Piero Umiliani combines tribal music and esoteric jazz on this enjoyable 1975 release from the Omicron label. There's plenty of drama and mystery present with percussion playing a starring role on many of the compositions. It's a solid album with "Tribalismo" and "Nel Villaggio" probably standing out as my favourite tracks. Certainly a must have for those who want to hear another side to the late, great Piero. Thanks to the original uploader and eesywind for the vid. For more Umiliani click here, here, and here!
This Soundcloud mix by Heroin In Tahiti features a who's who of Italian library music with the likes of Umiliani, Tommasi, Nicolai and Torossi all contributing pieces. The general mood of this collection is dark, brooding and cinematic...in fact you could easily pass the mix off as the long lost score to a 1970's exploitation horror film. Umiliani's "Arabian Synthesizer" provides a brief funky interlude but soon after we're taken back into the night. The linking of the tracks could be a little smoother at times but there's no doubting the quality of the music selected. It's a wonderful and worthwhile journey. For more library music mixes click here.
Track 3 - Maintenant Je Suis Un Voyou / Bruno Leys
Track 4 - Des Arbres De Fer / Guy Skornik
Track 5 - Dans Son / Chorus Reverendus
Track 6 - Je Suis Inadaptee / Brigitte Fontaine
Track 7 - Bonne Nuit Chuck / Philippe Nicaud
Track 8 - Herr Doktor Reich / Zorgones
Track 9 - L'Electocute / Jesus
Track 10 - 4 Cheveux Dans Le Vent / Bianc Didonc
Track 11 - Crazy Girl Crazy World / Alain Boissanger
Track 12 - KKK / Serge Franklin
Track 13 - Amstramgram / Isabelle
Track 14 - Hallucinations / Bruno Leys
Track 15 - Un Soir D'Ete / Nelly Perrier
While it might not be to everyone's taste, there's certainly some interesting stuff going on within this compilation of 1960's French pop and psych rock music. It has a somewhat similar off the wall vibe to the Popshopping advertising comps with sugary sweet vocals being teamed with fuzzy guitar and uptempo drumming to create sub 3 minute pop nuggets. I quite like the more rock 'n' roll orientated tracks such as "Des Arbres De Fer" by Guy Skornik and "Amstramgram" by Isabelle who sounds like she was about 10 years old when the track was recorded. Groovy!
Track 8 - Maximum Protection (Steel & Concrete) Short
Track 9 - Maximum Protection (Short)
For those who were unwilling to "duck and cover" these radio spots provided all the information you'd want to know about Survive-All nuclear bomb shelters. Aside from the obvious kitsch value of these recordings there are some very nice Raymond Scott style electronic sound effects. It's good fun to listen to and an interesting historical document to boot. You can find a shelter-load of details about this recording here.
This 1979 promotional record for the U.S air force contains a bunch of variations on the same basic jingle. Things get a bit weirder from Track 9 onwards however when Commander Adama from Battlestar Galatica and even an alien are used to sway the hearts and minds of potential recruits. Rather strange and well worth a listen.
I was having a look around YouTube yesterday when I came across this little gem. It's a clip from the 1973 film "Furyô anego den : Inoshika Ochô" aka "Sex And Fury". The music playing over the top is "The Free Life" by Alan Parker, a track which has been used in more than one film / t.v show over the years. I'm not sure if it actually appears somewhere in this particular film or if it was simply used by the uploader for the sake of the video. It's a very catchy piece of music, I've had it rolling around in my head all day. As for "Sex And Fury"...you'll have to see it to believe it! Definitely NSFW.
Here's the same fight scene with what appears to be the original music. Still funky though!
Track 16 - Haunted Lullaby / Eric Allen & Frank Reidy
Track 17 - Laboratorie / Pierre Arvay
Track 18 - Allegorie 1 / Pierre Arvay
Track 19 - La Fete Fantastique 4 / Pierre Arvay
Track 20 - Stalactites Et Stalagmites / Pierre Arvay
Track 21 - La Fete Fantastique 5 / Pierre Arvay
Track 22 - Le Planet Noire / Pierre Arvay
Track 23 - Telescope / Pierre Arvay
Track 24 - Algues Rouge / Pierre Arvay
Track 25 - Musique Concrete 3 / Camille Sauvage
Track 26 - Industrie Spatiale / Robert Hermel
Track 27 - Rosee D'Espace / Pierre Arvay
Track 28 - Sunspots / Derek Laren
Track 29 - From Outer Space / Eric Allen & Frank Reidy
Track 30 - Zenith / Even De Tisso
Track 31 - UFO / Eric Allen & Frank Reidy
Track 32 - Rosee D'Espace 2 / Pierre Arvay
Track 33 - L'erebe / Even De Tisso
Track 34 - Dark Moon / Simon Park & Antonio Valotti
Track 35 - La Fete Fantastique 6 / Pierre Arvay
Track 36 - Chinese Torture / Eric Allen & Frank Reidy
Track 37 - Andromede / Fredrick Bayle
Track 38 - Depart Fusee / Claude Vasori
A real beast of a library record, this De Wolfe release takes you on a trip back in time to a world where monster movies were all the rage! You can expect plenty of expansive and overwrought orchestration mixed with theremin and a few other unusual instruments. To be honest I hadn't heard much of Pierre Arvay's work prior to this record ( apart from a few tracks he contributed to Dr.Who ) but I was very impressed by what I heard. Other composers such as Camille Sauvage, Simon Park and Peter Reno should be more familiar to library fans and they provide some great tracks. This album should appeal to those interested in soundtrack music or the Bruton BRM series. Many thanks to pixel_face for passing this one on to me.
It's Christmas in May! Regulars at Funky Frolic may recall my love of "Mars Production Library CK 713-714", a collection of kitsch generic jingles for use on radio. Last night to my joy I discovered another Mars release, this one is geared towards the holiday season with lots of little stings encouraging people to have a wonderful Christmas. It's a blink and you'll miss it affair with the whole album clocking in at a whopping three and a half minutes! I found this over at The Jingle Jetsam which has a very nicely collection of retro advertising for you pleasure so be sure to check it out sometime. Enjoy!
After yesterday's journey into the world of pirate radio I decided to delve a little deeper into the www looking for some more retro radio spots and promos. I dug up quite a haul of interesting material and the first comp I've put together is this collection of 1970's exploitation film trailers. Those of you who are familiar with "Super Bad, Super Black" and "Sex, Sleaze & Soul" will know what to expect - lots of violent imagery and sexually suggestive wordplay mixed in with a great deal of cheesiness. It's a little shocking, a little bit funky and very fun. I don't know how "You Only Live Twice" slipped in there but it's suitable trashy anyway. Library fans will notice that the music used in the "Teenage Tramp" spot is "Powerboat" by Alan Hawkshaw. As always, I hope you dig.
I've been lacking a bit of motivation in the last week but I hope this makes it up to you. I've put together a collection of promos, intros, retro advertising and various oddities taken from pirate radio stations broadcasting into Britain during the 1960's. There's lots of wild and wacky sounds from the likes of Radio Caroline, Swinging Radio England along with Radio Luxembourg and others. For a bit of background info on the fascinating world of pirate broadcasting check out wikipedia pages here and here. 53 tracks, 25 minutes - enjoy!
Track 1 - Some Of My Best Friends Are
Track 2 - Bucktown: Title Theme
Track 3 - Superchick
Track 4 - Thunderfist: Chow Chung's Theme
Track 5 - That Man Bolt
Track 6 - Breaker Breaker
Track 7 - Detroit 9000: Title Theme
Track 8 - Mr.Scarface
Track 9 - Naughty Stewardesses
Track 10 - The Bummer
Track 11 - The Big Bust Out
Track 12 - The Big Doll House: Mud Wresting
Track 13 - Thunderfist
Track 14 - Bare Knuckles: Main Theme
Track 15 - Black Eye
Track 16 - Bucktown: End Theme
Track 17 - 24 Hour Lover
Track 18 - The Gay Deceivers
Track 19 - JD Revenge: Main Theme
Track 20 - Chinese Connection, Bruce Lee
Track 21 - Hijack
Track 22 - Ready, Willing & Able
Track 23 - Black Godfather: End Theme
Track 24 - Two Gentlemen Sharing
Track 25 - Blaxploitation Drive-In Triple Feature
Track 26 - Fists Of Fury, Bruce Lee
Track 27 - Switchblade Sister: Hold It Whitey
Track 28 - Centrefold Girls
Track 29 - Fearless Fighters
Track 30 - Incredible Two Headed Transplant
Track 31 - Slaughter: Main Theme
Track 32 - The Big Doll House
Track 33 - Savage Sisters
Track 34 - Black Gunn: Main Theme
Track 35 - The Wonder Women
Track 36 - Trip With The Teacher
Track 37 - Hammer: Main Theme
Track 38 - Some Of My Best Friends Are: Spot 2
Track 39 - Some Of My Best Friends Are: Spot 3
Track 40 - That Man Bolt: Spot 2
Track 41 - Human Tornado: Main Theme
"Sex, Sleaze And Soul" does for porn films and R rated flicks what "Super Bad, Super Black" did for blaxploitation. It's a compilation of naughty, silly radio spots and previews which focuses the spotlight on the seedier side of 1970's film culture. Aside from the highly amusing porn movie advertisements there are promos for kung fu, horror and action movies along with a couple that cover blaxploitation such as "That Man Bolt: Spot 2". What pushes this collection over the top from great to awesome is the inclusion of a bunch of theme songs that are the epitome of classic porn groove. It's a great listen and a whole lot of sexy fun!
I couldn't find a video that quite captured the essence of this collection so I decided to make one of my own. Hope you enjoy my first foray into the world of YouTube...
This is possibly the most deceptive cover art in all of musical history because far from being bright and colourful the music presented here is much more suited to a horror soundtrack. The 8 tracks steadily creep along with various extended tones and maybe a tap of a cymbal or a few piano notes here and there. It's a masterpiece of minimalist, claustrophobic, nightmarish electronics that appeals to me much in the same way that "Insight Modulation" by Zanagoria does. Truly a rare and unusually delight.
Here's some more Vandroogenbroeck for you all. This time he focuses his attention on space music and the results are satisfyingly weird and unnerving. A few of the tracks didn't really connect with me but I quite like the more minimalistic "Voices" along with "Galaxy Recall" and "Lost Planet" which could easily fit onto any good sci fi film from the early 1970's. "Strange Lady' is also rather good and creates visions of swimming in a lake on some far away alien world. The cover art gives you some idea what to expect with this one. It's an album that is out of the ordinary but not necessarily extraordinary.
So did anything funky come out of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop? Well, this 1973 compilation of Paddy Kingsland tracks probably fits the bill. It's not funky in the truest sense but it has a pop / easy sensibility that puts it in contrast with music produced by the likes of Derbyshire and Vorhaus. Mostly this is a collection of moogy, synthy pieces that are relaxed and lighthearted, the best moments come when the electronic instruments are paired with guitar and drums such as on "Take Another Look", "One-Eight-One" and the great Italian themed "Vespucci". It's a pleasant album to listen to even if it doesn't break much new ground. See what you think.
This is a tour EP which was released by Broadcast during their 2003 "Haha Sound" Tour. Don't let the jazzy start to the first track fool you, this music is firmly based on the traditions of the Radiophonic Workshop. There is still a fair amount of diversity though with "05" consisting entirely of a drum workout and "09" having a bit of a Tortoise feel to it. Sadly vocalist Trish Keenan ( who is not featured on this disc ) died of pnuemonia last year at the age of 42. A new album is planned featuring vocals recorded before her death.
Track 12 - Everything Is Gonna Change / Jean Paul 'El Troglodita'
Track 13 - Gonese Don Cicegim / Ersen
Track 14 - Proyectos De Un Ladron Prisionero / La Barra De Chocolate
Track 15 - Obsession '77 / Atomic Forest
This collection brings together 15 pieces of rare and sometimes unusual psych funk / rock music. I know virtually nothing about the featured artists but there is certainly South American, Persian and Indian influences flowing throughout the record with fuzzy guitar and heavy percussion playing a prominant role. The biggest highlight for my mind is "Osman Pehlivan" which contains some great breakbeats and comes off sounding like hip hop style belly dancing music. Atomic Forest is the only group I had heard of previously and "Obsession '77" is a real stomper with an excellent drum solo mid song. Other tracks are a little slower to reveal their charms but there are many interested elements at play.
Track 1 - Motherland Megamix
Track 2 - New Model Army
Track 3 - Numbers Game
Track 4 - Pride Of The Nation
Track 5 - Start 'Em Young
Track 6 - Arirang
Track 7 - Commie Funk
Track 8 - Motherland Redux
Review from Sublime Frequencies - "Schmaltzy synthpop, Revolutionary rock, Cheeky child rap, and a healthy dose of hagiography for Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, this is the now NOW sound of North Korea! A hermit kingdom with a rich folk history and an even richer tradition in over-the-top praise for the ruling House of Kim, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remains a diplomatic thorn and a culture never Neverland. Boasting a heady mix of Stalin opera, Tokyo karaoke and brooding impressionism, the sound of present-day Pyongyang distills into warped agit-pop and lost-in-time commie funk.
If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in North Korean music, this is your vehicle for exploration. Christiaan Virant has visited this mysterious land and has assembled this amazing audio collage. Captured within are rare live recordings from various performances and mass games demonstrations, sounds lifted from People’s Army television dramas, samples from hard-to-find CD releases obtained in the capital, and of course, news reports from the “real” Radio Pyongyang, which continues to broadcast to this day, albeit under the new, strikingly anodyne moniker “Voice of Korea”."
Now this is how the internet should work. Yesterday I was wandering the interwebs looking for some more Radiophonic Workshop music and eventually I came across a Mediafire link to "Sound Effects Vol.21". I created a post and included a request that if anyone had "Out Of This World" I'd love to hear it. Within an hour Mr.Primate from Ripping Yarns had left me a message alerting me to the fact that said album was located at his blog. After gleefully downloading "Out Of This World" I started exploring Ripping Yarns and came across the above mix that Mr.Primate had originally found at a blog called The Horse Drawn Zeppelin. In turn they had sourced the mix from Go Away Records which appears to have lived up to its name and disappeared.
So now, after passing through several hands I deliver it to the people of Funky Frolic. If my stats are any indication several hundred of you will download this file, some of you will enjoy it so much that you'll be inspired to seek out original recordings by the artists featured in the mix ( about 25 of the tracks can be found on albums already posted at Funky Frolic ) and the cycle of discovery and sharing will continue....it's so beautiful.
But what of the music? Well, it was put together by the interestingly named God's Boyfriend and is done in the style of those old stereo test records which were devised to help people fine tune their audio equipment. What follows is a mix of about 150 library music tracks which are combined with mind boggling skill. You will find Nino Nardini, Raymond Scott, Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield, Piero Piccioni, Simon Park, Jean-Jacques Perrey, Bruce Haack, Sven Libaek, Roger Roger, Eddie Warner and many many more. It equates to a mini encyclopedia of electronic library music, with some lovely detours along the way ( including a wonderful cameo from Mr. Rolf Harris ).
At times it is an intense journey but one that I'd highly recommend for everyone interested in library music. An absolute must-have, 10 out of 10 frolic super dooper winner!
Track 1 - Death Of The Fly
Track 2 - Vampire Feeding
Track 3 - Death By Harikiri
Track 4 - Sweeney Todd The Barber
Track 5 - Wind Through Crack In Door
Track 6 - Wind In The Trees
Track 7 - Synthesised Wind
Track 8 - Sea Monster
Track 9 - Sharpening The Knife
Track 10 - Falling Scream
Track 11 - Premature Burial
Track 12 - Wild Dogs
Track 13 - The Iron Maiden
Track 14 - Death In The Swamp
Track 15 - The Sewer Rats
Track 16 - The Poisoned Drink
Track 17 - The Rack
Track 18 - Midnight Strangler
Track 19 - Assorted Gun Shots
Track 20 - At The Dentist
Track 21 - Time Bomb
Track 22 - Death By Electrocution
Track 23 - Gouging Eyeballs
Track 24 - Russian Roulette
Track 25 - Death By Garrotting
Track 26 - Suicide By Gas
Here's an assortment of Halloween grade sound effects showcasing the twisted minds and technical skills of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I'm not sure of the artists featured but I believe Delia Derbyshire and Richard Yeoman-Clark had a hand in some of these pieces. The titles pretty much give away what you can expect but it's actually quite listenable in a macabre sort of way. The vinyl this rip was taken from has obviously been through a bit but it's certainly still worth a download if only for the kitsch value. By the way, if anyone has a copy of "Out Of This World: Atmospheric Sound And Effects From The BBC Radiophonic Workshop" I would LOVE to hear it!
Track 1 - Postlude From Music For A Sacred Service
Track 2 - Earth's Magnetic Field
Track 3 - Prelude No.8 (To The Memory Of Edgar Varese)
Track 4 - Out Of Into
Track 5 - Cortex
Track 6 - Electronic Composition No.1
Track 7 - Dance Piece No.3
Track 8 - Study For Voice And Tape
To be honest I didn't particularly like this compilation. There is no questioning the skill and innovation involved with the creation of the electronic music presented here but purely as a listening experience I think it fails quite badly.
These tracks come from the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Centre in New York circa 1961 to 1974 and are firmly based in the avante garde, with what I suspect is a helping hand from hallucinogenic substances. The only piece I could really connect with was the brooding "Prelude No.8 (To The Memory Of Edgar Varese)" by Ilhan Mimaroglu.
Anyway, I know that judging music is a purely subjective matter and it's quite possible that some of you will enjoy this collection very much so I thought I'd post it anyway. It does still represent an important stepping stone in the development of electronic music as it is today.
