Modern Harmonic - MH-8019 - 150 Gram Virgin Vinyl - Pressed at RTI
It's more than a bit ironic that Tak Shindo's most "exotic" album, the superb Mganga!, boasts no connection to his own Japanese heritage, instead focusing on the primal rhythms and tribal chants of Africa. Rooted largely in the arranger's experience on the Latin jazz circuit, its Afro-Cuban rhythms, sampled animal sounds, and chants capture an African musical culture based far more in fantasy than reality, much as rival exotica maestros like Martin Denny and Les Baxter conjured interpretations of the Far East driven by suppositions and daydreams. Shindo documents an Africa informed by libraries and dancehalls, not first-hand experience. That said, Mganga! is vibrant and intoxicating, with a rhythmic intensity quite uncommon for its era. For an artificial experience, it packs a genuine wallop.
Nowadays, we'd call it "appropriation," but at the time Exotica knew no such boundaries -- anybody's culture and sound was fair game, often leading to unusual and thrilling combinations of sound. Mganga! is Shindo's exploration of African sounds -- it's obvious that his knowledge of African and afro-Cuban musical forms was based not only on a knowledge of traditional native music but also from soundtracks and "fantasy" versions of music from the African diaspora. Drums and congas abound, as do guttural chants and thrilling Cuban rhythms (and the ever-present exotica sound effects!). But Shindo's own love of Japanese sounds crop up here and there too -- listen for Japanese scales and traditional instruments such as the koto.
Modern Harmonic presents the thrilling Mganga! the way it was meant to be heard -- thrillingly mastered from the master tapes, pressed onto gorgeous colored vinyl and wrapped in restored packaging that reproduces the groundbreaking neo-tribal graphics. Pour yourself an exotic cocktail, turn the lights down low and let Tak Shindo take you to his own crazy, sexy version of Africa!
Track Listing:
● Mombasa Love Song
● Safari To Kenya
● Nyoba Festival
● Slave Chains Of Mtumwa
● Bantu Spear Dance
● Rains Of Okavango
● Huts Of Kichwamba
● Mganga
● Mwanza Market Place
● N’ga–The Maiden
● Watusi Drum Dance
● Port Of Trinkitat
