The American fascination with exotic South Pacific/Polynesian/South Seas or “Tiki” cultures as the all-encompassing term is known, began in California during the 1930s but really spread throughout the US as a by-product of World War Two. As servicemen returned home to the states they brought much of the ambience from these exotic places with them such as Tiki carvings and other art. Polynesian-influenced food, tropical-themed beverages, flamboyant flowered shirts, bamboo and rattan furniture and music became very popular across the United States from about 1945 to 1965.
By the middle 1960s the appeal of Tiki culture started to fade – particularly as the counter-culture revolts of the decade gained a firm grip over American society. The Tiki aesthetic became kitschy and passé. Although the Tiki-themed cocktail lounges, restaurants, motels, and apartment buildings had largely been altered or disappeared altogether by the late 1970s – the music has lived on.
Beginning in the mid-1990s the Tiki aesthetic experienced a significant revival and many original “Exotica” recordings were reissued on cd, this time including cocktail recipes – many of which were rum-based. This has always been something of a curiosity as rum originated in the Caribbean – not the South Seas. With this in mind it should be noted though, that the Exotica music genre and Tiki styles have tended to be an all-encompassing, idealized perception combining various elements from tropical regions around the world.
Indeed, tracks on the cd such as “Chant Of The Moon” and “Warm Wind Night” evoke the languid delights of an evening cruise up the Amazon River or lying back on a boat deck mesmerized by the moonlight and twinkling stars while anchored in a Tahitian lagoon. These and eight other tracks on Exotic Excursion were originally part of a recording called Voodoo from 1959 by composer Robert Drasnin (1927-2015) which has emerged as a cult favorite. However, it is unknown why only ten of the original twelve tracks from Voodoo are on the reissue.
In any case, Drasnin was a prolific composer and musician who created a great number of scores for movies and especially such television shows as The Twilight Zone, The Wild Wild West and Hawaii Five-O. His was a long career spanning the late 1950s up to a few years before his death in 2015 at 87.
Drasnin’s contribution to the Exotica/Easy Listening genre was significant along with such better known names as Martin Denny and Les Baxter who also made it internationally famous. This genre is particularly dreamy and enticing due to extensive use of flutes, string bass and percussion instruments. The addition of such sound effects as wind chimes, bird calls and croaking frogs add to the allure of the music.
While Exotica is primarily the sounds of relaxation, romance, and mental transference to earthly paradise and utopia – there is always a slight, underlying whiff of danger which also makes it beguiling. Some movies (of varying cinematic quality) from the original period of Exotica/Tiki popularity featuring exotic, tropical locales run the gamut of adventure, drama, and musicals. Some of these films to check out include: Island Of Desire (1952), Botany Bay (1953), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Return To Paradise (1953), Secret Of The Incas (1954), Fire Down Below (1957), South Pacific (1958), Twilight For The Gods (1958), Blue Hawaii (1961), Diamond Head (1963), Donovan’s Reef (1963), Hawaii (1966).
As always, my “Lounge Acts” posts are about kicking back with a tasty adult beverage! The Mai Tai, Tropical Rum Punch, Blue Hawaiian, etc. are perfect fits for our subject. Also, Exotic Excursion can be purchased online through sites such as Amazon Music, Discogs & EBay. Enjoy!
