Mishen
Group: Members
Posts: 17
Joined: Aug. 2004 |
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Posted: June 27 2010, 03:49 |
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Since I moved to China I've always wished that Mike would take an interest indeveloping his fan base in this part of the world. I know he's used a lot of ethnic music in his work throughout his career, from the African drumming in Ommadawn through to the Indonesian Gamelan and Kechak in the Wind Chimes [by the way, has anyone else made the connection - wind chimes=hanging gamelan chimes=tubular bells?] and Polynesian chanting at the end of SODE. Mike tends to take his inspiration from varied sources, and with Music of the Spheres, I got the impression after reading his autobiography that he wanted to try a classical album simply because he hadn't done one before and thought it would be a challenge.
So I was looking through my CD collection and realised that Vangelis and Jarre have both made an album called 'China' inspired by Chinese music - and I also have a very fine recording of the Chieftans (their Paddy Maloney played on Ommadawn, FMO, and Amarok) playing traditional Chinese tunes in an Irish style. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Mike has done a single thing with a Chinese influence, and I think it would be rather cool if he did...
Come to think of it, there's a wealth of Asian music traditions that I'd love to hear Mike Oldfield have a go at. I really enjoyed the Indian influences in Tubular Bells 3 - Indian music always has that otherworldly quality - but there is a lot of funky stuff around Asia that would sound equally awesome with some fluid MO electric guitar dancing on top.
Yesterday I was dozing while listening to a Vietnamese Opera on the radio - there was a delicious syncopated bass riff going on, a wild solo above played on a monochord zither (only found in Vietnam) and a singer making extraordinarily accurate leaps with her voice, imitating the sound of a string being pressed with the finger and without being stopped by a board - I remember thinking as I lay there that the style reminded me of some of the techniques I have heard Mike use instinctively. I wonder what he'd make of it?
Anyone else a fan of the Asian and Ethnic music in Mike's pieces? And Mike, any chance of a China/Vietnam/Asian piece as your next or future challenge??
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