美空ひばりぶっ込むの半端じゃない

A wild and unruly assortment of segments from the archives of Shirley & Spinoza Radio – helicopters; Iranian flute music and drum machines; confused tourists and Japanese folk; a warbled cassette from a dusty Kashgar bazaar; a clip from the 1970s television series Kung Fu; Thai molam; cicadas; Uyghur pop; shortwave radio; wolves; a beggar lady’s song recorded in an oasis town; Chinese radio commercials and urban soundscapes; carrier pigeons equipped with droning whistles; Mongolian throat singing; and more. Many thanks to Fausto Caceres for his fearless and inspiring exploration of both forgotten and new ways of making radio.

Fausto is busy cleaning his mother-in-law’s rain gutters but he did take a brief respite to offer some reflections: “Many of the clips you chose send me right back into the time and space I was in when recording them. Listening to clips of Uyghur language radio transport me to all those winter nights spent in my Urumqi apartment, surrounded by a dirty-ice world & the smell of coal burning smokestacks in the air. They conjure the surrounding streets with large hanging hunks of mutton and fur hats for sale all over the place; my frozen mustache; the sounds of my neighbors walking up the stairwell every day making their unique, individual ‘hooting’ calls to activate the sound-triggered lights at each level; fully kitted PLA soldiers marching in the street; calls to prayer; and the dense, addictive collection of music shops and stands selling local cds. Re: the beggar lady singing 'Rosilem' in an oasis town called Artux, I recorded about half hour with her in a quiet, dusty courtyard off the street. Several local kids quietly appeared on the surrounding rooftops to quietly watch.

There’s a clip in there in Uyghur (a radio commercial for some local store) that starts “Aiygul ma! Nime'sh te!” (basically, just ‘what’s up Aigul!’ I used to just say that often to my local Uyghur friends in that same voice to their amusement as some sort of inside joke about my radio operating “pastime”.  My first year, I lived in a compound with all the local artists / musicians that were employed by the government, so I'd bump into the 'radio voices' and musicians I’d become familiar with at the local market all the time. Also within, you hear the annual September 18th air raid sirens commemorating the invasion by the Japanese; the megaphones at the Uyghur bazaar shouting prices; the pigeons (with attached drone whistle) circling my 6th floor apartment…  some fragments of Yunnan radio from later years. 

The earlier era clips you selected from the Oakland studio years seem to imagine some fantasy Sci-Lo-Fi version of what the coming years living in the PRC might bring.  I guess they weren’t so far off!

It’s always felt totally organic and personal to weave all these sounds and recordings spanning so many years into s&S Radio and particularly cool to hear these bits again assembled this way through your ears. I hope your fans enjoy! – Fausto Caceres (06/09/2021)

The cover image is taken from an art installation titled “Babel” by Cildo Meireles (2001), a large circular tower made from hundreds of second-hand transistor radios stacked on top of one another.  

http://compound-eye.org/

 SHIRLEY & SPINOZA RADIO (RIAFC 053)

Shirley & Spinoza Radio [RIAFC 053]

Performed by Akio Suzuki
From album "K7 Box"
ALM Records ‎– URCD-7

Akio Suzuki "Analapos, Opening Music For Yokosuka Museum Of Art" 2007

Radio programs recorded in taxis and some field recordings made while traveling throughout the Maghreb & the Sahel. Recorded, assembled, and mixed by Matthew Lavoie from the great WALLAHI LE ZEIN! cassette blog. The cover photo was taken from a taxi in Dakar, Senegal.

Tracklist
1. ‘Speaking English’, Bolgatanga Radio, Bolgatanga, Ghana. 2014
2. Sunday morning, Bolgatanga Radio, Bolgatanga, Ghana. 2014
3. Donso N’goni rehearsal, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2011.
4. Kidussie, Orthodox Tewahedo Church funeral prayer for General Seare Mekonnen, Ethiopian National Radio, Ethiopia. 2019
5. Ethiopian radio in early morning traffic, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 2019. 
6. Abu Hakim, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2014. 
7. Rooster, Petit Paris, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2016.
8. Seydou Koita practicing at home, Gounghin, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2018.
9. Senoufo Balafon ensemble performing at christening party, Gounghin, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2015. 
10. RTM Amazigh, unidentified group.  Rabat, Morocco. 2019. 
11. Morocco wedding. 2017. 
12. Nana mint Mohamed Cheikh, Maouiya, and Idoumou ould Abba, Nouakchott. Islamic Republic of Mauritania. 2018. 
13. Maouiya performing keyboard Wezin at wedding in Tevragh Zeina, Nouakchott. Islamic Republic of Mauritania. 2018.  
14. Adhan, Central Market. Lilongwe, Malawi. 2019. 
15. Recitation, Radio Al-Fajr. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2015.
16. Solo Kidussie, funeral for General Gezai Abera. Ethiopian State Radio. 2019. 
17. Call sign for 108 FM, Radio de la Resistance. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.  September 2015.  [In September of 2015 there was an attempted coup d’état in Burkina Faso. For two weeks the entire city of Ouagadougou was locked down.  All stores, ministries, offices, banks were closed.  The coup plotters took over the radio and television and shut down a lot of commercial stations.  A few days after the coup, however, a pirate radio station took to the air, ‘La Radio de la Resistance’.  The station was broadcasting using a mobile transmitter calling on all Burkinabé to resist, to fight the plotters.  The station would broadcast communiqués and revolutionary songs and a casio keyboard interpretation of the national anthem.  The signal was horrible but I loved their call sign. 
18. Abu Hakim, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 2014. 
19. Baba Omar Rabat Morocco, 2019.
20. Hembe Mauritania.

Taxi Music (RIAFC057)

From the new album by Chinese-Australian guzheng artist Mindy Meng Wang (and collaborators), 'Phoenix Rising'. Available for purchase here: https://mindymengwang.bandcamp.com/album/phoenix-rising

Mindy Meng Wang & Fia Fiell - Undercurrent 暗涌

Live performance for EMS Synthi 100, magnetic tape and computer setup. Performed and recorded at Electronic Studio-Radio Belgrade in 2021.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/x-j0nUvlogQ
More info: https://www.svetlanamaras.com/radioconcerts.html

Svetlana Maraš©SOKOJ
All rights reserved

Radio Concert No.2

Excerpts of field recordings made 2020 - 2022 in Ireland and France

1. Funachree Coast, Co. Galway. (00:00 - 01:06)
Seals Calling, Barnacles, Water

2. Abandoned Barn, Portaferry, Co. Down (01:06 - 01:52)
Derelict Barn Moved by Wind, Amplified Tree Branches

3. Chemin du Trieux, Paimpol, Bretagne (01:52 - 02:52)
Crickets

4. Trieux River, Paimpol, Bretagne (02:52 - 03:50)
Snapping Crustaceans, Low Frequency Pulses

5. Windmill Hill, Portaferry, Co. Down (03:50 - 04:29)
Amplified Fishing Wire Stretched Vertically inside Windmill Tower

6. Trieux River, Paimpol, Bretagne (04:29 - 04:59)
Crab Eating a Periwinkle

7. Trieux River Port, Paimpol, Bretagne (04:59 - 05:34)
2 Pipes Resonating from Wind and Water


Equipment used:
DPA 4060 Microphones
Sound Devices MixPre6 Recorder
Aquarian H2A Hydrophone
JrF D Hydrophones
AKG C417 Microphones

Photograph by Louise Le Du at Funachree Coast in Co. Galway

Louise Le Du & Michael Speers Field Recording Excerpts

A hypnotic mix of field recordings, samples of 78 records, modern exotic pop & electronic music from the visionary collector Fabrice Géry (aka Cheb Gero) from the Paris-based independent label Akuphone. Photo credit: Kink Gong/Laurent Jeanneau.

TRACK LIST
Dharma Shanti Orchestra: Pemungkah 
VA - The Gamelan Of The Walking Warriors : Gamelan Beleganjur and the Music of the Ngaben Funerary Ritual in Bal (AKU1007, 2017)

Kink Gong & Li Daiguo: Cello Zheng Pacoh
Dali China (AKU1019, 2019)

Kiki Hitomi: Gain And Lose
VA - Seitō: In the Beginning, Woman Was the Sun (AKU1016, 2019)

Tati Saleh: Sinden Sohor
VA - Malam Minggu : A Saturday Night In Sunda (AKU1012, 2019)

Ko Shin Moon: I-XIII
78 Fragments (AKU1017, 2019)

Tamayugé: Komeito
Baba Yaga (AKU1013, 2019)

Ramuntcho Matta: Au Fond Du Fond
96 (AKU1014, 2019)

Unknown Artist: Lao Lam Saravan
Music of Southern Laos (AKU1009, 2018)

Praed: Embassy Of Embarrassment
Doomsday Survival Kit (AKU1011, 2019)

Ko Shin Moon: Zaffa
Ko Shin Moon (AKU1005, 2017)

Akuphone (RIAFC 020)

chOOn!! is an arts collective that began life as a notoriously wild radio show on Subcity Radio (Glasgow, Scotland), 2012-2019, and is now about to launch as a newly formed reissue label. Radio is a Foreign Country is thrilled to share chOOn!!’s warped take on a bewildering range of retro folk and popular styles spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Prepare your earballs for loads of gamelan funk, Javanese electro, discoid degung, queasy quasidah modern, Sumatran devil-synth, hyper footwork jaipong, cosmic calung, plasmic pop-Sunda, and drum-machine dangdut. You can hear the extended version of this mix at https://soundcloud. com/radio-choon.

chOOn!! would like to thank Romain de Ferron for generously sending his wonderfully curated tape of Sumatran gems culled from his journeys throughout Indonesia; VK and his generous gifts from Malaysia; the digging savant Herpi and his expertly curated selections; and to the ever-reliable grotto of Indonesian delights that is Madrotter - thanks Henk!

PLAYLIST
Break Pong Medley, Yayah Ratnasari & Karawang Group
Jalma Dengki, Darso & Detty Kurnia
Wening, Becky Wilson & Nano. S. Kasmaran
Disco Medley Jaipong (Extract), Nus. S.
Tari Pasambahan, Sanggar Syofyani
Pariaman,  Fetty
Asih Can Laas, Detty Kurnia
Kunci 2 Asmara, Ety Yulianty
Tahun 2000, Nasida Ria
Jangan Putus Asa, Orkes Gambus Al Hadid
Imut Nu Ngajalanan, Detty Kurnia
Ginggiapeun, Titin K. Somantri & Odang Sundara
El Sahara, El Sahara Group
Bonus Cinta, Becky Wilson & Nano. S. Kasmaran
Cucu Deui, Darso
Instrumental Jaipong (excerpt), Nus. S.

CALUNGA CHOON (RIAFC 024)

calunga chOOn!! (RIAFC 024)

from the 1st album "small souds" 1999.
recording of black mong of north vietnam singing, 
recorded and composed by miki yui.



Mong

Raw and remixed field recordings of gong orchestras throughout southeast Asia. Recorded, assembled, and remixed by Yasuhiro Morinaga for Radio is a Foreign Country. Yasuhiro Morinaga is a sound artist and filmmaker living in Tokyo. After graduating Tokyo University of the Arts, Yasuhiro has carried out field recording expeditions documenting the origins of musical instruments and the soundscapes of shamanic healing rituals throughout southeast Asia (see www.the-concrete .org). 

PLAYLIST
Ambience: (Toraja group), Rambu Solo (Funeral ceremony) from Toraja, Sulawesi Island
Tau Dou / (Tau Humba group), Sumba Island
Harvesting / (Tau Humba group), Sumba Island
Funeral / (M’nong + Krung groups), Mondalkiri, Northeast Cambodia
Ma Badong Chanting / (Toraja group), Toraja, Sulawesi Island
Gong Practice by Yasuhiro Morinaga  / Bali Island
Manang Sirang - chanting / (Dayak Iban group) West Kalimantan, Borneo Island
Cut the Bamboo, / (M’nong Prang group), Central highland of Vietnam
Hail / (Ede group), Central Highlands of Vietnam 
Guarding Rice Seeds / (Makassar group) Makassar, Sulawesi Island
Daily Routine for everyday life / (Krung group), Ratanakiri, Northeast Cambodia
Hedung Dance / (Lamaholot group), Flores Island
Balangbang / (Kanakanaey group), Northern Luzon Island 
A Month after the Death / (Bahnar group), Central Highland of Vietnam
Sole Oha Ritual / (Lamaholot group), Flores Island
Hsaing Waing Remixes by Yasuhiro Morinaga, Yangon, Myanmar
Ambience: (Toraja group), Rambu Solo (Funeral ceremony) from Toraja, Sulawesi Island

RIAFC 031

Gong Therapy (RIAFC 031)

A phenomenal selection of Japanese 78s (mostly) curated by Robert Millis (Sublime Frequencies/Climax Golden Twins). “The surface noise,” Rob writes, “pulls me back through time: Tsugaru samisen, Buddhist chants, gagaku, flutes, folk song, popular tunes, street music, and more…mostly from scratchy noisy Japanese 78rpm records (with some vinyl thrown in for good measure) that managed to survived the turbulent 20th century for your listening pleasure here in the 21st. If 78rpm surface noise interests you, I recently finished an LP for SUBLIME FREQUENCIES called Sound Storing Machines: The First 78rpm Records from Japan (1903-12). Out in April 2021. The first records made in East Asia at the dawn of man’s ability to record and the beginnings of what would become one of the largest physical record industries in the world—Japan.”

Impossible without the fantastic work done by Riyo Mountains:
www.mixcloud.com/riyomountains/
www.facebook.com/riyomountains/
Not to mention DJ Pallaksch, Soi48, Yuichi Kishino and many others. Look their work up.

Tracklist:
I love the sound of these tracks, outside of context or translations and I have imposed on my Japanese speaking friends more than enough lately and the labels are in Japanese kanji—old Japanese kanji at that. So write to me with specific questions and I’ll see what I can trace down for you. 

Robertmillis.net
sublimefrequencies.com

Shellac (mostly) from Japan (RIAFC 047)

We no longer publish here. For the latest, tune in here:
https://www.radioisaforeigncountry.org/
​

Shellac (mostly) from Japan (RIAFC 047)

RADIO IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY

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