Exotica Mixed with Techno and Dance Beats ?

My sis/inlaw is a techno and rave fiend. She could never get why we liked the old Lounge and Exotica. That is, until someone gave her a copy of "Electro-Lounge vol.1". Somehow, hearing the old tunes mixed with modern electronic beats, it all began to make sense, and now she's getting in to the good old stuff. I've often wondered if there isn't more of this type of music going on out there. So far in my searches, the two Electro Lounge CD's are all I can find. Has anyone heard any DJ's doing mixing of this sort ? or any other bands or mix CD's available? Mind you, I'm not talking about Tipsy or Combustible edison. I mean either real authentic old school Exotica and Lounge mixed with modern techno and heavy dance beats- Or original new stuff that is done in the spirit of the old classics with the beats and grooves ??

She might like some stuff from Two Zombies Later, the second CD has the more modern sounding stuff:
http://www.comfortstand.com/catalog/001/index.html

Brother Cleve (formerly of Combustible Edison) is including old samples. He has some tunes exclusively available with The Las Vegas fonts from House Industries:
http://www.houseindustries.com/index.php?page=showfont&id=27

Slightly related with Exotica is Bollywood music, and there have been remixes of that a couple of years back:
http://www.salidaa.org.uk/salidaa/?id=400000922&page=archiveItem

If she likes that she could check out Talvin Singh, who is a contemporary artist doing original music, mixing indian instruments and modern beats.
http://www.ethnotechno.com/talvin_ha.php

Some stuff on Mandarin Wicked Wan Tan Tunes Volume 2 ist nice:
http://www.the-chinese.de/

There’s probably tons more, but these CDs came my way (without me looking for theme) and it might help with your search, since most of them are from europe the Exotica connection is not really strong, but it could be a starter, maybe.

KK

Ocean Beach by Black Mighty Orchestra has been one of my favorite tunes for a few years. It's downtempo/groovey but yet 100% Exotica (at least in my opinion)

It's available on a pretty good compilation called Irma On Canvas which has some other great tracks worth checking out.

-Z

On 2005-03-20 12:45, Feelin' Zombified wrote:
Ocean Beach by Black Mighty Orchestra has been one of my favorite tunes for a few years. It's downtempo/groovey but yet 100% Exotica (at least in my opinion)

This may indeed spark a debate - can it ever truly be 100% Exotica if it has a techno dance beat behind it?

I'm of two minds on this, and am interested in hearing other opinions.

On 2005-03-21 09:43, tikibars wrote:

This may indeed spark a debate - can it ever truly be 100% Exotica if it has a techno dance beat behind it?

Perhaps you should listen to it before you form an opinion. The important word in my original post was downtempo ... it's not dance track by any means. It's lounge music of this day and age. perhaps I should have said Exotica Flavoured, but I didn't- I stand by my original post. :P

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but there's a great album by DJ/Producer/Turntablist Funki Porcini called "The Ultimate Empty Million Pounds". It's more loungey/jazzy than techno and he makes great use of sampled 50s/60s era horns and organs. It almost sounds like spy movie music at times. It has one of my favorite laid-back lounge-groove songs, "Tiers of Joy".

I hope this doesn't devolve into a pissing match about the "sacrilage" of mixing beats with lounge/exotica. Seems particularly ironic when the whole foundation of poly pop is based on the re-contexualization of south pacific culture. I like my pure exotica and I like my beats. I don't see anything wrong with mixing the two. It's not as if the original material magically vanishes once they are used in this fashion.

Also check out Pottery Barn from time to time, they always have some type of compilation CD out.
Picked up one titled "Tiki Rhythms" about two years ago, it stills remains one of my favorite.
Their CD's usually contain remixed tunes from the past or new stuff that has that "retro" sound.

Yeah I'm not sure a debate is necessary. Purists will always be purists, and that's OK. Perhaps a bit lonely at times, but still OK by me. I anticipated a bit of a spark, and I waited to see before I dealt out the next bit, but here goes.

My Sis In Law throws an occaisional theme party/production in the Mt. Shasta(Ca) area from time to time, and now that the Lounge, Exotica, Tiki vibe is starting to sink in with her, she wants to put on a big Tiki theme party. I get the feeling that it would start out mellow with the old authentic stuff, and later into the evening meld into more of a dance/rave/techno thing.
When she first told me her idea I shuddered a bit, trying to imagine the sacriledge. But when she started pointing out songs she liked from the Ultra-Lounge series, I decided to hear her out. Then she put on the Electro-Lounge disc1, and I began to think why the hell not? Especially if there is more/better similar types of stuff out there to choose from. She LIVES to dance, and her friends love her parties, and she always has a big turn out.
Hell, I may even want to go! She's gonna need Tikis.
Years ago I was sampling Martin Denny and Mancini, and others, and blending some laid back drum machine beats and ambient sounds. I kinda thought I was on to something there. This whole thing has got me wanting to pull out some of that dusty old gear and see what I can do.

I've always wondered if there were Tahitian hula music mixed in with rave/techno music.

I heard it once by Patick Makuakane, the Kumu of Na Lei Huku Ka Weku at the Grandperformances at summer 2003 and it was incredible. Photo:http://www.naleihulu.org/gallery/la2002/pimg.htm

His hula returns this summer on Saturday, July 9th and Sunday, July 10th to the WaterCourt, Downtown Los Angeles!

[ Edited by: christiki295 on 2005-03-21 20:49 ]

Not Exotica, but Tony Conjugacion makes music like you are looking for. His CD TC2000 is Hawaiian music with modern electronic beats. you can hear samples at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004VWGT/qid=1111514539/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/103-2872606-4560646?v=glance&s=music
if that paste doesnt work just go to amazon and click Tony C and/or TC2000
Also at http://www.mountainapplecompany.com off to the right where it says Artist Search-go to Conjugacion, Tony.

Concerning Tahitian music mixed with techno, there's a great CD that came out a few years ago called "Fenua". It's similar to the whole "Deep Forest" thing..Tahitian drumming & songs but techno. Also, "Oceania" is good which is Maori-New Zealand music with the same treatment. I REALLY wish the old exotica and Hapa-Haole Hawaiian tunes would be sampled, remixed, technoized, whatever..It's really a pretty much untapped market.

Yeah, that's the feeling I'm getting here. It's an untapped market.
I've got some old techno electronic stuff that uses tons of tribal and ethnic samples, and would fit nicely in a set list to a party like the one I'm describing, but it's not what I'm after here. So far that Electro Lounge series and a couple of the other suggestions in this thread are all that's turning up.
There just has to be more. I'm gonna send out a couple PMs for help.

Mahalo, Gavin and Kaiwaza!

On 2005-03-22 10:08, Gavin wrote:
Not Exotica, but Tony Conjugacion makes music like you are looking for. His CD TC2000 is Hawaiian music with modern electronic beats.

I got the TC2000 - it is exactly what I was looking for - traditional Hawaiian chanting with a techno and drum and base beat!

Mahalo, Gavin.

Kawentzmann -- Two Zombies Later... was kann man sagen, aber -- AUSGEZEIGNET!!

Vielen Dank und vielen MAHALOS, braddah!

Kanekila

I picked up a used CD from the Rondo Brothers... admittedly, I looked at it due to the Sam Flores cover art. It sounds like a hybrid of trip-hop, hula, and exotica... turntables, lap steel, drums, and ukulele. I did listen before I purchased, but it passed with flying colors. I'd recommend it as my $.02 in the conversation.... Rondo Brothers "No Time Left on Earth" 2004 Coup De Grace

I like the idea.

On 2005-03-21 10:55, Tiki-bot wrote:
I like my pure exotica and I like my beats. I don't see anything wrong with mixing the two.

Mixing exotica with "techno" makes me want to throw up. In fact mixing anything with "techno" makes me want to throw up.
Listening to exotica is a pleasure because it DOESN'T have anything remotely to do with "techno."

Thanks, TTJ. You're well-researched and highly informed opinion is very valuable to us here at Tiki Central. We will file away your comments and contact you if we find they may be of any use in the future.

Thanks for posting.

Techno isn't music, it's a computer program.

Are you finished throwing up yet?

Check out BJ Coles "Trouble in Paradise", he posts on here sometimes, mixture of pedal steel, live percussion and lap top antics.
The whole album is made up of collaborations with other cool artists like Groove Armada and Alabama 3.