Peter Culshaw’s periodic global themed radio show is allowed back in the MusicBox Radio studio with special guest, the distinguished soundtrack composer Dominik Scherrer. Dominik’s latest hit series was The Serpent, the dark tale of Charles Sobhraj, the “Bikini Killer” or “The Serpent” who killed young often lost, idealistic Western travellers mainly in Bangkok in the 1970s, but also elsewhere on the hippy trail east. Sobraj drugged and killed many travellers.
The series had violent moments but also was full of groovy beach parties brilliantly recreated. We discuss ultra-violence and Kubrick, I,Claudius, Nietzsche and the music that fed into Scherrer’s musical vision, including Philip Glass, Serge Gainsbourg, Thai music and Tonto’s Expanding Headband.
Scherrer spent time and recorded musicians in Bangkok, the scene of Sobhraj’s crimes and plugged into the the current Thai jazz scene, comparing it to New York in the 1970s. As well as Scherrer's original music, The Serpent also featured "underground" classics from the 1970s including the James Gang and cult hippy music like Mark Fry. Scherrer has also written the soundtracks to numerous serials from The Missing, to Ripper Street and Requiem and has won numerous awards. Scherrer stuck around for the full two hours and in the second hour we played some recent global releases such as Samba Touré and Niko Dinucci. Artists played you should know about include the evocative folk operatic singer Louise Kleboe and the wonder-filled Russian post-systems composer Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky.
You can listen to the show on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/MusicBoxRadioUK/the-arts-desk-with-dominik-scherrer-thursday-6th-may-2021/
Playlist:
The first section is selections from Dominik Scherrer’s The Serpent soundtrack, including the title sequence “State of Flux” and “Gem Dealer.” Also:
Serge Gainsbourg - 69 - Année Erotique
Mark Fry - Roses For Columbus
James Gang - Funk 49
Shuggie Otis - Bootie Cooler
Kai Tom Yum - Kawan Siang Thong
Taxi Val Mentek - Fibreoptic Lights
Yello - Bostich
UnknownmiX - The Siren
Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky - Incantations
Nontokazi’s Song - Ngqoko Village Women’s Ensemble
Dominik Scherrer - from “The Widow”
Abdou El Omani - Nuits D’Été
Louise Kleboe - The Oyster Catcher
Kiko Dinucci - Marquito
UnknownmiX - The Siren (reprise)
Bab L’Bluz - Gnawa Beat
Samba Touré - Tamala
Dominik Scherrer - From “Requiem” featuring Natasha Khan from Bat For Lashes
