What is exotica
How birdcalls, gongs and vibraphone found their way into 1950s American easy listening, and why the genre took its name from a single album.
music beyond the familiar
Exoticamusic: music beyond the familiar
Some music feels familiar from the first note; some takes a little getting used to. Exoticamusic is an independent magazine for the second kind: for listeners drawn to the light "exotic" instrumental music of the mid-twentieth century, the sounds of unfamiliar cultures, electronic experiments, strange instruments and recordings made far from any studio. We explain where genres and labels came from, how to approach them and how to build a collection of your own without getting lost in it.
An unfamiliar sound is rarely difficult. More often it simply needs a second listen.
Four ways into the subject
How to listen to the unfamiliar
Timbre, rhythm, form and the recording itself: what to pay attention to when the music sounds like nothing else in your playlist.
Your own collection (in Russian)
How to read a disc's credits, where to keep your media and how to catalogue them so that ten years from now you can find anything in a minute.
Unusual instruments
The theremin, played without being touched, homemade and electronic devices, and everyday objects that became instruments.
Magazine sections
- Articles
The magazine's core topics and a catalogue of standalone articles for English-speaking readers.
- History
A short timeline: the theremin in 1920, 1950s exotica, the compact disc in 1982 and the world music label in 1987.
- People
Roles in music, from composer to cover artist, and how to check facts about a musician for yourself.
- Collections
Themed collections of directions for a first encounter with unusual music.
- Events
How to choose a concert or festival of unusual music and what to bring along.
- Analysis
How to break down a track by timbre, rhythm, structure and recording quality, using hypothetical examples.
- Archive
All magazine sections grouped by topic, plus a note on the domain's archived addresses.
Getting to know a new genre in five steps
Start with a description, not a recording
Look up in a reference work where the genre comes from, when it took shape and which instruments are typical of it. A couple of paragraphs of context change how you hear it more than you might expect.
Pick one recording and hear it all the way through
Don't skip between tracks. A whole album or a long piece reveals the logic of a genre better than a dozen random fragments.
Listen twice, with a break in between
The first listen goes on surprise. The second, a day or two later, goes on detail: you start to pick out individual parts, repetitions and shifts in mood.
Write down what you heard
A few words about the sound, the tempo and the instruments. Notes like these help you compare recordings and notice exactly what caught your ear.
Look for neighbours in sound
See which styles are mentioned alongside the genre in encyclopedias and liner notes, and move on to them one at a time, without hurrying.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a record label or a production company?
No. Exoticamusic is an independent magazine. We do not release recordings, represent musicians or speak on behalf of any label or association.
Where can I buy or get a recording from you?
Nowhere: we do not sell or distribute recordings and we do not link to files. The magazine writes about music; for releases, go to the official publishers.
Will you write about the former association's musicians?
No. We do not publish information about musicians connected with the former website on this domain, and we do not write biographies at all.
Can I send you my recording?
We do not accept or review recordings, demos or press releases. The magazine writes about styles, instruments and ways of listening, not about specific releases.
About the project
This domain used to host the website of an independent music association, and later it carried unrelated advertising. The current magazine has no connection with either the association or the advertisers and does not reproduce their material: we are not restoring the former site's artist pages, CD catalogue or texts.
Exoticamusic writes about unusual music calmly and without verdicts. We do not compile rankings, publish reviews or advertise labels, shops or concerts. Specific dates and facts come only from music encyclopedias and reference works; everything else is described in general terms.
Read next
- Articles
The magazine's core topics and a catalogue of standalone articles for English-speaking readers.
- History
A short timeline: the theremin in 1920, 1950s exotica, the compact disc in 1982 and the world music label in 1987.
- Collections
Themed collections of directions for a first encounter with unusual music.
- Events
How to choose a concert or festival of unusual music and what to bring along.
Sources
- Music encyclopedias and reference works
- Release credits: booklets and sleeves
- Sound recording archives
Historical information is based on music encyclopedias and reference works. Details of releases, concerts and venues change, so check them with publishers and organisers.