The 111th episode of the Secret Archives of the Vatican Podcast is now available from:

• iTunes
• Libsyn
• MixCloud

Tracks

1. The Cup of Memory
   Secret Archives of the Vatican
   http://www.brokendrumrecords.com
2. Wadi Kadisha
   Scott Jeffers
   http://soundcloud.com/scottjtraveler/wadi-kadisha
3. Corsairs of Byblos
   Scott Jeffers
   http://soundcloud.com/scottjtraveler/corsairs-of-byblos
4. Into the Sunrise
   Thousand Yard Prayer
   http://thousandyardprayer.bandcamp.com/releases
5. Istanbul
   Batthebat
   http://soundcloud.com/batthebat/istanbul
6. Istanbul
   Elmomaclroy
   http://soundcloud.com/elmomaclroy/istanbul
7. Aksaid Wili Moudanine (Ask Our Brothers the Immigrants)
   Rais Haj Omar Wahrouch
   https://www.dust-digital.com/kassidat/
8. Aylana
   Idassane Wallet Mohamed
   http://sahelsounds.bandcamp.com/album/issawat
9. I saw a lady in Marrakesh
   Mooneyham
   http://soundcloud.com/moonyham/i-saw-a-lady-in-marrakesh

Music is the purest form of art…therefore true poets, they who are seers, seek to express the universe in terms of music… The singer has everything within him. The notes come out from his very life. They are not materials gathered from outside.
Rabindranath Tagore

We think that the music Secret Archives of the Vatican makes is interesting. Although there are now many, many artists from around the world mixing Western electronica with non-Western musical genres, we don’t sound like any of them. That’s not entirely deliberate – we’ve tried to sound like others but we’re not actually able to!

Anyway, you may or may not be aware that there’s not a great deal of actual playing of musical instruments in our music. We use a lot of sampling, a lot of programming, a lot of digital audio editing to come up with the rhythms and tunings and sounds that are our style.

Why don’t we play the instruments ourselves? Well – all members of the Archives crew are musicians. We all play more than one instrument. However, much of what we want to achieve in the studio is beyond our technical abilities, hence the computer based approach to music making. In particular, we’re currently exploring Middle Eastern tuning systems, so most Western instruments simply can’t play the notes. I do have a fretless guitar but don’t have quite the playing experience with it or confidence to achieve the ideas I want to.

I guess we could record guest musicians. The problems with that include lack of money to pay anyone, our studios being in our homes so times we can make noise are limited and that many of the musicians we’d love to collaborate with are in other countries or just too far away in this country.

Our next Secret Archives of the Vatican release will be called Storms. The title relates to the Turkish Storm Calendar and that is the thread that connects all the tracks. The tunes are based on Turkish traditional rhythms and makam tunings although they won’t necessarily sound particularly Turkish. Like I said, we try to do these things but it always coming out sounding like us.

Release is expected to be at the end of July 2013 but here’s a track to be getting on with. Click on the link to hear it.

• Cardamom Storm

It’s in a 9 beat rhythm, Afr-Mawlawii, divided 4-2-3. It is tuned to Makam Hicaz Zirgule, which means the second and fifth notes in the scale used are not tuned as they would be in Western music.

“Our musician was on his way to a wedding in a village outside Gao, his car laden with instruments and equipment. At the checkpoint he was ordered to step down from his car by a MUJAO militiaman who then proceeded to search it. All the instruments are taken out and piled up by the side of the road; guitars, teherdent, amps, speakers, calabashes. The pile was doused in petrol and set alight. The musician was too scared to shout out, or cry, or flee. There were guns everywhere. He just stood and watched as his livelihood went up in flames. If he made a scene or showed any emotion, he knew that his own life would be in danger.”

Andy Morgan, who managed Tuareg desert blues band Tinariwen for seven years, has just released this very reasonably priced book. You can get it in various paper and digital formats from HERE.

Episode 110 of our podcast is now available from:

• iTunes
• Libsyn
• MixCloud

Tracks

1. Katana
   Sine Alchemy
   http://soundcloud.com/sine-alchemy
   
2. Chinese Hidden Temple
   Santhos
   http://soundcloud.com/santhos/chinese-hidden-temple
   
3. Bevarih Winds
   Secret Archives of the Vatican
   brokendrumrecords.com
4. Arabesque Swag
   Dakii
   http://soundcloud.com/dakii
5. Serseri
   Dakii
   http://soundcloud.com/dakii
6. Green Zone
   Nasha Experience
   http://soundcloud.com/nasha-records/nasha-experience-green-zone
7. New Delhi Nuttah
   Nucleya
   http://soundcloud.com/nucleya/new-delhi-nuttah-feat-delhi-1
8. Truthful Old Man
   Gaudi
   http://www.discogs.com/Gaudi-Bass-Sweat-Tears/release/344890
9. Caleb Dub (Uncle Riotous Remix)
   Secret Archives of the Vatican
   http://www.brokendrumrecords.com

Istanbul, a universal beauty where poet and archeologist, diplomat and merchant, princess and sailor, northerner and westerner screams with same admiration. The whole world thinks that this city is the most beautiful place on earth.
Edmondo De Amicis

Life in Sardinia is probably the best a man can wish: twenty-four-thousands kilometers of forests, countryside, shores immersed in a miraculous sea, this corresponds to what I would suggest God to give us as Paradise.
Fabrizio De Andrè

Delhi came as a shock. There were so many people, and oh, the traffic!
Tina Turner




]]> http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/the-elder-scrolls-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-110/feed/ 0 vincemillett podcast 110_small ct53512 http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/kickstarter-for-gigs/ http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/kickstarter-for-gigs/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 13:45:15 +0000 Vince Millett http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/?p=4809 ]]>

Kickstarter has been a successful way for bands to fund recording and distributing albums and now the concept has been applied to live performances.

Launched in London, Detour, from London-based start-up Songkick, allows fans to crowd-fund the logistics of a concert by pledging to buy enough tickets to cover costs.

Songkick‘s co-founder Ian Hogarth hopes it will eventually encourage bands to play in parts of the world they would not have previously considered. The company takes a 10% cut from tickets sold through the site.

• BBC news item

]]> http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/kickstarter-for-gigs/feed/ 0 vincemillett 1052215441_6a12d938df http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/forbidden-city-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-109/ http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/forbidden-city-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-109/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 13:59:34 +0000 Vince Millett http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/?p=4802 ]]>

Epidode 109 of the Secret Archives of the Vatican Podcast is now available from:

• iTunes
• Libsyn
• MixCloud

Tracks

1. Karma Police
   Shefita and Sabbaba
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Xt4ObtKas
2. Odd Shaped Nightfall
   Datax and Bymski
   https://soundcloud.com/#datax/datax-bymski-odd-shaped
3. Hakawati
   Secret Archives of the Vatican
   http://www.brokendrumrecords.com
4. 2nd Night in Tokushima
   Bymski
   https://soundcloud.com/#bymski
5. Free Syria
   Seelensack
   http://seelensack.bandcamp.com/track/free-syria
6. Into City of Homs
   Hevalkelli
   http://hevalkelli.bandcamp.com/album/free-syria
7. The Battle
   Hevalkelli
   http://hevalkelli.bandcamp.com/album/free-syria
8. Free Syria
   Hevalkelli
   http://hevalkelli.bandcamp.com/album/free-syria
9. I Wish I Could Play Dabke for all the Weddings in Syria
   California Crisis
   http://mchammerandtongs.bandcamp.com/track/i-wish-i-could-play-dabke-for-all-the-weddings-in-syria
10. Ait Oumrar
    Karim Ziad
    https://www.facebook.com/karim.ziad.96
11. Prophet, Priest & King
    Benjamin the Esquire
    https://soundcloud.com/#christcentric/benjamin-the-esquire-prophet

“Storytellers are a threat. They threaten all champions of control. They frighten usurpers of the right-to-freedom of the human spirit – in state, in church or mosque, in party congress, in the university or wherever.”
Chinua Achebe




]]> http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/forbidden-city-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-109/feed/ 0 vincemillett podcast 109_small 6062454772_4a4039f57b_z http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/long-ago-and-far-away-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-107/ http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/long-ago-and-far-away-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-107/#comments Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:18:26 +0000 Vince Millett http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/?p=4777 ]]> Tracks

Episode 107 of our podcast is now available. You can find it here:

• iTunes
• Libsyn
• MixCloud
1. Sahar
   Niyaz
   http://www.niyazmusic.com/sumud-acoustic-ep
2. Peregrinus
   ArHai
   https://www.facebook.com/TheArhai
3. Abyssinia
   Fanu feat. Gigi
   https://www.facebook.com/TheArhai#!/FanuMusic?fref=ts
4. Silent Warrior
   Dub Gabriel feat. PH Higgins
   http://dubgabriel.bandcamp.com/
5. Luv n’Liv (Dub Gabriel None Shall Escape the Dub Mix)
   Dub Gabriel
   http://dubgabriel.bandcamp.com/
6. Drunken Princess
   Andreilien
   http://www.addictech.com/p/121605
7. Medusa’s Path
   The Prodigy
   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medusas-Path/dp/B001UF715Q
8. Universe
   Nine Invisibles
   http://earthcityrecordz1.bandcamp.com/track/universe
9. Namaste
   Kryptic Minds
   http://www.addictech.com/p/125094
10. Kali Goes to Rio
    Dilen Magan
    https://www.facebook.com/dilen.magan
11. Wheel of Dharma (Dharmachakra)
    Boofy
    http://www.addictech.com/p/123035
12. As-Sirat al-Mustaqeem
    JEKKS
    http://jekks.bandcamp.com/track/as-sirat-al-mustaqeem

‘Do not be like the deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens.’
Imam al-Ghazali




]]> http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/long-ago-and-far-away-secret-archives-of-the-vatican-podcast-107/feed/ 0 vincemillett podcast 107_small cropped-wordpress-header1.jpg http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/album-review-sumud-the-acoustic-ep-by-niyaz/ http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/album-review-sumud-the-acoustic-ep-by-niyaz/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:49:02 +0000 Vince Millett http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/?p=4764 ]]>

A while back we reviewed a stunning album release, Sumud, by Niyaz, one of our favourite bands.

Niyaz create stunningly evocative music rooted in Persian traditional music but growing firmly in the soil of electronica and modern production values. Back in 2008 they released Nine Heavens which came in both electronic and acoustic versions. It worked well; acoustic instrumentation is at the core of the songwriting so both versions of each track are excellent.

Niyaz have now released Sumud: The Acoustic EP which features acoustic versions of three songs from Sumud: Parishaan, Mazaar and Vafa and three new songs: Sahar, Nalona and Naseem.

The EP is classic Niyaz with Azam Ali‘s vocals creating magic over Loga Ramin Torkian‘s exquisite musical chops. Frame drums dominate the percussive grooves that drive it all along and various guest musicians contribute to the melange. Habib Meftah‘s flute is beautiful in Naseem and AR Rahman‘s voice and Salar Nader‘s tablas bring subcontinental flavour to Mazaar.

This EP is well worth acquiring and, like all of Niyaz‘z music, will still be listened to for a long time to come. It is timeless.


]]> http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/album-review-sumud-the-acoustic-ep-by-niyaz/feed/ 0 vincemillett sumud-acoustic-300x300 http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/new-e-book-for-musicians-and-producers-the-360-deal/ http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/new-e-book-for-musicians-and-producers-the-360-deal/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:44:27 +0000 Vince Millett http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/?p=4752 ]]>

Andrew Dubber is an academic, author, public speaker, blogger, music reviewer, radio and music industry consultant, whisky writer, podcaster, record collector, DJ, broadcaster and record producer. He is Professor of Music Industry Innovation at Birmingham City University, an advisor to Bandcamp and Planzai, manages half a dozen blogs, and is the founder of New Music Strategies, a pan-European music think tank and strategy group. He also coaches on productivity and time management.



The 360 Deal is an e-book from New Music Strategies that brings together short articles by a diverse range of people with a lot of experience in music and the music business, each giving the best possible advice they can think of to pass on to someone just starting out.

The 360 Deal is a work in progress. It will grow as more advice from musicians and music business professionals from around the world are collated and added to the project. There are almost 100 articles in the book already – and the author is aiming for 360 in total. It costs US $3.60, hence the cunning title.

All the proceeds are going to a music charity in India. Music Basti is a youth-run charity based in New Delhi that brings music workshops to children affected by extreme poverty.

• Get The 360 Deal HERE.




]]> http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/new-e-book-for-musicians-and-producers-the-360-deal/feed/ 0 vincemillett cover profile http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/ethnic-profound/ http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/ethnic-profound/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:17:30 +0000 Vince Millett http://secretarchivesofthevatican.wordpress.com/?p=4745 ]]>

DubRaJah is Sergey Gabbasov, a social anthropologist, specialising in peoples of the Himalayan region, director of several ethnographic films about different cultures of Asia and Africa, traveller and musician.

Ethnic Profound is DubRahjah‘s second release on one of our favourite dub-orientated netlabels, Angel Dust Records. It’s a fairly chilled collection of dub-inflected ethnotronica – and it’s a free download!

Get Ethnic Profound HERE.




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