Speaker Of Turkish

Release date: January 9, 2006

“Speaker of Turkish” is the first completely new Muslimgauze album to be released in more than two years. It’s one of several albums recorded by Bryn Jones in a final year-long burst of creativity that peaked in the spring of 1998, shortly before his sudden and unexpected death on January 14, 1999. It consists of six long tracks, one of which is a reprised version of the opening track: 1. The Good Muslim 2. Exit Afghanistan 3. Turkish Speaker 4. Bedouin Tablet 5. The Good Muslim 6. Shah of Persia. Musically, “Speaker of Turkish” is comparable to “Your Mines in Kabul”, which was recorded just a few months before this album. Never one to waste space on a CD, Bryn committed 73 minutes of music to the master tape, and as with so many other of his recordings, asked John Delf to engineer the session at the Manchester studio he referred to as “the Abraham Mosque”. There was no dedication made with this album; dedications are mostly to be found on his earlier recordings. This first edition 397 hand-numbered copies of “Speaker of Turkish” is presented in a sturdy, heavy hand-made papiermâché case closed by a beaded string that loops through notches in edge of the lid. A raised-relief mosque is glued to the front, and a highly stylized rendering of the name “Allah” is silkscreened in Arabic calligraphy on the inside. The track listing is screened on the back. A double-sided window sticker and a 2006 mini-calendar card are included inside. The calendar is imprinted with the words “Speaker of Turkish” and “Your number”, below which of course appears the hand written serial number. A second edition of this album, presented in more conventional packaging, will be issued at a future date. No two of these hand-made cases are exactly alike. Some of them lie flat when opened while others refuse to open all the way. The paper hinge joining the two parts of the CD case is weak and prone to failure. Do not attempt to flatten your CD case if it doesn't open fully; the hinge will tear in half. Handle this CD with care. Do not attempt to remove the small “Made in India” sticker from the back. Doing so will de-laminate the green paint from the case.

Press release from Soleilmoon.

The following appeared on Brainwashed.

As I write this it has been seven years to the day since the passing of Bryn Jones.  Several labels diligently continue to release and preserve his music but in recent years Soleilmoon is at the forefront of packaging presentation.  From the metal tin of Arrabbox to the oversized folder of Alms for Iraq to the fur covering of Re-mixs Volume 1 & 2 to the silk pouch of Syrinjia.  And now this.  

Speaker of Turkish is a limited edition of 397 (a second issue in more conventional packaging is forthcoming) that comes in a hand-made wooden gatefold case held together by a paper hinge and held fast by a beaded string through top notches. On the front is a raised-relief mosque and inside the word "Allah" is silk-screened in Arabic calligraphy. Also inside is a hand-numbered 2006 wallet-sized calendar and window sticker, both with colorful mosque illustrations.

Musically speaking, rather than another re-issue, this is the first album of completely new material to be released in more than two years. It was recorded in 1997 along with at least a dozen other albums—three of which have still yet to be released—a testament to Jones' unrelentingly productive pace. The entire catalog stands as one great work but any one disc is a snapshot of a particular period. Around this time Jones had become very skilled at creating a sort of travelogue collage with his usual arsenal of sounds: hand drums, bass throbs, ethnic wind and string instruments, electronic blips, snatches of voice, smears of stereo-panned distortion and seemingly found sounds (the pesky peacock is back, but subdued).

Six tracks make up the 73 and 1/2 minutes with two being in the 10 minute range and three being in the 16 minute range. "The Good Muslim," especially its same-titled reprise, is the most aggressive minded as the beats are much more forceful and overlapping. The closer, "Shah of Persia," approaches a minimal zen as a simple string loop is accompanied by bass, surface crackle and sporadic overdriven outbursts. The rhythms on the epic length tracks are lethargic and come and go as they meander, altogether defying the tedious repetition that marks many other albums.

It's this more relaxed and subliminal style of Muslimgauze that impresses me most and leaves me with an overwhelming sense of mystery: where are we?; why are we there?; what does it all mean? It only becomes perfectly clear when delving into the to-the-point interviews with Jones that the music is purely a compulsive reaction to events in the Middle East. He produced music for 17 years at the time of his death and I wouldn't be surprised if it takes another 17 years to release the remainder of what he left behind. Hopefully Soleilmoon and others continue to honor the man and his music with their adornment.

Contributed by Mark Weddle (Tuesday, 17 January 2006)
Brainwashed

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