TRANSMISSION LOG
The following transmissions remain available. Older broadcasts have returned to the ether.
TRANSMISSION 0172
BUZZ, RATTLE & SCRATCH: GRAINY TIMBRES OF MOROCCAN MUSIC - MOROCCAN TAPE STASH (RIAFC172)
Musical styles across Morocco span a vast field of genres and a dizzying variety of instrumental and vocal textures. One aspect that delights me across these styles is the presence of grainy timbres - buzzy drums, raspy flutes, scratchy fiddles, rattling guinbris - vibrating in ways that drive uninitiated sound engineers crazy. Sometimes the grainy instruments contrast with clear-toned instruments (plucked strings, struck metal, or non-snared drums). Sometimes multiple grainy timbres combine for a buzz-scratch overload! This mix presents a smattering of grainy musical goodness from across the Moroccan landscape and soundscape.
-Tim Abdellah Fuson, Moroccan Tape Stash, May 2026
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TRANSMISSION 0171
YOU WON’T FIND IT HERE (8TH WORLD WONDER): FIELD RECORDINGS AND RADIO GATHERED IN INDIA, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, MYANMAR & THAILAND, 2008 – 2023
A layered mix & sound collage featuring unreleased recordings, as well as tracks taken from the following albums released on Jesse Paul Miller’s Bandcamp:Bali - Life and Rebirth on the Island of the Gods, 2008; The Flower’s Dream, 2010; Strawberry Fanta : Drifting Voice Radio From Thailand, 2025; Realms and Layers – Asia 2005 – 2023; Spaces & Transmissions from Southeast Asia 2008-2023; Kain Udara - Field Recordings and Radio From Bali, 2017; Dream Boxes and Psychic Microphones: Radio and Other Sounds From Southeast Asia 2008 – 2017. In this mix, you’ll hear deeply layered & lush sounds, including Radio captured in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand 2008 – 2023; Recordings from the Nat Pew Festival in Myanmar 2008; A mass cremation of 54 individuals in Bali 2008, featuring children playing multiple gamelans in a free manner to ward away bad spirits; Street scenes from Bangkok, Kolkata, Melacca, Mysore, Yangon, Thazi and more. Assembled by Jesse Paul Miller for Radio is a Foreign Country – April 2026
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TRANSMISSION 0170
SIREN SONGS FROM ZANZIBAR & THE SWAHILI COAST
Dreamy taarab from rare 45s & cassette tapes. Featuring music by Asmahani & Lucky Star Musical Club and Zuhura Swaleh & Morning Star.
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TRANSMISSION 0169
RADIO NOUAKCHOTT
In 2003, Matthew Lavoie recorded over 30 hours of Mauritanian national radio broadcasts on a cassette recorder. This audio montage features selections from this collection. In 2003, Radio Mauritanie was the country’s only radio station. A significant part of its programming was devoted to live music, performed either in studio or broadcast live from cultural and political events.
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TRANSMISSION 0164
THE BUZZ IN BANTU SONIC COSMOLOGY
A deep dive into the hypnotic, fuzzy distortions of Bantu sonic cosmology, including Luba drums (mukupele) & xylophones (madimba) and Bazombo electrified likembé (thumb piano) music.
The Luba and other ethnic groups in the region play drums and xylophones made of tuned wooden bars supported on a frame, with calabash gourds attached underneath as resonators. The mirlitons (buzzing membranes) inside the gourds add a characteristic nasal buzz to the sound. The mirliton is created by drilling a small hole in the side of each calabash and inserting a short hollow tube or rod. Inside this tube, a thin, translucent film, harvested from the egg sac (or "nest") of the ntanda nkumbidi spider, is affixed. This spider silk membrane vibrates when the bars are struck, producing the buzzing effect. The electrified likembé is a modern variation of the same aesthetic. Buzzing timbres are used to enhance and accentuate the rhythms, create "ghost melodies" and disguise or distort sounds to embody otherworldly presences during rituals, masquerades, or funerals.