Dusty
Grooves, sellers of fine vinyl by Mr Umiliani
Swank Times, loungin'
news
Dub Asylum, my latest
musical project
The Exotic
World of Les Baxter - This, the original and for many years the ONLY
Les Baxter resource on the web, is Club Velvet's humble tribute to the
undisputed "Godfather of Exotica" featuring liner notes, an illustrated
discography and an extensive interview with Les conducted just a year
before his death in 1996. Much of the work done by Kini for this site
was later used for the "Official Les Baxter Website".
The Official Les Baxter
Website - This beautiful site overseen by Les's own daughter features
family notes, and a wonderful history of Les (not to mention numerous
images painstakingly scanned by King Kini for his "Exotic World of Les
Baxter").
The
Temple of Denny - As part of Vik's Lounge, this site features a nice
discography, liner notes, and other tidbits on the man behind the bamboo curtain.
Everything you'll ever need to know about Martin Denny.
Martin
Denny - So here's more!
Arthur Lyman -
Nice tribute site to Denny's original vibe player who went on to record
many great albums with his own group. Aloha!
Yma Sumac
- The ultimate destination for fans of this Peruvian chanteuse. Official
site authorized by Yma herself.
Burt
Bacharach - "A House Is Not A Homepage" dedicated to one of the finest
songwriters of all time. Burt is THE MAN!
Spaced
Out: The Enoch Light Site - Devoted to the "Provocative Percussion"
man himself; Enoch Light's prolific career helped define the term "hi-fi"
and his recording techniques produced a sound quality that still holds
up today!
LALO SCHIFRIN
- Detailed site documenting the life and works of the man behind the music
for "Mission: Impossible" and many other spythemes. Lalo's original music
also forms the basis for hits by both Portishead and Pizzicato 5.
Dimitri
from Paris - This happenin' french DJ/musician released the simply
brilliant LP, "Sacrebleu!" featuring a hybrid of house, trip-hop and EZ
listening that can only be described as future-lounge. C'est magnifique!
Soundtrack Archives - Cover art from vintage international soundtrack
LPs compiled by Pee-Wee Marquette.
Edmundo
Ros Front Page - Discography for and information on the proficient
latin band leader.
The
Fantastic Ann-Margret - duh.
Claudine
Longet - "Cuddle Up with Claudine": french-born popsinger, co-star
of Peter Sellers, wife of Andy Williams, murderer(?).
House of
Games - Hipster Jack Diamond's web companion to his California radio
show of the same name, this site features bee-oo-ti-ful album cover scans
and lots of kewl Esquivel stuff!
The Moog
Cookbook - Official page for the band whose vintage electronica inspired
versions of recent alterna-rock hits often improve on the originals (if
you have sick tastes like mine).
Jobim,
Gliberto, Bossa Nova - Small corner of the web dedicated to bossa
nova & guitar.
The
Exotica Mailing List Home Page - Exotica is a mailing list for fans
and collectors of weird and unusual music from the early LP era forward.
Common topics of discussion include artists like Perez Prado, Les Baxter,
and Yma Sumac; cool record finds; current reissues in the genre, and so
forth.
King Kini's CLUB VELVET
- "An Adventure in Space-Age Exotica," this is the internet counterpart
to King Kini's swank Minneapolis hotspot. See the sights, hear the sounds
and taste the drinks of CLUB VELVET. *Includes the "Exotic World of Les
Baxter" tribute to the master.
LuxuriaMusic.com
- 24 hour-a-day live webcast programmed by The Millionaire of Combustible
Edison, and other big name exoticats. Luxuria wants to "link the new internationalists,
the pleasure seekers, the thrill-hungry hearts and minds of Bon Viveurs
around the world who thirst for quality and personality and excellence
and splendour: the discriminating ones, who will not settle for mediocrity
and uniformity."
Vik's
Lounge and Radio Vik - The definitive source for ALL your informational
needs when it comes to EZ listening. Be careful not to get lost in a back
room on your way to the exhaustive "Temple of Denny". Tell Henri "Kini"
sent you (he'll take care of ya).
The Space
Age Pop Standards - "Any song worth playing is worth wearing into
the ground." Detailed biographies and discographies of many many exotic,
latin and pop artists.
The Wilds Scene -
An original exploration of the exotic in art and music. Sections include
an exhibition of tiki objects, tributes to unsung musical idioms and past
stars, and "Wilds Sounds."
Smoking
Redhead Club - The Smoking Redhead is a virtual lounge where you can
dig some crazy albums: visit the Tiki Room to check out some exotica,
the Black Satin Lounge to relax to mellow cocktail music or groove to
jazzy lounge jive, or the Stand-Up Comedy Bar to lighten your spirits.
Space
Age Bachelor Pad Music - Joseph Holmes' original pioneering website
of lounge culture... still worth a look!
Home of SHAG - Experience
his world of mid-century swingers, tiki bar primitiva, and exotica-science
fiction in Shag's online gallery.
Swank-O-Rama
- Live the international jet-set cocktail lifestyle on the Internet. Whether
you are a secret agent, a playboy, a "La Dolce Vita" jet-setter , a super-model
or just someone looking for an lifetime of fabulous fun...
Hawaiiana Traders
- "TikiTrader's Grass Shack" offers Hawaiian Shirts, Tiki Mugs, Tiki and
Polynesian Jewelry, Tiki Artifacts, Luau and Bar Supplies, Music and Books
of Polynesia, Arts and Crafts of the islands and more...
The Party-Planning
Wisdom of Trader Vic - Excerpts from Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron's
1946 masterpiece, "Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink."
MisterLUCKY - A quarterly
musical communique celebrating music of a "jazz-centric" nature and the
responsible love of booze and cocktails. This site celebrates the martini,
Manhattan and other divine nectars that "take away the edge of a harsh
modern reality and stimulate both appetite and conversation."
Rudy's Corner -
Featuring Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Laurindo Almeida, Esquivel and others.
Home of Rudy's A&M corner.
The Roots of Lounge -
History of lounge based on a 1995 radio documentary.
The Theremin
Home Page - Exhaustive web archive of theremin information... ooooooeeeeeoooo...
Scamp Records
- "Your Passport to Excitement," Scamp is THE label when it comes to reissuing
exotica classics on CD. Their attention to detail SHOULD set the standard
for other labels to follow.
The Ultra-Lounge
- Capitol Records' official website for their swank "Ultra-Lounge" CD
series which you should already own.
Rykodisc - The place
to go for info on Ryko's "Shaken Not Stirred" CD and their great Arthur
Lyman releases.
Dionysus Records
- Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, women and wild behavior. Dionysus
is also an independent record label that has been unleashing nitro-charged
sounds including exotic artists Robert Drasnin, Les Baxter and the Tiki
Tones.
Bar/None Records -
For detailed information on Esquivel and his recent compliation releases,
visit this the homepage of the people who had enough sense to realize
there was still a market for an eccentric mexican bandleader in his 70s.
The Bossa Nova
Web Page - This webpage is the culmination of a 30 year love affair
the author has been having with a country, its people and especially,
its music.
Dada'quariums Exotica
- A site full of informational lists and reviews including an overview
of 675 quintessential, in-print exotica CDs & LPs.
TikiBosko - Tiki
Objects by Bosko is your source for the finest tiki and Polynesian pop
products available, specializing in tiki poles, ceramic mugs, masks, and
one-of-a-kind custom orders. Cool stuff... waiting on the vintage drinks!
Cool
And Strange Music! Magazine - Take a cool ride through the wild, wacky
and sometimes tacky world of records with the "first & foremost" regularly
published PRINT magazine devoted to exotica, unusual music, weird and
sexy LP cover art.
Serge
Gainsbourg - Polygram's website dedicated to the french singer and
libertine who's best known for his monument to eroticism "Je T'aime...
Mon Non Plus".
Cafe Du Nord - San
Francisco's subterranean home of swankness.
The Three
Suns Universe - The web's definitive reference resource on the prolific
Three Suns. This under-appreciated trio and their accordion had more than
a few moments of wacked-out brilliance.
The
Three Suns - Further info on "Mamie Eisenhower's favorite band".
The RAYMOND SCOTT WEB
ARCHIVE - He's been called the "Man Who Made Cartoons Swing." But
though his melodies were immortalized in over a hundred Bugs Bunny and
Daffy Duck romps, and though his late-1930's Quintette recordings now
underscore the mayhem of Ren & Stimpy, Raymond Scott never wrote a note
for cartoons in his life....
In Hi-Fi Home Page -
Thursday evenings at Bar d'O in New York City... and a very cool Gallery
of artist Jim Flora's classic work.
Find
Your Hawaiian Name - To find your name in Hawaiian, type it in the
space provided and press the find button.
Dino's Lodge
- The Dean Martin Homepage. This site serves as a nice looking hub for
all things Dino. Features a complete discography and filmography.
RareMusic on the Internet - Shockwave
audio samples of some cool music! Check the "Weird"/"Left Field" catagory
for the best in the exotica vein. Updated monthly.
Frank's
Vinyl Museum - Nice scans of strange and wonderful vintage LP covers
WITH sound clips! ...if only Frank would lose the lame quicktime music
that loads everytime you hit the homepage. ugh.
Bungalow - Cool german
label featuring Combustible Edison and other swell pop artists.
Stereo de
Luxe - Berlin-based DJ whose "extraordinary stereophonic events" present
a wide musical range including Easy Listening, Lounge-Beat, sleazy "red
light bar" music, French beat and Japanese pop.
Var�se Sarabande
- Record label currently re-issuing Ferrante & Teicher, Cugat, Hyman,
Kovacs and loads of soundtracks on CD.
It
Crawled From the Bins - Selections From Peter Gilstrap's Pathetically
Huge Collection of Oddball Records.
Trader Vic's Taiwan
- Worth checking out if only for the official cocktail menu... just read
between the @@@@@@'s.
Sugarbaby's
Atomic Lounge - Big Daddy spins it all, from swing to lounge, every
Thursday night in Boston, Mass.
Swanktown
Radio - Swingin' Minneapolis radio show with DJ Gregg Wolfe in Cheap
Clothing. Check out the website's handy "Ultralounge Search Tool".
The Retro
Cocktail Hour - A Saturday night radio show from the University of
Kansas.
Mai Tiki - Hand-carved
masks, idols, and other exotic sculpture from a creative artist in Cocoa
Beach.
The
Tiki Bar Review Page - Your online guide to the remaining Tiki Bars
of North America.
Mmmmartini
Lounge - Virtual cocktails!!
Trader Vic's - Though
others have stepped forward to try to appropriate his legend, there was
only one Victor J. "Trader Vic" Bergeron, Jr. - inventor of the Mai Tai
and founder of the world-famous Polynesian-style restaurants that bear
his name.
Just
For Kicks! The Bob Thompson Music Page - Created by his son, this
is the official site devoted to Bob Thompson, space-age arranger & composer
extrordinaire.
Moritz's
Exotica - German exoticat Moritz Reichelt's page featuring the Exotica
Mailing List FAQ and a tour of Trader Vic's, Munich... NICE!
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