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well folks, this is our last edition before our usual annual summer break. we’ll be taking the month of august off, giving you a few weeks to explore the almost 300 editions of framework available on our website, and hopefully giving us a bit of time as well to upload a few more (still 150 to go that haven’t made it online yet!). have a great august and we’ll see you in september!

this edition of framework:afield has been produced my myke dodge weiskopf in the u.s., using sounds recorded in socotra. for more information see his website at http://www.myke.me. about the program, in his own words:

The archipelago of Socotra lies between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in the Indian Ocean. It consists of four islands, three of which are populated by humans. There are some 50,000 people on the main island, which is also called Socotra. The natives are called the Socotri people, and they are principally derived from Arabian stock, although certain villages also contain significant South and East African populations. Socotra has been under the governance of South Yemen, and later the Republic of Yemen, since 1967.

If the average Westerner knows anything about Socotra, it usually has to do with the landscape. Put the name into any search engine, and one finds countless images of the iconic inverted umbrella of the dragon’s-blood tree; the plump, fat-bottomed cucumber tree; or the blindingly white sand dunes of the Southern coast. The archipelago is also known for its endemism, including a striking assortment of birds and reptiles which are found only on the islands.

But for all the breathtaking imagery of Socotra, almost nobody has spent time recording the songs, stories, and sounds of Socotra. The few recordings made by musicologists during the Twentieth Century are locked away in academic and folkloric archives, unavailable to the casual listener. Even the filmmakers who have lately swarmed to Socotra’s shores have neglected to spend any serious amount of time speaking with, or listening to, the average Socotri.

This edition of framework:afield will take you around the island of Socotra through the work, play, performance, poetry, and folklore of its people. You’ll hear from fishermen, shepherds, drummers, flute players, religious leaders, and even young children. This material was recorded over two weeks in March 2013 and is being premiered for the very first time on this edition of framework:afield.” – Myke Dodge Weiskopf

Recorded by Myke Dodge Weiskopf on Socotra, March 2013. [http://www.myke.me]

again, we are always looking for new material, whether raw field recordings, field recording based composition, or introduction submissions. we are also now accepting proposals for full editions of our guest curated framework:afield series. send proposals or material, released or not, on any format, to the address at the bottom of this mail. if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

(time / description)

01:20 – 04:25 / 16 March 2013, Hilham, Socotra: Night waves over gravel beach.

04:26 – 06:25 / 22 March 2013, Hadibo, Socotra: Quranic recitation via Local Radio of Socotra Archipelago, 88.1 MHz

06:50 – 08:05 / 13 March 2013, Mukallah, Yemen: Felix Airways takeoff announcement to Socotra and pre-flight prayer.

08:13 – 10:57 / 18 March 2013, Qasrhir, Socotra: Fisherman Amer bin Tali bin Suleiman and his family pull their fishing dhow to shore.

11:22 – 12:42 / 21 March 2013, Shouab, Socotra: Quranic recitation via Republic of Yemen Radio, 756 kHz

13:06 – 18:00 / 17 March 2013, Mahferhen, Socotra: Mid-day fishing on a dhow with two Socotri fishermen in the Indian Ocean.

18:39 – 24:13 / 18 March 2013, Qasrhir, Socotra: Imam Abdullah bin Tali performs the call to prayer (adhan).

24:39 – 29:07 / 15 March 2013, Wadi Dirhor, Socotra: Kereb (flute) player Esaa Ma’alha performs a pastoral lullaby in the basin of Wadi Dirhor.

29:07 – 32:18 / 15 March 2013, Wadi Dirhor, Socotra: Late night ambience in Wadi Dirhor: Socotra sparrows, Egyptian vultures, starlings, laughing doves, Abyssinian white-eyes, and a baby and mother goat.

32:33 – 39:33 / 18 March 2013, Qasrhir, Socotra: Muslim hand drummers (daf) and vocalists: Nadmi bin Hammudi (main singer from village of Reqlah); Khamiss bin Suliman, Ahmed bin Mohammed, Slyiaf bin Saad, and Ghanam bin Ghareeb. The style of music is known as moled. Recorded at the home of Abdullah bin Tali.

39:37 – 42:12 / 22 March 2013, Qalensiyah, Socotra: Pre-dawn call to prayer (fajr adhan) recorded adjacent to the main mosque.

42:59 – 43:57 / 20 March 2013, Shouab, Socotra: Children recite Quranic verses.

44:19 – 49:23 / 20 March 2013, Shouab, Socotra: Oceanside night concert featuring singers Ahmed, Abdulla Saleem, Saad Abdulla Ahmed, Mohamed Omer Abdulla, and Dawoff Nooh.

49:46 – 50:37 / 21 March 2013, Shouab, Socotra: Starlings and Socotra sparrows, recorded inland from the coastal region of Shouab.

50:41 – 52:45 / 23 March 2013, Mori, Socotra: Socotri oral poetry recitation by Abdullah Saheed Suleyman (a previous winner of the annual Socotri Poetry Festival).

53:14 – 56:20 / 23 March 2013, Hadibo, Socotra: Pre-dawn call to prayer (fajr adhan) recorded from the balcony of Taj Socotra hotel.

patrick 2013, framework:afield

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