Excavated Shellac: Strings
A globe-spanning journey through rare 78rpm recordings that document the soul of string music from every corner of the world.
From Armenia to Uganda, Excavated Shellac: Strings presents mesmerizing performances recorded between 1920-1950 on 78rpm discs. The collection features both familiar and rare instruments—fiddles, shamisen, charango, Paraguayan harp, Indian vina, Lebanese oud, Persian violin, Vietnamese moon guitar, and more—each telling a story from its own cultural landscape.
Highlights include Armenian violinist Sogomon Seranyan, whose soulful performance of Eraz embodies the Armenian folk tradition; Indian vina virtuoso Sundaram Balachander, a master of Carnatic classical music; and Paraguayan harpist Félix Pérez Cardoso, whose dazzling Pajaro Campana remains a national treasure.
Originally issued on vinyl, this digital edition adds three bonus tracks not available on the LP. Each recording has been carefully transferred from the original discs, expertly mastered, and is accompanied by extensive historical notes by compiler Jonathan Ward.
What’s Included
- 17 audio tracks
- View the complete tracklist here: [Insert hosted PDF link]
- 20-page PDF booklet featuring:
- Rare photos and 78rpm label scans
- In-depth track notes by Jonathan Ward
Praise & Reviews
“For anyone into world music, lost gems, and old sonic obscurities, this is about as good as it gets… utterly fantastic, and sonically breathtaking.”
– Aquarius Records
About the Compiler
Jonathan Ward is the founder of the acclaimed global 78rpm archive website Excavated Shellac. Based in Los Angeles, he is a writer, compiler, and collector whose productions include the Grammy-nominated Opika Pende: Africa at 78rpm and the ongoing Excavated Shellac series for Dust-to-Digital.
