COMPUTER BEDTIME STORIES
MY MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME
I thought it would be fun to download my fax software.
Actually
what got me going was a job offer that demanded a faxed
resume.
I knew the learning curve was steep but not inaccessible.
Within
an hour, however, I had spread out on my lap no fewer
than four
user guides. When I think of how long it took to figure
out where the
SEND FAX key was I shudder. These are the time-saving devices
we have been waiting for? I finally succeeded and yes!
I gloated.
EXOTIC MUSIC CAN CUT BOTH WAYS
For those of us suffering from computer burnout, the latest release from TARIKA
: SON EGAL (Xenophile)
may be the Tiger balm that soothes.This group of
Madagascar musicians is rapidly becoming one of my favorites from
that part of the world.
From the haunting sounds of the valiha,
a cross between a zither and the West African
kora, to the political, yet sensitive, songwriting
and singing of leader Hanitra, TARIKA can transport even the
most computer dead of us back to the everyday life of "cut
and paste" with their swirling,vibrant, danceable folk and pop rhythms. From the brooding hypnotic beat of "Avelo" about disrespecting ancestors to the bouncy opening track, "Tsy Kivy" about having a positive approach to life, TARIKA blends the band's varied musical repertory as we hear stories from Madagascar's turbulent history, such as the massacre
of the Malagasy people by the French-paid
Trailleur Senegalais (African soldiers trained in Senegal).
SON EGAL is a rich
story from one of the world's poorest countries -- and by
all accounts getting poorer. By using traditional instruments,
biting political commentary and beautiful harmonies, this cd should satisfy just about everybody who appreciates world beat. Let the rhythms from this South Indian Ocean island breeze over you while enjoying Hanitra's extensive liner notes. Let the
sad eyes of the last Queen, Ranavalona the Third, bear down on you from the cd's cover, as you "boot up" your beast one more time.
"Conflicted"--my favorite buzz word:
When I tried to herald my success at faxing, via e-mail to cyber-outposts within the internet kingdom, I soon learned that I had lost the capability to send e-mail. I was (as the first of many computer techies was fond of telling me) conflicted! Well, I'm not happy. The days are going by and I'm e-mail-less. Lo and behold the computer freezes and now I'm told I've been "corrupted." Great! Now I'm conflicted and corrupted. I pull out the new cd from KENNETH NEWBY, under recommendation for its potential to exorcise the demons from computer Hell and comfort us neo-luddites as we are dragged
screaming and kicking into the 21st century.
SIRENS WILL PULL YOU INTO
ANOTHER WORLD
The long awaited solo project, SIRENS
(City of Tribes) by KENNETH NEWBY is a
synthesis of musical textures with Indonesian scales, ancient instruments, and the NEWBY signature sound. It also has
the uncanny ability to  erase the memory of recent computer defeats by potato heads like me and garner the attention of tech heads for making such an intelligent use of sound and technology. SIRENS will pull you into an aural whirlpool where instruments and vocalists, mixed and remixed in atmospheric enhancers and MAX programming will engulf you in a watery netherland where instruments don't sound quite like instruments and where the electronic apparatus loses its "machine" quality.
From the unearthly "Saraswati"sung by Balinese vocalist
Anis W.A. Sutrisno to the beat poetry of Robert
Anthony, this delicious soundscape is sophisticated stuff
and cannot be classified into the usual record bins. Many of the City of Tribes artists make their contribution as well (Patti
Clemens, Eda Maxym, Barbara Imhoff, Stephen Kent).
If Kenneth Newby is the modern day version of
an electronic whirling dervish, then this music stands
out as the call to the faithful to enter full states
of surround-sound or ambient ecstasy. This is perfect
music for seasoned cyberspace sherpas or Computer 101 dropouts.
To fax and at what price? I'm whining because I can't fax. You know these weren't my problems a year ago. I am the first person in my family to be able to fax from my bedroom and now I'm corrupted and conflicted. I ask you! How was I able to live before this?
MEDIEVAL GERMAN MUSIC ROOTS OUT COMPUTER MALAISE
 I
brighten after receiving a new cd from Alula Records in North Carolina.
KIRILE LOO: SAATUS (Alula)
takes the Estonian
runic-verse and sings her own arrangements that
tell of life's mystery and call on themes of death, celebration
and life's changes in between. After the third song, I noticed that the parmupill (jew's harp), coupled with the Northern Estonian
dialects, began to wash away the sins of this informational-overload
world that begins with h--t--t--p colon backward slash,
backward slash, w--w--w dot. Here is a soulful voice
that sings the ancient stories, plays to traditional instruments and captures you with an enchanting simplicity. I enjoyed this cd more
with every listening and found myself daydreaming
for the time when I could use my interactive encyclopedia
again and print out the North Balkan country of Estonia in
256 shades of grey.
Thanks Moe, for being there...
While in Berkeley last week paying respects to
the late Moe of Moe's Book Store, I
did two things: I used the restroom on the third floor
and I bought a used copy of MASTERING THE
ART OF WAR.
Liu Ji says:
"When you are at war with
strong enemies, at first their energy is keen, while your momentum is weak, so it is hard to hold them off. Avoid them for the time
being and you will prevail."
Hear David's New Music International Show every Sunday night from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
on KBBF 89.1 FM listener-supported radio, Santa Rosa, California
HOME
Copyright © 1998 All Rights
Reserved
|
