An excursion into the lesser-known territories of the Asian musical landscape, ‘Ragom (Various Artists)‘ is the latest release from Bangkok’s enigmatic record label Siamese Twins.
Following the spellbinding transmissions of Vinyan and Kāthā, this third cassette instalment (Ra-ngom / ระงม) conjures a psychic dream state through an amalgamation of ethereal soundscapes and vocal-as-instrument abstractions. The cassette holds the stories of nine artists; here, language dissolves and only a soulfully rich atmosphere remains.
Ahead of its release, the premiere spotlight falls on Kiss Nuka’s ‘Taabiir‘, a word that translates to “deeper interpretation (of dreams)” in Urdu. True to its name, the track channels Kiss Nuka’s mystical insight and raw emotion through a hypnotic variation of vocal percussion, reminiscent of konakkol, the rhythmic vocal tradition of Carnatic music. Fractured beats move in procession while ghostly tones dance around them, never fully landing. Kiss Nuka constructs a sonic ecology where boundaries dissolve between inner and outer, past and present. Taabiir doesn’t demand attention; it quietly draws you in.
‘Ragom V.A. (ST๐๑๒)’ is scheduled for release on 1st August via Siamese Twins Records. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. Surabhi Saraf – Flowing Still
2. Okgwa – White Field
3. Mayurashka – AAA
4. Kiss Nuka – Taabiir
5. Tadi – Dream inside a Dream
6. Khun Fluff – Yant
7. Sunju Hargun – Sending Signals
8. Tommy Hanson – Tamada
9. Gonno – Emergence