exotica

Kolumbo and the Quest to Tour Every Tiki Bar in America

Kolumbo and the Quest to Tour Every Tiki Bar in America

As a kid in landlocked Texas, Frank LoCastro has wanted to make Exotica music. With Kolumbo’s sophomore LP, his dream of touring tiki bars is within reach.

Fregonese’s ‘Marco Polo’ Traveled a Twisty Road to Production

Fregonese’s ‘Marco Polo’ Traveled a Twisty Road to Production

Hugo Fregonese’s 1962 Italian-French production of Marco Polo is a film whose history is more twisty than the spaghetti Marco Polo discovered in China.

The Saxophones Take Us to ‘Eternity Bay’ (album stream) (premiere)

The Saxophones Take Us to ‘Eternity Bay’ (album stream) (premiere)

The Saxophones seamlessly blend surf pop, exotica, and West Coast jazz on their smart and sensitive new LP, Eternity Bay.

Nick Millevoi and the Desertion Trio Explore Bygone Era With “Taboo” (premiere)

Nick Millevoi and the Desertion Trio Explore Bygone Era With “Taboo” (premiere)

Culled from an album that finds the group revisiting the sounds of the Platters, Santo and Johnny, and Les Baxter, "Taboo" is in tune of a different time but may ultimately find us reflecting on our own.

Paul Page’s ‘Pacific Paradise’ Highlights the Cultural Problems of Tiki Bar-ready Exotica

Paul Page’s ‘Pacific Paradise’ Highlights the Cultural Problems of Tiki Bar-ready Exotica

Rereleasing Paul Page's tiki bar-ready exotica dredges up vintage cultural tensions surrounding colonialism and appropriation on Pacific Paradise.

Various Artists: Hulaland: The Golden Age of Hawaiian Music

Various Artists: Hulaland: The Golden Age of Hawaiian Music

Hulaland is a set to peruse and enjoy in your “little grass shack” on the beach, poolside, or by the fire on a snowy day.

His Dark Exotica: Ennio Morricone – “Little Afro Flemish Mass”

His Dark Exotica: Ennio Morricone – “Rite of Magic”/ “Great Bird in the Sky”

Mike Cooper: Rayon Hula