Bali 1928, Vol II: Tembang Kuna – Songs from an Earlier Time

The second of five planned discs collecting 78s of traditional Balinese music, this album's music may be 87 years old, but it's impressively far out. The material consists of sung poetry by solo male voices; themes range from the comic to the erotic, and several of the songs would have been used in death rituals. To many, this will sound like music from another planet, let alone another time – so distant is it from Western rhythms and melodies, not to mention modern recording techniques. Still, with singing being generally poorly represented among the Balinese music available in the West, and with some of the styles showcased here rarely heard in Bali itself, this is recommended for anyone with an interest in gamelan or, perhaps, any producers looking for something left-field to get their teeth into.