Gamelon

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Bang Diddley

Well-known member
I couldn't find a gamelon thread. I've been listened to bits on Youtube and really like the combination of percussion and drone. This is probably the best example of the sort of thing i'm looking for.



Could anyone suggest any CD listening/links for more of this. Also I can imagine this sort of stuff creeping into dubstep, though I can't think of any examples. There was sino grime/dubstep but that seemed more string based.
 
M

muser

Well-known member
Sublime Frequencies "Night Recordings from Bali" has got quite a few gamelan pieces in it, really great compilation (as all of their compilations are).

And also "Bali - Suite of Tropical Music and Sound" has some nice ones also (plus some monkey chants which are mental).
 
D

Dunninger

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I know these and think they're quite good:
http://www.discogs.com/Gamelans-Deg...ntes-2-LArt-Du-Gamelan-Degung/release/1916612
http://www.discogs.com/Gamelan-Sema...he-Heavenly-Orchestra-Of-Bali/release/1553912
http://www.discogs.com/Gamelan-Kya-...-Java-Court-Gamelan-Volume-II/release/1329936

In general, check out the catalogues of labels like Ocora, Smithsonian Folkways, Nonesuch or World Music Library, they have lots of Gamelan recordings.

Apparently Claude Debussy and Eric Satie saw a javanese gamelan performance at a world expo in Paris in 18xx and were heavily influenced by that, quite nice to think that this music played a role in the birth of european modern/avantgarde music.
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
ask zhao about this. I've got a couple of collections of this stuff that are great and I'm sure I got one off zhao's blog. The one that really stuck with me was a chanting one called 'Kecack' or something like that...totally hair-raising intense group chants, quite unlike wht you'd expect 'gamelan' to sound like. But then, I know fuck all about this stuff tbh

edit: John fahey's done some gamelan inspired stuff too apparently, yet to hear it though
 
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rob_giri

Well-known member
David Toop covers Debussy and Satie experiencing Gamelan at the Paris world fair in his book Ocean of Sound. His theory is that Gamelan's treatment of time and repetition is the source of all 'ambient' music of the 20th century - and that Debussy witnessing Gamelan was in essence 'the birth of 20th century music'.

Theres a lot, repeat, a lot of great recordings of Gamelan - my favourite probably being the Nonesuch explorer series one. I have a lot but it is from travels in Indonesia that might not be available in the West.
 
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Bang Diddley

Well-known member
Many thanks for the info. Some of recordings mentioned are on Spotify along with loads of others. The whole Satie thing is interesting. The silence between the notes on some of the slower compositions and the repetition is a definite link.

I've got Ocean of Sound somewhere must dig it out for a re-read as I enjoyed in when I first read it. I'll Zhao's blog tonight.
 
D

droid

Guest
The Smithsonian Music of Indonesia collection is a good introduction. I think there's 22 volumes, not all Gamelan, but mostly.
 
you

you

Well-known member
sup dissensians, I have some gamelan CD's on my itunes, should have a new mac by next week, i'll upload some to the dropbox folder..... I dare not open the app now, my emac is creaking under pressure
 
you

you

Well-known member
bang d - its an online file sharing thing a few guys round here use, pm me and i'll send you details ( if someone hasn't already ) good for sharing music.....
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
Benny B said:
The one that really stuck with me was a chanting one called 'Kecack' or something like that...totally hair-raising intense group chants, quite unlike wht you'd expect 'gamelan' to sound like.
Click to expand...

Just remembered what the Kecack chanting is all about, imitating monkeys!

scroll to 4:25 to see it

 
you

you

Well-known member
shit - that sound at 6:42, reminds me of that sound in the openings scene of the exorcist - the bit that cuts from the the archeology site to present.
 
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