Various Artists – Glitterbeat_tak:til_2023 album review

Glitterbeat Records close out a strong year with a late holiday gift, drawing together 13 tracks of outstanding international psych, funk, soul, disco, and indie rock from far-flung regions all over the Earth.

Glitterbeat Records’ annual compilations have become a holiday tradition. Since 2019, the German label have been issuing year-end compilations of fascinating global sounds culled from the catalogs of Glitterbeat and tak:til, the largely instrumental sub-imprint. The yearly Glitterbeat_tak:til compilations are a hot air balloon ride, offering an essential bird’s eye view of authentic international music from a variety of diasporas.

Glitterbeat_tak:til_2023 illustrates how far the label has come since first focusing on sounds from the African diaspora back in 2013. You’ll hear sounds from the American South, with the tender piano-driven r&b devotionals of Parchman Prison Prayer’s “I Give Myself Away, So You Can Use Me,” a 21st-Century update on the legendary Alan Lomax recordings that gave us Leadbelly and Son House.

Bixiga 70’s “Malungu (feat. Simone Sou)” is like a mixture of (Come On Feel The) Illinoise-era Sufjan Stevens spiked with tough 70s brass and carillon bells before an invasion of proto-digital noise comes on like an alien invasion before finally settling into tough-as-nails spy thriller territory.

Faizal Mostrix’s “Back to Tanzania” explores the region where traditional Ugandan vocals meet post-rave aesthetics. It’s one of the compilations most essential tracks and a great place to start if you want to hear where African electronic music’s at in 2023.

You’ll hear plenty of straightahead African music, of course, like the traditional ’70s Afrobeat of King Ayisoba’s “People Talk Too Much,” or the chilling “We Must Give Thanks” from Ntebogang, taken from Taa! Our Language May Be Dying, But Our Voices Remain, a compilation of songs sung in Taa, a language on the verge of extinction from Southern Africa.

There are tons of incredible recordings from outside of the African diaspora too, though. Lenhart Tapes brings the Eastern European vibes with “Kuje je dejceno (feat. Tijana Stankovic),” sounding somewhere between a Ukrainian dancing bar and Gogol Bordello jamming in a junkyard.

Al-Qasar brings a hypnotic Middle Eastern flavor with a trancy guitar line over a castiron beat.

South Korea’s dal:um provide an introduction to the gayageum and geomungo, traditional Korean instruments resembling either a koto or zither.

Things get real eclectic with Brìghde Chaimbeul’s “Tha Fonn Gun Bhi Trom (I Am Disposed of Mirth),” a droning Celtic dirge for Scottish smallpipes that blossoms into curtains of post-serialist sound thanks to psychedelic saxophonist Colin Stetson.

Finally, there’s the Turkish psych of Altin Gun, one of Glitterbeat’s highest-profile artists. Glitterbeat_tik:tal_2023 is worth hearing for Alt​ı​n G​ü​n’s “Doktor Civan​ı​m” alone, with its bright, shiny disco-laden update on Anatolian psych. Hopefully, Glitterbeat_tik:tal_2023 will introduce more listeners to Alt​ı​n G​ü​n and Aşk, one of 2023’s strongest and most interesting psychedelic records. Those who’ve discovered Glitterbeat thanks to Alt​ı​n G​ü​n will hopefully discover a dozen new tracks to obsess over and fill their playlists.

You never know what you’re going to get with a Glitterbeat release. Let their yearly compilations serve as a reminder to never miss a record if you’re a fan of cutting-edge international sounds.

Glitterbeat_tik:tal_2023 is out now on Glitterbeat Records.

Tags: Africa African Music Afrobeat Afropop Al-Qasar Bixiga 70 Botswana Brazil Colin Stetson compilation dal:um Eastern Europe Faizal Mostrix field recordings folk gayageum geomungo international music Korean Music Lenhart Tapes Middle East Ntebogang Parchman Prison Prayer psych rock psychedelia r&b Sao Paulo Scotland Scottish Music Serbia serialism South Korea Taa Turkey Turkish Music Turkish Psych Uganda various artists