This mix from Hungarian experimental artist Gosheven explores the polyphonic music of the ‘Are’are people of Malaita in the Solomon Islands.
In the 1960s, Swiss-French ethnomusicologist and filmmaker Hugo Zemp travelled to the region to study the traditional musical culture of the Are’are. His documentation and recording of Are’are music – from their panpipe ensembles through to the creation of their instruments and the twenty musical styles indebted to Are’are communities – introduced the Western world to the sounds and musical techniques permeating across the Solomon Islands.
Zemp’s work also inspired Gosheven’s album Antipodal Polyphony. The record – which was released in 2021 alongside this essay for REMAIIN – presented a selection of Gosheven compositions and alternate tunings dedicated to the Are’are’s “unparalleled culture”.
“Since I dedicated my record to the music of ‘Are’are people, I made a mix of their disappearing (or presumably already disappeared, but once astonishingly diverse) musical culture,” says Gosheven on his Specialist Mix, which also takes inspiration from the research behind his essay.
From instrumentals and melodies from Zemp’s archive of recordings to electronic pieces from Antipodal Polyphony, the hour-long mix serves as a fascinating entry point into the music of the Are’are people, and the ways in which it continues to inspire.
REMAIIN is a project investigating non-European cultural influences on avant-garde and experimental music. Find out more here.
‘Are’are Music and Tunings: Mixed by Gosheven
‘Are’are Music and Tunings: Mixed by Gosheven
This mix from Hungarian experimental artist Gosheven explores the polyphonic music of the ‘Are’are people of Malaita in the Solomon Islands.
In the 1960s, Swiss-French ethnomusicologist and filmmaker Hugo Zemp travelled to the region to study the traditional musical culture of the Are’are. His documentation and recording of Are’are music – from their panpipe ensembles through to the creation of their instruments and the twenty musical styles indebted to Are’are communities – introduced the Western world to the sounds and musical techniques permeating across the Solomon Islands.
Zemp’s work also inspired Gosheven’s album Antipodal Polyphony. The record – which was released in 2021 alongside this essay for REMAIIN – presented a selection of Gosheven compositions and alternate tunings dedicated to the Are’are’s “unparalleled culture”.
“Since I dedicated my record to the music of ‘Are’are people, I made a mix of their disappearing (or presumably already disappeared, but once astonishingly diverse) musical culture,” says Gosheven on his Specialist Mix, which also takes inspiration from the research behind his essay.
From instrumentals and melodies from Zemp’s archive of recordings to electronic pieces from Antipodal Polyphony, the hour-long mix serves as a fascinating entry point into the music of the Are’are people, and the ways in which it continues to inspire.
REMAIIN is a project investigating non-European cultural influences on avant-garde and experimental music. Find out more here.
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