{"title":"Sublime Frequencies","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSublime Frequencies is a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers. Founded by Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls, the label showcases a diverse range of music through film, video, field recordings, radio transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression. Their mission is to bring attention to these underrepresented genres that are often overlooked by academic research, the recording industry, media outlets, or corporate foundations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith an extensive catalog spanning various cultures and regions around the world, Sublime Frequencies offers a unique listening experience for those seeking unconventional sounds. Through their releases, they aim to shed light on hidden musical treasures that might otherwise go unnoticed. Whether it's capturing the vibrant street life in Morocco or unearthing rare recordings from Southeast Asia, Sublime Frequencies takes listeners on a sonic journey unlike any other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOwned and operated by Alan Bishop alongside Mark Gergis, Sublime Frequencies continues to push boundaries in its exploration of global music traditions. By bridging gaps between different communities through music discovery, this label serves as a platform for cultural exchange and appreciation. With each release carefully curated by passionate individuals with deep knowledge of these lesser-known genres, Sublime Frequencies remains at the forefront of uncovering extraordinary musical experiences from around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"modal-instrumental-pop-of-1970s-egypt","title":"Modal Instrumental Pop of 1970s Egypt","description":"\u003cp\u003eEssential compilation of Baligh Hamdi’s instrumental music - a first time reissue collecting rare recordings of impossible to find tracks from 1970s recordings. Beat driven Eastern tinged jazz, theremin draped orchestral noir, tracks that feature searing guitar solos from none other than Omar Khorshid, and a selection of buzzing, sitar driven, Indo-Arabic tracks establishing a meeting of mid-east and eastern psychedelic exotica - compiled and produced by Hisham Mayet. Sublime Frequencies finally unleashes it’s essential compilation from 1970’s Egypt. Modal instrumental tracks from Baligh Hamdi - one of the most important Arabic composers of the 20th Century (writing for legends Umm Kalthum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Sabah, Warda, and many others). Features his legendary group the “Diamond Orchestra” with Omar Khorshid on guitar, Magdi al-Husseini on organ, Samir Sourour on saxophone, and Faruq Salama on accordion. All of these musicians were discovered and recruited by Hamdi to interpret his vision of a modernized, hybrid Arabic music. Under Hamdi’s direction, this orchestra charted a new melodic direction and created a new musical language. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis compilation is culled from a specific era of Hamdi’s long career, a decade where he fully realized an international music which incorporated beat driven Eastern tinged jazz, theremin draped orchestral noir, tracks that feature searing guitar solos from none other than Omar Khorshid, and a selection of buzzing, sitar driven, Indo-Arabic tracks establishing a meeting of mid-east and eastern psychedelic exotica, and a vision that created some of the hippest music coming out of the Middle East from the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s. CD digipak with 12 page booklet with rare photographs and extensive liner notes by Hisham Mayet, 2 LP tip-on gate fold jacket with rare photos and extensive liner notes by Hisham Mayet. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP | x2","offer_id":50452231455051,"sku":"1130261","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50452231225675,"sku":"1130262","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/281ba038-9a32-40cf-adcd-7ae22a70a969_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727144631"},{"product_id":"sound-storing-machines-the-first-78rpm-records-from-japan-1903-1912","title":"Sound Storing Machines: The First 78rpm Records from Japan, 1903-1912","description":"\u003cp\u003eIncludes the first commercial recordings from Asia made in Japan in 1903 - Japanese gagaku, shakuhachi, shamisen, storytelling, folksong and more - Collected and compiled by sound artist Robert Millis - The beginning of Japan’s homegrown record industry, including a few sides taken from Japan’s notorious bootleg 78rpm industry The first commercial recordings from Asia were made in Japan in 1903 by Fred Gaisberg, the legendary producer and recording engineer who traveled the world making recordings for the Gramophone Company (later His Masters Voice). The recording industry barely existed at this time. Man’s ability to record and reproduce sound had only existed since 1877 (with the invention of Edison’s cylinder phonograph) and flat disc records, what we all collect and obsess over today, had only come into being in the late 1890s. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a miracle what these fragile discs have survived: wars with Russia and China, the fire bombings (and worse) of World War II, modernization, the onslaught of Western media. They document, through a dreamlike haze of surface noise, a Japan that had just barely begun to open its doors to the rest of the world. Including gagaku, shakuhachi, shamisen, storytelling, folksong and more. these recordings are a unique glimpse into an ancient culture and an important document of the beginnings of the recording industry. Featuring important artists and those who only appeared to sing before the strange Western recording horn and then vanished. Sound Storing Machines spans only 9 years of recording—-from 1903 and the first commercial recordings made by Fred Gaisberg to 1912, the beginning of Japan’s homegrown record industry, including a few sides taken from Japan’s notorious bootleg 78rpm industry. Collected on various trips to Japan and compiled by sound artist Robert Millis (Indian Talking Machine, Victrola Favorites, Climax Golden Twins, Phi Ta Khon: Ghosts of Isan, This World is Unreal Like a Snake in a Rope, etc). \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50461135700299,"sku":"1116482","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50461135208779,"sku":"1116483","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d86b693d-f8b6-479b-955d-29b7029ef234_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727243803"},{"product_id":"dabke-2020-folk-and-pop-sounds-of-syria","title":"Dabke 2020 - Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria","description":"\u003cp\u003eSublime Frequencies is pleased to present the second volume of Northeast Syrian Dabke music from legendary vocalist Omar Souleyman and his group. This record was compiled by Mark Gergis to coincide with the Sublime Frequencies UK \/ European tour in May and June of 2009, featuring live performances by Omar Souleyman. Culled from dozens of cassettes recorded in Syria from 1999-2008, the music here is an extension of Omar's Highway to Hassake release touching on some previously unheard angles. Their trademark serpentine synthesizers, electrified bouzok (traditional stringed instrument), and driving rhythms forge a severe form of 'new wave dabke' with a live energy and integrity that captures the essence of the Syrian Northeast; one of a kind Syrian dabke party tunes, regional Atabat-styled crooners, and unbelievable Iraqi party jams. This is the limited edition LP version packaged in a heavy duty tip-on jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50466045264203,"sku":"368580","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c8def265-b9f6-4048-8a2b-057a79f71318_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727302609"},{"product_id":"dagara-gyil-music-of-ghana-s-upper-west","title":"Dagara - Gyil Music of Ghana's Upper West","description":"\u003cp\u003eDagara gyil field recordings from Ghana - two side-long tracks of dizzying acoustic trance music - musicians include Aaron Bebe Sukura and recorded by Hisham Mayet on location in Lawra, Ghana in 2019. Field recordings of Lobi traditional xylophone (gyil) music recorded on location in Ghana's Upper West Region, West Africa in 2019. Long form trance music with acoustic instruments sounding like several minimalist orchestras getting to maximalist sonic peaks. The gyil music of the Dagara is a complex multi-dimensional symphony of notes, bringing to life an animist expression that reveals a cultural dialogue between the spirits, the deceased, musicians, dancers, and audience alike. The intensity of this recording reaches a level of complexity that rivals techno music. It is in essence an acoustic techno music, utilizing organic instruments made of wood, leather and gourds filled with spider egg sacs for resonance and played by master musicians creating a sonic wanderlust of mesmerizing sound. Limited edition LP release includes a four panel insert of notes and photos from the recording session.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50490592592203,"sku":"1118137","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/714d24f9-1d45-4b19-8c52-76e0e7ad3449_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727667509"},{"product_id":"bershukor-a-retrospective-of-hits-by-a-malaysian-pop-yeah-yeh-legend","title":"Bershukor - A Retrospective of Hits by a Malaysian Pop Yeah Yeh Legend","description":"\u003cp\u003eFirst retrospective of Malaysian pop yeh yeh legend Adnan Othman, collecting 26 of his soulful, electrifying, beautiful, unforgettable pop psych tracks from 1968-1971. Presented in gorgeous gatefold sleeve with full-size eight-page color booklet containing rare photos from the artist's own collection and a detailed biography co-written by Othman himself. Compiled by Carl Hamm, who also compiled 'Pop Yeh Yeh - Psychedelic Rock from Singapore and Malaysia 1964-1970: Vol. 1'. The legendary Adnan Othman has long been a driving force in the Malaysian rock scene. As early as the 1960s his groundbreaking songs in the style known as 'pop yeh yeh' (rock and roll sung in Malay) were attracting fans across Malaysia and Singapore. He has since gained many fans around the globe due to a renewed interest in rock music from Southeast Asia. Othman made his first recordings in Singapore in the early 1960s, when he was invited to record with highly popular backing band The Rhythm Boys. He produced innovative psychedelic rock well into the 1970s and continued to evolve as a musician and composer throughout his exciting career, but always stayed true to his rock and roll roots, even when many other artists were turning toward more predictable disco influences.Each track on this album, drawn from all eight of Othman's solo EPs and ranging from 1968-1971, reveals a different side of his personality. His forceful, gritty, and emotional lyrics and vocals are backed by such memorable pop yeh yeh bands as The Rhythm Boys, The Wanderers, The Flamingoes, and The Falcons. This impressive collection includes rare photos from the artist's own collection and a detailed biography co-written by Othman himself. This is a rare and personal insight into the life of one of Singapore and Malaysia's most beloved pop yeh yeh legends, revealing the humble, generous, down-to-earth man behind the spotlight.The 26 unforgettable tracks on these two records are soulful, electrifying, and beautiful. To the many fans of '60s Asian rock and roll around the world who have been waiting for an album dedicated solely to the music of Adnan Othman, here it is. Presented in gorgeous gatefold sleeve with full-size eight-page color booklet of text and photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50498497347915,"sku":"1078239","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/239e4102-0086-4319-b3c5-47092e12b996_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727749034"},{"product_id":"music-for-shape-shifters-field-recordings-from-the-amazonian-lowlands-1981-1985","title":"Music for Shape-Shifters: Field Recordings from the Amazonian Lowlands, 1981-1985","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the early '80s, an anthropologist left his recording equipment and tapes behind in a remote Wakuénai (Curripaco) village along the Upper Río Negro in Venezuela. When he returned almost a year later, he discovered that the village headman and his sons had used the equipment to record 12 hours of tape documenting a bewildering array of local narrative and musical genres -- sacred chants, place-names, spirit languages, and, as featured here, the astonishing and mesmerizing sounds of trumpet and flute ensembles. Recorded in a wide range of settings -- during all-night sessions in and around the village, while paddling on the river by canoe, and at various locations deep in the surrounding forest, including the mythical homes of the ancestors and animal spirits, these tapes are not only a stunning artifact of indigenous ethnomusicology, they also reveal the deep connection between sound and the shape-shifting animism of Wakuénai (Curripaco) society. As you will hear here, the music of Wakuénai (Curripaco) wind ensembles range from the deep bass drone of handmade trumpets to the high-pitched dissonance of various flutes. Sometimes the trumpets and flutes produce distinct rhythmic and melodic patterns associated with animal species, ancestors, and spirits -- the hissing sound of jaguars; the lowfrequency sounds of the river filled with spawning fish; or the \"voices\" of birds, frogs, and spirit animals. At other times, they are played together to produce cacophonies representing the undifferentiated chaos of primordial space-time -- \"the [cosmic] sound that opened the world\" associated with the mythic trickster-creator. The anthropologist in this story was Jonathan Hill (1954-2023), who spent many years studying the music and culture of the Amazonian lowlands. This LP is dedicated to him and his legacy. The first two recordings here were made by Jonathan and feature catfish trumpets and ceremonial flutes performed during ceremonial exchange (pudáli) at Gavilán, Río Guainía, Venezuela, October 24, 1981. The remaining tracks were recorded by Feliz López de Oliveiros and focus on the trumpet and flute ensembles performed during a rite of passage in a remote village along the Tomo River, Colombia, 1985. These recordings are presented here for the first time. 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Situated between Afghanistan, India and Iran, the collision of cultural influences in Pakistan gave birth to music that was, and still is, unlike anything heard anywhere else on the planet. By the late 1960s, previous restrictions on musical expression began to soften and bands that were playing American and British pop covers became popular in Karachi's burgeoning night club scene and at private dance parties. The audio quality here is top-notch, sourced straight from the original EMI Pakistan masters.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50498592735563,"sku":"1078238","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0a4b7153-9334-411b-b302-177b94091efd_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727750292"},{"product_id":"manbarani","title":"Manbarani","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnique contemporary Arabic folk music sounding unfrozen and released from another time, Natik Awayez has created a pure, expressive sound breaking free like a bundle of torn, faded oracles spreading far and wide across the empty spaces. Rhythmic percussive arrangements by Khaled Yassine are the foundation for oud, violin, buzuq, and Awayez’ lush voice, which floats atop the instrumentation like a series of prayers baking deep inside the ovens of sadness and despair, only to manifest as inspiration for the soul’s navigation towards redemption. These songs have been swirling inside the mind of Natik Awayez for a while now, collecting nuance and harmonizing with the buzzing of wasps, as he explains: “Iraq is the source and Yemen the soul. As for Cairo, it has offered me snippets of time and a small abode, a handful of its most beautiful musicians and a lot of love. And so, Manbarani came to be.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded in Cairo, Awayez and producer Maurice Louca enlisted some of the region’s best known musicians: Tamer Abu Ghazaleh and Maryam Saleh (Lekhfa), Aya Hemeda and Adham Zidan (The Invisible Hands), Khaled Yassine (Alif \/ Lekhfa) and Ayman Asfour (Elephantine). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a Limited edition vinyl LP with insert containing lyrics in English and Arabic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50499989471563,"sku":"1115972","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2f4fa630-f677-4f77-b1cc-f8f62ca833e5_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727775238"},{"product_id":"mien-yao-cannon-singing-in-china-vietnam-laos","title":"Mien (Yao)  Cannon Singing in China, Vietnam, Laos","description":"\u003cp\u003eOther-worldly Canon singing from Mien (Yao) hill tribes in China, Vietnam, and Laos. Raw, ethereal, and cosmic – for fans of Bulgarian choir and Javanese Court Gamelan \u0026amp; Sundanese styles of vocal ascension. Although their name comes from a pejorative Chinese expression that means “dog” or “savage\" – stemming from a legend that they were founded by a dog who saved the life of the daughter of a Chinese emperor and thus was rewarded with her hand in marriage – the largest branch of the Yao minority call themselves Mien, which means simply “people\". They number 4 million and are spread over the southern Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan and also migrated to Vietnam, Laos and Thailand over the last centuries. Part of the Miao-Yao (Hmong Mien) group of the Sino-Tibetan ethnolinguistic family, they have many subgroups, usually defined according to colors of their traditional clothes. Because of their Chinese origins, the Yao consider themselves to be culturally superior to other hill tribes, having incorporated elements of Taoism into their own beliefs as well as adopting the Chinese written system for men. The Yao women produce wonderful embroidered cloth and that’s the main reason why they’re being noticed by outsiders. Recorded and produced in the field by Laurent Jeanneau (Kink Gong), this limited edition LP comes with a two sided insert of photos and liner notes with extended track descriptions by Laurent Jeanneau.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50512902652235,"sku":"1116484","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/7bb6348c-0a9e-4fdd-ac53-562360bd5e69_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727909858"},{"product_id":"magical-nights-saigon-surf-twist-soul-1964-1966","title":"Magical Nights  Saigon Surf, Twist \u0026 Soul (1964-1966)","description":"\u003cp\u003eSublime Frequencies is honored to present the first ever retrospective of Phương Tâm, the groundbreaking Saigon teenager who became one of the first singers to perform and record rock and roll in 1960s Vietnam. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBy chance in early 2020, Hannah Hà (USA) learned that her mother, Phương Tâm, had once been a famous young singer, performer and recording artist at the heart of Saigon’s music scene in the early 1960s. The family had heard some mention of their mom as a singer at the time, but the extent of her legacy and the many songs she had recorded came as a big surprise. Further investigations soon led Hannah to producer Mark Gergis, compiler of Saigon Rock and Soul (2010, Sublime Frequencies), enlisting him to join her on a journey of discovery and recovery. The result is this essential document of Phuong Tam’s brief but prolific career, and at the same time, reuniting the long-lost music with its singer. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe unique strengths and qualities of Phương Tâm’s voice, coupled with her commanding stage presence, had swiftly elevated her to top billings on Saigon’s nightclub stages. Parallel to the brutality and uncertainty of an already protracted war, South Vietnam’s music and recording industry were developing at a rapid pace in the early 1960s. Globally, musical trends with wild, ephemeral dance crazes were being thought up weekly; the twist, hully gully, the mashed potato – none of them a problem for Phương Tâm. She soon caught the attention of Saigon’s leading recording companies and composers (Y Vân, Khánh Băng, Trường Hải, Thanh Sơn, Y Vũ and Mặc Thế Nhân, among others). Her energy translated unsurprisingly well in the studio, backed by electric guitars, contrabass, drums, lush brass sections, saxophone, piano, organ and rich backing vocals. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBetween 1964-1966, Phương Tâm would record almost 30 known tracks, released by the three main record companies in Saigon. The teenage starlet became a vital centerpiece of pop music of the time, and one of the very first singers to perform and record rock and roll (known locally as nhạc kích động, or, action music) – though as you’ll hear, she could also transform a jazz ballad into something otherworldly. While these musical styles were undeniably influenced by contemporary trends worldwide, the musicians and composers worked to localize the sounds, incorporating linguistic adaptations, lyrical content and past artistic traditions into something all their own. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn 1966, as Saigon’s music scene continued to evolve and escalate, Phương Tâm walked away from her singing career without looking back – marrying the man she loved and beginning the next rich chapter of her life. But her recorded output had laid the stylistic groundwork for the following generations of singers, and many of the songs she first sang would later be further popularized by others. Her impactful, but short- spanning career has seen her legacy remain historically understated until now. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDue to the lack of master tapes or documentation from pre-1975 Vietnam, and the scarcity of records and tapes that had survived the war, it was difficult to grasp the extent of Phương Tâm’s discography. A collective effort was required in sourcing materials and information to compile this record, involving key collectors and producers internationally (Jan Hagenkötter - Saigon Supersound, Cường Phạm, Adam Fargason, Khoa Hà – granddaughter of composer Y Vân, and researcher Jason Gibbs). As the veils of history were slowly lifted, the genuine thrill was witnessing Phương Tâm herself, hearing these songs for the first time in over 50 years – sometimes since the day she recorded them. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAt the heart of this project is a family story – Hannah Hà’s dedication to recovering and sharing her mother’s musical legacy is helping put Phương Tâm back on center stage after 55 years. But it is also a story that adds critical context to the fragmented understanding of Vietnamese popular culture during the 20th century, particularly after so much has been lost to war and dislocation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP | x2","offer_id":50522065142091,"sku":"1158267","price":44.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c343fdb4-9d7a-457f-a6c8-6f5dde53707a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727998540"},{"product_id":"born-in-the-city-of-tanta-lower-egyptian-urban-folklore-and-bedouin-shaabi-from-libya-s-bourini-records-1968-75-kp","title":"Born in the City of Tanta: Lower Egyptian Urban Folklore and Bedouin Shaabi from Libya's Bourini Records 1968-75","description":"\u003cp\u003eFar from the bustling cosmopolitan center of Cairo, north and northwest, in towns like Tanta and Alexandria and extending across the Saharan Desert to the Libyan border, dozens of fully marginalized artists were developing a raw, hybrid shaabi\/al-musiqa al-shabiya style of music, supported by smaller upstart, independent labels, including the short-lived but deeply resonant Bourini Records. Launched in the late 1960s in Benghazi, Libya, Astuanat al-Bourini اسطوانات البوريني (Bourini Records) published some 40 to 50 titles from 1968 to 1975. Bourini released 7-inch 45 RPM singles by 15 artists, all but one of them Egyptian, igniting brief careers for Alexandrian singer Sheikh Amin Abdel Qader and the blind Bedouin legend Abu Bakr Abdel Aziz (aka Abu Abab). The tracks compiled here comprise a full range of styles covered by the label, while highlighting some of its most gobsmacking moments, from Basis Rahouma’s beastly transformation into a growling and barking man-lion by the end of “Yana Alla Nafsa Masouda,” to Reem Kamal’s hopeful-if-bitter handclapping party pivot “Baed Al Yas Yjini,” which descends into an almost Velvet Underground outro-groove of nihilistic dissonance. All the tracks on this compilation were laid down in stark divergence from the mainstream Egyptian popular music topography of heightened emotions buoyed by lush arrangements. The contrast is most evident in Mahmoud al-Sandidi’s “Ana Mish Hafwatak,” wherein his voice weaves heavily but deftly through a constant accordion drone, and Abu Abab’s “Al Bint al Libya,” a sparse, slow- burning lament with minimal percussion, violin, and Abab’s nephew Hamed Abdel Muna'im Mursi on lyre. Whereas the Egyptian mainstream was aspirational, attempting to reflect Egyptian culture at its most refined, the performances captured by Bourini were manifestations of everyday life lived by the mostly otherwise ignored masses. More than half century old, this music has lost none of its urgency, presence, or relevance. We hear these artists as if they’d just joined us in our living room, and not on a stage decades ago surrounded by tens of thousands of long-forgotten acolytes.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51419093598539,"sku":"R1606-5366","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/BornintheCityofTanta.jpg?v=1741625450"},{"product_id":"tsapiky-modern-music-from-southwest-madagascar-xp","title":"Tsapiky! Modern Music From Southwest Madagascar","description":"\u003cp\u003e“Tsapiky music from Southwest Madagascar features wild ecstatic vocals, distorted electric guitars, rocket bass, and the amphetamine beat! Unlike anything else, this is THE high life music you've always wanted - ceremonial music played with abandon and extreme intent, honoring the living and dead alike. In Toliara and its surrounding region, funerals, weddings, circumcisions and other rites of passage have been celebrated for decades in ceremonies called mandriampototse. During these celebrations – which last between three and seven days – cigarettes, beer and toaky gasy (artisanal rum) are passed around while electric orchestras play on the same dirt floor as the dancing crowds and zebus. The music, tsapiky, defies any classification. This compilation showcases the diversity of contemporary tsapiky music. Locally and even nationally renowned bands played their own songs on makeshift instruments, blaring through patched-up amps and horn speakers hung in tamarind trees, projecting the music kilometers away. Lead guitarists and female lead singers are the central figures of tsapiky. Driven as much by their creative impulses as by the need to stand out in a competitive market, the artists distinguish themselves stylistically through their lyrics, rhythms or guitar riffs. They must also master a wide repertoire of current tsapiky hits, which the families that attend inevitably request before parading in front of the orchestra with their offerings. This work, a constant push and pull between distinction and imitation, is nourished by fertile exchanges between various groups: acoustic and electric, rural and urban, coastal or inland. What results during these ceremonies is a music of astonishing intensity and creativity, played by artists carving out their own path, indifferent to the standards of any other music industry: Malagasy, African or global. Recorded live on location by Maxime Bobo, this vinyl LP includes a 4-page full-color insert with detailed liner notes plus photos of the musicians and surroundings.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51419093729611,"sku":"R6827-9549","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/TsapikyModernMusicFromSouthwestMadagascar.jpg?v=1741625490"},{"product_id":"born-in-the-city-of-tanta-lower-egyptian-urban-folklore-and-bedouin-shaabi-from-libyas-bourini-records-1968-75","title":"Born in the City of Tanta - Lower Egyptian Urban Folklore and Bedouin Shaabi from Libya's Bourini Records 1968-75","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eEgypt's \"official\" popular music throughout much of the 20th Century was a complex form of art song steeped in tradition, well-loved by the middle and upper classes, and even accommodating to certain non-Arabic influences. It was highly structured by professional musicians working an established industry centered in the capitol, Cairo. However, far from the bustling cosmopolitan center of Cairo, north and northwest, in towns like Tanta and Alexandria and extending across the Saharan Desert to the Libyan border, dozens of fully marginalized artists were developing a raw, hybrid shaabi\/al-musiqa al-shabiya style of music, supported by smaller upstart, independent labels, including the short-lived but deeply resonant Bourini Records. Launched in the late 1960s in Benghazi, Libya, Astuanat al-Bourini اسطوانات البوريني (Bourini Records) published some 40 to 50 titles from 1968 to 1975. Bourini released 7-inch 45 RPM singles by 15 artists, all but one of them Egyptian, igniting brief careers for Alexandrian singer Sheikh Amin Abdel Qader and the blind Bedouin legend Abu Bakr Abdel Aziz (aka Abu Abab). The tracks compiled here comprise a full range of styles covered by the label, while highlighting some of its most gobsmacking moments, from Basis Rahouma's beastly transformation into a growling and barking man-lion by the end of \"Yana Alla Nafsa Masouda,\" to Reem Kamal's hopeful-if-bitter handclapping party pivot \"Baed Al Yas Yjini,\" which descends into an almost Velvet Underground outro-groove of nihilistic dissonance. All the tracks on this compilation were laid down in stark divergence from the mainstream Egyptian popular music topography of heightened emotions buoyed by lush arrangements. The contrast is most evident in Mahmoud al-Sandidi's \"Ana Mish Hafwatak,\" wherein his voice weaves heavily but deftly through a constant accordion drone, and Abu Abab's \"Al Bint al Libya,\" a sparse, slow-burning lament with minimal percussion, violin, and Abab's nephew Hamed Abdel Muna'im Mursi on lyre. Whereas the Egyptian mainstream was aspirational, attempting to reflect Egyptian culture at its most refined, the performances captured by Bourini were manifestations of everyday life lived by the mostly otherwise ignored masses. More than half century old, this music has lost none of its urgency, presence, or relevance. We hear these artists as if they'd just joined us in our living room, and not on a stage decades ago surrounded by tens of thousands of long-forgotten acolytes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51852631081291,"sku":"R1636-1776","price":28.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-14.jpg?v=1747765017"},{"product_id":"music-from-the-mountain-people-of-vietnam","title":"Music From the Mountain People of Vietnam","description":"\u003cp\u003eOther worldly folk music from the Central Highlands of Vietnam performed by some of the most renowned musicians of the region, this exceptional document features small ensembles \u0026amp; solo performers on a variety of unique instruments (many with vocals). This is rare and disappearing music from the Jerai, Banhar, Ede, and Rongao ethnic groups and although the recordings are made during informal settings, they are raw, emotional, dreamy, and transcendent. From Vincenzo Della Ratta's liner notes: \" In recent decades, the traditional cultures of various ethnic groups in Vietnam have undergone dramatic changes, leading to the radical transformation or even loss of some long-standing traditions, all of which has also had a significant impact on the musical traditions of the Central Highlands. The recordings on this album reflect this period, in which the last representatives of the old musical traditions have coexisted with a new wave of musicians and performers. This shift has affected the musical instruments used, the functions or contexts in which they are played, the repertoires, and the playing styles. A further characteristic of musical change in the Central Highlands is the influence of Western or Vietnamese music, evident in the way young musicians perform with a clean and measured style, with the standard Western tuning. This contrasts with the traditional playing style of older generations, and both styles are featured on this album. Rather than just being a “musical postcard”, this album is intended to provide an accurate sonic representation of the musical landscape in the Central Highlands over the past two decades, while still being highly enjoyable. I feel that it is particularly significant, considering the present period of major change, during which the music of the older generations is fading from the villages of the region, making way for new forms of musical expression.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":53388959842635,"sku":"R9725-0310","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/SF129_1Front_Cover_web.jpg?v=1757947532"},{"product_id":"west-virginia-snake-handler-revival-they-shall-take-up-serpents-ip","title":"West Virginia Snake Handler Revival “They Shall Take Up Serpents”","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWest Virginia Snake Handler Revival “They Shall Take Up Serpents”\u003c\/em\u003e marks the arrival of a landmark record, documenting the last, snake-handling church in Appalachia. Featuring hillbilly rock guitars, trance-like rhythms, and howling vocals, this album was recorded 100% live and without overdubs by Grammy-award winning producer and author, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Zomba Prison Project). The first release of American music ever by Sublime Frequencies, Brennan states, “As much as I’ve travelled around the globe to remote areas such as Comoros, the southeast Sahara or upriver in Suriname, few places have felt more foreign or ‘exotic’ than this part of Appalachia - The recording represents in many ways a companion and counterpoint— the other side of the Deep South, so to speak— to the music that was explored on the Parchman Prison Prayer albums. The Snake Handler album was an attempt to listen across that divide— a divide that’s never fully healed and continues to haunt and imperil the USA to this day.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":53448854667595,"sku":"R8098-4428","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/SF130_LP_1Front_Cover_web.jpg?v=1758552613"},{"product_id":"indian-talking-machine-part-two-instrumental-gems-from-the-78rpm-era","title":"Indian Talking Machine Part Two: Instrumental Gems From The 78rpm Era","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis double LP of instrumental Hindustani, Carnatic and folk 78rpm shellac records from India comes with a full color 12-page insert of gramophone record ephemera, shops, labels, manufacturing details and graphics. The LPs feature over 25 artists recorded between 1904 and 1959 playing a panoply of instruments: jalatarang, dilruba, sarod, clarionet, pakhawaj, violin, been, kazoo, shehnai, tabla, sarangi, sitar, vina and more. Artists include Imdad Khan (the first sitarist ever recorded), Ahmedjan Thirkhawa, Bundu Khan, Amir Hussain, Allauddin Khan (who taught Ravi Shankar), and others both forgotten and revered. The Indian classical instrumental tradition is one of incredible proficiency and expressiveness using instruments and techniques created over generations that seem to perfectly and uniquely compliment Indian culture, landscape and tradition. Sympathetic strings resonate inside sitars and sarangis to manifest shimmering reverberant spiritual spaces; horns, reeds and flutes extend the range, volume and melodic inventiveness of the voice; a mind-boggling array of elaborately turned percussion instruments allow for rhythms as complex or as simple as the flowing Ganges river. Classical music in India was perhaps at its height during the 78rpm period as the Raj era was ending and the world was globalizing. 2-LP gatefold with 12 page full-color booklet insert - features never reissued recordings and is the long-anticipated follow up to the Indian Talking Machine book\/CD (Sublime Frequencies 099), which was also produced by Robert Millis from his collection of 78rpm records and ephemera.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":56344398430539,"sku":"R9283-7142","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/SF131FRONTCOVER.jpg?v=1768920382"},{"product_id":"himba-hymn-ghosts-of-namibias-skeleton-coast","title":"Himba Hymn: Ghosts Of Namibia's Skeleton Coast","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded live on location, this is a style of music unlike anything you have ever heard before and the first album of the Himba people's music ever released from northwest Namibia. From the album's producer and recordist, Ian Brennan: \"The Namib desert is the oldest in the world. Therefore, the driest. Italian-Rwandan photographer, Marilena Umuhoza Delli and I had come to record with possibly the most photographed people on earth, the Himba— to listen rather than gaze at them as if on display. To share their voices as a counter to their visual objectification, particularly the inappropriate eroticization of the women who customarily go topless throughout daily life. We had to stress multiple times that we did not want the musicians to don touristic tribal costumes— quite possibly the first music project in history that urged performers to cover-up rather than pleading with artists to expose more flesh. But it was to no avail. When the assigned hour arrived, the men all ditched the baseball caps and soccer jerseys that they routinely wear. And for the women, the reality is that they almost without exception keep their torsos bare, even in winter. We had to acquiesce. Forcing the issue would have only been the flipside of inauthenticity. The featured, traditional instrument is the Cattle Gun. It’s rarely found these days and therefore, costly. Made from the lengthy horn of an Oryx and coated in mud, it is blown, resulting in a breathy, rattled tone. Via the use of live looping on three of the album’s tracks, psychedelic vocal tapestries were created as if snatched from the ever-shifting skies that enshrined the valley from all sides. But even more esoteric results arose from members cupping hands over mouth to create chorusing and flanging effects sans electricity or gear. Rather than \"primitive\" or traditional, the Himba music making is imbued with innovation and timelessness.\" Limited Edition Pressing of 500 vinyl copies with 4-page color insert including photos of the musicians and liner notes by Grammy-award winning producer and author, Ian Brennan.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56922684719435,"sku":"R3855-9879","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/SF132_LP_1Front_Cover_web.jpg?v=1774950069"},{"product_id":"new-old-medicine","title":"New Old Medicine","description":"\u003cp\u003eHot on the heals of their spectacular self-titled debut album, The Handover is back with their second long form composition, New Old Medicine. Aly Eissa (oud), Ayman Asfour (violin), and Jonas Cambien (vintage organ\/synth) have been cutting their teeth on the international touring circuit for the past two years, landing from town to town in their seductive spaceship to blow people's minds and then dematerialize into the void. An outline for a new piece began to emerge along the route and late last year during a stop in Berlin, this metamorphosis of the trio's sound was recorded in pristine form by Rabih Beaini at Morphine Studios. Attempting to define the music is not as important as allowing it to define itself - from person to person, village to village. All we can do is suggest what may resonate to lure you into the arena; psychedelic, folkloric, Egyptian, etc., as these excerpts from the liner notes suggest: \"Though one long piece, New Old Medicine moves through several unofficial chapters. It originates in the psychic depths with a pensive melody. Gradually solidifying, the organ’s first solo ushers the piece into a swaying, reverent dance. This dance nears its end with a vigorously percussive section on oud, handing it off to the violin for a climactic solo. A momentary pause, then the rhythm thickens, and the musicians ride untethered through the midnight. This frenzy is followed by a calm repose on placid water. But this calm is merely a deep inhale before the final charged ascent into cosmic rapture.\" Don't sleep on this one!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sublime Frequencies","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":57140806615371,"sku":"R7553-6432","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/SF133_LP_1Front_Cover_web.jpg?v=1777304097"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_17209cdb_thumbnail_4096_863bfda0-128e-4dd8-9f43-6fbeba2c1db6.jpg?v=1727144604","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/sublime-frequencies.oembed?page=2","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}