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Album of the Day: Exuma

11:33 a.m. · November 3, 2006 · by Matthew Gasteier

Exuma - Exuma Vol. 1
Exuma is the kind of record that gets people who look for something truly different really excited. Reissued a few years ago on Repertoire to respectable press and buzz, Exuma was the 1970 debut from a West African man of the same name. It merged the local folk traditions with psychedelic touches and Caribbean flavour to create a dark primal sound that used just about every type of percussion and sound effect at their disposal. The most famous and accessible song is "You Don't Know What's Going On," but the best is probably the aching, beautiful "Dambala." Exuma's second record, also from 1970 and also reissued, is also excellent, though not quite as recklessly triumphant as this.

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