Podcast: William Bennett's West-African music collection

Podcast: MEMORABILIA. COLLECTING SOUNDS WITH... William Bennett. Part II

A musical selection of some of the secret jewels found in William Bennett's sound collection, discovering rare percussion music from West-Africa.
Music selected by William Bennett.

Link: http://bit.ly/y9fAvM

There's something particularly intoxicating about sheer physiological functionality in music. About being acted upon to the extent where granted permission and forceful imperative become giddily indistinguishable. Not that you're worrying over the distinction anyway when a sound takes you whipsawing around into juddering surrender bordering on then slipping into ecstasy. There just isn't any need to worry about responsible agency, who or what is answerable for the sudden tyranny of basest autonomy. You're a character, very nonfiction. 

The height of aural power is when a piece you've never heard and can't place finds you more wantonly suggestible than you'd readily volunteer. And manifests its hold physically.  Experienced outside and beyond their original context these specially mixed African and Haitian percussion pieces evince an extra-intentional intent, a rhythmic seizure of rational faculties. Timidity of the permeable body, rigid abhorrence of the ass, are not long for this world.  Too much won't be enough.

Merciless non-judgmental ambiguity: your balled-up two-fisted convictions defer to a point of gravity somewhere lower, tag team target of relentless djembe and doun-doun polyrhythms. Best let it exercise full reign, best allow yourself a suspension of the bounds of good sense, an equivocal lapse into that unsafe territory where content is subservient to effect. Sublime indulgence in existential power-play.

William Bennett & Mimsy DeBlois, Edinburgh, 14th December, 2011

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