motel de moka

Photo: Edona

No duerme nadie por el cielo. Nadie, nadie.
No duerme nadie.
Pero si alguien cierra los ojos,
¡azotadlo, hijos míos, azotadlo!

Haya un panorama de ojos abiertos
y amargas llagas encendidas.

- Ciudad que no duerme. Federico García Lorca.

Bobbie Gentry - Papa, Won’t You Let Me Go to Town With You?
(Ode to Billly Joe / 1976)
Jorge Ben - Ponta de Lança Africano
(Africa Brasil / 1976)
Ween - Voodoo Lady
(Chocolate & cheese / 1994)
Jimi Hendrix - Pali Gap
(Rainbow Bridge OST / 1971)
Otis Rush - All your Love (I miss loving)
(This One’s A Good ‘Un / 1968)
Perez Prado - Caballo Negro
(El rey del Mambo compilation / 1991)

note: Still not much to tell - after the horrible past weeks, I can finally wind down and try to smile, prepare for my first real weekend in a long time. Today’s playlist comes charged with songs which I consider playful and sexy and that will fire me up whenever I hear them, from what I’ve noticed when I play them to other people, they’re also very contagious, so hopefully they’ll make you want to go outside and frolic with us.

Daytimes we paddled all over the island in the canoe, It was mighty cool
and shady in the deep woods, even if the sun was blazing outside. We
went winding in and out amongst the trees, and sometimes the vines hung so thick we had to back away and go some other way. Well, on every old broken-down tree you could see rabbits and snakes and such things; and when the island had been overflowed a day or two they got so tame, on account of being hungry, that you could paddle right up and put your hand on them if you wanted to; but not the snakes and Turtles–they would slide off in the water. The ridge our cavern was in was full of them. We could a had pets enough if we’d wanted them. - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

” Is It Summer Yet? ”

01. Vetiver - Roll On Babe (web)
A Thing of the Past (Phantom Sound & Vision, 2008)
02. Flight Of The Conchords - Mutha’uckas
Flight Of The Conchords (Sub Pop, 2008)
03. Alibi Tom - Fire (web)
Fire Single (Leon Music art and fashion, 2008)
04. Animal Collective - Street Flash
Water Curses [EP] (Paradise Recordings, 2008)
05. Tiken Jah Fakoly - On A Tout Compris
Françafrique (2002)
06. French Kicks - Sex Tourists (web)
Swimming (Vagrant Records, 2008)

note: Was checking out all new 2008 albums. Here are my fav so far. A little in lazy sunday, retro feel. Make it a lunch list then?

image: ilmungo

Image: Film still from (?)

dEUS - Nothing really ends
Pocket Revolution (V2, 2005)
Hope Sandoval & the warm inventions - Suzanne
Bavarian Fruit Bread (Rough Trade, 2001)
Chocolate genius - For one more look at you
Godmusic (V2, 2002)
Patrick Watson - sleeping beauty
Close to paradise (Secret City, 2006)
Kings of Convenience - The weight of my words (Four Tet remix)
Versus (2002)
The Avalanches - Electricity
Since I left you (XL, 2001)

Worn down by red wine and inescapable desire.

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A weekend list. This is a well-meshed smattering of individual favorites. Not too much to say on the list, I was in an anticipatory mood wishing for Spring to have sprung and this is the compilation that got me through yesterday’s rut. So if you’re in a rut, want some funk/jazz/downtempo/psychedelic sounds, or are bored and curious: enjoi.

Geraldo d’Arbilly - Dionisio Martinez Jazz Mix
(Geraldo d’Arbilly Productions geraldodarbilly.com/ 2003)

Curtis Mayfield - Think
(Superfly/ 1972)

Miles Davis - Miles Runs the Voodoo Down
(Bitches Brew/ 1969)

Jimi Hendrix - House of the Rising Sun
(The Gold Collection, 40 Classic Performances/ 1997)

Sound Tribe Sector 9 - otherwise formless
(offered schematics suggesting peace/ 2000)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Bossa Nova U.S.A.
(The Essential Dave Brubeck/ 1994)

photo credit: amber_b.

“Dub is a way of life…when you embrace dub, you are a righteous human. DUBBING IS A MUST.”
Mez Urik (from the book: All Life Is Dub)

Rory Breaker - Southern Gravel Rhodes
(2003)
LudacrisSpeed - Awkward Beat
(2008)
Quimby’s Chimney Rock Gig - The 42nd St. Session
(2002)
LabAssistant4 - vAliumM
(2002)
DaCrazedCamaro - In the Presence of a Stoned Dub
(2005)
Bex ft. Click OK - Soft Clip
(2003)
SpitzNagel - Dub Me on You
(2008)

Side notes: Unsure of where to take the next playlist, I perused a bit and stumbled across Dub and Illbient. This playlist takes me back to electronica: but with a twist, some jazz thrown into the mix, and a touch of uptempo in the midst. A welcome reflection to the coming of Spring, and for me a transitional awakening to the sound of the season. Like March, some of the tracks are in like lions and out like lambs, thus begin a bit strong but evenly mellow out to balance. For what it’s worth, enjoi.

All of the tracks are from independent artists/producers courtesy of acidplanet.com (yes, i’m a fiend for the unknowns on that site)

photo credit: Kshaka

I took the train from Patiala,
left the girls with Ayah, and lied,
I’m with Faye and Daisy.
Had to say what he’d approve of.
Go then, Kiran said, crushing large rupees in my hand.

Have I been here a week?
I’ve slept so long I can’t remember
who was with me last night in bed,
that figure leaning against the door?
Did he leave me this gold bangle?
I can feel its heft around my wrist,
knobs and crests, a design
from the high Mogul period of Aurangazeb.
- Reetika Vazirani , The Lover

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” Three Lists for The Lover. No.2 ”

01. Robert Schumann - Piano Sonata No.2 in G minor, Op.22: 2 Anantino
Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Martha Argerich (1999)
02. Autechre - Notwo
Quaristice (Warp records, 2008)
03. Burial - Unite
Box of Dub: Dubstep and Future Dub (Soul Jazz, 2007)
04. Rovo - Vida
Sai (2001)
05. The Flashbulb - Eyes Of June
Binedump EP (Bohnerwachs Tontraeger, 2005)
06. Gang Gang Dance - Nomad For Love (Cannibal)
God’s Money (The Social Registry, 2005)
07. Mazzy Star - Ghost Highway
She Hangs Brightly (1991)
08. Baden Powell - A lenda do Abaeté
27 Horas de Estúdio (1969)

note: Not a silly list. This one is made solely to answer really big question: Can I collect recent pieces to invoke majestic night sound? So the selection deliberately taken from various genres I am paying attention to without trying hard to narrow down the number of styles. Of course taking the usual MdM fav. theme night downtempo as a texture frame. The idea for this theme has sit for awhile after Dial M’s post asking, what is ‘post-rock’. As an effort to explore, I pick the “anything not rock” path. Beyond that, it’s very much free association. Anything my head demand a sound to exist in certain place. My favorite spots in the list transition into Burial’s Unite and Baden Powell’s solo. Those are the things that made me listen to music, entrance as sweet as lover’s whisper.

see also: La Maja De Goya
image: quiiver

Photo credit: ichie

For years scientists have thought that whales only sleep with one side of the brain at a time. This was thought to be necessary in order for the whale – being unlike us a conscious breathing mammal – to be able to come up for air and stay on the lookout for any possible dangers. The idea behind this was that they never reach unconsciousness like we do while sleeping, but instead only shut down one half of the brain while the other half is still active. The two sides alternate until both are rested.

Recently however, a pod of six whales were spotted by Scottish scientists along the coast of northern Chile, floating motionlessly just below the surface, clearly with both eyes closed, displaying REM and being non-responsive to their presence. According to the scientists this might prove that whales do in fact experience sleep like other mammals do, with both sides of the brain. And quite possibly even being capable of dreaming. This is a wonderful find and only shows how much we still have to learn about cetaceans. It’s one of those questions probably every one of us has pondered over as a child. How do whales sleep without drowning? And we still don’t know for sure.

This certainly asks for a dedicated playlist. Arthur Russell’s Lets Go Swimming - produced by Phil Niblock - is a perfect way to start off the list. With his cello drenched in reverb it easily recalls the deeply resonating sounds of moaning whales. This continues throughout Belong’s liquid and mysteriously romantic I’m Too Sleepy…Shall We Swim? until we reach the wonderful lullaby performed by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (from the band Low). They recorded this song to celebrate the birth of their first child. Maybe it’s the same song that the mother whale in the picture above uses to sweetly sing her infant to sleep? After that the playlist sets off into a combination of vocal and non-vocal lullabies. Ultimately this playlist is meant for winding down. Ballads for heavy eyelids.

1. Arthur Russell - Let’s Go Swimming
   World Of Echo (Upside, 1986)
2. Belong - I’m Too Sleepy…Shall We Swim?
   October Language (Carparck, 2006)
3. Alan Sparhawk - Sleep Song
   Alan Sparhawk/Charles Atlas split 7″ (Star Star Stereo, 2000)
4. Susumu Yokota - Sleepy Eyes
   Grinning Cat (Leaf, 2001)
5. Sculptress - Yume
   This Phrase Appeals to You (Foxglove, 2005)
6. Morton Feldman - Rothko Chapel 4
   Rothko Chapel; Why Patterns? (New Albion, 1992)
7. Andrey Dergatchev - Underwater
   The Return OST (ECM, 2005)
8. Sylvain Chauveau - Lapproache du Nuage
   Nuage (Type, 2007)
9. Agitated Radio Pilot - World Winding Down
   World Winding Down (DeadSlackString, 2007)

Stream playlist

Additional playlists:
You also might want to check out the following posts for similar music and themes:
In Search of the Miraculous (for more Arthur Russell information)
As Long As I Can Hold My Breath - pt.1, pt.2 & pt.3
Sleep Cycle pt.1: Late Night Lullabies
Sleep Cycle pt.2: Asleep Eternally
Sleep Cycle pt.3: Awaken
Return to Sea: As the Waves Will Always Roll

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