Bush Taxi Mali review

Other Music 8/04 RH Two of the new Sublime Frequencies releases are collections of outstanding field recordings made by producer/musician Tucker Martine. The music on Bush Taxi Mali was recorded in the West African nation of Mali in 1998. A couple of the tracks are recordings of ambient everyday sounds from a wedding celebration, a marketplace, and the like, but the majority are incredibly gorgeous stereo recordings of indigenous folk music that would make Alan Lomax and Hugh Tracey proud. There are male and female solo vocalists, children too, group chants, great unaccompanied performances on tambin (a type of flute), ngoni (a plucked lute with strings made of fishing line), and completely amazing hand drumming. In contrast to some of the label's more playful collections, Bush Taxi Mali is an impressive foray into "serious" ethnomusicology. Some of the recordings were clearly made at night and the performances are beautifully complemented by the sounds of Mali's nocturnal animal and insect populations. On the right day, I might actually like listening to this one quite a bit more than Cambodian Cassette Archives. Broken Hearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica From Southeast Asia was recorded by Mr. Martine in Laos, Thailand, and Burma in the year 2000. The name is a bit of a misnomer. These four long recordings of dragonflies, cicadas, and other insects haven't actually been put through any kind of electronic processing whatsoever aside from being put to tape. Alan Bishop's liner notes repeat a folk legend told to him by his Burmese wife. The story goes that the male Pazinne, or Broken Hearted Dragonfly, emits a bizarre sound and explodes from the chest immediately after mating with the female. The sounds that these insects make, whether they're actually dying of heartbreak or not, are totally otherworldly. Many moments really do sound like ultra-minimal electronic music, with oscillating static noise and seemingly unnatural changes in pitch and volume. It's difficult listening to be sure -- one person who heard it complained that it made him feel itchy -- but it's really rewarding. This is probably the most unusual Sublime Frequencies release as of yet, really hypnotic and bizarre stuff. This is one to listen to on your own. [RH]