The Bhundu Boys: “Jit Jive”
February 2, 2011
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International Tapes
Africa / Reviews
The Bhundu Boys formed in April 1980 in the city of Harare (translation: “death everywhere”), and took their name from the guerrillas who backed Robert Mugabe in his war to win Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain. The most commercially and creatively successful act ever to emerge from Zimbabwe, they the boys embodied the world music zeitgeist of the mid-’80s. As creators of a frenetic, guitar-dominated style, they dubbed “jit,” which fused airy melodies, shimmering harmonies, and pulsating rhythms drawn from across the African continent. Check out the video here.
Written by Jan Midelfort
Tags: Africa, all, The Bhundu Boys, Zimbabwe
India
Full of groovy, cheesed-out Bollywood disco synthetics, Rupaye Dus Karod has it all: weird drum pad breakdowns, funky Shaft-esque horns, and a v v silky, sexy sax.
Sudesh Bhosle & Asha Bhosle – Jhatka O Haay Jhatka
Asha Bhosle – Ram Kare Toot Jaye Rail Gaadi
Tags: Asia, India, Rupaye Dus Karod
USA
The ominous words kick off side one: “In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. Then He created House.” Released by Funky Mix Records, an underground megamix label based in Oakland, Sequence City is a 20 minute early 90′s style quickfire sample manipulation mix.
90′s Hip House Mega Mix Part 1
Found at Unique Thrift Store in Chicago, written by Ric Leichtung
Tags: all, intl tapes, North America, Unique Thrift Store, USA
China
On today, the day of Michael Jackson’s 52nd birthday, International Tapes is celebrating the man in the form of this amazing compilation of lost 80′s Europop and Asian dance synth gems. All misspellings and misnomers as described on the tape info are in tact… main one sticking out is London Burger, which is supposed to be London Boys. And no, Trotzky Burger isn’t a typo.
Rita Mitsouko – Marcia Baila
Gazebo – Trotzky Burger
Latin Lover – Laserlight
Found at New York Music & Gifts, written by Ric Leichtung
Tags: all, Asia, China, intl tapes, New York Music & Gifts
Vietnam
A compilation for the wounded, Tieng Hat Muong Tenh is a series of ballads exhibiting pain, longing, and heartbreak. The album’s heavily reverbed voices cry cautionary tales to the listener, pleading “Don’t Drag No More!” What makes this tape unique is the array of subtle stylistic shifts, from Luongtuan’s pop hymnal, to Bao Trang’s death marches, the compilation even dabbles in waltzes and shimmery 60′s psychedelic pop.
Luongtuan – Thach Lam
Bao Trang – Y Mieng
Found at New York Music & Gifts, written by Ric Leichtung
Tags: all, Asia, intl tapes, New York Music & Gifts, Vietnam
South Korea
Feel the fight to win. Be the best you can be. Rise above all challenges. Never give up. Do it for Mom. Do it for Dad. Prove yourself. Confront your fears. Test your might. Face your destiny. Push it to the limit. Relish in the salty burn of sweat streaming into your eyes. Triumph over all.
1988 Summer Olympics: A Moment In Time
A1 Olympic Spirit – John Williams
A2 One Moment In Time – Whitney Houston
A3 Fight (No Matter How Long) – The Bunburys
A4 Indestructible – Four Tops
A5 Reason To Try – Eric Carmen
A6 That’s What Dreams Are Made Of – Odds & Ends
B1 Shape Of Things To Come – The Bee Gees
B2 Peace In Our Time – Jennifer Holliday
B3 Willpower – Taylor Dayne
B4 Harvest For The World – The Christians
B5 Rise To The Occasion – Jermaine Jackson & La La
B6 Olympic Joy – Kashif
Found at New York Music & Gifts, written by Ric Leichtung
Tags: all, Asia, intl tapes, New York Music & Gifts, South Korea
Vietnam
This cassette is hands down one of my favorites. Bilingual Vietnamese/American New Wave covers featuring an alarmingly pensive female MC, fake audience applause, awkward phrasing/translation, and synths that really push the limits of taste. Do you see that cover? Damn. Wanna get wild and inside of that lady.
A1 Ever Lasting Love – Linda Trang Đài
A2 In Shaire – Cao Lâm
A3 V.I.P. – Tuyêt Nhung
A4 I Fell The Earth Move – Lillian
A5 Black is Black – Michael Chánh
A6 Bonus
B1 Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You – Trizzie Phuong Trinh
B2 Back Seat Of You Cadillac – Vy Lan
B3 Hello – Khánh Dũng
B4 Like A Hurricane – Nhât Ha
B5 Arabian Gold – Cao Lâm
Found at New York Music & Gifts, written by Ric Leichtung
Tags: all, Asia, intl tapes, New York Music & Gifts, Vietnam
India
DJ RJ uses Bollywood songs to drive these remixes, and he does it damn tastefully. Anyone that mixes Nice & Wild’s Diamond Girl into a song is good in my book, but then taking it a step further and mixing it with Bollywood? It’s like mixing two of your most favorite foods together… think donuts and ice cream. Panties dropping just like raindrops (you feel so good upon my lips).
A1 Ole Ole
A2 Yeh Kali Kall
A3 Kya Koob Lagti Ho
A4 Choli Ke Peechan
B1 Tumsa Koi Pyara
B2 Looi Shama Sha
B3 Sambahala hai
B4 Darwaza Khulla Chod
Found at 79-15 Jamaica Avenue, written by Ric Leichtung
Tags: 79-15 Jamaica Avenue, all, Asia, India, intl tapes
Mexico
VIA http://whiterainbow.tumblr.com/
Back in march, i was down in Monterrey, Mexico playing a wonderful festival (Festival NRMAL). The night before the festival there was a DJ night at a local club w/ DJ Toy Selectah and other cool dudes. Along with some standard party house and dubsetp, they played a little of this new, very cool, very weird local style. Juiceboxxx was there and got a little bit of info about it from Toy Selectah.
Tribal aka Trival aka 3val aka Guarachero aka Tekno Tribal aka Tribal Costeno aka Cumbia Trival is a new type of hybrid house/trance/electro/cumbia that is mixed with traditional Mexican percussion and instruments (accordion, tuba, other stuff from Europe that’ve been a staple of Mexican music for a couple centuries). Sounds a lot like Dutch anthemic minimal shuffle vibes mixed with weird latin shaker shuffles and repetitive hypnotic almost Reich-ian patterns.
The next day Juiceboxxx and I set out to find some mix tapes at the huge Monterrey flea market. We went from CD stall to CD stall just saying “tribal? guarachero?” until we found someone who seemed to know what we were talking about. He threw CDs onto his awesomely stacked mexi-crunk PA system and let us pick the best shit out. 6 CDRs in paper envelops, with no info besides sloppily sharpie-scrawled/ very vague titles. one of the discs didn’t work when we got bak to the hotel. the other 5 have become my favorite new music this year. I think they are mostly un-finished tracks meant to be mixed by a DJ, but i like how minimal and repetitive they are. Get into 135 BPM cowbells+congas
Volume 2 is some weird very hard-core electro vs tribal mix. sorta my least favorite of the batch, as it is a little more dense and i don’t know if i really need the “electro” part. but its still cool.
* any track titles are things i made up for reference while DJing.
enjoy.
ELECTRO VS TRIBAL DR MORPHIUS
Track 3
Track 18
ESP TRIBAL 2008 MIX
Track 6
Trumppp
TriBAL OK 2009 II
BANGGG
Tetris
Editor’s Note: Yes, these are CDRs, not tapes. Rules are meant to be broken.
Found in Monterrey, written by Adam Forkner of White Rainbow
Tags: all, intl tapes, Mexico, North America, white rainbow
India
Remember when I reminded you how much Bollywood you’re missing in your life? International Tapes is now thrilled and a little turned on to bring you College Girl/Amiri Garibi, the double soundtrack for the eponymous Hindi films. That’s right, it’s a double penetration of Bollywood. The soundtrack, in all its tambourine-shaking, henna-tattooed-foot-stomping, Hindi-Hollywood glory, takes us through the stories of the films—maybe. Listening to it is a little bit like watching a telenovela: you don’t understand what the fuck is happening, except that the attractive heterosexual leads on the cover (or credits) are probably in love, and probably encounter some obstacles (strict Hindi fathers? Accidental pregnancies? A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” only to be arrested on suspicion of cheating?), and probably overcome those obstacles to be together forever. Or at least one final dance number. You don’t understand what the fuck is happening, but you know you’re staying home on a Sunday night to watch it anyway, and you’ll totally cry all the way through it. That’s what College Girl is, but with the added plus of having a title that gives you all kind of awesome Google search results.
A1 Pyar Mein Yaar Se
A2 Hangama Ho Hangama
A3 Aankhon Mein Basalo
A4 Ho Gaya Tera Mera Juda Rasta
A5 College Girl College Girl
B1 O Meri Sasu O Mere Saale
B2 Budhi Ghodhi Lal Lagaam
B3 Babul Bhi Roye
B4 Tawaif Kahan Kisi Se Mohabbat Karti Hai
B5 Bhool Bhulaiyya Teri Ankhiyan Saiyan
Found at 79-15 Jamaica Avenue, written by Haleh Stilwell
Tags: 79-15 Jamaica Avenue, all, Asia, India, intl tapes
