Fri 24 Jul – WOMAD
I've always been a fan of Demetrio Stratos, the Italian experimental singer who shocked the 70s progressive rock scene with the inclusion of extended vocal technique, and mediterranean riffs and song structures into the collective he played with "Area - International POPular Group", as well as with very early inclusions of a far wider knowledge of vocal world music including overtoning and tibetan singing.
Later on, aside from his work with that band, he pioneered forms of vocal experimentation with the likes of John Cage and Joan LaBarbara, exploring how a voice can produce three or more tones simultaneously, how intense chants can and have been used as a poor man's drug, and mostly how beautiful these sounds can be, although experimental to our ears, but practiced traditions in other cultures.
Now, after witnessing this Mongolian singer, Enkh Jargal, I can see what Stratos was studying, in Central Asia, and why it captivated him. …
I've always been a fan of Demetrio Stratos, the Italian experimental singer who shocked the 70s progressive rock scene with the inclusion of extended vocal technique, and mediterranean riffs and song structures into the collective he played with "Area - International POPular Group", as well as with very early inclusions of a far wider knowledge of vocal world music including overtoning and tibetan singing.
Later on, aside from his work with that band, he pioneered forms of vocal experimentation with the likes of John Cage and Joan LaBarbara, exploring how a voice can produce three or more tones simultaneously, how intense chants can and have been used as a poor man's drug, and mostly how beautiful these sounds can be, although experimental to our ears, but practiced traditions in other cultures.
Now, after witnessing this Mongolian singer, Enkh Jargal, I can see what Stratos was studying, in Central Asia, and why it captivated him. …
