“Direct from the Islands” by Scholastics

LAMPSHADE

This is an hour long exotica mix, mixing classics and rarities, Golden Age and modern era. If you’re not familiar with the “genre” of exotica, there are a couple of great primers here (www.ambientexotica.com/aboutexotica/) and here (exoticaproject.com/about.php), but the basic idea is that it’s white people making an ersatz, romanticized version of “ethnic”, often tropical music, inspired by the post-war return of American soldiers from the Oceania and the Pacific theater, the occupation of Japan, and Hawaiian statehood. It’s less a true genre than a state of mind, so if think “Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland”, you’re like 75% there. As you might imagine, it’s a bit complicated to enjoy this kind of music as a culturally aware person in 2013, but I do. It’s practically the only kind of music that I really that I’d classify as a “guilty pleasure”. Anyway, enough navel gazing. It’s designed to (mostly) fade into the background, perfectly optimized for your luau, lounge, smoking room, BBQ, jungle cruise, safari, or private beach. There are no synthesizers, electronics, guitar feedback, four on the floor, long songs, or remixes in sight. There are, however, lots of pops, clicks, and surface noise on some of these songs, since they were ripped from vinyl LPs or 45s.

Track Listing:

1. Intro – Aloha Malahini!
2. Martin Denny – Quiet Village (Original Version)
3. Al Simms Sextet – (Jungle) Slave Dance
4. The Blue Jeans – Moon Mist
5. The Islanders – Forbidden Island
6. Jack La Forge – The Cleopatra Kick
7. Poss Miyazaki – Ta-Huwahuwai
8. Frank Hunter – White Goddess
9. Stanley Black and His Orchestra – By The Waters Of Minnetonka
10. The Surfmen – Taboo
11. Elmo Garcia and His Orchestra – Island Love Chant
12. Les Baxter – Coronation
13. Michel Magne – Tropical
14. The Afro-Americans, Sticks Evans, Lila St. John – Africa Laments
15. Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra – Jungle Fantasy
16. Joe “Fingers” Carr & 80 Drums Around the World – Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
17. Big Walter and the Thunderbirds – Watusie Freeze, Part 1
18. The Embers and Joe “Mack” Lackey – Alexandria
19. Clark Terry – Swahili
20. Don Reed & His Orchestra featuring The Voice Of Love – Nature Boy
21. John Barry – Thunderball
22. The Tikiyaki Orchestra – In Search of Mei Ting
23. Dick Hyman – Caravan
24. Gene Rains – Hana Maui
25. Carmen Lesay – Sunset Mood

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