I have been meaning to write a post about Rainbow Arabia for quite some time. And now I am.
Good lord, what a redundant opening.
Not really sure what has precipitated my finally getting around to it; the initial oversight was perhaps more a symptom of having fallen off the music blogging bandwagon than anything else. As far as I can tell there’s nothing imminent due from husband and wife Danny and Tiffany Preston (besides a loose promise of a full-length in the second half of this year) and beyond that they only have two EPs to their name, totalling between them nine original songs since 2008. But, despite this, there’s no denying that Rainbow Arabia have been making some truly compelling dance music to date: semi-absurd, moody confections of Arabic instrumentation and African drums lensed through the prism of good ol’ fashioned indie electronica. The results are always curious and curiously funky, swinging beats coursing underneath an array of Arabic and Caribbean instrumentation with Tiffany’s oddly animalistic yelps sucking the tracks back into an uneasily primal groove. I guess it might loosely come under the ‘tropical’ banner (especially on last year’s Kabukimono EP), but it’s still quite unlike anything else I’ve been able to unearth and its novelty alone makes it worth checking out. The fact they’re as good as they are can really just be considered an added bonus.
First up today is perhaps Rainbow Arabia’s best known track ‘Omar K’, the first tune off 2008′s The Basta EP. Truth be told, it’s still probably the best thing they’ve done, but it’s a song of such ass-shaking inventiveness that it almost justifies the band’s existence in and of itself. I’ve also included the Kabukimono-eraGhosts on Tape remix to show off the track in a more straight-up environment. By which I mean throwing the vocals from the original over a kicking bass and break-laden nouveau dancehall backing. It’s still pretty strange, but a lot more slamming.
And for your further edification, here’s the loosely terrifying filmclip to Omar K. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: kids are evil.
And as a complete contrast, here’s the almost ironically named ‘Holiday in Congo’ (a holiday in Congo these days being next best thing to an oxymoron – nostalgia for the good ol’ days of Kurtz and friends perhaps?), a more regulation tropical effort that wouldn’t seem a million miles out of place on a collection of recent Swedish sunshine pop. Still not entirely sure where the Swedes get off producing music that summery, but this track really makes you feel like a holiday in Congo could be as simple and whimsical as a trip to the beach in high summer. With the woman who pretends to be your girlfriend but is actually A HASHSHASHIN FROM 11TH CENTURY PERSIA. It’s… peculiar stuff.
Both The Basta EP and the Kabukimono EP are available from the usual sources. They’re worth checking out. And keep your ears open for the full-length due later this year. It’s going to be thoroughly intriguing to see how Rainbow Arabia flesh out their sound over the course of a more sustained offering.
Rainbow Arabia
I have been meaning to write a post about Rainbow Arabia for quite some time. And now I am.
Good lord, what a redundant opening.
Not really sure what has precipitated my finally getting around to it; the initial oversight was perhaps more a symptom of having fallen off the music blogging bandwagon than anything else. As far as I can tell there’s nothing imminent due from husband and wife Danny and Tiffany Preston (besides a loose promise of a full-length in the second half of this year) and beyond that they only have two EPs to their name, totalling between them nine original songs since 2008. But, despite this, there’s no denying that Rainbow Arabia have been making some truly compelling dance music to date: semi-absurd, moody confections of Arabic instrumentation and African drums lensed through the prism of good ol’ fashioned indie electronica. The results are always curious and curiously funky, swinging beats coursing underneath an array of Arabic and Caribbean instrumentation with Tiffany’s oddly animalistic yelps sucking the tracks back into an uneasily primal groove. I guess it might loosely come under the ‘tropical’ banner (especially on last year’s Kabukimono EP), but it’s still quite unlike anything else I’ve been able to unearth and its novelty alone makes it worth checking out. The fact they’re as good as they are can really just be considered an added bonus.
First up today is perhaps Rainbow Arabia’s best known track ‘Omar K’, the first tune off 2008′s The Basta EP. Truth be told, it’s still probably the best thing they’ve done, but it’s a song of such ass-shaking inventiveness that it almost justifies the band’s existence in and of itself. I’ve also included the Kabukimono-era Ghosts on Tape remix to show off the track in a more straight-up environment. By which I mean throwing the vocals from the original over a kicking bass and break-laden nouveau dancehall backing. It’s still pretty strange, but a lot more slamming.
Rainbow Arabia – Omar K
Rainbow Arabia – Omar K (Ghosts On Tape Remix)
And for your further edification, here’s the loosely terrifying filmclip to Omar K. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: kids are evil.
And as a complete contrast, here’s the almost ironically named ‘Holiday in Congo’ (a holiday in Congo these days being next best thing to an oxymoron – nostalgia for the good ol’ days of Kurtz and friends perhaps?), a more regulation tropical effort that wouldn’t seem a million miles out of place on a collection of recent Swedish sunshine pop. Still not entirely sure where the Swedes get off producing music that summery, but this track really makes you feel like a holiday in Congo could be as simple and whimsical as a trip to the beach in high summer. With the woman who pretends to be your girlfriend but is actually A HASHSHASHIN FROM 11TH CENTURY PERSIA. It’s… peculiar stuff.
Rainbow Arabia – Holiday in Congo
Both The Basta EP and the Kabukimono EP are available from the usual sources. They’re worth checking out. And keep your ears open for the full-length due later this year. It’s going to be thoroughly intriguing to see how Rainbow Arabia flesh out their sound over the course of a more sustained offering.
-luke