The Left Arm of Buddha: welcome to the tiki bar

You will be in no danger of falling asleep to mantras at the Espace Senghor this Friday: The Left Arm of Buddha will present a lively mix of exotica and sensual, at times bewitching, dances from the Pacific Islands. “Exotica recreates the idyllic life of Polynesia; it’s music that makes people happy.”

Exotica is a musical style that emerged in the United States in the 1950s, bringing together the rhythms of Pacific Islands, such as those of Hawaii and Polynesia, with jazz. “This was soon combined with other genres like funk, soul, and even rock ‘n’ roll,” explains Michaël Bridoux, guitarist and founder of the group The Left Arm of Buddha. “The idea was to recreate an entirely imaginary paradisiacal life – the kind of artificial paradise found in tiki bars with their bamboo and totems, inspired by life in the islands of Polynesia.”

Apart from idolising life on the islands of the Pacific, exotica also draws inspiration from other kinds of music from sunny climes such as Africa, Amazonia, and the Middle East. The genre’s big names are Les Baxter, Martin Denny, and the vibraphonist Arthur Lyman. Belgian groups into exotica have been thin on the ground, but one day Michaël Bridoux discovered the genre on a compilation album on Capitol entitled Ultra-Lounge. “It’s a compilation of easy-listening music featuring big bands of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as exotica material by Martin Denny. I was converted immediately! It completely matches my personality: this music puts me in a good mood. I want to share that with people who don’t know it.”

The Left Arm of Buddha uses a lot of percussion, including the marimba, the vibraphone, a full range of Latin percussion instruments (including congas and bongos), a gong, and a drum set. It also has an array of wind instruments, ranging from the baritone, tenor, and soprano saxophone to the flute, as well as featuring guitar, organ, piano, and double bass. “The vibraphone is my favourite instrument: I just love its ethereal quality,” says Bridoux. “But our music has a groove. Ours is an exotica style that is developing; it’s not lift music.” The dancing, he points out, is a key element of the show: “The dances are inspired by film scenes from the 1950s: girls in harems, savage girls drinking from skulls, and so on. The idea of the dances is to hypnotise the audience. There are gentler dances like the belly dance, which is really sensual; but there are also more primitive ones in animal skins – that’s the more boisterous side of things. Footage from films of the time will be projected so that people can see what we’re getting at.”

It took just over a year to put the show together. The concert will be filmed in order to promote the show, as there is a lot more than just music involved. “The Espace Senghor is going to be transformed into a tiki, with cocktails, a warm-up with DJ Next Baxter, and an after-party with DJ ReeDoo.” And what is the link with Buddha? “There isn’t any: it’s the title of a track by Martin Denny, the founder of exotica. And we like the allusion to Buddha, especially the idea of being his left arm rather than his right. We’re on his side, without being his greatest ally.” [Laughs]

The Left Arm of Buddha • 7/6, 20.30, €12/14, Espace Senghor, Waversesteenweg 366 chaussée de Wavre, Etterbeek, 02-230.31.40, www.senghor.be