Ragnar Johnson is an anthropologist who made field recordings in Ethiopia, Yemen and Papua New Guinea during the 1970s. He started in the summer of 1971, travelling to Ethiopia with Ralph Harrisson, and later recorded ceremonial flute music in Papua New Guinea. He went on to teach the anthropology of art and social anthropology at universities in the UK. Johnson's 1971 Ethiopian tapes, made on a Uher stereo recorder, first appeared on Lyrichord and Ocora. Sub Rosa later reissued them as Ethiopian Urban and Tribal Music (2017) and Ethiopian Musics 1971.
Taking a slight deviation from the widely celebrated path through experimental sounds that has largely defined their efforts over the years, the venerable Sub Rosa returns with rare and essential dive into the world of ethnomusicology with ‘Ethiopian…
Double CD version. Includes color insert. Sub Rosa present a reissue of volume one (Mindanoo Mistiru) and two (Gold From Wax) of Ethiopian Urban And Tribal Music, both originally released as two distinct LPs on Lyrichord in 1972. Mindanoo Mistiru and…
Softcover book with full color obi-dustwrap. Thread sewn softcover with green thread. 292pp. Edition of 500 copies. A New Guinea Journey" is Dr. Ragnar Johnson's 289 page manuscript concerning his ethnomusicology research in Papua New Guinea during t…
Crying Bamboos is a translation of the pidgin description of the sound of sacred flutes: "Mambu i cry, i cry, i cry". Sacred flutes are blown to make the cries of spirits by adult men in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea. Pairs of long bamboo mal…
Double CD version. Includes booklet. Sub Rosa present Music From Yemen Arabia: Sanaani, Laheji, Adeni And Samar a reissue of both Music From Yemen Arabia: Samar and Music From Yemen Arabia: Sanaani, Laheji, Adeni, recorded by Ragnar Johnson and Jessi…
Recorded by Ragnar Johnson, assisted by Jessica Mayer, in Papua New Guinea, April-August 1976. Tape-to-digital transfer by Dave Hunt at Dave Hunt Audio in London, July 2015. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin, August…