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WONDERFUL NOISES! |
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We've heard lots of interesting stuff through the years, so we think it would be cool to share some of the many albums we know of. We're also gonna use this page as an oppurtunity to highlight as many non-western artists and artists of color we can, though it isn't a hard rule. Hope something in this list interests you!
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Saint Abdullah & Eomac—Chasing Stateless (2023)Country of Origin: Iran, Ireland Genres: IDM, Industrial Techno, Sound Collage Fave Track: Of Christo A very brooding album with very intricate and hypnotic loops. Great use of polyrhythms. At times it gets Yume Nikki-esque with its sound. Though I prefer the more intense tracks since they tend to be the most compelling, the more mellow selections help add good variety and emotional depth. I don’t know a lick of Farsi myself, but the political vigor is blatant and compelling. It's also just a wonderful and authentic display of Iranian culture, actively attempting to break down stereotypes regarding West Asians as a whole. God, is that album cover incredible. If you like Yume Nikki or want some bizarre loops to wrap your head around, give this one a listen. -X |
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Tom Dissevelt & Kid Baltan—The Fascinating World of Electronci Music (1962)Country of Origin: Netherlands Genres: Musique concrete, Space Age Pop, Tape Music Fave Track: Syncopation The world of pre-Moog synthesized music is deeply fascinating to me. Although I’m glad that electronic music has been able to flourish and gain an endless variety of sounds and approaches, its less commercial-friendly, former self created distinct sounds that really sets itself apart. To the average listener, this form of music can feel very hostile and horrifying, so I imagine it’s a bit hard to get into. Tom Dissevelt often keeps a blend between experimental and conventional sound, so I think it’s a suitable introduction to this era of electronica. Dissevelt is great with both the blissful and the erratic. Fun Fact: “Pianoforte” was sampled in a series of Spy v.s. Spy commercials done by Mountain Dew! -X Where to Listen: Spotify—YouTube (Track list is out of order) |
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საბავშვო ანსამბლი "აი ია"—დაბადების დღე (1991)Country of Origin: Georgia Genres: Children’s music, Art Pop, Synthpop Fave Track: ნოსტალგია (Nostalgia) This one’s got some crazy earworms, I’ll tell ya. The child singers don’t have absolute pipes, but they have a lot of personality and bring a lot of life to the album. Generally keeps a pretty upbeat tone and isn’t incredibly experimental. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find this album in great quality as it is quite niche. It’s a shame. I really love these lo-fi electronic works from non-western countries. They feel very grounded and individual; I find it very humanizing. If you’re fond of musical numbers found in Soviet cartoons such as “In the Blue Sea in the White Foam”, you’ll get a good kick out of this album. -X Where to Listen: YouTube |
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Oshare TV—Self TitledCountry of Origin: Japan Genres: Art Pop, Techno kayō, synth funk Fave Track: Fave track: 真昼の星 (Mahiru’s Star) Now this one is a 12 year old Xavier Coolthude classic. This album gets very nutty all throughout its short runtime, bouncy in one track, surreal in the next, and chaotic in the third. It carries a very distinct sound I’ve only really heard in things like Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. Very spacey and childish. Hearing this at a young age really spurred my interest in finding niche quirky Japanese albums from the 80s-90s. While I’ve heard much more now than back then, this album still holds a place in my heart. Certainly not foundational, but it is a very fun listen. -X |
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Freshly Wrapped Candies—I Like You (1989)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Zolo, Avant-folk, Experimental Rock Fave Track: Grandfather’s Rug The word that always come to my mind with this album is “feverish”. It emulates that delirious feeling that comes from fever dreams and being half-asleep. It makes me feel like I’m some teen living on a rural American farm with nothing else to do other than create what odd little things preoccupy me and my friends’ heads. A very fitting item for the Ralph Records library. Intro track sounds very Residents-y to me. That’s the only comparison I can think of for this album, really; it’s got a very distinct sound. This album helped me get through a very grueling 2 week long trip to Italy, and I am forever indebted to it. If you need something to space out and brood to, this album would be a solid choice.-X |
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Mami Chan—Town of Tiny Loops (2010)Country of Origin: France, Japan Genres: Folktronica, Toypop, Art Pop Fave Track: Kotori no kubikazari I haven’t heard everything from Mami Chan’s catalog, but this is certainly my favorite album from her. Not every track is a banger, but it does a great job of building a beautiful and gentle nighttime atmosphere. I usually hate feeling like a child, but this album makes me feel like one in a good way. This album is pretty different in terms of sound compared to other Mami Chan albums, more “oddcute” than “creepycute”. The lack of off-color tembres and mixing helps build its gentle tone, so I think it isn’t a major flaw. Of course, I should mention the artwork this album is attached to. I believe it comes with an art booklet and it’s just wonderful. I’m in love with the shadow puppet look. The YouTube upload features all the artwork from the booklet, so you should check out that source if you want to peep the art.-X |
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John Oswald—Plexure (1993)Country of Origin: Canada Genres: Plunderphonics, Sound Collage, Satire Fave Track: Open I remember hearing this album for the first time and being anxious as shit. That was this year (2026). I will warn you: This shit is overstimulating. It is a foundational Plunderphonic work, so it’s worth a listen if you can handle all that. It’s only 19 minutes long, but the rapid fire compositions will really make you feel every minute of that runtime. I like that. It’s intricate and conversational in a manner beyond and below comprehension. From what I’ve heard, John Oswald doesn’t utilize this “rapid-fire” style of sampling in his other works very much (take this with a pinch of salt, I haven’t very much from him), so it just ends up feeling all the more unique. -X |
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Only a Mother—Feral Chickens (1995)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Avant-folk, Bluegrass Fave Track: A Little Blackout Very, very intricate with incredible lyric writing. While many tracks are strophic, they’re very polyphonic and are bursting with great texture. It features a wide variety of instruments and finds a way to explore their emotional versatility. It’s similar to I Like You in regards to its “dark folk” theming, though it’s less brooding and more satirical. A chunk of the songs cover topics about unsatisfied wives, abusive marriages, and eccentric characters. While it doesn’t sound exactly like them, the album has a lot of elements that fans of the Neverhood and Psychonauts would get a kick out of. It’s deeply organic, weird, and sometimes intellectual—can’t get enough of a combo like that. -H Where to Listen: YouTube—Bandcamp |
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Danny Brown—Stardust (2025)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Experimental Hip Hop, EDM, Hyperpop Fave Track: Whatever the Case It feels like everything in the art world has been regurgitations of past works or attempts to revive them, as of late. I’ve seen a lot of people frustrated with this, and I think this album is a good reminder that novel and sincere things are still being made; you just gotta look for them. This is also a good album for any breakcore or intense electronic fans wanting to get more invested in rap/hip hop. It includes collaborations from mostly electronic artists, including motherfucking femtanyl. Crazy shit. Much of Danny Brown’s music is very reflective and experimental, and I think it helps break many stereotypical perceptions of the genre. I doubt it will change the mind of the crotchety, racist grandpa, but it could likely change the mind of the annoying, white furry who only listens to breakcore. If you’re a white furry who only listens to breakcore and you’re reading this, listen to this shit. It’s awesome and beautiful. -X |
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The Residents—Meet the Residents (1974)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Experimental, Tape Music, Musique Concrete Fave Track: N-Er-Gee (Crisis Blues) I don’t really hear anyone describing this album as “emotional”, but it’s honestly the quality that sticks out to me the most. The whole album creates interesting representations of aggression, grief, denial, and rejoice. One would think of this album as “primitive”, but its crude methods are great at highlighting how much the addition of tracks can change a piece. It’s hard to assign the definitive Residents album for beginners to listen to, as they’re constantly changing their sound and presentation, but this isn’t a terrible candidate. It’s a great album in terms of showing how the Residents tinker with technology and composition. It’s still novel as a seasoned listener because it also shows how far back from compositional habits of theirs goes back. One more note in regards to this album: The mono and stereo versions are different! Much of the differences are fairly subjective, but I personally prefer the mono version since the extended runtime for the tracks always for certain sounds and transitions to marinate (though it ends up making “Consuelo’s Departure” less swift). -H Where to Listen: Spotify (Mono)—YouTube (Stereo)—Archive (Mono)—YouTube (Mono) |
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Mar/Barakatak—House Music Pusing Duit (2000)Country of Origin: Indonesia Genres: Dance-Pop, Euro House, Latin House Fave Track: Aje gile I’m not a house music connoisseur, but these are some pretty banging tunes. Nice, nice earworms. Some certainly hit harder than others, but they easy to move to and enjoyable. The fusion between Latin and Indonesian elements is pretty damn sick and amplifies tracks like Aje gile. It’s also rather atmospheric; the touch of mellowness adds a pinch of depth to help create intrigue. Again, I’m not super experienced with this genre so I can’t say much, but this is pretty enjoyable. Not the greatest thing featured on this page, but it’s good. -X |
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Halim el-Dabh—Crossing into the Electric Magnetic (2000)Country of Origin: Egypt Genres: Musique Concrete, Tape Music, Arab Folk, Field Recording Fave Track: Michael and the Dragon Don’t be fooled by the release date. These tracks are from 1944, making them one of the earliest pieces of tape music. For 1944, these are stunning. They paint vivid scenes that connect to you in a deep, primal way. Sometimes they’re vast and unfamiliar, distorting everyday sounds into something much larger. So much of 20th century electronic music is focused on depicting the future, looking at this technology as a small piece to a larger world we’re so close to unlocking. El-Dabh, however, decides to use this “new” technology to depict pasts far behind us—medieval dragons, ancient Greeks, the very beginning of the universe itself—stuff like that. The furthest in the future it goes is the present. There’s something very human about this album once the fear of the strange sound design washes past you. We can only remember the past and now; there is no future for us to perceive. We can only take in what’s around us, and my is it wonderous once you start listening. Please look into Halim el-Dabh. He was an incredible pioneer and one of a kind. -XS |
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Ata Kak—Obaa Sima (1994)Country of Origin: Ghana Genres: Hiplife, lo-fi, Disco Rap, Burger-Highlife Fave Track: Yemmpa Aba Very down-to-earth and fun loving. I love the use of dissonance with the backup singers. The real star of this album is Ata Kak’s vocal performance cause my god—it’s full of personality. Not only is this guy great at rapping, but the guy sounds so fucking happy. He’s got a very distinct trademark and just has a way of sticking in your head. The composition is rather simplistic in form, but it works and I don’t think it really needs much, anyway. Again, Ata Kak’s vocals are just awesome, full of personality. Check this one out to hear one of Ghana’s unique genres of music. -X |
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Esquivel—Exploring New Sounds in Hi-fi (1959)Country of Origin: Mexico Genres: Space Age Pop, Lounge, Exotica Fave Track: The 3rd Man Theme Juan Garcia Esquivel is infectious. Everything is so jumpy, fun and boisterous. It’s very hard to feel sad while listening to Esquivel. Everything in his music is constantly moving and soaring about, struggling to keep itself still. It’s somewhat similar to Spike Jones in the sense that the tembre is constantly shifting to create a jovial and goofy tone. While Esquivel’s music is very conventional to the American ear, there are many touches of Mexican/Latin elements to his music, oftentimes used to amplify the music’s movement and energy. If you’re feeling down and need something light to cheer you up, Esquivel’s always there for you. -X Where to Listen: Spotify |
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The Residents—God in Three Persons (1988)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Minimal Synth, Spoken Word Fave Track: Silver, Sharp and Could Not Care An absolute classic Residents album, one of the Residents’ most thought provoking stories. This was my first introduction to the Residents’ concept albums and man, what a treat. Characters are open-ended yet complex and its themes are handled gracefully. Really strikes a cord if you’ve struggled with sexual guilt and/or are trans. This album’s a great example of how the Residents play with words as well, namely how they use them to built analogies and metaphors. If you can handle graphic descriptions of rape, then you should give this album a listen! -X |
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Stock, Hausen, & Walkman—Organ Transplants Vol. 1Country of Origin: United Kingdom Genres: Plunderphonics, Lounge, Hauntology, Sound Collage Fave Track: HoneyReally great introduction album for Stock, Hausen, & Walkman with lots of memorable tracks. A wonderful balance of blissful and creepy that leaves you hypnotized. It’s similar to some works by Tipsy in that regard, but personally, I like how SH&W conveys this feeling more. Sometimes gets LittleBigPlanet-esque with its sound. It’s definitely less intense or humorous than SH&W’s other albums, which again, makes it a nice introduction album, as well as a solid introduction into more abstract sample-based works. The bonus tracks for the album are real great too, though as far as I know you can only access them via buying the album on Bandcamp. -X |
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Morton Subotnick—The Wild Bull (1968)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Electronic, Experimental, Tape music Fave Tracks: Part I I remember being awestruck when I first heard this on vinyl. Something about the movement created by the sounds just blew my mind. It’s certainly very abstract, wandering without much concern for form and lacking a cohesive melody, which also allows it wallow in its emotions similar to how one would in real life. It’s hard to talk about this album without mentioning the Sumerian poem it was inspired by. According to the backside of the album’s cover, the poem was very striking to Subotnick as it reminded him of his own personal losses in life. This information really adds a really different tone to the album. It’s a very interesting approach to sadness that makes it stand out from other electronic music of the era. -X |
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Jazz Spastiks & Mello Soul Black—Midnight Method (2017)Country of Origin: United Kingdom, United States Genres: Boom Bap, Jazz Rap Fave Track: Raw Funk (Midnight Mix) I find myself going back to this one every now and again cause it’s so relaxing and catchy. It has a really sick aesthetic going on with it that’s hard to resist. If you’re struggling to understand the genre of rap outside of its value as commentary, this is a good album that shows how much wordplay plays a role in the genre. It, and rap in general, has a very interesting approach to figurative language that I think people should take time to appreciate more. This album’s got a very laxxed mood and just gives you time to absorb that wordplay. The instrumentals are real great as well if you’re someone who’s more interested in the nonverbal aspects of rap. -X |
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Mosquito—Oh No Not Another Mosquito My House is Full of Them! (1993)Country of Origin: United States Genres: Experimental Rock, Noise Rock Fave Track: Lucky I’ll be honest this EP is full of a bunch of bullshit but it’s good bullshit. It’s just nutty and dumb fun. It’s like if you put Taz the Tasmanian Devil in a recording booth and let him do whatever. It’s a great vibe if you’re the grungy type. It’s one of those things that make you remember, “wow, music can just be the whatever the fuck it wants to, huh?” Listen to this if you want some straight up bullshit. -X Where to Listen: YouTube |
