Fans of David Murray’s Haji Maji blog will soon be able to hear six decades worth of the Southeast Asia 78s he dutifully hoards and details for the rest of us. Due out next Tuesday through Dust-to-Digital, Looking For the Past is described as a “kaleidoscopic collection featuring four CDs with 90 tracks of music spanning six decades (1905-1966), accompanied by a 272-page book with essays and annotations by leading ethnomusicologists that is richly illustrated with more than 250 vintage photographs, record labels, and sleeves.”
This isn’t the first time Murray has worked with the label. He also put together Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s from the Thai Countryside and Kassidat: Raw 45s from Morocco, both of which are essential listening to anyone who digs otherworldly international music but doesn’t want to pay collector’s prices for the privilege. Here’s a trailer and a couple tracks from the curator’s latest compilation to show you what we mean…
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