An exotica timeline
How the style took shape in the 1950s and why it was named after Martin Denny's 1957 album "Exotica".
Collections
Collections
Collections are routes through the magazine. Each one gathers several sections around a single question: how the past imagined the exotic, what hides behind the words world music, where music ends and sound begins. We do not recommend specific albums (the only exception in the magazine is the 1957 "Exotica", mentioned as a historical fact); instead we suggest directions in which you will find your own.
A good collection doesn't tell you what to love. It shows you which way to turn your ear.
How this section works: a collection groups sections by direction or by a listener's question. It does not include rankings, "best of" lists or recommendations of specific releases.
Imaginary lands
For anyone curious about how studio music painted faraway places.
Sounds of many cultures
For those who want to listen to the world's traditions more closely than a shop shelf allows.
Where the world music label came from
How in 1987 British record companies came up with a category for shops, and what came of it.
Field recordings
Music recorded where it lives: at a celebration, in the street, at home. How to listen to such recordings and read the notes that come with them.
How to read a booklet
Where to look in the credits for the place and circumstances of a recording, and why that matters more than a catchy title.
CD catalogue (archive) (in Russian)
Sound as material
For those drawn to electronics, noise and instruments without the usual keys and strings.
The theremin
Leon Theremin's 1920 instrument, played without being touched: how the hands control pitch and volume.
Homemade and found instruments
Springs, metal sheets, household objects and modified electronics: when anything that makes a sound becomes an instrument.
How to listen to experimental music
If a piece has no melody, listen for how the timbre develops, the density and the silences; a step-by-step breakdown will help.
Read next
- Articles
The magazine's core topics and a catalogue of standalone articles for English-speaking readers.
- Events
How to choose a concert or festival of unusual music and what to bring along.
- History
A short timeline: the theremin in 1920, 1950s exotica, the compact disc in 1982 and the world music label in 1987.
Sources
- Exoticamusic magazine materials
- Music encyclopedias and reference works
Historical information is based on music encyclopedias and reference works. Details of releases, concerts and venues change, so check them with publishers and organisers.