Esoteric Music Recommendations

[walkeraj]

What is the most esoteric (especially in the sense of specialized) music you own and recommend?

To suggest one: Turkwaz's "Nazar". A set of Sufi devotional love songs. Assembled, studied and performed by doctors of music.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I've always had a thing of the Mongolian throat singing. It's so different.

 

[nsaspook]

 

[walkeraj]

Mongolian throat singing is EXACTLY what's needed, along with singing bowls.Thank you.

If not widely known, might I suggest the "Rough Guide to Music" series found on Amazon.

Music Playing: An Open Letter to NYC, Beastie Boys, circa 2004 - decidedly not esoteric.

 

[Bandersnatch]

I once tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to get into listening Cocteau Twins. Liz Fraser's voice was the main selling point there. But even at their most pop-friendly the music still sounds like it was made by an insane person.

 

[difalcojr]

What is the most esoteric (especially in the sense of specialized) music you own and recommend?

To suggest one: Turkwaz's "Nazar". A set of Sufi devotional love songs. Assembled, studied and performed by doctors of music.

I like Turkwaz's "Nazar". Folk music? Little bit of Turkish do-wop too, maybe, even. Melodic, good harmony.

My dictionary shows "esoteric" defined as: 1. Intended for or understood by only a small group. Or, a slightly different meaning, 2. Difficult to understand; abstruse.

So, I listened to Tibetan bowls for a very, very long time, looked in the mirror, and didn't see my aura. Didn't feel any boost. Here's another abstruse one, short, though, only 1 minute 26 seconds. Launched on the 1977 Voyager II space mission. Australian Aborigine songs, "Morning Star" and "Devil Bird".

 

[phinds]

I've always had a thing of the Mongolian throat singing. It's so different.

Hm ... interesting can sort of tell that that IS throat singing but it certainly isn't the kind that is very difficult to learn, where one voice produces both a high pitch and a low pitch at the same time. In this one I can only hear one tone at a time.

Check this out at time 2:30, (the Mark van Tongeren part --- the second video down the page) where that IS what is being done.
https://folkways.si.edu/throat-sing...hree-cultures/world/music/article/smithsonian

Throat-singing, a guttural style of singing or chanting, is one of the world's oldest forms of music. For those who think the human voice can produce only one note at a time, the resonant harmonies of throat-singing are surprising. In throat-singing, a singer can produce two or more notes simultaneously through specialized vocalization technique taking advantage of the throat's resonance characteristics.

 

[brainpushups]

How about Edgard Varese? All his pieces are probably 'esoteric.' Try Ionization or Hyperprism.

Tried Serialism? Pretty esoteric. How about Anton Webern's Op. 5.

Maybe something more recent. Sonic Youth? The album SYR 6 is cool.

Not sure exactly what you mean by 'specialized.'

 

[walkeraj]

By specialized I meant specialty, as in being indicative of further or some study.

 

[BWV]

How about Edgard Varese? All his pieces are probably 'esoteric.' Try Ionization or Hyperprism.

Tried Serialism? Pretty esoteric. How about Anton Webern's Op. 5.

Maybe something more recent. Sonic Youth? The album SYR 6 is cool.

Not sure exactly what you mean by 'specialized.'

Webern’s op 5 is not serial. Webern’s later music is 12-tone, but not serial. Serialism was a post-war phenomenon (Webern’s smoking habit got him killed in WW2)This is serial:

 

[brainpushups]

Ah. Thank you for the correction. I was just hastily looking at what I had starred in my library without thinking about what the piece was.

Hm. I thought that at least some of Webern's compositions were considered serial. According to wikipedia, most stuff after Op. 16 is. Admittedly, I'm not sure I could distinguish between a lot of 12 tone and serial pieces by ear. That style isn't in my rotation very often.

 

[Hornbein]

Azimuth -- The Touchstone

 

[BWV]

Ah. Thank you for the correction. I was just hastily looking at what I had starred in my library without thinking about what the piece was.

Hm. I thought that at least some of Webern's compositions were considered serial. According to wikipedia, most stuff after Op. 16 is. Admittedly, I'm not sure I could distinguish between a lot of 12 tone and serial pieces by ear. That style isn't in my rotation very often.

definitions are not always precise, generally serialism refers to applying 12-tone ordering an permutation techniques to not only pitch, but rhythm, dynamics and other aspects. Webern was the primary influence on Boulez, Babbitt and others who took this direction after WW2, so its a bit hazy.

 

[BWV]

If you have a long evening with nothing else to do

 

[DennisN]

What is the most esoteric (especially in the sense of specialized) music you own and recommend?

I don't know if it can be considered esoteric (?) but I got sucked into the world of medieval music some years ago (when I got a little tired of listening to classical music ).

I love this album series (5 albums):

Studio Der Frühen Musik* – Music From The Middle Ages
https://www.discogs.com/release/10193805-Studio-Der-Frühen-Musik-Music-From-The-Middle-Ages

...and there are more albums by that music group here.

(* it's German and it means "Studio (of) Early Music)

I've also got a bunch of albums with medieval music recorded by the ensemble(s) Sequentia.

I've found I really like this kind of music, particularly when there are instruments involved and not only vocals.
It's very relaxing and easy on the ear, in my opinion.Edit, an example:

Studio der Frühen Musik - Thomas Binkley - Saltarello

 

[Klystron]

Legend has David Hykes interpreting collected radio frequency signals from Sol as basis for "Hearing Solar Winds". The Harmonic Choir practically defines the genre esoteric music including throat singing with other forms mentioned in prior comments.

Imagine Buddhist monks chanting harmonized with Tibetan throat singers abstracted from Wat and windy mountain top to the nave of a modern cathedral wired for maximum acoustics. "Hearing Solar Winds" remains my favorite Harmonic Choir album but I enjoy listening to all their work.

 

[difalcojr]

That is like a looooooong Oooooooommmmmm with increasing and decreasing pitches. Fills your head, wow!! I like it.

Well, before I have to start some work on the paraxial equation, I have wanted to post this for a while.
Here's probably the only esoteric form of music I can think of that I like a lot. And really esoteric.
Anyone can make this music like this too.
Placed on hooks in open window frames, on a nice, spring windy day, chimes can fill rooms with orchestral sounds. A photo of the current members of the band are shown below:

I
Glass, metal, wood, you experiment, it can make noise on a mobile in the wind in the window.
Not cacophony; it's very pleasant. The more different chimes, the merrier too. And DIY.