Essential Exotica

I am moving to a much larger living quarters and would like to expand my vinyl collection to include a good chunk of exotica.

Could you guys please name some records that my collection should not exist without? Right now all I own is a handful of Ultra Lounge CDs and a burned copy of Les Baxter's Exotic Moods.

Please feel free to make any suggestions, but let me know if some are harder to find then others. I live in Northern NJ, land of old vinyl shops, so some stuff should be easy to find. I just don't know what to look for or try out.

Thanks,

-g-

Do you go to thrift stores? Antiques? My suggestion is to just go through the bins if its $1 each or less and pick all the Hawaii/Island stuff you find. When you come across a real gem, go find a good copy of it.

The fun is in the hunt.

But grab some Alfred Apaka. You can't go wrong there. Not Exotica, but island music.

Just look here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7878&forum=1&76

You live in Northern Jersey? Me too... Why don't you come by Otto's Shrunken Head every Monday and see some live exotica by The Fisherman's Vibraphonic Trio? Stop by and say hi! I always look in the Bergen Record classifieds in the spring and look for garage sales with records, and show up if i've got nothing better to do. Once I went to this guys house who had a garage FULL of vinyl. He had some exotica, but more be-bop and some surf. All real cheap. Sometimes you get lucky...

--tikidrummer
http://www.fishermansburlesque.com

I have looked through tons of records in thrift stores and almost never come across anything decent. I suggest seeking out vinyl (from dealers) that others suggest on the Exotica Poll thread. The exotica market is nothing like it was about eight years ago... you can find these titles for half of what they were going for then.

Here's a list of some of my favorites:

Les Baxter: "Tamboo","Ritual of the Savage"
Martin Denny: "Hypnotique","Primitiva"
Frank Hunter: "White Goddess"
Tak Shindo: "Mganga"
John McFarland: "Provocatif"
Paul Conrad: "Exotic Paradise"
Rex Kona and His Mandarins: "Wild Orchids"
Chaino: "Africana"
The Markko Polo Adventurers: "Orienta"

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestions.

Tikidrummer- I've been to Otto's on Monday quite a few times, and thought you guys rocked every time.

Sadly, I usually leave before the set is over, because the last train back to NJ is like 11:45.

-g-

Well, if you ever want to stay till the end, I'd be more than happy to give you a ride back to the greatest state in the union. (jersey) I live right over the bridge in Englewood Cliffs, but I could always give you a lift to where you're going.

Also, if you ever decide to by some "modern" exotica, (you might actually have to buy a CD!) definately check out Combustable Edison. I'd recommend "I, Swinger" for starters. Their later stuff gets more trip hop influenced, and might not be your thing, but their earlier stuff is truly exotic. Also, our friends "Ape" from California, featuring Crazy Al on vocals and wood choping. And certainly the band "Tipsy," thought again they have a slight trip hop influence. The older stuff; Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, is great too. But the true king of exotica is Eden Ahbez. Check out "Eden's Island." Inside the record is a short biography of his life; which is truly fascinating. Anyway, good luck!! Let me know if you're coming out to Otto's sometime, and I'll make you a CD! We're also going to be at Waikiki Wally's on Thursday April 22nd. See ya' around...

--Tikidrummer
[email protected]
http://www.fishermansburlesque.com

lia,
I'm sure you already know this but...
sometimes good things can be found at the Princeton Record Exchange. good luck
the apprentice

How about Don Tiki? Is he worth checking out, and what era is he from?

-g-

howdy!dave from jersey here(greenbrook).tho light on the steals and deals the great wfmu record fair is coming up at the end of the month in the city.its always fun to poke around the somerville antique stores as well,lots of shops in a central area.ill add my vote for the edens island rec,probably my fave exotica rec.here are some online resources to some exotica and related downloads---

http://www.engine-studios.com/vpp/Haw/HawaiiList.html

http://www.basichip.com/

http://www.milwaukeejohn.com/

http://bigadventures123.com/AUDIO/MENU.htm

if your intrested in hearing the edens island i can help you out,drop me a line........dave from jersey

don tiki is a current artist who plays in hawaii or california,definately worth checking out-----dave from jersey