Category Archives: acoustic

acoustic, Classical, electronic, Groove, High Tempo, instrumental, magical, Music to write to, World

Charanjit Singh – Ten Ragas to a disco beat

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Charanjit Singh – Ten Ragas to a disco beat
Disco and ancient indian music. A strange mix that’s not for everyone, but perfect for others. With a late eighties disco electronica sound it’s been called early acid house trance before it’s time. Well, it wasn’t very successful at the time, but it has been rediscovered by a later generation.

The story goes session muso Charanjit Singh thought he’d do something a bit different. He mixes traditional Ragas with a disco beat, and the results are a trippy, trancey, disco pop eastern masterpiece, with all the hallmarks of the technology of the time.

Released
1982, re-released in 2002 and 2010

Lyrics
All instrumental with just a smidge of vocoder vocals.

Mood
Upbeat electronica, with endless Raga grooves. Put this on your mixtape and you’ll definitely spin out your friends.

Good to work to
This album has a frenetic pace and is designed to either send you mad or kick you into a higher gear. For me I love it. It works like a charm for getting my fingers skimming over the keyboard,

Like
Amongst the music I’ve written about you might think it shares most in common with Ravi Shankar’s, Three Ragas album, but I’m not so sure. It has elements of trance and electronica. I wouldn’t really compare it to any of the electronica on this site, it’s got to much of an eastern feel. If you like this you might find Kraftwerk and Lemon Jelly too bland.

For me this album has more in common with Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew than any of the albums on this site. The music has the same power to melt your head and completely go through you. With that said it takes me to another place where the worries of the day can’t touch me and I’m free in my head to put words down.

The Artist/s
Charanjit Singh was a session muso on Bollywood films and albums from the sixties through the eighties. This album first came out on cassette which was cutting edge in 1982.

Other works
You can try Experiments in Calypso his later record. I haven’t been able to find it so good luck with that. I could affiliate this with other world music, but I’m not sure it fits.

Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
You can get this album on iTunes. I found the vinyl but expect to pay a premium if you want to get it on vinyl.

The Verdict
I love this, very trippy.

acoustic, bluegrass, country, Folk, magical

Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days

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I love this album, it chills me out, it chills my lady out, it chills the cat out. Like an injection of hypnotic happy flavoured valium, you won’t regret putting this album on. Iron & Wine is Sam Beam and his friends. File under calm and folk. The name Iron & Wine came from a dietary supplement called ‘Beef Iron & Wine” that he came across.

This folky album is full of finger picking, understated vocals, sweet harmonies and catchy tunes. Please, please play a sample, it won’t take you very long to work out if you like it, if you don’t move on as there is not a hidden hard rocking number anywhere in his catalogue.

Released
2004

Lyrics
Yes very laid back chilled out vocals, the guitar is probably more of the featured instrument though.

Mood
Calm with a capitol C is the way I’d describe this album. This is the album I play to defuse any tension that might be moving around the Toyota hatchback on a long drive. I don’t always find driving to be relaxing by the way.

Good to work to
I find this is a great album to strip away whatever is bothering you in the moment. It’s like he’s almost whisper singing it’s so laid back.

The guitar is very rythmic and dare I say it hypnotic. A lot of the guitaring is finger picking and at least with the way my brain works I just hook into the rythms.

Like
He’s the ultimate folky, there is a similar era latino artist with laid back vocals over the top of the guitar which he lets star. Not quite country, but in the ball park. I can’t for the life of me remember his name at the moment, but I will put in a link at some later stage when it comes to me.

But… If you like this you’ll like the two Beck albums I review that are similarly smokey in their vibe

The Artist/s
Iron & Wine a.k.a. Sam Beam and friends is an accidental musician. A track he wrote was given to a friend of his brother and serendipity set his career rolling. But that said he is a very talented man who was always goign to be discovered I hope. And he’s got a great name.

The crew on this album are

Sam Beam – vocals, guitar, slide guitar, banjo, mandolin
Brian Deck – drums, percussion, keyboards
EJ Holowicki – bass
Patrick McKinney – guitar
Jeff McGriff – percussion
Jonathan Bradley – percussion
Sarah Beam – harmony vocals, percussion

Other works
At last an artist where I can unreservedly reccomend their entire catalogue. It’s not so samey you don’t need to bother listening to it. But even though it is different it keeps the same laid back vibe which is great for writing.

It’s hard to recommend just one, so I won’t these two are great

Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
You can get this album everywhere and of course through iTunes. Also should still be available on vinyl. Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days, do it

The Verdict
An absolute cracker, why else would I write about it. I have no idea why I even keep this category in these reviews.