Exotica is a very unique genre of music.  The genre got its name from the 1957 Martin Denny album seen above.  The musical style was popular during the late 1950′s through the 1960′s.  Martin Denny talks about it as “a combination of the South Pacific and the Orient…what a lot of people imagined the islands to be like…it’s pure fantasy though.”  This is the first track off Exotica, “Quite Village”

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Exotica is a caricature of the music from the Oceania region. Like Mr. Denny said, a fantasy.  This mix contains originals and standards redone with that exotica spice. Here is version of “Begin the Beguine” done by the BBC Jazz Ensemble.

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And here is Equivel’s

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Quite a difference. If you like it, check out this mix. The track listing is as follows:

• The Ames Brothers w/Esquivel-            Quizas, Quizas, Quizas
• Arthur Lyman-                                           Brazilleros
• Arthur Lyman-                                           Babalik Ka Rin
• Augie Colón-                                               Ode Colon
• Billy Mure-                                                  Kula Ha
• Chango and the Polynesians-                  Minoi, Minoi
• Charles Mauu-                                            Vana Vana
• Esquivel-                                                     Harlem Nocturne
• Esquivel-                                                     Take The “A” Train
• Esquivel-                                                    Granada
• Esquivel-                                                    Begin The Beguine
• Esquivel-                                                    Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
• Gene Rains-                                              Busy Port
• John Buzon Trio-                                    Caravan
• Les Baxter-                                               Congo Train
• Les Baxter-                                               Balinese Bongos
• Les Baxter-                                               A Felicidade
• Les Baxter-                                              Tristeza
• Martin Denny-                                       The Girlfriend
• Martin Denny-                                       Ringo Oiwake/Firecracker
• Martin Denny-                                       Quiet Village
• Martin Denny-                                       Jungle River Boat
• Rene Paulo Trio-                                   Hawaiian War Chant
• The Surfers-                                            Mele Kalikimaka
• Terorotua and his Orchestra-             Vahine Taumotu
• Terorotua and his Orchestra-             To To To E
• Terorotua and his Orchestra-              Rupe Rupe

Introduction to Exotica

Metal has been a big part of my life since my older brother, Joe, allowed me to own Vulgar Display of Power when I was in the third grade.  Shortly after that, death metal started creeping its way into my life with bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Death, and Dying Fetus just to name a few. Death Metal has had an extremely positive influence on me. Look at me in my picture above!! Anyhoo, Death Metal is usually categorized by deep growling vocals, fast down-tuned guitars, lots of blast beats and double bass, complex song structures, and a complete lack of bass guitar in the mix. Here is the track list:

• Broken Hope-             High on Formaldehyde
• Cannibal Corpse-            Hammer Smashed Face
• Death-                                    Scavenger Of Human Sorrow
• Dying Fetus-                        Conceived Into Enslavement
• Hate Eternal-                        Bringer of Storms
• Misery Index-                        Theocracy
• Morbid Angel-            Vengeance Is Mine
• Nile-                                    Sacrifice Unto Sebek
• ORIGIN-                        Larvae Of The Lie
• Cattle Decapitation-            Into the Public Bath
• Deicide-                        Once Upon the Cross
• Immolation-                        Dawn Of Possession
• Malevolent Creation-            Bone Exposed
• Serious Injury-            Forever Crucified (Part I)
• Serious Injury-            Forever Crucified (Part II)
• Suffocation-                        Funeral Inception

Just a side note, Serious Injury is my  death metal band from New Orleans, LA. It rocks.  Download mix here and prepare to have your life changed.

Folk music is hard to define.  There are a bunch of genres that fall under the category of folk; country, gospel, blues, bluegrass, and old time music to name a few.  This is a collection of traditional folk music and bluegrass.  Most of these songs were written in the late 19th century to the early 20th.  This music is truly wonderful and every red blooded American should be familiar with it.  This mix includes protest songs, old time religion songs, murder ballads, working songs, among others.

Tracklisting:

• Adrienne Young -         Satan, Yer Kingdom Must Come Down
• Almeda Riddle-            The Titanic
• Alvin Youngblood Hart-            France Blues
• Alvin Youngblood Hart-            Bootlegger’s Blues
• Alvin Youngblood Hart-            Chilly Winds
• Belleville A Capella Choir-        The Gospel Train
• Bill Monroe & Doc Watson-      Banks of the Ohio
• Bill Monroe & Doc Watson-      What Would Give In Exchange For Your Soul?
• Bright Light Quartet-            Po’ Lazarus
• Bright Light Quartet-            Sweet Roseanne
• Bright Light Quartet-            Po’ Lazarus
• Bright Light Quartet-            Straighten ‘Em
• Bright Light Quartet-            The Prayer Wheel
• The Carter Family-               Keep On The Sunny Side
• The Carter Family-            Little Darling Pal Of Mine
• The Carter Family-            John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man
• Denise Gardner, Mattie Gardner & Fred McDowell-            I Wished I Was In Heaven
• Doc Watson-            Little Sadie
• Doc Watson-            The House Carpenter
• Doc Watson-            Sitting On Top Of The World
• Doc Watson-            Ground Hog
• Doc Watson-            That Train That Carried My Girl from Town
• Doc Watson-            Wabash Cannonball
• Doc Watson-            Kinfolks In Carolina
• Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley-            Way Down Town
• Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley-            Amazing Grace
• Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley-            Chilly Winds (Lonesome Road Blues)
• Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley-            Will the Circle Be Unbroken
• Dock Boggs-            No Disappointment In Heaven
• Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs-            Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
• Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs-            Foggy Mountain Top
• Ed Haley-            Green Mountain Polka
• Ed Haley-            Jenny Lind
• Estil C. Ball-            Pretty Polly
• Flatt & Scruggs-              I’m Working On A Road
• Flatt & Scruggs-              He Will Set Your Fields On Fire
• Flatt & Scruggs-              Angel Band
• Flatt & Scruggs-              I’ll Never Be Lonesome Again
• Hobart Smith-                 Drunken Hiccups
• Jimmie Rodgers-            Peach Pickin’ Time In Georgia
• Jimmie Rodgers-            My Carolina Sunshine Girl
• Jimmie Rodgers-            Yodeling Cowboy
• Jimmie Rodgers-            In the Jailhouse Now
• Jimmie Rodgers-            Waiting for a Train
• John Fahey-            Beautiful Linda Getchell
• John Fahey-            Orinda-Moraga
• John Fahey-            Bicycle Built for Two
• The Louvin Brothers-            In the Pines
• The Louvin Brothers-            Katie Dear
• The Louvin Brothers-            Knoxville Girl
• Norman Blake-            You Are My Sunshine
• Gillian Welch-             I’ll Fly Away
• Pete Seeger-            Goodnight, Irene
• Pete Seeger-            Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
• Pete Seeger-            On Top of Old Smoky
• Pete Seeger-            Living In The Country
• Pete Seeger-            My Oklahoma Home Blowed Away
• Pete Seeger-            Coal Creek March
• Pete Seeger-            Hobo’s Lullaby
• Pete Seeger-            Jesse James
• Ralph Stanley-        Little Birdie
• Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys-               Oh Death
• Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys-            Love Me, Darling, Just Tonight
• Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys-            Ridin’ That Midnight Train
• Ruby Vass -            The Banks Of The Ohio
• Woody Guthrie-            The Great Dust Storm (Dust Storm Disaster)
• Woody Guthrie-            Talking Dust Bowl Blues
• Woody Guthrie-            Tom Joad – Part I
• Woody Guthrie-            Tom Joad – Part II

Two Part Download :

Part 1

Part 2

In my introduction to music series, I highlight different genres of music by putting together a mix for people to check out. For classical music I am going to focus on composers instead of eras or subgenres. I think it is easier to digest and way easier for me to write about. Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer.  He is a Russian composer from the Romantic Era.  You are familiar with his work whether you know it or not. Listen.

These are some of his most famous pieces, which are really great. When you dive deeper into Tchaikovsky’s repertoire, however, that is when you get into music that is life changing. His compositional range includes symphonies, operas, ballets, concertos, and chamber music. The profound color and emotional depth to his music is almost unbearable. The way that Death Metal overcomes me and makes me want to rock out, Tchaikovsky makes me want to weep and hug everyone around me. I can’t stand it. I would kiss the man’s rotting corpse. Well…maybe not. But you get the idea. His violin concerto is amazing. His sixth symphony is my favorite piece of classical music. Here are both of them for you to enjoy.

Violin Concerto in D Major

Symphony 6 – Pathétique

Bossa Nova emerged in Brazil in the mid-1950′s.  It is the red-headed step child of samba. Only if that child grew up to be Ron Howard or Carrot Top, smooth as hell.  I am not totally sure if all these songs are Bossa Nova per se. Of course songs like, Girl from Ipanema and Desafinado are as Bossa Nova as it gets.  There are some others in this mix that are Brazilian definitely, but I don’t know if the experts would call them Bossa Nova.  Reading about this genre around the internet, some websites make it sound like unless the music reminds you of sitting on the beach drinking a stiff cocktail then it is not Bossa Nova. Right or wrong, the music is amazing.

Antonio Carlos Jobim -  Triste

Antonio Carlos Jobim – O Grande Amor

Baden & Vinicius – Canto de Xangô

Baden Powell – Formosa [Cyro Monteiro]

Baden Powell – Tristeza

Baden Powell – Canto De Ossanha

Bebel Gilberto – Samba da Benção

Charlie Byrd – Agua de Beber

Charlie Byrd – A Felicidade

Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz – Desafinado

Nara Leão – Diz Que Fui Por Aí

Nara Leão – Consolação

Paul Winter – Voce e Eu

Paul Winter – Tem Do De Mim

Stan Getz & João Gilberto – The Girl From Ipanema

Stan Getz & João Gilberto – Vivo Sonhando

An Introduction to Music : Bossa Nova

In the car driving to work this evening, I decided that I was going to start an Introduction to Music series. I am going to post mixes which I feel are good introductions to different genres of music.  I know you can have endless arguments on whether Slayer is death metal or thrash metal, but I think they are thrash, so on this site they are. Kapeesh?! The first genre is going to be Grindcore.

Grindcore is a type of heavy metal that is characterized by blast beats, fast guitars, and short songs (most of the time). If you shorten a death metal song from 3:00 to :30 and as the song shortens, the intensity increases, that is grindcore.  Does that make sense?  Who knows. Anyway, if you’re looking to get into some Grindcore check out my little mix. Here is a sample song.

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Tracklist:

Agoraphobic Nosebleed        Information Super Lost Highway
Crowpath                               Like Flies To Flames
Fuck The Facts                     La Tete Hors De L’eau
Gadget                                  I Am
Gadget                                  The Anchor
iwrestledabearonce              Alaskan Flounder Basket
Khann                                  Himalayan Green
Murder Constuct                  Control
Napalm Death                      Sink Fast Let Go
Nasum                                  A Request For Guidance
Pig Destroyer                       Piss Angel
Pig Destroyer                       Towering Flesh
Wormrot                               Semiconscious Godsize Dumbass

Grincore Mix