If there’s one man in the world that I’d like to meet in person, it’s Our Man From Odessa, OMFO:

It all started in a chaikhana somewhere in Central Asia. As I was enjoying a bowl of tea, suddenly the east of my brain started to send strange signals to my body. And then my vision of the world turned into the abstract motif of a Turkmen rug. The whole universe transformed into a carpet ornament. The sound of prayer calls, noisy bazaars and barking dogs dissolved into the eerie desert wind.

The next moment I found myself sitting on the back of a camel. Our long caravan was drifting through a bright yellow space, toward an invisible horizon, where sand dunes and sky merge. Where we came from, what we were, and where we went, nobody could tell. No-one spoke a word. We were in a dreamlike state.

You might remember him from during the Borat craze or his later output Chobans in Space, which we featured both on the blog and our shows adequately. It was about time he delivered another one and his new CD Omnipresence on Essay Recordings is once again – thank God – on the border of genius/utter cheese, and it’s getting ridiculously hard to seperate one from the other.

See, in Omfostan there’s no duality everything exists simultaneously. Central asian/middle eastern melodies, dub and advanced IDM-like beats occupy the same universe as cheesy synths, pulp arabesque and CASIO demo sounds. Hell, I’ve been listening to him for years, and I still haven’t figured out %10 of the man.

Unable to endure the pain inflicted by Perestroika G. Popov headed for the west, arriving in multicultural Amsterdam – a city associated with tolerant cannabis policy and frivolous behaviour. That was where G. Popov rediscovered the rich cultural inheritance that was left to him by the past. Utopian ideology, the moral and cultural decay of the Brezhnev era, the pathos of space exploration and ethnic diversity: all this made him ready to become OMFO. G. Popov began his musical career playing gangster ballads and prison epics in caviar restaurants and fugitive hangouts together with Alec Kopyt.

Compare his version of Solenzara named ‘Tipsy Djinn’ the opening track, with Sir Richard Bishop’s version from yesterday (the bottom video).

The spectrum of OMFO’s works is wide. He produces soundtracks for adult video clips and composes jingles for Turkmen radio stations. For the Venice biennale he wrote the soundtrack for the first ever Central Asian pavilion. Also, OMFO gives solo concerts and performs as a sound artist, as well as collecting field recordings. One of the new forms of using sound by OMFO is creation of a “sonic horoscopes”which are a peculiar way of linking astrology and music. In order to able to present his musical ideas avoiding European stereotypes he is constantly searching for the right venues and conditions to present his music to the audience. This brings OMFO in interaction with art galleries, theatres, cinemas, planetariums and botanical gardens.

What was I saying? If there’s one man I’d like to meet in person it’s OMFO. Watch this video to see the man go crazy (it might not be him though). One of the best things you might listen to this year if you’ve got a bit of sense of humour. 4/5

Just gave my thesis to the uni for the umpteenth time, it’s not completely out of my life, but I’ll have more time to write next week for sure. Today some mixes that have been piling in my bookmarks folder.

+ Ikonika 09.09.09 Ustream set (via FACT) Dubstep, bass mix from London’s Ikonika.

+ Cutups – Ether Binge. A mix of outer-space dubstep influenced by techno, idm and garage. (tracklist)

+ Questlove : Sample Lesson Mix (tracklist) (Soul, originals of hip-hop samples)

+ DUTTY ARTZ Recession Rap Podcast (tracklist) Alright, here it is-Recession Rap Podcast, a compilation of rap songs addressing the worldwide economic recession/depression.

Two mixes from Istanbul : First up the dnb cru Flatliners, which is a duo feat. Ruffkutz & Golem (who’s also responsible for the drum duties in Proudpilot). Next up is DJ Tutan an oldschool Istanbul nightlife expert with his live set @ the Techno Parade in Paris last weekend (house/minimal). Last two mixes are from Mad Bros’ Luis Davis’ and his Brain Fluid Album Mixtape released recently on Mad Bros, and Bob Marley remixes mixtape from Leftside Wobble.

Flatliners – Studio Mix 01 by Flatliners

Dj tutan – paris seti by dj tutan

Marley Root Down -320K by Leftside Wobble

BRAIN FLUID L.P. – ALBUM MIXTAPE – FREE DOWNLOAD by luisdavis

Camarilha podcast 09 by camarilha
feat. Vivian Girls, Ilyas Ahmed, Tyondai Braxton, Zomby, Ghédalia Tazartès, Harappian Night Recordings, Sparklehorse + Fennesz, Nisennenmondai. (tracklist)

Tru Thoughts 10th Anniversary Megamix for Radio 1 by Hint

+ Natural Self mixtape of forthcoming album “My Heart Beats Like a Drum” to be released October 19th on Tru-Thoughts Recordings.

+ Kidkanevil’s Public Service Announcement Mix for Groovement (tracklist) incl. Nosaj Thing, Ras G, J Dilla, Shafiq Husayn, Janko Nilovic, Muhsinah, kidkanevil himself and more.

+ Duke Etienne mixes afrosoul Heads-High Music via üdio

+ Underground Spiritual Game presents 30th Show : Burning Spear (tracklist)

+ Enumclaw’s Unkraut 01 mix available via his blog Crystal Voyager, inc. Faust, Gaa, Kalacakra, Kollektiv and the usual suspects. “From hard psych jams to mellow abstract soundscapes”.

+ Joakim mixes his upcoming compilation CD Milky Ways – Milky Mix

Image by Cheryl Molnar; ffffound from reckon

Too busy with real life stuff at the mo, but been listening to music all day, this is just a quick recap of what kept me movin’ and shakin’ during the day. Stuff from Nomo’s Invisible Cities on Ubiquity, another one from last week’s Carlos Lamartine album we featured, just can’t get enough of it. Baden Powell’s Canto de Xangô version on solo guitar, a rare 12” from 70’s Jamaica, The Light of Saba and the dub version of their most famous song, Lambs Bread Collie. Finally A Tribe called Quest’s Vibes and Stuff, amazing sample from Grant Green. Check for yourself at WhoSampled. This was also sampled on Cypress Hill’s Stoned is the way of the walk. Good times.

Illustration by Sparrow v. Swallow