Akuphone
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When I arrived at the Khmer-Thai border in September 1980, disorganized resistance cadres were busy repairing old guitar instrument by using shing line for guitar strings and employing a rusty, empty gasoline tank as a drum. They played old Khmer pop songs. [ ...]Visit product page →
They performed for themselves and for appreciative audiences of villagers. Other informal musical groups also came together to entertain themselves and others. One day in 1981, I photographed what was generally called the Bamteay Ampil Band.' Gaffar Peang-Meth, November 2016 Cambodian Liberation Songs is a painful call from forgotten resistance fighters.
It is a captivating record, a touching testimony of Cambodian history that brings to the world the breathless voice of these resistance members from the Banteay Ampil Band.
Released in 1983, Cambodian Liberation Songs is a mysterious and overwhelming record. As a genuine piece of history, this 'eloquent sadness and fierce passion' runs the gamut of Cambodian music, from folk to rock, expressing their suffering and pain.
On 17 April 1975, the Cambodian people, already crushed under national and international conflicts, was commanded by force to forget their own past; it was Year 0 of the Khmer Rouge calendar. Almost four years of genocide would follow before the start of a war between the Vietnamese army and the Khmer Rouge. Resistance units engaged in the conflict against what they considered a Vietnamese invasion. This record, produced by a resistance group, was given the reference number KHMER 001.
It was undoubtedly the first record composed and performed by non-Khmer Rouge Cambodians after the tragic events of 1975-79. The refugee camp of Ampil, near the Thai border, witnessed the creation of the Banteay Ampil Band. Musicians and female singers who had hidden their talents during the genocide, gathered around the composer and violinist Oum Dara to engage in a new struggle: the resistance. Oum Dara, who had been a composer for Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Serey Sothea among others, adapted several of his creations. It is therefore, with a poignant charm, that the Banteay Ampil Band binds together the golden age of Khmer music from the 1960s with the traditional repertoire and the context of their daily struggles.
Violin, guitar and voices work together to produce melancholic and intense songs - the stirring tone of grief expressed by these resistant fighters. The band went to Singapore to record Cambodian Liberation Songs, the only record of the 'Khmer People's National Liberation Front'.
Tracklisting:
1. My Last Words
2. Please Take Care Of My Mother
3. Tuol Tneung The Hillock Of The Vine
4. Don T Forget Khmer Blood
5. Sereika Armed Forces
6. Follow The Front
7. I M Waiting For You
8. Please Avenge My Blood Darling
9. Destroy The Communist Viet
10. Look At The Sky
11. Vietnamese Sparrows
12. The Vietnamese Have Invaded Our Country -
"Psalmody, small bells, big cymbals, gongs and drums - this puzzling collage of Tibetan Buddhist rites recordings is hypnotizing.Visit product page →
It opens the way to the state of trance. The slight electronic arrangement still reminds that reality is not so far. The two twenty-minute tracks instantly convey an unknown and fascinating universe.
Mantra chanting accelerates, horns become more insistent and a mystical atmosphere arises. With Tibetan Buddhism Trip, Akuphone starts exploring ritual and ceremonial music, here with a subtle mix of field recordings and electronic handlings.
Over the years King Gong aka Laurent Jeanneau specialized in the recording of ethnic minorities, particularly from South East Asia. He has recorded over 160 albums and his work is now largely well-known around the globe.
Such an impressive collection enables him to manipulate, assemble and reconstruct his field recordings in order to create new sound landscapes.
Recorded in Tibet and Yunnan (China) between 2006 and 2013. Recomposed in Berlin in 2016.
Vinyl comes with printed inner sleeve and download card including live performance in Bristol and unseen pictures."
Tracklisting:
1. Tibetan Buddhism Trip Part 1
2. Tibetan Buddhism Trip Part 2 -
Blurring the lines between time and space, Ko Shin Moon mixes acoustic instruments from various regions of the world, analog devices, traditional music, electronic arrangements, sampling and field recordings.Visit product page →
As the soundtrack of a patchwork journey, the band's first LP conveys one along a succession of hybrid territories, imaginary sound landscapes, multicolored collages: Acid Dabke, Turkish-Greek Disco, Cosmic Raï, New Beat Molam, Tibetan Ambient, Synth Wave Hindi Filmi, Rickshaw Dance Music - ¦
Tracklisting:
1. Zaffa
2. Ciftetelli
3. Uber Ciftetelli
4. Dua
5. Dabke 91
6. Pashto Karachi 2000
7. Gabbar Singh
8. Lam Samai Dao
9. Klong Yao Dancing Klong Yao Racing
10. Lune De Koshi
11. 14 Kumpa
12. Outro Gompa
13. Sharie Didouche -
Release Date: 05/10/2018Visit product page →
Akuphone presents a collection of recordings of various musical practices from the Laotian provinces of Luang Namtha et Phongsaly. These documents are a perfect introduction to the traditional music of South Laos minority groups.
Popular modern music is widely spread but visitors are barely ever exposed to ancient acoustic practices from villages. As a matter of fact, mouth organs of various sizes exist among the Hmong and Bit as well as amazing vocal techniques among the Lantene, Ahka or Khmu who combine simultaneous singing and flute notes.
Caught on the spot, these outstanding testimonies were collected between 2006 and 2013 by Laurent Jeanneau, aka King Gong. Through his researches, this self-taught ethnologist has gradually become one of the specialists of the field, building up a collection of complete and fascinating sound archives which contribute documenting parts of this immaterial heritage.
MUSIC OF NORTHERN LAOS brings some light on a region of South East Asia still largely unknown from the general audience as well as the recently reborn ethnographic musical industry.
This compilation will delight both khene lovers and beginners unused to South East Asian sounds. Enclosed: liner notes in English, French and Japanese as well as a downloading code.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. White Hmong « Queej »
2. Lantene (Moon) Women
3. Khmu Ou « Tot »
4. Khmu Ou « Pi»
5. Akha « Chuluba »
Side B:
6. Bit « Protect The Forest »
7. Dark Blue Yao (Moon) Ceremony
8. Akha « New Year Song »
9. Khmu « Jiakoot » -
This special pack gather both volumes (Music of Southern Laos AKULP1009 and Music of Northern Laos AKULP1010) Akuphone presents a collection of recordings of various musical practices from the Laotian provinces of Champasak, Attapeu, Sekong, Saravan, Luang Namtha and Phongsaly.Visit product page →
These documents are a perfect introduction to the traditional music of South Laos minority groups. Popular modern music is widely spread but visitors are barely ever exposed to ancient acoustic practices from villages. As a matter of fact, mouth organs of various sizes exist among the Hmong and Bit as well as amazing vocal techniques among the Lantene, Ahka or Khmu who combine simultaneous singing and flute notes.
This collection also compels one to discover the Brao gongs, the Triang bamboo flutes, the Lao, Ta Oy, Alak, OI, Pacoh or Nyaheun mouth organs as well as the powerful singing accompanying these instruments. Caught on the spot, these outstanding testimonies were collected between 2006 and 2013 by Laurent Jeanneau, aka King Gong. Through his researches, this self-taught ethnologist has gradually become one of the specialists of the field, building up a collection of complete and fascinating sound archives which contribute documenting parts of this immaterial heritage.
MUSIC OF SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN LAOS brings some light on a region of South East Asia still largely unknown from the general audience as well as the recently reborn ethnographic musical industry.
This compilation will delight both molam/khene lovers and beginners unused to South East Asian sounds. Enclosed: liner notes in English, French and Japanese. Redeem code
Tracklisting:
1. Brao Lave Gongs
2. Ta Oy Courting Song
3. Triang Pao Kabang
4. Nyaheun « Jeu Phawn Peng Gawng Ploung Ken »
5. Katu Song
6. Lao Lam Saravan
7. Oy Duet
8. Alak Songs
9. Alak Khene Molam
10. Pacoh Trio
11. White Hmong « Queej »
12. Lantene (Moon) Women
13. Khmu Ou « Tot »
14. Khmu Ou « Pi»
15. Akha « Chuluba »
16. Bit « Protect The Forest »
17. Dark Blue Yao (Moon) Ceremony
18. Akha « New Year Song »
19. Khmu « Jiakoot »
Release Date: 05/10/2018 -
Release Date: 05/10/2018Visit product page →
Akuphone presents a collection of recordings of various musical practices from the Laotian provinces of Champasak, Attapeu, Sekong and Saravan. These documents are a perfect introduction to the traditional music of South Laos minority groups.
Popular modern music is widely spread but visitors are barely ever exposed to ancient acoustic practices from villages. The most famous and typical one is the molam Lao, an art of singing accompanied with the khene, a mouth organ which is the symbol of Laos.
This collection compels one to discover the Brao gongs, the Triang bamboo flutes, the Lao, Ta Oy, Alak, OI, Pacoh or Nyaheun mouth organs as well as the powerful singing accompanying these instruments.
Caught on the spot, these outstanding testimonies were collected between 2006 and 2013 by Laurent Jeanneau, aka King Gong. Through his researches, this self-taught ethnologist has gradually become one of the specialists of the field, building up a collection of complete and fascinating sound archives which contribute documenting parts of this immaterial heritage.
MUSIC OF SOUTHERN LAOS brings some light on a region of South East Asia still largely unknown from the general audience as well as the recently reborn ethnographic musical industry.
This compilation will delight both molam lovers and beginners unused to South East Asian sounds.
Enclosed: liner notes in English, French and Japanese as well as a downloading code.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Brao Lave Gongs
2. Ta Oy Courting Song
3. Triang Pao Kabang
4. Nyaheun « Jeu Phawn Peng Gawng Ploung Ken »
5. Katu Song
Side B:
6. Lao Lam Saravan
7. Oy Duet
8. Alak Songs
9. Alak Khene Molam
10. Pacoh Trio -
Visit product page →Cambodia's first guitar band officially reissued for the first time with identical artwork, postcard and exclusive liner notes. (includes digital version)
Whereas most of the original recordings disappeared during the Khmers Rouge era, this
single bring back to us the Cambodian musical scene of the 1960s.
For the first time two single records of Baksey Cham Krong - the first Cambodian guitar band - are officially being reissued in an identical version. Between surf music and ballad, these two records released in 1963 and 1964 are an invitation to rediscover the effervescent Khmer musical scene of the 1960s.
The early 1960s are often described as the 'golden age' of Cambodia, with a flourishing economy and a strong cultural development. As the country had just won its independence, the King Norodom Sihanouk - who had been a singer himself (see below) - encouraged dynamism and creativity in all aspects of cultural life.
In 1959, in the midst of this artistic turmoil, Mol Kamach and his brothers created a band: the Baksey Cham Krong (also spelled Bakseis Cham Krung) named after a temple of the Angkor site. The teenagers were influenced by the latest hits they had listened on the radio.
For the music, Kagnol got his inspiration from the rock n'roll of the Ventures and the Shadows while Kamach took over the vocal techniques of crooners such as Paul Anka. The lyrics were either in French (as for the song Ne penser qu'Ã toi) or in Khmer. The song Pleine Lune became a hit and revealed Kagnol's musical genius at playing guitar and Kamach's delicate voice.
From their beginnings on the capital's high school stages to their first broadcasts on national radio, the success of the Baksey Cham Krong was very quick. At the end of the decade the band already split, the brothers getting back to activities that conformed more with their parents'expectations.
A few years later, in April 1975, the arrival of the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh put an end to this musical development and started the darkest era of Cambodia's contemporary history. A quarter of the population was killed in the Khmer Rouge genocide and the majority of artists and intellectuals were exterminated in a sordid will to wipe out any form of culture in the country.
Films and music were banned, movie tapes and vinyls were destroyed. Mol Kamach and Mol Kagnol luckily managed to flee the country: one now lives in France, the other in the USA. Both still continue to make music nowadays.
Bearing witness to the past history, the reissue of these two single records of Baksey Cham Krong brings back to us the Cambodian musical scene of the 1960s.
Release Date: 13/10/2017 -
Visit product page →Cambodia's first guitar band officially reissued for the first time with identical artwork, postcard and exclusive liner notes. (includes digital version)
Whereas most of the original recordings disappeared during the Khmers Rouge era, this
1. Pleine Lune
single bring back to us the Cambodian musical scene of the 1960s.
For the first time two single records of Baksey Cham Krong - the first Cambodian guitar band - are officially being reissued in an identical version. Between surf music and ballad, these two records released in 1963 and 1964 are an invitation to rediscover the effervescent Khmer musical scene of the 1960s.
The early 1960s are often described as the 'golden age' of Cambodia, with a flourishing economy and a strong cultural development. As the country had just won its independence, the King Norodom Sihanouk - who had been a singer himself (see below) - encouraged dynamism and creativity in all aspects of cultural life.
In 1959, in the midst of this artistic turmoil, Mol Kamach and his brothers created a band: the Baksey Cham Krong (also spelled Bakseis Cham Krung) named after a temple of the Angkor site. The teenagers were influenced by the latest hits they had listened on the radio.
For the music, Kagnol got his inspiration from the rock n'roll of the Ventures and the Shadows while Kamach took over the vocal techniques of crooners such as Paul Anka. The lyrics were either in French (as for the song Ne penser qu'Ã toi) or in Khmer. The song Pleine Lune became a hit and revealed Kagnol's musical genius at playing guitar and Kamach's delicate voice.
From their beginnings on the capital's high school stages to their first broadcasts on national radio, the success of the Baksey Cham Krong was very quick. At the end of the decade the band already split, the brothers getting back to activities that conformed more with their parents'expectations.
A few years later, in April 1975, the arrival of the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh put an end to this musical development and started the darkest era of Cambodia's contemporary history. A quarter of the population was killed in the Khmer Rouge genocide and the majority of artists and intellectuals were exterminated in a sordid will to wipe out any form of culture in the country.
Films and music were banned, movie tapes and vinyls were destroyed. Mol Kamach and Mol Kagnol luckily managed to flee the country: one now lives in France, the other in the USA. Both still continue to make music nowadays.
Bearing witness to the past history, the reissue of these two single records of Baksey Cham Krong brings back to us the Cambodian musical scene of the 1960s.
Tracklisting:
2. Je Ne Pense Qu'a T'aimer
3. De Quoi Pleures-tu
4. Ne Penser Qu'a Toi -
Limited edition!Visit product page →
'Saba-Saba Fighting' or fighting for peace, is the message that Mushapata, a legend of the African reggae underground scene in Paris with an extraordinary destiny, has fought for all his life.
Born in Bukavu, a city nowadays located in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the border with Burundi, Mushapata arrived in France at the end of the 1970s to pursue his career as a boxer. A few years later, revolted by the professional sports industry, he became a personal protection agent on the advice of his manager.
He escorted many celebrities among whom Bob Marley during his legendary French tour of 1980. This encounter awakened the musician hidden behind the boxing champion. Mushapata had stepped out of the ring but he kept fighting with music, lyrics and his band Saba-Saba Fighting.
Ignored by the record labels of the time, his first self-produced recordings reveal a rough mix of lo-fi reggae, afrobeat rhythms accompanied by a brass section close to Free jazz. The nonchalant sounding voices of Mushapata and Tshayi complete this explosive cocktail and carry, in Swahili language, the Pan-African ideas of Lumumba and other great figures of African-American struggles.
This maxi single, conceived as a mini-compilation tribute, includes 4 titles from the first two albums recorded between 1980 and 1984.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Muanago Yeye
2. Kambere Mushimbe
Side B:
3. Mudongo Wangu
4. Zambe Aponiyo
RIYL: Fela Kuti, Bob Marley
Release Date: 06/04/2018 -
Slow paced drums with offbeats softly phased with the guitar, misty takeoffs from the synthesizer: a hazy idyll is starting off on the road to the rocket festival (bun bang fai). Answering each other on the responsive mode of the lam soeng, Sothipong engages in a flirt but Oulay Vanh is not ready to trifle with just anybody.Visit product page →
As a stylistic variation of a popular Lao musical genre, the lam soeng was the source of several themes among which the 'bang fai' - which is part of the Lao conciliatory festivities preceding the rainy season - remains one of the most renowned.
However, the producer and composer of these songs, Sothy, created an unusual arrangement: the instrumental introduction separates from the sang canon, the synthetic mix is stripped down of the traditional organology - everything here becomes unsettling for a listener familiar with the genre. Everything comes with a reason: the record was edited in 1981 under the title Sothy Productions yet produced in France by the Parisian label Oxygène (famously known for its unforgettable first French punk compilation 125 grammes de 33 1/3 tours).
Chansons Laotiennes still remains hard to classify. And then who's Sothy? Along with the unverifiable identity of the seemingly Laotian singers, skepticism gains ground concerning the man behind the pseudonym. Is he an escaped musician from one of the first Cambodian rock bands of the 1960s? A surviving producer from the 1980s Paris? Or a composer in transit in one of the many places of the Laotian diaspora? Sothy eludes any researches and disappears behind his numerous homonyms.
The second track is just as enigmatic: a beat box, a lightly reverberated voice as well as a guitar solo and a small synthesizer break, 'Tuei' or 'Tawai' [offering] (as the writing on the record suggests) makes way to dancing step and a truly joyful melody. Twisted and lively steps on a romantic background tune turn this second track into a genuine paslop - a program recommended by therapists to relieve muscular pains due to seated positions: you will unlock your pelvis with some synchronized Laotian choreographies.
For their first edits, Akuphone called on a young Parisian producer. Shelter, aka Alan Briand, mingles his own mixes and electro productions with a large variety of influences and styles: krautrock, disco, traditional music, psychedelic, synth pop, ambient, bossa nova, Japanese funk. He produces both original compositions and remix. Here is the first Akuphone's maxi single!
Tracklisting:
1. Lam Seung Bang Fai (Original Version)
2. Tawai (Original Version)
3. Lam Seung Bang Fai (Shelter's Edit)
4. Tawai (Shelter's Edit) -
Akuphone in collaboration with Annihaya is very proud to present 'Rats Don't Eat Synthesizers' the long-awaited second album by the Dwarfs of East Agouza.Visit product page →
Hailing from the Agouza district of Cairo, Egypt, this brilliant trio consists of Alan Bishop (Acoustic Bass & Alto Sax), Maurice Louca (Keyboards & Drum Machine) and Sam Shalabi (Electric Guitar).
Following their acclaimed first album 'Bes ', this new long play is composed of two hypnotic journeys: 'Rats Don't Eat Synthesizers' and 'Ringa Mask Koshary' which was recorded in Cairo in September of 2015.
Mesmerizing electric guitar parts, frenetic beats, both supported by the deep sound of Alan's acoustic bass create a new magical Egyptian soundscape. Vinyl version is coming with a beautiful hot-foil stamped sleeve that magnifies the red metallic rats and a wonderful printed inner sleeve. Includes redeem code. Ltd Edition.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Rats Don't Eat Synthesizers
2. Ringa Mask Koshari pt. 1
Side B:
3. Ringa Mask Koshari pt. 2
Release Date: 04/05/2018
