Volando vengo…

1. Four tet – everything is alright
(Pause / 2001)
2. Titi Robin – amantito
(Ces vagues que l’amour soulève / 2005)
3. Cantoma – pandajero
(Cantoma / 2005)
4. Johannes Linstead – sueños en tus ojos
(Guitarra de fuego / 2001)
5. Remedios Silva Pisa – nací en Alamo
(Vengo OST / 2000)

volando voy.

1. Caetano Veloso – manhata
(Livro / 1999)
2. Souad Massi – Ghir enta
(Deb / 2004)
3. Manu Chao – lagrimas de oro
(clandestino / 1998)
4. Koop – Let’s elope
(Koop island blues / 2006)
5. Louise Attaque – see you later alligator
(Á plus tard cocodrile /2005)

This post is the third and final installment on how I conceive the mediterranean in terms of sound, based on my own experience living here. I wasn’t planning on creating a series of posts out of it but I just kept absorbing the music from the places and people around me and I ended up with more audio material than I expected to have at the beginning. The First installment of the series was Bon día, a ‘mediterranean’ morning playlist if you will and the most contemplative of the set, the second and most brief one was Fruit which was dominated by a certain manouche feel and this third installment is supposed to provide a musical translation on the hot HOT nights we’re having over here. It’s mostly dominated by acoustic guitars and afrolatin rhythms and its also the most easy-listening of the set, just late-night, safe inoffensive winding down music. Wont be surprised to hear my parents enjoying some of the songs on the playlist.

Mmm, before I forget, if any of you happen to want Joost invitations I happen to have a bunch of those to give away. My internet here is to slow for it and normally I’ll just use tv-links when I want to see tv series, but anyhow, if you’re interested let me know and I’ll send it your way.

Foto: Andreu Sordé.

“Day Time Generic Indie Rock List No.1”

01. Boris with Michio Kurihara – Sweet No. 1
Rainbow (Blue Chopsticks, 2006)
02. Pissed Jeans – Closet Marine
Shallow (Parts Unknown, 2005)
03. Zoobombs – Highway A Go Go
Welcome Back Zoobombs! (Emperor Norton, 1998)
04. Storm and her dirty Mouth – Rape me
Nearvana: San Francisco (4.20 Records, 2002)
05. Von Südenfed – Chicken Yaiamas
Tromatic Reflexxions (Domino, 2007)
06. Pere Ubu – Caroleen
Why I Hate Women (Smog Veil Records, 2006)
07. Minutemen – Pure Joy
What Makes a Man Start Fires? (Sst Records, 1982)
08. Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant – Specter of Serling
Sister Phantom Owl Fish (Ipecac Recordings, 2004)
09. Frigg – Piece for five
Isn’t it a Tango (99rec, 1994)
10. Uzeda – Big Lies (web)
Different Section Wires (Touch & Go Records, 1998)
11. Henry Threadgill and Make a Move – Don’t Turn Around
Everybodys Mouth’s A Book (Pi Recordings, 2001)
12. Tyondai Braxton – Great Mass
History That Has No Effect (JMZ Records, 2002)
13. Labradford - WR
Mi Media Naranja (Kranky, 1997)
14. John Fahey – The Evening Mysteries of Ferry
I Remember Blind Joe Death (Varrick, 1988)

Note: Generic Indie Rock list. Of course then the question becomes what exactly is Indie and Indie rock. And what constitute generic. As a joke this list suppose to answer that question as “well, just gimme the best thing you got”. So here it is. This is IMO approximate the leading edge currently Indie rock has to offer. As oppose to recent rush to revive every 90′s band. (Smashing Pumpkins) These songs represent major leap fordward in term of rythms, equipments, recording techniques, general composition and musicianship. They are “edgy“, if not crazy loud. They push the envelope. Enjoy.

see also: Queen of the Night, Best of Indie Albums
image: “marble)le]lograms” by spuddleyspudd

They looked for it outside themselves, but it was only to be found within.
- C. Baudelaire, What is Romanticism?

“Queen of the Night”

“Is It rock?”

01. A Night in the Box – The Hustle
The Hustle, The Prayer, The Thief (Afternoon Records, 2006)
02. Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man – Romance
Out of Season (Umvd Import, 2002)
03. Low – In Metal
Things We Lost In The Fire (Kranky, 2001)
04. The Books – It Never Changes to Stop
lost and safe (Tomlab, 2005)
05. Espers – Byss & Abyss
Espers (Locust, 2004)
06. Tortoise – Almost Always Is Nearly Enough
TNT (Thrill Jockey, 1998)
07 Bill Laswell – The Elixer Of Love: Una Furtiv
Operazone: The Redesign (Knitting Factory, 2000)

A small list as an annex to bigger rock list. This is actually rather romantic, asking what rock is while leaving behind percussion and strong electric guitar presence, two very distinct elements that define rock. Is it still rock without those? Espers for eg. is folks, it has no blues, but it sits rather well with the rest of songs that are obviously rock bands. Part of next big rock list, songs in this list varies by replacing various elements what make rock songs have their recognizeable form, ending with Laswell’s exotic piece. (my fav.) etc. enjoy. This is an evening/softer list.

image: monicutza80

Well it’s just that I’ve listened to a lot of music over the years and I was raised in Tokyo and combining all those elements is expressed in my sound. It’s that simple. What is expressed in my music is a result of those various influences. And hopefully my personality is infused in it. You know, the whole thing is just a combination of a lot of different elements that are me. – DJ Krush

“Jazzy Drift in Tokyo”

01. Toshinori Kondo, DJ Krush – Seki
Ki-Oku (Instinct Records, 1999)
02. Cut Chemist – The Garden
The Audience’s Listening (2006)
03. Jazzanova – Behold These Days (Berlin ’74)
Belle Et Fou (Sonar Kollektiv, 2007)
04. The Avalanches – Undersea Community
At Last Alone(Japanese Import, 2002)
05. Fat Jon as Maurice Galactica – Pretty Pussy Kitty Kat
Humanoid Erotica(Counterflow, 2001)
06. Desmond Williams – High Speed Drift
Delights Of The Garden (Eighteenth Street, 2001)
07. Cut Chemist – Metrorail Thru Space
The Audience’s Listening (2006)
08. Toshinori Kondo, DJ Krush – Sun is Shining
Ki-Oku (Instinct Records, 1999)
09. The Juju Orchestra – Kind of Latyn Rhythm
Bossa Nova Is Not A Crime (2006)

note: straight up acid jazz, no shenanigans. (Evening list?) I love this thing. I used to listen tons of acid jazz.

see also: System/Layers, happiness
image by: TommyOshima, TommyOshima

Little is known about the reclusive folksinger Ed Askew. During the late ‘60s he recorded the psychedelic folk masterpiece “Ask the Unicorn” – his only album which has been released commercially until recent reissues – with only his ten stringed tiple accompanying himself. Little happened when it was released in 1968 by ultra-noncommercial ESP-Disk, the label which was best known for its free jazz releases and which is considered to be one of the most legendary independent labels of the ‘60s. Receiving barely any attention at all the record soon descended into obscurity even among the best informed enthusiasts of the in-crowd.

This in itself is not a unique story. It happens all the time. What makes this story worthwhile telling however is the fact that during all those years after its release its fire was kept alive solely by its unmatched and overwhelming urgency. His music proved so powerful that even time could not take it down. Slowly but surely more and more people started discovering the album. Word got around very gradually. It stole the hearts of listeners one by one. Something within this record made people fall for it like nothing before.

These are the kind of stories that should be told. Songwriters who are largely unknown to the public but have managed to find their place in the history of music, changing its landscape indefinitely and inspiring other artists for many decades without ever getting the deserved recognition. This small series of posts is dedicated to my favourite songwriters who were undeservedly forgotten.

Ed Askew grew up in Stanford, Connecticut after which he moved to nearby New Haven to attend Yale University in the early 60s. After having earned his art degree as a painter he briefly taught art at a high school in New York. It was then when he sent a demo tape to Bernard Stollman of ESP-Disk who quickly invited him to record his first record which would become known as “Ask the Unicorn”. The album received practically no promotion from the label – which was already plagued by financial difficulties – and quickly disappeared from circulation. The second album which Ed Askew recorded for ESP-Disk was never released – due to the eventual bankruptcy of ESP-Disk in 1974 – until the limited vinyl-only release on De Stijl in 2003.

When you talk about independent record labels you automatically talk about ESP-Disk. A New York-based record label, founded in 1966 by Bernard Stollman who was known for his almost spartanesque production methods and a strict no-retakes policy. With the motto: “The artists alone decide what you will hear on their ESP-Disk”; the label opened the door to a wide range of wildly creative sounds including Albert Ayler’s “Spiritual Unity” and is considered to be the most important exponent of free jazz. It is probably no coincidence that it took such a label to discover Ed Askew’s talents. And with our current discussion about independent music and its role in our musical landscape there could be no better example than Ed Askew’s “Ask the Unicorn”.

“Ask the Unicorn” contains a certain urgency. Like the recording of it was an act of desperation. The moment he starts singing and you hear his uniquely strained voice you immediately feel that he is frantically trying to tell you something extremely important. Part of this comes from a less romantic and more practical situation. The instrument which he is using, the ten stringed tiple, is notoriously difficult to master and takes so much pressure to keep it under control that you can actually hear his continuing struggles in his singing. The tiple – which he describes as an instrument shaped like a baritone ukulele – offers stunning arrangements to his harrowing psychedelic folk songs and challenges conventional structure.

“Little Eyes” was recorded immediately following the poorly selling debut. The record shares a similarity with “Ask the Unicorn” when it comes to his strained vocals and his use of the tiple but it also shows his newfound interest in the piano. And again all the songs were recorded in one continuous take.

Lyrically, Ed Askew manages to create emotionally engaging images with tripped out, dreamlike lyrics which effortlessly seem to flow from him. Often abstract and abruptly shifting, his lyrics possess a certain timelessness. He addresses still difficult topics in a way that was well ahead of its time, managing to strip down his songs to the pure and beautiful essence with poetic elegance.

After more than 35 years Ed Askew’s music is more relevant than ever, still able to mesmerize its audience. As David Shirley once truthfully wrote: “This is music that will endure.”

1. Ed Askew – Fancy That
   Ask the Unicorn (ESP-Disk, 1968)
2. Ed Askew – Mr. Dream
   Ask the Unicorn (ESP-Disk, 1968)
3. Ed Askew – Peter and David
   Ask the Unicorn (ESP-Disk, 1968)
4. Ed Askew – Little Eyes
   Little Eyes (ESP-Disk, 1970 / 2003, De Stijl)
5. Ed Askew – City of Glass
   Little Eyes (ESP-Disk, 1970 / 2003, De Stijl)
6. Ed Askew – Love is Everyone
   Ask the Unicorn (ESP-Disk, 1968)
7. Ed Askew – Old Mother Moon
   Little Eyes (ESP-Disk, 1970 / 2003, De Stijl)

Stream playlist

Further readings
Best indie albums
Ed Askew homepage
ESP-Disk homepage
De Stijl Records homepage
Interview with ESP-Disk founder Bernard Stollman
“The Ageless Poetry of Ed Askew” by David Shirley

update: Dec 1′ 07. You can now reach Ed Askew via his MySpace page.