Notes from Listening
- curated listening from the margins #3
“Notes from Listening - curated listening from the margins” is a curatorial series built around listening as a form of inquiry. Each edition begins with a small constellation of records that eludes classification - albums rooted in lived experience, historical conditions, and personal or collective urgency. This series asks what it means to listen attentively: to follow sound back to the gestures, decisions, emotions, and circumstances that brought it into being.
From leaders of Cairo’s experimental scene and old hands of psychedelic cumbia to archivists of folk traditions and artists reimagining vernacular music. These releases have caught my attention in the past weeks/months.
Dog Plug كلاب البطّاريّة., Dog Plug [Mazen Kerbaj, Maurice Louca & Tony Elieh] (Annihaya Records)
The trio consists of Mazen Kerbaj, Maurice Louca, and Tony Elieh, musicians who have been central figures in the experimental scenes of Beirut and Cairo for over two decades. This is their first album recorded as a standalone group, following the relocation of all three artists to Berlin. The material emerged from improvised sessions built around trumpet, bass, synthesizers, and electronics, recorded in 2022. Love it.
Syrr سِرّ, Maryam Saleh (Simsara Records)
We don’t stray too far. The latest album by one of Egypt’s most influential alternative artists was developed over three years in collaboration with Maurice Louca and Kamilya Jubran. Conceived as a three-part narrative, the record explores transformation and the search for identity. Saleh draws on traditional Arabic and Egyptian forms, including mawwal, lullabies, and taqtuqa, placing them within contemporary arrangements.
vipérine, Turner Williams Jr. (mistralph0ne)
Mistral is the project of Turner Williams Jr., an American musician based in France. The album revolves around an unusual instrumental palette, including shahi baaja, the Corsican cetera, and a sparse setup of effects and loopers. Williams brings together elements of Celtic music, raga traditions, ambient soundscapes and American primitive folk.
Ruido Tovar, Mexican Institute of Sound, Meridian Brothers (Iliad Records and Capitol Records)
This collaboration between Eblis Álvarez and Camilo Lara explores the musical connections between Colombia and Mexico. The project takes inspiration from the work of Rigo Tovar and the psychedelic cumbia movement of the 1970s. Danzón, son, and cha-cha-cha are filtered through electronics and the surreal, genre-bending approach that has become a hallmark of Meridian Brothers.
Curse You, Foreign Lands, V.A. (Death is Not The End)
Compiled by Death Is Not The End, this collection brings together Greek demotika recordings from the 1930s to the 1950s. The fourteen tracks document rural traditions from Epirus and other regions, featuring migration songs, laments, and dance music. Pentatonic melodies, irregular rhythms, and raw vocal performances form the core of the collection’s distinctive sound. What Tigers like best.
wheel of life, TOMO (Knotwlig)
On Wheel of Life, Japanese musician TOMO further develops his unique approach to the hurdy-gurdy. The album combines Breton traditions with influences from Japanese, Indian, and medieval music. Built on drones, repetition, and minimal folk structures, the record unfolds gradually through subtle shifts in texture and intensity.
