6. Skins!

Les is just another hallmark of the whole exotica genre. Martin Denny, Les Baxter and Arthur Lyman are just like, the guys. But this is just another one that’s like… I just love bongos! I love how well recorded they are and they’ve really taken the time to get the best sound that they can possibly bring, and they’re just trying so hard to capture this weird aesthetic that doesn’t even exist. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I heard Martin Denny has never even been to Hawaii. I don’t know if I actually believe that, I think he had a club that he used to play at there. But that’s what people were saying, and it is this weird pastiche that doesn’t exist in the way that it’s made to make people feel like they’re somewhere exotic when they’re just at home. It was pre-popular air travel, and it was that whole thing of buying tiki glasses and getting a big slice of pineapple, because we can get pineapple now but we can’t afford to go to all these exotic places we’ve read about; you know, Hollywood celebrities get to go and spend their time on these beautiful beaches, so we’ll bring a little bit of that to people’s living rooms.