Dream Weapons present: RIDERS AND WANDERERS C60

 

A lot of rhythmic/percussive music feels like being taken on a ride, and when the music quiets down or loosen up - it’s like they’re wandering along. And I love a lot of tunes that feature these qualities. Don’t we all? As you might have guessed: here’s another «East meets West» sort of album containing exactly what the title says.

-I actually got couple of C90’s ready that I have to hold on to for a little while. I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting to too long, so I threw this together from a long list of Oriental Jazz and that sort of stuff. Actually I don’t think I ever spent less time compiling a mix than with this. But it’s still sixteen great tunes that go really well together. Enjoy! -Moahaha

1 Steve Allen & The Gentle Players - Flowers And Love
2 Tropicals - Indian Cobra
3 Michael White - The Land of Spirit and Light I & II
4 Lothlorien - Overviews  Part 3, Interlude
5 Jef Gilson - Hommage a Rakotozafy
6 Chico Hamilton - Evil Eye
7 Archimedes Badkar - Nomads
8 Umberto Santucci - Museo Orientale  (Vers. Flauto)

9 Baligh Hamdi - Salamat
10 Adam Rudolph's Moving Pictures - Beloved
11 Between - Zarathustra
12 François Rabbath - Hésitations
13 Andre Tanker - Swahili
14 David Friesen & John Stowell - Ancient Kings
15 Mediha Şen - Peşrev (Version 1)
16 Gülistan - Ahtarma Meni

Here

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Dream Weapons present: WHAT IN THE WORLD C90

UPDATE: I noticed I had two versions of the same song: Ali Beirut's Orientales - Chifti and used one on Age of Gold, and the other on this. So I uploaded an alternative / similiar song for you (with the same songlength). Just press download, prove that you're not a robot and replace Chifti with: Anastacios Smirniotis Orchestra - Zeus Nitsi (Sultan's Dream) (with edited/updated cover art attached to the songfile)

 

An Asian/African/Eastern European mixture of songs and tunes that I think complement each other. The main ingedient that somehow make it work, is always the folk element. Local traditions from around the world is the unifying theme. In times like these, isn’t that kind of nice to think about? And the actual music is all kinds of lovely as well -Moahaha

1 Alessandro Alessandroni - Orient
2 Seta Hagopian / سيتا هاكوبيان - Shauki / شوكي
3 Boo & The Boo-Boos - Oriental Boo
4 Nasiba Abdullaeva / Насиба Абдуллаева - Танҳо
5 Ali Beirut's Orientales - Chifti
6 Titiek Puspa - Disudut Bibirmu
7 Nakajima Yaku / 中岛雅乐 - Guzhengwei / 古筝颂
8 Qin Jin / 秦晉 - Nocturne on the River of Love / 爱河夜曲
9 Tsui Wing Siu Music Team / 徐永兆樂隊 - Mann Lee / 蔓莉
10 Tuty Daulay - Seruling Sendja
11 Kazi Aniruddha - Momer Putul
12 Khurmo Shirinova - Dubora Zindi Kardi / Дубора Зинди Карди
13 Eldar Shoshitashvili's Ensemble «Qsovrelebi» - Kalakuri Popuri
14 Ansis Betin˚ & Arturs Cukurs - Тихо над річкою

15 Artie Barsamian and his Ensemble - Shev Acher
16 Noviciat des Soeurs Missionnaires de Notre-Dame d'Afrique - Tantum
17 Toni Frangieh & Setrak Sarkissian - Telly Dhakilo Ya Sabiye
18 Elly Kasim bersama Zaenal Combo - Indang Singguling
19 Guzheng / 古筝 - Autumn River Night Moon / 秋江夜月
20 Mei Dai / 美黛 - Banana Girl / 香蕉姑娘
21 Ziad Rahbani - Al Tahiya / ألتحية
22 Yaseen & Party - Nimepata Mwana
23 Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalos - Tsugaru Folk Song / 津軽よされ節
24 Hasna El Becharia - Koul Chi Al Oualidine
25 Angelo Francesco Lavagnino - L’Oasi
26 Taroub / طروب - Ya Bayaa El Ward / يابياع الورد
27 Port of Suez - Harem Girls
28 Vasilija Radojčić I Ansambl Dušan Radetić - Dimitrio Sine Mitre
29 Narodni Ansambl Nasko Džorlev - Vesela Gajda

Here

 

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-I had originally planned for What in the World to be a wilder and more sprawling mix. But while working on it, things took a different turn. So just before posting I scrapped the original cover art, and replaced it. The image didn't really fit the musical content anymore. But I'm sure some of you will prefer the weirder one anyway:

Dream Weapons present: LITTLE DITTIES C60

Nothing deep or conceptual about this one:). It's just an enjoyable mix filled to the brim with charming melodies and sweet sounds originating from both the eastern and the western hemispheres. 23 instrumental tunes with some wordless vocal here and there. I enjoy them all immensely and think they fit each other well. Good, clean, quirky fun for the whole family! -Moahaha

1 Rahbani Brothers - Quaseedat Hube, Pt. 2
2 David Michael & Chorale - Wow!
3 Tsai Young-Ji - On the Sedan Chair / 上花轿
4 The Black Fire - Magnum
5 Bob Kojima and his Orchestra - Jusan-Ya
6 Roger Davy - En Jouant Au Cerceau Sur Neptune
7 Braen's Machine - Ritmica Sportiva
8 J. Nilovic, C. Sauvage, D. Sucky - Shepherd’s Song
9 The Phantoms - Walk On the Wild Side  
10 Artie Barsamian - Sweet Spring
11 Tong Aik Super Five - Don't Be Afraid Shanshan
12 Eyes of Blue - Extra Hour

13 Arnie Derksen & Chisé - Similou
14 Ihsan Al Munzer - Greenfield / السهل الأخضر
15 Lothlorien - Solfeggietto
16 Oscar Young Electone Band / 奧斯卡電子琴音樂
 - The Bright Moon Sends My Love From a Thousand Miles / 明月千里寄相思
17 Cindy & Sue - Temple Love
18 Charles Bernstein - White Salt
19 Neli - Ki Bood (instrumental version)
20 Takeshi Kobayashi and his Blue Hawaiians - Man-Churian Girl
21 Liu Chia-Chang / 劉家昌 - Jumping Ash Theme /《跳灰
22 Hotel Hilton Electone Band / 希爾頓大飯店電子樂隊演奏
 - White Plum Blossom / 白梅之恋
23 Anders Koppel - Budbringeren

Here

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Dream Weapons present: TWILIGHT IN JAZZVILLE C60

How I would have loved to wander the fictional streets of late 1950’s Jazzville after sunset. On a whim I’d walk into a hip little bar, or a stylish nightclub. While listening to the sound of chattering and clinking glass, a group of musicians enter the stage. The songstress and her small ensemble alternate between Torch Songs, understated Cool Jazz and assorted delights in that ballpark. The deep, slow and haunting Misty and ‘Round Midnight type of repertoire. Yet another obvious case of false nostalgia (see Anemoia), and as always before, music is to blame.

All the talent that has slipped through the cracks has always been Dream Weapons’ raison d'être. But it’s also a little saddening to think about. Maybe you know the names of a couple of the singers or bandleaders here, but they are mostly long forgotten and virtually unheard (Helen Merrill is an exception, but not this song). Yet to me the ten songs presented here are all perfect tens - and every tune sound like a classic -Moahaha 

1 Fran Jeffries - Out of This World, 1960
2 Herb Geller - Silver Rain, 1954
3 Lynn Taylor - Wandering Heart, 1958
4 Bob Cooper - Sunset, 1955
5 Helen Merrill - It's A Lazy Afternoon, 1957
6 Metropolitan Jazz Quartet - Night Song, 1958  
7 Lu Ann Simms - The End of the Line, 1952
8 Johnny Eaton - The Lamp is Low, 1957
9 Cora Lee Day - My Crying Hour, 1960

10 The Marty Paich Octet - Jacqueline, 1956
11 Debby Moore - Come On Home to Me, 1959
12 The Brothers Candoli - It Never Entered My Mind, 1957
13 Dorothy Dandridge - The Touch Of Your Lips, 1958
14 Jack Montrose With Bob Gordon - April's Fool, 1955
15 Donna Brooks - Full Moon and Empty Arms, 1956
16 Paul Quinichette - Tropical Intrigue, 1955
17 The Lewis Sisters - Just Friends, 1959
18 Terry Gibbs - Memories of You, 1957
19 Pinky Winters - Cool Sazerac, 1954

Here

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Dream Weapons present: ILHA FORMOSA C60

Ilha Formosa means Beautiful Island. Portuguese sailors gave the island now known as Taiwan its former name in 1542. Formosa was actually the commonly used name for Taiwan up until the 1960-1970’s. Anyway here’s a collection of female singers and male instrumentalists - all originating from this beautiful island. At least according to my information. My selection contains music spanning over 15 years, from 1968 to 1983. I recognize plenty of both Chinese and Japanese material and influences. Some (or quite a few) of these melodies are based on well known South East Asian traditional songs, but presented with an «updated» westernized approach. Which was typical for this era of Asian popular music practically everywhere, except for in North Korea. This hour of 21 tunes still feature a few peculiar surprises. For instance Taiwan had their own «moogsploitation»-like scene named after Yamaha’s electronic organ series «Electone»*. A pretty amazing discovery for me personally. Full of life, lovely and charming. Enjoy! -Moahaha

*The song in the video underneath is a perfect example of that "scene"

 

1 Hua Xuanxuan / 華萱萱 - Today is Tomorrow / 今天過去是明天
2 Jenny Tseng / 甄妮 - First Meeting / 第一次見面
3 Chen Yingjie / 陳盈潔 - I'll Never Love You Again / 永遠不再愛你
4 Lam Mei-Man & Yang Zhaorong / 林美滿 & 楊昭榮  - Rain of Love / 慕情时雨
5 Yang Yan / 楊燕 - Apple Flower / 蘋果花 (song edit)
6 Di Si Nai Band / 年 狄斯奈大乐队 - 4 (unknown title)
7 Huang Shu Fen / 黃淑芬 - Manli / 蔓莉
8 The Telstar Combo / 電星樂隊 - Cherry Blossom Moon / 月桃花
9 Lin You Mei / 林友梅 - The Swallows Fly Apart / 燕分飛
10 Chan Ming Yang / 杨灿明主 - The Moon Over the Ruined Castle / 廢堡上的月亮
11 Zhao Bei Yu / 趙倍譽 - Cultivate / 耕耘

12 The Devil's Fantasy Band / 魔鬼奇幻樂隊演奏
 - Blues (from Seashore) / 藍調 (斯從 海邊)
13 Lily Chao / 趙曉君  -  Why Are You Hiding / 你何必躲避
14 Dreamy Music / 昨夜夢中  -  White Sun / 白色太陽
15 Bao Na Na / 包娜娜  -  Wedding Wishes / 婚禮祝福
16 Tsui Wing Siu Music Team / 徐永兆樂隊  -  Crimson Lotus / 紅睡蓮
17 Little White Rabbit and Little Yingge /  小白兔 & 小莺歌
 - Pinky Finger Memories / 小指の想い出
18 Wong Ngok Sang / 王粵生 - Song of the Fisherman / 漁夫之歌
19 Jin Jing / 金晶 - Taipei Nights / 臺北之夜
20 Yeung Chan Ming / 楊燦明  -  Kaworu / 川流
21 Chen Fen Lan / 陳芬蘭 - Tears of Flowers / 淚的小花

Here

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Anyone who enjoys this, or any kind of vintage Asian music, has got to check out the one of a kind and truly amazing madrotter-treasure-hunt blog. 

+ if you prefer your mp3 cover art with a correctly spelled title, just download this image and replace the file (I originally wrote "ihla"):

 

Dream Weapons present: AGE OF GOLD C60

Was the post-war era of 1950-1960 an age of gold - or a golden age? I don’t know, probably for those who were young back then. Youth is everyone's golden era, so I could have written exactly that about almost any period of time. But post-war is surely better than war. I stole the title from Bunuels surrealist movie L’Age d’Or (well, the english title), because it has this nice, nostalgic ring to it. By now it probably goes without saying that: here's another hour of intercontinental golden oldies! Guess I said it anyway. Nothing but highlights here! I think that every single time I share a mix though -Moahaha

1 Georges Jouvin Orchestra - Maruzella
2 The Tokyo Serenaders - Yuuraku Cho de Aimasho
3 The Four Knights - Walkin' and Whistlin' Blues
4 Alain Romans - Tango de thé Dansant
5 Jaycee Hill - Crash-Out
6 Carole Bennett - Haunted Lover
7 Fred Lowery - The Moon of Mankoora
8 Tomás Campos con Waldo de los Ríos - Zamba de la Toldería
9 Club Nisei Orchestra - Hana Kotoba No Uta
10 Webley Edwards - Thoughts of Love
11 Morton Gould - La Comparsa

12 Ferlin Husky - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
13 André Popp - Mon Coeur Attend
14 The King Sisters - Sweet Leilani
15 Rollee McGill - Helena Mambo
16 Jack Ary - Tu M'etais Destinee
17 Teruko Akatsuki / 暁テル子 - Liberal Ginza / りべらる銀座
18 The Paseo Jazz Band - Paseo Blues
19 Vanja Orico - Chanson du Jangadeiro
20 Ali Beirut's Orientales - Chifti
21 Krontjong Ensemble Pantja Warna - Hatiku
22 David Carroll - Madrid

Here

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Dream Weapons present: PRESENT TENSE C60

I have to admit that I’m a little proud of this one. It is the sort of mixtape I would have loved for someone else to have compiled - and for me to discover. Twelve compositions released in 2024 and two from 2023 is about as present tense that I’m capable of. Actually it’s way beyond my capabilities in that regard. I made a  playlist titled «Strange Beauty», and somehow this hour of pristine musical gems materialized from within it. Almost. 

-Whether leaning mostly toward the traditional, experimental, electronic or ambient - all fourteen compositions can safely be filed under «Modern Classical». In retrospect, I might as well have kept my playlist-title, as these are all strange beauties to my ears -Moahaha

1 Alice Hebborn - Saisons - Mouvement 2
2 Laura Masotto - Dark Horse
3 Bruno Sanfilippo - The Feast of Crows
4 Christopher Cerrone - Beaufort Scales. I & II
5 Malcolm Pardon - Side Effects
6 Kirin McElwain - Work
7 Ljudvägg & L.T. Fisk - Försvinna, återvända

8 Jasmine Wood - VII
9 Laura Cannell and Lori Goldston - Lying Beneath The Earth
10 Snowdrops - The River
11 Watine - Unbroken Fields
12 Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Pary, Rebecca Foon - Georgia
13 Lauré Lussier - 4th Movement - Allegretto
14 Otto A. Totland - Mirror

Here

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Dream Weapons present: OBSIDIAN ROCKS C90

No, I’ve not compiled the musical equivalent to a volcanic eruption. It’s closer to the polished rocks or handmade figures made from the volcanic glass that naturally occurs when lava rapidly cools. Yes, it’s another mix of fusions between the Jazz and various styles of music that seemingly everyone was into during the 1970’s. Sometimes resembling World Music, sometimes spiritual, often groovin’, always radiating warmth. Humankind at its very best -Moahaha 

1 The Bridge - Puls
2 Georges Arvanitas - Arc En Ciel
3 Hadley Caliman - The Latin Thing
4 Phil Upchurch & Tennyson Stephens - Black Maybe
5 Frode Thingnaes Quintet - Queen Python
6 Pazop - Mirela
7 Andre Fertier's Clivage - Moving Waves
8 Phrydderichs Phaelda - Zinky

9 Fred Stone - Elissa
10 David Diggs - Elusion
11 White, Green And Reds - Riffs
12 The Awakening - Mode For D.D.
13 Attila Engin Group - Deeply in Love
14 Buki-Yamaz - Your Beauty Is Devine/St. May
15 Pumpkin - Free At Last
16 Don Burrows - Twilight Zone  

Here 

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