“DIY ethnomusicologist” Palmer Keen recorded the
reak ceremony in Cinunuk, West Java, in May 2017. The reak is a ceremony
celebrating a young boy’s circumcision. This is the point in any review where
I’d be like, “Well, this connects for ME in such-and-such a way…,” but I’m not
going to regale you with the details of my penis. We’ll just stick to the
music.
Keen’s field recordings shed light on the amazing
musical proficiency of groups outside of the popular consciousness, and the
players here have undoubtedly performed this ritual music before. Eastern
instruments and scales are the obvious marks here, which mostly flit by at a
quick pace. It’s hard not to get lost in it, to imagine you’re there.
--Ryan
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