I've noticed a marked uptick in interest in Muslimgauze.
I have been an advocate since the late 80s. At that time the fanbase was quite small. After Bryn's untimely death January 1999 there was a bump in interest but that seemed to level off. However, his legacy continues to grow. Since his death, the music of Muslimgauze has continued to be released. Bryn inundated labels & collaborators with massive quantitites of music. Labels, including Soleilmoon & Staalplaat in particular & more recently Aquarellist, continue to publish unreleased albums, as well as releases of demos, Muslimgauze reworked tracks, & previously abandoned full-length tapes. Jones' posthumous discography is known for including many studio variations of nearly all his music.
For those of you who delve into this kinda stuff, here's some music that runs in the vein of Muslimgauze. If you enjoy Bryn, you might want to give these a listen.
Abu AMA lives in West-Germany; talks of his gypsy roots & vague links to Spiral Tribe. He can often be found teaching local refugees English on the weekends. Abu AMA first appeared on the darkwave collective Hexx 9 release Wiitch : Modern Witch Music from Hexx 9 Records. Here's the Abu AMA track (#19)...
After some back & forth emails with Bokeh Versions record label Abu sent Bokeh Edwards almost 500 demos. He simply sez:
"pick some" (remind ya of Muslimgauze???).
Bokeh Versions first choice was Arabxos Ishara. This is Abu AMA's bewildering assortment of Middle Eastern sound motifs, bubbling low-end reflections in Dub, bass, rhythmic patterns, & tribal-infused beauty. Indonesian field recordings & snatches of UK pub talk strung together with rumbling sub-bass sonics that all add to the disorientating lack of place as the hypnotic electronic music swirls through the upper plains of our atmosphere, its pulse dense with smoke or thick fog.
Abu AMA sez this is:
"dedicated to all the refugees worldwide".
Side A -
Efendi Remix
Pashmak
B!n Ladens Funeral Fiests
Tired in Istambul
Side B -
Back in England
Aramazd
Kufi Wood Art
Sleep Well in Jakarta (short version)
Seemingly more comfortable at home base, Arabxo was followed up by a companion piece on Hexx 9. The first 50 came in the beautiful hand-made Shemag bag pictured above. This is a huge step forward imo.
Side A -
Kurdish Wisdom Atmee
Grey Moondust
Gypsys in Dub
Devan Beduin
Side B -
Macadamia Oil
Tsinking About
A Tank for Swag
My Allah Protect Me & You from the Fire
This next one is an accumulation of sounds that represents the breadth & growth of Abu AMA's unique sound, originally released on a limited run of 2x c90 cassettes. Taking heavy inspiration from Muslimgauze's sound legacy & the ruffneck attitude of industrial DIY music, Abu AMA creates a transnational sound world of dystopian, yet ultimately high-spirited music.
C19H28O2
Xo
Izmir
DecontamiNation (Stomp Dub)
Dread Caviar
AFjAAM Eaters
The Impossibility Of Holy & War (Zyontific Impact Eclipse version)
Desertton
Goat Pipe
Caballa
Amameem
Bis8nu Mind
Triple (Xiao Quan remix)
Katta (remix)
LiBANoN (version)
Lo -PSY- Fi
P8ARMA - MEDUZiiN
Powa Meditation
Majnun (version 2)
Secret Lockers
Da'il Ayyaam دع الأيام (Blue Tulip Version with BedouinDrone)
Bloody Beak
Sleeping on Rotten Bombs
Eatingcorps4namaste
TIDE (Grammophone Dub with Autonomaton)
Uludu9 Dub
Surf
ps.
Sound Systember 20 I shared A&O meets the Disciples - The Sacred Art of Dub Vol. 1. which included the Alpha & Omega song "The Tabernacle" remixed by The Disciples. This one goes out to Frenz of NSS Afro who inspired Sound Systember & is #1 Disciples fan.
& one for all the other Dubsters, a remix of Lee 'Scratch' Perry - "In the Sky"...
Enjoy,
NØ