From the Top Drawer LIV - Spirit People

Spirit People was a project formed by Cyrung (Australian Craig Miller), perhaps better known later on as the didge-playing and singing frontman of Tribal Drift, and who was around the time of this tape's release briefly a member of Lights In A Fat City.

This particular recording features 9 didge players with percussion who 'weave a jungly journey' and seems to have been recorded in New South Wales in 1989. Excellent atmospheric sounds.

'Comments:
I also was loaned a 'copy of a copy' of a tape a friend of mine picked up years ago at a fair or street market sort of thing in Australia. The only words on it are : 'Spirit People'. It is very nice. Sounds like two, perhaps three didge players with various drums and click sticks. That's all, no nature sounds. Just good rhythms and didj playing.
Reviewer: Ed Drury
There are two tapes of Spirit People. The first was described in Ed Drury's abstract. It actually features 9 didge players and was recorded in NS Wales around 1989. One of those players goes by the name of Cyrung. For a short time in 1990, he was a part of Lights in a Fat City. As far as I know, he now lives in London. His credits include playing on a CD by the group COIL.
Reviewer: Stephen Kent
Nine didjeridus and natural percussion produce the varying sounds and rhythm of the natural world.
Reviewer: The Australian Cultural Experience
A collectors piece, 9 didgeridoos and percussion weave a jungly journey. Four tracks, each 10 minutes.
Reviewer: Cyrung'    
- More info -

Side One : 1. One  2. Love  /  Side Two : 1. Jungle  2. Life

Ripped as two side-long tracks @320kbps

Grab a copy HERE

 

Alternate artwork

Lights in a Fat City live at Club Dog, London 1990

'Not sure who filmed this but this video captures fab didgeridoo-based combo Lights in a Fat City (Stephen Kent and Eddy Sayer) in full swing at Club Dog. 2nd didgeridoo player Cyrung, who later co-founded Tribal Drift features in this performance. He was with the band for about a year in 1990. Cobbled together from a rough one-camera shoot with some sequences re-used along with some atmospheric shots from the same night inserted to fill the space where the camera was pointing at the floor! Sound is as recorded from the camera mic, glitches and all. The Robey just like we remember it!'

Thanks to Michael Dog who uploaded this.
If you fancy some more of the same, click HERE for the first tape release from LIAFC, then still known as Mandorla Mu.

From the Top Drawer VI - Mandorla Mu

Coming from a slightly different musical angle this time, although these folks started out playing at some of the same venues and stages as many of the other bands posted here - indeed I was introduced to their amazing music when I saw them playing at a Club Dog night at The George Robey in Finsbury Park.

Band member Stephen Kent has since gone on to pursue a successful solo career and to play with many of the luminaries of the loosely termed 'world music' scene as well as electronic pioneers like Spacetime Continuum and Steve Roach, Kenneth Newby has also played with Steve Roach and has issued several albums under his own name, and Eddie Sayer has featured on many electro-acoustic collaborations.

They started out playing in Camden Lock Market in London calling themselves 'Mandorla Mu' and only later through a mistake in a WOMAD appearance billing did they change their name accordingly to carry on as 'Lights In A Fat City'. Their first cassette issue from 1986(?), still credited to Mandorla Mu and basically a demo tape representation of that Camden era, is what I'm posting here today. You can find the story of their early days in London on Stephen Kent's site here.

This is a fantastic mixture of traditional didjeridu music, bamboo flute, assorted ethnic percussion and other instruments, which on some tracks receive electronic treatment to transport the listener to places far beyond. Their first album as Lights In A Fat City which came out on These Records in 1988 was called 'Somewhere' and was supposedly 'the first contemporary release of didjeridu music in the northern hemisphere' - well worth tracking down, as are all their subsequent projects.

The tape has been ripped as two side-long tracks @320 kbps and the individual tunes are listed on the artwork below.

 

 

 Help yourself to the sounds HERE

Stephen Kent's Wikipedia entry