Raqs Radio

cautiously taps toe in water...

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:45:00 +0000

I'm listening to RR, episode 8, from nearly two years ago, and I have to say that I am not totally embarrassed by it. In fact, I kind of like it, even now, two years later. And I really miss producing the episodes, finding the music, and using audio, one of my favorite creative media. Sooo, over the next few weeks, I am going to reacquaint myself with the process, see what new music is out there, get set up with iTunes, etc., and aim to have a new episode out by March 17, 2010, exactly two years since Episode 8 was released.

Raqs Radio has ceased

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:59:00 +0000

Unfortunately our family circumstances no longer allow me to continue producing Raqs Radio. I hope someday to return to podcast production, but it will not be for another year or two.

Thank you for listening.

Episode 8 (finally!) -- Heat

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:08:00 +0000

56 minutes, 20 seconds (51.6 MB)
Click here to listen

SHOW NOTES
What I forgot to say: Many of the song or album titles include references to 'hot stuff,' hence this episode got titled "Heat."

Featured music:
0:15- 2:58 : Preface by The Shanghai Restoration Project, from their album, Story of a City. (Forgot to mention the titles of the song and the album on the podcast; sorry!) Obtained from IODA Promonet.

4:10-8:08: Indian fever by David Starfire, from his album, Bombay Beatz. Obtained from IODA Promonet.

8:46-13:32: Raji Thandiro - Chakravaaham by Nirmala Rajasekar, from her album Song(s) of the Veena. Obtained from IODA Promonet. [Note - the image of the album art clearly shows the album title is Song of the Veena, but the metadata in all the mp3 files uses Songs of the Veena. Maybe only catalogers of library materials notice these kinds of things.]

13:57-19:39: Nazar es Sahara - Desert look by Arabesque, from their album Arabesque 2, Fire Dance. Obtained from IODA Promonet. [Hint if you're searching iTunes for this - search on "Arabesque 2"; there are lots of Arabesques, and this album doesn't seem to answer to a search just on "Arabesque."]

20:03-26:28: Love exotico by Harri Kakoulli, from his album Bliss like Gold. Obtained from IODA Promonet.

27:06-34:51: Love is very near by DEBE, from the album Soulsonic House 1. Obtained from IODA Promonet. [Note - supposedly this artist has a page at the High Rize Records site. However, every time I've clicked on the "Artists" link of that website, it has hitched up my browser and I've had to force quit. Don't even go there. ;-) ]

35:24-40:24: Gales of wind by the Yoshida Brothers, from their album Yoshida Brothers vol. 2. Obtained from IODA Promonet.

41:46-46:15: Diamodon by Issa Bagayogo, from his album Tassoumakan. Obtained from IODA Promonet.

46:48-51:07: Cler Achel by Tinariwen, from their album Aman Iman - Water is Life. Obtained from IODA Promonet.

53:09-56:20: Ha uma musica do povo by Mariza, from her album Transparente. Obtained from IODA Promonet.

Update, January 17, 2009: Here's a map showing where some of the musicians on this episode are from. (And, Episode 9 coming soon!)

View Larger Map

Update 2 April 2008: If you've never seen a performance of taqsim to a violin solo, here is a fine example by one of my favorite dancers, Aubre:

Episode 7 -- A World of Music

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 11:33:00 +0000

49 minutes, 54 seconds (45.6 MB)
Click here to listen

SHOW NOTES

Featured music:

0:00-6:22 - Sohniye, by The Safri Boyz, from Tu Hoor Sohniye (48K); from IODA Promonet; also on iTunes

7:58-12:16 - The Reader of 360 Million Books, by Shams, from The Evolution of Creation; from the Podsafe Music Network; also on iTunes

14:15-17:23 - Sri Bubba, by The Clayfoot Strutters, from Going Elsewhere; used by permission of the artists; available on iTunes!

18:01-22:34 - Mais Filhos de Ghandi, by Ana Rita Simonka, from Bossa Nova Delhi; from IODA Promonet (you can find it on iTunes)

24:16-27:17 - The Beauty of Silence, by Svenson and Gielen, from The Beauty of Silence; from IODA Promonet ; also on iTunes

28:08-31:59 - Bhutto, by Muslimgauze; from IODA Promonet. Available on iTunes. [Note: Benazir Bhutto was the Prime Minister of Pakistan in the late 1980s! (not late 1990s as I said on the podcast) Duh!]

32:34-35:44 - The Boob Fairy, by Deirdre Flint, from The Shuffleboard Queens; from the Podsafe Music Network - available on iTunes

35:59-40:10 - Mastoom Mastoom, by Brothers of the Baladi, from Eye On the World; used by permission of the artists

40:29-44:57 - Mr. Mohammed, by Subtronix; from the Podsafe Music Network; available on iTunes

46:20-49:50 - Healing Earth, by Alice Gomez, from Sky Prayer; from IODA Promonet; available on iTunes

Episode 6 -- Indigenous

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 18:52:00 +0000

43 minutes, 50 seconds (40.1 MB)
Click here to listen

SHOW NOTES

Featured music:
(Links for music obtained from IODA Promonet at end of listing)
0:22-7:24 The Garden of Visions by David Antony Clark, from Shaman Dancing. Used by permission of the artist
8:21-13:30-The Grand Circle by Blue Tribe, from Deep Spirit 2. Obtained from IODA Promonet
15:14-20:31 Seven Gifts by Spirit Nation (featuring Tamara Podemski), from Winter Moons. Obtained from IODA Promonet
21:23-26:55 Wall of Drums by Brent Lewis, from The Primitive Truth. Used by permission of the artist
27:53-32:50 Ododaymiwan by Spirit Nation, from Winter Moons. Obtained from IODA Promonet.
38:50-end Spirit Stalking by David Antony Clark., from Shaman Dancing. Used by permission of the artist

"The Grand Circle"
from "Deep Spirit 2"
by Blue Tribe
Ultraviolet Productions

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster

"Seven Gifts"
from "Winter Moons"
by Spirit Nation
Ultraviolet Productions

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster

"Ododaymiwan"
from "Winter Moons"
by Spirit Nation
Ultraviolet Productions

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster

Episode 5 -- Middle Eastern (really!)

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 17:47:00 +0000

42 minutes, 13 seconds (38.6 MB)
Click here to listen

SHOW NOTES

Behind the voice track:
0:00-Vision by Angel Tears from the album Vision (Volume 4). Obtained from IODA Promonet. (Repeated almost three times)
Links for this and the other IODA Promonet music used in this episode are at the end of the show notes.

Other podcasts you might enjoy:
ShimmyCast
Sibaq al Aghani from Monte Carlo Doualiya - the top 15 of Arabic popular music
Electronic periodic
The Chill Factory

Here's a link to Fugu.com where you can find a great Introduction to Bellydance by Aubre.

Shira.net is also a good resource for bellydance information and includes a directory of bellydance instructors.

Dance-out music for this episode:

Warm-ups & Isolations:
14:09-Sun King by Blue Tribe (feat. rhythms from Hossam Ramzy), from their album Deep Egypt.
19:22-99 Names of the King by Shams, from his album The Evolution of Creation. Obtained from the Podsafe Music Network.

Improv:
23:23-Atlas by Arabesque, from their album Belly Dance. Obtained from IODAPromonet.
28:47-A Rose Among Ruins, from The Afghan Music Project, from their self-titled album. Obtained from IODAPromonet.
33:42-Cairo by Nomad, from their album Cairo. Obtained from IODAPromonet.

Cool-down:
38:22-The Mystic Surrenders by Shams, from his album The Evolution of Creation. Obtained from the Podsafe Music Network.

IODA Promos for their music used in this ep:

Download "Vision" (mp3)
from "Vision (Volume 4)"
by Angel Tears
Lovecat Music

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Buy at GroupieTunes

Download "Sun King" (mp3)
from "Deep Egypt"
by Blue Tribe
Ultraviolet Productions

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
Buy at Napster

Download "Atlas" (mp3)
from "Belly Dance"
by Arabesque
Azul Music

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Napster
Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
Buy at GroupieTunes

Download "A Rose Among Ruins" (mp3)
from "AMP"
by The Afghan Music Project
Afghan Music Project

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Napster
Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
Buy at GroupieTunes

Download "Cairo" (mp3)
from "Cairo"
by Nomad
Azul Music

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
Buy at Napster

Episode 4 -- Hope!

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:18:00 +0000

31 minutes (28.4 MB)
Click here to listen
Before I say anything else, I must apologize for referring to The Brothers of the Baladi as the Baladi Brothers on the voice track. I realized the error shortly after I recorded the voice track, but my hardware and software is such that correcting a recorded error is a difficult process.

This is the first soapbox episode, so it's mostly me talking. Behind the voice is
0:00 Cairo by Nomad; from their CD Cairo (obtained from iodapromonet)
4:36 Sun King by Blue Tribe; from their CD Deep Egypt (obtained from iodapromonet)
9:46 3 blue dogs by Kevin Christensen; from his CD portion of space (I learned of Kevin's music from the PMN and bought his CD. I used this track from the CD in the podcast, but it's also available on the Podsafe Music Network.
13:43 Circle by Solace; from their CD Ahsas
17:35 The Grand Circle by Blue Tribe; from their CD Deep Spirit 2 (obtained from iodapromonet)
22:37 Bombay Dream by jr (obtained from the Podsafe Music Network)
26:31 Hope by Alan Stivell; from his CD 1 Douar (1 Earth) Alan is from Brittany, and the lyrics are in Breton.

Episode 3 -- Latin flair

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:45:00 +0000

(This episode is 24 minutes long, 22MB.)
Click here to listen.

Playlist for this episode --
Behind the voice track: Wisemen by Brothers of the Baladi from their CD "Presence of the Past"

Warm-up and isolations:
Silk Route by Satya
Opening Windows by the Maido Project. (You can buy their music on iTunes!) [Sorry, no weblink available]

This episode's Latin-flavored bellydance improv music:
Come Away - Flamenco Passion Mix by Isaac Angel
Romany Dance by Hellozero

And the cool-down tune is
Inertia by Bitstream Dream

"Wisemen" used by permission of the artist. All other tunes were obtained from the Podsafe Music Network.

getting regular

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:59:00 +0000

Thank you for the nice comments! There must be some commonality in bellydance and knitting that we might discover as time goes on.

If you look at the release dates of the first two episodes, you see they're ... well, not exactly "regularly scheduled." I have promised myself in the last week or so to establish a Raqs Radio schedule and stick to it. And the second weekend each month seems do-able. So, look for Raqs Radio episodes to appear the second weekend of each month, starting in November.

Thank you for listening!
--Arabella
(soon to perform with the dance name Suya!)

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:32:00 +0000

You can subscribe through iTunes now! (In a perfect world, this would be on a sidebar but I can't figure out how to do that...)

Episode two - Shimmy Special

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:11:00 +0000

(This episode is just under 35 minutes long.)
Click here to listen.
Important note -- if you buy directly from the musicians, they get 100% of what you're paying for the music. Wherever possible, the Raqs Radio website links go direct to the musicians.

Playlist for this episode:

Background to introduction: "Advent" by Solace from their CD titled "The Kabila Project."
Solace's music can be purchased directly from them through the Eventide Music Productions website.

First "isolation" piece: "Mushroom Belly" by Kevin Christensen from his CD titled "Portion of space." Purchase Kevin's music directly from him at his MoonSounds website.

Second "isolation" piece: "Addicted to Oil" by Mr. Tunes. Purchase Mr. Tunes music through BroadJam.

Shimmy number one: "Mr. Mahalo Head" by Brent Lewis from his CD titled "The Primitive Truth." Purchase direct from Brent Lewis.

Shimmy number two: "Fingers" by Ruben van Rompaey from his CD titled Eastern Expressions 2. Ruben is part of Solace; his music is available through Eventide Music Productions.

Cool-down one: "Environ" by e-sin. Best I can do for helping you find this song online is linking to the Podsafe Music Network.

Cool-down two (meditation music): "The Sacred Garden" by Kparx. Again, a link to the Podsafe Music Network is the best I can do.

Sort of a side note: I am well aware that the voice track portions of Raqs Radio seem to have lots of static. As far as I can tell, there's a problem with the USB ports on my laptop. I hope to upgrade machines sometime in the next year; in the meantime, I'm not sure I can do a whole lot to correct the situation. I really don't like the sound of it and that is in part why it's taken so long to get this second episode produced. I appreciate your patience with this technical problem and I hope you can do your best to ignore it and enjoy the music (which, fortunately, does come through clear and crisp).

Also -- Raqs Radio has been submitted to iTunes. Soon you'll be able to subscribe through iTunes.

Thanks for listening!
Shimmies and sparkles,
Arabella

Still workin' on it

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:51:00 +0000

Hi Dancers,
Everything I can think of to say sounds like an excuse. I'll just say that the shimmy special episode is in production, and it should be available here in a few days, and on iTunes shortly after that.
Thanks for your patience!
(Meanwhile, scroll down and listen to the first episode if you haven't already....)

Shimmies and sparkles,
Arabella

New Episode (Shimmy Special!) soon

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 19:06:00 +0000

Above is the new logo for Raqs Radio. In the next day or two, I'll put together the second episode of Raqs Radio and submit RR to iTunes.

Since shimmies are one of the (many) bellydance skills I want to improve, I'm putting together an episode with music that screams "Shimmy, Girl!"

If you liked the piece from the first episode called Galatasaray by the Maido Project, I have good news. Their music can now be purchased on iTunes in the states.

First episode!

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 14:02:00 +0000

The first episode of Raqs Radio is now available.
To listen Click on this link.

The music, with links to the websites of the musicians:

The background music to my introductory remarks is:
"Wilderness Dance" by DJ Squirrel King.
(I chose it after I recorded the voice track, so I was unable to include it in the podcast.) Obtained from the podsafe music network (PMN)

Warm-up/isolation music:

"Shaman" by Colie Brice. From PMN

"Galatasaray" by The Maido Project. From PMN

Bellydance improv music:

"Raqs Leyla" by Brothers of the Baladi, from their CD titled "Presence of the Past." Used by permission of the musicians.

"Khatar" by Solace, from their CD titled "Ahsas." Used by permission of the musicians.

Cool down:

"Flight of the Diplasiocoela" by Bitstream Dream. From PMN
------------

A note about subscribing -- the feed url is

http://constructingpossibilities.com/rr/xml/rr.xml

It appears to function, but I am not going to submit it to iTunes until I have a good graphic -- should be in a few days. Meanwhile, you can use the feed link above to subscribe in iTunes by choosing the "Advanced" menu, then "Subscribe to podcast."

Getting Closer

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:21:00 +0000

I aim to create the first episode of Raqs Radio this weekend -- June 10-11, 2006 -- and upload it to the internet Monday or Tuesday, June 12th or 13th. Given that there are always unexpected glitches that take time to work out, I think it's safe to say the first episode will be available via the website the weekend of June 17-18, and in iTunes a few days after that.

Part of the delay is that I've wanted the first episode to be an introduction to me, and an introduction to what to expect from Raqs Radio. However, my aim is that most episodes will be something you can "dance out" to (as opposed to "work out" to) -- a few minutes of music appropriate to stretches and isolations, followed by a couple of pieces appropriate for improvisational bellydance, followed by a few minutes of music to do cooling stretches. So, I've decided to make the first episode in that mold.

Shimmies and sparkles,
Arabella

Welcome to Raqs Radio

noreply@blogger.com (BlueSwan) — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 19:31:00 +0000

Hello and welcome to the blog that accompanies a forthcoming podcast named Raqs Radio. Bringing Middle Eastern and other great music from independent musicians straight to your ears and your belly.

When an episode is produced, you can look here for information about the musicians and links to their websites. Right now, I'm just looking for musicians willing to let me play their music. If you're a musician that performs music for Middle Eastern dance (aka Bellydance, aka Oriental dance, aka Earth Dance . . .), add a comment!

If you'd rather send a message you don't want the whole world to read, email me at
feedback@raqsradio.com

Shimmies and sparkles,
Arabella