Dust-To-Digital Rec. 
V.A. : Black Mirror: reflections in global musics (1918-1954) (VAR,pub.2008)**°°°
I heard on the net a few outstanding tracks from this compilation which made me buy his recording. It is a well documented album (booklet, photographs) of very old world music related shellac recordings. Sadly, for my taste, the album starts with 14 for me rather boring World Music examples of 3 minutes each, tracks that sound all too familiar. But after that, the compilations starts immediately from a completely different quality and level of performance, with emotional depth instead of boring repetition of traditions, and original ideas. First we have Marika Papagika (rebetika related, from Greece) : with incredible sad music (1919). They promised a full release by her soon, so I surely look forward to that. Her song was the main reason why I checked this compilation. More strong emotionality can be found from Serbian Petar Perunovic-Perun (recorded between 1924-33). Also the Western Java singing by Nji R.Hadji Djoaehn in classical art-song style has its own strength and originality (1928). This is followed by one of the earliest flamenco recordings (1939), an honest performance with its own expressiveness. Rather good also is the Spanish song after this, by Prof.Lucas Junot (1927). After a less rewarding Buddhist prayer, the Swedish folk song with a childish voice by Christer Falkenstrom (1954) is again rather rewarding. After an ok Indonesian slightly odd all-vocal recording, we hear a p’ansori recording, another favourite style of mine of Korean origin, performed by Sinkou Son & Kouran Kin (1930s), with strange vocal vibrations. Sadly it is clearly just a fragment of a larger piece. The album ends with an Burmese dance performance with interesting musical ideas. The compilation would have been nearly a must to check out for the individual tracks if they had shortened it to the essential tracks only. I look forward to what they will make from the future Marika Papagika compilation.
