Henri Rousseau never went to the Jungle. He spent all his days in Paris and surrounds, meticulously painting images of nature that were anything but ‘natural’. He copied his designs from botanical gardens, zoo pamphlets, and children’s books, depicting animals that would never be seen in the same environment. Once he even painted a hand of bananas growing upside down. His paintings are naive, flat and disjointed.

This playlist is a musical equivalent to Rousseau paintings – “Jungle” music made by westerners. Electronic emulation of african sounds, drum machines instead of djembé. Starts off mellow before moving into more disjointed territory.

01. Joel Vandroogenbroeck – Kinderspiel
(Digital Project, 1989)
02. Brian Briggs – Aeo pts. 1&2
(Brian Damage, 1980)
03. Haruomi Hosono – Honey Moon
(Tropical Dandy, 1975)
04. Ralf Nowy – Holidays in Kenia
(Colours of Holidays, 1987)
05. Eric Vann – Random Pizz
(Bass Moods, 1987?)
06. No Zu – Tattooed Head (short)
(Tattooed Head, 2011)
07. Zazou, Bikaye + Cy1 - M’Pasi Ya M’Pamba
(Noir Et Blanc, 1983)
08. John Tender - Flowers from Fantasyland 1
(Fantasyland Vol.1, 1981)

image: detail of The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905