Global Rhythm Radio ov HORROR: Grim, Grotesque and Ghastly Global Music

Hosted by Parisa

The time has come for another installment of... GLOBAL RHYTHM RADIO OV HORROR! It's the annual Halloween edition of the show where your ghoulish radio mistress Parisa casts only the most grim, grotesque and ghastly global sounds over the airwaves. This two hour mix will take you on a haunted journey exploring goth, punk, metal experimental, dark ambient, and horror film soundtracks that are all rooted in global folk music traditions. Tune in...if you dare...

​Global Rhythm Radio originally airs the fourth Thursday of every month on 91.3 FM KXCI Tucson is archived here on T&E.

Playlist is available here. ​

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Tracklist Features

You can hear information about each song played on the show, but to make these posts more interactive, I also now delve into two tracks from the mix -- one contemporary and one older track -- right here on the blog.

"Hoichi the Earless" - Toru Takemitsu

I always love to feature horror scores on this series, and this track comes fromt he 1964 Japanese horror anthology film Kwaidan. The film is comprised of four folk tales, one being Hoichi the Earless, in which a blind biwa [Japanese wooden lute] player plays music for the living dead. The score is by the prolific Toru Takemitsu, who is known for his use of traditional Japanese music and fusing Eastern and Western philosophies into his compositions. In this interview excerpt from his biographical documentary, he talks about the art of horror soundtracks and how to create tension: 

"I wanted to create an atmosphere of terror. But if the music is constantly saying, "Watch out! Be scared!" then all the tension is lost. It's like sneaking up behind someone to scare them. First, you have to be silent. Even a single sound can be film music.  Here, I wanted all sounds to have the quality of wood. We used real wood for effects. I'd ask for a "cra-a-a-ck" sound, and they'd split a plank of wood, or rip it apart, or rend it with a knife. Using all these wood sounds, I assembled the track." 
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I have yet to actually see this film, but I'm planning on it this week! But even listing to the track out of context provides a vivid illustration of the scene and the otherworldly atmosphere of this film. 
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"Blodyn Gwyrdd" - Tristwch Y Fenywod

In a GRR blog from earlier this year, I highlighted a track from a compilation of Welsh psychedelic rock music and mentioned how little I know about Welsh music and folk traditions. Since then, I've become obsessed with the Welsh language and recently came across this fabulously witchy new debut album from trio group Tristwch Y Fenywod.

They are a Welsh-language gothic avant-rock group "conjuring an eldritch, subterranean, alien folk music played on dual zither, electronic drums and bass guitar. With towering, siren-like vocals curling around the Welsh consonants, accompanied by stark, martial rhythms and swirling claw-plucked strings, Tristwch y Fenywod feels like an early 4AD recording dredged from the waters of an Anglesey swamp." [description taken from their Bandcamp page...I couldn't describe it better myself so I had to copy/paste it here]

Definitely recommend if you like gothy, ethereal, shoegazy artists like Cocteau Twins or Strawberry Switchblade. 

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Thank you so much for listening! Please feel free to leave a comment with any questions, comments, or share any songs that you enjoyed!
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