do compose electronic, experimental music or punk, metal, oi, you name it… In the time of the invasive internet where those who want, especially those who pretend to fight for some rights, can search, deeply, all kinds of informations using search engines, social networks, databases, music streaming services, it is a shame to see that those born in the “wrong” place still often remain excluded.

I remember women from some networks I will not name here telling that they wanted full support and promotion for women´s projects but how many of them bought or promoted the works and publications I was telling them about ? How many of them attended the concerts I organised ? Very few ! Some even decided to work in closed circles, excluding men from their networks or activities, even those who supported them from the beginning. Some gave me the feeling that they were working for their own ego, that the feminist fight was an excuse for them to clime higher and reach the peak… I may be wrong, I wish so but this is how I perceive this situation for many years.

Now to conclude this small article, here are a few CD references among many others, and following those, you´ll find a non-exhaustive list of under represented women. The CD list is only a small sample that what is currently existing, of course.

Art of the Muses (CD and digital, Syrphe, 2012, international) with Alice Hui-Sheng Chang [Taiwan], Aki Ito [Japan], Itta [South Korea], Tomoko Sauvage [Japan], Kismett [Singapore], VAVABOND [China], Pei [Taiwan], Verita Shalavita Koapaha [Indonesia], Lương Huệ Trinh [Vietnam], Lau Mun Leng [Malaysia].

Egyptian Females Experimental Music Session (CD, 100Copies, 2013, Egypt) with Asmaa Azzouz, Shorouk El Zomor, Hala Abu Shady, Jacqueline George, Nina El Gebaly, Ola Saad, Yara Mekawei, details on 100Copies.

_Litter – Newfound Grids (CD and digital, Syrphe, 2013, Lebanon)

VAVABOND – HOLOGRAM OF sea (CD and digital, C.F.I Records, 2012, China)

PEI ‎– Normality Envision (CD, Sub Jam, Kwanyin Records, 2007, Taiwan), details and extracts here.

Leila Bela – Angra Manyu (CD, Ellahy Amen Records 2003, Iran/USA), details here.

Hui-Shen Chang Alice – When She Was Asleep (Cassatte, Antifrost, 2011, Taiwan).

Okkyung Lee – Noisy Love Songs (CD, Tzadik, 2010, South Korea), details at Discogs.

And one more western oriented ones that I anyway find worth to mention (and because most feminist activists I talked to in the scene told me they never heard about it and it´s a pretty good one !) :

Women Take Back The Noise (3xCD, UBUIBI, 2006) with Michiko Kawagoe, Dark Muse, BCO Women’s Auxiliary, Passiflora, Suzanne Quincey, Ava Mendoza, Meri von KleinSmid, Analog Tara, Fe-Mail, Experiment Haywire, Hertta Lussu Ässä, Cosey Fanni Tutti, etc.

This non-exhaustive list comes from this database I´m permanently working on, this database contains more than 1500 references for Africa and Asia. I could have added more of them but sorry, my time is limited at the moment !
Note I noticed that the formatting of the list appears incorrectly but I can´t correct it for some odd reasons…)

Algeria :
Rula El Bahr Soundcloud [electronic, sound art, lives in France, see Kamekaz]

Armenia/USA :
Farhadian, Thea Site [electro-acoustic, improv, video, lives in the USA]

China :

Arrebato (Li Huihui) Tudou Douban (豆瓣) Soundcloud (1) Soundcloud (2) Bandcamp [sound art, see lllllllllllHH, Hhiña, Kazorp, Arrebato]
Chen, Audrey MySpace Discogs [sound art, improv, free jazz, lives in Germany]
Chen Yi Discogs [electro-acoustic, classical, lives in the USA ?][1984]
Pan Daijing Soundcloud Tumblr Instagram [noise, industrial, ambient]
Shenggy (Cosmic Shenggy) MySpace1 Myspace2 Rock In China Discogs [sound art, noise, minimal techno, see White]
VAVABOND (Vavabond) Site MySpace Soundcloud Discogs [sound art, ambient, noise]

Egypt :
Azzouz, Asmaa Discogs [electronic]
Bosaina Site Soundcloud Facebook [electronica, electro-pop]
El Zomor, Shorouk Discogs [electronic]
George, Jacqueline Soundcloud [electronic, sound art]
Abu Shady, Hala Youtube Vimeo [sound art, video art]
Hani, Dina Soundcloud [electronic, field recordings]
Mattar Nahla Site [electro-acoustic, classical]
Mekawei, Yara (Yara Mekawi) Blogspot, Soundcloud, Facebook, MySpace Twitter Tumblr Meetphool [electronic, electro-acoustic, audio-visual, sound installation]
Saad, Ola Soundcloud [sound art]

Hong Kong :
Lee, Fiona Site Vimeo Tumblr Jux Soundcloud [sound art, audiovisual]
Lee, Ingrid Site Discogs [sound art, modern classical, lives in the USA]

India :
Desai, Poulomi Tumblr Facebook Facebook Youtube [audio-visual, sound art, lives in the UK]
Sandunes Site Bandcamp Soundcloud Facebook Twitter Instagram [electronica]

Indonesia :
Menstrual Synthdrone (Dyah “Woro” Isaka) Soundcloud [drone, noise]
Sabrina WordPress [noise]
Sarana Soundcloud Facebook [drone, noise]
Shalavita Koapaha, Verita Bandcamp [contemporary classical]

Iran :
Bela, Leila (ليلى بلا) Site MySpace Discogs [noise, sound art, lives in the USA]
Bigdeli Shamloo, Sara Soundcloud Twitter [electronic, sound tracks, lives in France]
Hatam, Farahnaz MySpace [sound art, lives in Germany]
Pazhutan, Honey Haq Site Soundcloud [see vH+] / vent aitcH Plus (vH+, V H +p) Site Soundcloud [ambient, drone, see Honey Haq Pazhutan]

Iraq :
Nadeem, Aida (Aïda Nadeem) Site Soundcloud Twitter Tumblr Wikipedia MySpace Discogs Youtube [electronica, traditional, contemporary lives in Denmark]

Israel :
Asher, Meira Site MySpace [industrial, sound art, lives in the Netherlands]
Elyakim, Dganit MySpace [electro-acoustic, classical]
Olivero, Betty Wikipedia [electro-acoustic, classical]
Rosenbaum, Keren Facebook Discogs [electro-acoustic, jazz, classical]

Lebanon :
Andraos, Joanna Site MySpace [electronica]
Chlela, Liliane (Queen Lil) Site Soundcloud Facebook [ambient, improv, psychedelic, improv, see Hezbel Taleta]
Dally, Rhéa (Rhea Dally) Facebook Soundcloud [chip tune, breakcore, lives in South Africa]
Sehnaoui, Christine MySpace Blogspot [jazz, sound art, lives in France]
Zaven, Cynthia Soundcloud Youtube [improv, modern classical, electronic]

Malaysia :
Kok Siew Wai WordPress Youtube [improv, experimental]
Lau Mun Leng Myspace Discogs WordPress [sound art, video artist and graphic designer]

Philippines :
Barrozo, Teresa Site Soundcloud [classical, electro-acoustic]

Singapore :
Ang, Lydia Soundcloud Youtube ReverbNation [film score, ambient, new age, electro-acoustic]
Cheryl Ong & Vivian Wang Youtube [drone, industrial]
Ding, Debbie Site Soundcloud Twitter [sound art, audiovisual]
Kismett Bandcamp [sound art]
Reiki, Jean (DJ Reiki) Site Bandcamp Soundcloud Twitter Facebook Youtube Mixcloud Indabamusic [ambient, electronica]
Tara Transitory Site MySpace Discogs Facebook [electronica, ambient, sound art, see One Man Nation, lives in Spain and Asia]

South Africa :
Beckmann, Inge MySpace Discogs Facebook [electronic, contemporary]
Isadora Dustmite Junk MySpace Bandcamp Facebook [electro-acoustic, noise, sound art]
Schneider, June [electro-acoustic, multi-media installations][1971 ?]

South Korea :
Itta (있다) https://www.youtube.com/user/TxNxGxRMySpace Facebook Twitter MySpace [sound art, ambient, minimal, member of 10 and Tengger]
Okkyung Lee Site MySpace [classical, improv, sound art, lives in Germany]
Shin, Amy Soundcloud [classical, sound art, post rock, etc., USA/South Korea] – she´s an American of Korean descent who migrated to Seoul.
Ha Jane Facebook [improv, see Pika & Pikasland] – from the US I think but lives in Seoul.

Syria :
Asma Shams (شمس أسمى, Asma Ghanem) Soundcloud [sound art, ambient, lives in Palestine]

Thailand:
Liew Pichanan Niyomkarn Site Souncloud [noise, sound art]

Taiwan :
Anchih Tsai [electro-acoustic] Youtube – unfortunately, she passed away a few months ago.
Betty Apple (ßetty ∆pple, Reiki Jelly, Yi-Ping Cheng, Xiao-Biao, 瀟薄 ) Site Soundcloud Twitter MySpace Tumblr Youtube Vimeo Mixcloud Soundcloud (Reiki Jelly) Facebook [sound art, noise, electronic, techno]
Hui-Chun Lin Site MySpace [improv, sound art, classical, lives in Germany]
Hui-Shen Chang Alice Site [electronica, sound art] – she mostly experiments with her voice when she plays solo.
Kueiju Lin [classical, improv, sound art]
Lai Chi-Hsia Site Soundcloud [sound art]
Pei Site1 Site2 [minimal sound art, onkyokei, lives in Switzerland]
Pei-Yu Shi Youtube Facebook [sound art, electronic, folk, audio-visual]
Luo Chao Yun (駱昭勻) Site MySpace [traditional, classical, improv, sound art]

Tunisia :
Abdelwahed, Deena Site Tumblr Facebook Arabstazy Mixcloud [electronic]
Houaïda (Miss Machine) Soundcloud Facebook [electronica, industrial, noise pop,lives in Germany]

Turkey :
Ah! Kosmos Site Soundcloud Soundkick Facebook Twitter Instagram Last.fm [electronica]
Gürkan, Gülce Özen Site Bandcamp MySpace Soundcloud Vimeo Discogs [electro-acoustic, sound art]
Pase, Tuna MySpace Facebook Soundcloud 1 Soundcloud 2 Soundcloud 3 [electro-acoustic]

Vietnam :
Cao Lan (Cao Thanh Lan) Site [electro-acoustic, sound art, free improv, classical, see Parallel Asteroid, Swiss Army Wife, lives in Germany]
Lương Huệ Trinh (Luong Hue Trinh) Soundcloud MySpace Facebook [sound art, electro-acoustic]
Ngọc Trần Thị Kim (Ngoc Tran Thi Kim) Weebly Youtube [sound art, electro-acoustic, classical]
Nguyễn Nhung (Nguyen Nhung) Site Bandcamp [dark ambient, drone, minimal electronic, noise, electroacoustic, classical, see Sound Awakener][2007]

And a list of female composers from Latin America here, thanks to Alma for providing the link.

 

CTM Festival 2016 : New geographies

Music is now more than ever integrated into the global circulation of ideas, knowledge, people and commodities. Musicians everywhere have increasing access to digital resources that revolutionize music making and distribution. Internet and telecommunications intensify exchanges across existing cultural boundaries. At the same time, extreme regional disparities continue to exist in regards to the participation of minority communities, to political freedom, possibilities for mobility and travel, or when it comes to access to entry points into the dominant music markets.

This year CTM will include many artists from Lebanon, Turkey, Mexico,  China, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Egypt, Tunisia, etc.

CTM will also publish a magazine and some talks and lectures will happen in various places in Berlin.

I´m happy to have been invited to write an article for the magazine and give a lecture during the festival too – more about this later this month ; meanwhile you can find plenty of informations, links, music, details and buy your tickets on the CTM website.

 
Le1f [US]     OG Maco [US]     Jlin [US]      Rødhåd [DE]     Visionist [UK]     Gesloten Cirkel [INT]     Nidia Minaj [PT]     Night Lovell [CA]     Mumdance [UK]     nkisi [UK]     KABLAM [SE]     Esplendor Geométrico [ES]     Rabit [UK]     Gaika [UK]     André Bratten [NO]     Buttechno [RU]     zutzut [MX]     Baris K [TR]     Paul Marmota [MX]     Praed [LB/CH]     Slick Shoota [NO]     Hmot [RU]     Thug Entrancer [US]     Takuya Taniguchi [JP]     Why Be [INT]     Resom [DE]     Native Instrument [INT]     gamut inc [DE]     Alienata [DE]     Purpurr Purple [NO]     Charlotte Bendiks [NO]     Low 808 [RU]     Mobile Girl [DE]     Laurent Jeanneau aka Kink Gong [FR]     Beio [CN]     Disco Halal [INT] feat Moscoman, Delfonic, Autarkic & guests     Opium Hum [DE]     Tara Transitory aka One Man Nation [SG/INT]     Mikael Seifu [ET]     and more.

And special projects and commissions:      Rabih Beaini [LB] “The Red Right Hand” with Tommaso Cappellato [IT], Liz Allbee [US], Sharif Sehnaoui [LB], Sam Shalabi [CA/LB], Daniele De Santis [IT/DE], Sofia Jernberg [NO / INT], Rully Shabara [ID], Mazen Kerbaj [LB]     Iancu Dumitrescu & Ana-Maria Avram with Hyperion Ensemble featuring Stephen O’Malley [INT]     Christoph Schlingensief’s “African Twin Towers” re-played by Hanno Leichtmann & Carolin Brandl [DE]     Anna Homler & Steven Warwick – “Breadwoman” [US]     Love Cult & Alina Filippova – “Nada” [RU]     Pedro Reyes — “Disarm (Mechanized)” [MX]