This Norient «Dark Summer-2014-Selection» invites you to loose yourself in noisy textures, field recordings, endless loops, digital kitsch, pop tunes for every dancefloor, and fast spitting rap tracks. The music arrives from Pakistan, Palestine, India, Colombia, Uganda, Colombia, Ethiopia, Czech Republik, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Poland, Algeria, South Africa, Argentina, Ireland, El Salvador, Canada, the US and the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, and some places more. Check out statements by the involved musicians and producers.
We asked the musicians and producers of this years summer playlist, what is most important for them in their selected track. See below what some of them answered via email.
Isuru Kumarasinghe (Sri Lanka)
The old lady on bus aisle singing eternity folk song seeking to earn it bribing death, salesman selling encyclopedias extolling the value of information over a mere 100 rupees, transactions tying the city together, each element exuding its own space, signalling tranquil musical interiors flows, deep currents, merging noises giving rise to weird sense of unconscious harmony. Writing credits to Shafni Awam.
Links: Soundcloud
Bernard Clarke (Ireland)
The fun element. I wanted to paint Berlin as a city of Techno, so I imagined the DJ’s dragging along their LPs and CDs in «Granny Bags» (the bags on wheels older people like to use for shopping), through busy Berlin street-scapes. Externally it’s just someone pale and tired dragging a Granny bag; but internally although it’s the same bag, street, and clabbers overhead arriving on cheap airline flights -all are being transformed into raving Berlin.
The track featured in a 120 minute, in-depth radio profile of the great Berlin label Raster Noton, so it’s a tribute to Carsten Nicolai, Olaf Bender & Frank Brettschneider.
Links: Facebook, Website, Soundcloud
Mikael Seifu (Ethiopia)
What’s important to me about «Wedagn» is the idea of using a musical idea/tool to new applications. In this case, «Wedagn» as a performable two track DJ’ing deck. The track to me is also about a metaphor for two lovers in the form of a call and response. Their main topic of conversation being their dreams.
Links: Facebook, Bandcamp, Soundcloud
The Tamaashbeens (Pakistan)
Every bit is important. We aim to impress ourselves when we make a track, to satisfy ourselves internally is the goal, and that too was the case with lighter machis. We make what we’d want to listen, hence anything attached to the track which is enhancing our own personal liking for it is important.
Links: Facebook, Soundcloud
Noura Mint Seymali (Mauritania)
This song is special as it is a composition of Noura’s father, Seymali Ould Ahmed Vall. Seymali was a great composer / scholar of Moorish music and as a continuation of his work in laying the foundations for «fusion» music in Mauritania, Noura Mint Seymali (the band) has modernized several of his compositions, some of which were written specifically for Noura. The song utilizes a rhythm known as «reffet» and features a playful call & response between the guitar and voice, nodding towards the back-and-forth dialogue depicted in the lyrics:
The poet is overtaken by the beauty of a woman, named Mariam, picking dates in a grove of trees. Rather than addressing Mariam directly, he pleads with her friend, Heydana, to sing for Mariam in order to attract her attention. He asks Heydana, «repeat after me, ‹Hebebeb…› Sing this song for her early in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening».
Links: Website, Soundcloud, Facebook, Bandcamp
Sergio Merce (Argentinia)
I have been working on a microtonal saxophone, wich is an alto saxophone without the original mechanisms and keys that I replaced with water, gas, and compressed air taps. I can move the tuning of any note and play microtones. A sustain pedal allows me to create several sonic layers while using circular breathing.
This track is a remix made by Miguel Bustamante on a track I sent him and is one of the first recordings of this saxophone. There is a whole solo CD on the french label POTLATCH.
Links: Soundcloud, Website, Facebook
FELL and the Incubate Kidsorchestra (Switzerland)
Simon Berz: For me, this work shows a way, to collaborate with kids. We don’t wont make children songs, we like to show the kids our music and let them participate.
Links (Label Hula Honeys): Website, Soundcloud, Facebook, YouTube, Bandcamp
Kareem Lotfy (Egypt)
It is an ambient remix of french montana – ain’t worried about nothing.
Links: Soundcloud, Facebook
Finn (UK)
I suppose I like how «Keep Calling» plays with the call-and-response R&B exchange in the 8 bar format. Almost reduces the original track to it’s bare minimum.
Links: Soundcloud, Twitter
Mathon (Switzerland)
This track represents the mill of Riggisberg, Bern. The feeling of this abandoned mill.
Background information about the album Sisum1 – (Lieus Pers): «Lost Places» is an extensive photo-series by Stefan Flückiger. The Bern based photographer sought out abandoned industrial areas and subterranean canals that have been gradually retrieved and sprawled by nature. These pictures of deserted industrial spaces inspired the music collective Mathon for their new – already 6th – release Lieus Pers. The photographs show places such as the old town-hall canal of Bern, dating back to the 17th Century, which was allegedly used as an escape route for the city government.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Links: Website, Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter, YouTube
