Written 1999/05/12
(If you are one of the artists mentioned below, or a representative of one of them, and want the RealAudio sample removed, let me know)
10. Nitzer Ebb - That Total Age: This album showed me synths can be used aggressively too. "To the left!"
9. Ray Lynch - Anything with "The Temple" on it (Sky of Mind or Best of).
8. Kodo - Just about any album from the boys and girls of Sado Island will put a smile on my face.
7. Shoukichi Kina and Champloose - The Music Power from Okinawa: Folk rock that has inspired many western artists. All of the tracks have spent considerable time trapped in my head on sleepless nights, but "Bancho Guwa" and "Tokyo Sanbika" never fail to cheer me up.
6. Harry Partch - The Music of: Partch is the apotheosis of the do-it-yourself credo, and proof that you can make your own rules. He regarded western traditionalism not as the heighth of musical evolution, but as a confining institution for the truly creative.
Click to hear 'The Bewitched: Epilogue'
5. Einstürzende Neubauten - Strategies Against Architecture II: An awesome compilation of what I would call true industrial music. Some of my favorite tracks are "abfackeln!", thoroughly harrowing without being unlistenable, and "Armenia", hopelessness perfectly set to music.
4. Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene: As any scientist will tell you, you need Oxygene in order to live.
Click to hear 'Oxygene Part 1'
3. Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Akira soundtrack: I may never tire of "Kaneda" and "Reqiuem". Nemure Tetsuo.
2. Khachaturian/Ippolitov Ivanov: Orchestral Works - BBC Philharmonic, Fedor Glushchenko conducting: Khachaturian's "Triumphal Poem" is quite uplifting, but Ippolitov Ivanov's "In the Village" and "Procession of the Sardar" are masterpieces.
Click to hear Ippolitov Ivanov's 'In The Village'
1. The Gamelan Music of Bali: A wondrous anthology of gamelan imported from Japan's King Record Co. Ltd.. An irreplacable gem in my collection.
Click to hear 'Paksi Ngelayang'
