Limited repress. John Frusciante's Foregrow doesn't sound like any Acid Test record, or any other record. After the unlikely alliance between the Los Angeles label and the iconoclastic Venice, CA musician, all bets are off. This one's truly a passage through night. Foregrow is a lurching, lysergic beauty which offers glimpses of his platinum pop instincts, but only behind the veil of true experimentalism.
Exek present their debut LP Biased Advice, following a self-titled cassette EP (2014) and a single contribution to a split cassette (2015). Biased Advice collects rerecorded and past material, which together stands as the fullest realization of an Exek identity, honed during two years of haunting Melbourne's live gig circuit. Before forming as a four-piece band in 2014, Exek remained an abstract concept in the mind of front man-to-be, Albert Wolski. With songs written but no musicians to perform them, he enlisted Andrew Brocchi (synthesizer), Henry Wilson (bass) and Sam Dixon (drums) and they began recording material according to Wolski's vision. The addition of Nell Grant on saxophone made previously murky reference points plainly obvious: Exek are the progeny of a Melbourne scene that established itself around Dave Chesworth and Philip Brophy's Innocent record label of the 1980s and its greatest offering, Essendon Airport's 1981 album, Palimpsest (CH 087CD). But Exek dared to abandon the pop and funk tropes of the early Australian new wave scene reaching out to German post-punk of the same era. Wolski's songwriting is akin to records put out by Hannover's No Fun Records and Hamburg's Zickzack, channeling the droll lyricism of 39 Clocks, saturated with self-deprecating attitude. Their vision mirrors Tuxedomoon's "Holiday for Plywood" but crucially, Biased Advice is a sermon that Exek preach to themselves. The band pit themselves as both victims and saviors living in a world that's trying to extinguish them. The conceptual weight carried in Wolski's lyrics follows on from process. Dub and other studio techniques are used throughout Biased Advice and are no better evidenced in the 16-minute modern (and instant) classic, "Baby Giant Squid". This song remains unchanged from its cassette release on Melbourne's Resistance/Restraint label, but here it lays bare its perfection over a whole side of the record. Basslines that stand out one moment give way to dubbed out percussion, hissing tape delay and reverb drenched vocals. Simply, this post-kraut-dub-psyche-punk excursion looks back over it's shoulder as it leaves "Bella Lugosi's Dead" for dead. It's a sublime balance of improvisation and cold calculation. It's the tension between this teetering psychotic nihilism and arrangement with studio-like precision that gives Biased Advice the tone of a forewarning. But of what?
Steve Bug and Clé present All We Have, a no-nonsense, house EP. "All We Have" settles right into the groove with crisp and funky percussion, Chi-town chords and amazing vocal samples. In "She Cargo", thick, rubbery basslines, squiggly synths and firing percussion combine to deliver a suitable homage to the windy city. "Ape Parade" is built from some similar materials, but the chords are a little more lush and deep - synth strings and keys add a sense of the epic, and everything is tied together with a sick kick/snare/hat pattern.
Hypnobeat, spearheaded by James Dean Brown, invited Helena Hauff to join a him live for the Save Festival in Moscow in 2015. The material on Ritual Fire Dance EP is gathered from this set. Interlocking percussive rumble takes on a cyclical, tribal quality as aligned with traditional music as it is with contemporary electronics. For the technically minded out there, the kit list included one 707, three 808s, two 303s, Alesis airFX, EHX Deluxe Bass Big Miff Pi, Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo and Boss RE-20 Space Echo, all of which can be seen on the accompanying postcard.
Eddy Detroit returns with a brand-new LP! The legend refuses to diminish. Eddy Detroit crafts eight new songs full of his trademark twisted folk, satanic Americana, and trance voodoo magic. This album ventures into the deranged psychosis of the Phoenix AZ characters that inhibit Eddy's world. Multiple-personality girlfriends, twisted and rouge hanger-goners, and life as a street musician in the infernal Arizona summer heat. Another cast of local musicians are on board for this record that features cello, ocean drum, piano, guitar, bongos, and violin. This is all capped off by the B-side, a deep, trance-inducing descent into Dante's Inferno that features Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls) on vocals, Doug Clark (Victory Acres/Feederz) on synthesizer, and Eddy Detroit on bongos -- overlaid with a recording of Eddy Detroit waxing on about his extraordinary life. "Toe Sucker Beach" is meant as an homage to The Velvet Underground's "The Gift" -- a track that can be listened to as a whole or as a hard pan, with the demented instrumental in one channel and Eddy's reminiscences in the other channel. This record is another swan dive into the brilliant mind of one of the most original outsider musicians out there. Limited edition of 400. Released to coincide with Eddy's Detroit's first European tour in the fall of 2016.
DARK HORSES, THE: Tunnel At The End Of The Light LP (BANG 099LP)
Bang! Records present the vinyl version of Tunnel At The End Of The Light by The Dark Horses. As usual in this project, lead songwriter Tex Perkins dives into the most intimate side of his music and sounds, covering melancholic passages and acoustic dark ballads full of emotion and intensity. The Dark Horses include, Tex Perkins (Beasts of Bourbon, Butcher Shop, The Ape), Charlie Owen (Beasts of Bourbon, New Christs), Joel Silbersher (Hoss, God), Gus Agars (The Ape), Steve Hadley (Tex Perkins and the Band of Gold) and Australian soundtrack writer Murray Paterson. Another magnificent piece of music for you to share with nobody.
Be As One label boss Shlomi Aber steps up with a storming "back-to-basics" EP for his label's 60th release. Paradox EP packs together the strength of Shlomi's own "Paradox" and "Monday Paranoia" originals, two cuts of proper darkroom and sweaty techno, with a remix by one of Germany's techno ambassadors, Markus Suckut.
Beat Generation present a reissue of Fu Manchu's 10th studio album, We Must Obey, originally released in 2007. Fu Manchu were formed in California in 1987. Their debut was a 7" flexi disc released by the mighty San Francisco´s label Slap A Ham, a total gem in their gender. Their sound was based in their '70s heroes as Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and so on but also in their contemporary bands as Black Flag, Descendents and Flippers. We Must Obey is an album where the band came back to their roots with a wall of heavy guitars sound and with monumental songs as "Land of Giants" or the final track "Sensei vs. Sensei". This release helped the band to enter the stoner throne together with Queens of the Stone Age or Hermano, two headline bands at the moment, into the hard stoner rock scene. Features a cover of "Moving In Stereo" written by The Cars. 180 gram vinyl. Edition of 500.
$14.99 EAN: 8435008884963 ROCK
A1. We Must Obey
A2. Knew It All Belong
A3. Let Me Out
A4. Hung Out To Dry
A5. Shake It Loose
A6. Land Of Giants
B1. Between The Lines
B2. Lesson
B3. Moving In Stereo (Written by The Cars)
B4. Didn´t Really Try
B5. Sensei vs. Sensei
FU MANCHU: Signs Of Infinite Power LP (BEAT 062LP)
Beat Generation present a reissue of Fu Manchu's 12th studio album, Signs Of Infinite Power, originally released in 2009. Black Sabbath and Valley Of Death worshippers, Fu Manchu, originally released Signs Of Infinite Power on the Liquor and Poker Music label. Expect more patented Sabbath-punkish riffs, some long monumental songs and some fast and urgent tracks that are like a punch in your face. Fat, hard, stoner rock. 180 gram vinyl. Edition of 500.
$14.99 EAN: 8435008884970 ROCK
A1. Bionic Astronautics
A2. Steel. Beast. Defeated
A3. Against The Ground
A4. Webfoot Witch Hat
A5. El Busta
B1. Sings Of Infinite Power
B2. Eyes X 10
B3. Gargantuan March
B4. Tale It Away
B5. One Step Too Far
SIROTA & NICO MUHLY, NADIA: Keep In Touch CD (HVALUR 026CD)
Keep In Touch is a viola concerto from Nadia Sirota & Nico Muhly. When Nico had the opportunity to write a bona-fide viola concerto, there was no question that the piece would be premiered by Nadia, whose input has influenced Nico's writing throughout their history of intimate collaboration. Nadia points out that Nico's compositions, in particular Keep In Touch, have influenced her playing: Valgeir Sigurðsson's unforgiving recording of those sessions, were actually designed to highlight the flaws in her sound, encouraging her to play more boldly and transparently - "to show my work," she says, in what has become one of the defining features of her style. Recorded with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Alarm Will Sound, the piece demands a virtuosity of expression, forcing the viola to navigate extremes of register and the huge leaps between them, or to freight a naked, sustained note with rapidly changing musical and psychological dynamics. While the piece may have a tragic ending, as Nadia believes it does, this concerto's very existence suggests a far less lonesome narrative for its real-life creators. Nadia Sirota is a violist best known for her singular sound and expressive execution, coaxing works and collaborations from the likes of Daníel Bjarnason, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Judd Greenstein, Marcos Balter, and Missy Mazzoli. She's been called "A one-woman contemporary-classical commissioning machine" by Pitchfork. Nico Muhly is a composer of chamber music, orchestral music, sacred music, opera, ballet, and music for collaborators across a variety of fields. In addition to arranging music by Antony & The Johnsons, Björk, Grizzly Bear, and The National, he is a co-founder of the Icelandic record label Bedroom Community, alongside Ben Frost and Valgeir Sigurðsson.
Blackwater Label present Decima, a compilation on a limited audio cassette, reflecting the past and the forthcoming EPs, from artists that have come before on the Digital Channel and have subsequent releases in the pipeline. Decima is perhaps the most intimate and personal release that Blackwater is about to propose. To open the dances is Phorm with a hypnotic piece with clear references to darkness and depth that characterize the label so far. Spygeist follows with a brilliant piece, complete and mature, illustrative of the capacity and versatility of this great artist. Shkedul, Emanuele Onorato, Michal Jablonski, Istigkeit and Polanski create together the core of the cassette with an intense musical crescendo of high workmanship and calibration. One piece after another, fall into the depths of techno, disclosing all the emotions that industrial music can offer. The joint occurs with one of the most beautiful pieces produced by the Blackwater Society with the jewel track from Unconscius who releases a dizzying piece, a hit without end. Rounding out the dancing comes the fantastic productions of Flaminia and Train. Closing track comes from the owner of the label, Devianza, with a techno punk piece, an arrogant and belligerent sound to declare war to music industry.
$6.39 UPC: N/A ELECTRONIC
01. Phorm - Invernomuto
02. Spygeist - Dark Paths
03. Shkedul - ID50
04. Emanuele Onorato - Peaceful Threats
05. Michal Jablonski - Select One
06. Istigkeit - She Stared At Him
07. Polanski - Squadron
08. Unconscious - Through Other Words
09. Flaminia - A Deeper State Of Consciousness
10. Train - Incremental Changes
11. Devianza - The Industry Can't Stop Me
Peter Kruder - known as producer, DJ and one half of the electronic super-duo Kruder & Dormeister - delivers the perfect soundtrack for the 100th Boxer anniversary party. Stylistically confident, he crosses the areas of house, techno and dub and even touches the border of dubstep on the track "The Sign". The release with the plainly title Boxer 100 is not a knockout nor a right punch - Boxer 100 is a fleetingly skipping athlete who's strength comes from his verve. Just like a certain Frank Martiniq's Adriano (2001), 100 catalog numbers ago.
LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Rolf Trostel's second album Two Faces, originally released in 1982. While Inselmusik (BB 230CD/LP), released the previous year, was intended as a basis for live performance, Trostel composed and produced the five instrumental tracks on Two Faces exclusively for this album. The music is clearly a product of the Berlin School, yet it is more sophisticated and varied than its predecessor. Some new additions to Trostel's instrument collection are audible. While on its predecessor the still novel strains of the PPG Wave Computer 360 A and its associated sequencer were augmented only by a Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm drum machine, resulting in a fairly puristic sound, the sonic pallet on Two Faces is enhanced by the Minimoog solo synthesizer and a string synth. The CR-78 is considered the first programmable drum machine and can be heard clearly, for example, on Phil Collins's hit "In the Air Tonight" or during the intro of the album version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". But on Two Faces Trostel uses its potentially assertive sounds relatively modestly and often in the background - surely so as not to steal the show from the wavetable sounds. As with Inselmusik, Two Faces uses numerous synth runs that harness the possibilities of PPG 350 Computer Sequencer, which are layered to complement each other and often also define the chord progressions and song structure. The digital PPG sequencer offered some innovative features for this: The musician could invert the notes of a sequence with the press of a button or use the keyboard to transpose the sequence either at the end of each note or each loop. Of course, in addition to the PPG 360 Wave Computer A, it could also be used to control analog synthesizers. Synchronizing with tape machines was also not a problem. In comparison to Inselmusik, Rolf Trostel himself felt that Two Faces was more versatile and aggressive and "away from the idea of meditation, but without entirely abandoning contemplative structures." The first edition of this self-produced long player amounted to 2000 copies, which Trostel distributed himself.
Bureau B present a reissue of Adelbert Von Deyen's debut album Sternzeit, originally released in 1978. Adelbert Von Deyen is a protagonist of the so-called Berlin School (Berliner Schule) of electronic music. On his debut album, he takes his time to develop sound structures, often drifting, floating blissfully into tonal interference. The listener also requires time and patience, but will be rewarded with a Zen-like state of contemplation. Adelbert Von Deyen's musical backstory follows a less than typical path. He recalls: "To make the best use of my evenings, I finally bought a second-hand synthesizer, various electronic keyboard instruments and a tape machine, plus a few bits and pieces you need to make music. If I didn't have enough money, I asked the bank. During the day I worked as a re-toucher for a newspaper and in the evenings, I composed my celestial electronic sounds, invariably deep into the night. It took me around eight months to finish my first compositions. I made tape copies which I sent out to various record companies. I struck lucky straight away. Sky Records in Hamburg were interested in my music and my first record was granted a worldwide release in 1978. I called it Sternzeit and I painted the cover myself." Founded by Günter Körber in 1975, the label had already hosted acclaimed releases from electronic and krautrock stars like Michael Rother, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and even Brian Eno. A decent level of public interest was thus guaranteed. Sternzeit was one of the early releases on the label. In principle, many elements on this first album reappear on the two which followed: rich analog layers, the swirling winds of the ARP Odyssey, masterful synth effects sprinkled so delicately. The second side of the record is devoted to a single track which is based on an incessant organ tone and played with vibrato, engendering a hypnotic sense of weightlessness. Keyboarders often taped down keys on their organs or synthesizers to create such effects back in the day. When Adelbert Von Deyen performs, he sits down with his back to the audience, focused on his arsenal of equipment. The way he has unreservedly followed his passions for music and artistic creativity speaks volumes about his free-thinking nature. Adelbert Von Deyen mixed and produced this album in his own small studio on a Revox A77 tape recorder.
LP version. Bureau B presents a reissue of Sven Grünberg's Hingus, originally released in 1981. Sven Grünberg is a famous musician for film and theatre in Estonia - an old hand in the field of electronic ambient music. In 1974, whilst still a music student, he and Härmo Härm founded Mess, a progressive rock band. Grünberg was the first musician in Estonia to use a synthesizer. The ambient electronica of Hingus (Breath), recorded between 1978 and 1980, was spiced up with prog rock and a nod to the space age - not to mention a pronounced Asian influence on the title track. Grünberg had been interested in Asian music and instruments, particularly Tibetan music, since his youth, as can be heard in his work from that time. The 23 minute title track invites us into a fascinating, futuristic world of sound, laced with far eastern tonality, embellished with a church organ, extremely rare synthesizers and extraordinary percussion effects. Organs from the church in Rapla and the cathedral in Tallinn can be heard on "Hingus I" to "Hingus IV". The religious tones are interspersed with synthesizer sounds and orchestral percussion or effects, ascending fleetingly into ecstasy. Tubular bells, cymbals (piatti), a ratchet (raganella), tambourine, gongs (an east Asian tam-tam, for example), glockenspiel and castanets are all featured. Grünberg also used various electronic instruments: the HH Synthesizer, HH Percussion Synth and a KS Synthesizer. Not surprisingly, little information can be found on these machines as they were created by Härmo Härm and Koit Saarmäe themselves, the only two people building synths in Estonia in those days. The exotic assemblage also included a Selmer Clavioline from France, an ARP Omni and a Logan String Melody. The other two tracks, no less superb, are more in the stylistic tradition of the Berliner Schule/Berlin School (Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream). Hingus merits a special place in the history of ambient electronica thanks to its remarkable combination of church organs, synthesizers, orchestral percussion and echoes of Asian instrumentation. An underrated classic of the genre, there are moments when its extraterrestrial beauty transports the listener into the higher realms of psychedelia.
LP version. Bureau B present Filmmusik 1, a selection from Conrad Schnitzler's archive. In Conrad Schnitzler's sprawling archive, there are two tapes marked Filmmusik 1975 A and Filmmusik 1980 B. It is hard to say which videos this music belongs to, particularly as the pieces have been left untitled. Perhaps there isn't really any film material at all. The dates are of no great help either, since the tapes feature the same tracks, albeit in varying degrees of quality. Filmmusik 1 presents an initial selection of these finds, presented to Bureau B by Schnitzler's musical partner for many years and guardian of the archive, Wolfgang Seidel (Populäre Mechanik, Ton Steine Scherben). The tracks reveal much about how Schnitzler worked. He recorded individual tracks on cassettes and then combined them, also using them live in his so-called cassette concerts. Thus, there are recognizable recurring "melodies", sometimes fragmented, in different places. Some tracks have the same bass loop and rhythm, only the sounds and effects have changed. The music on the Filmmusik tapes is extraordinarily accessible for Schnitzler: hypnotic bass lines, stoic drum rhythms, dark drones, crystalline shards of melody. Wolfgang Seidel talks more about Schnitzler's life and work in the liner notes.
IMARHAN TIMBUKTU/DINTCHERE/OUSMANE AG OUMAR: Timbuktu Echoes LP (CLE 013LP)
Imarhan Timbuktu, Dintchéré and Ousmane Ag Oumar present Timbuktu Echoes. Shock, sadness, nostalgia. A world shattered. Acoustic guitars echo the pain of dislocation, the loss of a past and the impediments to the future. Imarhan Timbuktu, renowned Tuareg band from Timbuktu in the Sahara, is featured on five of these ten tracks. Their rhythm guitarist, Ousmane Ag Oumar, contributes two solo pieces. The third group, Dintchéré, are young musicians from Timbuktu. Music doesn't provide the answer. It's only therapy. Waiting in empty rooms, in refugee tents, at campfires in the desert brush. Geopolitics. As always, innocent people are left as collateral damage. Cultures erased. These ten tracks are meditations on hope and despair, haunting with hypnotic guitar grooves. An abruptly reordered world has put dreams on hold. Includes download code.
Buenos Aires's DJs Pareja present Alto. The title track is sleazy and ecstatic, with Mariano incessantly repeating "me siento alto" ("I feel high") over a throbbing bassline reminiscent of the most sensual crooning techno. "Bwoo" is direct and made for the impact on the body mechanics - bouncing acidic euphoria. "Club de La Locura" clings to the utopic idea of the dancefloor as an unreal place of dream and magic. "Mad Box" refers to a small and cheap synthesizer locally produced in the outskirts of the capital. It produces a crazy drone that is present throughout the whole track.
Tel Aviv's Uriah Klapter presents three deep techno tracks on his debut EP. Uriah catapults the listener into the misty ageless ether with "Hashomer" where clicky drum machine elements start the motor and the bassline does the driving before a subtle-but-twinkling arpeggio and soaring synth take over. "Cave" sees Uriah using the fore/back axis as much as the left/right as rhythmic elements are placed just out of reach. "Written In The Mud" is a joyously wonky house cut with beats so off-kilter they could make Burial blush.
DDMS is the combination of four prolific producers: Deadbeat, Dewalta, Mike Shannon and The Mole. Previously, this combination has appeared on Haunt Records releasing a two part series in 2013 to critical acclaim.
With Getstacked EP, Kator delivers a crisp imprint of his seamless style. By matching sharp-edged beats and soft melodic chords as in "Getstacked" or "Clapfresh", he adds his flavor to the footwork sound. Kabuki said it best: "It's good to see that the number of artists and labels that are determined to blur the boundaries between jungle, juke and autonomic sound is growing. Kator's Getstacked EP is a fine example of futuristic footwork with British hardcore DNA."
Singapore's Kiat delivers three tunes that are impeccable in style and substance. From the soothing yet purposeful "Brooklyn" to the acute manifesto that is "Procession" and the final but cathartic "Slider", Leipzig EP offers a unique perspective on drum and bass music. The 160 bpm "5 Boroughs Remix" by Kabuki reflects the aesthetics of his Berlin series "New Forms", which he runs in collaboration with dBridge.
While producing the Viscera trilogy, Fango has tried to understand something about himself. In order to do this, he had to enter into his own body, just like Dante entered hell, studying and analyzing himself from the inside, diving through organs, guts and grey matter. This helped him in the creation of three devastating and introspective EPs, but a lot of questions are still unsolved. Viscera 3/3 is the last leg of a journey that disrupted 2016 and marks the beginning of a new absurd phase for Fango.
Rndm and Efdemin are back with a brand new 12 inch, featuring three enormous "Lost Tracks" dedicated to all the wonderful clubs around the world from Beijing to Buenos Aires. Two solo tunes that perfectly draw the trademark sound of Rndm and Efdemin with a twist of weirdness plus one rare appearance of their collaboration project Pigon.
Dissonant presents Various Artists EP. Marc Antona's thrilling spirit track "Lord Of Combines" is carefully arranged with immersive organic textures creating a rising energy. Jayro's "Psicodélica" lives up to its name with all kinds of head-spinning sound effects whirling around a playful, snaking drumbeat. David Gtronic makes his Dissonant debut with "Rana", where his sonic identity, built-up with organic textures and melodies, stands out in a perfect combination of subtle dub elements alongside strong rhythmic flow. Conrad delivers the hypnotic rhythm of "The Human Centipede" where the club oriented groove stretches out with restraint and increasing tension.
Since September 2015, Surgeon has been performing live improvised techno using hardware machines. This has gradually evolved out of 24 years of performing, and his performance is at a point where it can't really be called DJing anymore. He's taken the techniques and inspiration from this live creative process and distilled them into these four tracks. As always, Surgeon always pushes forward against the plague of mediocrity.
The Danish label Echocord Records was formed in 2002 by Kenneth Christiansen. Echocord are proud that they can still continue releasing quality electronic music. To celebrate their vitality, they present 15 Years With Echocord, a compilation containing ten tracks from ten different artists that all have released on Echocord and Echocord Colour. Featuring veterans like Mikkel Metal, Deadbeat, and Fluxion to a newer artist such as Arovane, 15 Years With Echocord is composed of all new and unreleased tracks that cover the typical Echocord sound - from ambient/chillout by STL, stoned dub by Beat Pharmacy, to typical dub-techno and house from Fluxion, Resoe and XDB, to the more dancefloor peak tracks by Mike Dehnert and Deadbeat. Also features Luke Hess.
Double LP version. The Danish label Echocord Records was formed in 2002 by Kenneth Christiansen. Echocord are proud that they can still continue releasing quality electronic music. To celebrate their vitality, they present 15 Years With Echocord, a compilation containing ten tracks from ten different artists that all have released on Echocord and Echocord Colour. Featuring veterans like Mikkel Metal, Deadbeat, and Fluxion to a newer artist such as Arovane, 15 Years With Echocord is composed of all new and unreleased tracks that cover the typical Echocord sound - from ambient/chillout by STL, stoned dub by Beat Pharmacy, to typical dub-techno and house from Fluxion, Resoe and XDB, to the more dancefloor peak tracks by Mike Dehnert and Deadbeat. Also features Luke Hess.
The first solo album from Rod Modell (Deepchord) in nearly ten years, following up 2007's Incense & Black Light comes in lush form with, Mediterranea. Clocking in at 72 minutes, this cerebral epic reveals a sense of timelessness and stillness, an exquisite portrayal of reflection that is sonically enriching and emotionally engaging. Opening with field recordings conducted while abroad in the islands of Spain, Mediterranea sculpts a sublime sense of nuance that creeps into fore as time passes, gradually enveloping and evolving into what sounds like an orchestra playing from the fathomless ends of the ocean. The quiet jazz-induced snare percussion honors the melody hidden deep beneath the surface. Congas and tribal rhythms accentuate its colorful and vibrant dream-like melodies that slowly expose themselves into the mix. Haunting, alluding to the symphonic, its emotional depth shift gradually, revealing the underlying, subconscious tonal colors. The magic and lushness of the strings, the beautiful resonance of the violin and the love felt in each key stroke tugs right at the heart strings. Echospace considers Mediterranea to possibly be the most beautiful and inviting piece from Rod. Absolutely stunning, transitional sonic art.
Repressed! Sky Girl is a mysteriously unshakeable companion, a deeply melancholic and sentimental journey through folk-pop, new wave and art music micro presses that span 1961-1991. It's a DIY collection of different genres, from different countries across different decades, that are all bound by the same longing sentiment. A concept compilation! A seemingly disparate suite of selections of forgotten fables by more or less never-knowns, Sky Girl forms a beautifully coherent and utterly sublime whole deftly compiled by French collectors DJ Sundae and Julien Dechery. From Scott Seskind's adolescent musical road movie to Karen Marks' icy Oz-wave, the charming DIY storytelling of Italian-American go-getter Joe Tossini and the ethereal slow dance themes of Parisian artists Nini Raviolette and Hugo Weris, Sky Girl resonates on a wide spectrum historically, geographically and stylistically. It unites in a singular, longing, almost intangible ambience. If the names sound wholly unfamiliar that doesn't matter, the nature of the compositions swiftly nurtures an intimacy with these lonely, poignant, openhearted wanderers. Most were available in a very limited capacity at the time of their release, some were never really released at all - Gary Davenport declined to release "Sarra" after he split with the girl for whom the track is named - years later a friend convinced Davenport to allow him to put 100 copies online to sell and DJ Sundae was quick enough to snare one. Beyond their scarcity, these tracks are bound together by a certain raw beauty that's achievable when music is made and no one is listening. Sky Girl comprises of fifteen officially licensed songs, a two year international scavenger hunt through long-folded home label operations, the depths of internet forums and traceless acetates. Both compilers are well trained record sleuths - DJ Sundae's labels Hollie and Idle Press have reissued Arthur Russell affiliate Nirosta Steel and DIY relic Pitch, while Julien Dechery previously compiled Fire Star, a retrospective on Tamil film composer Ilaiyaraaja, for Bombay Connection. Released by popular NTS show "Noise In My Head" offshoot Efficient Space, Sky Girl is enriched with artwork from Perks and Mini mutant Misha Hollenbach and appropriately elegant sleeve notes courtesy of Ivan Smagghe. Includes digital download. Also features: Linda Smith, Bruce Langhorne, The Seraphims, Some of My Best Friends Are Canadians, The Rising Storm, Warfield Spillers, Joyce Heath, Angel, Nora Guthrie and Once.
ERGODOS MUSICIANS: I Call To You CD (ERGODOS 009CD)
2013 release. Ergodos Musicians present I Call to You. I Call to You is a record of music inspired by baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach, and performed by the Dublin-based group Ergodos Musicians. A project conceived in the darker moments of Ireland's financial crisis, this is music that underlines a sense of hope, and renewal. "... perhaps the most important record of new Irish music released this year. Five stars." -- RTÉ Ten. "... characteristically intelligent, inquisitive and full of altogether beguiling sounds. With baroque sensibilities left intact, the overall tone here is contemplative and quietly celebratory ... one of the year's most beautiful and moving discs. Five stars." -- Classical Ear.
2013 release. Jonathan Sage presents Counterpoint. A captivating release by one of England's finest young musicians combining three different approaches to counterpoint, an elemental musical technique running through centuries of music. Compositions by Steve Reich, Johann Sebastian Bach and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly. "In every track Jonathan's playing is excellent [...] I found myself listening to ['Another Country' by Benedict Schlepper-Connolly] time after time. Excellent!" -- Kenneth Morris, Clarinet and Saxophone Society Magazine.
QUINN & MALACHY BOURKE, TONER: Live At The Steeple Sessions CD (ERGODOS 011CD)
2013 release. Toner Quinn and Malachy Bourke present Live At The Steeple Sessions. Appearing together for the first time in many years, fiddle duo Toner Quinn and Malachy Bourke performed Dublin's Unitarian Church in June 2011. This is a record of that concert - a document of two of Ireland's finest traditional musicians re-visiting and evolving a shared, highly personal language. "A distilled delight." -- The Irish Times.
SCHLEPPER-CONNOLLY, BENEDICT: The Weathered Stone LP (ERGODOS 026LP)
The product of three years of work, The Weathered Stone marks Benedict Schlepper-Connolly out as a voice of compelling individuality. Inspired by the secret histories of landscapes, old maps and memory, this is music that possesses the ecstatic, unforced beauty of the natural world. Across only four tracks, the Dublin composer lays out a many-hued musical statement that is at once minimal and teeming with matter. The monumental opening track, "The Weathered Stone," and the explosive string quartet that follows, "A View From Above," both deal in large, distinct, swathes of music in which a pattern warps elegantly over time. Schlepper-Connolly was inspired here by the corrosion and erosion of building materials and landscapes. He writes: "Landscapes erode, reshape and accumulate; my use of musical material here behaves in a similar way, with musical states exposed to time and altered, often subtly, sometimes more violently." "Beekeepers," which Schlepper-Connolly sings himself, forms the record's intimate core. A song of memory, reflection and renewal, "Beekeepers" reveals new, expansive possibilities latent within Schlepper-Connolly's musical language. These are further explored in the harmonically lush closing track, "Field", which is again inspired by the action of time on the land. "In 'Field'," the composer writes, "musical material is much like earthly material: it retains many of its features over time, but its surface is continually transformed." The Weathered Stone features performances of extraordinary grace and virtuosity, with the Robinson Panoramic Quartet, and pianist Saskia Lankhoorn, and reedman Seán Mac Erlaine, joining Schlepper-Connolly to bring his vivid music to life. Benedict Schlepper-Connolly is a composer and producer from Dublin. As a composer, he moves between various musical forms, including chamber music, choral writing, orchestral work, arrangement, songwriting, field recording and music for dance and film. Benedict's compositions frequently seek out an ecstatic quality, with a reduced palette of materials, rich tonal harmonies and rhythmic intricacy.
$16.39 UPC: 751570946143 CLASSICAL
01. The Weathered Stone
02. A View From Above
03. Beekeepers
04. Field
FLORIAN MULLER PROJECT, THE: Gravitational Blues 12" (ESCP 002EP)
French artist The Florian Muller Project gives Parisian label Escapade their second release. The four tracks span across a wide range of electronic sounds, showcasing the artist's rich influences. "Friday Afternoon" opens the record with a solid house groove featuring a beautiful Rhodes solo. "Hommage Galactique" pays a tribute to Detroit's hi-tech jazz sound pioneered by Underground Resistance's Galaxy 2 Galaxy. On the B side, The Florian Muller Project leaves out his jazz influences. The hypnotic sounds of "Frederique" conjure up a mysterious, almost jungle-like, ambiance and "Low Tech Soul" ends the record on a deep and atmospheric techno vibe.
Cloud Corridors is the first release of Jan Philipp Longerich's alias Processed.Sunshine and also the debut on his imprint Fertile Imagination Music. Inspired by different formations of clouds and their movements, the record takes the listener from huge cloud castles in "Wolkenburg" through "Cloud Corridors" down into the dark vibe of "The Fog". Minimalistic drum machine patterns, deep pads, hypnotic sequences and morphing basslines give the record its warm, lively and feral character. The LP was completely created out of live sessions with analog equipment and each track was recorded in one take.
Hailing from Reynosa, Mexico and the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Andres Aguirre returns to Forbidden Colours with Last Call, a solo EP crafted with love for the dancefloor and the casual living room listener. Situated somewhere in the realm of deep house with a touch of techno, the rich harmonies and vivid textures take the listener through a hypnotic trip composed of spacey electronic tracks, smooth songs, and adventurous interludes.
Freude Am Tanzen present six interpretations from 2015's album self-titled album by Eating Snow (FREUDE 014CD/LP). From raunchy to dubby - from emo to rolling - from heavy to smooth - everything is here. Andhim, Kiki, Einmusik, and Animal Trainer, put their perspectives on Eating Snow.
DREEMS & JAMIE BLANCO: Studio Glucose 12" (FBR 047EP)
Sydney based Dreems & Jamie Blanco pool together creative minds and production proficiency on Studio Glucose, delivering three diverse original tracks and a remix from Moscoman. Both seasoned producers in their own right, Blanco's music has landed on labels like Felix Dickinson's Cynic imprint, London Housing Trust and Tusk Wax (as well as making up one half of Ess O Ess with Chris Stoker) whilst Dreems runs the Multi Culti label and has released for Le Temps Perdu and The Magic Movement. Remix duties of the lead track are handled with care by the Tel-Aviv born Moscoman.
RAMMELLZEE: Angel In The Middle Of The Flow 12" (GPF 063EP)
Cosmic Flush fully realized Rammellzee's complex philosophy and unique vision of futuristic hip hop, apocalyptic science fiction, and extreme sonic exploration. Gamma Proforma are releasing Cosmic Flush as a commemorative series of records and prints - There are seven core tracks, each will be reinterpreted and remixed by a visual and audio artist. This release is the fifth part in the set and it focuses on "Angel In The Middle Of The Flow". It has been visually reinterpreted by grafitti artist SheOne and remixed by Beans.
$8.99 EAN: 5060174911491 ELECTRONIC
A1. Angel In The Middle Of The Flow (Original Mix)
A2. Angel In The Middle Of The Flow (Instrumental Mix)
B1. Angel In The Middle of The Flow (Beans Remix)
B2. Angel In The Middle Of The Flow (Instrumental Remix)
RAMMELLZEE: Paint To Pave The Road 12" (GPF 065EP)
Part six in Gamma Proforma's Cosmic Flush, a commemorative series of records and prints focusing on Rammellzee's complex philosophy and unique vision of futuristic hip hop, apocalyptic science fiction, and extreme sonic exploration. Part six in the set, Paint To Pave The Road, has been visually reinterpreted by graffiti artist Poesia and remixed by Sam Sever.
$8.99 EAN: 5060174911484 ELECTRONIC
A1. Paint To Pave The Road (Original Mix)
A2. Paint To Pave The Road (Instrumental Version)
B1. Paint To Pave The Road (Sam Sever Remix)
B2. Paint To Pave The Road (Remix Instrumental Version)
Gem Records teamed up with Mary Go Wild to celebrate this silver anniversary in style. The Silver Box Set, featuring Secret Cinema's complete discography from 1996 to 2016, includes: USB, three vinyl LPs with all new remixes, a "Greatest Hits" CD, a CD of live sets, a DVD documentary, an animation film DVD, and a floppy disk with samples from "Sonar System", the first track Jeroen Verheij, aka Secret Cinema, ever released. After a number of EPs under different pseudonyms, he continued in 1994 as Secret Cinema. That name has been synonymous with quality techno ever since. The list of underground hits is endless, with "Timeless Altitude", "Gung Ho" and "Volt" becoming absolute classics. Verheij even conquered the worldwide mainstream charts with "Mary Go Wild", which was voted number #1 house classic in the yearly Dutch top 1000Along with tracks under the alias Secret Cinema, this box set also includes material from aliases Point Blank and Grooveyard. The remixes feature Joris Voorn, Petar Dundov, Christian Smith & Wehbba, Nuno Dos Santos, SQL, Enrico Sangiuliano, Heiko Laux, Rod, Pig & Dan, DJ Sodeyama, Paul Ritch and The Advent & Industrialyzer. The "Greatest Hits" CD features Private Productions and Enrico Sangiuliano. Edition of 500, numbered and signed.
$89.60 EAN: 4260038315897 ELECTRONIC
Silver I/II/III (3x12"):
A1. Point Blank - Meng's Theme (Joris Voorn Remix)
A2. Secret Cinema - Poolside (Petar Dundov Remix)
B1. Point Blank - Meng's Theme (Christian Smith & Wehbba Remix)
B2. Secret Cinema - Poolside (Nuno Dos Santos Remix)
For its fourth release, Harry Agius's (Midland) Graded label has signed its first new act in the form of Montreal-based Solitary Dancer. With "Desire & Apathy" being instantly familiar to anyone who heard Midland's Essential Mix earlier in 2016, this eponymously titled release marks the debut of Solitary Dancer, as well as Agius's second time stepping into the role of label A&R following Hubie Davidson's appearance on Graded's Regraded sub-label in 2015 (REGRD 002EP).
VAN HOUDT, REINIER: Paths Of The Errant Gaze LP (HG 1606LP)
Reinier Van Houdt presents Paths Of The Errant Gaze. Reinier Van Houdt, as a classically trained pianist, has performed premieres of works by Robert Ashley, Charlemagne Palestine and many others. He has worked with composers such as John Cage and Luc Ferrari. Reinier Van Houdt plays in Current 93. "I've never heard a better mix of piano, electronics and amplification than during Van Houdt's program." --New York Times. "Reinier Van Houdt's performance was radical, extreme and without compromise. One of the most impressive examples I have witnessed of maximally mesmerizing an audience with ever more reduced materials." --Weser Kurier, Germany.
$20.99 EAN: 7640138449796 ROCK
01. Atopic Radio (2:33)
02. The Fabric Of Loss (4:56)
03. Orphic Asylum (6:44)
04. Vessel (4:57)
05. Gaussian Veils (6:56)
06. Transfinite Spectre (10:15)
07. Vapours (1:52)
ELECTRIC SEWER AGE: Bad White Corpuscle LP (HG 1607LP)
Bad White Corpuscle is the work of Danny Hyde, producer and remixer of Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Psychic TV, Depeche Mode and many others. It was originally released on CD in 2014 by Old Europa Cafe. It follows the debut Electric Sewer Age album Moon's Milk In Final Phase (2012). Coil lovers know that Hyde was a kind of a secret member of the group, so it's not surprising that Bad White Corpuscle sounds kind of like a lost Coil album. "Redocine (Death Of The Corpuscle)" is a previously unreleased new track which doesn't appear on the CD version. It was specially arranged for this vinyl version. "Its seven tracks, a sequence of dank, futuristic environments, are essentially gliding, glacial synth suspensions, coolly decorated with suggestions of artificial intelligence (glitch computer voices, starship bleeps, analogue arps and warped tremolos) some of which seem like echoes from previous Coil releases bringing back fond memories of their original moon music." --Russell Cuzner, The Quietus.
$20.99 UPC: 727973174858 ELECTRONIC
01. Grey Corpuscle (3:56)
02. Corpuscular Corpuscle (5:11)
03. Amber Corpuscle (5:12)
04. Rising Corpuscle (8:40)
05. Bad White Corpuscle (6:27)
06. Redocine (Death Of The Corpuscle) (6:58)
07. Black Corpuscle (5:20)
DETROIT SWINDLE: The Circular City EP 12" (HEIST 020EP)
Detroit Swindle return home to their own Heist Recordings to releases The Circular City EP, a jubilant record melding the most groove-laden strands of disco, funk, soul and house. To top it all off, Matthew Herbert provides a remix. The Circular City EP brings together tracks for varying dancefloor moments and comes rounded off with a typically inventive remix from one of house music's most extolled veterans. Herbert's remix adds a certain poppy flair to the original as it laces Zilla's sassy croon with mangled synth blobs and hypnotic, circling samples.
Compulsion Songs is the third album from Carlisle's The Lucid Dream. After their critically acclaim of their self-titled second album (HAY 007CD, 2015), The Lucid Dream venture into new pastures again. On Compulsion Songs, pulling away from the pack is the order of the day, and the ideas on show here reaffirm the many claims that The Lucid Dream are one of the most important, diverse and exciting bands in the UK at present. Compulsion Songs is a demonstration of the band's skill in binding the sounds of their broadening musical palette through their unifying song craft. Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds). Recent single "Bad Texan" sees the band move into dancefloor meets krautrock territory. The krautrock/kosmiche groove is also present alongside new wave in the two-part opus "Nadir"/"Epitaph". "21st Century" is quite appropriately the nearest the band get to a protest song, a two-minute white noise/garage/rockabilly blast, inspired by a heavy dose of Beastie Boys listening. Elsewhere, the bustling of "The Emptiest Place" is Morricone meets '60s L.A, "Stormy Waters" bows to the melodies of The Stone Roses/The Byrds, warping them with a sinister twist in the vein of Spiritualized. The album's showpiece however comes via the eight-minute space-dub of "I'm A Star In My Own Right", as the band hit a full on Kingston, Jamaica dub/groove, set as it is to contorting, reverb-fueled passages. Compulsion Songs follows 2015's critically acclaimed second album, which gained plaudits from Drowned In Sound (who named the album #7 UK album of the year), Uncut, Q, Clash, Louder Than War and The Skinny. "Mona Lisa", the opening track from the album, was also included in The Observer's "Critics Favourite Tracks Of 2015" playlist.
LP version. Carlisle blue vinyl. Edition of 300. Compulsion Songs is the third album from Carlisle's The Lucid Dream. After their critically acclaim of their self-titled second album (HAY 007CD, 2015), The Lucid Dream venture into new pastures again. On Compulsion Songs, pulling away from the pack is the order of the day, and the ideas on show here reaffirm the many claims that The Lucid Dream are one of the most important, diverse and exciting bands in the UK at present. Compulsion Songs is a demonstration of the band's skill in binding the sounds of their broadening musical palette through their unifying song craft. Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds). Recent single "Bad Texan" sees the band move into dancefloor meets krautrock territory. The krautrock/kosmiche groove is also present alongside new wave in the two-part opus "Nadir"/"Epitaph". "21st Century" is quite appropriately the nearest the band get to a protest song, a two-minute white noise/garage/rockabilly blast, inspired by a heavy dose of Beastie Boys listening. Elsewhere, the bustling of "The Emptiest Place" is Morricone meets '60s L.A, "Stormy Waters" bows to the melodies of The Stone Roses/The Byrds, warping them with a sinister twist in the vein of Spiritualized. The album's showpiece however comes via the eight-minute space-dub of "I'm A Star In My Own Right", as the band hit a full on Kingston, Jamaica dub/groove, set as it is to contorting, reverb-fueled passages. Compulsion Songs follows 2015's critically acclaimed second album, which gained plaudits from Drowned In Sound (who named the album #7 UK album of the year), Uncut, Q, Clash, Louder Than War and The Skinny. "Mona Lisa", the opening track from the album, was also included in The Observer's "Critics Favourite Tracks Of 2015" playlist.
Double LP version. Disclosure is a subtly intense offering of lush drum-machine nocturnes, gnarly electronica and glorious dives deep into zoned-out dub-space from Kassem Mosse. Evolutionary music, continuously engaged with experimentation both in the studio and the club. Whether prepared solo, or jointly with his spar Mix Mup, a Kassem Mosse recording is less of a stand-alone creation than the next thrilling new fragment clipped from an ever-mutating, unstoppable groove. The result is a back catalog containing some of the most mystical and essential dancefloor-rooted music of the last decade, from dusty, dream state techno on Workshop and Mikrodisko Recordings, to the frazzled percussive beat downs on Trilogy Tapes and Nonplus. Techno and house still animate Disclosure, yet with something newly microscopic about them. Its mesmerizing play of pointillistic percussion, melting-wax chords and fleshy bump'n'grind suggests biological processes at work, as if Mosse has zoomed right into the cellular metabolism ticking away at the music's core. These textures are channeled into some of KM's richest and most emotionally complex music yet, constantly pricked with terse allusions to jazz and dub: the deep blue synthetic brass and dizzying rhythmic fracas of "Phoenicia Wireless"; the swooning moonlit techno of "Collapsing Dual Core" and "Molecular Memories"; the frantic drum-machine tarantella of "Galaxy Series 7"; the heady, heavy-lidded drama of the closer "Purple Graphene". Sometimes, as on the glowering, sub-loaded stomper "Drift Model", his beats sound ancient, caked in soot and dust - an intricate ballet for fossilized drum machines. Disclosure brilliantly offers all the self-contained coherence and artistic authority of an album proper - yet it's always shadowed by the open-ended and questing spirit so vital to Mosse's music, the sense that anything could happen at any moment.
Double LP version. Guy Alexander Brewer, aka Shifted, is involved in several projects taking in techno, noise and experimental electronics overlaying a once-hidden past in drum'n'bass. Having shunned his previous work in Commix, more recently Brewer has learned to look back, even making sideways stabs into breakbeat territory with his Covered In Sand alias. The process grows more intricate and subtle on Appropriation Stories for the Hospital Productions imprint helmed by Dominick Fernow (aka Prurient, Vatican Shadow, et al.). On Appropriation Stories, rigorous processing and studio treatments transform classic breaks into deeply hidden components that add new layers of character to his highly-developed techno sound. At first presenting itself as a dense wall-of-sound underpinned by an incessant pulse, Appropriation Stories at length reveals itself to be a much more complex work. In place of the stark minimalism, razor-sharp digital textures and smeared analog surfaces of his previous output, Brewer offers layered tracks with intricate mixes that reveal themselves gradually over time. For long stretches - opener "This Passage", "For Closure", "In Respect of Tactics" - the rhythm steps back from insistent to implied, further exposing the careful arrangements of pure sound. As his origins in purist techno grow ever-more distant, Shifted's sound has progressed from digital clarity to the murky-but-hard middle ground of his sophomore full length on Bed Of Nails, Under A Single Banner (NAIL 007CD/LP, 2013), and through a clear evolution on Brewer's own Avian imprint. Integrating his more searching work as Alexander Lewis and his increasingly introspective work as Shifted while eloquently addressing his past, Appropriation Stories is a comprehensive statement of intent and Brewer's finest, most mature work to-date. Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy.
When recording Kidayu, the album from Vaudou Game, Peter Solo immersed his Lyon companions in the flourishing Afro-beat rhythms of the 1970s along with traditional song. Marked at times by James Brown-style shouts, Kidayu pairs voodoo harmonies with funk and blues. Born in Aného-Glidji, Togo, the birthplace of the Guin tribe and a major site of the Voodoo culture, Peter Solo was raised with this tradition's values of respect for all forms of life and the environment. At an early age, he made a makeshift guitar, and his music propelled him into the spotlight. Mastering traditional percussion instruments, his desire to discover the world and to carry his practice forward led him to England, where he became immersed in gospel music and then to France, where he calls home today. The idea of integrating the haunting voodoo lines, sung in honor of the divinities, into energetic '70s Afro-funk, is, in Solo's mind, an obvious extension of the analogy he found between this voodoo tradition and trance inducers such as the soul, funk, and rhythm 'n blues of James Brown and Otis Redding. Solo had a vision of codifying the musical scales that are found in sacred songs of Beninese and Togolese vodun music. Entirely produced, recorded, mixed and mastered using vintage material and instruments produced in the '70s, old cassette tapes were the "grigris" (or lucky charms) which proved most effective to ward off digital corruption of their music and allow them to thrive as a tight-knit group. "Kidayu" means "sharing" in Kabye, the language spoken in northern Togo, and sharing, is the philosophy of Vaudou Game. In songs like "Natural Vaudou", "Chérie Nye" and "La vie c'est bon", the unbeatable trance rhythm inherited from James Brown and Fela Kuti are evident. Across Kidayu, Vaudou Game sound like the big bands from the golden age of Ethiopian dance music but it's in songs like "La dette", "Revolution" and "Elle décide" where they show their greatest inspiration - James Brown. In using the original form of ecstatic voodoo rituals, he decorates his songs with guitars, keyboards, bass, rhythms and counter rhythms, and a steaming pair of brass. On Kidayu, Solo is joined by: Vicente Fritis - keyboards/backing vocals; Jerôme Bartolome - saxophone/percussions/backing vocals; Guilhem Parguel - trombone/percussions/backing vocals; Simon Bacroix - bass/backing vocals; Hafid Zouaoui - drums; Stephane Pauze - sound engineer.
New Life Tones is the second 12" of 2016 for Call Super and heralds another subtle shift in his work. "Puppet Scenes" chisels a twitchy, snake-like path between dub and house whilst rejecting the standard templates for the usual melding of those two forms. "New Life Repercussions" is a transmission from the undergrowth. A sleek roller that surrenders to something broken and melancholic it represents another achievement in Call Super's increasingly idiosyncratic melodic portfolio. 12" cut and mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy. Made in Europe.
HOMEBOY: The Heart Is Where Homeboy Is 12" (HIOK 009EP)
The ninth installment on House Is OK comes from Homeboy who brings four fresh joints to the table. Live drum sampling, loose synth riffs and other more personal notes can be heard across the entire release. For "Decisions Ricochet", Homeboy teamed up with the Croatian blues man Bebe Na Vole who takes this record into unexplored territories for the label. These four tracks weren't necessarily designed to move bodies on the dance floor, but they show his abilities to simply write great music. It's house not house, post-disco, jazz, and acid synth hippie music all at the same time.
KING JAMMY: Dubbing At King Tubby's CD (JRCD 063CD)
Jamaican Recordings selects a set of tunes that were rebuilt with King Jammy at the controls for Dubbing At King Tubby's. Prince Jammy became a king while cutting his musical teeth working for the dub master himself, King Tubby. In that old Jamaican way, when everyone in Jamaica was given a new name to work with, Prince Jammy so impressed his colleagues that he rose from a prince to a king. Both names were given to him by producer Bunny "Striker" Lee. Out of the many protégés that trained and worked at King Tubby's, Scientist, Pat Kelly, Phillip Smart to name a few, it was King Jammy's work that was the mainstay.
KING JAMMY: Dubbing At King Tubby's LP (JRLP 063LP)
LP version. Jamaican Recordings selects a set of tunes that were rebuilt with King Jammy at the controls for Dubbing At King Tubby's. Prince Jammy became a king while cutting his musical teeth working for the dub master himself, King Tubby. In that old Jamaican way, when everyone in Jamaica was given a new name to work with, Prince Jammy so impressed his colleagues that he rose from a prince to a king. Both names were given to him by producer Bunny "Striker" Lee. Out of the many protégés that trained and worked at King Tubby's, Scientist, Pat Kelly, Phillip Smart to name a few, it was King Jammy's work that was the mainstay.
VA: Follow Me To The Popcorn: The Untold History Of The Belgium Popcorn Scene CD (JMAN 085CD)
Originating in Belgium at the tail end of the 1960s and into the '70s, popcorn was a music and dance scene with an emphasis on often obscure black American records of the then recent past. Drawing immediate parallels with the UK's Northern soul scene from approximately the same time, young people would flock from all corners of Belgium to cram into a converted farmhouse barn to dance to these exotic sounds. But whilst Northerners favored an often up-tempo, stomping '60s soul sound, popcorn focused almost entirely on slower, moodier numbers. In recent years, collectors and DJs into vintage soul and R&B have been tuning into the popcorn style - yet there still remains some confusion as to what exactly popcorn means in musical terms. Not following established genre conventions, the popcorn sound is hard to pin down - there are soul, blues, ska, pop, jazz and Latin records which are all popcorn - and all are represented here. Whilst the sound has caught the attention of many forward thinking DJs, the origins and background of the Belgium popcorn scene remains scantly documented. With sleeve notes from original popcorn insider Gerd De Wilde and his contacts within the original Belgium popcorn scene, Follow Me To The Popcorn looks to change that. Along with previously unpublished vintage flyers and photographs and combined with the 24 tracks of heady, intoxicating R&B, blues, soul and jazz, Follow Me To The Popcorn is almost certainly the fullest document yet of the important, influential and yet so often misunderstood Belgium popcorn scene. Features: Little Jimmy Ray, Dolly Lyon, Plas Johnson, Sam Fletcher, Lilian Vines, Haywood Henry, Harvey, Bellino, Kiki Page, Linda Willoby, Bobby Hendricks, Dinah Shore, Page Boys, Shorty Long, Johnny Guitar Watson, JJ Jones, Al Brown, Barbara Simpson, Earl Grant, Gloria Grey, George Barnes, Dav Kipp, Dimples Jackson and Monty & The Cyclones. CD version comes with eight page color booklet.
VA: Follow Me To The Popcorn: The Untold History Of The Belgium Popcorn Scene 2LP (JMAN 085LP)
Gatefold 2LP version. Originating in Belgium at the tail end of the 1960s and into the '70s, popcorn was a music and dance scene with an emphasis on often obscure black American records of the then recent past. Drawing immediate parallels with the UK's Northern soul scene from approximately the same time, young people would flock from all corners of Belgium to cram into a converted farmhouse barn to dance to these exotic sounds. But whilst Northerners favored an often up-tempo, stomping '60s soul sound, popcorn focused almost entirely on slower, moodier numbers. In recent years, collectors and DJs into vintage soul and R&B have been tuning into the popcorn style - yet there still remains some confusion as to what exactly popcorn means in musical terms. Not following established genre conventions, the popcorn sound is hard to pin down - there are soul, blues, ska, pop, jazz and Latin records which are all popcorn - and all are represented here. Whilst the sound has caught the attention of many forward thinking DJs, the origins and background of the Belgium popcorn scene remains scantly documented. With sleeve notes from original popcorn insider Gerd De Wilde and his contacts within the original Belgium popcorn scene, Follow Me To The Popcorn looks to change that. Along with previously unpublished vintage flyers and photographs and combined with the 24 tracks of heady, intoxicating R&B, blues, soul and jazz, Follow Me To The Popcorn is almost certainly the fullest document yet of the important, influential and yet so often misunderstood Belgium popcorn scene. Features: Little Jimmy Ray, Dolly Lyon, Plas Johnson, Sam Fletcher, Lilian Vines, Haywood Henry, Harvey, Bellino, Kiki Page, Linda Willoby, Bobby Hendricks, Dinah Shore, Page Boys, Shorty Long, Johnny Guitar Watson, JJ Jones, Al Brown, Barbara Simpson, Earl Grant, Gloria Grey, George Barnes, Dav Kipp, Dimples Jackson and Monty & The Cyclones.
JAMES, ELMORE: Madison Blues/Stormy Monday Blues 7" (JBJ 1072EP)
Two Chicago blues masterpieces from one of the true legends, the peerless Elmore James. Recorded for Chess but not originally released on 45, "Madison Blues" has become one of James's most cherished recordings all the same, and is certainly one of his most outright dance-able numbers.
Khemia Records the new imprint from Kaos London announces its third limited edition split vinyl release, Autumn Equinox Edition featuring Volte-Face and 3.14. On the Solar Side, prolific London based producer Volte-Face delivers "The Otherwise Central Zone": cathedral speeches, cosmic bleeps punctuate static field, resonant reverberations, propulsive rhythms burn psychotropic tunnels, acid barb, entropic dissolution. On the Lunar Side, Berlin based Athenian producer 3.14 contributes "Ironas": an industrial animal in the forest, ritual, alarm, destruction, seek and destroy, intense ballad of the beast, thunderbolt, mechanical scream, nature, existence, rebirth. Clear vinyl limited edition.
Mare is the second studio album for German electronic musician, artist and producer, Christian Löffler. Located on the Darss peninsular, overlooking the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, is Christian Löffler's log cabin, nestled among birch and willow trees where he locks himself up to work on both his visual art and his music. In the center of the room is a huge oak table, splotched with multi-colored oil paints, surrounded by canvases, cameras tripods, tools, brushes. There's a great view of the sea, and the wide patio windows allow the light to flood inside. It's these modest and in some ways rudimentary parameters that allow Löffler to make sincere and honest music. Mare follows in a similar vein to his debut, 2012's A Forest. However a key difference is Mare is much more organic, nearly every sound and every instrument being self-recorded. Many of the album's ideas are based on field recordings taken from the surroundings. On top of this, several microphones were set up in the room and left to run on for whole sessions. The microphones collected everything, from tapping, singing, playing, footsteps, as well as percussive elements added on the fly such as bottles, sticks, keys, or anything lying around. Sometimes he would open the sliding patio doors, where sounds from outside would blend into the mix. Among the instruments placed around the table were an old marimba, a mandolin zither, some self-modified synthesizers, and various other sound tools accumulated from his travels. For Löffler, another interesting aspect of the album is that it's the first time he himself sings on a record. "where the first album [A Forest] felt to just be on the surface of what I can say with this project, it now feels like that I've come closer to the core of what I want to express." The instrumentation, the setting, and the process, make Mare a highly individual body of work that sees him expanding the limits of his set-up. The LP features the highly emotive sound that Löffler's become known for, using deep house as a stylistic framework with which to base his tracks. Exploring spaces of emotional and physical loss, he blends wistful melodies, drum machines, and found sound into a wandering, melancholic mélange. Four tracks that feature the vocals of previous collaborator Mohna. CD version comes in six-panel digisleeve.
London's noisiest folk-rock six-piece, The No Sorrows, release their long-awaited, self-titled LP via King Bill Records. Taking the earthy melodies and celestial harmonies of the British psychedelic folk boom and placing them against a driving drone-rock backing, The No Sorrows were described by the NME as sounding like "a mix of early Fairport Convention and Dinosaur Jr in full flight." Formed in 2008 in leafy Stoke Newington, The No Sorrows have been mutating and developing ever since, adding soaring violin and rich multi-tracked harmonies to the basic guitar, bass and drums setup. They've supported the likes of The Clientele, Alessi's Ark, The Magnetic Mind and their good friends The See See, and recently hit a major career high playing on a bill with Mike Heron of The Incredible String Band. The No Sorrows's first LP was recorded in unusual circumstances: in a tumbledown farmhouse in France's "diagonal of emptiness", the remote and rolling Limousin valley. The band carted all their gear down from London and set up in the living room, letting the rustic surroundings soak into every musical note. As front man Tom Huddleston says: "It was like Exile On Main Street without the drugs. Or the hookers. Or the piles of money. But otherwise it was exactly the same." The result is a record that takes the listener on a journey, to a hazy, sun-kissed country where it's always 1972. Which isn't to say there's not a hint of darkness lurking in The No Sorrows sonic palette as well: jagged guitars and thundering drums are a key part of their unique sound. "We've never placed any limits on what we can or can't do," Huddleston explains. "Imagine being only a folk band, or only a psych band, or only an indie band. It'd get really boring! We're fans of everything from Anne Briggs to The Beach Boys to Neil Young to My Bloody Valentine, so why shouldn't our music reflect that?" This LP will only improve with age: ten years from now, when the vinyl has picked up a few pops and crackles, it'll sound even better. "The No Sorrows pack rich harmonies and soaring violin, plus big guitars and drums to give their Fairport Convention-ish tunes a real kick." --Time Out, London. "Splendid psychedelic space-folk... earthly mournful. Their folksiness is tempered with some good old noise." --Kitten Painting.
$14.39 UPC: N/A ROCK
01. Whitehaven
02. Standing Alone
03. Better Band
04. Untitled
05. William And Letitia
06. Some Catch
07. People On Sunday
08. Statues Against The Sky
09. Life In The Breeze
10. Small Wonder
11. What Do You Want
LP version. Kingston Sounds present Skinhead Reggae 1969, a compilation focusing on the Jamaican reggae sounds tied to the skinhead movement. "The sound of now..." mentioned in "The Return of Jack Slade" by Derrick Morgan was the sound of 1969/1970, the sound of Jamaican reggae. The look at the time was the skinhead fashion borrowed heavily from the Jamaican rude boy style. The skinhead movement started around 1968 and by the following year of 1969 became the style and fashion of many British teenagers. The uniform of the skinheads consisted of boots, braces and jeans and the upbeat Reggae sound seemed to match the style perfectly. Never before has a music matched a look more perfectly than the pairing of skinhead/rude boy look with the Jamaican reggae sound. So stand up and move your feet one more time to the skinhead reggae sound. Features: Bunny Lee All Stars, Derrick Morgan, SS Binns, King Horror, The Prophets, Max Romeo, The Hippy Boys, The Des All Stars and Lloyd Chambers.
2016 repress; LP version. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Includes a CD copy of the album. An obvious fan favorite, GusGus' last full-length offering Arabian Horse exceeded all expectations and ranks among Kompakt's biggest bestsellers in recent years. Now, the core crew of Birgir Thorarinsson, Daníel Ágúst, Högni Egilsson, and Stephan Stephensen returns with new masterpiece Mexico: a hugely satisfying follow-up to past exploits and another step into the future of anthemic pop music. GusGus are dead set on maintaining the towering might of their songwriting, infusing the new album with the same luster as their earlier work, but presenting the deed with the snappiness and intricate production values needed for contemporary debauchery. From opening anthem "Obnoxiously Sexual," to the Existentialist shuffle of closing ballad "This Is What You Get When You Mess With Love," this album leaves no stone unturned on its journey to sonic bliss, delving ever deeper into its timeless melodies with every subsequent track. It's hard to pinpoint highlights from an album like Mexico, as each of those cuts stands well on its own without sacrificing its role in the ensemble. In a way, that's a good metaphor for GusGus itself, as this project again and again manages to successfully pool the forces from a group of exceptionally gifted individuals. Take "Sustain," "Airwaves" or "God-Application": drawing from influences as diverse as '80s synth pop, UK garage or '90s trance, each of these tracks showcases a unique identity but still interlocks with the overarching aesthetics of the album and its omnipresent penchant for brilliant pop hooks. Frequency-shifting house-stomper "Another Life" and deep string groover "This Is Not the First Time" might come closest to the predecessor's voluptuous textures, engaging in the same kind of floor-friendly agility against the backdrop of monumental synth washes. Interestingly enough, title-track "Mexico" is the only instrumental on the new full-length, fittingly bringing a more linear flair to the proceedings. Sporting the nuanced narration of a coherent artist album as well as the eager excitement of a great track selection, GusGus' latest holds the potential to become a source for many a personal best-of mixtape. All killer, no filler!
Following his massively successful second album 1983 (KOM 329LP/KOMP 122CD, 2015) and the start of his very own imprint IPSO in 2016, celebrated Danish producer and live performer Kölsch keeps those bangers coming. For Speicher 93, he concocts two very special cuts that dig deep into heartfelt, catchy melodies and give them an impelling beat foundation to ride out their trip. Both the brass-infused "Grey" and the jacking club monster "Kir" push for epic dancefloor moments.
The Orb, Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann, have become known for their genre-bending curiosity and surprising sonic detours, exploring experimental soundscapes as well as club-friendly beats. COW / Chill Out, World! is a masterful ambient album that branches out in many directions, but unmistakably sounds like The Orb. In contrast to their much-acclaimed previous full-length Moonbuilding 2703 AD (KOMP 124CD/KOM 330LP, 2015), which took years to prepare and fine-tune, COW / Chill Out, World! was produced over the course of only five sessions in six months, directly following the like-minded Alpine EP (KOM 339EP, 2016). Paterson on recording the album: "It got so spontaneous that a track like '9 Elms Over River Eno (Channel 9)' consisted only of material collected at North Carolina's Moogfest in May - second-hand records from local stores, field recordings, live samples from gigs that we liked, and of course an excursion to the Eno River, which actually exists. This geographic intimacy and the spontaneity are among the top reasons why we love this album so much." Fehlmann sees the duo's relentless gigging schedule as a formative influence on the new album: "the countless performances we've played in the last years have brought us closer as a musical unit. The spice of our concerts is improvisation - a fertile process that we've brought to the studio, where we operate with very simple rules of engagement and go wherever the flow takes us." It's an approach that one might expect from traditional acoustic instrumentation, not necessarily an electronic set-up. Once more, The Orb's trademark playfulness is on full display on COW / Chill Out, World! and it doesn't limit itself to the multi-layered sampling and psychedelic sound composites. It's not so much an obscure trope coming full circle as a perfect example for The Orb's multi-timbre approach to sound and meaning - a compelling, immersive journey to diverse places and impressions. Each track title is a conceptual work in its own right, playing with multiple references, some of which remain highly personal and mysterious. But the greatest feat of The Orb's latest outing might just be how all this semantic doodling never gets in the way of the actual listening, at all times directly relating the artists's sonic vitality and cheerful nosiness.
Remixes 6/8 opens with Alexander Kowalski's remix of "Lydia To The Edge Of Panic", a pounding techno monster, with a heaving baseline and delayed chords. Trolly Route's (Oscar Mulero) remix of "Miscellaneous Pt. 7" lulls and hypnotizes with an acid-tinged interpretation of the original track, nodding to the Plus 8 school of techno. Jeff Rushin's remix of "Little Green Apples" pairs the spacious and beautifully gloomy background atmosphere of the original with a heavier version of its rhythmic framework. A re-mastered original version of "Konfort Corpse" is featured, displaying Christian Morgenstern's dedication to exploration and his love for the '80s.
Dr. Shingo's remix of "Malaria" - a beautifully crafted down-tempo version which skillfully dissolves the techno spirit of the original in crystal-clear electronic soul music. Staffan Linzatti's remix of "Spiegelkerker" is a futuristic and minimal interpretation of the original, with a sturdy drum pattern, an alluring blend of bleeps and spaced-out synth tones. Stanislav Tolkachev's remix of "The Future Is On Fire Pt. 1" is a raw and sinister industrial monster with a bold noise overload. Includes a remastered version of the classic club hit "The Future Is On Fire Pt. 1" by the mastermind Christian Morgenstern himself.
Hubie Davison returns to Leisure System with the Someonelove/In_out, his first official release since Sanctified (REGRD 002EP, 2015) on Midland's ReGraded imprint. "Someonelove" marks the first time Davison's sampled his own voice for a hook. On the B-side, "In_out" forgoes vocals entirely in favor of chunky, grooving machine-funk. It's an addictive acid joint, with a title that reflects the spontaneous nature of the original recording. The Someonelove/In_out 12" is Davison's third release on Leisure System, following 2013's meditative I Won't Be There EP and 2014's storming Khayyam Grey EP (LSR 013EP).
Livity Sound presents the long awaited return of Asusu. Since his last outing for Livity Sound, he has launched his own imprint, Impasse, so far releasing two extended 12 inches. This 12 inch features two unique and finely tuned mesmeric club tracks upholding Asusu's reputation as a unique voice in British dance music.
YAROZE DREAM SUITE: Yaroze Dream Suite 12" (LOC 031EP)
Two of the artists doing most to push instrumental grime in new directions, Mr. Mitch and Yamaneko team up as Yaroze Dream Suite which comes after success for Mr. Mitch and Yamaneko's individual solo albums. Yaroze Dream Suite finds them collaborating at the top of their game. "In The Moonlight" features Hannah Mack.
DJ STEVE: Who The Fuck Is DJ Steve? 12" (LOTR 011EP)
DJ Steve came to New York, turned up at the Beats In Space studio, with a pile of "DJ Steve special cuts", and laid down an extended mix. Then, nobody ever heard from him. Fast forward to Berlin 2013, and this mix had become a staple at the after-hours of a small group of friends, including Paramida, who would soon start Love On The Rocks. Paramida says it showed her another perspective of groove, turning her perception of dance music "upside down". Somehow persuaded DJ Steve to sign two of his "special cuts", Love On The Rocks presents them here.
A compilation of new left-field pop, rock, folk, electronic, baile funk, noise and experimental music from artists born or living in Rio de Janeiro, the "Cidade Maravilhosa (the Marvellous City)". Real Rio is compiled by Chico Dub, the curator of Rio de Janeiro's acclaimed experimental music festival Novas Frequencias. Chico says: "The aim is to showcase the best of the independent music scene from Rio: rock, noise, house, drone, new styles of baile funk, Afro-beat, pop. We want to dispel the myth of a city dominated by easy listening bossa nova and show just how broad Rio's sound palette is". Disc one introduces artists such as Ava Rocha, Ricardo Dias Gomes, Negro Leo and Meia Banda who are creating national awareness of Rio's lo-fi alternative scene, whilst B Negão, Abayomy Afrobeat Orchestra and Andre Sampaio are at the forefront of a local Afro-influenced movement whilst veteran artists Elza Soares and Arto Lindsay are bringing elements of these scenes into the Brazilian music mainstream. On disc two Ceticências, Superficie and Eric Alves represent Rio's evolving downbeat electronic scene whilst Leo Justi, Marginal Men and Woo create twisted new club sounds influenced by baile funk and Cadu Tenorio, Bemônio and Chelpa Ferro push local experimental music into unexpected directions limits. Whilst the tracks included represent the new wave of Rio music, there are links to the older generation - Opala's Maria Luiza Jobim is the youngest daughter of Antonio Carlos Jobim (the Brazilian composer wrote the music for "The Girl from Ipanema"), Ricardo Dias Gomes played bass on Caetano Veloso's last three studio albums and Ava Rocha is the daughter of acclaimed "Cinema Novo" Brazilian film director, actor and writer Glauber Rocha. Real Rio is the fourth compilation from respected UK-based Brazilian label Mais Um Discos. Their compilations have re-defined the international view of Brazilian contemporary music scene with releases such as Oi! A Nova Musica Brasileira! (MAIS 001CD, 2010), Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brazil (MAIS 016, 2013) and Rolê: New Sounds Of Brazil (MAIS 026CD, 2014). Real Rio is the latest chapter in Mais Um Discos quest to uncover Brazil's astonishing contemporary music scene. Comes in gatefold digipack. Edition of 1000 (hand numbered). Also features. Bruno Cosentino, Os Ritmistas, Lila, Seletores de Frequência, Otto, Os Afromandinga, Goma-Laca, Lucas Santtana, Benjão, Supercordas, Marginal Men, Omulu, Erica Alves, Ilustradora Carmen Alves, Carrot Green, Manara, Repetentes 2008, Jucara Marcal, Chinese Cookie Poets.
The second album by Wrangler (Benge, Phill Winter, and Stephen Mallinder), following their 2014 debut LA Spark (MEME14 001CD/LP) and the 2016 remix release Sparked: Modular Remix Project (MEME16 002CD/LP). White Glue offers the 3D depth of analog equipment (the ancient synthesizers in Benge's MemeTune Studios have never sounded so good), but there's more funk than geek and more mod than modular in this tailored, minimalist design. Mallinder's vocals are a surreal joy, smeared with effects and electronics as they change, chant, and shift through the jump-cut lyrics. The opening trio of "Alpha Omega," "Stupid" (featuring Mallinder in a mutant-funk falsetto), and "Clockwork" (a nod to Kraftwerk, who famously name-checked Mallinder's Cabaret Voltaire as "brothers in popular electronic music") sets up White Glue with the crisp crack and thud of sequenced rhythms and lush synthesizers. "Dirty" starts like something from Forbidden Planet, pauses for a moment, then slams into a compelling funk beat with a bristling guitar riff courtesy of Julie Campbell (LoneLady). Mallinder delivers one of the most memorable vocal performances of his career, venting, sliding, and punching through the layers of noise with real urgency and bile. He employs his voice to more measured effect on "Stop" but it's no less hypnotic, a feverish guilt mantra of out-of-control consumerism. As the synths wail like sirens, one can picture Winter and Benge swaying to the beats, heads down, lost in the propulsive, (artificial) hand-clapping groove. The white-light techno rush, triggered synths, and chopped-up, multi-layered vocals of "Real Life" are followed by "Days," which slowly loops in then adds heavy bass and moody synth lines as Mallinder offers another striking vocal performance. "Superset" is a late highlight that features the band coaxing the rhythm into life before hitting hard with a lovely, deep groove. "Colliding" is the spacey krautrock closer, a beautiful, nuanced semi-instrumental song that exits with dreamy, abstract vocoder sounds and ambient synths.
In his first release for Metroline Limited, Counrad showcases the full spectrum of his versatile production skills. The title track "Underwater" is a full on 15 minutes epic chunky minimal monster that just keeps on building. This amazing piece of work takes the listener on a journey that starts with hypnotic minimalism and finishes with some intricate trippy techno. On the flipside, is the dark and percussive peak time tech-house grooves of "Particle Collisions" and some uber-cool modern machine funk minimalism in the shape of "Synapse".
Repressed. 180-gram LP version with embossed chessboard artwork print and printed inner sleeve. In celebration of the 2016 35th anniversary of the December 12, 1981, recording of Manuel Göttsching's legendary E2-E4, one of electronic music's most influential recordings, Göttsching's MG.ART label presents an official reissue, carefully overseen by the master himself. Includes liner notes by Manuel Göttsching, archival photos, and an excerpt of David Elliott's review in Sounds from June 16, 1984.
"As the story is sometimes told, Göttsching stopped in the studio for a couple of hours in 1981 and invented techno. E2-E4 is the most compelling argument that techno came from Germany-- more so than any single Kraftwerk album, anyway. The sleeve credits the former Ash Ra Tempel leader with 'guitar and electronics', but few could stretch that meager toolkit like Göttsching. Over a heavenly two-chord synth vamp and simple sequenced drum and bass, Göttsching's played his guitar like a percussion instrument, creating music that defines the word 'hypnotic' over the sixty minutes . . . A key piece in the electronic music puzzle that's been name-checked, reworked and expanded upon countless times." --Mark Richardson, Pitchfork
The third release completes a series by Tapirus, aka Charlton, featuring a remix by Mark Forshaw, part of the Phantom Planet Outlaws. Rough-hewn and acid-laced, straight out of Rotterdam.
Robert Henke presents VLSI under his Monolake alias. In the late 1970s, a series of significant enhancements in technology further accelerated the evolution of the digital age. Graphical interfaces, networked computers and new software tools allowed the design and manufacturing of integrated circuits with tens of thousands of functions on one chip; a process called Very Large Scale Integration - VLSI. The structures became so complex, that for the first time computers were needed to build the next generation of even faster computers. As a result of that evolution, the heart of a computer could now be put onto a single chip - the microprocessor was born. Amongst other developments, it enabled the creation of completely new electronic musical instruments: digital sound generators, drum machines, samplers and effects. Most of the signature sounds on VLSI were programmed using early digital synthesizers; machines built by individuals or small teams of adventurous engineers and music enthusiasts during the 1980s. VLSI is sonic archeology. Tiny artifacts of the instruments used have been carefully excavated and brought to new light. What was once perceived as limitation and dirt can now be experienced as character, color and patina. The interaction with these machines guided a minimalist and structural approach to sound and rhythm, expanded and re-contextualized into a futuristic soundtrack, utilizing the recording technology of 2016. The result is inspired by early techno, UK breakbeat and dubstep, African dance rhythms, future glitch, ambient and a variety of academic computer music. The concept for VLSI emerged during an artist residency at the Center for Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University in 2013, which helped Henke understand not only some deeper technical aspects of his trade, but also the social and cultural peculiarities of Silicon Valley. Thus, VLSI is also a reflection of social, economic and political topics driven by high tech companies more powerful than governments, hence the dystopian undercurrent. Some of the "historic" instruments used: Alesis Quadraverb, Dynacord DRP-20, E-mu Systems SP-12, Turbo Ensoniq ASR-10R, Eventide Eclipse H3000, Lexicon PCM-80 480L, Korg DDD-1, Linn Linn Drum NED Synclavier II, Oberheim Xpander PPG Wave 2.3, Quantec Yardstick, SCI Prophet VS, Yamaha DX27 DX7. VLSI marks the endpoint of a series of six EPs, released between 2014-2016. "Pio" is co-produced by Electric Indigo. Mixed by Mark Ernestus and Robert Henke.
On their first album since 2010's Glow In The Dark Safari Set (MORR 099CD/LP), ISAN once more weave together electronic soundscapes, delicate rhythms and the occasional odd sound into a pulsating, ever-morphing whole. Glass Bird Movement is Antony Ryan and Robin Saville's eighth studio album since starting the project in the late '90s. Exchanging ideas between England and Denmark, ISAN have crafted an album which is reminiscent of heyday Boards Of Canada productions, the friendlier ventures of Aphex Twin or the most focused moments of Ulrich Schnauss, if you will. However, Glass Bird Movement (as subtle and impressive as their back catalog is) displays a strong signature. ISAN constantly move forwards without leaving their respective studios. And why should they - it's warm and dry in there and the kettle is always boiling. The title Glass Bird Movement is the product of a free associative process which reflects ISAN's creative methods and frames the eleven songs in a way that triggers the imagination. Communicating less about their music than rather with their music, Ryan and Saville together immerse themselves in complex structures without shutting out their audience. Instead, the friendly bouncing grooves of songs like "Napier Deltic", the washed out harmonies of the aptly titled "Risefallsleep" or the circular rhythms of the album's opener, "Cuckoo Down", have dream-like, inviting qualities to them. ISAN are particular about incorporating the element of chance, a sort of second-hand human touch, in their music. If it's a cheap keyboard that is only good for one note in one song alone or a tape loop cut by hand, anything can find its way into an ISAN song. Even though they take most of their inspiration from the machines they work with, they do not fetishize their gear - but play with it. Glass Bird Movement relies just as heavily on all those sonic idiosyncrasies as it does on the sophisticated rhythms and throbbing basses that form its foundation. One might call the music that ISAN make Intelligence Dance Music. However, be aware that there has reportedly only ever been one person seen dancing to it. Glass Bird Movement is likely best enjoyed where it is warm and dry, while the kettle is boiling. Artwork by Morr Music's in-house designer, Julia Guther.
2016 repress; 2003 release. Jeffrey Lee Pierce -- reggae enthusiast, heroin addict, and former president of the Blondie fan club -- suffered a lonely, depressing death on March 31st, 1996 of a brain hemorrhage, after untold years of drug use and alcoholism. Why this event mattered much to anyone lay in a fantastic record his band, The Gun Club, recorded 16 years earlier: the masterful Fire Of Love. A visionary and fierce moment in time when The Gun Club took the raw, dripping meat of shopworn delta blues and infused it with the energy and fire of the LA punk rock scene. Inspired by bands like X, Television and the Cramps, he met Kid Congo Powers (who later played with Nick Cave and Cramps) and they formed the Creeping Ritual in 1979, soon to be renamed The Gun Club. Pierce was already a notorious drunk, exhibitionist, poet and fanboy. The Gun Club were quickly a dangerous new spoke on the spinning wheel of dynamic LA alt-culture. By 1980, Jeffrey Lee had moved into a deep reverence for Mississippi delta blues. The Gun Club paid more than passing homage: they wholeheartedly swiped complete riffs, words and attitude from the masters. Pierce participated in the great blues singer tradition by cobbling together distinct lines from other people's songs to create new ones. Snatches of Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Robert Johnson can be heard throughout this debut LP -- released in 1981 on Slash's Ruby Records. What makes Fire Of Love such a brilliant listen long after its time is that this blatant homage to the blues was amplified, energized and kicked into overdrive -- in a new style that combined the ghostliness of the original model with a FAST, unwound and supremely energetic beat. The engineering feats of Pat Burnette contributed to that sound: he wielded his Quad-Teck studios like a weapon, and mastered some of the greatest sides in LA music history (such as Germs' GI). Pure fullness of sound and the raw hot throb of records that were made to stand the test of time. From the immensely dark and aggressive sexuality of "Sex Beat," Gun Club's most recognizable number, to the fetishistic salute to fellow traveler Poison Ivy of The Cramps in "For The Love Of Ivy," including the hellfire classic "She's Like Heroin To Me," a 2:33 masterpiece in which everything comes together; Fire Of Love is pure perfection. It stands among the greatest classics of rock history, and shows the genius of the great Jeffrey, whose haunted singing has never been replaced. It proved out to be one of the most influential records of the '80s, with countless musicians declaring their love for the Club.
LOS SAICOS: Demolicion: The Complete Recordings LP (MR 329LP)
2016 repress. LP version with a 12-page full-color booklet with extensive notes and unseen photos. "With only six singles released between 1965 and 1966, and from an apparently remote place such as Lima, Peru, Los Saicos created a raw, wild and visceral sound, the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the garage rock that was coming out of the U.S. Northwest at the same time. Theirs is the same DNA shared by The Sonics, The Cramps and Black Lips. This release compiles all their recordings and tells their amazing story. This snarling maelstrom of nihilism was cut in Lima when the rest of the world was wetting itself over The Beatles, direct links to both The Stooges and The Cramps here and several more equally-enthralling combos. The latter spawned several generations of individuals who would dig deep to previously (mostly) unheard seams of music and other forms of culture that have since become part of the mainstream fabric. Another strong case of the same kind of happenstance to my mind is that which preceded the much-vaunted 'punk' explosion of the '70s." --Lindsay Hutton
LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY, THE: Launch Pad Favorites 2LP (MR 364LP)
Munster Records present Launch Pad Favorites, an anthology of the brilliant and unique five-decade career of The Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Unhinged whooping, hooting and hollering rock'n'roll genius of the kind that helps you get through life. Featuring his best known songs plus rarities, this is the first ever vinyl compilation of The Ledge's work from 1968 to the present day. "When it comes to pop music, artistic originality always seems to be in chronically short supply, but for avant-sick noise phenomena the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, it's an endlessly available resource. Since his unforgettable 1968 introduction with 'Paralyzed', the Cowboy's unhinged whoop and screech, hit & run brand of bugle limned cacophony has not only astonished, it has also reached into the pop mainstream, from his early appearance on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) to David Bowies's 2002 cover of 'I Took A Trip (On A Gemini Spaceship)'. Working with a longtime band of accompanists that include Dead Kennedy's bassist Klaus Flouride, trio'd with Joey Myers on drums and Jay Rosen on guitar, The Ledge continues to rocket through his own musical galaxy." -- Jonny Whiteside. "One day I turned on the radio, and heard this wild and unhinged voice blasting through the airwaves. It stopped me in my tracks. The singer was telling me that he was standing in a trashcan thinking about me, and from that moment on my life would never be the same. I found that every song Ledge sang delivered the same amount of happiness I felt upon that first discovery, and it is my belief that a person cannot fight a smile if they will just let him into their heart." -- DJ "Shyboy"Tim Lind, KMSU Radio, 89.7 FM, Mankato, Minnesota. "First hearing, then seeing in performance, then meeting, then playing with and over the years getting to know and be friends with 'The Ledge' has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. His sense of humor is funnier than I think even he knows. His abandon on stage is equaled by none. He can be ornery, but in his heart is one of the most open people I've ever met once he lets you in. This collection of his best known songs as well as some rarities is a must have for any collector of strange and funny, and in its way profoundly immediate music." -- Klaus Flouride (Dead Kennedys).
PEEL, HANNAH: Awake But Always Dreaming CD (MOP 004CD)
Awake But Always Dreaming is the second album by Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hannah Peel, produced and recorded with long-term collaborator Erland Cooper, with orchestrations by Peel, in their richly analog studio in London and at Attica Audio Recording in County Donegal, Ireland. This is a work about memory -- the luminous and beautiful formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage to the mind. "I've read 1 in 3 of us will die with dementia, and a third of us are connected to someone with dementia through family and friends," says Peel. "850,000 people in the UK alone have it now and 2 in 3 people affected will be women. It's quite remarkable really, and it's getting worse." Peel has created an exquisite, distinct album of two halves, full of vibrant, direct color in the early stages contrasted with esoteric, dreamscape, legato movements toward the end. The bright, raw magic and joy of personal relationships are set alongside the gradual loss of Peel's grandmother to dementia. A childhood spent in the landscape of the Irish coast inspires a sense of openness in the music, but there's also a complex, darker, percussive thrust to these songs, as adult city life intrudes and, in its own way, inspires. The album has the feel of a dream in which all of daily life is expressed and decoded, from feverish rush hours to the old sunlight of Peel's grandmother's fading memories. She switches from panoramic city images in "Standing On The Roof Of The World" to the dissolving, hallucinogenic moments that define the second half of the album. The album's closer is a cover of "Cars In The Garden" by Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile), which returns memory to childhood ("find the place that we forgot") and features Peel's trademark music box and a sublimely coaxed-out, bittersweet duet with Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts). It's another fine shift in tone and perspective, from the grandeur and chaos of "Foreverest" to something very simple, surreal, and utterly moving.
ERNESTUS' NDAGGA RHYTHM FORCE, MARK: Yermande CD (ND 025CD)
Five years in, with two acclaimed albums and dozens of international performances, Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force announces Yermande, a new phase for this Dakar‐Berlin collaboration. "This time around I was better able to specify what I wanted right from the initial recording sessions in Dakar," says Ernestus, "... I took more freedom in reducing and editing audio tracks, changing MIDI data, replacing synth sounds and introducing electronic drum samples." Rather than submitting to the routine, discrete gradations of recording, producing and mixing, the music is tangibly permeated with deadly intent from the start. Lethally it plays a clipped, percussive venom and thumping bass against the soaring, open‐ throated spirituality of Mbene Seck's singing. The drumming is unpredictable, exclamatory, zinging with life. Likewise the production: intuitive and fresh but utterly attentive, limber but hefty. Six chunks of nextlevel mbalax - funky as anything. "Lamb Ji" is traditional wrestling, the most popular sport in Senegal, always introduced by hours of drumming, gris-gris magic and dancing (led by the fighters themselves). Born into the Momori griot clan in Tivaouane, Mbene moved to Pikine on the outskirts of Dakar, where Ndongo Lo was first to invite her to sing at lamb events. Here she pays homage to all the popular fighters of recent times. Evoking the ancient legacy of the griots, "Walo Walo" is also the name of the sabar rhythm underlying this track, which features Ibou Mbaye's percussive synthwork, Mangone Ndiaye Dieng's kit-drumming, and Bada Seck's jolts of lower-pitched thiol drum. "Simb" ("Lion") refers to traditional drumming and dancing events, at which a cavorting "faux lion" frightens the audience members. "Jigeen" means "Woman": "Man should know every woman is your mother. Cherish a woman. Respect a woman's dignity. Look after the people who were there when you had nothing." A tribute to the Baye Fall leader, "Ndiguel" is the most traditional cut, showcasing Assane Ndoye Cisse's insinuating guitar lines, Laye Lo's super‐elasticated snare‐drumming, and Bada Seck playing the khine drums associated with the Baye Fall. "Yermande" takes a former associate to task: "Stop prompting the witchdoctor to curse us. Leave people alone and let them go their own way. Take yours; leave ours to us" Like "Lamb Ji" and "Simb", featuring all four sabar players: Bada Seck, Serigne Mamoune Seck, Abou Salla Seck and Alioune Seck.
RUZICKA, PETER: Crossing The Border CD/SACD (NEOS 11521CD)
"Music has to learn how to sing again" - this was Peter Ruzicka's formulation as a way out of a creative crisis around 1980. Peter Ruzicka composed the works on Crossing The Border during three different creative periods. The cantata "...Der Die Gesänge Zerschlug..." (Who Shattered the Songs) was created halfway along the path towards his first opera, Celan. Alongside the violin concerto "...Inseln, Randlos" (Islands, Edgeless) and the orchestral piece "...Vorgefühle..." (Presentiments), it marks a significant predilection, in terms of both musical language and structure, for staged music. "Sturz" (Plunge) was written between the Celan opera and its successor, the music theatre Hölderlin, and went into the music of the second stage work via several metamorphoses. The cello concerto "...Über Die Grenze" (Crossing the Border), closely related to the ensemble piece "Trans", explored the expressive and structural terrain for a new opera before either its essential content or working title were known. Österreichisches Ensemble Für Neue Musik, performing all pieces on Crossing The Border, has dedicated itself to the performance of contemporary music for over 40 years and has established itself internationally as one of the leading ensembles of its kind. With over 300 world premieres since its founding and regular participation at numerous major festivals, the ensemble residing in Salzburg has meanwhile become indispensable on the world's great concert stages. Österreichisches Ensemble Für Neue Musik personnel on Crossing The Border is: Johannes Kalitzke - conductor; Dietrich Henschel - baritone; Peter Sigl - violoncello.
LOHSE, HORST: Letzte Dinge. Hieronymus Bosch Triptychon CD/SACD (NEOS 11604CD)
2016 is the year the world celebrates the 500th year of death of the outstanding Dutch Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch (1516). "Hieronymus Bosch's pictorial worlds exercised an immense fascination on me already during my youth, and this has not at all waned over the years", Horst Lohse notated whilst working on his Hieronymus Bosch Triptych. In the parts of this work, composed consecutively over the course of 23 years, he dedicates himself to three elements of the "Madrid Panel" ascribed to Bosch, which came to Spain via Philip II and is today preserved in the Museo del Prado. First of all, the central round picture, "Die Sieben Todsünden" ("The Seven Deadly Sins", 1989), then the four small round pictures in the corners of the panel, "Die Vier Letzten Dinge" ("The Four Last Things", 1996/97) and, finally, the tension between the black base and the center of the middle round picture, "Cave Cave Dominus Videt" (2011/12). Organist, Christoph Maria Moosmann, talks about the recording: "The demands made by the Hieronymus Bosch Triptychon on the instrument are enormous: remote aliquots, two 32' registers, glockenspiel, mechanical stop action, a manual range up to C7 and a sound 'like an echo sounding from afar'. In the case of live performances, the challenge lies in finding individual solutions according to the stop list and the acoustics of the venue, in order to come as close as possible to the sonic visions of the work. For the present recording, the interpreter was interested in finding instruments with which the instructions in the score could be realized as literally as possible. This possibility presented itself for Parts I and III with the three organs of Rottenburg Cathedral. The richness of their colors is immense. Thanks to precise synchronization, it was possible to more or less simultaneously access the three instruments and coordinate their respective expressive spectra ranging from trembling wind sounds to almost surreal, seemingly electronic sounds." Personnel: Christoph Maria Moosmann - organ; Bamberger Symphoniker; Aldo Brizzi - conductor; Robert Hunger-Bühler - voice.
TRIO TRANSMITTER: Camera Obscura CD (NEOS 11617CD)
Trio Transmitter plays current music, for and about the present day. Through a large number of preparations and expanded playing techniques, the three musicians coax highly differentiated and very personal sounds from their instruments. The most varied objects, such as record players, megaphones and additional recordings, enrich the sonic possibilities, becoming integral parts of the compositions. An important factor in this is the collaboration with the composers, who are engaged in constant exchange with the ensemble even in the compositional process. Since its founding in 2012, the Trio Transmitter has commissioned and premiered diverse compositions, receiving a furtherance prize of the Initiative New Music Berlin in 2015. Camera Obscura features compositions by Florian Bergmann (with texts by Ronald D. Laing), Markus Wettstein, Nuria Núñez Hierro, Hanna Hartman and Benedikt Bindewald. Trio Transmitter are: Florian Bergmann - bass clarinet; Benedikt Bindewald - violin and viola; Alba Gentili-Tedeschi - piano. Additional personnel on Camera Obscura: Jonathan Sheratte, Rilli Willow - voices on "Knots I"; Sarah Saviet, Benoit Pitre - voices on "Knots I" & "Knots II"; Georg Bochow - countertenor on "Knots III".
Parachute presents a reissue of art rock unit Starfuckers' legendary Sinistri LP, remastered and pressed on vinyl for the very first time since its original release in 1994 on Underground Records. Formed in 1987, Starfuckers, an Italian avant-garde band primarily from the 1990s, were considered to be a notable part of the experimental rock scene and one of the more "out there" acts during their active tenure. Originally inspired by '80s post-Stooges noise and New York City no wave, Starfuckers eventually carved their path to their own distinctive sound by following in the footsteps of Iannis Xenakis, John Cage, Bruno Maderna and Karlheinz Stockhausen, all without ever abandoning their own attitude and raw personality. An incredibly important record, Sinistri feels just as fresh as it did in 1994.
Appearing for the first time on Instagram in 2014, Poorgrrrl is the culmination of the Miami based artist Tara Long's worst dreams and best nightmares. As an online identity or IRL, Poorgrrrl challenges viewers and listeners with convoluted lyrics and a lo-fi "fuck it" demeanor. She presents an alternative personality to pop culture, appropriating it where she must. She is on a quest to save Miami, her birthplace and home, from its own reputation, before it goes underwater. Her debut EP, Pitiparti, is a collection of her work so far. "SUPER RUDE" features Jenee.
CENTRY MEETS THE MUSIC FAMILY: Release The Chains 10" (PRTL 10012EP)
A welcome re-release of a UK dub classic from the Conscious Sounds stable Centry Meets The Music Family, originally released in 1994. A spaced-out, six-minute live instrument phaser-laden excursion in to a dub nirvana which does smell like teen spirit... Backed with a rawer dubbier mix.
$9.79 UPC: N/A ELECTRONIC
A1. Release The Chains
B1. Release The Chains Dub Mix 3
Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer, aka Tuff City Kids, are creatures of habit. Every week, the two club veterans meet up at Phillip's studio and spend an entire day making tunes. And while Gerd often likes to joke that his role in the arrangement is limited to making coffee and looking at his cell phone, it's clear that the two men have forged a potent partnership, one that's been responsible for an astonishing amount of dancefloor heat over the past few years. Incredibly, this German pair has managed to maintain a relatively low profile, despite the steady stream of music they've released via well-respected labels like Unterton, Delsin, Internasjonal, Permanent Vacation and Live At Robert Johnson. And then there are the remixes - Azari & III, Scuba, The Juan Maclean, Fort Romeau, Avalon Emerson, Massimiliano Pagliara and Sinkane are just a small sampling of the artists who've enlisted Tuff City Kids to work their studio magic. Throughout it all, there have been whispers of a proper Tuff City Kids album, and now that Adoldesscent has arrived, it will be all but impossible for the duo to linger in the background. After all, the LP is anything but shy, thanks in part to hooky vocal turns from the likes of Annie, Joe Goddard, Kelley Polar and Jasnau, and even the album's instrumental cuts, featuring some clear nods to various eras of dance-pop, from the boogie-inflected funk of "Wake People" to the breakbeat techno of "Boilered" and the tweaky rave nostalgia of "Nordo." Elsewhere, first single "Labyrinth" is an infectious bit of new wave, while the guitar-driven "Scared" recalls the gloomier side of '80s pop and "Tell Me" is perhaps the record's most playfully soulful moment. DJs will likely gravitate toward the darting strings of "Aska" and breezy vibes of "Farewell House," yet Adoldesscent isn't entirely focused on the dancefloor. Dreamy opener "Ophmar" evokes the legacy of John Carpenter, while the crunchy "R-Mancer" offers up a sort of psychedelic synth freak-out. Much like the Tuff City Kids themselves, Adoldesscent isn't about any one style or sound in particular. It is, however, a cohesive effort, along with proof that the different corners of the electronic spectrum have a lot more in common than we'd all like to admit. More importantly, it's a whole lot of fun, and isn't that what dance music is supposed to be about anyways?
PMG present an anthology of Ahmed Fakroun's work. "Insanely popular across the Maghreb, name-checked in international spy novels and beloved of music adventurers like David Byrne, Libyan superstar Ahmed Fakroun is the most astounding raï-disco-electronica pioneer ever to be heard. His 1983 album, Mots D'Amour (PMG 005CD/LP, 1983) is regarded as a global fusion classic. This self-titled anthology of songs from the late '70s is an altogether mellower affair. The grooves are slower and sweeter and Fakroun's multi-instrumentalist chops on the saz, mandol and darbouka drum really come to the fore. The album includes tracks from two of Ahmed's rarest and most sought-after 7 inches. 'Nysan' has an almost west coast vibe: think Ned Doheny via Benghazi. Balearic-minded collectors will love the haunting flute runs in 'Awedny', produced by Tommy Vance, and 'Njoom Al Leyel'. There's even a touch of lilting reggae on 'Falah' and 'Yu Hussad.' Ahmend Fakroun is the perfect late night, come-down album, especially after a hot and sweaty evening in a raï club, somewhere in North Africa." -- Peter Moore.
CAMPBELL, JO ANN: I Changed My Mind Jack/I Really Really Love You 7" (POPC 157EP)
Jo Ann Campbell's "I Changed My Mind Jack" is a male and female call-and-response duo answer to Ray Charles's "Hit The Road Jack", set to a barnstorming, up-tempo backing which will cause fireworks on the dancefloor. On the flip side, a more familiar popcorn tempo with a terrific rendition of "I Really Really Love You".
$5.39 UPC: N/A ROCK
A1. I Changed My Mind Jack
B1. I Really Really Love You
CROATIAN AMOR: Love Means Taking Action LP (PI 180LP)
LP version. Multi-faceted Copenhagen-based artist Loke Rahbek presents Love Means Taking Action under his alias Croatian Amor. It is the first full-length Croatian Amor recording since 2014's The Wild Palms, a release that was made available on cassette for a single month, and only in exchange for a nude self-portrait. Since the inception of the project, Croatian Amor has dealt with a mixture of fiction and reality, often using real events and places as a platform for a largely fictional play. Where there is playfulness, there is revelation. On Love Means Taking Action - without a doubt the project's strongest work to date - the effect of the perpetual collaging of information is keenly felt. Short, unnerving moments appear with slick familiarity. Voices repeat and quietly glitch through tonal shifts. Listeners are ushered along by the shuddering effect of the samples and field recordings on the pristine synthesis, with motifs and plot lines presented as quickly as they disintegrate. Listeners are enticed to find comfort here but are not guided through a space as with much ambient music. The textures and terrains that Love Means Taking Action presents form an array of scenarios with what at times feels like a punishing degree of indifference to the listener. Listeners are bluntly shown snippets of impassioned architectures. It is a process that draws the listener in through alienation.
Apodiktische Gewissheit ("apodeictic certainty") is the title of a cooperative audio-visual project from Berlin-based artist Gerhard Mantz and Wolfgang Voigt. The project is premised on a digital video piece from Gerhard Mantz. Steadily flowing geometric forms and themes move evenly around a fixed center towards the viewer. A hypnotic undertow-like effect of seductive beauty emerges - impossible to elude. Wolfgang Voigt seizes on the digital aesthetic and the mechanical flow of the images, giving them a musical equivalent. The result is a successful amalgamation of imagery and music that generates maximum intensity with minimum motion.
MIDWINTER: The Waters of Sweet Sorrow LP (PT 8018LP)
Prog Temple present a vinyl reissue of Midwinter's The Waters of Sweet Sorrow, originally released in 1993. Midwinter's now legendary status in the field of acid-folk had only been established when their 1973 demo recordings were unveiled to a wider audience 20 years after their conception. Until then, Midwinter had existed only in local knowledge and in the shadows of Stone Angel, the post-Midwinter outfit whose privately-pressed self-titled album from 1975 (PT 8026CD) has since commanded deserved attention by fans and collectors alike. Also included in this retrospective edition is the earliest-known recordings by Midwinter/Stone Angel front-man Ken Saul, taken from his highly rare and sought-after debut single from 1970. Includes detailed liner notes. Digitally remastered.
Prog Temple present a vinyl reissue of Assagai's self-titled album, originally released in 1971. Assagai's debut for Philips's progressive subsidiary Vertigo was realized in 1971 to quiet applause. Critics soon became favorable as Afro-rock gained a foothold as the "next big thing" and it wasn't long before they would make their (only) appearance on Top of the Pops. Their journey in London's predominantly progressive underground music scene was brief, but also established a further chapter in the annals of Afro-rock alongside Black Velvet, Osibisa, Thor's Anvil, Uhuru and the Cosmic Grass Band. Numerous musical figures were assembled from the South African and Nigerian communities resident in London at the time with contributions from Dudu Pukwana, Fred Coker, Ayinde Folarin (Demon Fuzz) and Fred Fredericks (Jimmy James And The Vagabonds). An unlikely partnership with progressive-folk legends Jade Warrior would provide backing on their 1971 Zimbabwe LP (KH 9012CD), co-writing material for their self-titled debut. Unbeknownst to Jade Warrior at the time, they were part of a combined contract with their label mates. Assagai is as fresh and alive as it was when it was recorded in 1971, hypnotic in its rhythm and tantalizing in its mix of punctured brass and provocative vocals. Their ruthless brand of handsome rhythm offers copious potent vibes, but simultaneously employs a simple narrative achieving an elementary perspective of London's rapidly changing times.
Prog Temple present a reissue of Heads Hands & Feet's self-titled album, originally released in 1971. It took British band Heads, Hands & Feet just one gig to land what was at the time the biggest record advance ever offered by the U.S. record industry to a UK band - a massive half-million dollars up front. But this was not just one potentially hip new band, but a collection of seasoned pros who knew their way around a studio. Consisting of guitar virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist Albert Lee, bassist Chas Hodges, drummer Pete Gavin, guitarist Ray Smith, vocalist Tony Colton and keyboard player Mike O'Neill, their debut album, released as a single LP in the UK but a double in the US, is presented here as the original UK release and includes a CD version of the original 17 track US release. Although the band lasted for two more albums, the group proved to be more a staging post for its members who all went on to various degrees of success, except for Pete Gavin who took a job in the construction industry in Salem, Ohio. But as Tony Colton opined "Looking back, we were one hell of a band and on a good night we could blow anybody off stage." Includes insert.
$18.39 EAN: 4753314802926 ROCK
UK Version (LP):
A1. I'm In Need Of Your Help
A2. Send Me A Wire
A3. I Wish You Knew Me
A4. Everybody's Hustlin' > Hang Me, Dang Me
A5. Devil's Elbow
B1. Country Boy
B2. Tryin' To Put Me On
B3. Delaware
B4. Pete Might Spook The Horses
B5. Little Bit Lonely
US Version (CD):
01. I'm In Need Of Your Help
02. Send Me A Wire
03. Look At The World It's Changing
3a. You Because You Know Me
04. Green Liquor
05. Country Boy
06. Tryin' To Put Me On
07. I Wish You Knew Me
08. Devil's Elbow
09. Pete Might Spook The Horses
10. Everybody's Hustlin'
10a. Hang Me, Dang Me
11. Delaware
12. The More You Get, The More You Want
13. Song For Suzie
14. Tirabad
15. Little Bit Lonely
Prog Temple present a vinyl reissue of Boxer's second album Absolutely, originally released in 1977. In 1976, legendary vocalist Mike Patto (Timebox, Patto) put together a new lineup of Boxer featuring keyboardist Chris Stainton (Joe Cocker's Grease Band), guitarist Adrian Fisher (Sparks), bassist Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge), and drummer Eddie Tuduri (The Beach Boys). The lineup proved volatile and short-lived, but they did tape this lost classic of melodic hard rock in 1977, with producer Jeff Glixman, red-hot from his association with Kansas. Reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1977. Comes with insert including background notes and images.
Prog Temple present the first vinyl reissue of Wooden Horse's self-titled album, originally released in 1972. Originally formed in Sydney, Australia, this folk-rock quintet completed their line-up upon moving to London in 1970. They are best-known for featuring vocalist Susan Traynor - better-known as Noosha Fox. Released in March 1972, their superb debut album consists of mellow folk-rock with sparkling vocal harmonies. Reissued here with background notes and images. Includes insert.
$16.39 EAN: 4753314805521 ROCK
A1. Crazy Thought
A2. Wake Me In The Morning
A3. Trees
A4. Northern Beaches
A5. This Is A Song
A6. Broken Bottles
B1. Eastbound Train
B2. Gentle Mind
B3. Come Around
B4. Feel
B5. Letter
B6. Loving Man
Prog Temple present a reissue of Assagai's Zimbabwe, originally released in 1971. Led by South African saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, Assagai spearheaded the UK's so-called "Afro-rock" movement in the early '70s. The lost classic Zimbabwe is their second and last album, and originally appeared in the UK only in 1971. Featuring guest appearances from Jade Warrior (who also contribute some songs), Zimbabwe is an extremely funky blast from start to finish. Includes insert. "This is a blast, and will definitely appeal to Afro-rock heads" --Galactic Ramble.
Several days of one-room, one-take live sessions involving guitar feedback, machine cacophony and endless growling and shouting resulted in "Hurry" and "Listen". "Listen" possesses a certain violence tempered by honesty, ebbing and flowing but roaring forward. Not Waving's remix affirms the rock'n'roll roots of the track with brash, acid-punk. "Hurry" is equal parts urgency and restraint, the sonic equivalent of holding hard to the reins of a bolting horse, or being held underwater by a wave. UK producer Lurka is on remix duty.
DADDY CLEANHEAD/JIMMY LIGGINS: Something's Going On In My Room/Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man 7" (RB 116EP)
All-time great jump blues classic from Daddy Cleanhead, the older brother of LA bandleader and R&B star Chuck Higgins. With a rock solid rhythm, catchy piano and bass riff, humorous and light-hearted lyrics and a rousing, rasping sax break, what's not to like? Doesn't get much better! Also features Jimmy Liggins's "Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man".
$7.79 UPC: N/A ROCK
A1. Daddy Cleanhead - Something's Going On In My Room
B1. Jimmy Liggins - Saturday Night Boogie Woogie Man
This Is You proposes a metaphysical feedback loop involving the lens, a broadcast system, biological ocularcentrism and the sun. Using the birth of user-generated content as the starting point, the work traces the 25-year history of the TV program Funniest Home Videos in an attempt to describe the prism of existence as solar vanity. This Is You meditates on the desires of the self, bathed in light and rawly exposed without any other intent than being itself. In 1989, American TV producer Vin De Bona launched a TV special inspired by two Japanese programs: Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen TV and Waku Waku Animal World. An open call for amusing home videos that would be edited together with music and sound effects to produce a collage of amusing mishaps and spectacles interlaced with commentary from a host. The resulting special was later transformed in 1990 into America's Funniest Home Videos and is regarded as being the birth of user-generated content for western television. Audiences were so hungry for their "15 minutes" that De Bona Productions received up to 1,600 tapes per day in the '90s and was the sole reason for the Hollywood post office employing extra staff at the time. An ad hoc ethics committee comprised of comedy writers looked over and assessed these tapes. Even today, royalties continue to be paid to Tokyo Broadcasting System for use of style and presentation for America's Funniest Home Videos. If self-awareness is essential to the human condition, then can light forced through an oculus be responsible for consciousness? Do all sensory feedback loops comprise self or is self an artefact of light waves and other physical phenomena? Light strives to get a better look at itself by improving upon the technological extensions of the biological world (cameras, selfie sticks) and will eventually drown in stored memories (reflections, hard drives) over time. Australian composer Chris Cobilis set about transcribing episodes of both Australia's and America's Funniest Home Videos to develop an animated graphic score and accompanying script which conceptually speaks of the feedback loop This Is You proposes. The work was performed live in studio by Chicago's Spektral Quartet and American poet Kenneth Goldsmith at Electrical Audio with engineer Steve Albini. Chicago's Spektral Quartet perform repertoire in the traditional canon while equally embracing present-day modern composition. American poet Kenneth Goldsmith is the founder of UbuWeb and was a broadcaster at WFMU for 15 years.
$16.39 UPC: 739027481874 ELECTRONIC
A1. This Is You
A2. Opening Sequence
A3. Fire of Publicity
A4. The Sun as Narcissus: Big Boy Prism
B1. For Sean and Kevin
B2. Dust In The Gate
B3. Longest Last Light
B4. Closing Credits (Tonight's Winner)
BUSHMAN'S REVENGE: Jazz, Fritt Etter Hukommelsen CD (RCD 2185CD)
Bushman's Revenge have been called the missing link between Albert Ayler and Black Sabbath and a Marshall amp version of John Coltrane's Interstellar Space (1974). With Jazz, Fritt Etter Hukommelsen, their eighth album, they go all the way back to their humble beginnings and for the first time do what can loosely be dubbed a "proper" jazz album, hence the album title which translates to "Jazz, From Memory" in English. The goal, according to guitarist Even Hermansen, is still to explore the link between the Shorter/Coltrane world on one side and electric blues/Hendrix on the other, but without having to turn everything up to eleven. Sporting four originals and two covers - McCoy Tyner's "Contemplation" and Albert Ayler´s "Angels" - this is easily their most confident, spiritual, heartfelt and fully realized album. "Gamle Plata Til Arne" originates from the first ever jam session they had before starting the band and the album closer "Lola Mit Dem Gorgonzola" is an elegant slice of Scandinavian summer melancholy, in a jazz tradition first explored by legendary Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johanson in the mid '60s.
2x12" version. In times where a compilation of 12-inch bangers passes as an album, Telephones's debut album Vibe Telemetry opts for a different approach. Without being a departure from his 12-inches for Sex Tags UFO, Full Pupp and Running Back or his brilliant remix work for José Padilla and Vangelis Katsoulis, the Norwegian producer from Bergen who calls Berlin his home, hones sound, skills and aesthetics on his debut long-player. Vibe Telemetry is inspired by the pure feeling of listening to house, disco and techno, prior to knowing what it actually was: ambiguous, euphoric, mystical and melancholic, sonic and physical experiences, which names and origins were yet to be discovered. Sleeve designed by DJ Fettburger.
2001 release. Created amidst the cultural boom that followed Zimbabwe's independence, the music that the Bhundu Boys recorded at Shed Studios in Harare between 1982 and 1986 was African dance pop, irresistibly powered by drums, guitars, voices and youthful high spirits. On the strength of these records, the Boys toured Europe and North America in the late '80s, winning new fans with their exuberant shows wherever they went, and were signed to a major international label. But their subsequent albums were disappointing, and the group was undone by unrealistic expectations, poor decisions and illness. The Shed Sessions - all of the sessions collected in this annotated 2CD set - remain the best testament of what a great band the Bhundu Boys had been.
Argentina's Rous, who currently lives in Mendoza, delivers music with confident brush strokes of synthesizer magic over titillating classic analog sounding drums. The raw and intense landscapes of a snowy Patagonian lake island and its surroundings - the place where he spent a month with no communications or technology - shaped La Púrpura Del Ocaso ("The Purple of Sunset"). In Rous's words, "this recording expresses my intensity while growing up, my experience with masters, the natural destinies that the mountain put in front of us and the ecstasy we feel at the parties with our South American family and friends."
Frank & Tony present their third release of 2016, Harmonium EP. Toms and effervescent drum patterning get things started on "Serenade". Swirling pads, alongside a driving two-note bass, lay the groundwork before siren-like synths call out. "Hardrian" takes the tempo down and conjures basement rave vibes with its propelling bass line and cavernous pads. The title cut takes things into open-air - Airy pads and a buoyant bass carry the track and the drum patterning further lightens the tone. The duo take on John Beltran's classic "Gutaris Breeze (6000km To Amsterdam)" from his 1996 album, Ten Days of Blue.
After releasing their own debut record in 2014, the Hamburg based group Sky Walking, formed by Peter Kersten, Christian Naujoks and Richard von der Schulenburg, now celebrate the launch of their self-titled label. By bringing together an international line-up of artists mostly associated with the new and experimental music scenes in cities like Hamburg, Berlin and New York, Sky Walking not only establish a link between different locations and their local scenes, but also link different generations of artists from these scenes. By choosing Sergei Tcherepnin's "Queer 1" as the first track on 41'36'', as the record is simply called, indicating the length of the album in John Cage style, the compilation not just draws on the legacy of early modular synthesizers (his uncle invented the "Serge"), but also - in a manifesto like way - points out the hybrid and genre-bending approaches many of the artists on this record share. The ten tracks on the record are characterized by an openness towards improvisation and collaboration as well as an experimental attitude towards technology. The outcome is sometimes weird and nerdy, sometimes playful and humorous - never taking either the music categories "new" or "experimental" too seriously. Konrad Sprenger for example, featured with the track "Distain", invented a robotic multi-channel electric guitar, which uses the strings as frequency generators. It is tuned and set into motion by various electronically controlled mechanical movements. An even more performative quality has the black metal influenced duo Misanthrope CA, whose members Robert Kulisek and David Lieske prefer to play their dark and drone-y ambient tracks in neoprene suits. Jazz influences can be heard both in the fully improvised, cartoon-like piece by Sky Walking themselves and the filmic quality of Philipp Sollman's and John Gürtler's collaboration in "Gegen Die Zeit". While these two tracks were produced in the studio, Eve Essex and Dan Fox as well as Nowerk (F#X and Christian Naujoks) work with different means of live-recording in their collaborative projects. Rather mysterious appearances are the ones by Keller G and Gebrochene Beine. Whereas the latter mixes broken beats with a saxophone going wild, the first offers a dark and atmospheric, slightly uncanny soundscape. Nika Son takes the listener on a tense-ridden sonic journey with her track "Drissk", purposefully paying tribute to the grand dames of the synthesizer. Cover art by Amy Lien and Enzo Camacho.
The Early Years follow their 2006 self-titled debut (Beggars Banguet) with their second album, II. Recorded in their home studio in rural Cheshire, England; mixed in Atlanta, Georgia, by Jason Kingsland (whose previous work includes Deerhunter's 2015 album Fading Frontier), and mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Frank Arkwright (whose previous work includes releases by Mogwai and New Order). II is well worth the wait. It's stunning -- the sound of a band who have matured and relaxed into their playing, created without any external pressures or expectations. With the sheer scale of its scope and vision, it towers above the legions of kraut-psych bands that came along in The Early Years' wake. Opener "Nocturne" is a ferocious collision of human and machine -- guitars that evoke Will Sergeant on Neil Young's farm, Roland TB-303s squelching away, and the wild-eyed energy of Julian Cope circa Fried. Cope and the Bunnymen are reference points throughout, but II also recalls New Order (the elegiac "Fluxus"), Dean Wareham dueling Tom Verlaine ("Out Of Signal"), Spiritualized ("Hush"), and Harmonia meeting pre-definite-article-Verve (closer "Memory Case").
JOBARTEH, DAWDA: Transitional Times CD (STCD 1128CD)
While it's true that Dawda Jobarteh was born into an illustrious Gambian family of griots, hereditary court musicians and especially kora players (his father was Amadou Bansang Jobarteh, his uncles were Dembo Konté and Malamini Jobarteh, and his grandfather was the great Alhaji Bai Konté), it doesn't necessarily follow that he upholds family tradition. Griots learn their craft and repertoire over many years of study with their elders, starting in childhood, but Dawda was an adult when he picked up a kora for the first time, and by then he was far from Africa, his elders, and their tradition. Living in Copenhagen, he was a drummer in jazz and rock bands. But the sound of the kora, even in his untrained hands, tugged his ear and stirred deep memories and feelings. He taught himself to play the 21-string harp, figuring out the classics he remembered from his youth and composing new music in untraditional styles. He recorded his debut album, Northern Light Gambian Night, for Sterns Africa in 2011 (STCD 1112CD). All About Jazz praised its "gorgeous synthesis of the old and the new"; Songlines described it as "an album of delicacy and beauty" and awarded it five stars; and ABC Radio called it "a joyful noise from a man right at home in very different musical and geographic places." In the five years since then, Jobarteh has traveled widely, performing in Europe and Asia, returning to Gambia and touring other African nations, but Denmark, where he lives with his wife and three children, has been and will remain his base. And "right at home in very different musical and geographic places" still characterizes him and his art. "Winter Trees Stand Sleeping", the kora solo that begins his new album and gently evokes piano nocturnes by Scandinavian composers like Edvard Grieg, and compare it with "Dalua", a piece firmly rooted in Gambian griot jaliya. "Jamming in the Fifth Dimension" is an unbridled improvisational duet between Jobarteh, playing an electric kora, and percussionist Salieu Dibba, and "Transition" is a John Coltrane tune. Dawda's expansive worldview is reflected in his words as well as in his music. He wrote "Bright Sky Over Monrovia" for a play about Liberian blood diamonds. "Efe" decries the way arbitrary borders and immigration policies divide families. When he sings about his own family, his perspective is rounded and nuanced, as in "Mba Sina", which is both critical of polygamy and appreciative of his mother's co-wife. Dawda Jobarteh honors his heritage while never letting it confine him.
Sublime Frequencies presents the inaugural volume in a three volume set of contemporary field recordings by Hisham Mayet, recorded in Burkina Faso during three expeditions from 2013-2015. Volume 1 highlights the sacred and secular music of the regional balafon or xylophone revered by the Lobi people of southwestern Burkina Faso. In Lobi culture, the balafon performance is not simply music; it is a form of speech that allows master musicians to converse intimately with the living and the dead. Volume 1 showcases two side-long tracks that are as thrilling as any Burkinabé music ever recorded. These tracks not only echo but also further some of the greatest examples of Western avant-garde music: Imagine the pulsating minimalist motifs of titans like Terry Riley or La Monte Young elaborated into a dizzying maximalism. Includes performances by Kabaré Balafon and Lobi Balafon. Comes with a full-color insert of liner notes and a map of Burkina Faso. Edition of 400.
Sublime Frequencies presents the second volume in a three volume set of contemporary field recordings by Hisham Mayet recorded in Burkina Faso during three expeditions from 2013-2015. Volume 2 spotlights Mossi, Bissa, Bwaba, Fulani and Samo music. On side one, riveting string instruments such as the Mossi and Bissa koundé accompany gnarled, primal vocal epics extolling the virtues of kings and the common man. On side two, the otherworldly sounds of the thianhou (reed zither) and the lolongo (bow-shaped mouth harp) levitate the listener into a blissful trance. Includes performances by Ibrahim from Bittou, Souleyman Zoungrena, Yehou Téré Sedou Baba, Bomberi Willoho, Yaro Labairi, and Kousoule Lalara. Comes with a full-color insert of liner notes and a map of Burkina Faso. Edition of 400.
Sublime Frequencies presents the third volume in a three volume set of contemporary field recordings by Hisham Mayet recorded in Burkina Faso during three expeditions from 2013-2015. Volume 3 includes regional instruments such as the Donso ngoni (hunters harp). The Donso hunters are a mystical animist sect living in western Burkina, Faso whose music is a source of protection and strength for the hunt. The Dioula are represented by one of Bobo-Dioulasso's premiere ensembles, Fassobolomba, who fuse traditional styles with an impeccable ear for modern melody and song-craft. The thianhou and the jubilant wedding songs of the Fulani (Denke-Denke) round out the region's musical embarrassment of riches. Includes performances by Moukoro Zakaria, Moukoro Mahamadou, Lasso, Bomberi Willoho, Fassobolomba, Troupe de Dédougou, Siaka Tengrila and Soulyman Traore, and Yehou Téré Sedou Baba. Comes with a full-color insert of liner notes and a map of Burkina Faso. Edition of 400.
PSYCHIC TV: Fishscales Falling: A Smorgasbord ov Delights - Mixtape Volume 1 CD (SNCD 059CD)
Born in 1981 from industrial music progenitors Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV is fronted by Throbbing Gristle cofounder, anti-hero, artist, and pandrogyne Genesis Breyer P-Orridge. Psychic TV is particularly known for its intense and visceral live performances and for a creative lineage that includes such cultural luminaries as William S. Burroughs, Derek Jarman, and Timothy Leary, among others. In 2003, New York-based artist and musician Edley ODowd gently persuaded Genesis to rekindle their desire to perform and create music as Psychic TV. The result has been a run of concerts and releases as Psychic TV and PTV3, many recordings of which were made available digitally though Dais Records on January 22, 2016 -- many for the first time ever in a digital format outside of a 2014 self-released flash drive. To commemorate the release of this catalogue, the band has put together Fishscales Falling: A Smorgasbord ov Delights, a compilation of live recordings, demos, outtakes, and other material from 2003 through 2016. Originally released as an LP for Record Store Day 2016. Includes a CD-only bonus track.
KJELLVANDER, CHRISTIAN: A Village: Natural Light CD (TR 344CD)
"In regards to the album A Village: Natural Light by Christian Kjellvander, I am writing to you as a friend of Christian Kjellvander. I was sitting in Christian's kitchen in Malmö when he picked up a guitar and played the album Faya (2005) in its entirety. I was sitting in his living room in Rynge when he played me the final mix of I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (2007). He was at my house in Denmark when he played me the demos for The Rough and Rynge (2010). When Christian bought an old church in a tiny Swedish village I brought my family. We stayed there right before he started recording The Pitcher (TR 273CD/LP, 2013). Walking around that big beautiful room, hearing how beautiful it sounded and knowing that this sound would be captured on many amazing albums to come was comforting. This new album is the best there is. A Village: Natural Light is an album about living, loving and dying. When I listen to these songs I think about how important it is to really live your life. These songs right here are about staying and riding it out. Create a life of your own, surround yourself with good people, don't let bastards get you down and make the most of what you got. Make sure to love. Christian told me that he had started working part-time in a cemetery in a small Swedish village while writing these songs because he wanted to get the realest job he could and let it bleed into his songs. Make something that truly sounded like where he was - in a village, like a microcosm of the world we live in today facing life and death. This leads me to thinking about the beauty in mourning and how it's an important part of life. I think about how we isolate ourselves from other people and how it takes away our reasons to mourn. A mixture of genuine happiness, sadness and appreciation. The album was recorded at Christian's old church in Österåker by Ruben Engzell. The band really made the most out of that beautiful sounding room. A truly great album by a truly great artist who has been releasing nothing but great albums since the late '90s." -- Henry Toft. Mixed by Craig Schumacher. Mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering.
Sing My Heart Out is the second album by The X Factor winner Sam Bailey. Sam Bailey is a platinum selling artist, whose debut album The Power Of Love was the fastest selling album of 2014 in the UK. Sam Bailey is now firmly established as one of the finest singers in the UK and continues to gain fans from all around the world with her "down to earth" approach to everyone she meets. This, together with her considerable talent, makes her one of Britain's favorite personalities. Born in Bexley, East London, Sam enjoyed singing for her friends and family growing up but never believed she was destined for stardom. When she was younger, Sam entered talent competitions but always wanted to impress people by herself, rather than being talked up by family and friends. However, her family did have a major influence on her musical career - her grandfather was a singer in a group called The Four Vinos and her father was also in a band and she was often in the company of musicians. One of her earliest success stories was winning a Search For A Star talent competition in Crayford Town Hall, Bexley as a 16-year-old. She went on to attend Bexley Arts College and Dartford's Miskin Theatre to further develop her talent. Though singing was a passion, Sam admits that her first love in life was football. She played professionally for a number of clubs including Millwall Lionesses, West Ham, Crystal Palace and London Women. Before she stole the hearts of the UK by winning the tenth series of The X Factor in December of 2013, Sam worked as a prison officer at HM Prison Gartree as well as performing on cruise ships, in clubs and at music festivals for several years. Under the mentorship of Sharon Osborne she became a clear favorite on the show, dazzling audiences and judges alike with her stunning voice and natural stage presence. Following her triumph, her debut single, "Skyscraper", reached Christmas number one and her debut album, The Power Of Love stormed to the top of the UK album charts in 2014. Sing My Heart Out is produced by Steve Dorff (Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, George Strait, Vanessa Williams) and Ben Adams (Robin Thicke, Craig David, JLS, Amelia Lily, Marcus Feehily, Union J, Alexandra Burke).
VA: Beyond Addis: Contemporary Jazz & Funk Inspired By Ethiopian Sounds From The 70's CD (US 452CD)
2014 release. Trikont presents Beyond Addis: Contemporary Jazz & Funk Inspired By Ethiopian Sounds From The 70's, a compilation celebrating the Ethio-jazz of Addis Abeba. From the liner notes by compiler JJ Whitefield: "While mixing the debut album of my band The Whitefield Brothers in New York, master digger and funk aficionado Philip Lehman played me a tape of Mulatu Astatke's LP called Mulatu Of Ethiopia (1972). The muted sound didn't really hit a spot at first. But shortly after, when Mulatu's very rare albums Ethio Jazz (1974) and Modern Ethiopian Instrumentals (1972) were re-published on vinyl in Europe, I fell in love with it. Those recordings had been made in the early '70s in Addis Abeba together with local musicians. They sounded rough and funky, and they focused on traditional elements of Ethiopian music. A typical feature of the Ethiopian modes is their oriental sound. The music of 'Swinging Addis' of the '70s was a clash of opposite elements: western instruments (drums, bass, guitar, horns) and the stylistic influence of jazz, soul, R&B and rock'n'roll bumping into traditional techniques of singing and composing - a legacy of Ethiopian popular music. Jazz and Ethiopian music actually do have much in common - from polyrhythms to special intervals within the scales. Backpacked with North American jazz and funk rhythms, [Astatke] spiced up the nightlife of Addis Abeba and created the basis for Ethio-jazz. Ethio-jazz bands recruited a lot of their musicians from the abundant police and army ensembles - a tradition rooted in a decision the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Slassie had made: He had an orchestra from Armenia come to his court, and the conductor of this orchestra composed Ethiopia's national hymn and trained musicians for the army, the police and the Imperial Guard. A bubbly nightclub and party scene developed in the late '60s in Addis Abeba. 'Swinging Addis' had been born. When communist rebels overthrew Haile Selassie during a coup in 1977, most musicians went into exile and 'Swinging Addis' came to a sudden end. This couldn't dampen the power of Ethio-jazz, though. This compilation gives an overview of the work of young bands around the world inspired by Ethiopian music." Features: Akale Wube, The Heliocentrics, Imperial Tiger Orchestra, Budos Band, Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra, Woima Collective, Les Freres Smith, Karl Hector & The Malcouns, Zafari, Whitefield Brothers, Transgressors, Tezeta Band, The Shaolin Afronauts and Debo Band.
VA: Beyond Addis Vol.2: Modern Ethiopian Dance Grooves Inspired By Swinging Addis CD (US 477CD)
Trikont presents the second volume of the compilation series Beyond Addis, celebrating the music of Ethiopia as played by contemporary bands from all around the globe. Compiled by JJ Whitefield aka Jan Weissenfeldt, the mastermind behind the bands Poets Of Rhythm, Karl Hector & The Malcouns and the Whitefield Brothers. Features: Karl Hector & The Malcouns, The Daktaris, The Sorcerers, Debre Damo Dining Orchestra, Jungle By Night, Onom Agemo & The Disco Jumpers, Tezeta Band, Akalé Wubé/Manu Dibango, Transgressors, Les Frères Smith, Whitefield Brothers, Cosmic Analog Ensemble and Anbessa Orchestra.
Double LP version. Includes CD. 100 years of dada and a half-century of Embryo - Two good reasons for Embryo to celebrate and a perfectly good reason for a new record. "Do It", one of the slogans of the beatniks and hippies of the sixties, has been and still is a statement enormously important to Embryo. Inspired by dada, the group has changed the slogan to "It Do" and has named their new album accordingly. The Embyro collective has been active for almost fifty years, always led by their musical leader and visionary Christian Burchard. That Burchard energy has doubled now, as his daughter Marja, who stood on stage with the group the first time when she was only 11 years old, has now stepped into the spotlight. The multi-instrumentalist lives and breathes the "Do It" concept with the same conviction as her father Christian. On It Do the group for the first time has recorded songs composed by her. Embryo played right after Jimi Hendrix at his last live show at the Fehmarn Open Air in 1970. They founded the first artist-run independent label in Germany, Schneeball. They played with international musical legends such as Charlie Mariano and Mal Waldron. Embyro were one of the first European bands to combine jazz and rock music. Later they became pioneers of the then still un-named world music genre, with countless travels through Africa and Asia where they were joined by local musicians. Always on the move, always incorporating new players, the band has been a force in the music scene for almost 50 years now. "Embryo - real krautrock based in Germany, connected worldwide." -- John Peel. "Embryo is not so much a musical style, but an attitude. It's about the serious study of traditional music. And it's the wish to bring the world together via music." -- Nick McCarthy, Franz Ferdinand (with Embryo from 1999-2002). "Embryo - they are these crazy creative musicians playing really weird stuff." -- Miles Davis.
Tiga is a pioneer of Canadian electronic music. His original single Make Me Fall In Love oozes with groovy-ness. It's remixed here by Edu Imbernon and Prosumer. The new remix from Edu Imbernon is clean, lean and punchy - Edu comes through with the deepness while maintaining a certain degree of energy that he has become known for in his latest productions. A delightful, almost ethereal mixture of synth and vox takes this jam deep into the night and is bound to become an Ibiza closing anthem.
Oval's album Popp started as a concept album. It was neither meant as a pop record nor as "the Markus Popp signature album". At first, Popp was all about playing around. And about changing the musical outlook from the earlier hyper-detailed, improvisational Oval style to straight-up sequencing, old-school glitch tricks and beat-making. Popp explains, "Working on these new 'club tracks' was like going from cucina povera (my 1990s student-budget glitch style) and hi-tech fusion cuisine (post-2010) to feeling like a vegan who just stumbled into a barbecue seminar." Popp is a relentless, euphoric love letter to a musical utopia: kaleidoscopic and soulful, optimistic and grandiose. No matter if you choose to trace the many exhilarating, meandering melodies ("RE", "ID"), or if you prefer to dance to the housy information overload of "AI" and "LO", Popp is simply a joy to listen to. The newly introduced, intricate "fantasy vocals" are another new through line in Oval's music: weaving a blissful, sensual, "post-R&B"-narrative beyond words ("KU", "LO", "VE"). Ghosts of vintage Oval glitch stylings ("FU", "MY", "MO") are met with swooning strings, dreamy bells, 1990s rave stabs, angular bass lines and polyrhythmic beats. The atmosphere can even border on the solemn ("SA"), cinematic ("CA") or even hymn-like ("VE") before dissolving into these unstoppable, multi-layered loop-scapes. Popp explains further, "However complex and insanely technical my tracks may ever be getting, I will always make sure they sound organic, as if they're running on nothing but sheer imagination." Popp is released on Uovooo, a new label run by Markus Popp. Markus Popp's early, now legendary album releases sent shockwaves through the "electronica" landscape in the late 1990's - introducing a unique, innovative digital sound and production aesthetic. With an undeniable instinct for the pleasantly irritating, the drastic and the dreamy, Popp pioneered "glitch" and "clicks & cuts", inspiring and provoking an entire generation of musicians to this day. After a long hiatus, Oval returned in 2010, changing the game all over again with a new, groundbreaking "hyperreal" style, blurring the lines between the electronic auteur and (virtual) "band music". The distinctive, organic appeal of Oval tracks, remixes and albums have brought along several watershed moments for the entire genre. CD version comes in a digisleeve.
Jacob Yates & The Pearly Gate Lock Pickers's Goths!!! is a miniature epic that jettisons romance for realism and delivers uncomfortable but extremely relative, current and historical truths. From the ashes of the influentially revered and much missed Glasgow cult "Horror R&B" group, Uncle John & Whitelock, Jacob Lovatt can still yelp and howl powerfully like a possessed man but he also puts new life into ballads that could stand as manifestos for the lost and lovelorn. Poetic observations are set to dub, personal tragedy is told through folk with dark billowing rhythms and explorations into jazz, blues, ballads and even gospel do not sound out of place. Lovatt is joined by Cassie Ezeji on tracks such as "The Gospel According To The Selfish Gene" which is a life affirming rail against blind acceptance and "Care Home", an unflinching dub that stares into the abyss into which many fall. It is brutal, honest, distressing and describes real horror; a walk through the dark corridors of the human mind. Part raucous, affectionate, hilarious, rich, emotive, exhilarating, condemnatory, artful, literate and above all very real, it's impossible not to be moved and affected by this supercharged trip into the "awful truth". Life is chaotic, dark and unpleasant but the chinks of light come from the songs themselves.
Vinilisssimo present a reissue of Trio Mocotó's self-titled album, originally released in 1973. Trio Mocotó are mostly known for being Jorge Ben's backing band at the peak of his career, during the early '70s. They shaped what has been called samba rock sound, resulting in the fusion of Brazilian sounds and American pop-rock. After forming in Sao Paulo's Jogral nightclub, where Fritz Escovão, Joãozinho Parahyba and Nereu Gargalo would work as regular backing musicians for the featured artists, Jorge Ben recruited Trio Mocotó for his own band. They took part in the recording of Ben's self-titled LP from 1969 along with Força Bruta (1970) and Negro É Lindo (1971). Their first solo album, Muita Zorra! (...São Coisas Que Glorificam A Sensibilidade Atual), came out in 1971 and hit the charts with the single "Coqueiro Verde", opening a very busy period in their career. Their second, and self-titled, album was released by RGE in 1973 and is a perfect mix of dancefloor-oriented samba percussion, funky guitars and Brazilian pop with a soulful twist. The opening track, "Desapareça, Vá, Desapareça" is a killer tune and the perfect introduction to the vibe of the entire album, mixing samba and funk like no others had done at the time. "Swinga Sambaby" would also be an obvious choice for those into party tunes, making the album sparkle with a fierce combination of irresistible rhythms and deep vocals. There is even a jazzy touch in here, just listen to "Palomares" or "Tô Por Fora Da Jogada" and enjoy dreaming of the golden sand of the Brazilian beaches. 180 gram vinyl.
"Musique Acephale marks Florian Meyer's third appearance on Berceuse Heroique, following two EPs: 2015's Hexentrix and this year's Gammellan. In addition to his solo work as Don't DJ, the Düsseldorf-based Meyer is also part of a trio called The Durian Brothers. The album comes with artwork by Robert Beatty, who's previously worked with the likes of Oneohtrix Point Never and Tame Impala." --Resident Advisor, 2016.
2016 repress. "Ndia Egbuo Ndia (Afro-Jigida), an LP recorded by the Nigerian rock group Semi-Colon in 1976, was an experimental response to Fela Kuti's then-dominant afro-beat sound, substituting Fela's sophisticated horn charts and jazz leanings with wiry electric guitar work and a passion for vintage rock 'n' roll. Long fabled and coveted amongst collectors and DJs alike, the album has remained one of the rarest of the Nigerian 1970s 'afro' cycle. Comb & Razor Sound is proud to be reissuing this lost gem of afro-rock for a new audience. This reissue marks the second release from Comb & Razor Sound, following up the success of its inaugural offering, 2011's Nigerian disco and boogie compilation Brand New Wayo, which was spotlighted on NPR's All Things Considered and received favorable mention on its Song of the Day. The new edition of Afro-Jigida continues Comb & Razor's exploration of rare, cutting-edge popular music produced in Nigeria in the 1970s and 80s. As a bonus, the first 1000 copies pressed of the album will include a 7-inch single featuring the never-before-released demo recording 'Our Fada.'"
"We are thrilled to offer the first and only licensed reissue of Mistress Mary Housewife, an obscure Southern California songwriting demo issued privately in 1969. This is Mary's one and only recording and she's backed here by Carl Walden, Clarence White, Johnny Redd (and other yet to be identified session players) from the late '60s Byrds, Burrito Bros country rock scene. Brilliantly packaged with lush glamour girl photo front and hand-penned liners/bored housewife pics back (sharply introducing herself as 'Wife - Mother - Civic Leader - etc. - Artiste.') 500 original copies of the album were cut as a demo and maybe 50 of those were sent out as promos to industry folks (she saw to it that one made its way to Elvis Presley). Walden & producer Darrell Cotton thought the world of Mary and encouraged her efforts but after a year or two of little response she moved on to one of her many other careers including stints as an auto mechanics instructor for women, running a class on female self-defense, belly dance instruction, and a lucrative multi-year gig as a disco dance instructor. This faithful reissue was pressed at RTI with heavy, old style tip-in jackets produced by Stoughton. Alternate takes of 'And I Didn't Want You' and 'My Country Boy' and another track left off of the LP are included on a download card."
DICKINSON, JAMES LUTHER: Dixie Fried 2LP (FDR 623LP)
Double LP version. Comes in gatefold Stoughton "tip-on" jacket. " 'People like Stan Phillips thought I was scary, that I was over the top - but I could play rock n'roll.' -- Jim Dickinson. The late Jim Dickinson is one of the most eclectic personages rock n'roll has ever thrown up: a musical maverick. From Sun Records and Ardent Studios in the 1960s, to sessions with the Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan, significant productions of Big Star and the Replacements, and the twisted roots rock of his own Mud Boy & The Neutrons, the man was never, ever predictable. A solo album had not been at the forefront of Jim Dickinson's mind then, but once the idea was put in place by Jerry Wexler at Atlantic, he reacted conceptually, and with gusto. Dickinson always shot from the hip. He could be coarse on a rocker like 'Wine,' or dignified and joyous when celebrating 'The Strength of Love.' Inebriated laments like 'Wild Bill Jones' contrast sharply with the carny talk of 'O How She Dances,' and a shifting, indignant anti-war recitation entitled 'John Brown.' As a music maker who could relate equally to both the intellectual and the visceral aspects of popular culture, anything Dickinson lent his hand to was at least interesting and frequently rewarding. Such is the case with Dixie Fried, his solo debut from 1972. Unsuccessful upon release, the record now is now a cult item that, for many, mirrors the deliciously unexpected twists and turns of Dickinson's subsequent career. Remastered from the original tapes. Features seven unreleased tracks. Liner notes include excerpts from unpublished memoirs. Rare ephemera from Dickinson archives. Expanded 2xLP housed in a deluxe gatefold Stoughton 'tip-on' jacket."
BUCKLEY, TIM: Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions CD (FDR 631CD)
"In 1967, the face of rock was changing. In that year alone there were debut albums from The Velvet Underground, The Doors, and Pink Floyd, to name a few. The Beatles had combined orchestration with their music -- the result was Sgt. Peppers in June, the same month that Tim Buckley recorded Goodbye And Hello. Buckley was no longer just another singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar; he was drenched in acid-folk tinges of harpsichord and harmonium. Lyricist Larry Beckett embellished Tim's songs with introspective lyrics at times, worldly views at others. It was the first major triumph for Tim as an album artist, partially because there were a remarkable amount of pre-production demos that led to it. Available here for the first time are these newly discovered master tapes, recorded by Goodbye And Hello's producer Jerry Yester, along with an ultra-rare acetate, found to be in co-songwriter (and best friend) Beckett's possession. Of the 13 previously unreleased solo acoustic songs contained here, six of them did eventually appear with more expansive instrumentation on Goodbye And Hello (along with another four not included here). However, the crown jewel of this package is seven never-before-heard compositions. These will be new to even the most devoted Buckley fan. Arguably, two of them crept out decades after Tim's death (albeit, much different recordings than what you have here) but with little fanfare. So much has been written about Tim Buckley but so little of it by people who actually knew him. This booklet, however, includes a detailed interview with both Larry Beckett and Jerry Yester, providing real insight on how these recordings came to be and attempting to uncover the man behind all the myths, the real Tim Buckley. Several rarities releases in the 1980s and '90s shed light on his talent, especially the live recordings, but all of the studio material has generally been alternative versions of songs that fans already knew -- until now. This is the first-ever posthumous release that reveals a wealth of previously unreleased and unheard tracks from Tim at the peak of his career. In short, you need this! 13 previously unissued solo acoustic demos. Remastered from the original analog tapes and acetate. Book includes in-depth interview with Buckley's lyricist Larry Beckett."
BUCKLEY, TIM: Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions LP (FDR 631LP)
LP version. "In 1967, the face of rock was changing. In that year alone there were debut albums from The Velvet Underground, The Doors, and Pink Floyd, to name a few. The Beatles had combined orchestration with their music -- the result was Sgt. Peppers in June, the same month that Tim Buckley recorded Goodbye And Hello. Buckley was no longer just another singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar; he was drenched in acid-folk tinges of harpsichord and harmonium. Lyricist Larry Beckett embellished Tim's songs with introspective lyrics at times, worldly views at others. It was the first major triumph for Tim as an album artist, partially because there were a remarkable amount of pre-production demos that led to it. Available here for the first time are these newly discovered master tapes, recorded by Goodbye And Hello's producer Jerry Yester, along with an ultra-rare acetate, found to be in co-songwriter (and best friend) Beckett's possession. Of the 13 previously unreleased solo acoustic songs contained here, six of them did eventually appear with more expansive instrumentation on Goodbye And Hello (along with another four not included here). However, the crown jewel of this package is seven never-before-heard compositions. These will be new to even the most devoted Buckley fan. Arguably, two of them crept out decades after Tim's death (albeit, much different recordings than what you have here) but with little fanfare. So much has been written about Tim Buckley but so little of it by people who actually knew him. This booklet, however, includes a detailed interview with both Larry Beckett and Jerry Yester, providing real insight on how these recordings came to be and attempting to uncover the man behind all the myths, the real Tim Buckley. Several rarities releases in the 1980s and '90s shed light on his talent, especially the live recordings, but all of the studio material has generally been alternative versions of songs that fans already knew -- until now. This is the first-ever posthumous release that reveals a wealth of previously unreleased and unheard tracks from Tim at the peak of his career. In short, you need this! 13 previously unissued solo acoustic demos. Remastered from the original analog tapes and acetate. Book includes in-depth interview with Buckley's lyricist Larry Beckett."
MANNERFELT, PEDER: Black Holes, Or How We Lost Solidarity 12" (HINF 8678EP)
"Long rumored entry into the Hinge Finger crew from Peder Mannerfelt, following his mind-bending Controlling Body LP a few months back. Having knocked us sideways with his recent output, Peder's HF debut collects four tracks of cross-genre dynamic dynamite. 'Cry To Your Soul' blends some helter-skelter style rave trax with a raw gabba bounce, before 'Clear Eyes, Full Heart' brings in some utterly sick 4x4 bassline tribal flex. Flip side 'Savvy' builds a robotic-eski click to the front while 'The Great Attractor' coats the 12" in some rave slime EVOL style. Truly sick 12" in every sense of the word!" --Bleep, 2016.
"Toulousian's Romain Barbot and Gregory Buffier have produced more than a dozen tormented ambient-drone records under the name Saåad. Verdaillon is the fruit of a commission by the local Les Orgues festival, which gave them access to the Puget organ located in the Church of Notre-Dame de la Dalbade. Via dynamics of elevation, suspension and tension, Saåad's music aims for altered states. Consisting of thick patches of sound, it gathers powerful harmonies and buries them under the rustle of elusive, intimate, far-flung sampling. From the start, Saåad has been obsessed with in situ creation, field recording and acoustics, but also, more implicitly, with baroque music. So their encounter with the Dalbade organ seemed a propitious challenge. Even in the sparkling main themes, the organ seems unevenly tuned, at times granular, with a range of concrete, percussive and eolian expression. Sometimes the organ is played when it is off; a couple of tracks utilize spare old pipes, like flutes. Verdaillon eschews the easy lyricism of much ambient music, in favor of an extremely rare quality of dynamic and detail. The record's singular and discreet beauty is due to the organ in all of its most secular aspects, and to a certain 'something in the air' of that particular place, on those particular days... the breath of life itself."
"Inversions is a new imprint, spawned by parent label Power Vacuum. The overall brief is broadly the same: driving, kinetic music of an exploratory and divergent bent, but employing more of a live/traditional instrumental approach. The first release encompasses electro-kraut, psych-punk, lo-fi pop-folk, prog-fusion and drone doom-metal, still with one eye on some sort of dancefloor, but equally at home on the turntables of bedrooms and after-parties. With an insert and download code. Requiring the least introduction are Cavern of Anti-Matter, comprising former Stereolab cohorts Tim Gane and Joe Dilworth, plus the appropriately named synth-magus Holger Zapf. Booze is the illegitimate offspring of Demian Castellanos (The Oscillation) and Milo Smee (ex-Chrome Hoof). Fupper is the solo project of Simon Hughes, who has been quietly creating intricate lo-fi with his reel-to-reel, guitar, percussion and sonorous voice for over twenty years."
ANASTENARIA: Music of the Fire Walkers EP 2x12" (KEM 001LP)
2016 repress. "Uncanny, fervid music from fire-walking rituals -- 1979 field recordings from northern Greece -- alongside killer new invocations of the spirit-world. Excoriated, dread, ecstatic, driven. Beware Kemal. Includes remixes by Pete Swanson and Vatican Shadow." Housed in a gatefold sleeve.
2016 repress. "Deadly 1990 outings by the This Heat drummer -- grooving, stripped, moody DJ assassinators, fresh as anything -- with Versions by Maxmillion Dunbar and JD Twitch, evoking Photek, Premier, Giallo, Belgian acid..." Gatefold sleeve.
PIOULARD, BENOIT: The Benoit Pioulard Listening Matter CD (KRANK 203CD)
"The Benoît Pioulard Listening Matter is the sixth Kranky album from Thomas Meluch under the nom de plume Benoît Pioulard. It arrives on the 10th anniversary of his first LP, Précis, and offers a rekindled focus on self-examination, as well as a return to vocal-based pop structures following the mostly instrumental Sonnet (2015). Recording for the Listening Matter began during a period of grief, turmoil and self-medication, and continued throughout two years of growth and healing. Reflections on vice ('Layette', 'Anchor as the Muse'), virtue ('Narcologue') and death ('A Mantle for Charon') feature equally in this concise treatise aimed at the flawed-but-resilient core in us all. By coincidence this album was completed on the very day Meluch's only brother died; accordingly, it's dedicated to him and anyone seeking paths away from their demons."
PIOULARD, BENOIT: The Benoit Pioulard Listening Matter LP (KRANK 203LP)
LP version. "The Benoît Pioulard Listening Matter is the sixth Kranky album from Thomas Meluch under the nom de plume Benoît Pioulard. It arrives on the 10th anniversary of his first LP, Précis, and offers a rekindled focus on self-examination, as well as a return to vocal-based pop structures following the mostly instrumental Sonnet (2015). Recording for the Listening Matter began during a period of grief, turmoil and self-medication, and continued throughout two years of growth and healing. Reflections on vice ('Layette', 'Anchor as the Muse'), virtue ('Narcologue') and death ('A Mantle for Charon') feature equally in this concise treatise aimed at the flawed-but-resilient core in us all. By coincidence this album was completed on the very day Meluch's only brother died; accordingly, it's dedicated to him and anyone seeking paths away from their demons."
2016 repress, originally released in 2013. "One of Dead Moon's all time classics, filled with some of their catchiest and most rousing songs. Rockers of the highest caliber such as 'Destination X,' 'Fire in the Western World,' and 'Don't Look Back' as well as perfect ballads such as 'You Can't Do That' and Out in the Blues.' An utter masterpiece of psychedelic rock straight from the heart."
HEMPHILL, JESSE MAE: Jessie Mae Hemphill LP (MRP 084LP)
"Compilation of great recordings by Jesse Mae Hemphill. Mississippi Hill Country blues at their finest. Jessie Mae rocks out on the electric guitar with minimal percussion. By far some of the best blues recorded in the '80s. Jessie Mae is the granddaughter of the great Sid Hemphill and the torch bearer of one of the most beautiful traditions in the world of music. Co-release with Moi J'Connias. (This LP was previously released by them with a silk screened cover)"
"Three killers heralding the next phase of this dazzling expression of a dream Dakar-Berlin nexus. All instrumental -- though the opener has snatches of singing -- with the vocal versions held back for the new album, out in the Autumn. The music just gets deadlier and deadlier -- harder-boiled and deeper; more focused, confident and dub-wise. Evoking the ancient cultural legacy of the griots, 'Walo Walo' is also the name of the sabar rhythm underlying the opener, which features Ibou Mbaye's percussive synth-work, Mangone Ndiaye Dieng's kit-drumming, and Bada Seck's rigorous jolts of lower-pitched Thiol drum. The 'Groove' version is tough as nails; well and truly gnarly. A tribute to the Baye Fall leader, 'Ndiguel Groove' is a sparse, mellow interpretation of the most traditional cut on the album, showcasing Assane Ndoye Cisse's insinuating guitar lines, Laye Lo's super-elasticated snare-drumming, and Bada Seck playing the khine drums associated with the Baye Fall. (Short and wide; lightweight but low-pitched.) Pretty awesome."
Subtitled: Heavy Psychedelic Ballads And Dirges 1968-1974. 2016 repress, originally released 2009. 2LP version. "Deluxe gatefold jacket containing extensive and detailed liner notes and annotation by Egon, rare photos and other ephemera." Artists: Top Drawer, Sensational Saints, East Of Underground, D. R. Hooker, Shin Jung Hyun & The Men feat. Jang Hyun, T. Zchiew & The Johnny, The Strangers, Damon, Ellison, Morly Grey, Shadrack Chameleon, Ofege, Ana Y Jaime, Kourosh Yaghmaei, Baby Grandmothers.
VA: Rhythms Of The Pacific Volume 1 12" (ROTP 001EP)
2016 repress. "Brilliant, discofried, jacking house from the Mood Hut corner, featuring Vancouver tuffies LNRDCROY, Cloudface, Hashman Deejay and Memory Man. L's Sunrise Market is starry, glitchy and dubwise, with prowling-lion bass; Time Zone is more bare-bones and tumpin, with hissing echo and out percussion. On the flip, Memory Man inhales a lungful of Hashman and goes all monster-stomper, with slashing hi-hats and oiky bass; and Cloudface runs down his 303, with some rumbustious, farty-bottom acid. A diverse, deeply entertaining EP; a warmly recommended first release on this label to watch keenly."
VA: Rhythms Of The Pacific Volume 2 12" (ROTP 002EP)
2016 repress. "Another critical sampling of Vancouver's evergreen dance music community. The A-side unearths two Canadian classics-in-waiting from Neo Image, with some dreamily broken garage and sparkling, heady ambience. Florist and D Tiffany split the flip -- low-key, breakadawn shufflers. Both sides are guaranteed to kick up dust on the dancefloor, and once again 100% CANCON certified!"
VA: Rhythms Of The Pacific Volume 3 12" (ROTP 003EP)
"Another sampling of the 'Vancouver Sound', as it is not known. The recording debut of Slim Media Player, with two deep (but not too deep) club cuts, toeing the line between 'just about heady enough' and 'I'll play this one later when more people are here'. Electric Sound Broadcast kicks off the flip with a thoughtful tribute to his favorite recreational vehicle; and Khotin brings us ashore with a track referred to as the 'EP standout' by someone on the internet."
AYCOCK, DYLAN GOLDEN: Church of Level Track LP (SCTR 040LP)
"Dylan Golden Aycock is part of the new generation of guitar pickers young enough to first have been influenced by early volumes of Tompkins Square Records' Imaginational Anthem series and then to be anthologized on a later one. The Oklahoma native is on Volume 7, should you feel like looking, playing an early version of 'Red Bud Valley,' which sits in the middle of the B-side of the LP under consideration here. Aycock's composing on Church Of Level Track offers evidence that he's well studied in a lineage of American Primitive pickers that stretches back decades before he was born. 'Lord It Over' puts it right out there by opening with a double-thumbed bass line right out of John Fahey's bag of tricks. But this quotation is merely an opening gambit, and one that is quickly followed by moves that prove Aycock is no parrot but a bird with his own song to sing. The steel guitar that sails in over his picking evokes first the bucolic playfulness of Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing and then keeps going back into the deep back shelves of country-rock lyricism. At the same time a virtual band (Aycock plays everything on the track and nearly everything on the LP) sets up a subtle undertow of entropic drumming and echo-laden feedback. . . ." --Bill Meyer (Dusted Magazine, Chicago Reader)
FLESH EATERS, THE: Forever Came Today LP (SV 052LP)
"In the wake of the star-filled A Minute To Pray A Second To Die, The Flesh Eaters' frontman Chris D. assembled a leaner, meaner band to deliver his next unbound vision. Forever Came Today, the group's third full-length album, was originally released on Ruby Records in 1982 and features Don Kirk on guitar, Robyn Jameson on bass, Chris Wahl on drums, Steve Berlin on sax and Chris D.'s unmistakable voice. 'My Life To Live' and 'Shallow Water' are masterfully wrought punk tunes, reverberating with heart-wrenching vocals that turn on a dime from desperate whispers to blood-curdling screams. 'Drag My Name In Mud' dives deeper into full-throttle rock demonology, bluesy primeval swagger and obsessive imagery, inspired in equal parts by William S. Burroughs and Edgar Allan Poe. This first-time reissue has been carefully remastered and comes with lyric sheet. Forever Came Today is the perfect introduction to The Flesh Eaters' dark sense of humor and positively bleak form of rock 'n' roll."
FALL, THE: Grotesque (After The Gramme) LP (SV 113LP)
"Bursting into the 1980s on a new label (the then-upstart, now-legendary Rough Trade) and with an augmented, audibly panicked lineup, The Fall's Grotesque is the true pure-bred Fall release from the Marc Riley era. Released in the immediate wake of The Fall's most beloved single ('Totally Wired'), the album carries over that righteously famed teeth-chattering, bolstered in no small part by the drumming of new addition Paul Hanley, brother of bassist Steve Hanley and aged only 15 at the time of recording. 'Pay Your Rates' negates the notion of easing into things, opening the album with pure jitter, guided by hornet-buzz guitars and Mark E. Smith's commanding shout, allowing for breath only during the brief, lumbering waltzes that appear at unexpected intervals. 'New Face In Hell' is an entirely alien take on dancehall post-punk - a kazoo-driven rave-up that holds an unshakable position in the band's canon. Many significant firsts surround Grotesque, including The Fall's inaugural production partnership with Mayo Thompson and the debut of Suzanne Smith's wonderful artwork, both of which would play key roles in the band's following phase. Superior Viaduct's edition is the first time that Grotesque has been available on vinyl domestically since its initial release in 1980. Liner notes by Brian Turner."
"The return of a legend: English folk singer and underground music maven Shirley Collins talks about making her first new music in four decades... Plus: the uncanny Ectoplasm Girls and their eldritch electronica... New Zealand lo-fi guitar anti-hero Roy Montgomery... free septuagenarian samba spirit Elza Soares... plus all the (un)usual news, views, interviews and reviews from all corners of the global underground music network... and more. Plus: The Wire Tapper 42: The next volume in our series of underground music anthologies will be attached to the cover of every copy of the November issue -- 20 new tracks by Aluk Todolo, The Gaslamp Killer, Giorgio Moroser, Jah9, The Splitter Orchestra and more."
RENDERERS, THE: A Dream Of The Sea LP (TELP 001LP)
"Amidst their stellar discography, The Renderers are best known for their album A Dream Of The Sea, released in the mid-nineties by Siltbreeze, and now issued for the first time ever on vinyl in a gatefold jacket on the band's own label. Various forces were at work - a revered label, increased attention towards New Zealand artists - but the greatest achievements were within the band itself. Maryrose and Brian Crook reached a new level of insight and honesty with their lyrics, forming a wave of insight and metaphor that is as forceful today as when first written. Songs draw from ghostly sea tales and personal demons, where the specters as much rise from the waters as emerge from within oneself. The forceful songs are propelled by tornadoes of guitar play, always rumbling and screeching underneath the singing. There's a connection to be heard between The Renderers and Dead Moon, both bands dedicated wholly to the music they create, a fact clear in every note they play. When Buzzfeed gets around to making a list for it, A Dream Of The Sea will inevitably be listed amongst the greatest New Zealand rock albums of all time."
" 'MV & EE take their homespun hypnotics and cosmic country sounds to new levels on Root / Void. I love this album - it trips hard and hauntingly - a gift for languid golden afternoons or late night moonlight powwows. Anthem-worthy tape edits on some cuts crack open surreal and cinematic vistas. While joined by fellow travelers here and there, this album remains in essence a fecund duet from two entwined souls, updating and re-defining their unique pool of sound. Intrepid audio bathers: get thee immersed!' -- Lee Ranaldo, Italy, July 2016."
BICKNELL, STEVE: Modes Of Thought 12" (126D 001EP)
DJ and producer, co-founder of the legendary London club night Lost, Steve Bicknell returns to the fray with a brilliant new 12", Modes Of Thought, the debut release on Bicknell's brand new label, 6dimensions. Essential floor gear, Modes Of Thought introduces three tracks of taught, lean minimal techno before handing creativity over to the DJ with the inclusion of six locked groove loops. Lean and precise, with a beautifully controlled palette, wide dynamics and rich level of sonic detail, the record flies out of the blocks with the pumping "Harmonious Balance". Art by Harumasa Kono.
Aera is back on his own Aleph Music imprint with three unique tracks. "Two Planets" is an exercise in outsider trance. A pulsating, polyrhythmic synth propels the track forward - the intricate 707 pattern keeping a steady pace - while background strings provide all the drama. Reminiscent of Aera's first releases on Aleph Music, "Black Glitz" floats on a cloud of dreamy pads and voices. "Maskull" is a rather ambiguous little tune. Somewhat rough around the edges, sparkling in the darkness of late nights, dwelling in voices and fog - this is the one for the heads.
Jam Money is the shared musical vision of Kevin Cormack and Mathew Fowler. Mathew (Bons) and Kevin (Half Cousin, Harry Deerness) first began collaborating as part of the Blank Tape Spillage Fete, an ongoing collective project of art and music which focuses on the creation and perpetuation of small DIY exhibitions, related events and limited releases that celebrates the hobbyist nature of home recording. Jam Money revolves around a passion for the simple and sometimes restrictive nature of four-track cassette recording. Using old half-broken guitars, clarinets, charity shop keyboards, toys, family heirlooms, zithers, home-made percussion, and household objects a shared dialog appears, involving both mark making and musical mishaps, allowing the makers to be carried along as the music finds its own way. Genre definitions melt away in Jam Money's music as ambient dissolves into lo-fi rock, noise into fragile, naive classroom melodies. Creativity beyond easy categorization. The first recordings titled Blowing Stones were self-released in 2014. The cover and insert artwork for this record featured abstract paintings by the artist Aimée Henderson whose work and process is a great influence on their music. Having played gigs alongside kindred spirits National Bedtime and Plinth, the tail end of 2015 saw the band travel to Germany to play with The Notwist and Le Millipede for a series of "Alien Disko" nights organized by Alien Transistor, a label with a shared kinship of both the weird and wonderful. A Gathering Kind is the second album by Jam Money: a journey of sound and color, subliminal images and narrative. The roots of this collection found Fowler and Cormack using an earthier, more instinctive language, making it a rougher-edged sibling to their other recordings, with parallels to the home-spun worlds of Flaming Tunes, Pumice, Maher Shalal Hash Baz and World Standard. Henderson's artwork features again, both paintings and music forming a collective language of dream-like adventure. Poignant and exploratory. Melting together acoustic and electronic elements, the narrative throughout is one of a ghostly world heading for winter. A firm fan favorite Stephen Pastel on Blowing Stones: "Created in question and answer form, their songs exist like little sculptures - wayward and peaceful, sometimes whirring into automatic life under the pair's combined attention." Includes a booklet and a download code. Edition of 300.
The Berlin-based trio Soft Grid capture the explosive energy of its celebrated live shows with their debut LP Corolla for Antime. Soft Grid was started in 2014 in an abandoned hospital ward by Jana Sotzko (Dropout Patrol) and Theresa Stroetges (Golden Diskó Ship), who had previously been working together in the improvisation project Epiphany Now. After their spontaneously composed and recorded tape release Stingrays was issued through Berlin's Twaague Records in the summer of 2015, the British drummer and producer Sam Slater was recruited more or less directly from a Berlin dancefloor to join the band for live shows. He became a full member in no time. Since then, the three-piece have shared stages around Germany with such diverse acts as Des Ark, Milemarker, Messer, or even Tolouse Low Trax. Corolla is as much of an improvisational effort as their live shows: not really. Just like their gigs - which have all members wandering around to take over duties on synthesizers, bass, guitar, viola, and microphones - Corolla is a carefully mapped out, compositional whole, recorded live over two days in Salon Berlin by Sylvain Livache. It showcases the trio's taste for ventures into the realms of extreme acoustic sounds and electronic textures as well as their knack for catchy hooks and driving rhythms. Even amidst the heaviest synth breakdowns, there's something joyful to cling to. Soft Grid make music that is continuously twisting and shifting, which immerses itself in the steady flow of sonic events without losing focus. Anything goes on Corolla, and when it does, the three head in exactly the same direction. From the massive opening chords of "Herzog On A Bus" to the subtle Chicago-style post-rock influences on "Hospital Floor" and the erratic finale which is the title track, Soft Grid create a musical narrative throughout their debut LP which reflects its lyrical themes. While the lyrics of Corolla, themselves a collaborative effort, sample everything from a Werner Herzog documentary to the eerie atmosphere of that hospital ward where the band was born, there is at least one leitmotiv which ties them together: Soft Grid are first and foremost concerned with moving forward. And they will.
Assophon present Travellers Station, the second album from WAH, the collaborative effort led by guitarist Simon Henneman (Diminished Men) and drummer Gregg Keplinger (master drummer and Charles Gocher's doppelganger). WAH have created a modern masterpiece of modal, spiritual and free expression. Coming off like a late, classic RVG session for Impulse, Travellers Station is snarled with the force of a pummeling rock band by two artful leaders of Seattle's underground jazz scene. Travellers Station boasts ten musicians including bassists Luke Bergman and Carmen Rothwell, vibraphonists Bob Rees and Jacques Willis, horn players Ray Larson and Neil Welch, vocalist Katie Jacobson, and percussionist and co-producer Dave Abramson. The breathtaking energy of WAH's legendary NW performances is captured here with razor sharp production that finds room for fiery free jazz, psychedelic drone, big belting rhythms, and cosmic anthems. Fans of the classic era of '68-'78 (Strata-East/Human Arts/Sonny Sharrock/private/spiritual/BYG/loft) jazz scenes in America and France will dig immensely.
JAY, TOMMY: Tommy Jay's Tall Tales Of Trauma 2LP (ASSO 010LP)
Assophon present an expanded reissue of Tommy Jay's Tall Tales Of Trauma, originally released on cassette in 1986. "Tucked away between I-71 & US-62 lies nestled the quaint, speed trap hamlet of Harrisburg, Ohio. With its humble ambience, affable familiarity, weekend fish fries and Christian B&B ('mind the sherry, brother, for it is the Lords nectar'), blink twice and you might think you've been transported into a 21st century Winesburg, Ohio. Only now the emphasis is on a new chapter, 'The songsmith-concerning Tommy Jay'. In a converted barn just off Main St, Jay and friends have been forging a massive catalog of music, both original and cover variations, for a solid four decades. Fellow towns-person and erstwhile participant, one Mike 'Rep' Hummel (Serpent Mound expert, croquet enthusiast) was the first to make these recordings available when he issued a cassette of the proceedings under the title, Tommy Jay's Tall Tales Of Trauma via his homespun DIY label, Old Age/No Age, in 1986. For anyone prescient enough to lock in back then, they were staggered by talent, far removed from the stars of High Street (Great Plains, Gibson Bros, Willie Phoenix). A singer/songwriter par excellence, Tommy Jay ably forged a hybrid of pre-speedball Stephen Stills with post Iron Cross-headed Lou Reed, the results of which come across as both effortless and visionary. Some 20 years later, Tall Tales would finally receive it's long deserved elevation to the vinyl format (this time through Columbus Discount Records), and was now being heard by a new generation of ears, garnered immediate success, quickly sold out and inexplicably was never repressed. In the intervening limbo, copies were more sought than found, lucky bumpkins forking upwards to three figures for pride of ownership. Recently, Assophon, a US label with Jim Rockford-like determination, swooped in to un-fuck this glaring wart. Plus, time and patience being the powerful warriors they are, the new, expanded edition is brimming with a whole second platter of hoot; 13 unreleased tracks what's rarely been discerned this side of Tony's Coney's. Which all goes to say that the new and improved, 30th anniversary edition of Tommy Jay's Tall Tales Of Trauma is, to paraphrase the words of the late, great Randy Poffo, 'The record the whole world, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus... Or anywhere else is waiting for'." --Tom Lax Lynx.
Aus Music return with a release from two of the long-standing staples - label owner Will Saul and long term affiliate, Komon. Eve's Seven EP is a deep and dreamy three tracker that comes with a remix from Recloose. "Bloom" sets arresting riffs circling through rich textures that thicken and thin to startling effect. "Eve's Seven" follows up with dusty drum samples and bold melodies before the Brooklyn native offers up a sunny take on "Eve's Seven" - sweeping filters and a short, driving bass line propel a highly energetic but playful rework primed for brimful dancefloors.
ABSTRAXION: She Thought She Would Last Forever CD (BIOCD 003CD)
After his stunning debut album Break of Lights at the end of 2013 (HAKT 009CD/LP), Harold Boué, better known as Abstraxion, presents his second album She Thought She Would Last Forever. Abstraxion's career has already seen many highlights, two of which being the label he runs with Belgian producer DC Salas, Biologic Records, reaching its ten year anniversary in 2016 and having played some of the best clubs in the world. With his obvious talent and ability to create a pensive beauty in his productions, there is no doubt Abstraxion's career will continue to reach new heights. Full of reveries and hybrid explorations, Harold's second full length She Thought She Would Last Forever evokes images of landscapes and forests. A stretching dark and dystopian atmosphere pervades the album, but he still manages to mesh the melancholy with an overarching and swelling euphoria, contrasting themes of melancholia and exploring the tensions between expectation and reality. The explorative nature of the album is articulated clearly through Abstraxion's use of minor chords and organic sounds. She Thought She Would Last Forever begins with "An Error Occurred", a convivial albeit mysterious and energetic primer that then dives into the tight percussion and pensive vocals of "Just What I've Always Wanted". The title track is a dramatic cut which transcends slickly into the rasping synth, and recoiling bass of "Needed You" accompanied by the entrancing vocals of Loic Fleury from Isaac Delusion. "Spazieren" is a ten-minute leisurely passage through dystopia that has been crafted with finesse. "Blackout" is a minor key track whose lead synth is focused around an arpeggiator to create suspense. "Seascape", a melancholic ambient track which shifts into the more energetic percussion of "Not Far Away From You", picking up pace once again. "Rinjani" is a melodic and menacing march with pulsing synth lines, leading expertly to the final track. "Dystopia" blends otherworldly sounds from the distant future with percussion and reverb, creating space in the musical landscape and bringing Abstraxion's second album to an expansive and poignant close. Mixed by Francis Harris.
ABSTRAXION: She Thought She Would Last Forever Remixed 2x12" (BIOLP 004LP)
Abstraxion returns to his own Biologic Records to release this impressive revisited album, giving Tuff City Kids, Kasper Bjørke, Vessels, Clarian, Conforce, Mattheis, Ripperton, INIT, Eduardo De La Calle and Cleveland the freedom to have their own take on tracks from She Thought She Would Last Forever (BIOCD 003CD/BIOLP 003LP, 2016). Ripperton's mark on "Spazieren" is one of meticulous sound design and textures, complemented by a poignant vocal that provides a wicked ambience. INIT's remix has been crafted with precision - an unhurried and mysterious track that builds and anticipates smoothly due to the precise instrumentation and adept reverb that's been applied on the vocal. Conforce delivers a dark, forceful and abstract take on "Spazieren".
SCNTST returns to Boysnoize Records with a heavy-hitting remix EP of "Thru Infinity". After his latest album Puffer (BNR 024LP, 2015) and his latest EP 4FRIENDZ (BNR 142EP, 2015) the young Bavarian strikes again. With vibrating synths creating a thrilling rhythm full of emotions, the sound of "Thru Infinity" displays an excursion into danceable beats. A new sound produced with perceptible blood, sweat and tears. The EP includes remixes by none other than the Bavarian brother duo Zenker Brother (Ilian Tape) as well as Chicago born Hieroglyphic Being.
"Before I started my festival season this year, I went to the studio in Berlin and recorded some tracks for my sets. These two tracks I've been playing again and again, so they became the soundtrack of my summer. They are as hypnotic and freaky as my DJ sets are. I used some of my favorite instruments, the 303, the 909 and the Minimoog to create two tracks full of murky, distorted vocals, strange breaks and pure drastic emotion in beat form." --Ellen Allien, September 2016.
CANNELL, LAURA: Simultaneous Flight Movement CD (BRAWL 010CD)
Simultaneous Flight Movement is Laura Cannell's third solo release, following her critically acclaimed Beneath Swooping Talons (FANF 036CD, 2015) and Quick Sparrows Over the Black Earth (2014). Simultaneous Flight Movement was recorded live in one take inside Southwold Lighthouse in Suffolk, UK. A collection of semi-composed, semi-improvised pieces from the edge of England which attempts to move away from formal structure and to re-imagine a sonic landscape unrestricted by time or origin. With a background in medieval, baroque, traditional and experimental music, Laura explores the spaces between ancient and experimental music through improvisation to create new music that is rooted in but not tethered to the past. With the seldom used, rich and evocative polyphonic overbow technique and double recorders styled on early stone carvings, Laura creates a minimalist chamber music, where one player makes all the harmonies, encouraging harmonics and different tones to emerge. Medieval cantigas intertwine with the music of long disintegrated renaissance courts, and real-time compositions produce parallel chord movements which seem to originate from the same, ahistorical place.
$10.99 UPC: 643157439516 ROCK
01. Winter Saltings
02. Simultaneous Flight Movement
03. Horselore
04. A New Theory Of Eclipse
05. The Happiness Of Both Worldes Part 1
06. The Happiness Of Both Worldes Part 2
07. Sheltering Hollows
08. You Have Departed
09. The Sudwulf
10. Interrelation Of Diverse Emotions
11. Three Stones
12. Fragments From Summer Saltings
13. Call To Alms
14. Buried Woodland
Swindle's second in a trilogy of EP for Butterz in 2016 leans on his grime roots, featuring veteran MCs D Double E and Ghetts. "Lemon Trees", featuring D Double E, sees the two venture to LA, on a g-funk tip and "Works Haffi Run", featuring Ghetts, has him going in a rare gritty direction. The EP is accompanied by a remix from Flava D of the biggest track from his 2015 album, Peace, Love & Music (AIRMILES 002LP). The "Mad Ting" Remix featured on her recent FabricLive mix (FABRIC 176CD, 2016), and features JME.
LUCIANO: The Great Amael (Remixes) 12" (CADENZA 111EP)
Originally released in 2014 (BASAEC 002EP), Cadenza call upon a brace of remixers to provide fresh interpretations of Luciano's "The Great Amael": a lo-fi bubbling groove with dusted Hammond organs, live percussion cuts and oceanic atmospherics. Matthew Dear, AKA Audion, melts stuttering sine waves and bulging tones over concrete beats, tweaking in the original organ riff while adding additional vocal on his remix. Phil Moffa and Seth Troxler's "LSOS LOVE/GOD" remix sees the duo steer through breathy vocal cuts and propelling bass, stripping the remix back before leaping back into hyperspace with some adventurous and dubbed out vibes.
KOWALD QUINTET, PETER: Peter Kowald Quintet LP (CF 015LP)
Cien Fuegos present a reissue of Peter Kowald Quintet's self-titled album, originally released by FMP in 1972. Personnel: Günter Christmann - trombone; Peter Kowald - tuba, bass, alphorn; Peter van der Locht - alto saxophone; Paul Lovens - drums; Paul Rutherford - trombone. Composed and produced by Peter Kowald. Recorded by Eberhard Sengpiel at Akademie der Künste, Berlin, on January 19th, 1972. First released on FMP as FMP 0070.
$20.99 EAN: 9120036682320 JAZZ
A1. Platte Talloere
A2. Wenn Wir Kehlkopfoperierte Uns Unterhalten
B1. Pavement Bolognaise
B2. Guete Luuni
Cinedelic Records present a reissue of Egisto Macchi's Messico, recorded in 1975. The artistic achievement of Egisto Macchi was avant-garde, not only for his immense talent and brilliance of his creativity, but for the quality he has managed to infuse every musical language with - ranging from instrumental and symphonic music, musical theater, library sound, more varied and articulated. Towering over all of his works is his passion, commitment, respect and great inner need to break down the sectarian walls of thinking in categories. He had sensed that beauty could be located anywhere and that the biggest task entrusted to an artist was to leave to surface, always. Messico was originally released on the Ayna label.
$22.39 EAN: 8055323520454 ROCK
A1. Canto Messicano (13:17)
A2. Civilta' Maya (11:26)
B1. Vaqueros (6:24)
B2. Por Una Mujer (11:41)
B3. Danza Messicana (9:54)
Cinedelic Records present a reissue of Egisto Macchi's Violenza, recorded in 1976. The artistic achievement of Egisto Macchi was avant-garde, not only for his immense talent and brilliance of his creativity, but for the quality he has managed to infuse every musical language with - ranging from instrumental and symphonic music, musical theater, library sound, more varied and articulated. Towering over all of his works is his passion, commitment, respect and great inner need to break down the sectarian walls of thinking in categories. He had sensed that beauty could be located anywhere and that the biggest task entrusted to an artist was to leave to surface, always. Violenza was originally released on the Ayna label. Features percussionist Vittorio Ferrari.
$22.39 EAN: 8055323520461 ROCK
A1. L'assassinio Dei Rosemberg (10:10)
A2. Paura Sulla Citta' (7:32)
B1. Aggressivita' (2:02)
B2. Nazisti (1:05)
B3. Fascisti (1:05)
B4. Kaiser-Marsche (1:17)
B5. La Forza Della Paura (2:23)
B6. Squadracce (2:28)
B7. Violenza Meccanica (6:07)
KIMBALL (PEYMONT), DAVID H.: Atmosfere N. 1-2 2LP (CNLM 701-2LP)
Cinedelic Records present a reissue of David H. Kimball's (Peymont) Atmosfere N. 1-2, originally released in 1971. An amazing and mind-blowing unrecognized gem made by Kimball, an American transplanted to Florence. Two tracks are composed by Serena Marega. Atmosfere N. 1-2 is abstract, mysterious, evocative, experimental, futuristic and avant-psychedelic. It is truly a fascinating electro-acoustic, industrial, dreamy journey that stands out in the panorama of Italian music as as one of the most original and an unusual examples of psychedelia.
$26.39 EAN: 8055323520478 ROCK
Atmosfere N. 1:
A1. Sogno Dionisiaco
A2. Sogno Apollineo
A3. Sogno Enigmatico
A4. Sogno Grottesco
A5. Sogno Nella Cattedrale
B1. Carnevale Nella Stratosfera
B2. Inchiesta Sul Futuro
B3. Profumi Del Sud
B4. Congresso A Babilonia
B5. Struttura
B6. Insieme
Atmosfere N. 2:
C1. Sesso E Droga
C2. LSD Viaggio Nel Futuro
C3. LSD Viaggio Nel Passato
C4. Incubo Di Isabel
C5. Venezia Oggi
C6. Apres L'amour
D1. Attesa Nel Tempo
D2. Tra Mare E Cielo
D3. Tra Mare E Cielo
D4. Meditazione Yoga
JUNKFOOD & ENRICO GABRIELLI: Italian Masters LP (CNLP 053LP)
Enrico Gabrielli and the members of Junkfood have crossed several times in the past in a variety of contexts and collaborations, but never have the two entities been found under the same roof. The occasion is revealed thanks to the Festival HalloBigallo in 2014, dedicated to Piero Umiliani, inviting both to perform with the prayer to include some readings in personnel key from the repertoire of the Maestro. After that pleasant experience, Junkfood and Gabrielli agree to meet at the Vacuum Studio of Bruno Germano in Bologna. Italian Masters is dedicated to the figures of some of the greatest Italian composers of film scores. The result exceeds expectations: the beautiful music of Umiliani, Morricone and Trovajoli are distorted and filtered by the sensitivity of the five, while maintaining their unmistakable identity. What is most striking is the incredible consistency throughout despite the different authorship of the compositions and wide range of situations and solutions the musicians themselves bring into the music. The quintet succeeds in the difficult task of stand comparison with models and simultaneously develop its own poetic and an independent sound, that make Italian Masters real gem so much for the fanatics of film music, but for newbies calling to those ones shores lured by the sirens of Gabrielli and Junkfood. Personnel: Enrico Gabrielli - saxophone, bass clarinet, flute; Paolo Raineri - trumpet, flugelhorn, effects; Michelangelo Vanni - electric guitar, effects; Simone Calderoni - electric bass, effects; Simone Cavina - drums, effects. "C'eravamo Tanto Amati Da" features Edda Dell'Orso.
$16.99 EAN: 8055323520485 ROCK
A1. Silenzio Nel Caos Da (E. Morricone)
A2. Per Un Pugno Di Dollari Da (E. Morricone)
A3. Eat It Da (E. Morricone)
A4. Gassman Blues Da (P. Umiliani)
A5. The Body Da (P. Umiliani)
B1. Conflitti Da (P. Umiliani)
B2. Masquerade Da (A. Trovajoli)
B3. L'arcidiavolo Da (A. Trovajoli)
B4. C'eravamo Tanto Amati Da (feat. Edda Dell'Orso) (A. Trovajoli)
FUTURE SOUND OF ANTWERP: Tom Cruise, Scientologist 12" (DEEWEE 018EP)
Future Sound Of Antwerp are the post-digital children of the city's techno scene, all forgotten mixtapes, and nighttime drives to Ghent. These three tracks, all different, were all produced and mixed at Deewee, at night... with a purpose.
Exceptional debut album of military space music and/or fluxus techno rave drills from the inimitable, acronymic duo. N.M.O. execute their crazed debut album for Diagonal, distilling the playful calisthenics of their laptop and drum kit live show in a totally unique manner that somehow deconstructs and alliterates tracky acid techno with avant no-wave rock, computer music and the kind of snare-driven tattoos coming out of Portugal's Príncipe label. Nordic Mediterranean Organization / Numerous Miscommunications Occur finds the romantic Viking duo ratcheting the psychotomimetic intensity of their previous tape and trio of 12"s for Anòmia, The Death of Rave (RAVE 009EP, 2015) and Where To Now? According to their central mantra of "As Strict As Possible", resulting in five alarming, powerful dancefloor raids intersected by infuriating locked grooves, or "Neoliberal Madness Offering 1-4", plus a series of barking trained "Unit" drills. The razor sharp and raucous results don't sit comfortably in any pre-ordained category, preferring to scythe their own route through the time-flattened field of contemporary music by employing the fundamentals of physical pressure and precise psycho-acoustic frequencies in a disciplined pursuit of new, syncretic sensations that toy with rave convention and serve to demystify notions of aerobic mysticism. Nose to tail, they spell out their ideas with playfully pedantic attention to detail, whether physically making you get up to nudge the needle from its pervasive locked groove, putting you through your paces in their "German Trained Unit" challenges, or simply driving you to delirium in the album's full blown dance tracks. Cut almost a side-a-piece for optimal intensity, those five dance cuts veer from the clashing sharp and wet, tight-but-distended dichotomies of "RIYL Roma" to the ploughing pneu-beta bass drum and giddy top end tickle of "New Bulgaria", to take in the scuffling, compartmented swerve and teeth-chattering acid of "Armchair Evader" and the squashed, mil-tantric cadence of "Double Arm". In essence, N.M.O.'s first LP serves as both a puckish middle finger and a sore thumb in modern dance music's bloated face, stripping it all down to muscle, nerves and bones in a way that's somehow intuitive and counter-intuitive at the same time, hyper-fresh but primordial and properly ravenous on the floor. RIYL: Belgian techno, SuperCollider, Powell, Lorenzo Senni. Deluxe art by Guy Featherstone. Mastered by Matt Colton.
CONTRASTATE: True Believer / The 10/40 Window 7" (DPROM 115EP)
Contrastate follow up their studio album A Breeding Ground for Flies (DPROM 091CD, 2012) for Dirter Promotions with two brand new tracks. A sonic soundtrack to an apocalyptic world that is hypnotic, yet full of dynamic sounds and shifts. Their sound insinuates itself somewhere inside the dark ritual ambiance of the electronic avant-garde shot through with a vein of experimental noise and sarcophagic vocals strewn among industrial surrealism. Edition of 500.
After two singles, warmly received by fans, DJs and international press, Bufi presents his second album Revelación. This album consists of eight songs, among which are the singles "Mañana" and "Cosmoattack". There are various collaborations on Revelación: "Dan's Return", with the renowned French producer Zimmer (part of Roché Musique); "Apocalipstick", with the queer dancer Franka Polari, mother of the House of Apocalipstick and one of the heads of the Vogue culture in Mexico; and "New Ground", with singer, songwriter and producer Eduardo Limón aka Lalolimon. Revelación tells a fragment of the journey towards Bufi's emotional and artistic maturity, where different soundscapes like acid, dance, ambient and psychedelic music coexist harmoniously. Bufi has releases on Kitsuné, Record Makers, Electrique, Duro, La Belle, Arts & Crafts, and many more. RIYL: Caribou, DJ Koze, Matias Aguayo, Adam Port, Maceo Plex.
$14.99 EAN: 4012957326313 ELECTRONIC
A1. Apocalipstick
A2. Dan's Return
A3. White Tambourine
A4. Cosmoattack
B1. Interlude
B2. Peaks
B3. Mañana
B4. New Ground
Doxy present Michel Legrand's original soundtrack for Eva, directed by Joseph Losey and released in 1962. Michel Legrand, the so-called Mozart of the new wave cinema, was made fully aware that he was actually the director's second choice for Eva's soundtrack. Joseph Losey originally wanted Miles Davis for the project. But Legrand's beautifully constructed jazz score serves as a perfect complement to the charismatic images of the film's Venetian setting. The main character's love of jazz music is reflected within Legrand's score. The film also contains two Billie Holiday tracks "Willow Weep For Me" and "Loveless Love". "Adam & Eve" features vocals by Tony Middleton. A fascinating and musically rich score, one of those European '60s soundtracks that simply shouldn't be missed. Edition of 500.
$14.99 UPC: 889397381349 SOUNDTRACK
A1. Adam & Eve (Theme Song) (Tony Middleton Introduction)
A2. Main Title
A3. At The Bar
A4. Water Ski
A5. One Morning In Roma
A6. Willow Weep For Me
A7. Eve's Room
A8. Tivian Visits Eve
B1. Eve & Tivian
B2. Eve & Francesca
B3. Eve, Francesca & Tivian
B4. A Hotel In Venice
B5. The Wedding
B6. Dumped Tivian
B7. Loveless Love (Billie Holiday Epilogue)
B8. Finale
Doxy present David Raksin's original soundtrack for Too Late Blues, directed by John Cassavetes and released in 1961. Too Late Blues is certainly one of the greatest films ever made about the jazz world; It was a perfect match between subject matter and filmmaker. In 1959, Cassavetes had starred in a TV series called Johnny Staccato, playing a jazzman who moonlights as a detective. The film's brilliant music score is courtesy of David Raksin and performed by such jazz legends as Benny Carter, Red Mitchell and Shelly Manne. Raksin's theme tune, mimed by the main character "Ghost" Wakefield's group during the opening credits, immediately establishes the film's cool, sardonic tone, and neatly mimics the attitude with which the actors deliver their lines. The easy way out would have been to do standards, but Raksin wrote all original music for the film, even for the source cues. Edition of 500.
$14.99 UPC: 889397381356 SOUNDTRACK
A1. Seal One Part 1 - Sax Raises Its Ugly Head
A2. Theme From Too Late Blues (A Song After Sundown)
A3. The Rim Shot Heard 'Round The World
A4. Mother Time (Juke Box)
A5. Something Like Noodles/Something Like Bulio/Something
A6. Like That
A7. Heel And Toe - Get Wildroot Hair Oil, Charlie
A8. Look Inward, Angel
A9. Danzon
B1. A Song After Sundown
B2. Sambalero
B3. Recording Studio Part 2 - A Song After Sundown
B4. Blues For Tomorrow
B5. Ulysses In Swanktown
B6. Like Lasagna
B7. Ghost Blows Test
B8. Benny Splits While Jimmy Rowles
B9. Ciudad De Mexico
B10. Wife's Other John
B11. Finale - The Rim Shot Heard 'Round The World
Following a limited tape release for Ecstatic, Berlin's Nat Fowler renders his meticulous Novo Line alias for its second full-length release, a killer marriage of automated EBM and unexpected MIDI disruptions, continuing a life-long quest for esoteric knowledge and a love of archaic computer hardware. Modeled on re-appropriated software, run on two separate Atari ST's, Movements is the compelling result of obtuse production technique and painstaking trial and error; basically experimentation at the service of discovering a sound that really sounds unlike anything else out there. As he explains: "I like the idea of using restrictions in order to find and push boundaries, from limiting which octaves I use to how many notes at a time. I use the only PC capable of MIDI that had no multitasking, so communication is immediate, a direct mechanical communication from my fingers to the sounds is created. I feel lucky because technology has accelerated so fast since the first digital synthesizers and PCs that nothing since the early 1980s has been really pushed to its limits." In that sense, he can be placed in a small category of operators - including The Automatics Group, Dave Noyze, Lorenzo Senni and V/VM among them - who persistently gnaw at the boundary between dance-pop and avant-electronics, and with all of whom he shares a capacity for hearing the poetry of singular frequencies, unique pitch combinations and the strange electronic timbres just waiting to be born from overlooked, outmoded equipment. Whilst at times it may recall the saltiest digital tone and gait of early Chicago house and Belgian new-beat, there's a futuristic funk and idiosyncratic ambiguity to Movements that entirely belongs to Novo Line; whether bubbling up the mutant dembow lacquer of opener, "The Movement 1", radiating form the tightly-bound, curdled funk of "Hot Piece", or jabbing like a bag of cyborg slow house cats in "The Movement 2", it really does make for one of the year's finest and most addictive dancefloor mutations, bar none. 2016's most meticulous album of algorithmic body music. Inspired by F.M. Alexander, G.I. Gurdjieff and Pythagoras. Mastered and cut by Matt Colton at Alchemy.
Mr. Oizo (aka Quentin Dupieux), the French producer and pioneer of modern electro alongside Daft Punk, Air and Cassius simply can't and won't stop working. Having released five studio albums, four original soundtracks, a multitude of EPs and directed six movies over the past 20 years, the "Godfather" is back with All Wet. And this time, he is not alone as the track list features an impressive selection of quality guests: Peaches, Boys Noize, Skrillex and Charli XCX among others. All Wet will be a new occasion to further explore the mind of one of the most fantastically uncommon artist today. Also features: Tetanos, Phra, Siriusmo and Mocky. Comes in gatefold sleeve with standard black vinyl. Includes CD.
KESZLER, ELI: Last Signs Of Speed 2x12" (EE 001LP)
Empty Editions present Eli Keszler's Last Signs Of Speed as their inaugural release. This release has represented a labor of love for both Eli and the label. Last Signs is Eli's first solo release since 2012's Catching Net (PAN 032CD) and explores a very different side of his unique acoustic universe. One in which the macro-cosmic percussive collisions of his earlier work give way to a gradual unfolding of dub-influenced rhythmic constellations. Eli has described Last Signs as his response to playing in club environments over the last few years; an attempt to negotiate a delicate balance between the materiality of his acoustic instrument and the hyper-mediated sonic ecosystem of the club sound system. Coming off like an inspired synthesis between Scientist and Xenakis, Last Signs Of Speed is a truly unique work by an artist at the height of his power.
$20.99 UPC: 742832795296 ELECTRONIC
A1. Sudden Laughter
A2. Corresponding Probably To Quanta
A3. Streaming Down. Streaming Down.
B1. The Immense Endless Belt Of Faces
B2. No Iodine, No Breeze
C1. Breaches Breaches
C2. The Next Day, In The Afternoon
C3. I, Practically Nothing
D1. Is Strategist, Is Stage Director
D2. Holes, Parts Missing
D3. Willing To Be Open
D4. Fusillade Of Colors
Ritual Chants is a stellar earthbound and outer space odyssey spanning three discs, respectfully embellishing Psychemagik's taste and passion for the wonderful, the sublime and very often unusual. Ritual Chants skillfully shows insights into applying retro finds into a contemporary setting, much of the material acquired via world tours and capturing the excitement of finding and sharing lost jewels. Compiled by Danny McLewin, the renowned record digger of the duo, the three discs are carefully programmed and sequenced into three themes: Love, Beach and Dance, all of which tenderly demonstrate curious ears with a respectful nod to the past and the future via such touchstones as the pre-new age emanations of "Water Sports" by Man Parrish, a beautiful tranquil and cascading synth poem which soothes and pulses, and the sublime and haunting "God's Garden" by John J. Francis. Along with the two mentioned tracks, Love features the Gallic seduction of "L'Amour Joue Au Violon" by Jeanette, a real string-swept lost masterpiece reminiscent of Melody Nelson-era Serge Gainsbourg. On Beach, the booming drum machine mechanics of "Hangin' Out In Space" by Tony Wilson is a galactic deep-fried boogie which will have even robots shaking their metal-ware into the long wee hours, as will the hypnotic Arabic infused brew made by Golden Hands on "Take Me Back". The semi discordant funk of Zru Vogue's "Do the Zru", reminiscent of a later era Can, finds its place on Beach as well. Dance opens with phenomenal and unknown cuts such as "Love And Happiness" by Mansour Sallama and Ennio Morricone's disco-infused hybrid cut "Dance On" adding magic and mysticism, and high quality floor polishers such as Pop-Corn Makers's "Nothing", a sweaty gyrating slice of European sleaze. Psychemagik are a duo as infamous for their production technique as their DJ skills, their prolific edits laced with subtle studio production re-interpreting vintage gems and giving them a contemporary bounce. Love features: The Rias Orchestra, John J. Francis, Chac Mool, Kraan, G.R.C. Five, Free Fantasy, Wavemaker, Bobby Lyle, Babla & Kanchan, FG's Romance, Etienne Vermoessen & Guido Delo, Musyl & Joseppa and Karat. Beach features: El Sueño De Hyparco, Minako Yoshida, Adrian Gurvitz, Hitomi Tohyama, Chagrin D'Amour, Amini, Electric Machine, Jean Guy Ruff, J.M. Black and Danny Boy. Dance features: La P'tite Fred, The Right Combination, Sharpio, Grant Santino, Dionne, Will To Power, Raoul Denis Jr, Dan Lacksman and Family Four.
$14.39 EAN: 5414165079644 ELECTRONIC
Love:
1.01. Man Parrish - Water Sports
1.02. The Rias Orchestra - Amram
1.03. John J. Francis - God's Garden
1.04. Chac Mool - Ofrenda
1.05. Kraan - Silky Way
1.06. G.R.C. Five - Saga Of A Secluded Swamp Monster
1.07. Free Fantasy - Caroline
1.08. Jeanette - L'Amour Joue Au Violon
1.09. Wavemaker - Tunnel Of Love
1.10. Bobby Lyle - Making Love
1.11. Babla & Kanchan - Aay Mere Dil
1.12. FG's Romance - What Is Love Today?
1.13. Etienne Vermoessen & Guido Delo - Easy Morning
1.14. Musyl & Joseppa - Follow Me
1.15. Karat - Auf Den Meeren
Beach:
2.01. El Sueño De Hyparco - Rhodas
2.02. Tony Wilson - Hangin' Out In Space
2.03. Zru Vogue - Do The Zru
2.04. Golden Hands - Take Me Back
2.05. Minako Yoshida - Black Moon
2.06. Adrian Gurvitz - New World
2.07. Hitomi Tohyama - Wanna Kiss
2.08. Chagrin D'Amour - Ciao Katmandou
2.09. Amini - Habibi
2.10. Electric Machine - Fancy Good
2.11. Jean Guy Ruff - Cover Girl
2.12. J.M. Black - Lipstick (Shout!)
2.13. Danny Boy - Discomix
Dance:
3.01. La P'tite Fred - Stormy Love Affair
3.02. Ennio Morricone - Dance On
3.03. The Right Combination - I'm Still In Love With You
3.04. Sharpio - Dance Drome (We Can Make Your Body Move) (Instrumental)
3.05. Mansour Sallama - Love And Happiness
3.06. Grant Santino - Try Love
3.07. Dionne - Come Get My Lovin'
3.08. Will To Power - Say It's Gonna Rain (Acid Rain Dub)
3.09. Raoul Denis Jr - Ti Gason (Fe Respew')
3.10. Dan Lacksman - Love You Every Day
3.11. Pop-Corn Makers - Nothing
3.12. Family Four - En Häst Utan Namn
One of three double LP versions. Ritual Chants is a stellar earthbound and outer space odyssey, respectfully embellishing Psychemagik's taste and passion for the wonderful, the sublime and very often unusual. Ritual Chants skillfully shows insights into applying retro finds into a contemporary setting, much of the material acquired via world tours and capturing the excitement of finding and sharing lost jewels. Compiled by Danny McLewin, the renowned record digger of the duo, Ritual Chants is carefully programmed and sequenced over three double LP releases - also presented as a 3CD set (ESK 507964) - with three themes: Love, Beach (ESK 508014) and Dance (ESK 508015), all of which tenderly demonstrate curious ears with a respectful nod to the past and the future via touchstones of pre-new age emanations. On Love, these pre-new age emanations are present with "Water Sports" by Man Parrish, a beautiful tranquil and cascading synth poem which soothes and pulses, and the sublime and haunting "God's Garden" by John J. Francis. Other songs such as the Gallic seduction of "L'Amour Joue Au Violon" by Jeanette, a real string-swept lost masterpiece reminiscent of Melody Nelson-era Serge Gainsbourg are featured. Psychemagik are a duo as infamous for their production technique as their DJ skills, their prolific edits laced with subtle studio production re-interpreting vintage gems and giving them a contemporary bounce. Love also features: The Rias Orchestra, Chac Mool, Kraan, G.R.C. Five, Free Fantasy, Wavemaker, Bobby Lyle, Babla & Kanchan, FG's Romance, Etienne Vermoessen & Guido Delo, Musyl & Joseppa and Karat.
One of three double LP versions. Ritual Chants is a stellar earthbound and outer space odyssey, respectfully embellishing Psychemagik's taste and passion for the wonderful, the sublime and very often unusual. Ritual Chants skillfully shows insights into applying retro finds into a contemporary setting, much of the material acquired via world tours and capturing the excitement of finding and sharing lost jewels. Compiled by Danny McLewin, the renowned record digger of the duo, Ritual Chants is carefully programmed and sequenced over three double LP releases - also presented as a 3CD set (ESK 507964) - with three themes: Love (ESK 508013), Beach and Dance (ESK 508015), all of which tenderly demonstrate curious ears with a respectful nod to the past and the future via touchstones of pre-new age emanations. On Beach, the booming drum machine mechanics of "Hangin' Out In Space" by Tony Wilson is a galactic deep-fried boogie which will have even robots shaking their metal-ware into the long wee hours. The semi discordant funk of Zru Vogue's "Do the Zru", reminiscent of a later era Can, finds its place on Beach as well. Beach also features: El Sueño De Hyparco, Minako Yoshida, Adrian Gurvitz, Hitomi Tohyama, Chagrin D'Amour, Amini, Electric Machine, Jean Guy Ruff, J.M. Black and Danny Boy.
One of three double LP versions. Ritual Chants is a stellar earthbound and outer space odyssey, respectfully embellishing Psychemagik's taste and passion for the wonderful, the sublime and very often unusual. Ritual Chants skillfully shows insights into applying retro finds into a contemporary setting, much of the material acquired via world tours and capturing the excitement of finding and sharing lost jewels. Compiled by Danny McLewin, the renowned record digger of the duo, Ritual Chants is carefully programmed and sequenced over three double LP releases - also presented as a 3CD set (ESK 507964) - with three themes: Love (ESK 508013), Beach (ESK 508014) and Dance, all of which tenderly demonstrate curious ears with a respectful nod to the past and the future via touchstones of pre-new age emanations. Dance opens with phenomenal and unknown cuts such as "Love And Happiness" by Mansour Sallama and Ennio Morricone's disco-infused hybrid cut "Dance On" adding magic and mysticism, and high quality floor polishers such as Pop-Corn Makers's "Nothing", a sweaty gyrating slice of European sleaze. Dance also features: La P'tite Fred, The Right Combination, Sharpio, Grant Santino, Dionne, Will To Power, Raoul Denis Jr, Dan Lacksman and Family Four.
Etruria Beat welcomes Diego Amura for its 33rd release. The Italian prodigy delivers four pure techno cuts. "Peruana" has a distorted bass and unmissable 909, while "Lost" is a classic techno tool with a hypnotic synth. On the remix duties, Label boss Luca Agnelli reworks "Peruna", bringing the music to another side of the dancefloor with an explosive restart and "Lost" gets a reinterpretation from the Dutch TWR72 creating an intense and strong groove.
Innovative Bristol duo Kahn (Joe McGann) & Neek (Sam Barrett) step up for the 90th installment of FabricLive with a 74 minute grime and dubstep mix. Recorded at Kahn's house in Bristol, the compilation includes a number of their own productions, collaborations and remixes, plus heavyweight selections from The Bug, Mungo's Hi-Fi, Commodo and Gantz. The concluding track is Kode9 & Spaceape's timeless version of "Ghost Town", an appropriate commentary on the current troubles facing the capital's nightlife. The two founded the Bandulu Records imprint, both based in and influential to England's South West music scene. The mix features 14 unreleased tracks exclusive to this release from: ManonMars, Gantz, Kahn, Lamont & Boofy, Ishan Sound & Rider Shafique, Boofy, TMSV, O.B.F., Kahn & Neek, Gemmy, Hi5Ghost, Young H featuring Dread MC & Rider Shafique and remixed by Ishan Sound, Jabu, Chester Giles and Commodo. Also features: O$VMV$M, Jabu & SKRS, Charlie P, JD, Pinch & Kahn, Jamakabi, Jook, Spaceape, YoungstarLemzly Dale, Kahn & Neek, VMOS & Boofy, Sir Spyro, Teddy Bruckshot, Lady Chann and Killa P. Packaged in bespoke slipcase containing die-embossed tin.
$11.39 UPC: 802560018026 ELECTRONIC
01. O$VMV$M - Thin Joe
02. Jabu & SKRS - BwoyTestVIP
03. ManonMars - Nuke The Threat
04. Gantz - Shaitan
05. Kahn - Polar (feat. Rider Shafique) (Gantz Remix)
06. Mungo's Hi Fi - Rules Of The Dance (feat. Charlie P) (JD Remix)
07. Lamont & Boofy - Walkin' Round Ere
08. Gantz - Temple Meads
09. Ishan Sound & Rider Shafique - Highest VIP
10. Boofy - LVX93
11. Pinch & Kahn - Send Out
12. Jamakabi - Hot It Up (Kahn & Neek Remix)
13. Jook - Juice
14. TMSV - Shallow Breath
15. O.B.F. - Ram Dance
16. The Bug - Fuckaz (feat. Spaceape)
17. Youngstar - Bongo (Kahn & Neek remix)
18. Kahn & Neek - Acting The Goat
19. Gemmy - The Set Up
20. Hi5Ghost - Scorpion's Mask
21. Young H - We A Talk (feat. Dread MC & Rider Shafique) (Ishan Sound Remix)
22. Lemzly Dale - No Long Talk (Kahn & Neek Remix)
23. Commodo - S Is For Snakes
24. Kahn & Neek - Damascus
25. Jabu - Hungry Ghosts (feat. Chester Giles)
26. VMOS & Boofy - Dial Tone
27. Sir Spyro - Topper Top (feat. Teddy Bruckshot, Lady Chann & Killa P) (Kahn & Neek Remix)
28. Kode9 & Spaceape - Ghost Town
Steffen Laschinski's project Rising Sun, makes a welcome return to Fauxpas Musik after the album The Lamentations Of Rising Sun (FAUXPAS 019LP, 2016). Presented here is the second single in the series of three including four brand new full-length tracks from the EP series Trilogy.
"Zach Phillips, most logically of this and that and OSR Tapes, but what is logic when you need a break: more dumb programming. Programming language. I am his friend. We've worked. But I am from the same yellow margin, the same 'Experienced' Easter basket, the same New England experiment drifting lift and lateral: I'm either the same kind of somebody or the same kind of no, not. So I guess that cancels out? Just joking. This is an opera, an opera based on a made-up game. Four weird librettists, four weird singers, some unholy chug of gem crashes in the popping by below. Otherwise known as holy light. Light light: where is the whip-crack bang-severity of cold gallery at the border of arty forms? Not here: we're pushing and gushing but we're underlion worn and funny. Satori at the frozen waterfall O.K., but we like these ones that move." --Chris Weisman, Brattleboro 2016. Four groups of four songs with words by: Jeremy Daly, Quentin Moore, Hanna Novak, and Christina Schneider. As sung by: Becca Kauffman, Ben Russell, Sami Stevens, and Colin White. With music, direction, and recording by Zach Phillips. Mastered by Carl Saff. Album design by Sarah Smith. Edition of 500.
Elocution is the third Figure EP from Portuguese producer Lewis Fautzi, again displaying a high degree of versatility but still clearly cut for the club. Employing a rich yet spacious sound design, Fautzi creates cinematic -scapes that are at once both brimming with the hums of colossal interstellar machinery, yet at the same time leave enough room for a range of carefully sculpted elements to do their work. Whether it be the twisted acid arpeggio on opener "Shizophrenia", the imposing drones underscoring the mighty "Mirror" or the propulsive percussion of centerpiece "37B".
The Berlin based imprint deliver a remix package of Grandbrothers's Dilation (FILM 001CD/LP, 2015). Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel craft dense, rousing music with nods to IDM, ambient and techno, from the sounds of the grand piano and a set of 20 self-built hammers hitting the piano on different parts. NYC native FaltyDL takes on "Newtons Cradle", turning in a psychedelic slice of half time proto-footwork while both Phillip Otterbach (as Grand Optimist) and Djrum offer their own tripping, ambient reinterpretations. Portable Sunsets reimagines "Neon" as fuzzy beach house jam, with driven drum machine hits and a soothing Vox line.
Two raw beauties from Tv.Out and Smallpeople, produced in the Owls Room, Hamburg. Includes hypnotic-stripped back Borrowed Identity rework. Drawing and typography by Stefan Marx, Full Cover, printed disco-sleeve.
Heavy Psych Sounds present a reissue of Black Rainbows's Carmina Diabolo, originally released in 2010. The whole package is like a luxury chocolate box containing ten pieces of yummy, where each confection offers a superior taste experience. Black Rainbows stand with one leg in the middle of a huge pile of Kyuss albums while the second leg is picking flowers totally zonked in a psychedelic wonderland. On Carmina Diabolo, Black Rainbows offer a heavier and fuzzier mixture than before and the songs feel much more elaborate. They also manage to drop their guard throughout the entire album without any major difficulties. These guys are guns for hire and are for sure heading in the right direction towards the desert dunes. Carmina Diabolo starts off with the neatly carved "Himalaya" which delivers the finest in fuzz rock and just like the title says, it is a giant - Good vocals and great riffs. This smooth running "motor" is fueled with gallons of first class rocket fuel, more than enough to hurl anyone into orbit. The following gem "Babylon" together with the fourth act "What's In Your Head" run in the same vein and are just as dusty as desert rock should be. Other tracks worth mentioning are "Bulls & Bones" and the outstanding "Return To Volturn". They grab you by the balls just like most of the songs on the album. Carmina Diabolo is like a journey back to the 2000s, reminiscent of the Dutch scene at that time, when bands like Candybar Planet, Cowboys & Aliens and Desert Sons made angels in the sand. Bands like Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Fu Manchu had already become legends. For fans of old school stoner rock.
$18.39 UPC: 753070199500 ROCK
A1. Himalaya
A2. Babylon
A3. Under The Sun
A4. What's In Your Head
A5. Bulls & Bones
A6. Carmina Diabolo
B1. In The City
B2. Return To Volturn
B3. The Witch
B4. Space Kingdom
Glitter Wizard are a band of California riff-lords pillaging the best of vintage hard rock while keeping their laser eyes on the future, creating a unique brand of oddball psychedelia. Their onstage performance is a glammed-up force to be reckoned with and they've been taking their act on the road from the west coast all the way to Europe. The San Francisco glam weirdos Glitter Wizard release Hollow Earth Tour on Heavy Psych Sounds. The alliance continues the label's successful run of Californian hookups - see also: Wild Eyes, Farflung, Hot Lunch, Fatso Jetson, etc. - and when it comes to Glitter Wizard, they come off as the kind of band who are way too busy writing the next album by the time the current one has been released to worry about the particulars. Nonetheless, their strange, vaguely subversive and often catchy heavy rock and roll is at its best on Hollow Earth Tour.
$11.79 EAN: 4024572934958 ROCK
01. Smokey God
02. Mycelia
03. The Hunter
04. Scales
05. Stoned Odyssey (Pt 1/2/3)
06. Fungal Visions
07. Ufolsd
08. Sightseeing With Admiral Byrd
09. Death Of Atlantis
Everything has a beginning, whether it by accident or by design. A journey consists of trials and errors until finally reaching a full circle - ever evolving, revolving over and over again. Set in constant motion, the gathering of speed reaching ultimate vibrations until it's all shattered! This can also be said in regards to Los Angeles, California based quintet The Freeks as they return from yet another complete orbit with their third full length album, Shattered. What started as an accident, brought on a thought, which then began a project that grew into a solidified unit of sonic purification. The Freeks, led by Ruben Romano, have consistently moved upward since their conception in 2007 and have gracefully matured since their first self-titled album in 2008 on Cargo Records. While the initial project collaborated with players from around world, in 2010, Romano gathered together a more local unit of musicians, all baked under the LA heat, to achieve a consistent flow of creation. This was followed by The Freeks critically acclaimed 2013 sophomore album Full On, released on the band's very own label Freek Flag Records. Now in 2016, The Freeks prepare to sling shot and extend the trajectory of their already existing orbital path by joining forces with Heavy Psych Sounds to release this latest revolution. The Freeks are fully ready to shake it until it's all shattered. Since The Freeks issued their aptly-titled sophomore full-length Full On, their reputation as a vibrant live act has only grown. Shattered is a mix of the old Nebula style, mixing heavy fuzz riffs of desert rock n roll with a fresh breath of a new wave, adding synthesizers, keyboards and more arrangements. Features ex-members of Fu Manchu and Nebula.
$11.79 EAN: 4059251000907 ROCK
01. Tiny Pieces
02. Where Did You Go?
03. Strange Mind
04. I'm A Mess
05. Uncle Jack's Truck
06. Sylvia
07. There's No Turning Back Now
08. La Tumba
09. The Space Bar
10. Fast Forward
11. Ivana
12. Blue Shoes
13. Blown Time Away
Hue is the new record by British multi-instrumentalist Simon Goff. The record is formed as an impression of the sound and music from a dance installation created by Goff along with visual artist Sebastian Kite (UK) and choreographer Lisanne Goodhue (Canada) in 2015. The work presents a non-hierarchal scenic and temporal space that challenges traditional concepts and modes of experiencing dance performance, concert music and visual art. The installation consists of a series of spaces defined by large translucent screens, color projection, live sound and dance. Performers and audiences occupy an ambulatory space together, both parties having a direct influence on the course of the piece: physically, visually and sonically. The artists shift their practices collectively and individually, transitioning the space between installation and performance to encourage sensitive observation through repetition and change. After being a member of Leeds (UK) based cult-pop band Hope and Social for six years, Goff is continuing to explore how to involve spectators and other performers in his creative process. Through the use of motion sensing technology, the music for Hue is formed by people moving through the space, triggering samples and electronic devices. Inspired by the minimalist music of Terry Riley and his contemporaries, the score for Hue is formed as a series of musical cells that can be combined and looped in any order. The cover of the record is an impression of the score used by Goff in the performances. From this score, Goff performed as a live musician in the installation, interacting with the sound generated from people's movement in the space. The installation used color as a compositional bridge between visual art, music and dance. Primary and secondary colors form movements that can be combined in any sequence and adapt their respective durations depending on the atmosphere in the room. The result is a subtly shifting atmosphere and ambience informed by all participants in the work. Simon Goff is a British multi-instrumentalist, improviser, producer and composer. He is a classically trained violinist who also spent his formative years studying bass guitar with Herbie Flowers (David Bowie, Lou Reed). He focuses mainly on string instruments and electronic processing and in recent years he has written music for dance, film and sound installation.
CARETAKER, THE: An Empty Bliss Beyond This World LP (HAFTW 008LP)
Limited repress. The second album from James Leyland Kirby's alias The Caretaker, originally released in 2011 following 2008's Persistent Repetition Of Phrases (HAFTW 003CD). By now regarded an absolute classic of haunted ambient music, An Empty Bliss Beyond The World returns the doddering protagonist to the deserted ballroom, wandering its waxed floor and dilapidated grandeur in an attempt to capture an era which has long since disappeared but still haunts the atmosphere. James Leyland Kirby conjures a quieter, more introspective spirit, lost in his own mind amidst a low-lit labyrinth of ever-decaying and antediluvian shellac phrases. Sourced from his mysterious collection of 78s, these vague snippets of archaic sonics reflect the ability of Alzheimers patients to recall the songs of their past, and with them recollections of places, people, moods and sensations. The effect is subtly amplified by the chronic mastering at D&M, allowing each memory to segue seamlessly and unpredictably into the next for an otherworldly and disorienting experience. An Empty Bliss Beyond The World is a highly potent transmission from one of the most singular characters operating in music today. James Leyland Kirby, is also known as Leyland Kirby, The Stranger and V/VM. Mastered and cut by Lupo. Artwork features another specially commissioned painting by Ivan Seal.
Concentric Rhythms is the new extended player from DJ Guy, the Cardiff born producer. Despite being heavily involved in the electronic music scene since the early '90s, he has only really begun to open up his vast archive of productions to the masses, notably with Unearthed Tracks 1992-1995 released in 2014. With releases to date on the likes of All Caps, NORD Records and Organic Analogue, he makes his Hypercolour debut with Concentric Rhythms. It is a record that clearly demonstrates his deep rooted interest in the realms of jungle, acid house and early UK techno. His productions are a compliment to his extensive and ambitious collection of varied influences that he so effortlessly practices and combines. With a colossal treasure trove of archived and unreleased music, DJ Guy has been able to dig deep into his collection of music for Concentric Rhythms, continuing to unlock this vault of timeless electronic music.
Entering center stage is Fred P, the undisputed master of subtle four-to-the-floor soul and tech infused house. This is his Ibadan debut single featuring "Energy Soul" and "Visions". The New York connoisseur delivers the two tracks with a futuristic conviction, his fire burning bright.
A celebration of five years for Amsterdam based label Indigo Aera, one of the most trustworthy and respected contemporary Detroit techno labels around. Head honchos Maarten Mittendorff and Jasper Wolff go to the vaults of early day, soul-searching techno regularly, digging up forgotten gems to re-issue them with modern quality standards. Indigo Aera present The Funk, part two of five, in a series with The Rhythm (AERA 016-1EP, 2016), The Spirit (AERA 016-3EP), The Soul and The Transformation. The Funk features: Makam, Don Williams, San Proper & Antal and Daniel Jacques.
A celebration of five years for Amsterdam based label Indigo Aera, one of the most trustworthy and respected contemporary Detroit techno labels around. Head honchos Maarten Mittendorff and Jasper Wolff go to the vaults of early day, soul-searching techno regularly, digging up forgotten gems to re-issue them with modern quality standards. Indigo Aera present The Spirit, part three of five, in a series with The Rhythm (AERA 016-1EP, 2016), The Funk (AERA 016-2EP), The Soul and The Transformation. The Sprit features: Ø [Phase], Deniro, Maarten Mittendorff and Louis Haiman.
A special edition in the Le Pop series, La Boum is a party compilation that shows just how danceable and versatile the modern chanson is - It is clever, energetic, full of humor and extremely diverse. Since the beginning of the series, the Le Pop DJ team (Oliver Fröschke and Rolf Witteler) have promoted their compilations by playing them at release parties and at special events like German-French festivities. Over the years, some tracks have emerged as favorites, a sure way to get people on the dancefloor time and time again. The series has always been rhythmically diverse, but a compilation of new francophone music, with one track as danceable as the next, is something the Le Pop DJ team has dreamt of for a long time. The span of musical variety on this album could not be broader. From the playfully cutesy opener "Polka" to the crude '60s-garage hit finale "Voulez- Vous Coucher Avec Moi?", Le Pop La Boum takes the listener on both a geographical and a stylistic journey past the most daring corners of the world of francophone music. From southern French dancehall to the YéYé-punk colossus "Bordel" - from the indie party-hit "Singapore Slang" from Montréal to the recklessly drummed, high-speed rock'n'roll track "Corinne" by Mathieu Boogaerts. Even Benjamin Biolay shows himself in a new light, as a Cumbia crooner singing in duet with the Uruguayan-Argentinian reggae singer Alika. Julian Baer's chanson-funk and the young newcomer Cléa Vincent's retro disco track are equally refreshing. Just like all other editions of this series, Le Pop La Boum not only works well on the dancefloor, but it is a compilation that can be enjoyed at home as well. There are also plenty of new names to check out, that have previously not been featured by Le Pop; Apart from Mathieu Boogaerts, Alexis HK and Benjamin Biolay, all names introduced on Le Pop La Boum are new. La Boum is the third special edition in the Le Pop series, after the duet sampler En Duo (LPM 004LP, 2004) and Les Filles (2008), and throws an entirely new light on the vibrant neo-chanson scene. Also features: Luce, Radiomatic, Call Me Poupee, Arthur H Et -M-, Oai Star, Fabulous Trobadors, Noze, Thomas Dutronc, Agnes Bihl Et Tom Poisson, Alister, and Marcel Bontempi.
The Erefora Land is the first solo record by Johan Kaseta, Lehult founding member. "Lei Tindissima" is a seductive, blistering track on the verge of falling apart yet always staying groovy and pumping. "Erefora Steps" grooves on a broken, somewhat Latin type of bounce, turning between heavenly pads, psycho-vocals and, of course, echoed air horns. "U Timmi" is a laid back Sunday afternoon jam with luring layered samples and micro melodies. The blissful chords of "No Same Time" hide behind a veil of waterfalls, trickling shakers and swooping filters.
LOUH: The Guardian Of The Shrooms EP 12" (LESPOINTS 008EP)
... Psilocybe argentipes, Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, Psilocybe eucalypta, Psilocybe fimetaria, Psilocybe kumaenorum, Psilocybe mairei, Psilocybe mexicana, Psilocybe quebecensis, Psilocybe samuiensis, Panaeolus africanus, Panaeolus retirugis, Conocybe cyanopus, Gymnopilus luteus, Gymnopilus viridans, Inocybe calamistrata, Inocybe haemacta, Pluteus atricapillus, Pluteus nigroviridis ... "The function of mushrooms is to rid the world of old rubbish. The Buddha died a natural death." --John Cage.
Based on the eponymous play by brothers and author/performer team Tobi and Mike Müller at Schauspielhaus Zürich, Swiss experimental documentary film A1 traverses through time and space along Switzerland's first and most elongated highway structure. Rich in archival sources, it sheds light on the costs and benefits of rapid movement: social, migratory and ecological patterns, economic and military designs that are mostly not immediately obvious to the casual motorist. Stefan Goldmann's soundtrack engages the film's multi-layered aesthetics full on, providing a dazzling array of short compositions. Profoundly synthetic in production, this free-wheeling phantasmagoria of peculiar, yet intensely likeable miniatures branches off into all directions - from minimalistic to overflowing, calm to banging, nightmarish to soothing. The visual patina of historic documents is playfully mirrored in intense distortion and noise artifacts, bound into rhythmic units and melodies formed of ghost notes. Finding new ways of mining his techno background to yield surprising new forms and ideas, Stefan Goldmann has proven his abilities in a dazzling range of projects over the past years. Works for dance, ensembles, an opera and various object-based creations made him a natural choice for the job of finding a refreshing way of linking sound and image. On its own, the music for A1 holds up by putting the listener on a high-velocity road trip of the curious mind.
$11.99 EAN: 4260038314517 SOUNDTRACK
01. Asphalt Melt
02. A-Drive
03. Nightlights
04. Constructor
05. Baufortschritt
06. Roadside Lot
07. Aue
08. Congestion
09. Inward Slope
10. Workshop
11. Beautiful Death
12. The Tow
13. Sweet Trepidation
14. Spikes
15. Disruptor
16. Copper Cat
17. Margin
18. Street Love
19. Teenage Feelings
Erik K Skodvin returns with a focused album under his Svarte Greiner moniker, releasing two side-long cinematic compositions, continuing where he left off with Black Tie (MIA 023CD, 2013). "The Marble" patiently sets the tone with a slow moving wall of strings underlaid by a warped bass line. A feeling of weightlessness covers the ground while empty space surrounds the listener in an embracing yet uneasy way. It's a gloomy territory with an unexpected extent of grace to encounter. Time gradually illuminates several stages of light and dark before revealing a desolate wasteland filled with electric organisms. "Garden" strikes heavily with rattling string hits and low bass waves quivering through your skull, transforming the scenery into a fallow that is staring right back at you. This could easily be the soundtrack to a nightmarish sleeplessness if it wasn't for carefully scattered comfort zones to be found in unknown territory - What appears to be violent at first soon reveals sheer reflective beauty. However, it is patience and repeated listening that liberate the aspired altered state of consciousness. Originally composed for Marit Følstad's installation art, Moss Garden more than ever consolidates Erik Skodvin's individual idea of soundscape. His approach can be interpreted as an embodiment of the word "Terrific" amelioration: Developing from "Terrifying" over "Intense" to its modern understanding in a little more than two centuries, Svarte Greiner reenacts this metamorphosis within a single recording. Includes an insert and a download code. Edition of 700.
Laksa marks his second appearance on Beneath's Mistry label with two parts of properly assertive, bass bin-troubling mongrel business, circa 120bpm. Laksa nails the label aesthetic with insistent torque and no concession to niceties. "66 Rebels" staggers across the A-side, drunken master style, whipping the subs into a mucky frenzy under de-glazed, worn-down drums and stinging bleeps that bite in all the right places. From the rim, "Ctrl Delete" is a headlong trip into cavernous dread dance music swarmed by chromatic ghost voices and shocked into action by a massive, reverberating synth lead.
Taken from the acclaimed Migration album (NUP 004LP, 2016), Kypoli sees Poirier sharing production duties with fellow Ninja Tune alumni Machinedrum. Taking vocal samples from Aleisha Lee and twisting, chopping and manipulating them into a completely new composition, the pair create a brooding post-dancehall/soul fusion. Bukem-esque pads and deep dub elegance give way to pounding kicks and floating harmonies. Remixes come from France's dub scientist Moresounds, who ups the jungle influence with a classic Reese-style bassline and rolling snare chops. Montreal-based newcomer Thomas White who flips the vibe completely for a slo-mo, soul, style builder.
KVERNBERG & THE TRONDHEIM SOLOISTS, OLA: The Mechanical Fair 2LP (OLS 016LP)
Jam-packed with a wellspring of harmonic slingshots, pumping beats and melodic rollercoasters, The Mechanical Fair drew comparisons to Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring upon its original release in 2014. It's apparent appeal to an surprisingly wide range of musical communities finally brought it right into DJ dance-wiz Todd Terje's hands. And make no mistake: the physicist's hands don't settle for an iPad, it craves vinyl. His wholehearted endorsement led the captain of the Olsen family to clear the rights, assemble his own killer remix and requisitioned Grammy-winning cutting engineer Matt Colton for a gorgeous double 180 gram, half-speed vinyl re-release of the orchestral epic. Originally written for a quintet including heavily merited jazz cats Erik Nylander, Ole Morten Vågan, Petter Vågan and Even Helte Hermansen in 2013, The Mechanical Fair expanded at the initiative of the Trondheim Chamber Music Festival, growing bolder and more powerful with the addition of the adventurous and Grammy-winning chamber orchestra The Trondheim Soloists in 2014. Having just spearheaded seven genre blending shows in just six days as the "Artist in Residence" of 2016's prestigious Molde International Jazz Festival, the multi award-winning Norwegian violinist/multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Ola Kvernberg can look back at an already impressive recording and performing career. The once 17 year old jazz manouche violin sensation quickly and impatiently moved beyond the jazz realm for inspiration - resulting in seven albums as a solo artist, eight feature films as a movie score composer and countless additional recordings as a sideman. His list of collaborators range from jazz legends Pat Metheny and Joshua Redman, via post/prog-rock act Motorpsycho, to collaborations with world renowned novelists Lars Saabye Christensen and Jo Nesbø. His fearless attitude and relentless drive towards the boundaries of genres has given him a well-earned high standing on the Scandinavian scene today. The Mechanical Fair is a genre twisting magnum opus that reaches its true potential with this vinyl release.
Sam Barker and Andreas Baumecker's lives have always revolved around different kinds of music. That's partly why their productions as Barker & Baumecker are more unpredictable, harder to pin down than what you might expect from a label borne out of a techno club. And while their music is clearly built for dancing, listening to it reveals a deep love and respect for many forms of electronic music. Their second album, Turns, is an amalgamation of their unique musical minds, transcending electronic music genres and styles, while further developing and refining the Barker & Baumecker sound aesthetic. With two EPs, an album, and almost 20 remixes under their belt, Barker & Baumecker continue to steadily explore and reshape their shared electronic musical interests, especially in techno, bass, breaks, and experimental terrain. Talking about the title of the album, Barker explains, "the two of us have had quite a lot of ups and downs since the last record, and when you're in a collaboration where you only work together in real-time, in person, both people need to be in the right frame of mind." Baumecker adds, "Turns also had something to do with the tracks - almost every one turns towards the middle." While none of the tracks on Turns are merely functional, Barker & Baumecker do, of course, envision them in the club. There's nothing typical about any of these tracks, but they each share a clean aesthetic and sound palette with a sense of depth and compositional purpose. The ambient intro of album opener "Senden" morphs into a Reichian flow. The low-end drums of "Encipher & Decipher" weigh down the dreamy melodic synths. "Club Entropicana" reduces rhythm and sound to machine signals, akin to Raster-Noton's starkness. Both "Turnhalle" and "Nocturnal" incorporate trance euphoria with break-beats but in different ways, while closer "Statik" has a deliciously slippery garage pulse guiding it through a journey towards house bliss. Never knowing where they'll draw from next, Turns feels like Barker & Baumecker are expanding and refining their own musical dialect. Like most of the music they're both drawn to, it's thoughtful, rich, and ever evolving, but always and completely committed to the club.
The Dutchman Anton Pieete has spent recent years exploring the reaches of his analog set up, and turns over his latest wares to Ovum, with The Menu. "Peven" is heady and intoxicating - it's percussive, funky drums and undulating keys are carried by a woozy wave of rich analog bass. The dramatic and ghostly strings of "BN 3000" are at odds with its frenetic bouncing bass melody and yet, they work in complete harmony. "Lite Green" is a cosmic jam with a laser synths and a malleable, swinging groove that's governed by a pulsating bassline and dense kick drum.
THORSTEINSSON: Academy Of Heroes Remixes 12" (PETS 071EP)
With Thorsteinssøn's Academy Of Heroes album on the horizon, Pets Recordings precede the release with a trio of remixes. First up is London's Ashworth. "Sixtrak Blues" is the track of choice with Ashworth harnessing the originals dreamy vibe and adding a punchy guitar driven groove. Gerd steps up under his Geeeman guise, with a rework of "Sammy". Keeping the acidic melody, the Dutchman replaces the original's loose drums with a raw, kickass rhythm of his own. Berlin's Cab Drivers add a driving drum pattern turns the original slo-mo groover "Midnight At Taffey's", into a stellar swinging workout.
An ode to the endless research of the life apart - Sensed and produced by Edanticonf in Amsterdam. Endless Research is the first release by Edanticonf on Phorma. Artwork by New York artist and designer Sebastian Lemm.
Donny Benét - Man of the people, wielder of synths, virtuosic in style, both aural and visual. Sydney's undisputed master of conduction through seduction. One slap of the bass and the world melts at his feet. One outrageous synth solo after the other and the competition falls around him. Donny Benét make his Plastic World debut with Working Out. "Working Out" is a tune takes the trademark sound that Donny has spent years mastering. The same dripping bass and suggestive synths, but now they are framed behind driving four-four drum machine kicks. Features a remix by Francis Inferno Orchestra.
BALDELLI & MARCO DIONIGI, DANIELE: Adaptors: The Music Of Richard Bone CD (QND 027CD)
Listening, by chance, to the track "Alternate Music for the Hindenberg Lounge Pt.2," contained on the 1982 vinyl recording The American Music Compilation on the Eurock label, Daniele Baldelli discovered the music of Richard Bone for the first time. For regular clients of the Cosmic Club (in Lazise , Lake Garda, Verona), it soon became a very sought-after track, thanks to Baldelli's special mixing talents: he used to play this track at 45 instead of 33 rpm, overlaying it on Mike Oldfield's "Foreign Affair." Marco Dionigi must have liked it too when, at the age of 14, he heard the music of the Cosmic Club for the first time and immediately became a big Baldelli fan. Maybe thanks to this musical meeting, Dionigi began his career as a DJ, giving his best at Verona's Alter Ego Club. Perhaps through fate or a common feeling for certain sounds, Baldelli and Dionigi met by chance in 1992. This resulted in an alliance, a great friendship and a close collaboration that led to them experimenting with new sounds and comparing musical choices, working on several productions. In 2008, Baldelli & Dionigi released the album Cosmic Disco...Nah Cosmic Rock! on Eskimo Records, which included a re-edited Richard Bone track. At that point, thanks to the Web, they made direct contact with Richard Bone, which resulted in them producing this album. The album contains 13 tracks that have been completely re-edited, arranged, adapted and remixed by Daniele Baldelli & Marco Dionigi. It represents their tribute to musician Richard Bone, a way of thanking him for the musical influence and inspiration they have received.
Welcoming Sano of Cómeme fame to Public Possession. "Latino Body Music Vol. I": Medellín flavor intro. Get down to the sound of the Columbian underground. Have some acid - "Get it girl, anytime" ......ton? - Si claro - No entiendes? No problemo. El disco es cultura - "Escúchalo". Abrazos PP.
Keita Sano was born in 1989 in Okayama. He has released music on more labels than forests have trees (1080p, Rett I Fletta, Let's Play House, Mister Saturday Night, Crue-L etc.). He makes a technoid yet lo-fi version of music for discotheques that's uniquely his own. Rett I Fletta label head Prins Thomas on meeting Keita Sano: "A little over a year ago I spent a day off in the lovely seaside town Enoshima. There is a really nice club, cafe and concert venue there called Oppa-La which I had played the previous night. So my dear friend and Japanese promoter Hagi tells me we should go back there the following night as there will be local bands playing followed by a live-set from Keita Sano. I was only vaguely familiar with his music but had noticed his name crop up more and more frequently so off we went. A couple of beers later and around the third track in, he somehow manages to merge the playfulness of disco with the physical impact of techno, I'm sold there and then. Over a friendly chat and more beers, I clumsily present an offer to release his music and hopefully even all the things he played that night. A few days later the album as you hold in front of you and more or less a replica of that live-set arrives in my inbox."
$10.99 EAN: 4260038315453 ELECTRONIC
01. Full Of Love
02. Leave The Floor
03. Honey
04. On The Floor
05. Vood
06. Sucker Pt.2
07. None of Your Business
After sending shock waves across the airwaves with "Panasonic", P Money presents his debut album Live + Direct on Rinse. As grime approaches its twentieth year, many MC's have come and gone, but P Money has staying power. His rise has been quiet but inexorable since releasing his first grime mixtape Coins 2 Notes in 2008. P's love for dubstep saw him become a household name in 2010 as tracks "Slang Like This" and "Anthemic" with Magnetic Man catapulted him into the mainstream. Along with numerous mixtapes, singles and EP's on Rinse, Butterz, RAM Records, Black Butter and more, he's toured extensively and not only hit UK festivals including Glastonbury, Bestival and Wireless but worldwide shows in New Zealand, Croatia and the US. His debut album Live + Direct taps into his entire musical history. Reaching from his roots in garage and grime into the dubstep that helped establish his name, it's set to draws together the disparate strands of his career so far, as well as reaching forward to suggest a wider future for his sound. A first class mic controller with clarity, witty lyrics, endless flow and punchlines, P has touched on everything from love to loss to police brutality, and while "Panasonic" is an eruptive and authoritative entry into album mode, it's not all the album has to offer. The substance and purpose in his music throughout his career is something he continues throughout the album. A few words from P Money: "Music has never been about money or charting for me. It was always about expression and being able to speak for my community. I've always imagined my debut album will sound garage, dubstep and grime, be released on Rinse and be a body of work that inspires young people, the first two are happening, I guess we'll have to wait till it's out to see if it really resonates... I think it will." Features: Solo 45, Stormzy, Blacks, Little Dee, Jendor, Ruger, Rubylee, Splurgeboys, JME, Wiley and NY.
$8.39 UPC: 800071004941 ELECTRONIC
01. Intro
02. Panasonic
03. Welcome To England (feat. Solo 45)
04. Keepin' It Real (feat. Stormzy)
05. Mans Involved (feat. Blacks, Little Dee, Jendor & Ruger)
06. Contagious (feat. Rubylee)
07. Carter
08. Don't Holla At Me (feat. Splurgeboys)
09. Fake Fans
10. L.O.N Don
11. Gunfingers (feat. JME & Wiley)
12. Lyrics & Flows
13. Take Over (feat. NY)
14. The Credits
15. 10/10
In 2015, Brisbane's Gallery Of Modern Art presented David Lynch: Between Two Worlds, a major retrospective of Lynch's works across painting, sculpture, installation and photography. To celebrate the retrospective curator, José Da Silva, with David Lynch and his studio, developed a number of commissions in conjunction with the exhibition. One of these commissions was HEXA's sonic response to David Lynch's Factory Photographs. When asked recently about his decades long interest in photographing factories in various states of disuse, David Lynch remarked "I grew up in the north-west of America where there are no factories at all, just woods and farms. But my mother was from Brooklyn, so when I was little we used to go there and I got a taste for a certain kind of architecture and a feeling for machines and smoke and fear. To me, the ideal factory location has no real nature, except winter-dead black trees and oil-soaked earth. Time disappears when I'm shooting in a factory, it's really beautiful. " HEXA, aka Lawrence English and Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), met in 2009. Initially connecting through their mutual admiration of affective sound, 20th century Japanese photography and birdwatching, it wasn't long before the pair found themselves discussing possible musical collaborations. After some months considering exactly what might drive this undertaking, they decided the work should chart out mutual sonic interests that occupy the space beyond of their individual practices. After developing a dynamic sonic methodology, their project began to take form through the trading of various materials and ideas. Meeting in various locations as their tour schedules haphazardly crossed paths, the two began to form a focused mode of operation that concerned itself primarily with physically affective sound, cycling rhythm and intense textural density. Deciding on the name HEXA, their work together became quickly focused on the David Lynch Factory Photographs project following the Gallery Of Modern Art's commission captured in this edition. HEXA will present Factory Photographs as an audio visual work in 2017. David Lynch has kindly allowed the original visual montage of his photographs to be presented as part of the piece as it was during the debut performance in Brisbane during 2015.
$16.39 UPC: 739027481935 ELECTRONIC
A1. Sledge
A2. Down
A3. Lumber
A4. Ring Bark
A5. There Never Was
A6. A Breath
A7. The Coldest Kiss
B1. Vertical Horizons
B2. Over Horizontal Plains
B3. Body
The accumulation of about four years of work, with tracks written in Berlin and Melbourne, Tornado Wallace's debut album Lonely Planet is nothing like what may have expected from the Australian expat. No stranger to fans and followers of ESP Institute, Beats In Space and Music From Memory's sister label Second Circle, Tornado Wallace's strain of releases, so far, merge functionality with a musical playfulness that led him to find himself as one of the producer's behind José Padilla's International Feel album So Many Colours (IFEEL 042CD/LP, 2015). Here, he leaves the needs of the dancefloor behind in order to create a magical mystery tour de trance into his inner jungle. How about some references? New age sounds meet new wave melodies, Grace Jones runs into the Dire Straits at Compass Point while a Korg Mini Pops and a Roland CR78 make amends for Sly & Robbie's absence, Michael Mann pictures Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, Robert Rauschenberg tries his luck at naturalism and an imagined Wally Badarou echoes through all of it. Sandwiched between the title track and the yearning beauty of the album's final point "Healing Feeling", the listener will get all of that as well as collaborations with and contributions of No Zu, David Hischfelder and the voice of Sui Zhen on "Today", who would easily make Anna Domino take her proverbial hat off. With Lonely Planet, Tornado Wallace has created an album that supersedes the requirements and expectations of a debut. Like a lost Island Records or a never released Made To Measure album, Lonely Planet soundtracks notions and ideas that recall the nostalgic future in the past as much as it looks ahead.
KRYSS HYPNOWAVE: Endosphora EP 12" (SEANCE 1201EP)
Seance is a new London based techno and electronica label owned by Warren of The Clairvoyants, who many will recognize from their former show on Rinse FM. The label's first release is provided by Italian producer Kryss Hypnowave, the production alias of Christian Scalas. The main remix comes from Edit Select, who is the producer Tony Scott from Glasgow, UK. He has a big reputation and doesn't disappoint with his remix here.
KOPKE, ALFRED: Jack Have A Art EP 12" (SEANCE 1202EP)
Original material from Alfred Kopke, aka Ivo Polónia. Based in Portugal, he also makes up one half of Quantic Spectroscopy and has had releases on Relapso and his own Reaktivate label. The release also features Subjected who, for most techno fans, needs no introduction as a purveyor of quality audio. His dark and distinctly individual sound has helped him build an impressive back catalog of releases, where his music has been featured on Electric Deluxe, Perc Trax, Sleaze Records, Affin and PoleGroup and releases much of his material through his own well-known Vault Series label. 180 gram vinyl.
Pan-Pot return home to Second State with Solace, showcasing the duos proficiency for composing dynamic, cutting-edge techno. Kicking it off at a breakneck pace is the title track "Solace" with rapid fire low end and intense tones laying the bedrock for a wildly uplifting presentation of keys creating the ideal balance between opposing forces. "Consequence", which see the duo team up with Martin Eyerer, pairs key elements of the sounds of early Pan-Pot and contemporary production. The lush pads and soaring sonic stairs of "Lose Yourself" escorts the traveler through an elated dream.
Ben Vida's Damaged Particulates LP represents the conclusion of one body of work, Damaged Particulates, and the beginnings of a new long form project titled Reducing The Tempo To Zero. The version of Damaged Particulates (2012-2016) included in this LP is the final iteration of a piece that Vida has been developing for close to four years. It first materialized as a number of individual synthesizer studies under the title "Damaged Parts". These studies became the source material for an early version of DPs, taking shape as a commissioned work for the Unsound Festival. For the commission the piece coalesced as a single, through-composed live sound installation that utilized tactile sub bass speakers which interfaced directly with the audiences bodies. In this form, Damaged Particulates was presented at festivals, galleries and museums including versions at Experimental Intermedia, New York, Cricoteka Museum, Kraków, Poland and Leap Gallery, Berlin. It has since been presented in live performance at Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna and Electrónica en Abril, Madrid and as a multichannel defusion at the Akousma Festival, Montreal. Reducing The Tempo To Zero (2016 - ???) is the first recorded dispatch of Vida's new long form composition. This excerpt demonstrates a short instrumental passage taken from a work that, in its full duration, clocks in at close to five hours. Live performances featuring a four member vocal ensemble have been presented at Lampo, Chicago and at The Kitchen, NYC. This mutable composition will be reconfigured once again in late 2016, this time scored for choir and electronics, to be staged in Italy and Belgium. Reducing The Tempo To Zero represents Vida's return to the durational drone based forms that he first experimented with in the mid-90s with his group Town And Country. In performance, RTTTZ continues his exploration of phonetic based text scores. This method of scoring was used in his project Slipping Control which debuted at Audio Visual Arts Gallery, NYC with an LP version was also released by Shelter Press in 2014 (SHELTER 038LP), and creates a continuous thread between his work as a composer and his developing career as an artist. Vida has expanded his compositional process into a number of mediums, acting to blur any delineation between disciplines and practices. 140 gram vinyl, uncoated sleeve & inner sleeve. Artwork by Katy Fischer. Design by Bartolomé Sanson. Mastered and cut by Helmut Erler at D+M.
When people talk about summertime vibes, it's most often associated with the obvious: good weather, sweet drinks, waterside locales, and a much-needed departure from the daily grinds. But it's the smell of summer that really infects the spirit: suntan lotions, watermelon, piña colada mixes, BBQ grill emanations, and perhaps most importantly, sweat. Dripping, oozing, sticky buckets of lovely sweat. This three-tracker of party bombs, on the dance floor - a slick power wash of classic French disco, a rollicking jazz piano-led jam. Let these sweaty numbers melt your worries. No top hat and gator shoes required...just shake that ass!
A stunning collection of quiet and soft piano pieces by the legendary German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius co-founder of seminal krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia. Inspired by the monumental work of Erik Satie, the album was originally released in 1991, and is recommended for fans of Max Richter, Goldmund, and Sylvain Chauveau. Two 180-gram LPs in gatefold sleeve. 45-RPM audiophile edition. Includes the bonus track "In Der Dämmerung."
$28.39 UPC: 889397719937 ROCK
A1. Gunst der Stunde
A2. Die Ernte Reift
B1. Einfach So
B2. Vergegenwärtigt
B3. Bonheur
B4. In Gedanken
C1. Gut So
C2. Leicht Gemacht
C3. Verweht
C4. Frieden für Adjan 02
C5. Begegnung
D1. In Der Dämmerung
First reissue of one of the holy grails from the vault of the amazing Italian library music label Octopus. Originally released in 1973, Climax is a killer studio session by Amedeo Minghi, Piero Montanari, and Roberto Conrado. An incredible collection of psych jazz funk tunes with crazy Moog sounds, violent drums, and deep bass. An ultra-rare, hard-to-find item finally available again, on 180-gram virgin vinyl.
$20.39 UPC: 889397719951 ROCK
A1. Climax
A2. Save Up
A3. Glaze
A4. Frog In Love
A5. Sampler
A6. Quoin
B1. Sliding Scale
B2. Glitter
B3. Pow-Wow
B4. Ready Money
B5. Pool
B6. Maze
"The compilation album Heures sans Soleil was originally released in October 1985 in an edition of 1000 copies. It was the fourth vinyl release on LTM, the label I founded while still at school in Edinburgh, and followed on from singles by Minny Pops and A Primary Industry, as well a live album by Crispy Ambulance. . . . I can't claim the idea of an artsy cosmopolitan compilation album was terribly original. I was 19 years old at the time, and still deep in the thrall of earlier Crépuscule collections such as From Brussels With Love and The Fruit of the Original Sin." Includes extended liner notes by James Nice. Released in collaboration with LTM/James Nice. 180-gram vinyl. Includes tracks by Section 25, Anti-Group, Minny Pops, Tuxedomoon, Mazowsze, Eric Random, Dislocation Dance, The Happy Family, Section 25 , Crispy Ambulance, and A Primary Industry.
$20.39 UPC: 889397719982 ELECTRONIC
A1. Section 25 - An Introduction
A2. Anti-Group - The Discussion
A3. Minny Pops - She Said Go Go Go
A4. Tuxedomoon - Shelved Dreams
A5. Mazowsze - The Little Candle End
A6. Eric Random - 6:55
B1. Dislocation Dance - The Next Year I Returned To St. Michelle (But Marie Had Gone And With Her My Childhood)
B2. The Happy Family - March In Turin
B3. Section 25 - Hold Me
B4. Crispy Ambulance - Rain Without Clouds
B5. A Primary Industry - From This Prospect
SNOW, MICHAEL: Musics For Piano, Whistling, Microphone And Tape Recorder 2LP (CY 999LP)
Musician, visual artist, composer, writer, and sculptor Michael Snow is also one of the world's most highly acclaimed experimental filmmakers. In 1975 he released this album under the record company Chatham Square. The label was founded by the owner of Michael Snow's gallery, the Bykert Gallery, which also issued the first Philip Glass recordings. This reissue is released in collaboration with Michael Snow. 180-gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve.
$28.39 UPC: 889397719999 ELECTRONIC
A1. Falling Starts (Beginning)
B1. Falling Starts (Conclusion)
C1. W In The D
D1. Left Right
Look out for the "Im Karton Gespart," a slab of weighty ill-ektro on a rolling bass. Other tunes are misshapen hybrids, file under "dubstechno." 12" with deluxe clear PVC vinyl sleeve in neon print. Mastered by Mike Grinser at Manmade Mastering Berlin.
Spell Pets backwards to get Step. Spell Step forwards and you get Pets. Step is the new vinyl-only label from the founders of Pets - Catz 'N Dogz - with a focus on the rawest forms and root functions of dance music. Step searches for the fundamentals with under-the-radar house and techno that's not afraid to be rough around the edges. It's all about the music. Baltra presents Sophia EP.
KOLETZKI, OLIVER: Stil vor Talent Berlin: Kottbusser Tor CD (SVT 180CD)
The third installment of the Stil vor Talent Berlin, a compilation series bringing forth a new gang of carefully selected artists, gathered under the umbrella of another underground Berlin hotspot. Kottbusser Tor is undoubtedly the beating heart of Kreuzberg, unashamedly pulsating 24/7 with the good, the bad and the ugly. There's no place quite like it, thanks to its raw charm. As always, music is the common denominator and Oliver Koletzki delivers the perfect soundtrack with this new release, while Chrisse Kunst renders the visual. Features: Reinier Zonneveld, Cari Golden, Dubfire & Oliver Huntemann, Julian Jeweil, Niko Schwind, Lil Magdalene, Oliver Koletzki, Speaking Minds, Alex Niggemann, DJ Tonio, Olivier Giacomotto, Julian Wassermann, Animal Trainer, Mat.Joe, Kruse, Nuernberg, Several Definitions, Hatzler, Nick & Danny Chatelain, Coyu, Magdalena and Adam Port & Here Is Why.
Baby Queens - Cara, Estelle, Monique, Ruth and Vanity - are five girls from Cardiff. Two sisters, two cousins and their adopted sister - each equal parts songwriter, musician and music lover. As distinct in their fashion as they are their music, each band member's individual personality and style can be heard in their music. In 2013, they released their first single "Red Light". It was a viral hit, and soon won the attention of BBC Radio 1, who made them "Artist of the Week", with repeated plays across the station from the likes of Fern Cotton and Greg James. They've also had support from the likes of Huw Stephens, DJ Target, DJ Semtex and Mista Jam. They've also had continuous support from BBC Wales, where they've been "Artist of the Week", three times. Since "Red Light", the girls have been releasing tracks, readying their debut album and cutting their teeth on the live circuit. They've played festivals like The Great Escape, Boomtown, T in the Park, X Fest, and Swn festival and toured with Welsh super band The Earth. And now the album is finally ready to be heard. Produced by Super Furry Animal's Cian Ciaran, the self-titled album crisscrosses the narrow divide between rock, hip hop, soul and reggae - it's a blissed out, musical odyssey written by all five members of the band. The sickly sweet overtures one might expect from an all-girl band are ditched in favor of beats that force the melodic content to the fore, with the principles of classic soul and R'n'B song-writing, catching up with the present day sounds of British street genres. Lavishly layered vocals are wrapped up in slick production that marks out Baby Queens's intentions to push boundaries and reintroduce to the masses what a vocal group with melody and beats in their hearts is all about. "Our love of street poetry, spoken word and rap has influenced many of the songs, but also rock n roll bands, soul/Motown, trippy '60s and '70s bands, the roots reggae and roots hip hop artists, basically anything that is heartfelt and soulful and stands for something positive," says Cara.
$9.79 EAN: 5024545762228 ROCK
01. Tired Of Love
02. Melodi
03. Had My Heart
04. Hear Me
05. You And I
06. By The River
07. It Feels Like
08. Forever
09. Spiritualize
10. Unite
11. Red Light
12. Samsara
13. Star Light
14. Life Goes By
15. So Real
2016 repress. Originally released in 2003. From the liner notes by Alan Bishop: "Java is the center of Indonesian culture. Three out of every four Indonesians live on Java. It is the home of some of the most elegant musical styles to be found anywhere. To the veteran international sound collector, Javanese music is no secret. For the uninitiated, rather than going through an introductory outline of Javanese music history, I will wish you away to the internet, a library, or bookstore where you can find plenty of information on the subject. The selections on this CD are a combination of random radio excerpts sequenced in collage form and assembled in the summer of 1989. This disc is a highly unique document featuring many angles of Javanese sound finally slipping through the cracks. Among many other oddities, you'll hear several examples of Javanese pop (from Dangdut and Keroncong to hard rock and disco), news snippets, folk music, radio commercials, Jakarta DJ's, The west Java Sundanese sound, spooky theatre extracts, and high-octane Jaipongan variations that are completely over the top. There has never been anything like this."
Yann Novak is a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. Ornamentation is Novak's first physical release on Touch and continues his investigations of presence, stillness and mindfulness through the construction of immersive spaces, both literal and figurative. On Ornamentation, Novak resists modernism's problematic relationship to race, class and labor, and attempts to decouple contemporary minimalist sound work from this historical precedent. The title refers to Adolf Loos's notorious 1913 manifesto, Ornament and Crime, in which the author argues that the desire to adorn architecture, the body, objects, etc., is a primitive impulse, and the proper and moral evolution of Western culture depends in part upon the removal of ornamentation from daily life. Loos devalued the labor traditionally associated with aesthetics and beauty, and equated ornamentation with the degenerate. In this context, one could consider ornamentation as a way of viewing decay. His examples as such (tattoos, fashion, style, painting, et al.) predictably fell along divisions of race and class, coding modernity as the next outward manifestation of white, capitalist patriarchy. Throughout the process of creating Ornamentation, Novak attempts to sidestep some of Loos's modernist intolerances by focusing on the labor of composition itself, rather than particular processes or structures. Novak began by incorporating specific field recordings from his archive, deliberately selected for their poor quality; awkward interruptions, low fidelity smartphone recordings, problematic frequencies. The selection of these difficult sounds, processed alongside recordings of modular synthesizer, created a unique set of challenges where the familiar, reductive approaches would fail to be useful, Novak ultimately abandoning them in favor of more dynamic, additive, and laborious processes. Unlike minimalism with its roots in modernism, or "sound art" with its conceptual biases, Novak creates a work that acknowledges these conventions, yet stands apart as a meditation on beauty, labor, and aesthetics; Ornamentation as an adornment of time itself. Presented live in Los Angeles at a small, private event. Source material includes field recordings captured throughout the United States and Canada from 2006-2016 and modular synthesizer recordings, all digitally altered.
MCPHEE & RAYMOND BONI, JOE: Live From The Magic City (Birmingham, Alabama) CD (TROST 151CD)
Joe McPhee and Raymond Boni at Hulsey Recital Hall on the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) campus on April 20, 1985. Joe McPhee - soprano saxophone, electronics and voice; Raymond Boni - electric guitar and electronics. The complete was concert inspired by the words of Eric Dolphy: "When you hear music, After it's over, It's gone, In the air, You can never capture it again."
MCPHEE & INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN, JOE: Bricktop CD (TROST 157CD)
Joe McPhee and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten at the Sugar Maple/Okka Fest on Saturday, June 6th, 2015. Joe McPhee - tenor and soprano saxophone. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten - double bass. Recorded live by Dave Zuchowski. Mastered by Martin Siewert in July/August 2016.
The angular, abstract funk of Renick Bell's Empty Lake EP is perhaps exactly what you might expect from a pioneer of algoraves - a forward-looking union of live coding and rave music. With Empty Lake EP, Bell skillfully teases out a tangle of post techno pulses, shards of catty ballroom house, hardcore kuduro and footwork patterns. From the recoiling swang of "Trying To Control The Four Winds" to the Patten-like melt of "The Well" and the fluctuating states of "Surface Waters Flow Together", there's a level of detail here that will baffle your sense of meter and tone.
Rome's Goa Club first choice Simona Calvani, AKA DJ Red, debuts on Darko Esser's Wolfskuil Limited series with Raw Cacao EP. "Raw Cacao" opens the EP with a finely crafted production, which maintains its addictive groove and sensual attitude throughout the track, while on the flip side the mighty Ricardo Villalobos keeps working his magic on the rendition of DJ Red's original cut, offering a standout, lush remix that is hypnotic, atmospheric and playful, all in equal measures.
K-LONE AND ILL CHILL: Rare Jewels EP 12" (WYCH 001EP)
Wisdom Teeth label boss K-Lone reveals new sister label Wych, kicking off with a new collaborative EP featuring LA-based lyricist Ill Chill. Complete with hand illustrated artwork.
BUILT TO SPILL: Ancient Melodies Of The Future LP (IF 027LP)
"Formed in 1992 in Boise, Idaho by guitarist and vocalist Doug Martsch, Built to Spill has since evolved radically, shed members, linked eras, and all the while endured as one of the most tuneful and rewarding acts of the lauded Northwest indie-rock tradition. The group signed to Warner Brothers in 1995, but Martsch was wise enough to retain control over production, and by 1999 he'd helmed the group towards commercial and critical success with Keep It Like A Secret. It was a touchstone album, and yet 2001's Ancient Melodies Of The Future bested that career highlight with considerable grace and craft. Marsch's studio proficiency is immediately evident in the alternately delicate and devastating mix of mellotron, keyboard, and inventive guitar overdubs that characterize Ancient Melodies Of The Future's sonic palette. Melodic curlicues distinguish the minor hit 'Strange,' while woozy grooves propel the mid-tempo ballad 'Trimmed and Burning' through an incendiary solo section. As the album title suggests, Ancient Melodies Of The Future stands outside of history in a realm of its own."
$17.50 UPC: 852545003271 ROCK
SPECTRUM: Forever Alien 2LP (IF 028LP)
"When Spacemen 3 -- the seminal, drone-indulgent English psych duo comprised of Peter Kember and Jason Pierce -- split in 1991, Pierce shuffled off to acclaim in Spiritualized. Meanwhile, Kember charted a less predictable course. As Sonic Boom, he released Spectrum in 1990, then, after taking a liking to that handle, released Soul Kill (Glide Divide) as Spectrum in 1992. Kemper alternated between those monikers and Experimental Audio Research (E.A.R.) throughout the 1990s, building a rich, probing catalog of synth and electronic explorations of which 1997's Forever Alien is an undeniable high point. With theremin, vocoder, and an array of modular analog synthesizers (depicted lovingly in the cover art) Kemper, along with Alf Hardy and Pete Bassman, fused kosmische abstraction and the pulsation of minimalist composition to more traditional psych elements epitomized by early Pink Floyd. Landing between the unfettered experiments of E.A.R. and Spacemen 3's songcraft ('How Does it Feel?' is scarily reimagined), Kemper crafts unnerving atmosphere on the title track and an enduring catalog high point on the consummate opener, 'Feels Like I'm Slipping Away.' Forever Alien leaves no doubts about the reasons for Kemper's sought-after production today (he played a vital role for Animal Collective and sculpted Panda Bear's most recent album) -- nor the essential status of his post- Spacemen 3 output."
$20.00 UPC: 852545003288 ROCK
SPARKS: Sparks LP (IF 029LP)
"Sparks's eponymous 1971 debut presents the singular compositional, lyrical and singing voices of Ron and Russell Mael fully formed. Originally released under the moniker Halfnelson, Sparks's prescient debut prefigures Queen, power pop, and especially Southern California's late '70s skinny-tie explosion. It's a landmark of Todd Rungren's early production career, and clearly the backing band of brothers Earle and Jim Mankey brought Sparks's pop idiosyncrasies to their later work with The Dickies, The Quick and 20/20. Infectious, daring, and delightfully flaunting camp theatricality throughout, Sparks is the first installment in an unparalleled series of some of the decade's most classic albums. Careening melodies soar through space-detritus electronics on the strikingly original 'Roger,' which evokes the early solo work of Brian Eno, but the deranged art-rock closing track '(No More) Mr. Nice Guys' is the unequivocal classic of Sparks's early career and a staple of the band's live set ever since. Rundgren's restrained production wisely sets the Mael brothers at the fore of Sparks. With just subtly treated cymbal flourishes keeping the pace, album opener 'Wonder Girl' is pared down and mixed to showcase two things: Ron's twinkling piano trill and Russell's fluttering high-register. As Rundgren perceived, and a multi-decade career confirms since, their fraternal chemistry is a consummate force."
"It's been over a decade since Roy Montgomery's last album, and RMHQ is a hell of a return. This release contains four distinct records of new material. Listening to any of his work is a visceral experience -- repeating phrases swell and decay, immersing the listener in the cyclical narrative of his compositions. Montgomery was in his rock band period in the eighties, when the dark, minimalist post-punk of The Pin Group lead into the gloriously open-ended freedoms of Dadamah. After a quiet spell, he returned in the late nineties, producing towering spires of guitar lines that exposed fragility between the strums. With his solo releases and in collaboration with Flying Saucer Attack, Bardo Pond (Hash Jar Tempo), and Chris Heaphy (Dissolve), his focus shifted from the truth-mining of rock music to epic celestialism. His ambitious yet humble tracks outstrip their origins, and Montgomery toured the world sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing twenty-plus-minute compositions. A long period of silence followed, marked only with a split album with Grouper (who lists Montgomery as a primary influence), involvement in Torlesse Super Group, and a couple thematic variations serving as soundtracks for films. Instead, he focused on his personal and professional commitments. Unfortunately, two horrific events preceded his return: the Christchurch earthquakes of 2011 condemned Montgomery's entire neighborhood save for his home, stripping his street of a community; and, as a volunteer firefighter, he saw first-hand the destruction and loss of life in the city center. Additionally, since 2014, illness in the family has dominated his life. Self-expression once again demanded an outlet. RMHQ is four albums conceived and recorded over a very short period, each of them carrying a distinct focus and mood."
"Initially released in July of 1970, five hundred copies were pressed. Subsequently, auctions on Ebay for an original vinyl LP go for $2000. The New Dawn's There's A New Dawn has been hailed as one of the rarest and best psych albums to come out of the late '60s/early '70s. Fuzz guitar, minor-chord organ dirges, tender vocals and monumental bass are the calling cards of this private press gem. Maybe it's all the rain, but like their Northwest counterparts, The New Tweedy Brothers and The Sonics, The New Dawn helped to establish a regional musical perspective that is hauntingly addictive. After being highly sought after by collectors, we are proud to release this definitive reissue, produced in close collaboration with Dan Bazzy, singer, songwriter, and founder of The New Dawn. Also included are three previously unreleased 1971 demos and a live track from a 2008 band reunion. Limited edition color vinyl of 500 with MP3 download. Includes band history and historic photos. Complete original track listing plus four bonus tracks. Hailed as a 'Masterpiece of Music' by Hans Pokora author of the book series, Record Collector Dreams."
$15.50 UPC: 656605958910 ROCK
RIDING THE LOW: Are Here To Help The Neighbourhood LP (JPR 035LP)
"Knocking audiences on their asses in the U.K. for over 10 years, Riding The Low U.S. debut release arrives wrapped within that rare space of the best British rock, pop & post-punk smashing straight into their love of the American indie underground. These songs will not leave you."
$15.50 UPC: 751937437413 ROCK
KYE (UNITED STATES):
LAMBKIN, GRAHAM: Community LP (KYE 045LP)
"Kye is proud to announce the release of Community, the new solo LP by Graham Lambkin, following 2011's Amateur Doubles. 'Community is a music steeped in sociological review. It sits as a keen barometer, taking the temperature of the world around it. Community is both willing servant and social mirror - it performs its basic civic duty without fuss, then shatters.' (José Perez, downstairs neighbor). Mastered by Jason Lescalleet, Community arrives in a deluxe matte finish gatefold with corresponding printed inner-sleeves in an edition of 500 copies."
$16.50 UPC: N/A EXPERIMENTAL
SCISSOR TAIL EDITIONS (UNITED STATES):
ALLRED, JOSEPH: Fire And Earth LP (SCTR 043LP)
"Joseph Allred fits the Guitar Soli realm perfectly, fully embodying the guitar loner typecast -- he falls in line with Robbie Basho not only in his 12-string playing that has a leaning towards Eastern musical traditions and droning free form raga, but also in his educational background in philosophy and religious studies. Scissor Tail Editions decided to put out Fire And Earth after hearing only thirty seconds of the track 'Leitmotif' -- there's a sincerity in Allred's music and way of life that has been missing from the modern age for a long time. Allred has been quietly releasing records for years, painstakingly designing and hand-printing most of the packaging, never promoting any of them. He hand-painted the covers for Fire And Earth and letterpressed the back covers of Dylan Golden Aycock's latest. Now inhabiting land that's been in his family for two hundred years, he says he's trying to find a place in the family legacy. In Fire And Earth, there is a searching and spiritual quality to the music, and also integrity."
$15.00 UPC: 646847659690 ROCK
SOLEILMOON RECORDINGS (UNITED STATES):
DEATH IN JUNE: Free Tibet CD (LEPER 093CD)
"Remixes and original recordings featuring the vox et voces of David Tibet and the music of Douglas P. For the first time since its release in 2006 as a free download, Free Tibet has been released as an official CD."
