About WFMU
jason on 12/28/2009 at 09:00AM
Focus/Folkus 2009 (mix)
It's been very difficult for me to even think about my Free Music Archive year-end list. I mean, we haven't even been around for a year yet, and there are already three times as many mp3s as when we launched in April. My lists keep expanding, while at the same time I start realizing how much I haven't had a chance to hear yet, and I start to go a little bit insane!
It is worthwhile though to take a moment and reflect as time speeds on by, and I thought I'd start with this mix and just focus...We'll begin with some meditative instrumental tracks, then move on to sparse folk with psychedelic fingerpicking and spacious, hypnotic sounds that sooth the mind and body.
|
ABOUT THE ARTISTS: The Barcelona-based Selva de Mar (pictured) and the mysterious No Regrets For Our Youth are curated by Halas Radio out of The Israeli Center for Digital Art. "Sound philosopher" Roland P Young, best known as a freejazz clarinetist, performed this thumb-piano piece live at WFMU for This Is the Modern World with Trouble. This dark folk track from Koonda Holaa and The Beetchees comes from one of my favorite releases of the year, 10 Acres of the Finest Sand, a split release between Bar La Muerte and Track Brack Records. Koonda Holaa is Kamilsky, a world traveler who came of musical age in the 80s' Czech underground. For something completely different, try the track with Otto Von Shirach. Orquestra Popular de Paio Pires, from Portugal, released their self-titled album on the Clinical Archives netlabel. The Moscow-based netlabel has really lived up to their motto "expanding the definition of music" this year, both in quantity (this was their 262nd release) and quality -- they've been receiving world-wide recognition from sources ranging from Phlow to The Wire. |
When I heard this Gato Loco de Bajo set on WFMU's Transpacific Sound Paradise, there was something captivating in the group's sparse low-end. Equally captivating is Gothenburg, Sweden's Sarah Assbring, known as El Perro Del Mar, who stopped by WFMU's Sound and Safe for a short set in support of her new mini-album, Love Is Not Pop.
ISSUE Project Room artist-in-residence Matana Roberts, who has been composing and performing Coin Coin -- "a series of musical portraits and narratives exploring family history and bloodlines" (read more). Amolvacy is the trio of Dave Nuss (No-Neck Blues Band), Shiela Donovan, and Aaron Moore of Volcano the Bear. Check out Nat Roe's overview if you have yet to dig in to the Volcano the Bear & related rarities.
Joe Morris' Flow Trio released a fantastic album on ESP-Disk earlier this year. It was a prolific year for Hexlove, the project of drummer Zac Nelson, who released music on Porter Records, Holy Mountain, and this free EP on the brand new Obstructive Vibrations label. Nelson capped things off with a collaboration with Zach Hill called CHLL PLL (read more).
Theo Angell is a founding member of Hall of Fame. This live recording comes from Maria Levitsky's program on WFMU, where the eponymous album (released by Amish Records) was a universal favorite. Closing things out is minimalist guitarist Alexander Turnquist, whose second album "As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color" was released by VHF Records this summer.
