VARIOUS ARTISTS

Lift It Up! Vol. IV: Global Players ✦ Vinyl

„I bought 140 records for you!“ he says and smiles as only our good friend Toshio can. He is proud and happy. „Wait, what?“ I say. „From Japan, I got them for a good price, as a surprise for Andy and you“. Yes, I am surprised and also a bit confused. It‘s one in the morning and we are at our favorite bar, Munich‘s Favorit Bar. So I am not sober anymore, while he looks into my eyes and goes on: „Japanese shellac records. But they are still in Japan“. Oh no. 140 breakable, vulnerable, historic records, that‘s around … my drunken mind is unwilling to calculate the weight (around 35 kg) . . . and I say: „Oh that‘s heavy. Is that not quite expensive to ship?“ „Yes, that is my problem, “ Toshi replies, “but perhaps you can help me. ” I still try to smile, but that‘s hard for me, I am a lousy liar. „Puh, that will be some money“. „I got them for a really good price, “ Toshi says and keeps smiling. But he is obviously a bit disappointed that I am not in a super happy mood about his achievement. Three months later: Andy, Toshi and I tried our best, but we could not find any company that offered ground shipping. So, airship the records for half the price of a return flight to Tokyo? We were also not successful in finding anybody who was going to travel to Japan and willing to bring back 35 Kilos of breakable stuff to Germany. Besides the records were in Kitakyushu, around 1000 kilometers from Tokyo, another problem. Six months later we still had no solution for our present, when Toshi told us he had to travel to Japan for family reasons. And man, he did it in a radical way. He took two big and nearly empty suitcases with him. I coached him on how to use cardboard and tape to create sturdy packs from the discs. To make the long story short: It worked, he used his clothing to buffer the packs and not a single record broke on the flight. After his return I visited Toshi in his small studio filled with piles of shellac records, and got to listen to Toshi telling stories about the history of this and the meaning of that song, while I was deeply impressed by the beauty of all those shiny old labels and paper covers. Back home I entered the universe of ancient Japanese pop and folk music. I would find some lyric sheets in the sleeves, sometimes even handwritten ones, but the biggest surprise was the dance instructions for the Soran Mambo on this record. Thank you, Toshi, for sharing in our passion for collecting, playing and rereleasing old music. There‘s always a way! Taken from the Liner Notes of “Lift it up! Vol. IV. Global Players by Flo Freund Two Tracks from the “Toshi Collection” actually wound up on the latest Lift-it-Up!-Collection: Vol. IV: Global Players. More will probably show up on future releases. Or will there even be a Japanese only edition? Who knows? Here is some Information on the other Tracks: Vistasp Ardeshir Balsara: ? ???? ??? - ???? The opening track invites you to a kind of Indian exotica by Vistasp Ardeshir Balsara. He is known for some fine Bollywood filmworks. This tune really sounds like the B-side of a lost Beatles 7inch during Sgt. Peppers Psychedelic summer. Swinging London in India. Sam Liberman y su Orquesta: Otra Copita (Noj a Glezl) An Argentinian klezmer attack. Cool & brilliant. Dick Mine: ??????? (Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka) The Dick Mine 78rpm is from the bunch of records Toshi donated to us. Japanese Hawaii Blues. Kipchamba A. Tapotuk & Party: Etyet Kenya moods. Listen to that hypnotic bassline. a killer for your private sundown. Coleman Hawkins: Hawk´s variations (Part 2) Pick up your copy of On the road while listening to this solo track by Coleman Hawkins. That’s the stuff the beatniks kids were listening to and drinking to. Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto: La Maestranza Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto are a Colombian traditional folkloric cumbia group active since 1940. G. Rags own modern Cumbia Orchestra Los Hermanos Patchekos does a cover of Los Gaiteros’ La Camisola with great pleasure and gratitude. Thurston Knudson, Augie Goupil & their Jungle Rhythmists: Conga Kongo Augie Gupil from Tahiti and Thruston Knudson from Kansas recorded this african inspired percussion piece which closes Side 1. Arsenio Rodriguez y su Conjunt : Lo Que Dice Usted Side B opens with Cuba. Arsenio Rodriguez was a blind tres player. The tres is an instrument with 3 double strings - similar to those folky 12 string guitars. Marc Ribot was a huge admirer of Arsenio and the 2 albums he recorded with his cubanos postizos are his tribute to Arsenio. By the way, Lo Que Dice Usted is a dancefloor killer. Mieko Suzuki : ? - ???? ? (So-Ran Mambo) This really was a surprise & treasure. A Japanese Mambo. A So-Ran Mambo. Markos Vamakaris: Μικρο?ς αρραβωνια?στηκα (Mikros Aravoiastika) No “Lift it Up!-Compilation without Rembetika. Here he is: the greatest Rembete, ever walked the earth. Markos Vamakaris with a classic from the pre war area. Sree Dipen Mukherjee : ??? ?????? ?????? ???? Ok, Sree Dipen Mukherjee is a fun record. It’s from India and has a touch of Zydeco / Cajun. Love. Herbert Udemba & His African Baby Vocal Party : Onwu Nzimiro Herbert Udemba & His African Baby Vocal Party - what a band name - is just a really chilled Highlife-tune from Nigeria. Orquesta de Edmundo Arias: Alma Quibdoseña From Columbia comes Edmundo Arias with a cool brass based Cumbia tune. Unknown Artist (from Burkina Faso) : Danse Pour La Fête Du Mariage The closing song is from Burkina Faso, sadly the artists are not mentioned on the original label. Download includes three more bonus tracks: a rembetika drinking tune, a gamelan one from Bali & another one from Nigeria: Kostas Roukounas: Oyzo-Oyzo Gamelan Djogèd: Tjetjing Kereman Jimo Akanbi Sadiko: Obamgbala Limited Edition of 300pcs, in Stores: September 2nd 2022 TRACKLIST A1. Vistasp Ardeshir Balsara: ? ???? ??? - ???? A2. Sam Liberman y su Orquesta: Otra Copita (Noj a Glezl) A3. Dick Mine: ??????? (Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka) A4. Kipchamba A. Tapotuk & Party: Etyet A5. Coleman Hawkins: Hawk´s variations (Part 2) A6. Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto: La Maestranza A7. Thurston Knudson, Augie Goupil & their Jungle Rhythmists: Conga Kongo B1: Arsenio Rodriquez y su Conjunto: Lo Que Dice Usted B2: Mieko Suzuki: ? - ???? ? (So-Ran Mambo) B3. Markos Vamakaris: Μικρο?ς αρραβωνια?στηκα (Mikros Aravoiastika) B4. Sree Dipen Mukherjee: ??? ?????? ?????? ???? B5. Herbert Udemba & His African Baby Vocal Party: Onwu Nzimiro B6. Orquesta de Edmundo Arias: Alma Quibdoseña B7. Unknown Artist (from Burkina Faso): Danse Pour La Fête Du Mariage ARTIST Lift it Up! Vol. IV: Global Players was compiled, curated & cleaned by Lift it up!-Soundsystem, Munich's only Shellac / 78rpm DJ-Team Eclecticism is the key. The famous Lift it Up!-DJ-Sets cover a wide musical range from blues to rembetika to swing to cumbia to exotica to african hi-life to indian raga. Screamin’ Flo Freund is a photographer, historical bicycle collector & 78rpm / shellac collector / DJ G. Rag is a musician, record store owner, photographer & 78rpm / shellac collector / DJ Both live in Munich, Bavaria. (Photos: © Enid Valu) DISCOGRAPHY 2022: Lift It Up – Vol. IV: Global Players 2017: Lift It Up – Vol. III: Take The Space Train 2012: Lift It Up – Vol. II: Screaming Flo Freund & his magic box 2010: Lift It Up – Vol I: SJ Andrej presents Shellac Recordings from 1912 – 1954

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Lift It Up! Vol. IV: Global Players ✦ Vinyl

Gutfeeling

World Music