MP3 samples and artist list below. The West has always held a complex fascination with the art and philosophy of the East and in turn the East has both voluntarily and involuntarily adapted and mutated aspects of Western culture. This cultural interchange has created a rather fruitful ground for musical growth in both directions. Elements of the East can be strongly heard throughout much of the music of the fifties, sixties, and beyond; whether it is John Cage consulting the I Ching, John Fahey, Peter Walker or Robby Basho playing ragas on their guitars, or the Beatles employing the sitar in their pop songs, each blends traditions of the East with that of the West. This is obviously just a cursory glance at the interaction between West and East, but gives an idea of the broad impact that the East has had on the music of both the 20th and 21st centuries. The fascination continues beyond the composers and musicians, down to the consumer, as recent years have seen a plethora of Eastern music being released and re-released; from traditional Buddhist chants and other religious ceremonies to documents of the East’s incorporation of Western sounds; the Cambodian Rocks and Sublime Frequencies Folk and Pop Sounds series being two of the most prominent. In what could be seen as a response to, or a similar assimilation of sounds of East into West, the URCK label has recently released a compilation entitled “Post-Asiatic: Lost War Dream Music,” documenting a diverse array of experimental musicians who embrace the sounds of the East, while attempting to push and blur the established boundaries of Western sound/music. The title of this compilation alone, in many ways warrants a bit of discussion as it references ideas of both past and present. The term “Post-Asiatic,” draws immediate attention to its self-referential relationship to all post movements held under the main aegis of postmodernism. The mere mention of another post movement could bring about a large discussion unto itself, but honestly that is not my real intention here, though it may be something that would warrant further discussion elsewhere. The term, or phrase, that in fact, really warrants attention is the elegiac Lost War Dream Music. The term is active and political; while at the same time offers a chance for reverie. The real pull to the term is in fact its ambiguity, which sums up the dynamic of the music on this wonderful compilation. The dynamic itself is not just a dynamic that is found from track to track but is a struggle that is held within many of the compositions themselves. The list of players on “Post-Asiatic: Lost War Dream Music” are a somewhat different cast than may be expected. The Curators chose to focus on musicians with a more post-industrial or modern compositional bent, that really offer a further blurring of the lines between East and West. The ambiguity is furthered enhanced by the incorporation of field recordings from both India and Myanmar sometimes making it confusing to discern what you’re hearing, unless you pay close attention to the track list. Case in point is Adihiti Tahiti’s “Srimad” where a harmonium and operatic moans weave an intricate cross pattern around the sounds of young girl repeating a meditative mantra. Other tracks stray greatly and can easily be discerned from the field recordings such as Sikhara’s brutal pounding war drum ritual “Fatwah,” or Auto De Fe’s beautiful Dead Can Dance-esque, dark-wave exoticism. Amps for Christ offer up an idyllic rock n’roll raga filled with blissed out sitar wanderings and warm overdriven guitars. Hop Frog’s Drum Jester Devotional follows that track up with a slightly darker droning saz and drum machine workout. And one must not forget Ramona Ponzini and Z’EV’s beautiful composition of metal and vocals, Metal Rouge’s exotic droning and Nueng Phak’s Cambodian rock style jams. This compilation is one really worth picking up, as it documents a fertile and interesting realm of sonic exploration steeped in both tradition and innovation. Though the approach of each project featured on the disc often differs greatly, one is able to easily discern an immediate connection between all twenty-five musicians presented here. On top of that the running order of the comp is very tastefully done so that each track featured works its way gently into the next.

Disc 1

Forgotten Fish Memory Orchestra: Iron Shoes

Indian Soundscapes Field Recordings (excerpt)

Amps For Christ: Happy Birthday,Sibanjar

Hop-Frog’s Drum Jester Devotional: Battlebath

Pyramids on Mars: Yarari (Live)

Indian Soundscapes Field Recordings (excerpt)

Volcanosis: Galapagosbeats

Bill Horist: Nukeru Oto

C.O.T.A.: Marching Past Babylon

Neung Phak (Mono Pause): Sadchatri ‘06

Refrigerator Mothers: Salic Trip

Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan: Kai Gantur Sari

Indian Soundscapes Field Recordings (excerpt)

Muslimgauze: Zahal End

Ramona Ponzini + Z’EV: 7M24S

 

Disc 2 

1. Soriah: Tehuan
2. Auto Da Fe: RoRoKoda
3. Kamilsky: Krumpaci Zasrany
4. Jerry Loyd: Burma Field Recordings
5. Metal Rouge: Calling Winter (excerpt)
6. baba Larriji: Yezdan Hu 7
7. Nequaquam Vacuum: The Night’s Young Mandarin
8. Indian Soundscapes Field Recordings (excerpt)
9. Aditi Tahiti: Srimad
10. Sikhara: Fatwa (Live)
11. F-Space: Shining Light
12. Sardonik Grin: atYEWmorEeYE
13. Moe! Staiano: Chungking
14. Indian Soundscapes Field Recordings (excerpt)