Stillichimiya
Bangkok Nights

EM Records: ...How can we explain the power of music? How can songs delivered in a language which we don't understand move us so? This collection contains the very best songs from Hongthong Dao-udon, one of the great Thai singers of the "third generation" of Molam singers, one of the artists who succeeded in fusing Molam with Luk Thung, thus triggering a new generation of singers; in fact she was the first to sing both genres from the beginning of her career, considering herself to be situated happily between the two styles. But none of this matters, finally, to the listener. This is music, not musicology, and Hongthong Dao-udon sings to us, not the pedants. Her career was brief, and these songs from the late 70s and early 80s are her very best, showcasing her rich vibrato, her masterful control, and the undeniable emotional power of her voice, carrying us from joy and whimsy to melancholy and desolation. Produced mainly by Doi Inthanon, a legendary independent producer, these songs were very popular in Thailand, and it is easy to hear why, with strong melodies, impeccable swing, interesting arrangements, and of course her thrilling voice. Available on CD and vinyl, with two songs previously unavailable on CD, as well as her first recording and her biggest hits, this is essential.What is “luk thung”?A musical genre whose name means ‘country person’s song’ or ‘children of the field’. The name became established in the latter half of the 1960s and now has the status of a national genre of popular song unique to Thailand. The lyrics of luk thung songs deal mainly with the rural idyll, comparisons between the city and the countryside, life in the big city and current affairs. There are certain typical traits to the music, but no official musical form.What is “Molam”?"mo" is an artist and "lam" is a kind of performance art where the artist tells a story using tonal inflexions. In other words, the term molam refers to both the singer and art form. Molam pieces are not strictly speaking "songs".

EM Records: ...Roland P. Young is back for his fifth release on EM Records, back in the United States, back in San Francisco after sojourns in New York and Israel, back where he resided several decades ago. But despite all this talk of return, he continues to resolutely forge forward, combining his tradition-rooted horn mastery with an ever-expanding electronic palette, fusing wind with electricity, fusing American roots with an outward global vision. Recorded in his home studio, Young's expansive multi-instrumental mastery and studio skills have created a dense yet uplifting set of tunes, very melodic and groovy with a joyful sense of return and renewal. Roland is here, hear it on vinyl or CD.

boomkat: ...Rounding up cuts from her self-released tapes, harder-eared listeners will be in their element with Atnif’s brace of unforgivingly noisy and clenched monotone grooves, all inspired by the brutalist architecture of her home country, and each laced with a sliver of pathos that rescues them from the abyss.

EM Records: ...From Scratch was an innovative and highly influential New Zealand-based sound-performance group, making extensive use of found and repurposed objects as well as custom-made instruments in their intricately interlocking percussion music. One of their signature instruments consisted of carefully tuned PVC pipes, played with foam rubber mallets; arrays of these feature prominently, along with drums and tuned percussion, in Gung Ho 1,2,3D, an extended composition which sumptuously investigates polyrhythmic relationships indicated by the number sequences which title each section of the piece. Featured here is the original 1982 recording of the "8, 9, 10" and "9, 10, 11" sections of the piece, previously issued in 1988 by Flying Nun.Rounding out this 2LP and CD release are three 2016 translations of the piece, based on the original score. Japanese group goat provides a driving rhythmic and mathematical analogue, which From Scratch's Phil Dadson, who provides liner notes, describes as "a fast moving shadow, familiar in outline but from another world". German producer Don't DJ imbibes the tribal spirit of Gung Ho and its sense of ritual to deliver a hypnotic immersion, and Utena Kobayashi Group adds wordless voice-worlds and distorted blasts to the ever-onward mix, before a final tropical down-shift.

- Juan A. ARTECHE ( All Instruments)- Pelayo FERNANDEZ ARRIZABALAGA (Bass Clarinet)- Indians from Alto Xingú (Voices)- Juan C. FERNANDEZ (Keyboards, Programming)- Javier PAXARINO (Flute, Piccolo Flute, Kabal, Baritone Sax, Bass Ocarina, Bansuri, Soprano Sax)- Markus BREUSS (Trumpets)- Julio CANO (Caja y Rumberas)- Wade A. MATTHEWS (Short Waves Radio)

EM Records: ...from Beginning c​/​w Lena Willikens Remix, released November 23, 2018"Beginning" composed and produced by Mari SekinePublisher: Eel's Bed Music(c) & (p) 2018 EM Records