Browse by Label: SUBLIME FREQUENCIES

Artist:	VA
Title:	Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol. 1
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 001CD

Sublime Frequencies is a new Abduction-related label, overseen by Alan Bishop/Sun City Girls. The label defines itself as "a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media, or corporate foundations. SUBLIME FREQUENCIES is focused on an aesthetic of extra-geography and soulful experience inspired by music and culture, world travel, research, and the pioneering recording labels of the past including OCORA, SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS, ETHNIC FOLKWAYS, LYRICHORD, NONESUCH EXPLORER, MUSICAPHONE, BARONREITER, UNESCO, PLAYASOUND, MUSICAL ATLAS, CHANT DU MONDE, B.A.M., TANGENT, and TOPIC."

"The equator runs through only ten countries on earth and I bet that you cannot name them all without consulting a map. Indonesia is one of them and the only nation in Asia with the equatorial stripe impaling it. There are so many different cultures spread-out on these islands, that it would take several lifetimes to experience them all properly. Within this umbrella of diversity is one of the world's richest and most dazzling sound museums. Sumatra is the northwestern entry point to the great archipelago. It is a large island approximately the size of California. There are jungles, mountains, swamps, various forms of myths and folklore, hustlers, Padang Food, Tigers, the Durian, dozens of cultures and languages, and more music than you've ever been allowed to hear. The selections on this CD are a combination of droning beat pop, pseudo-gypsy songs, jungle folk trance, and other improbable traditional and hybrid styles heard by only a handful of outsiders. These recordings are from old cassette tapes received as gifts, in trade, or purchased from sources in Sumatra in 1989. Some of the tapes are unmarked with the artists unknown, yet all of them are decaying documents of various sound quality containing some of the most eccentric artifacts ever uncovered from this fascinating island."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Java
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 002CD

"Java is the center of Indonesian culture. Three out of every four Indonesians live on Java. It is the home of some of the most elegant musical styles to be found anywhere. To the veteran international sound collector, Javanese music is no secret. For the uninitiated, rather than going through an introductory outline of Javanese music history, I will wish you away to the internet, a library, or bookstore where you can find plenty of information on the subject. The selections on this CD are a combination of random radio excerpts sequenced in collage form and assembled in the summer of 1989. This disc is a highly unique document featuring many angles of Javanese sound finally slipping through the cracks. Among many other oddities, you'll hear several examples of Javanese pop (from Dangdut and Keroncong to Hard Rock and Disco), news snippets, folk music, radio commercials, Jakarta DJ's, The west Java Sundanese sound, spooky theatre extracts, and high-octane Jaipongan variations that are completely over the top. There has never been anything like this."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Night Recordings From Bali
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 003CD

"The island of Bali is Indonesia's most popular place. With the modern beach resorts at Kuta and Legian, the lovely, tropic interior of palm-covered hills and rice paddies, and a rich variety of art, dance and music, the island is a destination of choice for travelers around the world. But, regardless of their increasing role of servicing an ever-demanding tourist industry, the Balinese are a strong-willed and tight-knit society. The island is a tiny enclave of Hinduism within a massive nation of Islam, yet, their Gamelan music is faster, tighter, and louder than their mighty neighbors to the west, the Javanese. Balinese Gamelan stylings and the Ketchak dance are legendary throughout the world and have been immortalized in sound recordings and on film for decades. But, beneath the creeping exterior of a pseudo-western culture slowly overtaking an amazing tradition of unique human expression, the moods of the island are governed by magic and superstition. The hills, forests, rivers, and crossroads are alive with tales of demons (Leyaks) and a flesh-eating Ogress (Rangda). A lesser-known darker side of Balinese life secretly balances the lighter side 'tropical paradise' of tourist brochures. This CD is entirely composed of field recordings from August and September of 1989. The majority of the recordings were made at night in and around the villages of Peliatan and Ubud. Amidst the excerpts from Gamelan and Ketchak are sounds of the forests and mysterious crossroads where packs of dogs seem to take on forms of angry demons. Also encountered here are odd folk stylings for flute and drum, outdoor village theatre, and other sound anomalies from the center of Balinese culture."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Palestine: Sounds of the Eastern Mediterranean
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 008CD

"From the traditional Nubian sounds of Southern Egypt to the cultured Arabic pop of Beirut, its all here in super-sonic collage: Cairo Orchestral/Greek Sartaki/Palestinian Folk/ Jewish and Euro-hybrid music styles/ Jordanian reverb guitar....all placed deep within the mirage of an 18 year-old time capsule of news, commercials, radio plays, UFO signals, Secret agent messages and chainsaw shortwave. Recorded in the summer of 1985 from Aswan to Jerusalem, this is a cerebral-smashing 65-minute listening experience soaked in raw beauty. If you don't like gettin' your ears pierced, then Clear the path now....the Radio Collage Revolution has been unleashed."

Artist:	VA
Title:	I Remember Syria
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	2CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	SF 009CD

"A jaw-dropping expose of music, news, interviews and field recordings from one of the least-known quarters of the Arab world. The country of Syria has been politically and culturally exiled for decades by the western media leaving little known of its rich heritage of art, music and culture. Recorded and surgically-assembled by Mark Gergis from two trips to Syria in 1998 and 2000, disc one of this 2-CD set features recordings made in Damascus and is a virtual documentary of sound from the legendary Capital including street scenes, a wedding, a mosque interior, spontaneous live music and interviews with citizens, radio broadcasts, a song about Saddam Hussein, and the mystery of an underground city called 'Kazib'. Disc two extends to Greater Syria with the same approach capturing live musicians, political opinions, radio excerpts, an interview with an anonymous homosexual, and unique sound documents from this small but highly-influential corner of the Middle East."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk & Pop Music Vol. 1
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 011CD

Repressed! "An unbelievable collection of dynamic Cambodian music recorded between the 1960s and the 1990s, both in Cambodia and in the United States. A truly Khmer blend of folk and pop stylings -- Cha-Cha Psychedelia, Phase-shifting Rock, sultry circle dance standards, pulsing Cambodian new wave, haunted ballads, musical comedy sketches, Easy-Listening numbers and raw instrumental grooves presented in an eclectic variety of production techniques. Male and female vocalists share the spotlight, embellished by roller rink organ solos, raunchy guitar leads and MIDI defying synthesizers. Culled from over 150 ageing cassettes found at the Asian Branch of the Oakland Public Library in California, these recordings showcase a pre and post holocaust Cambodian musical lineage that can't be ignored."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Bush Taxi Mali: Field Recordings from Mali
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 012CD

"Bush Taxi Mali is an aural tour through the heart of Mali. These field recordings were made by Tucker Martine in 1998 while travelling throughout the West African country. This blend of bluesy Ngoni's, clamoring street sounds, the stunning voice of Jalimusa Amanita Diabate (of the famous Diabate family), passing radios, Fulani flutes, runaway sound systems and chants from the Dogon country creates a unique portrait of Mali's rich musical heritage. Eventually Martine found himself in the backseat of a beat up Peugeot on his way to the village of Kela, a Jeli village, where the songs and traditions of the Mande people have been scrupulously preserved. Many of the musical performances heard on this disc were made during that visit. Bush Taxi Mali is a strikingly original tapestry of the ancient traditions of Mali in the modern era."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Brokenhearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica from ...
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 013CD

... Southeast Asia. "There is a legend in Burma stating that swarms of male dragonflies gather to join in choruses of high-pitched tones to court their mates. The ones that don't succeed in mating eventually scream so loud that their chests explode and they drop dead to the ground. These recordings are a tribute to this legend. Droning cicadas, dragonflies and other insects display their charm as masters of the High Frequency Airwaves recorded live and unprocessed by Tucker Martine in the lush settings of Laos, Thailand, and Burma. Enter the supernatural world where Entomology and Electronica converge in a tropical hallucination of alien sound. Anyone who's ever wondered if these strange symphonies could be recorded or preserved as precisely as they sound in the field need look no further! Martine has done it and you will be transported to the exact experience one would encounter in these mysterious lowlands. Liner notes by Hakim Bey!"

Artist:	VA
Title:	Streets of Lhasa
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 016CD

2005 release, repressed. "Streets of Lhasa lifts us to the high plateau of Tibet where anonymous street balladeers sell folk songs for a living and ghostly voices drift in an ambience of time forgotten. Children, birds, trains, prayers and a traditional temple activity called 'bian jing' (where monks discourse about scripture and punctuate their points by clapping loudly) provide the backdrop for this disc with the folk music of the street taking center stage. These enterprising musicians sing passionate songs and play instruments like the 'Erhu' and the 'San Xian'. The recordings are as clear as the strings of these banjo and violin-like instruments scathed by leather fingers of the high, thin air. Tibet has been under Chinese control for nearly half a century and their leader, The Dalai Lama, resides in exile to the south in Dharamsala India. Buddhism remains of primary importance here and chants of song and prayer are heard throughout the plateau. This ornamental carnival of sound was recorded by Zhang Jian (of the Beijing-based sound collective 'fm3') on the streets of Lhasa, ZhaDa and Shigatse in August 2003. Liner notes written by Steve Barker (ON THE WIRE/BBC)."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Harmika Yab-Yum: Folk Sounds From Nepal
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 017CD

"Harmika Yab Yum is a divine blend of Radio excerpts and field recordings from Nepal compiled by Robert Millis. This exciting mosaic snares among other oddities, a 'King Cobra' snake charmer, the sounds of slaughtering buffaloes and guns firing amidst a Durga Puja festival, dreamy folk music, Sarangi and Harmonium players seeping in from unknown radio signals, pounding drums, praying monks, child choruses, street sermons, loudspeaker promotionals, and quiet footsteps at the top of the world. Millis has produced many curious audio works as a member of the group Climax Golden Twins and this collection of Himalayan ephemera captures the timeless beauty of the world's highest Kingdom, land of the rhododendron, the Kumari (a 'living goddess'), and the legendary 'Yeti'. (Recorded in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Gorkha, and other undisclosed locales in 1996)."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol. 2
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 018CD

"Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra (Volume 2) expands our presentation of the world's least-known, outstanding musical improbabilities. From the infectious trance beat of Sumatra's Folk Dangdut music, featuring Rabab (Violin) or Saluang (Flute), to the highly-refined and glorious Orkes Gambus (Orchestral Arabic music with 'Gambus' literally meaning 'Oud'), said to have been brought to the island by Islamic settlers from Yemen, the 18 tracks featured here will instantly convince the listener of the expressive beauty and diversity that Sumatra has contributed to the world music theater. Most of the musicians on this release are 'Minangkabau' or 'Minang' people who are devout followers of Islam as well as the world's largest Matrilineal society (a Minangkabau child is the descendent of his/her mother, not father). These tracks (chosen from stacks of old cassettes) were recorded from the 1960's through the 1980's and are all but dismissed by many Sumatrans who seem to prefer a more contemporary sound. This is an assortment of relics from a forgotten period of transition in Sumatran music when psychedelic organs echoed underneath Arabic string sections and rustic violins sawed atop trance beats from poorly-lit night markets. The Minang sound is like no other and it represents a vital link in the somewhat cloudy history of Sumatran music. Keep in mind that this is NOT a document for the mere purpose of preservation, although it may serve as such. This IS among the very best music you've never heard and you need to hear it NOW!"

Artist:	VA
Title:	Molam: Thai Country Groove from Isan
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 019CD

2007 repress! "Molam is a multi-faceted folk music native to Laos and the predominantly rural Northeastern region of Thailand known as Isan -- home to myriad ethnic groups and provinces, and once a part of present-day Laos. Mo meaning 'master' and lam meaning 'song', molam literally translates into 'master singer', but it remains more of an umbrella term covering over a dozen types of lam styles in which male and female singers can be backed by a free-reed bamboo mouth organ called a khaen, indigenous lute-like instruments (the phin or the soong), a bowed fiddle called a sor and a percussion ensemble featuring finger cymbals and hand drums. Lam phun and lam sing are the two molam styles featured most prominently in this collection. Also in the musical family is look thoong, a slower, more tragic style, usually lamenting lost love and perpetual poverty. Examples are heard on tracks 10, 15 and 20. Costumed Isan comedy troupes called Talok incorporate hyper-eccentric molam and look thoong renditions with low, vaudevillian comedy and high social satire on stages and TVs throughout the country. Maniacal examples are heard on tracks 2, 8 and 11. The classic recordings featured here are selections from rare vinyl LPs, 45s and cassettes recorded in Isan and beyond between the 1970s and 1980s. This was a pivotal time when music of the region began to be electrified and integrated with Western instruments. When electric bass, effected guitars, electric organs, kit drums and horns played alongside the khaen and the phin. Molam had never sounded this way before -- and due to the typically ephemeral nature of the music industry and the introduction of the modern keyboard workstation, molam will never sound like this again."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Phnom Penh
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 020CD

2005 release, repressed! "Cambodia's people, economy, and culture have been 're-mixed' perhaps more than any place on earth for the past 50 years. The name was even changed to Kampuchea and then back again to Cambodia. So it almost seems natural that modern Cambodian record companies have been re-mixing the old classic pop and rock tracks from the pre-Khmer Rouge era, overdubbing drum tracks, and sometimes all instruments leaving only the original vocal in tact. These re-mixes, designed to hold the interest of younger listeners, are the staple for current programming on Phnom Penh's FM radio stations as the AM flagship 'National Radio of Cambodia' remains the only source regularly featuring the original master recordings. This brain-melting concoction of Radio transmissions is a combination of AM/FM samples from the airwaves of Phnom Penh. The older, classic Pop/Rock FM cuts are ALL re-mixed versions while the newer forms/other styles of Cambodian music collected here are not. All AM recordings are from the Original masters. Regardless of the debate between 'original' and 're-mix', this is the most diverse assortment of Cambodian musical treasures you've NEVER heard. Flowing from traditional to Modern, from rock and pop to folk and hybrid, all excerpts are as unique as the best of what's been presented by other compilations of late. And it's sequenced here in the spirit of how it was captured: as radio programming designed to immediately transport you into the heart of Cambodia's Capital."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Sumatra: The Indonesian FM Experience
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 021CD

"The music and production encountered here represents a cross-section of Sumatran FM radio and to a greater extent, what's happening now in Indonesian culture. From the signature sounds of Sumatra (Melayu, Minang Pop, the Batak ballad) to the widespread Indonesian phenomenon of Dangdut, this exclusive 'FM only' Radio Collage will leave your skull shattered, wondering why it's taken so long to be turned-on to the modern pulse of the world's fourth largest country. Some of these selections come from Java and other parts of Indonesia via the FM airwaves of Sumatra's major cities. Islamic Folk, Gambus Rock, and gorgeous anomalies are also placed in the mix amidst brief news reports, advertisements, prayers, and karaoke call-in shows. Many of the station ID's could be mistaken for American or European networks and much of the music is highly influenced by western pop/rock/punk/metal/rap/etc. But beyond these obvious comparisons is an explosive musical kaleidoscope; still fresh, somewhat sincere and naive, and a bit resistant to the grasp of the world's cultural export Moguls. This is an essential listening experience. There is undeniable evidence here of how Indonesians have crafted some of the world's most thrilling popular music....yet the rest of this world somehow refuses to recognize it....that is, until now! (Recorded, assembled and edited by Alan Bishop/ 2004)."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Sounds from Iraq
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 025CD

2007 repress! Meticulously selected from Iraqi cassettes and LPs found in Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, this unique collection of folk and pop styles displays a wealth of outstanding music that is exclusive to Iraq and has rarely been showcased abroad. There are many reasons why Iraqi music stands alone in the dynamic world of Arabic music: one example is the unbelievable rapid fire machine-gun rhythms fluttering atop the main tempo. This is the work of a unique nomadic hand drum called the khishba -- also known as the zanbour (Arabic for "wasp"). A style prominently featured here is the infamous Iraqi choubi -- a driving rhythmic style that can include fiddles, double reeded instruments, percussion, bass, keyboards and oud over its signature beat. Other styles featured are the basta (an urban Baghdadi style), the bezikh, and the pulsating hecha. Also heard is the mawal -- a vocal improv that sets the tone of a song, regardless of the style. Additionally there are three cuts from Ja'afar Hassan's 1970s record, Let's Sing Together. Being a folk-rock record, it's a true anomaly for Iraq. Hassan was a mouthpiece for the Iraqi Socialist movement just a few years before Saddam Hussein. But most of the music in this collection was produced during the Saddam period between the 1980s and 2002. Since the 2003 invasion and the wholesale disassembly of the country, classic tracks like these may already be part of a disappeared past.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Ethnic Minority Music of Northeast Cambodia
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 027CD

For the first time ever from this part of the world, here is a recording that documents the ceremonial animist music from the mysterious tribal villages of Northeast Cambodia. The Tampoans, Krungs, Kavets, Braos, and Jara�s of Ratanakiri Province and the Phnongs in Mondolkiri Province have been living amidst each other in this region for centuries, preserving and expanding their unique cultural heritage, sometimes at peace and other times in conflict with one another or with foreign invaders. The music includes hypnotic gong ensembles, guitar ballads, bamboo flute and unique local instrumentation such as the gungteng (a 10-string instrument comprised of a bamboo tube holding 10 metallic strings with a dried gourd as resonator) and the mum (a unique one-string Krung instrument bowed with a bamboo using the mouth as a resonator, attached by a string between the instrument and the mouth). The superb singing styles and vocals present throughout are absolutely mesmerizing. These tracks sound like nothing you've heard before, all magnificently documented, transporting the listener into the heart of each performance. Recorded on location by Laurent Jenneau over a 2-year period from 2003-2005 with his revealing liner notes and a detailed tracklist included within.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Thailand: Transmissions from the Tropical Kingdom
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	2CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	SF 028CD

2006 release, repressed! This 2CD set is an exhaustive collection of Thai Radio transmissions recorded over a 15-year period from 1989 to 2004. These 23 collage tracks have been assembled and distilled from dozens of cassette and mini-disc recordings captured on location from the capital of Bangkok to Chaing Mai and Isan Province in the north to Hat Yai in the south. The music presented here is relentlessly mystifying and seductive: Molam, Luk Thung, Kantrum, folk and pop, classic Thai guitar rock, antique ballads, novelty tunes, traditional ceremonial music and other miscellaneous styles rarely heard outside the Kingdom. Also featured are various commercials, DJs, radio IDs, news reports, mysterious folk radio, language lessons, sacred chants, bumper cues and plenty of audio anomalies only the sheer genius of Thai Radio can supply. Tune in to the amazing audio experience of Thailand's Tropical Kingdom!

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Algeria
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	SF 029CD

2006 release, repressed! Radio Algeria is a multi-dimensional assembly of audio culture from the Mediterranean coast to the undefined border areas of the Sahara Desert and beyond. This is perhaps the most diverse collection of the Algerian listening experience ever presented featuring raw Berber folk, modern Arabic pop, sacred Islamic traditional, Andalusian orchestral, Guesba (the origin of Rai), classic early Rai, Khabyle, Tuareg, Saharaui, and hybrid music styles influenced by Europeans to the north and sub-Saharan Africa to the south. The presence of French culture is a relevant factor in some of these tracks as modern history would suggest and the language is still spoken by a large portion of the population. No English is spoken on Algerian-produced radio. Collected, assembled and edited in 2005 from AM, FM, and shortwave broadcasts recorded in Algeria, there are radio finds here that defy categorization. Excerpts of bumper music, DJ announcements, advertisements, and radio station IDs reinforce the transitions between the musical segments throughout this production.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Thai Pop Spectacular: 1960s-1980s
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 032CD

Thai pop history has been largely ignored and neglected by the international musical community for far too long. By the late 20th century, Thai pop music had developed as many faces as localized roots music such as molam or styles like luk thung or luk krung (each with their own respective pop-sectors). Bangkok -- always the hub of the Thai recording industry -- attracted musicians and singers from across the country that were both informed by tradition and inspired by the wealth of international sounds entering the region via radio and phonograph. Jazz, for instance, had a profound influence on early Thai pop music, the King of Thailand himself being a noted jazz composer. This superb collection features modern Thai music styles combining with elements of surf, rock, funk, disco and comedy, revealing the use of clever instrumentation, brilliant vocals, great arrangements, twisted breaks, and resourceful production techniques. Discover the Queen of Luk Thung, the 1960s "Shadow Music" sound, classic tracks from Thai films, blazing examples of Bangkok disco from the 1970s, legendary Thai comedy pop, and the most outrageous version of "The Night Chicago Died" you'll ever encounter. Thick horn sections, wah-wah guitars, tight drums, and funky organs help round out this astounding set which proves beyond a doubt that the Thai were a completely unique and powerful force during the 1960s, '70s & '80s global popular music explosion.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Molam: Thai Country Groove From Isan Vol. 2
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 033CD

This is volume two in the Sublime Frequencies series, Molam: Thai Country Grooves From Isan. Molam is a multi-faceted folk country music native to Laos and the collection of rural Northeastern Thai provinces called Isan. Molam is an umbrella term used for numerous lam styles. It literally translates to "expert singer" or "expert song." Featured here in volume 2 of this series are lam phun, lam thuy, lam plern, lam dern and lam sing styles of molam recordings from the 1970s and 1980s. All of these forms are built from a tradition that is centuries-old. A few examples of molam/luk thung (Thailand's national country music) hybrids are also featured here. In the late-1960s, at the onset of molam's modern genesis, electric guitars and organs were introduced alongside the extant folk sounds of the khaen (bamboo mouth-organ) and phin (Thai lute). Hybrid styles were formed with an electrified sound that jived with tradition while creating something entirely new. Much of the music relies on stock formulas, designed primarily to showcase the stylings of various singers from the region. But, as this brilliant collection demonstrates, the rules tend to bend a bit as more adventurous groups experiment with the genre and the production. Sound effects, flamboyant vamping, odd vocal styles or trick intros and finales based on popular rock themes show up now and then, among other playful and dynamic shifts, making for some exceptional listening. So join the folks at Sublime Frequencies in their perpetual and confounding love affair with Thai Isan Molam. Enjoy this rarely-heard music, culled from vintage cassette and vinyl recordings, rescued from the silent places in which they've rested for the past decades.

Artist:	GROUP INERANE
Title:	Guitars From Agadez (Music of Niger)
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 034CD

By popular demand, this is the CD reissue of the second Sublime Frequencies vinyl release (the limited LP release sold out almost immediately upon release in 2007). Group Inerane is the now sound of the Tuareg Guitar Revolution sweeping across the Sahara Desert and inspired by the rebel musicians that started this music as a political weapon used to communicate from the Libyan Refugee camps in the 1980s and 1990s. Spearheaded by the enigmatic guitar hero Bibi Ahmed, Group Inerane has been together for several years and carries the rich tradition of Tamachek guitar songs for another generation. These ten tracks are a combination of amplified roots rock, blues, and folk in the local Tuareg styles, at times entering into full-on electric guitar psychedelia. This music is performed with two electric guitars, a drum kit and a chorus of vocalists. The recordings were captured live in the city of Agadez in the Republic of Niger. Group Inerane was also featured in the Sublime Frequencies DVD Niger: Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel. Recorded by Hisham Mayet, this CD reissue includes an 8-page insert with photos of the musicians and liner notes.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Music of Nat Pwe: Folk and Pop Music of Myanmar (Burma)
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 035CD

... Vol. 3. In Myanmar (Burma), many people believe in ghost spirits called Nats. These spirits are historical figures who met tragic or violent deaths. They are said to possess the power to assist or devastate the lives of those who recognize them. A Pwe is a ceremony held to appease a Nat. Pwes are arranged daily throughout Myanmar for many purposes including the achievement of success in business, a happy marriage, or improving one's health. A Nat is summoned through a Kadaw; the flamboyant and charismatic master of ceremony dressed in elegant costume. The Kadaw is a spirit medium, singer, dancer, storyteller and magician who exposes the crowd to a living incarnation of the Nat. Cash money is thrown and cigarettes and whiskey are hand-delivered by the Kadaw to the willing faithful. Audience participants are often ecstatic, spontaneously launching into trance as the Nat spirit possesses their bodies while the melodically ornamental and thundering sound of the Nat Pwe orchestra plays on as perhaps the last great internationally unknown musical juggernaut existing anywhere. This collection of music documents the phenomenon known as the Nat Pwe orchestra. There is absolutely nothing like it anywhere else on earth. If you are looking for some music to groove to, soothe your mind, or relax to, this is NOT for you! This is some of the most jarring, intense and maniacal music being created on earth today. Your head will be spinning amidst the cranked reverb and echo of the vocals as they swirl like locusts in a floating graveyard as the bells, cymbals, and tuned metal bars crash and spill down an endless staircase, while the hand drums and Hsaing-Wang circle of rhythm pound the beat in and out of a million twists and turns until you've either had enough or you get with the program. Turn it up and submit. This is what it's ALL about, schoolboy!

Artist:	VA
Title:	Ethnic Minority Music of Southern Laos
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 036CD

This is a collection of landmark recordings by Laurent Jenneau, documenting music created by the Harak and various Brao ethnic groups in Southern Laos. This is the second release in a series of spectacular field recordings from some of the more remote ethnic minority communities in Southeast Asia. On this release, you can hear the true historic roots of Molam music (now a venerable popular music style in Laos and Thailand) played on the khaen along with vocal styles from this region. Also featured here are gong ensembles, various stringed instruments, cymbals, drums and sung poetry all captured live on location with the ambient sounds of the surrounding villages. These recordings were made in Xekong, Champasak and Attapeu provinces and because much of this music is unknown, this is probably the first time recordings have ever been released of indigenous music from these remote areas of Southern Laos. Features insightful liner notes by Laurent Jenneau and an extended track listing with added information about each track recorded.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Ethnic Minority Music of North Vietnam
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 037CD

This is the third volume in a series of tribal village music compiled by Laurent Jenneau from his continual journeys into the more remote tribal areas of Southeast Asia, featuring field recordings of the Giay, Lu, Red Zao, and Black Hmong peoples from North Vietnam. The five selections presented here by the Red Zao are of an unusual vocal style called Baozoo. The Baozoo singing technique can either be a responsive song, or canon singing where a lead singer has his or her words repeated with delay by one, two or three singers. You've never heard anything quite like it before. The instruments used in other selections include kheng (bamboo mouth organ), jew's harp, bamboo sticks with coins, and the piem zat (a reed instrument or oboe affiliated with Baozoo singing). Recorded in and around Sapa, this CD includes an extended track list with added information about each track recorded along with insightful liner notes by Laurent Jenneau with an excerpt included here: "The Lu are the most mysterious to me. First I'm easily impressed by people who have radically different beauty criteria; their way to blacken their teeth with a thick layer of black stuff makes every smile special. They seem to have been established in northwest Vietnam since the 12th century. The Giay, like the Lu or Lao, belong to the Tay Kadai language group. They are well established in northern parts of Vietnam and Laos, but emigrated from China 200 years ago. They have three styles of singing for different occasions; for a feast, for night drinking or to sing farewell to someone."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Proibid�o C.V: Forbidden Gang Funk from Rio de Janeiro
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 038CD

Proibid�o is the name given to a certain kind of electronic funk music produced in Brazilian favelas, especially in Rio de Janeiro where it started to appear in the beginning of the '90s as a parallel phenomenon to the growth of drug gangs along the city's more than 600 slums. A raw mix of live funk vocals and Miami bass structures, these anonymous funk tracks are spread illegally by DJs and gang-sponsored parties. Proibid�o is a raw musical genre that captures the dark side of Brazilian favelas. The explicit lyrics of apology to drug gangs and the violent content makes them illegal to broadcast through radio or as live public events. Proibid�o can only be heard in the bailes or dances that the gangs organize and that run every day of the week in different locations in the slums around Rio. The production of a Proibid�o occurs in different ways. A DJ spins Miami bass rhythms straight from sample CDs, and an MC talks on top of it, mainly live in street bailes and then recorded through a simple multichannel to a minidisc or simply straight. No mix is done and only sometimes an extra production is done. The gang leaders, to spread the respect and love for the gang as well as hate to the other gangs, finance the bailes and hire the DJs and sound systems. At most parties, this is recorded live and spread then as an mp3 or CD to different other DJs and bailes. Its life runs a minimum of 6 months and depending on its popularity, it can go on for more than one year. The selection featured on this CD compiles music recorded live during the beginning of 2003 in different favelas from Zona Sul, South Rio de Janeiro -- a zone once controlled by the drug gang called Comando Vermelho, mainly responsible for the city's growing rates of homicide and power corruption, as well as Rio's and Brazil's growing drug consumption. C.V Comando Vermelho (Red Command) is a criminal organization that was founded in 1979 in the prison C�ndido Mendes, on the island Ilha Grande (RJ), as a connection of common prisoners and militants of the Falange Vermelha (Red Phalanx), which fought the military dictatorship. During the entire 1990s the criminal organization was the strongest in all of Rio de Janeiro, but today the principal leaders have been arrested or are dead, and the organization is not as strong. The Comando Vermelho still control parts of the city and seeing streets tagged with "CV" is common in many favelas in Rio de Janeiro. This CD is in no way an apology for these groups, but a document to portray a moment in time in Rio de Janeiro's musical and social history. All audio imperfections are left as they were when collected, as these tracks are the only remaining documents of this music. Recorded and assembled by filmmaker Carlos Casas, courtesy of some anonymous MCs and DJs in different bailes along the favelas of Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro during March-April 2003.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Latinamericarpet: Exploring the Vinyl Warp of Latin American
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 039CD

...Psychedelia Vol. 1. "Latinamericarpet is a non-stop collage of vinyl artifacts culled from stacks of forgotten LPs of the 1960s and 1970s from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Isle de Pascua (Easter Island). Historically, Latin America was part of the "new world" that Christopher Columbus "discovered" in 1492, which soon was brutally conquered by the Spanish and Portuguese. Obviously it was only a "discovery" from a Eurocentric perspective because, in fact, on these vast lands there were hundreds of advanced native cultures living for centuries. However, after countless years of violent colonization and internal wars, the independence emerged on the whole continent, launching a group of new countries with their own unique identities. But what is Latin America nowadays? A complex answer for a complex puzzle: some people would say it's a huge cocktail that combines -- in a more or less chaotic way -- the ruins of pre-Columbus cultures and diverse European traditions mixed with a high dose of pseudo-tropical weathers, Latin manners and unstable economies... although that's also a simplification: Latin America is just Latin America, and it deserves to be "rediscovered." But let's go straight to the record. This compilation brings together some glittering sounds from LPs that have been somehow forgotten over the years. Although most of the tracks presented here were recorded during the peak of the psychedelic era in the late '60s and early '70s, this is not a collection packed with guitar group psychedelia, although there are a few unknown gems here that qualify as such. There are also pop and folkloric songs, children's songs, odd instructional record excerpts, and a few other anomalies from our neighbors to the south. These selections are only brief samples of what was made in Latin America in those glorious years, but while we wait for further works that can bring to light more sounds from this "undiscovered" continent, just relax, turn on your stereo and keep this magic Latinamericarpet flying." --Compilation liner notes by Albano Costillares (Argentina).

Artist:	GERGIS, MARK/ALAN BISHOP (DIRECTORS)
Title:	Sumatran Folk Cinema
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	DVD
Price:	$19.50
Catalog #:	SF 040DVD

A film by Mark Gergis and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls), Sumatran Folk Cinema is a psychedelic collage of images and sounds from the heart and soul of the island's culture with the main focus on music. Witness classic dangdut rock music, street and country scenes, raw TV excerpts, Minang orchestras, night markets, a variety of folk musicians, audio/visual artifacts and much more wrapped in a 60 minute kaleidoscope complete with an epic soundtrack. Sumatra is the northwestern entry point to the Indonesian archipelago. Its 40 million inhabitants are primarily Muslim and speak the national language of Bahasa Indonesian. Most of the film was shot during a span of two weeks in August of 2004 in and around the cities of Medan, Padang, Bukitinggi, and Padang Panjang. It features a variety of street musicians, nightclub acts, folk groups, and incidental happenings that surround musicians in their daily lives. This film has no narration nor is it meant to express any particular theme or agenda. This is intuitive folk cinema and film collage, shot on location as it unfolded and assembled in an attempt to capture the essence of being there. All material was shot before the "Tsunami" of December 26, 2004 destroyed the city of Banda Aceh and the northwestern coastal areas of Aceh province. The Bandah Aceh segment was shot by David Martinez in 2003. The additional footage of the GAM (Free Aceh movement) rebels ambushing a government motorcade was filmed by Billy Nessen in 2001. GAM has since declared peace with the Indonesian government, given up their weapons and filtered back into Aceh society. All region DVD contains bonus footage of musical performances and trailer segment. Color; 60 minutes; digipak; NSTC format.

Artist:	MAYET, HISHAM (DIRECTOR)
Title:	Musical Brotherhoods from the Trans-Saharan Highway
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	DVD
Price:	$19.50
Catalog #:	SF 041DVD

Filmed in 2005 by Hisham Mayet, predominately at the Jemaa Al Fna in Marrakesh, Morocco, Musical Brotherhoods from the Trans-Saharan Highway captures an assortment of spectacular musical dramas presented live and unfiltered on the home turf of the world's most dynamic string and drum specialists performing and manifesting the ecstatic truth. Ancient mystical brotherhoods have been flourishing for centuries in and around the cities of Marrakesh and Essaouira in Morocco where the trade caravans have gathered from their long journeys across the Trans-Saharan Highway. This is some of the last great street music on Earth. A must-see for string aficionados looking for inspiration as electric ouds, banjos, mandolins and the Gnawa sentir peel flesh from bone right before your eyes! Color; 60 minutes; digipak; all-region DVD; NTSC format.

Artist:	VA
Title:	Bollywood Steel Guitar
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 043CD

Bollywood Steel Guitar is the most comprehensive collection to date of steel guitar pop instrumental music from India. All 21 tracks featured here were film hits from 1962-1986 and all the masters of the steel guitar sound from the period are represented: Van Shipley, Kazi Aniruddha, S. Hazarasingh, Sunil Ganguly, and Charanjit Singh. An entirely different approach that rocks, swings, and grooves through some of India's most beloved film tunes, the electric steel guitar as lead instrument transforms the already infectious melodies into a multitude of higher sound dimensions. This CD was compiled and carefully selected from rare LPs over several years by Stuart Ellis. Here are some excerpts from his liner notes: "The term 'Bollywood' originally referred to Bombay's (now known as Mumbai) Hindi language film industry. Although there are a number of other studios that produce films in other languages, more recently the definition has been expanded in the West to describe pretty much all films produced on the sub-continent. But where in most countries a film's soundtrack would merely be used as a promotional tool for the film, in India, film music has become an industry unto itself with playback singers and dance numbers. The music is just as important as the film and lives on long after the film has left the theaters. These songs are, for the most part, the pop music of India. As with most popular music, other artists sometimes recorded cover versions of these songs. Of these musicians, a small number specialized in instrumental arrangements and created what could be called the elevator music of India. While there were a few who used the harmonium or 'mouth organ,' the most popular instrument used in these 'instrumental favorites' was the steel guitar."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Radio Myanmar (Burma)
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	SF 044CD

The Union Solidarity & Development Association (USDA) has grown to become one of the most pervasive organizations in Burma, claiming over 22 million members (nearly half the country's population). Very little is known of the USDA to the outside world, but it has become embedded throughout the social infrastructure of the state. Its widely-published statutes expressing the importance of state sovereignty and public solidarity can be found in all mediums throughout the country: newspapers, television, billboards and radio broadcasts. Known as the "Three Main National Causes," "Four-Point People's Desire," "Seven Point Road to Democracy" and "Twelve Political, Economic and Social Objectives," each broadcast day begins with their recitation. Most of the recordings featured in this radio collection were captured in Yangon during March and April of 2007. With the authorities attempting to control all information coming into or leaving the state, rarely does the world catch a glimpse inside Burma. This is a special opportunity for listeners to delve behind the headlines and into the airwaves; to hear for themselves the sounds, rhythms, and voices of urban Burma's radio experience, unfiltered by the international press or state-spokesmen. Myanmar's Voice broadcasts nearly 24 hours a day across much of the country, playing an assortment of Burmese classics; USDA pledges; and recitations of articles published by the state-run The New Light of Myanmar Times. Due in part to the near-blackout of all foreign music on state airwaves, the few FM stations that do exist in Yangon and Bago divisions, transmit a rather bizarre assortment of music from 7am to 9pm: synth ballads, hip-hop jingles, and internationally popular songs re-recorded in Burmese. This release also features assorted tracks recorded between 1994-2002, highlighting many wonderfully strange and beautiful pop, folk, and classical music styles. There are vast resources easily available to anyone interested in learning more about Burma or the USDA; this recording is simply intended to showcase the extraordinary sounds rarely heard beyond its borders.

Artist:	VA
Title:	1970's Algerian Proto-Rai Underground
Label:	SUBLIME FREQUENCIES
Format:	LP
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	SF 045LP

This is Ra� music from Algeria as you've not heard it before. In the early 1970s, a new group of singers and musicians were operating on the northwest coast, and what they pioneered was a sound that eventually reached worldwide status by the end of the decade; however, their names are relatively unknown to this day outside Algeria. This crucial and defining period of the development of Ra� is criminally ignored and overlooked by Algerian music historians and Ra� fans. Due to censorship and government-controlled music diffusion, this scene and lyrical style was forced underground and banned from broadcasts, yet slowly built a small following around the seaside cabarets of Wahran (Oran). This period witnessed the rise of artists such as Groupe El Azhar ("The Flowers" group) and Messaoud Bellemou, who can comfortably be considered the godfather of the modern Ra� sound. His group, L'Orchestre Bellemou, rewrote a heritage of centuries by using modern instruments and especially the trumpet, which became, during the 1970s, the backbone of the Wahrani genre. Reinterpreting the gasba melodies on trumpet, Bellemou backed singers such as Boutaiba Sghir and Sheikh Benfissa who carried on the lyrical tradition of their forefathers singing about daily preoccupations and problems as well as love affairs, alcohol, or simply owning an automobile! Toward the late 1970s, Cheb Zergui brought a newer ingredient: an electric guitar with a wah-wah pedal. Thankfully, the late 1960s saw the development of vinyl pressing in Algeria. This new industry allowed many small artists including the Wahrani "scene" to record and release singles documenting their repertoire. This compilation is a selection of this proto-Ra� scene's vinyl 45s. This LP is limited to a one-time pressing of 1500 copies on 180 gram vinyl and comes in a full-color deluxe gatefold jacket with photos of the musicians and informative liner notes by the man who compiled it, Hicham Chadly. Going quickly...

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