New Sounds

#4982, With Abel Selaocoe, From the Soundcheck Podcasts

Episode Summary

The South African-born, UK-based cellist Abel Selaocoe doesn’t really cross musical boundaries – he ignores them entirely. He’ll play Bach cello suites, but he also writes music that draws on the throat singing and instinctive vocalizations of his South African heritage, as well as works with electronics, cello preparations, and site-specific sound installations. And sometimes, he’ll create a performance that seems to be all of them at once. Abel Selaocoe’s latest album is called Hymns of Bantu, and he plays some of those pieces, solo, in-studio.  Abel Selaocoe appears courtesy of Warner Classics  Also, listen to music by Loup Barrow, a French musician, composer and professional player of the Cristal Baschet. The instrument is a very rare and delicate otherworldly-sounding glass organ comprised of 56 chromatically-tuned glass rods. Recently, Loup Barrow spent a few hours here in our studio assembling this sound sculpture to play it, in-studio. Program #4982, With Abel Selaocoe, From Soundcheck (First aired 3/4/2025) ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Kea Morata [1:04]RECORDING: Hymns of BantuSOURCE: Warner ClassicsINFO: https://w.lnk.to/hbantuAY ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Ka Bohaleng [3:10]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.abelselaocoe.com ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Les Voix Humaines/Tsohle Tsohle [2:52]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.abelselaocoe.com ARTIST: DinakaWORK: Les Voix Humaines/Tsohle Tsohle [2:18]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.abelselaocoe.com ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Giovanni Sollima: L.B. Files - Concerto [:40]RECORDING: Hymns of BantuSOURCE: Warner ClassicsINFO: https://w.lnk.to/hbantuAY ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Giovanni Sollima: L.B. Files - Concerto [4:52]RECORDING: Hymns of BantuSOURCE: Warner ClassicsINFO: https://w.lnk.to/hbantuAY ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Northern Lights [6:46]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Oct. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.loupbarrow.com ARTIST: PassioWORK: Northern Lights [3:39]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Oct. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.loupbarrow.com

Episode Notes

The South African-born, UK-based cellist Abel Selaocoe doesn’t really cross musical boundaries – he ignores them entirely. He’ll play Bach cello suites, but he also writes music that draws on the throat singing and instinctive vocalizations of his South African heritage, as well as works with electronics, cello preparations, and site-specific sound installations. And sometimes, he’ll create a performance that seems to be all of them at once. Abel Selaocoe’s latest album is called Hymns of Bantu, and he plays some of those pieces, solo, in-studio. 

Abel Selaocoe appears courtesy of Warner Classics 

Also, listen to music by Loup Barrow, a French musician, composer and professional player of the Cristal Baschet. The instrument is a very rare and delicate otherworldly-sounding glass organ comprised of 56 chromatically-tuned glass rods. Recently, Loup Barrow spent a few hours here in our studio assembling this sound sculpture to play it, in-studio.

Program #4982, With Abel Selaocoe, From Soundcheck (First aired 3/4/2025)

ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Kea Morata [1:04]RECORDING: Hymns of BantuSOURCE: Warner ClassicsINFO: https://w.lnk.to/hbantuAY

ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Ka Bohaleng [3:10]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.abelselaocoe.com

ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Les Voix Humaines/Tsohle Tsohle [2:52]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.abelselaocoe.com

ARTIST: DinakaWORK: Les Voix Humaines/Tsohle Tsohle [2:18]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.abelselaocoe.com

ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Giovanni Sollima: L.B. Files - Concerto [:40]RECORDING: Hymns of BantuSOURCE: Warner ClassicsINFO: https://w.lnk.to/hbantuAY

ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Giovanni Sollima: L.B. Files - Concerto [4:52]RECORDING: Hymns of BantuSOURCE: Warner ClassicsINFO: https://w.lnk.to/hbantuAY

ARTIST: Abel SelaocoeWORK: Northern Lights [6:46]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Oct. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.loupbarrow.com

ARTIST: PassioWORK: Northern Lights [3:39]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Oct. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially availableINFO: https://www.loupbarrow.com