Les Baxter's skilled orchestral arrangements brought the sounds of foreign ports into the bachelor pads and lounges of ‘50s and ‘60s. Emphasising percussion, birdcalls, unusual vocals and atmospheric instrumentation, Baxter—along with fellow travellers Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman—defined the genre known as exotica, or retro lounge. One of his most celebrated records is Voice of the Xtabay with the queen of exotica, vocalist Yma Sumac, though his 1952 masterpiece Ritual of the Savage is an equally rich, colourful display of kitsch and class.