“staring into the sun: ethiopian tribal music” double long playing record set

• borana tribe - borana singing wells (3:33)
  
• konso tribe - konso lyre song (4:03)
  
• tsemay tribe - tsemay song (0:53)
  
• habesha 2000 band - habesha traditional song (2:21)
  
  
• dirashe tribe - dirashe syncopated panpipes (7:52)
  
• azmari - masinko song (4:09)
  
• dirashe tribe - dirashe drum song (3:29)
  
  
• mursi tribe - mursi song (3:55)
  
• dirashe tribe - dirashe lyre song (5:47)
  
• gedeo tribe - gedeo vocals (2:46)
  
• habesha 2000 band - habesha traditional song 2 (2:53)
  
  
• konso tribe - konso lyre & percussion song (4:12)
  
• dorze tribe - dorze song (4:12)
  
• gedeo tribe - gedeo percussion & lyre song (2:43)
  
• habesha 2000 band - habesha traditional song 3 (4:43)

sublime frequencies press release...

staring into the sun: ethiopian tribal music 2lp sf074 a contemporary survey of the tribal music of ethiopia. recorded in 2009 by olivia wyatt, this double lp showcases an array of mind-blowing sounds from the "land of eternal sunshine." presented in this visually stunning gatefold are audio examples ranging from remote tribes -- of the ethiopian highlands, the lower omo and the great rift valley -- to their electric analogues in the sweaty beerhalls of addis ababa. this collection features songs from the azmari, poet-musicians who play the krar (ancient lyre) and whose song repertoire includes everything from comic improvisation to lyrical elegiac, the borana whose work songs are a transcendental polyphonic singing that stops time, and the dirashe whose syncopated panpipes are as otherworldly as anything ever heard. other selections include music from the mursi, druze, gedeo, konso, and tsemay tribes as well as some fine examples of amplified roots music from the capital from the habesha 2000 band. this is a limited edition one-time pressing double lp housed in a gatefold full color tip-on sleeve with gorgeous polaroid shots from olivia wyatt.

maâllem boubker ghania / the ghania ensemble “eat the dream • gnawa music from essaouira” long playing record

• maâllem boubker ghania - chelha (3:26)
  
• the ghania ensemble - dahven (6:18)
  
• mogador (collage of radio and street field recordings) (8:06)
  
• the ghania ensemble - mektoub (7:01)
  
  
• the ghania ensemble - tseuheur/chehade (11:49)
  
• wedding street procession (field recording)(6:26)
  
• the ghania ensemble - fraja (2:49)

sublime frequencies press release...

eat the dream: gnawa music from essaouira lp various artists sf071 lp  recorded and compiled by tucker martine in 1994, the bulk of this album features the magnificent results of a chance meeting between martine and the late, great master of gnawa music, maâllem boubker ghania (1927-2000), who kindly offered to organize a several-day informal recording session in his home. martine began rolling tape as musicians came and went throughout the sessions. these spectacular recordings from essaouira morocco are interwoven here with other encounters, including a wedding procession in the streets of marrakech, snake charmers of the jemma el fna with their rhaitas, calls to prayer with children playing while james brown echoed off of the labyrinthian walls, moroccan radio dial surfing and more. the gnawa are a mystical brotherhood whose ancestors migrated from west africa to north africa approximately 500 years ago. after integrating into the local berber and arabic societies, a unique cultural blend resulted which is reflected in their music. their complex liturgy borrows both from the traditions of mystical islam and african shamanism. the gnawa's trance-inducing music accompanies rituals such as the healing of psychic disorders and scorpion stings, ramadan celebrations and animal sacrifice. participants in these all-night rituals are invited into an ecstatic state. the primary instruments of this tradition are the krakebs (a pair of metal clappers) and the guimbri (or sintir), a three-stringed lute with a camel skin covering and a body carved from a log. the one short string and two long strings are made of goat gut. limited edition lp housed in a heavy-duty tip-on jacket with an insert containing additional photos of the musicians and tucker martine's liner notes.  this record was originally released on cd as eat the dream: moroccan reveries on tinder records in 1996 (tinder cd 42825032). original label out of business / cd out-of-print.

erkin koray “meçhul • singles and rarities” long playing record

• meçhul (3:47)
  
• ve... (3:31)
  
• kendim ettim kendim buldum (3:27)
  
• gün dogmuyor (2:52)
  
• goca dünya (4:01)
  
• krallar (4:01)
  
  
• cümbür cemaat (4:40)
  
• hadi hadi ordan (3:35)
  
• düsünüs (4:05)
  
• olmayinca olmuyor (4:51)
  
• sevdigim (4:08)

sublime frequencies press release...

erkin koray: mechul (singles and rarities) cd sf067 erkin koray and sublime frequencies are pleased to present this collection of rare tracks and lesser-heard singles. all tracks were recorded and released in turkey between 1970 – 1977 and culled from koray's personal vinyl collection. includes exclusive photos and remastered audio. what more is there to say about erkin koray? an iconic guitar and songwriting genius. a voice of gold – having founded the country’s first ever rock and roll group in 1957, he is regarded worldwide as the father of turkish rock. forging western sounds with his own inimitable musical mastery, he self-produced singles and lps throughout the 1960s and 1970s that shook and altered turkish society. erkin didn't stop at rock and roll. over time, he began to find inspiration in folk sounds from turkey's anatolian interior, and radio broadcasts received from egypt and lebanon. he looked to the east from his west-leaning istanbul perch, and began incorporating these sounds into his own work. this amalgamation was as unprecedented and unorthodox in istanbul at the time as rock and roll itself had been in the 1950s. the resulting hybrid sound ignited what became known as the arabesque music movement in turkey – which continues to this day. while erkin has recorded and performed tirelessly throughout the years, [both as a solo artist, and with the powerful groups he formed,] his extensive back catalogue only began to be explored by the international community in the 1990s. he is now recognized as one of the foremost global leaders of psychedelic, folk rock, pop and balladry. his music has stood the test of time more than many of his western contemporaries and influences have managed to, and his prolific work ethic has not ceased. he continues to live and breathe music, performing epic concerts, and continuously plotting new recordings and strategies. his vision and integrity, coupled with his pronounced world views and inherent musical greatness, have made him the unique and magnificent living legend he is today. this collection features tracks not found on the many unauthorized erkin compilations and lp reissues that have emerged in the west over the years. ranging from the sublime to the surreal, these tracks offer an essential glimpse into the extensive repertoire of the great erkin koray.

erkin koray “meçhul • singles and rarities” compact disc

• meçhul (3:47)
  
• ve... (3:31)
  
• kendim ettim kendim buldum (3:27)
  
• gün dogmuyor (2:52)
  
• goca dünya (4:01)
  
• krallar (4:01)
  
• cümbür cemaat (4:40)
  
• hadi hadi ordan (3:35)
  
• düsünüs (4:05)
  
• olmayinca olmuyor (4:51)
  
• sevdigim (4:08)

sublime frequencies press release...

erkin koray: mechul (singles and rarities) cd sf067 erkin koray and sublime frequencies are pleased to present this collection of rare tracks and lesser-heard singles. all tracks were recorded and released in turkey between 1970 – 1977 and culled from koray's personal vinyl collection. includes exclusive photos and remastered audio. what more is there to say about erkin koray? an iconic guitar and songwriting genius. a voice of gold – having founded the country’s first ever rock and roll group in 1957, he is regarded worldwide as the father of turkish rock. forging western sounds with his own inimitable musical mastery, he self-produced singles and lps throughout the 1960s and 1970s that shook and altered turkish society. erkin didn't stop at rock and roll. over time, he began to find inspiration in folk sounds from turkey's anatolian interior, and radio broadcasts received from egypt and lebanon. he looked to the east from his west-leaning istanbul perch, and began incorporating these sounds into his own work. this amalgamation was as unprecedented and unorthodox in istanbul at the time as rock and roll itself had been in the 1950s. the resulting hybrid sound ignited what became known as the arabesque music movement in turkey – which continues to this day. while erkin has recorded and performed tirelessly throughout the years, [both as a solo artist, and with the powerful groups he formed,] his extensive back catalogue only began to be explored by the international community in the 1990s. he is now recognized as one of the foremost global leaders of psychedelic, folk rock, pop and balladry. his music has stood the test of time more than many of his western contemporaries and influences have managed to, and his prolific work ethic has not ceased. he continues to live and breathe music, performing epic concerts, and continuously plotting new recordings and strategies. his vision and integrity, coupled with his pronounced world views and inherent musical greatness, have made him the unique and magnificent living legend he is today. this collection features tracks not found on the many unauthorized erkin compilations and lp reissues that have emerged in the west over the years. ranging from the sublime to the surreal, these tracks offer an essential glimpse into the extensive repertoire of the great erkin koray.

group doueh “zayna jumma” double long playing record set

• zayna jumma (4:31)
  
• ishadlak ya khey (4:12)
  
• zaya koum (3:25)
  
• met-ha (3:05)
  
  
• jagwar doueh (4:10)
  
• aziza (3:35)
  
• ana lakweri (5:07)
  
• wazan doueh (6:04)

sublime frequencies press release...

group doueh: zayna jumma sf066 group doueh's latest record is here and the plot continues to thicken! from the gorgeously cracked yet all-embracing opening drum roll of zayna jumma (the title track), it's evident this band is hell bent on redefining the sound of its influences and in turn, shape the future sound of its surroundings. it's musical alchemy in its purest, most remarkable form, pushing at the boundaries of geographical divergence while simultaneously speaking to the shared resonances between western rock rhythms and the pulse of the saharan trance tradition. since its inception, group doueh's ability to craft pop hooks from a foundation of saharoui roots music has been a manifestation of sheer song craft and innovation. the tracks on zayna jumma are a deeper excavation of the group's forged terrain: a collision of contemporary afro-saharan grooves balanced with the searing modalities of doueh's desert origins, finally nuanced by the transcendental pop / rock / desert blues elements honed from gestating in the fringes of the sahara desert. for the latest installment of this dakhla family's musical dynasty, doueh recruits his next eldest sons el waar (synth) and hamdan (drum kit), and wife halima is augmented by three female backup singers. the band keeps evolving and this album reveals its newest phase - that of a formidable rock unit. the songs on this record were recorded in 2010, a busy year for doueh, maintaining its day job as the go-to group of the saharan wedding industry while still managing recording sessions and a tour with tony allen (fela kuti's long time drummer). on the heels of this momentum, zanya jumma is released to coincide with the group's 2011 spring / summer tour of the uk, europe and a first ever us tour. this band continues to redefine the musical landscape and keep listeners amazed and transfixed. it's the perfect ecstatic music for the impending apocalypse, a rogue sound rooted in the past and yet boldly harnessing the aural possibilities of the landscape ahead ... go ahead and jump aboard. recorded on location in dakhla, west sahara in 2010 by hisham mayet.

group bombino “guitars from agadez • volume 2” compact disc

• tenere (4:15)
  
• imuhar (5:32)
  
• kamoutalia (5:17)
  
• amidinine (4:38)
  
• boghassa (4:08)
  
• imouhare (4:08)
  
• issitchilane (3:59)
  
• kamu telyat (3:59)
  
• eronafene tihoussayene (5:00)

sublime frequencies press release...

group bombino: guitars from agadez vol 2 cd sf046 group bombino is the latest salvo from the agadez music scene. led by the guitar virtuoso omara mochtar (bombino), the group’s debut cd-- volume two in the guitars from agadez series, represents the latest chapter in the modern sound of the tuareg revolution. as of 2008, the tuareg rebellion is in full force again, and bombino is in exile to parts unknown. agadez has been cut off from the rest of niger. the only road that connects this legendary city with the rest of the country is littered with land mines and the only escorts are the military. this music and its messages of hope, justice, and desire for validation of the kel tamachek way of life ring louder than ever. group bombino are gaining mythic status in and around the tuareg community for their incendiary live performances. coming from the same scene as group inerane and sharing some of the same musicians, group bombino showcase both sides of the tuareg guitar style. the first half features the “dry guitar” sound, an unplugged selection of songs sung among the dunes and stars of the tenere desert. the second half showcases the electric fury of the full band, a melding of heavy, psychedelic guitar heroics with a raw garage sound, back beat percussion, all swirling in extended trance rock moves. recorded live and unfiltered in agadez and the surrounding desert in early 2007, with the band’s equipment powered by generators and an unflinching dedication to the rebellion, group bombino’s music transcends any influence and ignites the raw passion of its message to the outside world. cd version of the sold-out lp.

group inerane “guitars from agadez • volume 1” compact disc

• kuni majagani (3:38)
  
• awal september (2:44)
  
• ano nagarus (3:55)
  
• tenerte (3:29)
  
• nadan al kazawnin (4:53)
  
• telilite (3:33)
  
• tenere etran (3:35)
  
• ikab kabau (6:42)
  
• ashal wali tigeli (3:44)
  
• kamu talyat (3:22)

sublime frequencies press release...

group inerane: guitars from agadez (music of niger) cd sf034 cd reissue of the 2nd sublime frequencies vinyl release. group inerane is the now sound of the tuareg guitar revolution sweeping across the sahara desert and inspired by the rebel musicians that started this music as a political weapon used to communicate from the libyan refugee camps in the 1980s and 1990s. spearheaded by the enigmatic guitar hero bibi ahmed, group inerane has been together for several years and carries the rich tradition of tamachek guitar songs for another generation. these ten tracks are a combination of amplified roots rock, blues, and folk in the local tuareg styles at times entering into full-on electric guitar psychedelia. this music is performed with two electric guitars, a drum kit and a chorus of vocalists. the recordings were captured live in the city of agadez in the republic of niger . group inerane was also featured in the sublime frequencies dvd “ niger : magic and ecstasy in the sahel ”. recorded by hisham mayet. this cd comes with an 8-page insert which includes great photos of the musicians and liner notes by hisham mayet.