Let Us Avoid P & J Maddnesss Here by Discussing the Sublime Frequencies Record Label

uh... no one is sharing it :(

WHEEE!!!

I love the song Matt posted on fluxblog, but isn't kind of bullshit to treat modern pop like found recordings? Hire a fucking translator already.

radio india was similar, and similarly genius. can't wait to hear this.

to clarify I'm not talking about the listener here, I'm talking about the person selling the CD.

If Ned Raggett reads an almanac in a forest does it make a sound?

A tiny peep, sir.

I agree that it's kinda weird to treat modern pop as field recordings, but this is a pretty useful series.

ok list them.

Miccio, you should check out some of more of these releases before you start accusing them... 80% of these releases do feature extensive band & song title names with translations. Most of them are compiled from vinyl and cassette releases they've bought on various trips; in all the cases where they have the information, they document it.

The 'Radio X' series are all compiled from personal cassettes taped off the radio during travels. Most of the music isn't back announced, and the recordings are heavily collaged and mixed, i.e. those discs are supposed to be like radio surfing a foreign language, you get lost not knowing what you're hearing. In some cases I definitely wish I knew what I was hearing, I'm sure they did too, but that's not going to stop them from putting it out.

The money thing is another issue entirely... they're moving 1000-2500 copies of each of these things, and there are scores of them. Getting the money to the right people may be impossible, but in a perfect world they'd be setting an appropriate amount aside for later...

that's all I wanted to know.

I think, though, this is sorta odd to think of it that way. Without wanting to make too much of an issue out of it -- although I suppose we're already on our way -- it's a comparison that makes me think of explorers talking about 'the dark continent' or the like.

Milton's post gives some good context (and after all, how many of us have heard these only as mp3s...). That said:

The 'Radio X' series are all compiled from personal cassettes taped off the radio during travels. Most of the music isn't back announced, and the recordings are heavily collaged and mixed, i.e. those discs are supposed to be like radio surfing a foreign language, you get lost not knowing what you're hearing. In some cases I definitely wish I knew what I was hearing, I'm sure they did too, but that's not going to stop them from putting it out

Okay, maybe a dumb question, maybe it ain't, but what's to stop them:

* contacting the radio station where possible to get a hold of a DJ or whoever and say, "Hey, we were wondering..."

* playing the stuff at friends and fellow music fanatics they might know in the area to get some more reactions about stuff they don't know about?

Now, maybe they do all this and still can't get the info, I can fully accept that.

most of these tapes were recorded during casual travels in the late 80's, not thinking about release (though fragments did turn up on SCG records I think). the idea to compile these tapes into dedicated collages came much later. since most of the SF releases have historical liner notes & track lists, the obscurity of the 'Radio' series doesn't offend me, when you actually listen to these things it's clear they care, they're not just tourists. though some of the music is so good, it can be frustrating not knowing.

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/item.asp?Item_id=22&CD=MOLAM:-THAI-Country-Groove-From-ISAN

I gave the triple-vinyl reissue of this to my brother-in-law for christmas and he was touched beyond belief. he gave me the cassavetes boxed-set. best marriage-related mind-meld in history!

Yeah but R.S. is so wild and open-market and crazeeeeeee! I'm glad for the sharp disconnects, the harsh hotswitching!

as for the ethics of releasing this stuff uncredited, well i don't have a problem with it as i'm sure scg's aren't getting rich from it and having never wanted to visit india before, after hearing this masterpiece, i want to go! most of the stuff on sublime frequencies i have is field recordings as opposed to radio recordings which would make it very hard to track the artists.

the 'tuareg' and 'isan' dvds are pretty great too.

i also have to say that my experience with the label has been being blown away by many of these upon the first few plays and rarely if ever having the urge to pull them out later.

Doesn't make me "like it" less though, the albums are compelling.

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/item.asp?Item_id=34&cd=Omar-Souleyman:-Highway-to-Hassake-(Folk-and-Pop-Sounds-of-Syria)

1) I doubt they don't know what "any of that shit is". 2) It's not hard to find other people who do know "that shit is" and ask them to try identify at least some of it. 3) I don't care about the royalty payments, but pretending that this is all some public domain stuff that you can just repackage at your convenience without giving any credit or information is pretty much the height of arrogance.

This Group Inarane record fucking rips. Guess I won't be able to find a copy anywhere though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgRUHIeaKOk

Here's Omar Souleyman. I see that Mike McGonigal who sometimes posts here and writes for websites, zines, and more put the cd in his top 10 for the Baltimore City Paper. I haven't heard it yet but like this video.

i know where to get an inerane lp -- email me off list if you want one.

the baltimore top ten was done before i'd really dug through all the releases from the year, when i realized that the inerane record is my favorite album of all the year, really. so so very good.

we have a similar track on the next YETI, fyi -- and a great, lengthy "tour diary" by sublime freq. co-founder hisham mayet, describing journeys in mauritania and that region.

Why did they put that Tuareg group's music only on a limited release lp?

how are the two new releases?

im really excited to hear the south american psych comp - some of those world-psych comps are really badly compiled, but i trust SF to do a rad job. and is the brazilian comp more baile funk? again, i really trust them to do a good job, but it seems like a weird time for them to do a baile funk comp, after the glut of fairly good ones in the past couple years...

i can tape those LPs for you if you want, curmudge

That would be great.

i've got my eye on "thai pop spectacular". comment?

xp swt im gonna send myself an email to remember to do it next week!

curmudgeon: this thing was expensive even new but they did such a great job with the vinyl -- there are even some liner notes on it! plus, i know for a fact that the artists were compensated. and as far as i know, all the SF stuff is limited edition -- 1-2000 copies.

69: i was personally underwhelmed by the latinamericancarpet comp. when i first heard it 'cause i expected it to be psychedelic but a lot of it's not. going back to it, there are some great tracks but it's not my favorite thing SF ever did. the gang funk thing is pretty amazing, though i personally od'ed on baile stuff a few years ago.

why is sublime frequencies not on emusic? CD-only releases + avowedly shitty fidelity = DUHR mp3. id spend all my downloads on that shit and buy all the vinyl

They could also be doing digital releases with that uh, other site whose name I've just forgotten, that is doing digital releases of obscure American psych rock and stuff from Sundazed and others

That Group Inerane album is fantastic. FTR although a lot of SF stuff is "limited pressings", they've repressed some of the CDs and I wouldn't be shocked if both of the LPs get a CD release given their popularity.

Wow... this "Bollywood Steel Guitar" thing is amazing... it veers from almost Ventures-style surf pop to space disco to psych rock, often within the same track. Totally digging it.

(From the Sublime Frequencies site: 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)

seriously, people can listen to group doueh on saturday morning?

Aww man, that Group Bombino lp that Pete(69) raved/linked about on the Rolling Global Sublime Whirled Music thread is $22 from Forced Exposure who seem to be the exclusive distributor for Sublime Frequencies. I don't get charging that much, Yea, yea I know the S/F folks aren't gazillionaires and maybe 180 gram vinyl costs more and it has a fancy booklet inside apparently, but still. I'm gonna wait for these folks to make it a cd or digital as they've done for other S/F products- http://www.estradasphere.com/eshop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3_12&sort=20a&page=3

Rolling Global Sublime Whirled Music 2009 (With an emphasis on African likely)

I like Pakistan Folk and Pop Instrumentals 1966-76. It all sounds a little dull (like, for audio reasons), but then when you listen to the details it's often great.

Spent some time with the catalog and the following were my POX:

Radio Java
Bush Taxi Mali
Group Doueh: Guitar Music From the Western Sahara
Molam: Thai Country Groove From Isan vol. 1
I Remember Syria
Phương Tâm: Magical Nights – Saigon Surf, Twist & Soul (1964-1966)
Omar Souleyman: Highway to Hassake
Singapore A-Go-Go Vol. 1
Baba Commandant: Juguya
Brokenhearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia

That’s a good list. RIP Baba Commandant.