Forced Exposure New Releases for the Week of 2/12/2024

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: VP 4236LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Landmark album from 1975 that more than played its part in bringing reggae to a new international audience. The title track is still today one of the iconic '70s reggae anthems and the album as a whole is brim full of roots reggae classics. Recorded at Channel One, Randy's & Harry J's and mixed at Treasure Isle. Black Star Liner raised the bar for roots reggae music on release and time has not dimmed its majesty. Featuring remastered audio."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: 3000GRAD 026CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The sonic world of Mollono.Bass is very similar to the landscape of deep forests and lakes in which it was created. Just like the bucolic beauty of his home Mecklenburg is in a constant state of change, with each season bringing different light, different colours, different moods and atmospheres, his style as a music producer is best described as organically flowing between styles, ideas and genres. This is very noticeable in his remixes: sometimes they turn out as a euphoric house tune bursting with sunny vibes, sometimes they present themselves as technoish twilight in the mysterious undergrowth of ecstasy. Sometimes Mollono.Bass plays with the human soul of a voice or the hand-played dynamics of a band, and sometimes he is inspired by the purely synthetic grace of digitally processed rhythms and grooves. That said, the already seventh part of the Mollono.Bass Remix Collection is a highly versatile, yet at the same time highly consistent affair -- be it on your headphones or on a massive sound system.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: AMT 036LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

For Maya Q, this album is a reflection on what it means to be home and the relationships which make it so, written over a two-month period of some difficult transitions and changes. After struggling with some memories around what home meant to her in the past, some large personal life changes triggered and shaped how she feels about home now, after having been away from the US and living in the UK for nearly a decade. She explains that the music on this album is also very much a love letter to her friends and family who share their stories with her, who make her time here worthwhile, and who ultimately make her feel at home. Musically the record spans seven tracks each with their own style. Some up-tempo breaksy cuts along with more delicate down-tempo melancholic moments, all of which are influenced by her upbringing in the US and also the UK. She uses sounds that she was listening to back when living in the US and other things that make her think of home such as pool field recordings and piano-lead indie music, as well as '00s RnB samples, all united by soft pads and vocal samples.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: AUS 131EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. Following the release of 2017's The Brane 001 EP (BRANE 001EP), Youandewan returns with Ideal Passage.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: BEWITH 003-7

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. Breakwater's earth-shattering "Release The Beast" is unquestionably the standout song from their 1980 funk masterpiece LP Splashdown. "Release The Beast" is a showcase for Breakwater's phenomenal power-funk capabilities. The energy is astounding. It also came out as a now-hen's-teeth-rare 7" in the same year; It's one of the best album cover shoots of all time. For the B side, Be With Records backed Breakwater's biggest track with their favorite: the quietly majestic gem "Let Love In", another winner from the same LP. Remastered for this vinyl reissue. Picture sleeve.

 

PRICE: $59.00

CAT #: BT 113LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The heavyweight trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi return with their 12th and most epic release to date, the triple LP With pats on the head, just one too few is evil one too many is good that's all it is. Documenting the entirety of their final performance at the dearly departed Roppongi home of Tokyo underground institution SuperDeluxe in November 2018, the music spread across these six sides splits the difference between the guitar-bass-drums power trio moves and experiments with novel instrumentation that have defined the trio's decade of working together. Containing some of the most delicate music the three have committed to wax since the gorgeous 12-string acoustic guitar and dulcimer tones of Only wanting to melt beautifully away is it a lack of contentment that stirs affection for those things said to be as of yet unseen, this wide-ranging release also offers up some of their most blistering free rock performances yet. The side-long opening piece finds Haino on a single snare drum in duet with O'Rourke on unamplified electric guitar, playing in the lovely post-Bailey vein heard on his classic '90s recordings with Henry Kaiser and Mats Gustafsson. For the first trio performance, Haino makes another new addition to his seemingly infinite catalogue of instruments, this time a homemade contraption he refers to as "Strings of Dubious Reputation." Joined by O'Rourke on increasingly spaced-out electric guitar and Ambarchi on skittering percussion, Haino's wonky, slack strings adds a definite "musique brut" edge to this side-long performance, certainly one of the most enchantingly odd in the trio's discography. Arriving in a deluxe trifold package with photos by Lasse Marhaug alongside inner sleeves with extensive live images, this epic release is perhaps the most remarkable document yet of this unique trio's stamina and continuing inventiveness.

 

PRICE: $50.00

CAT #: BST 1577LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"65th anniversary special edition. John Coltrane performs by courtesy of Prestige Records, Kenny Drew by courtesy of Riverside Records. A Blue Note Records release."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BJR 095CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Geneva-based duo Bound By Endogamy delivers a heavy blend of rave, synth-punk, and industrial music. Shlomo Balexert and Kleio Thoma?des are both prominent figures in the local squat and punk scene, having been involved in numerous projects over the past decade. Following several cassette releases and a remarkable debut 7'' on Lux Records, the band presents a self-titled album that combines raw, growling basslines, crisp analog rhythms, and passionate vocals ranging from breathy to fiercely cutting. On stage, the project consists of drums, a sampler, and vocals. Shlomo handles the drums alongside sharp synthesizers, while Kleio delivers powerful vocals reminiscent of a professional boxer. Expect a fusion of DAF and Kleenex with a hardcore edge.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BJR 095LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Geneva-based duo Bound By Endogamy delivers a heavy blend of rave, synth-punk, and industrial music. Shlomo Balexert and Kleio Thoma?des are both prominent figures in the local squat and punk scene, having been involved in numerous projects over the past decade. Following several cassette releases and a remarkable debut 7'' on Lux Records, the band presents a self-titled album that combines raw, growling basslines, crisp analog rhythms, and passionate vocals ranging from breathy to fiercely cutting. On stage, the project consists of drums, a sampler, and vocals. Shlomo handles the drums alongside sharp synthesizers, while Kleio delivers powerful vocals reminiscent of a professional boxer. Expect a fusion of DAF and Kleenex with a hardcore edge.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BJR 098CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Merengue T?pico: Nueva Generaci?n! delves into the heart of Dominican merengue, a genre whose significance often eludes the spotlight. Bongo Joe's venture into unexplored terrain takes the listner to the Caribbean, specifically the Dominican Republic, shedding light on its musical tapestry. Curated by Xavier Daive, aka Funky Bompa, the compilation unveils rare '60s and '70s gems, providing a glimpse into a transformative period following the fall of the Trujillo regime. With over 20 years in the Dominican Republic, Xavier Daive meticulously sources original 45s, offering a snapshot of merengue's evolution during a creatively charged era post-Trujillo. The genre's roots, dating back to the 19th-century Dominican Republic, predate salsa, establishing its unique identity with the introduction of accordions via German trade ships. The genre's classic t?pico configuration emerged in the mid-'60s, leaving a lasting impact on its evolution. Focused on the explosive '60s and '70s merengue t?pico scene, influenced by genre pioneers like "Tatico" Henr?quez and Trio Reynoso, the compilation showcases technical finesse and high-speed rhythms. Tracks like Rafaelito Rom?n's "Que Mala Suerte" embody the genre's infectious energy. Aristides Ram?rez's "Los Lanbones" adds a touch of humor, cautioning against pub freeloaders. Merengue T?pico: Nueva Generaci?n transcends the realms of a typical reissue; it's an immersive journey into the roots of Dominican merengue, expanding its narrative beyond borders to enrich the global musical landscape. This compilation goes beyond individual tracks, providing a historical and cultural context, enriching the listener's understanding of the genre's evolution in the Dominican Republic during a crucial period. Designed for both connoisseurs and wild dancefloors, this compilation is not only a historical and cultural exploration but also a treasure trove for DJs seeking to infuse their sets with the vibrant rhythms of merengue t?pico. Also featuring Trio Rosario, Fefita La Grande, Bilo Y Sus T?picos, Negrito Figueroa, Trio Royecell, and Victor Suriel Y Trio Rio Verde.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BSR 865LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Michael Palmer is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. Michael Palmer's music has been part of the cultural and musical history of Jamaica and has a dedicated following among reggae enthusiasts. Michael Palmer Meets Kelly Ranks At Channel One was originally released in 1985. Now re-issued on 180 gram including comprehensive sleeve notes by Burning Sounds."

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: BYR 035LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Limited restock. After forming such formidable bands as The Comet is Coming and Soccer96, Betamax has gone on to spawn a collection of esoteric spinoffs such as "Champagne Dub" and "Coma World". He now delivers his latest record Betamax Vs Clive Bell, this time choosing to collaborate with his own father, Clive Bell. Clive, a veteran of London's avant-garde, attempted to master in his youth the delicate art of the Shakuhachi -- the infamously difficult-to-play bamboo flute that whiffs of a certain Japanese Zen aroma. After many years of traveling southeast Asia in the '70s, seeking out the teachings of many flute and reed traditions, Clive Bell eventually gave up his quest and returned to London exhausted and confused. Horrified by the omnipresent egos of popular music, he was drawn back towards the dark currents of London's free-improv gutter, where upon he was encouraged by his peers to live in a squat, and participate in abrasive noise experiments typical of the London improvising epidemic that persisted throughout the '80s. Whilst immersed by this subculture, Bell was to bear his only child that we know of to this day -- Maxwell Hallett, later to be known as Betamax. Bell immediately refused to teach any music to Betamax, hoping greater things and opportunities might lead Max away to a more financially comfortable and spiritually rewarding occupation. Alas, Clive was unable to protect his son from the strong seductive forces of London's prevalent musical subcultures. Max was frequently exposed to violent forces of free improvisation from such an early age, he subsequently went on to develop malformed musical sensitivities later in life. His obsession with loud drums took its firm grip on him during the late '90s aged only 13, it was perhaps of no small consequence that around this same time his father was regularly performing with dub legend Jah Wobble. Over two decades later, Betamax was to approach Bell about making a record together. An uneasy Bell eventually agreed to collaborate, perhaps motivated by a sense of guilt or curiosity. This record is perhaps so personal it becomes almost uncomfortable at times. However, there is clearly a strong intention to use the music as a positive healing force, and we should all take note that sometimes the most important thing in any relationship is "to listen" to each other. For fans of: The Comet Is Coming, Brian Eno & Jah Wobble, Alabaster de Plume, Floating World Pictures.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: CCR 007LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Mona Mur solo album Delinquent on Cheezy Crust Records! First vinyl release of the 2019 album -- colored vinyl edition limited to 300 copies. Mona Mur -- a name that stands for a smoky-cool voice, manic-intense performances and an illustrious list of changing musicians. She is not only a singer but also a songwriter and producer. As an "'80s survivor," she has continuously asserted herself in the music scene over the last three decades, on tour or in her own Berlin studio KATANA. Now music lovers can experience their 2019 album Delinquent as a limited vinyl edition on the Hamburg label Cheezy Crust Records. Delinquent is a collection of 12 songs in German in harsh black and white -- short stories in urban desperado style -- physically painful, beautiful and brutal like the current reality. Despite their intensity, they are danceable and exude an unexpected lightness, even humor. At Mona Mur's side: Ralf Goldkind (known for Lucilectric and Die Fantastischen 4), co-producer and co-author of Delinquent. Goldkind's hypnotic twang guitars and minimal electronic loops act as powerful triggers for the electro rock and roll heard on this album. The collaboration between Mona Mur and Ralf Goldkind has produced a bright and catchy sound. Goldkind, hit producer and punk from the very beginning, was thrilled to finally realize the Mona Mur album he had always dreamed of. Mona Mur's music is a unique mix of dark and intense emotions wrapped in an electrifying sound. With Delinquent she makes an impressive statement in the world of alternative music. Delinquent will delight fans and captivate new listeners. Anja Huwe (X Mal Deutschland), Bettina K?ster (Malaria) and Annika Line Trost (Cobra Killer) can be heard as guest vocalists.

 

PRICE: $37.00

CAT #: ECLECLP 2858LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"An original member of Soft Machine, Kevin Ayers embarked on a solo career following a US tour with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968. He was one of the first signings to EMI's Progressive imprint Harvest and recorded his debut album in the summer of 1969 at Abbey Road studios. Joy Of A Toy is a classic of psychedelic and progressive rock, featuring contributions from his former Soft Machine band mates, David Bedford, and such wonderful songs as 'The Lady Rachel,' 'Stop This Train (Again Doing It),' 'Girl on a Swing,' and 'All This Crazy Gift of Time.' This official gatefold LP vinyl edition fully restores the original LP artwork, has been remastered from the original Harvest master tapes and has been cut at Abbey Road."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: CSR 322CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Industrial/power electronics unit SAT?RI returns with a new dark and disturbing journey into the very depths of human horror. Using his love of pure noise, harsh synths and brutal percussion, SAT?RI has created a dystopian cinematic soundscape in which it would be entirely possible to lose your very soul. While the last two releases concentrated on what could be described as "observations on humanity's ability to drag itself down to its lowest common denominator", this new work focuses on a more localised depravity -- that of the lone wolf. An individual who, having no moral compass, has no boundaries to cross. Welcome to The Woods. CD in matt-laminate digipak with artwork by Abby Helasdottir.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: CSR 325CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

This collaborative album by Drew Daniel (Matmos, The Soft Pink Truth) and John Wiese (Sissy Spacek, Smegma, LHD) is the fruit of over 10 years of recordings in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. Continuous Hole melds improvisation and musique concr?te composition into a unique document of labor-intensive rhythm. A finger puzzle of reconciled opposites: lockstep structure and constant flux. Relentlessly variable source material is relegated to precisely timed gated forms and patterns. Without using any sampling or MIDI sequencing, the rhythmic cuts are constructed entirely from volcanic, gnarled abstraction, and eschew typical genre elements. Raw yet precise, from mayhem to menace, this is an album of strong contrasts from two American artists discovering common ground in the joy of frenzied cutting. "Abhorred Shears" is reminiscent of the cut-up works of Coil's LSD yet remains utterly unique. A prolific recording artist and visual artist with an extensive discography under his own name, and with noise stalwarts Sissy Spacek, John Wiese is currently based in Cleveland. One half of the electronic band Matmos and all of The Soft Pink Truth, Drew Daniel is based in Baltimore. Mastered by Thomas Dimuzio. Presented in a matt-laminate, six-panel digipak with photography by John Wiese. The cover photograph was shot by John Wiese in Drew Daniel's office on the campus of Johns Hopkins University where Daniel is a Shakespeare professor.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: CSR 328CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In Hiding features a carefully curated selection of the crucial compilation tracks from horror electronics/post-industrial project Burial Hex, gathering and remastering them together, striving to create a resonance between disparate sources, forming an extraordinary new experience. After nearly 20 years of activity from this restless project, many Burial Hex compilation tracks have been released, often of a very unique and high quality as Clay Ruby seemed to enjoy taking compilation submission requests as an opportunity to offer new perspectives on their already bizarre and eclectic work. Many of the tracks were from cassettes, vinyl, or digital-only releases for labels such as Brave Mysteries, Aurora Borealis, Clan Destine, Small Doses, and Buh, appearing here on CD for the first time -- or in the case of "Pentitential March," never-before released. Clay Ruby has remixed each track, in some cases re-envisioning them specifically to live together coherently in this incarnation, making this collection more like a new studio album rather than another anthology compilation. Reveling in the intimate, feral surrealism that we have come to know without parallel from this intoxicating project, In Hiding is an excellent view into the romantic Promethean theater of Burial Hex, whether for the neophyte or the adept. For fans of: Coil, SPK, Psychic TV, Trepaneringsritualen. CD in matt-laminate digipak with artwork by Nathaniel Ritter.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: COSMR 023LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A late '60s Japanese compilation investigating the so-called "group sound" movement. Includes early recordings by a series of musicians later to perform with legendary bands such as the Flower Travellin' Band, Speed Glue & Shinki, Les Rallizes Denudes, and Foodbrain. Featuring Golden Cups, Dynamite, Outcast, Carnabeats, Tempters, Beavers, Bunnys, Mops, Spiders, D'Swooners, Zoo Nee Woo, Fingers, Outcast, and Bunnys.

 

PRICE: $21.50

CAT #: DLS 014EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"When she's not stalking the catwalk as a Gucci model or acting in the likes of HBO's Irma Vep, Devon Ross can be found thrashing out '70s-vibed post-punk on a Fender Mustang. A guitar player since childhood, Ross' angular chord stabs are indebted to Patti Smith and Television, but her effortless cool cuts its own sonic figure." --Guitar World MagazineDevon made her musical debut in September 2023, releasing her first ever recorded single, the stunning song "Swim" to swooning fans, and followed it up with a sultry and high energy tune entitled "Killer" in December 2023 in advance of her very first concert which took place at London's legendary 100 CLUB on December 13, 2023. Inspired by '60s and '70s legends, such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, The Stooges and Television, Devon Ross is finally debuting her first four recordings on the forthcoming EP, entitled Oxford Gardens. Oxford Gardens was recorded in Paris and mixed and mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London and set for release on Thurston & Eva Moore's indie record label, The Daydream Library Series.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: CREP 010X-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Discrepant re-presents the vinyl edition of Lebanese trio Malayeen. Malayeen is the project of Lebanese musicians Raed Yassin (keyboards, turntables, and electronics), Charbel Haber (electric guitar and electronics) and Khaled Yassine (darbouka, percussion). Born from Yassin and Haber's love for the music of quintessential Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, Malayeen disassembles and re-configures the work and style of the iconic guitarist innovative take on Arabic music. The final result makes for an original and unique update of Khorshid and belly dancing inspired songs from the past. Over the course of seven compositions, appropriately named after Khorshid and famous belly dancers from the Arabic diaspora, the three musicians' varied backgrounds and techniques collide and coalesce in an experimental yet magical fashion, not actually playing Khorshid's music, but inspiring themselves from the cult guitarist's genius to create something completely new, modern and unexpected. A unique LP featuring the combined talents by key players of the Lebanese avant-garde. Design by Studio Safar S.A.L.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: CREP 101LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Lisbon based keyboardist, Jo?o "Shela" Pereira, a frequent collaborator with many local bands (Paus, Rinding P?nico, LAmA, Linda Martini, and others) presents a new strangely haunting album, TV Songs. A compendium of spontaneous notes of ideas on the piano, to the rhythm of a television set in the background, these are scraps of expression in a form of dirty bucolic sketches aspiring to a hypothetical larger, washed, pristine composition. They live best as a hypothesis, an aspiration, in infinity.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: DC 101CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Originally released in 1996. "Come home to the old world of Silver Jews -- they?ve been waiting patiently for your return. Back in the October of 1994, Silver Jews released Starlite Walker, their first LP and one that certainly confirmed all the fevered rumors of the group's promise. They were heard to play pop music with a rustic air, old-fashioned fervor and an excess of words, singing them out in a flat and honest voice, as if to say, 'There is no other way.' For the initial settlers of rock, its true; there was no other way. But the early '90s gave birth to a new generation of rockers: 'Silver Jews Fans,' appreciating Jews music and the lifestyle it implied. Unlike their forebears, these kids could have anything they wanted. And so, another era was underway. Now, some two years later, we can begin to understand why and of wherefore. The Natural Bridge attempts to bridge the gap between generations, and generations of people as well. While not blatantly a youth angst statement, nor a precise document of a coming of age, the LP has enough of everything to make someone's rite of passage a smoother ride. There is the acoustic melancholy of 'Black and Brown Blues,' electrical storms in 'Pet Politics' and 'The Ballad of Reverend War Character,' the breezy despair of 'Dallas' and 'How to Rent a Room,' and more, much more. Calling over time from the communities of rural Massachusetts and Virginia (and all points south), Silver Jews deliver performances steeped in history, though its more personal than public history that's outlined here. Ten songs an album make."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DC 853LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2024 repress; LP version. "Extended guitar hero Oren Ambarchi returns with Shebang, the latest in the series of intricately detailed long-form rhythmic workouts that includes Quixotism (2014) and Hubris (2016). Like those records, Shebang features an international all-star cast of musical luminaries, their contributions recorded individually in locations from Sweden to Japan yet threaded together so convincingly (by Ambarchi in collaboration with Konrad Sprenger) that it's hard to believe they weren't breathing the same studio air. Expanding on the techniques used on Simian Angel (2019), we can never be entirely sure who is responsible for what we hear, as Ambarchi's guitar is used to trigger everything from bass lines to driving piano riffs. Picking up from the staccato guitar patterns that ran through Hubris, Shebang's single 35-minute track begins with a precisely interwoven lattice of chiming guitar figures, expanding Hubris' monolithic pulse into a joyous, hyper-rhythmic melodicism that calls up points of reference as disparate as Albert Marcoeur, early Pat Metheny Group, and Henry Kaiser's It's A Wonderful Life. Building from isolated single notes into densely layered poly-rhythms, the muted guitar tones are joined by subtle touches of shimmering Leslie cabinet tones and guitar synth. Simmering down and funneling into a single note, the guitar stew is soon thickened by Joe Talia's propulsive ride cymbal, which blossoms into a beautifully flowing yet rigorously snapped-to fusion funk, whose ever-shifting details skitter across the kit -- think '70s heavyweights like Jack DeJohnette or Jon Christensen. An unexpected entry of guttural bass clarinet licks from Sam Dunscombe begins the series of instrumental features that pepper the remainder of the piece. Soon we hear from the legendary British pedal steel player B.J. Cole (hopefully known to some listeners from his outer-limits singer-songwriter masterpiece The New Hovering Dog or, failing that, 'Tiny Dancer'), whose languorous yet uneasy lines float in and out of a shifting rhythmic foundation supported by a single note bass groove, cut through with aleatoric synth articulations. Though single-mindedly occupying its rhythmic space throughout, Shebang's dense ensemble sound is carefully composed while drawing on the free flow of improvisation, with individual voices momentarily coming to the fore and subtle changes in harmony and texture. Perhaps the most surprising of these shifts occurs around half-way through when the smoke of a buzzing synth crescendo from Jim O'Rourke clears to reveal something like a piano trio, with Ambarchi's guitar-triggered piano patterns providing restless accompaniment to flowing melodic lines from Chris Abrahams of The Necks, while Johan Berthling's double bass and Talia's drums fill out the bottom end. Before long, things take another left turn as Julia Reidy's rapidly picked 12-string guitar lines take center stage, with O'Rourke's monumental synth clouds hovering in the distance. The ensemble surges through a slow series of harmonic changes before the whole shebang dissolves into a delirious synthetic mirage. Bridging minimalism, contemporary electronics, and classic ECM stylings, and bringing together a cast of preternaturally talented contributors, Shebang is unmistakably the work of Oren Ambarchi: obsessively detailed, relentlessly rhythmic, unabashedly celebratory."

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: FARO 242LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Following Far Out's reissue of Agustin Pereyra Lucena Quartet's La Rana (FARO 227CD, 2022), the label continues its memorialization of the late, great Argentinian guitarist's music, with the first ever direct from tape, audiophile reissue of Pereyra Lucena's self-titled debut album from 1970. One of the outstanding South American guitarists, Agustin Pereyra Lucena commanded a unique position in Latin music history. He hailed from Buenos Aires, but was obsessed with the music of Brazil. A disciple of Ant?nio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, and Vinicius De Moraes, the nature of Agustin's Argentinian roots combined with the nurture of Brazil and its music to give Agustin a sound entirely his own. Agustin enlisted fellow Argentinian Brazilophiles Mario "Mojarra" Fernandez, who played bass, and drummer Enrique "Zurdo" Roizner. For vocals, Agustin brought in his old friend, a French teacher called Helena Uriburu, who at the time had (unbelievably) never sung in a studio before. The atypical bossas and spiritual swinging sambas, composed by many of Agustin's aforementioned heroes, were elevated to new heights by Agustin's dazzling arrangements and phenomenal guitar playing. The almost cosmic reaches Agustin achieved with his sound are balanced against the stylish sophistication and breezy nature of the music. Accompanied by Roizner's shuffling samba jazz drums, opener "O Astronauta" is Agustin's cover of the Brazilian guitar standard composed by Baden Powell. Another Baden Powell classic, "Consolacao" is an extended full-band set, which features Agustin's crisp guitar dancing around a hypnotic rhythm section. Upright bass is swapped out for a big, round-sounding electric one, which sits loud in the mix for almost seven minutes of deep, groovy, distinctively early-seventies magic. Agustin passed away in 2019, and it is only in recent years that he is starting to gain his plaudits as one of South America's greats.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: FORDIS 007LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2024 repress; LP version. Far Out Recordings presents Hermeto Pascoal's remarkable self-titled debut album. Recorded in 1970 at A&R studios in New York, the album features certified North American titans including Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrel, and Googie Coppola, and Brazilian stars Airto Moreira and Flora Purim (who also produced the album). While it was Hermeto's first album released under his own name, he had spent the decade or so prior making a name for himself in Brazil and internationally as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist with groups including Sambrassa Trio, Quarteto Novo, and Brazilian Octopus, before going on to work with (amongst countless others) Edu Lobo, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Donald Byrd, Airto Moreira, and Miles Davis, who allegedly called Hermeto "one of the most important musicians on the planet." With Hermeto's otherworldly orchestral arrangements, ghostly vocal performances from Flora Purim and Googie Coppola, and the inimitable drumming and percussion stylings of Airto Moreira, Hermeto easily rivals some of the oft-celebrated MPB albums of the early 1970s, sitting somewhere between the string-heavy magic of Arthur Verocai's 1972 debut and the unplacable early experimentalism of Pedro Santos' 1968 album Krishnanda. With his phenomenal natural musical genius and a ceaseless sense of creative freedom, Hermeto is widely known for using unconventional objects to make music. In the album's sleeve notes, Airto highlights the track "Vel?rio (Mourning)" explaining how Hermeto filled 36 apple juice bottles with different amounts of water and tuned them to precise pitches in order to create the beguiling harmonies heard. The reissue of Hermeto Pascoal's Hermeto follows Far Out's recent unveiling of a previously unheard Hermeto Pascoal live concert Planetario da Gavea from 1981 (FARO 229CD/LP), and 2017's release of Hermeto Pascoal's lost 1976 studio album: Viajando Com O Som (FARO 200CD/LP).

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: LPA 003LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress. Far Out Recordings present the first vinyl reissue of Antonio Adolfo's Viralata, originally released in 1979. Far Out Recordings are working again with master composer, arranger, and pianist, Antonio Adolfo for the first time since releasing his Destiny album in 2007 (FARO 121CD). This time the label present his era-defining Viralata album: An essential album from Brazil's majorly progressive heyday of late seventies jazz-funk. Viralata is a sacred artefact of Brazilian music, which Antonio himself describes as "a product of my hybrid musical influences that joins together flavors of marchinhas de carnaval, frevo, toada, classical, baia?o, mpb and jazz, etc." The album's first track "Cascavel" is the emotionally charged, celebratory dance anthem, which became a London jazz-dance classic in the early '90s after Far Out Recordings label boss Joe Davis discovered a handful of copies in a second hand shop in Sao Paulo and brought them back to London to sell to DJs like Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge. In recent years the track has been played out by the likes of Floating Points, Mr Scruff, and Andrew Ashong, it was also the last song ever to play on the hallowed soundsystem of London's beloved club Plastic People. Sean McAuliffe of Plastic People & NTS Radio on its play at the club: "Saturday nights at Plastic People wouldn't have been the same without this album. 'Cascavel' was such an important track for the club, it was the last tune we played there before the doors were closed forever." Viralata sits comfortably on the same pedestal as Azymuth's 1979 album Light As A Feather (FARO 170CD) and Joao Donato's Quem ? Quem (1973), which is no coincidence. All three keystone LPs were recorded and engineered by Toniniho, considered by many to be "the Brazilian Rudy Van Gelder", whose magic touches in the studio also helped to produce Marcos Valle's Previs?o Do Tempo (1973) and Joyce's ?gua E Luz (1981), among many other holy grails and unassailable classics of soulful Brazilian music. Antonio's work has been widely performed by his legendary Brazilian contemporaries including Sergio Mendes, Emilio Santiago, and Erasmo Carlos, but also by platinum-selling American icons including Stevie Wonder, Herb Alpert, and Dionne Warwick. Following an early '70s spell of studying jazz in the USA, Viralata's release in 1979 arrived at the height of a flourishing period of Antonio's career. With his late '60s and '70s output following through on his influences of Tropicalia, funk, MPB, and easy listening, the almost entirely instrumental Viralata marked an apex for Brazilian jazz. Comes on 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 288CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Bob Balch from Fu Manchu here. The idea for the Slower project started around four years ago. I was teaching a student how to play 'South Of Heaven' by Slayer but she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought 'someone in the doom community should do this and name it Slower.' A few years later I befriended Steven 'Thee Slayer Hippy' Hanford, best known for his work as the drummer in the influential Oregon punk band Poison Idea... [D]uring Covid I told him about my Slower idea. He asked me to send him tracks. I waited too long because the day I sent the tracks he passed away. Totally tragic. I'm glad I got to know him even for a few years... One day Esben from Monolord posted about musical collaborations... I sent him some tracks and he killed it on drums... Shortly after that we started reaching out other musicians to get them involved. That's how we ended up with this lineup. Everyone that contributed completely knocked it out of the park and I can't thank them enough. This project has been a long time coming and I'm beyond stoked on how it turned out. Without all of the players involved, Steven Hanford, and my baritone Reverend guitar it wouldn't have happened. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you dig it!"

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 288LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Bob Balch from Fu Manchu here. The idea for the Slower project started around four years ago. I was teaching a student how to play 'South Of Heaven' by Slayer but she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought 'someone in the doom community should do this and name it Slower.' A few years later I befriended Steven 'Thee Slayer Hippy' Hanford, best known for his work as the drummer in the influential Oregon punk band Poison Idea... [D]uring Covid I told him about my Slower idea. He asked me to send him tracks. I waited too long because the day I sent the tracks he passed away. Totally tragic. I'm glad I got to know him even for a few years... One day Esben from Monolord posted about musical collaborations... I sent him some tracks and he killed it on drums... Shortly after that we started reaching out other musicians to get them involved. That's how we ended up with this lineup. Everyone that contributed completely knocked it out of the park and I can't thank them enough. This project has been a long time coming and I'm beyond stoked on how it turned out. Without all of the players involved, Steven Hanford, and my baritone Reverend guitar it wouldn't have happened. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you dig it!"

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 288LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Neon green color vinyl. "Bob Balch from Fu Manchu here. The idea for the Slower project started around four years ago. I was teaching a student how to play 'South Of Heaven' by Slayer but she was a beginner so we slowed it down. I thought that sounded cool so I tuned down to B standard and tried it. I added some drums and thought 'someone in the doom community should do this and name it Slower.' A few years later I befriended Steven 'Thee Slayer Hippy' Hanford, best known for his work as the drummer in the influential Oregon punk band Poison Idea... [D]uring Covid I told him about my Slower idea. He asked me to send him tracks. I waited too long because the day I sent the tracks he passed away. Totally tragic. I'm glad I got to know him even for a few years... One day Esben from Monolord posted about musical collaborations... I sent him some tracks and he killed it on drums... Shortly after that we started reaching out other musicians to get them involved. That's how we ended up with this lineup. Everyone that contributed completely knocked it out of the park and I can't thank them enough. This project has been a long time coming and I'm beyond stoked on how it turned out. Without all of the players involved, Steven Hanford, and my baritone Reverend guitar it wouldn't have happened. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you dig it!"

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 289CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Megamouth is an album that reflects post-pandemic anger. Composed in between 2021 and 2022 and recorded in mid-2023, Megamouth features ten hard-charging tracks dripping with fat-fuzzy guitars, cheeky pumping basslines and furious drumming. Megamouth consolidates The Clamps' well-recognizable high-adrenaline energetic sound squeezing rock and roll, stoner and speedrock into a solid track list that will make you jump on a car, turn the volume up and push the damn gas like a motherfucking drag racer from the seventies.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 289LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Megamouth is an album that reflects post-pandemic anger. Composed in between 2021 and 2022 and recorded in mid-2023, Megamouth features ten hard-charging tracks dripping with fat-fuzzy guitars, cheeky pumping basslines and furious drumming. Megamouth consolidates The Clamps' well-recognizable high-adrenaline energetic sound squeezing rock and roll, stoner and speedrock into a solid track list that will make you jump on a car, turn the volume up and push the damn gas like a motherfucking drag racer from the seventies.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 289LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Yellow/black color vinyl. Megamouth is an album that reflects post-pandemic anger. Composed in between 2021 and 2022 and recorded in mid-2023, Megamouth features ten hard-charging tracks dripping with fat-fuzzy guitars, cheeky pumping basslines and furious drumming. Megamouth consolidates The Clamps' well-recognizable high-adrenaline energetic sound squeezing rock and roll, stoner and speedrock into a solid track list that will make you jump on a car, turn the volume up and push the damn gas like a motherfucking drag racer from the seventies.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HPS 289ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Black/white/pink color vinyl. Megamouth is an album that reflects post-pandemic anger. Composed in between 2021 and 2022 and recorded in mid-2023, Megamouth features ten hard-charging tracks dripping with fat-fuzzy guitars, cheeky pumping basslines and furious drumming. Megamouth consolidates The Clamps' well-recognizable high-adrenaline energetic sound squeezing rock and roll, stoner and speedrock into a solid track list that will make you jump on a car, turn the volume up and push the damn gas like a motherfucking drag racer from the seventies.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 291CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Nick Oliveri's N.O. Hits at All Vol. 8 is heavy, dark, fast, slow, in control yet totally falling apart and stoner punk as fuck. Seven tracks full of fire.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 291LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Nick Oliveri's N.O. Hits at All Vol. 8 is heavy, dark, fast, slow, in control yet totally falling apart and stoner punk as fuck. Seven tracks full of fire.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 291LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Green color vinyl. Nick Oliveri's N.O. Hits at All Vol. 8 is heavy, dark, fast, slow, in control yet totally falling apart and stoner punk as fuck. Seven tracks full of fire.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HPS 291SLTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Red/yellow splatter color vinyl. Nick Oliveri's N.O. Hits at All Vol. 8 is heavy, dark, fast, slow, in control yet totally falling apart and stoner punk as fuck. Seven tracks full of fire.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: HEIST 073EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Crackazat and Heist Recordings present: Senses. A stunning mini album that sees the artist deliver a heartwarming perspective on contemporary electronic music. Crackazat takes you on a sonic journey exploring his musical personality with live keys, vocals, bass and production all coming from his studio in Uppsala, Sweden. The jazzy horns that are featured throughout are recorded by Adeev and Ezra Potash, better known as the Potash twins. The duo took a sidestep from their recordings with John Legend, Robert Glasper, and even Diplo to dive into this project with Crackazat and help him deliver arguably his best work to date. The six-track album starts off with the low-slung groove of "I need to know". The whole atmosphere is warm, dreamy with plucked strings, arpeggios, and long horn notes supported by lo-fi drums and sparse bass licks. "Do you think about me" keeps the energy tight with a lovely drum groove and a sparse bass section. If "Do you think about me" is Crackazat in pop mode, "Freddie's Groove" is Crackazat in full-on jazz mode. The nod to Freddie Hubbard is clear, and Crackazat cleverly takes ideas from both the jazz legend and his legendary French sampler, Pepe Bradock for this track. The horns are deep and moody, the groove is jazz-house at its best and Crackazat's soft vocals have the perfect amount of fragility to fit the groove. "Phantom" sees Crackazat move into a shuffling Latin-dance vibe. Here, the song reaches its full potential through the horn section, so it's only fitting that this is the feature track for the Potash Twins. "Endless life" is a track that feels like it's building up momentum with every repetition. Whether it's the broken beat groove, the offbeat keys or the sparse horn hits, chord hits or leads, there's a certain energy in this track that takes a hold of you and simply doesn't let go. The outro "When we last met" is built around vibey drunk keys and a downtempo hip-hop groove.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HH 009LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Isabel del Bosco is part of a spiritual community based in Cordoba, Argentina. The music on this album is inspired by hikes in the woods, late-night conversations, current readings and the seeking of quietude. Hidden Harmony Recordings believes that music can be a medium for inner cultivation. Written, performed, produced and mixed by Isabel del Bosco.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HMRLP 026LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Hive Mind Records have worked with Honiunhoni to bring you a vinyl version of Jingul by Ustad Noor Bakhsh. The album contains six exclusive solo tracks unavailable anywhere else. This is the debut solo release of Benju maestro, Ustad Noor Bakhsh, from the Makran Coast of Balochistan. The album is named Jingul, after a bird that often frequents Noor's house, and whose songs inspired the last track on this release -- an original by Noor. The album was recorded live on location, over a memorable sunset on the Shadi Kaur creek, close to Noor's village, near Pasni, Balochistan. Noor plays an Electric Benju, amplified using an old pick up and Phillips amp that he found in a market in Karachi three decades ago. The Benju is said to have once been a Japanese children's toy called the Taish?goto. At some point in the 20th century, it was modified and naturalized by Baloch musicians who made it in to a refined folk instrument for themselves. Balochistan straddles the space between modern day Pakistan and Iran but its music, particularly that of Makran, evokes the well documented migrations and seafaring; historical intimacies with Africa, Persia, and Arabia, via the greater Indian Ocean world. It is this world that Noor's music wanders through.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HONEY 091LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Recorded at the 1962 Jazz Jamboree festival in Warsaw and originally released in 1963 on Danish Metronome label, here's a true gem from one of the most important figures in Polish music and a founding father of European jazz. Ballet Etudes was one of the three full LPs released during Krzysztof Komeda's short lifetime. His fluent modern jazz conception was a perfect synthesis between the American influence and the European harmonic complexity, a unique kind of marriage colored by a clear Slavic lyricism. For many years considered a rare collector item Ballet Etudes comes back to life as a major statement in East-European music history. Featuring Allan Botschinsky (trumpet), Jan Wr?blewski (tenor sax), Krzysztof Komeda (piano), Roman Dylag (bass), and Rune Carlsson (drums).

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: ANGELICA 054CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

Born in 1933, with a career spanning over 65 years, the American composer Philip Corner has explored the most diverse artistic and musical expressions: as a pianist and trombonist, he performed historic and contemporary authors such as Ives, Cage, Cacioppo, Hellerman (in 1963 he also took part in the first integral performance of Vexations by Satie curated by Cage in New York). As a composer and performer, he was a member of Fluxus (defining with his Piano Activities the most iconic performance of the movement, albeit in the "over the top" rendition by Maciunas, Williams, Vostell, Paik, Higgins, Patterson, and Knowles in Wiesbaden in 1962); but also (between 1962 and 1965) of Judson Dance Theatre, composing music for dance and theatre pieces by Lucinda Childs, Yvonne Rainer, Living Theatre, etc. In 1963 he co-founded the Tone Roads Chamber Ensemble with Malcolm Goldstein and James Tenney; in 1972, with Julie Winter, the ensemble Sounds out of Silent Spaces (at whose performances took part Annea Lockwood, Alison Knowles, Ruth Anderson, and Tom Johnson); and in 1975, with Barbara Benary and Daniel Goode, the Gamelan Son of Lion. He experimented with both "action music" and "meditative music," electronic or concrete montages, proto-plunderphonic collages, graphic scores, verbal philosophical/poetic instructions, contemporary gamelans, extreme minimalism (in 1977 in New York his Elementals lasted 123 uninterrupted hours on a single note, played in turn by guests spanning from Beth Anderson, to Cage to Paik); but he also composed for string quartets, chamber music ensembles, and orchestras. As a visual artist he created countless assemblages, calligraphies, collages, drawings, paintings and objects made of various materials, showcased in museums and collections around the world. Corner has been living in Italy since 1992, and he presented several projects at AngelicA (amongst which an unprecedented trio with Joan La Barbara and Alvin Curran paying homage to Cage), but perhaps the most peculiar one has been Chorus at the Corner: A Joyfull Noise, a commission entirely dedicated to his compositions for choir. A concert made possible by the availability of two "resident" choirs at the festival.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: ANGELICA 055CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

In May 2022, at the age of 88, Christian Wolff performed once again at AngelicA, nine years after the monographic concerts the festival had dedicated to him in 2013, which was documented on the CD album Angelica Music, (ANGELICA 030CD, 2020). Among the greatest and most singular living composers, for the opening of the thirty-second edition of the festival he presented a world-exclusive program, alongside two of his long-time collaborators, the percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky and the drummer Joey Baron, and an Angelica orchestrA of seven electric guitars, made up for the occasion around students and teachers of the Conservatory "G.B. Martini" of Bologna led by Walter Zanetti. Spanning over 58 years of the composer's production, the program offered on May 7th revolved around Sveglia, a new composition for seven electric guitars commissioned as a world premiere by the festival. Renowned up to that point as a pianist, it was apparently Wolff's interest for several rock bands of the time who pushed him to buy an electric guitar in the mid-'60s, and the first of his compositions to incorporate this instrument were the three Electric Spring of 1966-67. In the 2000s he also composed three pieces for solo guitar (two of which were recorded by Sergio Sorrentino, guest of Angelica orchestrA at this time), but he had never composed for an ensemble of guitars only, as on this occasion. Largely completely notated, but with a series of compositional features left open (i.e. no specification of tempi, dynamics and spacing of musical elements), Sveglia also includes short quotations from other compositions (Bach's Brandenburg Concertos n. 3 and 6, and a motet by Gombert), "that need not necessarily be noticed." The other piece composed specifically for the concert in Bologna (and for one held later in New York, at the space for experimental music from which it took its title) is Roulette, performed by Wolff with Schulkowsky and Baron.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: INCIENSO 025LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Ex Wiish is a fleeting dream, the new musical project of Ben Shirken, a sound artist and composer based in New York City. Shirken is the founder of record label and performance series 29 Speedway which features improvisational electronic music, four-point guerrilla sound installations, live multimedia performances and has hosted Robert Aiki, Aubrey Lowe, Poncili Creaci?n, Debit, Pent, James K, and various other New York-based artists. Shirken also produces for and plays modular synths in acclaimed free jazz group Nu Jazz with Dan Orlowski of electronic hardcore staple Deli Girls. Their debut record, Shards of Axel, was born from a story-based video game composition; the listener finds themselves as the disoriented main player respawned into a harrowing, metallic landscape, wandering through cable ridden labyrinths, caught in progress traps as digital noises grind past submerged cityscapes.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7013EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Two killer tracks from the majestic Prince Alla.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7030EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Horace Andy's timeless "You Are My Angel" backed up by a rocking King Tubby dub cut.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: KAI 15116CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

Performed by Talea Ensemble & Harlem Chamber Players. "Femenine stages Eastman's shaping and building of the black queer masculine form -- caught not necessarily between two poles of gender, but with his work constantly driving his own self-making. He was an inventor and sculptor, reminiscent of Jean Tinguely and Harry Bertoia. Clanging, noisy, joyful, and playful in turn, the sound sculpture emerges from these primary elements, moulding and pressing, jiggering and jolleying, through a linear flow of sound and insistent chordal punctuations. The continuous hum of the prime motive as a bed of sound against the softness of the texture and the fierceness of the accented major triads takes flight into a dreamscape, making possible new ways of listening, knowing, and being." --Ellie M. Hisama and Isaac Jean-Fran?ois

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: KAI 22012CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

"With this album, Yoshiko Shimizu presents a second outstanding recording of works for amplified piano(s) by American composer George Crumb, being the only pianist who has created 'solo' realizations of his compositions Celestial Mechanics (Makrokosmos IV), Zeitgeist and Otherworldly Resonances. George Crumb praised her superb 2018 KAIROS release, declaring, 'I consider her to be one of my very finest interpreters. Bravissima!'"

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KR 106CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Reinhold Friedl (piano) meets Radian member Martin Siewert (guitar, electronics). Three spontaneous sonic explorations -- subtle and explosive! With over a dozen releases on Karlrecords, and a total output of more than 100 albums in general, Reinhold Friedl doesn't need much of an introduction to anyone interested in contemporary music/avantgarde: his ensemble Zeitkratzer is as respected as it is feared for its radical approach on music, and it seems redundant to mention all collaborators and projects. Friedl is known for his unique piano sound, his advanced techniques, and his musical intensity paired with precise exuberant sound constructions and consistent compositional thinking. He has cooperated with musicians from Phil Niblock to Lou Reed, Mario Bertoncini (Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza) to Whitehouse, Laurie Anderson to Rashad Becker, and works as guest professor at various universities across Europe. The "multi-talented renaissance man" (as Naut Human turned it) is also known as a specialist for Iannis Xenakis, and curates the Perihel series on Karlrecords. Lichtung is the collaboration of Friedl and no other than Vienna-based Martin Siewert, himself a highly prolific and repudiated innovative guitar player and producer in groups like Radian and Trapist. Martin Siewert has played with the who-is-who in experimental and improvised music and has celebrated his strong musical identity in international collaborations with Otomo Yoshihide, Oren Ambarchi, Meg Stuart, Christian Fennesz, Sainkho Namtchylak, and The Necks. Siewert's guitar plays at the intersection of acoustic/electronic-generated sounds is unique, evoking echoes of krautrock and musique concrete to electronic jazz and avantgarde. Lichtung was recorded in Vienna: several studio meetings condensed to three intense tracks, a statement and musical adventure between noise and silence, subtle and explosive! Two musicians who couldn't be more diverse, and yet here -- in every sense -- they act in concert.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: KOY 001LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

One of the earliest and rarest compilation of Jamaican ska jazz, released in 1961 on the iconic Blue Beat Record. Featuring Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Cecil Lloyd, Alton Ellis, Derrick Harriott, Rico Rodriguez, The Charmers, The Jiving Juniors, Aubrey Adams, Clancey Eccles, Clu J. and His Blues Blasters, E. Parkins, Carol McLaughlin, Chuck Josephs, Dobby Dobson, and Lascelles Perkins.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KOM 482EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Good things take time. What's 17 years? Not even a quarter of Keith Richards! 17 years lay between Heiko Voss' debut album Call Me Killer and the incredible follow-up 3:30 Minutes To Live, which saw the light of day in 2022 on Michael Mayer's "other label" IMARA. There are serious voices saying that the '80s were only really complete with the release of this album. Now it took the blink of an eye of a year for the remixes to be finished. And they turned out so well that Michael Mayer licensed the 3 Remixes for Heiko Voss without further ado. Running back guru Gerd Janson was an early adopter of the album. Highly motivated, he twirls "Follow Your Line" rhythmically somehow in the direction of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill." How did he do that? Never mind. It grooves like crazy and keeps even larger floors moving. ADA, the Hamburg grand dame of techno pop, has taken on the in tongue speaking funk banger "Talking Man" and dipped it in fairy dust. The result is probably the most sensational, soulful club track ever. Honestly. The package is rounded off with a powerful dub version of "Follow Your Line" by the IMARA boss himself.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KOM EX127EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After three so elegant, as well as successful EPs on the mothership, you can sometimes get cocky. Jonathan Kaspar invites himself to the Speicher party and really lets his hair down. "Topper" may or may not refer to Charlie Sheen's epic performance in "Hot Shots". It certainly takes no prisoners either. The track rattles and squeaks like an old feather bed while... oh, let's leave that to your imagination. After such an exhilarating burst of exuberance, comes "FEZ" to smooth the waters. An arpeggio that seems quite serious at first glance doesn't quite manage to get past Jonathan's riotous mood unscathed. Half he pulled it, half it sank into him. Nobody gets out of here without a hangover.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KOM EX131EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Kompakt Extra is kicking off the new year in style with a fantastic new double header by Raxon. This Egypt-born, Barcelonese powerhouse has left his scent marks all over the place in recent years. He has developed an instantly recognizable sound and that's no small feat in these times shaped by so much formulaic dullness. "Your Fault" sees the Catalan hot shot in an exuberant disco mood. Mind bending chord progressions foiled with Raxon's trademark vocal stutters guarantee for wonderfully twisted hands in the air moments. With "Beskar" the listener is entering Star Wars nerd territory. Musically speaking, this is a stealthy, funky as hell trance-not-trance juggernaut. 2024 is off to a good start.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: LANR 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock, last copies, reduced pricing... Clear 180 gram vinyl. Debut solo album for Alternative TV front man and long-time running UK punk scenester, originally released in 1980 on Deptford Fun City Records. Mark Perry was also the man behind the iconic Sniffin' Glue zine, founded in July 1976. The album was produced by Grant Showbiz, principally known for his work with The Fall, The Smiths and Billy Bragg, and it is literally an art-rock nugget. Sort of an autobiographical work, the record is full of twisted hooks, showing the dark side of post-punk. Less hysterical than the output released with Alternative TV, Snappy Turns should be considered as a post-apocalyptic pop record. It could have been easily included in the infamous Nurse With Wound list (guess what, his former band was there) introducing several connections to the so-called "grey area". In particular, the disturbing tape loops and the violin heard in "Death Looks Down" are perversely informed by late Throbbing Gristle, a band seriously informed by the same aesthetics (Alternative TV used to rehearse in TG studio in Hackney back in the days, while former ATV member Alex Fergusson founded Psychic TV with Genesis P-Orridge). As the shadow of doubt surrounds the nearby future, Snappy Turns could be easily an appropriate soundtrack. Contains two bonus tracks from the 1980s 7" Whole World's Down On Me.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: LANR 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock, last copies, reduced pricing... Here's a monster of its own. Not to be confused with Trevor Jackson's early 2000 project (even if the British producer has obviously been informed by post-punk, dub, post-industrial and the likes), Playgroup was more than anything a collective, based somewhere around Bristol and London. Drummer Bruce Smith was the key figure behind the project. Neneh Cherry's husband and fabulous motorik force for The Pop Group, The Slits, New Age Steppers, African Head Charge, and -- more recently -- Public Image Limited, Bruce brought the post-punk aura into the realm of controlled chaos with several partners in crime. Playgroup is the so-called English version of Jamaican dub, informed by the industrial revolution and the studio wizardry of On-U Sound acolytes. Crucial Tony (Creation Rebel, Dub Syndicate, Singers & Players) on bass and guitars, Sean Oliver (New Age Steppers, Rip Rig & Panic) on guitar, the almighty Style Scott (Creation Rebel, Dub Syndicate, New Age Steppers) on drums, and percussionists Eskimo (African Head Charge, Creation Rebel, Mark Stewart And The Maffia) and Bonjo I (African Head Charge) are among the main conspirators here. Produced by none else than Adrian Sherwood, Epic Sound Battles Chapter One still resonates with its original dark humor and guerrilla warfare tactics. Clear 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: MG 142LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

A selection of eight exclusive dub cuts produced in the legendary Genevan squat Goulet 25 between 2003 and 2013 and cut at 45rpm for deeper basses at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. Recorded at Addis records studio/Goulet 25 Overdubbed in France, UK, Jamaica and New-York Mixed at Disciples, Conscious Sound and Vibronics studios. Mastered by Kassian at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. Produced and arranged by Gilles Geuggis aka Jil Addis for Addis records in collaboration with Olivier Ducret. Front cover by Stephane Lambercy aka Stuf Addis. Layout by Nicolas Eigenheer. Give thanks to the creator Jah Rastafari, who makes everything possible.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: MGART 611LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. First-ever official reissue on vinyl since 1975. Ash Ra Tempel is the eponymous debut studio album by the Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel. It features guitarist Manuel G?ttsching with drummer Klaus Schulze and bassist Hartmut Enke. Engineered by Conny Plank, it was recorded in March and June 1971 on Ohr Records. This 50th Anniversary Album will be released in memoriam of all the musical contributors to this release and on Manuel G?ttsching?s MG.ART label."On our album, the track 'Amboss' represents the first layer. Conventional instruments communicate familiar music which is in part expanded through electronic means. In the second track of the album -- 'Traummaschine' -- the actual basic sound approach is dissolved into an electronic Nirvana which no longer allows the concrete identification of actual instruments. Innocent, virgin listening, free from any and every association, can finally begin -- and the music can be absorbed and processed free from the limitations of categorization. That is the purpose of our music: To convey freedom without any predetermined criteria or traditions. Thank you for your attention." --Manuel G?ttsching (Taken from the original A-R-T Bio 1970)Available on 180gram Black Vinyl (MGART 611LP) and 140gram Limited Transparent Vinyl (MGART 611TV-LP). Sticker, 50th Anniversary RE-Edition, Re-Cut carefully overseen by Manuel G?ttsching. 350 gram Quadro Fold Out Sleeve that exactly replicates complex/original OHR die-cut jacket, A2 Poster, 2x (German and English) A4 Inlay with Original Bio Sheet written by Manuel G?ttsching (1970). Pressed at Optimal, Germany.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: MIR 100709LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

2024 repress. Edward Artemiev's re-recording of his scores to Andrei Tarkovsky's classic films ??????? (Mirror) (1975) and ??????? (Stalker) (1979), reissued on 180-gram vinyl. When Artemiev recorded these scores in Moscow in 1989 and '90, there were no legitimately available releases of the original soundtracks. Artemiev chose to fill that void himself with these recordings, released on Torso Kino in the Netherlands as part of a 1990 double-LP set also containing re-recordings of Artemiev's score to ??????? (Solaris) (1972). This set is now long out of print, and Mirumir is pleased to present the collection on two separate LP releases, remastered, with new artwork, and officially licensed by the artist himself.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BT 5033S-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Now released on straw colored vinyl. The late 1960's truly saw the flowering of the concept album. Following the 1967 triumph of the Beatles meisterwork Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1968 followed with the Small Faces' Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, which followed the adventures of Happiness Stan in his quest to find the missing half of the Moon, whilst S.F. Sorrow by the Pretty Things portrayed the life of Sebastian F. Sorrow, from birth through love, madness, disappointment and ultimately to a lonely death. Less heralded at the time, but now much sought after, was the album recorded by the Five Day Week Straw People, which relates the imagined 'typical weekend of the average nine-to-five worker' as they recounted in an interview at the time. The songs had been written by David Montague and Guy Mascolo, who had first met when they were hairdressers in Clapham in 1963. Guy had just co-founded a salon with his brother Toni, which since then has mushroomed into the hairdressing juggernaut that is 'Toni and Guy'. However, in 1967, Guy and David were songwriting in their spare time and, having completed demos for a number of songs, happened to bump into an engineer from the small independent Saga Records. They were quickly signed to the label and put into the recording studio, with backing from Mike Hawksworth on bass guitar, John DuCann on guitar and vocals and Jack McCulloch on drums. Perhaps inspired by the extraneous noises used on Sergeant Pepper, David and Guy recorded sound effects for use on their own album, which they employed to better evoke the feeling of the weekend. Thus, car engines revving, children playing, a woman in high heels descending a staircase and a rainstorm complete with thunder all find their place. Mix in some spoken word vocals and a judicious sprinkling of special effects, and the result is a quirky and entirely charming album that will transport the listener to those heady days when just about anything seemed possible. Listed as one of Record Collector's 100 Greatest Psychedelic Records (nestling immediately below the Moody Blues In Search Of A Lost Chord!), this is an album that deserves a place in any discerning record collection."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: MUSIQ 289EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mule Musiq is very happy to welcome Danish romantic house music producer Kasper Bjorke. He has been releasing quality music from HFN Music, Compost, and Mirau, to name a few. Mule has known his music since After Forever and has really liked it. Kasper sent some music and the label liked the '80s inspired romantic synth pop house music. One of Mule's favorite new artists Bella Boo and Kasper's fav new artist Longhair joined the release as remixers.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: MUSIQ 290LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mule Musiq welcomes another fresh producer to its vast catalogue of music from all around. This time Andro Gogibedashvili aka Saphileaum. A deeper shade of soul, precisely fashioned, growing from different playgrounds of inspiration. Exploring Together, his debut album for Mule, navigates a merry-go-round of gentle driven rhythm zones. Fourth-world spheres, Balearic tropes, field recording zones, tropical downbeat, tribal percussions, trancing sounds, balafon hums, mallet airs, hooky house -- it's all there, circling the eavesdropper into a dreamland of melodic undercurrents. Exploring Together is vast. Multifunctional. Spiritual. Made for gatherings. Lost in music actions, only touched by the hand of rhythm and sound. His ten tracks are created for such flashes, wide spreading a musical narration of illuminating durability.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: MOV 1943COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Arguably the finest Jamaican soul singer of his generation, Ken Boothe burst onto the international stage when his sublime rendering of Bread's melancholic 'Everything I Own' topped the UK charts in the autumn of 1974. Within months of this success, the native-born Kingstonian returned to the national listings with the captivating 'Crying Over You', which made number 11 later that year. To coincide with the release of the latter, Trojan Records released the album, Everything I Own; a supremely soulful collection that featured his two international hits alongside a number of sublimely produced songs, cut in both Jamaica and the UK. Everything I Own is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on gold colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: MMACONDO 002LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

His 2019 debut LP For The Ones... saw Yelfris Valdes delving deep into his Yoruba religion and its shamanic chants, subtly infusing those deeply personal elements with electronica and live instrumentation creating a beautiful pulsating soundscape. In purposefully mutating the acoustic sound of his trumpet he adds depth without losing his power and tenderness. Manifesting an adventurous and experimental shift in his composition, drawing on his classical training and love of jazz whilst at the same time delving further into the world of electronica. With the LP's impressive palette of epic, cosmos-weaving trumpet melodies, fuzzy keys and psychedelic textures at their disposal, Quantic, K15, LCSM, Osunlade, Maxwell Owin, and Contours repurpose and rework some of the album's key moments, bringing an injection of dancefloor -- friendly sensibilities to the proceedings. With this offering, Yelfris' incredible musicianship is re-contextualised for a new audience, making itself right at home on the dancefloors of the world. The artwork is an original creation of Spanish artist Fran Rodr?guez.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: MPIORIG 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Heinrich Dressel's Polarlys is the first album of unreleased tracks published by Musica Per Immagini, or a soundtrack for an imaginary noir film set in the icy waters of northern Europe, inspired by the book The Mystery of the Polarlys by Georges Simenon. Drones and ethereal atmospheres are paired with a cinematic background in order to describe the frost of the northern seas and the restlessness of the journey: beyond the classic analog sounds, a specific use of additive and vector synthesis particularly in vogue during the '90s and typical of vintage synthesizers.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: ON 503EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Debut single by The Flatmates. Originally released in 1986 on The Subway Organization label, giving them a Top 20 indie hit and an appearance in John Peel's Festive Fifty. Part of The Optic Sevens 5.0 reissue series. Limited to 500 copies worldwide. Pressed on pink vinyl. Includes poster.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: ON 504EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

By 1986, Nikki Sudden had found a home at Creation Records releasing Texas, widely considered Sudden's solo magnum opus. Co-produced by Sudden and his brother, Texas is a masterpiece. Like Young's After the Gold Rush or the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers, Texas holds together as a damaged, atmospheric take on Americana. At this time in rock history, Sudden was nearly alone in referencing Brian Wilson's Smile album. "Jangle Town" was the opening track and only single that was taken from the album. This reissue uses the 12" artwork. Part of The Optic Sevens 5.0 reissue series. Limited to 500 copies worldwide. Pressed on blue vinyl. Includes poster.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: OM 028LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In 1994, UK ambient pioneers O Yuki Conjugate recorded their landmark Equator album. To mark the 30th anniversary of this musical milestone, many of the same personnel -- Roger Horberry (co-founder of O Yuki Conjugate), Dan Mudford (ex-Sons of Silence and co-creator of the Shaun of the Dead soundtrack), Joe Lamb (ex-Sons of Silence) and Malcolm McGeorge -- came together to make New Meridian, reflecting the range of influences they've picked up over the intervening years. Generously described as "almost like normal music," the eight tracks of New Meridian feature instrumentation ranging from classic analogue to actual wooden logs. The result takes the listener on a rain-drenched, open-top ride from electronica avenue to the drone caverns of Uranus, with various fourth world ambi-dub diversions along the way.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: OMARCHIV 003LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"A Bad Diana is a project from Diana Rogerson, someone I first became aware of aged 12 when I read about Nurse With Wound and their United Dairies label in Smash Hits magazine. I was confused, mystified and intrigued in equal measure, and a couple of years later as a result I bought my first Nurse With Wound album. This led to an interest in all things NWW related. I guess Diana could be described as the matriarch of the Nurse With Wound world but she also had her own very distinguished pre-history with Fistfuck, an early-'80s extreme noise outfit. She then made two mid '80s cult classic albums as Chrystal Belle Scrodd, both far out there rollercoaster rides of audio wildness, highly recommended to anyone with wide open ears. She then moved to rural Ireland and raised a family. There was the odd collaboration and then in 2007 A Bad Diana's The Lights Are On But No-One's Home was released on CD. I feel this is her masterwork and it has become something of a cult favorite over the years. Now for the first time, almost two decades later it is available on vinyl on Optimo Music Archiv. Produced in association with Steven Stapleton and Colin Potter from Nurse With Wound and irr. app. (ext.)'s Matt Waldron, this is some seriously beautiful and strange listening. Next level sound design means this is an incredible headphone record but it is also a deeply warm and engaging home listening gem. Beautiful, magical, ultra hypno, soulful reverberations with the deep emotion of Diana's voice tones and bio-vibrations." --Optimo Music Archiv, 2023

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: ORGM 2014G-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Gold-color vinyl. "Sun Ra's Arkestra was at its most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967 - 1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. A must have for any serious avant garde jazz fan."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: PCD 009LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After the not-quite-reissue of Prince of Parrot Shooters/The Aqueducts of Cannel Island (PCD 003LP, 2022), wide-eyed mystic and tireless searcher of the netherworld Spencer Clark returns to the Discrepant fold with Barbados Wild Horses under his Monopoly Child Star Searchers moniker. Recorded while Clark was living in the Canary Island's by Tupperware and Lagoss' Dani Tupper, Barbados Wild Horses brims with insular romanticism and escapist bliss, with sun-kissed synth-lines interwoven around his trademark hand percussion bouncy rhythms reflecting the scenery of the islands as a liberating utopia. With track titles taking an almost self-explanatory stance, the album starts with the crepuscular vibes of "Upper Romantico," a poetic meditation on the lovelorn potential of the fading sunlight, setting the tone for the rest of the tour. "Lava Tube Solos on Horseback," the first of two tracks featuring Sun Araw's Cameron Stallones, sees the latter's guitar noodles riding the cascading rhythms and digital choir harmonies while in "Neopreno Antiguo" he solos freely around a hypnotic synth line. Finishing off the escapade, "Nightcharcos Punta Brava" drifts in ethereal starlit contemplation, with the percussion taking a more backseat approach, setting into a steady pulse for Clark's gliding synth tapestries. Another piece of the fascinating puzzle Clark's been assembling for over two decades now, Barbados Wild Horses glimmers with a laid-back sensibility that's as unhinged as enveloping. Not an easy feat by any measure. Clark succeeds again.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PAMPA 014EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. "La Duquesa" is the most tender and refined piece on DJ Koze's album Amygdala (PAMPA 007CD/LP). Perfectly casual and euphoric all at the same time, this track is dedicated to the Spanish Duquesa de Alba, who, as holder of 46 titles of nobility, is even more highly decorated than Queen Elizabeth. She is the most pictured woman in Spain and a pop phenomenon. "Burn With Me" is a fucked up, schizophrenic brainfood bouncer with legato bass and hi-hats way out of time.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PAMPA 033EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. Gerry Read presents debut EP for Pampa Records. The British producer's distinctively twisted, lo-fi sound, combines with Pampa's deep-vein instinct for quality quirks. "It''l All Be Over" is immediately evocative, hinting at the patchwork style to come. Twangy banjo strings, a foot-stomp beat with soft floaty pads form an unlikely partnership. "Satyricon" is woven in the spirit of micro-house. Sharp waveform cuts, timely pauses, loops of noodling keys and hints of percussion shakers combine for a low-slung psychedelic effect. Pampa's figurehead DJ Koze takes an expert turn at the controls of "It'll All Be Over".

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: PRTL 12020EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Restless Mashaits are based around the core of Jil and Stuf, who released a sizeable amount of nu-roots classics throughout the '90s and 2000s. Recently becoming active again, the Mashaits crew come with two prime-cut instrumentals: "Rasta the First" and "Restless Mashaits," in a traditional roots steppers style with horns ablaze, with both tracks complimented by dub mixes courtesy of Russ D of The Disciples.

 

PRICE: $44.50

CAT #: PERL 135LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Repressed! Ricardo Villalobos first album Alcachofa from 2003. Originally released by Playhouse as a 3x12" record set, the re-release adds a fourth 12", the "Alcachofa Tools."

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: PING 060CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was a folk singer from Japan. She was a representative of the Ainu culture on the Hokkaido Island in the north of Japan. Ihunke is her first album which was recorded with the Ainu musician and dub producer Oki Kano in 2000. The 16 Ainu songs on Ihunke are delicate, natural gems. They are built on Oki Kano's tonkori patterns (a five-string harp), over which Umeko Ando develops her repetitive, mantric vocals, often in a call-and-response manner. Oki Kano is one of very few professional tonkori players who performs worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band. The songs possess a mystical energy -- when crows call accurately with Ando's brittle voice in the first song, it seems like natural powers join in with her music. Her voice sounds like animals of the sky and the forest. Oki Kano: "It was a lot of fun to record with Umeko Ando. Many Ainu hesitate to break from tradition -- if Umeko hadn't been so flexible to work with the younger generation and recording technology, this album would never have happened. Our sessions were intense, and we were proud and happy about making such beautiful music." Only recently (in 2008) have the Ainu officially been acknowledged as indigenous people who are culturally independent from Japan. This record is an example of how their music has been passed on through generations in the underground Ainu communities while it was oppressed by the Japanese hegemony. It deserves a huge audience. Includes liner notes and download code.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: PING 065CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Anadol is a psychedelic synth folk project by Go?zen Atila, a Turkish sound artist and photographer based in Berlin. Her third album Uzun Havalar is based on collective improvisations of middle eastern folk songs called "uzun hava." They turn out as rich, atmospheric synth ballads. A diverse roster of improvising musicians creates their fascinating complexity. Anadol recorded them during extensive sessions in Istanbul. One can hear drummers laughing and playing guitars, composers howling, announcements in French and screams in no language, record collectors playing oscillators, and trumpets through spacious echoes. Anadol represents Go?zen Atila's liberation from a rather academic approach to electronic composition which she pursued during her music technology studies in Istanbul. She calls her education the "darkness of serious music" where she first tried to belong, then to break free with the help of lo-fi synth pop. As a producer of radio plays and an expert field recording artist she has developed a distinct sense of timing, editing and sound design. Her Anadol project walks in the footsteps of lone synth experimentalists like Bruce Haack and The Space Lady with their childlike curiosity for electronic sounds, pushing the boundaries of minimal equipment. On Uzun Havalar she translates her experimental background into these floating folk ballads. The album was originally released on tape via Kinship in 2018.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: PING 074CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Whether it is traditional or contemporary, we need to be authentic," says Go?zen Atila who performs as Anadol. "I don't claim that I am authentic, but this is what I want to achieve." A sense of authentic exploration, introspection, and celebration coats every inch of Anadol's latest album. After Uzun Havalar, the Turkish artist returns with an album that continues to explore a variety of deeply embedded musical traditions while also hurtling into new terrain. The music and influences -- as well as the history, culture, and geography behind them -- that make up Atila as an artist all coalesce to create something entirely new. The result is something that is simultaneously exploring history and tradition, while harnessing innovative modern sounds and techniques. "If there is any tradition I am somehow connected to, or influenced by, then it's multi-genres," she says. "Such as Turkish Pop and Arabesk music from this country where I grew up. There is a connection to folk and also French pop or Flamenco, Middle Eastern melodies and orchestration, Greek adaptations, Kenny G. solos, American guitars." This can be heard on Felicita, not in as much as you can link up the influences directly but in the way it glides across genres, eschewing convention and predictability along the way, to result in a kaleidoscopic experience. For the album, Atila found a talented roster of jazz musicians in Istanbul who she recorded on top of her synth productions and field recordings. Soon enough saxophone, drums, and strings began to stack up against preset drum loops from vintage organs. It's a record where woozy psychedelic excursions bleed into dreamy synth lines, immersive ambience, and the occasionally disconcerting yet incredibly tactile use of field recordings. Felicita translates as "happiness" and this album is something that explores the complexities of such an emotion. "I did not name the album like this because I just wanted to call it happiness," Atila says. "A song like 'Felicita Lale' is a sad and confused song about a female character who can't get out of bed. It's a funny rumination, in her thoughts, saying to get up and lie down repeatedly. At some point the lyrics say: 'hep agla, felicita', meaning: 'Cry all the time, Felicita'. Like she is talking to happiness itself and telling it to cry. So it is not about happiness, it is more about the concept of happiness which can be very sad."

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: PING 081CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Upopo Sanke means "Let's sing a song" in the Ainu language. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was one of the best-known artists of the Ainu, an indigenous, long-suppressed community in northern Japan. She sings their traditional songs together with Oki Kano on the Tonkori harp, who also recorded the album. The two are supported by members of the female vocal group Marewrew as well as Ainu percussionists, a string player and a male singer who provides rhythmic shouts and also throat singing. The call-and-response structure of many of the songs is performed with a mantric quality in a vocal style that is perhaps best described as elastic and breathing. There seems to be a gentle smile in every note and syllable. This music softly hits the heart. Upopo Sanke was recorded on a farm in Tokachi in the summer of 2003. You hear dogs barking, a distant thunderstorm and voices imitating animals. The liner notes that accompany the double-LP release gather the anecdotal memories of Umeko Ando and Oki Kano about the stories of the 14 songs. Oki Kano is a musical ambassador of the Ainu culture who tours worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band and also gives solo concerts, always playing the Tonkori, the five-stringed Ainu harp. The Ainu have suffered from the oppression of their culture and language by Japan, especially since the 18th and 19th centuries. Only recently, in 2008, were the Ainu officially recognized again as an indigenous people culturally independent of Japan. As a result of the marginalization, there are now only a few hundred native speakers of the Ainu language left, making it a particularly worthy object of preservation.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: POE 002LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

World-renowned Brazilian DJ, producer and music lover, DJ Tahira unveils this collection of exclusive edits and remixes on Poeira Music. Featuring six captivating tracks on vinyl for the very first time, this EP showcases Tahira's exceptional talent for remixing and editing, offering fans a fresh take on some of his most beloved creations. Till now a secret weapon for a select cadre of DJs, Tahira's organic "Maculele Edit" of the already classic "Banho de Folhas" by Luedji Luna draws inspiration from the ancestral rhythm Maculele, a fundamental element of the globally renowned Baile funk sound. A fusion of Latin and samba influences, Tahira's rework of the 2000s hit "Meu Esquema" by Mundo Livre S.A. and Bruno Pedrosa offers a fresh perspective on the original samba bossa nova track. The Tahira remix of New Zealand's "Chi Chi Cha Cha" by Latinaotearoa invites listeners on a journey through Latin sounds blended seamlessly with Brazilian influences, featuring the enchanting vocals of Ully Costa. Hailing from Brasilia, Leticia Fialho and her beautiful "Corpo e Canc?a?o" receive Tahira's magical touch, with Afro-Brazilian Ijexa? rhythm influences and a captivating exploration of the melodic theme. A masterful blend of samba beats and synths, Tahira's "SambaJazz Instrumental Remix" of "Iroke" by Edground showcases his ability to create genre-defying musical experiences. Tahira's remix of "Moqueca" by the exciting trio of Captain Planet, Zuuka Poderosa, and Raphael Futura, combines Brazilian Ijexa? and Latin cumbia percussion in an irresistible up-tempo beat.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: PRO 415LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Steve Roach's 1984 Structures from Silence is an ambient classic often spoken of in the same breath as Eno's Music For Airports. Projekt celebrates Structures' 40th anniversary beautiful remastered edition. The breathing, suspended embrace of atmospheres and serene melodies instantly struck a chord with listeners in 1984; the album continues to reiterate its timeless resonations with new listeners today. This landmark recording of gentle proportions was the birth of something new: an original and pure balance between diaphanous and understated, deep and reflective. Pitchfork: 'Top-40 Best Ambient Albums of All Time. Contemplative bliss, full of purring drones and high notes that shimmer and fade. Like a desert mirage, these structures hover forever at the horizon, an oasis from the din surrounding it.' Structures from Silence remains an iconic American release in the ambient and electronic genres. A well-respected soundtrack for contemplation, relaxation, meditation, and creativity, it's emotional, powerful, and enriching. It is a living example of music's true healing quality. Yoga Journal Magazine: 'Top ten all time releases for Yoga.' Rediscover this timeless classic. The new mastering reveals the stillness within, setting the tone for the next 40 years of silence. Drawing from his 44-year dedication to the evolution of ambient-atmospheric-electronic music, Steve Roach is an internationally-renowned artist who creates timeless ephemeral and empowered spaces that sooth, inspire and enlighten."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RR 394LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

A bona fide legend from the ghettos of western Kingston, Gregory Isaacs was a true reggae original whose voice is one of the greatest of the idiom. His ballads made him a favorite with the ladies, but Gregory addressed social issues with equal conviction, and tales of rude boy life were sung firsthand. Maximum Respect is a digital killer from the early 1990s, cut for the pioneering sound system owner Count Shelley, the durable rhythms provided by Steelie and Clevie and the Firehouse Crew. With love ballads, reality tunes and songs praising the dancehall, Gregory covers all the bases and more. This is a must for all true Gregory fans!

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RR 396LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

John Holt began his career in ska, came to prominence in the Paragons in rock steady and achieved international breakthroughs as a solo roots crooner, remaining versatile in terms of approach and subject matter. Peace Maker is an intriguing album of the mid-1990s, this time recorded between Jamaica and the UK with top-class musicians such as Sly and Robbie, Lindel Lewis and Steely of Steely and Clevie fame. With his voice entirely undiminished and a mixture of romance ballads and songs of social commentary, this is another fine collection that will delight all John Holt fans, as well as reggae heads who favor the sentimental.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RR 397LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Dynamic dancehall singer Anthony Johnson began his career in the mid-1970s, cutting a few sides for Channel One before he joined the group Mystic I who cut some great work for Lee Perry and Linval Thompson before disbanding, leading to the hit material Johnson cut for Jah Thomas as a solo singer. Togetherness dates from 1993, when Johnson was long based in London, but his singing kills remained on par as in his heyday, the album a mix of ballads, pop adaptations and songs of dancehall appeal, the soave production values and one-off vocal style making it popular in Brazil and other territories. A lost gem, ripe for rediscovery!

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: R-M 205LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In Words is the first solo album by the Danish musician, composer, and visual artist Alexander Tillegreen. The album represents a series of varied electronic music pieces while also carrying examples of ongoing work with psychoacoustic phenomena. Composed partly of material taken from his artistic practice as an installation artist and his ongoing interdisciplinary artistic research into psychoacoustic phenomena, Tillegreen investigates subjective sonic perception and the negotiation of language. Particularly, these investigations are done through the use of the phantom word illusion, originally discovered by music psychologist Diana Deutsch. Tillegreen's unique sound works unfold like a kaleidoscope of phonetic mirrors which render possibilities to reflect upon the listener's own psychological and culturally situated linguistic embeddedness. Gender-distorted voice perception, speech and language borders are all challenged and thematized throughout Tillegreen's work. The polyrhythmic seriality of spatialized syllabic structures is accompanied by elements of heavy bass drops, high-frequency tensions, undulating synth lines, and hypnotic effects. Some of the many compositional potentials of the phantom word illusions are exercised and unfolded in selected tracks throughout the album. Other parts of the album represent more diverse approaches to abstract electronic music. In Words morphs soundscapes into glacial, spherical passages of ambient backdrops, while at other times emphasizes raw tectonic blocks of hyper-panning drones that erupt into high-velocity outlets of energetic, granular fields. Tillegreen is alternating between cyclical, minimalist, hypnotic approaches and complex, glitchy polyrhythmic melodic structures that shift and melt into evocative ambiences. The phantom words and the nature of Tillegreen's musical visions progressively demand more of the listener's attention and represent the artist's ongoing artistic work and scientific research into psychoacoustics and language. While In Words is a highly conceptual album, the musical bandwidth is extensive.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: R-M 209EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

ASA (Arturo Lanz, Saverio Evangelista, AtomTM ) are the last three futurists on earth. Radial is the result of a vivid creative merge between Esplendor Geom?trico and AtomTM. A transparent diamond formed by a heavy implosion. Its underlying massive mechanics are covered by a crystal surface made to cut reality in half. Just one letter short of 'radical,' this album is no less than exactly that -- an orgy of powerful, blunt repetition and hyperbolic simplicity, a profound evocation of nothingness and its surroundings.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SEC 305W-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Ten killer tracks spanning The Fall's career from 1979 to 2001. Pressed on limited edition white vinyl. The material featured on White Lightning encompasses the period between 1978 and 2001; just short of two-thirds of the group's four-decade existence. White Lightning is presented on white color vinyl including sleeve notes."

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: SHACK 002CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Shack story is one of music's greatest legends. It incorporates hardship, bereavement and chaotic mis-adventure, but above all it tells the tale of beautiful music triumphing over trouble and tragedy. Here's Tom with The Weather boasts a majestic and fresh form. These are magical songs, psychedelic folk songs of the finest Head vintage. Sleepy-eyed, wistful and mystical, yet crafted with a cunning and acute dexterity beyond just about anybody you can think of. The two profoundly Liverpudlian brothers Mick and John Head have made several brilliant albums together, but none as quickly as Here's Tom, which was completed in seven weeks at Brynderwen Studios in North Wales along with drummer Iain Templeton (RIP), bassist Guy Rigby, and producer Jay Reynolds in 2003. In the '80s, the two brothers from the notorious Kensington estate in north Liverpool were singer and guitarist with The Pale Fountains, an effervescent pop group which imploded under the weight of two albums in 1986. The Heads returned in '88 as Shack and a debut album Zilch. In '97, they created a new group called The Strands and recorded the delicate, dreamy masterpiece The Magical World Of The Strands. They spent a long time making another classic HMS Fable, and then decided that next time they wouldn't take quite as long recording. Enter Here's Tom With The Weather. Showcasing John's slow, shy emergence as a songwriter to challenge his brother, toasting Mick's newest confirmation as the most unrecognised genius of his or any other generation. "The journey we've had together has been beautifully turbulent," laughs John. "But there's times when we glide and we're gliding forward now." Mick agrees. "Making this album has been frantic, chaos, carnage, intense: the normal way with us. But it doesn't sound like that. That's all that matters. The story is what it is. But so are the songs and so are the records. Because we're good." Nobody could disagree with that.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: SHACK 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. The Shack story is one of music's greatest legends. It incorporates hardship, bereavement and chaotic mis-adventure, but above all it tells the tale of beautiful music triumphing over trouble and tragedy. Here's Tom with The Weather boasts a majestic and fresh form. These are magical songs, psychedelic folk songs of the finest Head vintage. Sleepy-eyed, wistful and mystical, yet crafted with a cunning and acute dexterity beyond just about anybody you can think of. The two profoundly Liverpudlian brothers Mick and John Head have made several brilliant albums together, but none as quickly as Here's Tom, which was completed in seven weeks at Brynderwen Studios in North Wales along with drummer Iain Templeton (RIP), bassist Guy Rigby, and producer Jay Reynolds in 2003. In the '80s, the two brothers from the notorious Kensington estate in north Liverpool were singer and guitarist with The Pale Fountains, an effervescent pop group which imploded under the weight of two albums in 1986. The Heads returned in '88 as Shack and a debut album Zilch. In '97, they created a new group called The Strands and recorded the delicate, dreamy masterpiece The Magical World Of The Strands. They spent a long time making another classic HMS Fable, and then decided that next time they wouldn't take quite as long recording. Enter Here's Tom With The Weather. Showcasing John's slow, shy emergence as a songwriter to challenge his brother, toasting Mick's newest confirmation as the most unrecognised genius of his or any other generation. "The journey we've had together has been beautifully turbulent," laughs John. "But there's times when we glide and we're gliding forward now." Mick agrees. "Making this album has been frantic, chaos, carnage, intense: the normal way with us. But it doesn't sound like that. That's all that matters. The story is what it is. But so are the songs and so are the records. Because we're good." Nobody could disagree with that.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: SHACK 002X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Red color vinyl. The Shack story is one of music's greatest legends. It incorporates hardship, bereavement and chaotic mis-adventure, but above all it tells the tale of beautiful music triumphing over trouble and tragedy. Here's Tom with The Weather boasts a majestic and fresh form. These are magical songs, psychedelic folk songs of the finest Head vintage. Sleepy-eyed, wistful and mystical, yet crafted with a cunning and acute dexterity beyond just about anybody you can think of. The two profoundly Liverpudlian brothers Mick and John Head have made several brilliant albums together, but none as quickly as Here's Tom, which was completed in seven weeks at Brynderwen Studios in North Wales along with drummer Iain Templeton (RIP), bassist Guy Rigby, and producer Jay Reynolds in 2003. In the '80s, the two brothers from the notorious Kensington estate in north Liverpool were singer and guitarist with The Pale Fountains, an effervescent pop group which imploded under the weight of two albums in 1986. The Heads returned in '88 as Shack and a debut album Zilch. In '97, they created a new group called The Strands and recorded the delicate, dreamy masterpiece The Magical World Of The Strands. They spent a long time making another classic HMS Fable, and then decided that next time they wouldn't take quite as long recording. Enter Here's Tom With The Weather. Showcasing John's slow, shy emergence as a songwriter to challenge his brother, toasting Mick's newest confirmation as the most unrecognised genius of his or any other generation. "The journey we've had together has been beautifully turbulent," laughs John. "But there's times when we glide and we're gliding forward now." Mick agrees. "Making this album has been frantic, chaos, carnage, intense: the normal way with us. But it doesn't sound like that. That's all that matters. The story is what it is. But so are the songs and so are the records. Because we're good." Nobody could disagree with that.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: SPITTLEDD 004LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. Pioneers, that's what they're called. Not properly a giant team, but a bunch of forward-thinking producers. In the heyday of the Italo disco there was some forward thinking, a new way to address the club scene. 1985 is the golden year and if you want to get to the core of the synth-pop experience. Look no further! This previously unreleased compilation collects a series of unbelievable tracks. An outstanding vision featuring la cr?me de la cr?me of the early '80s scene. All the way from electro wizard Alexander Robotnick to the astonishing performance of vocalist Mya Fracassini, through the French connection of Bigazzi brothers of Mon Bijou. Also features Mya & The Mirror, Na?f Orchestra, and Gina & The Flexix.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 148LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Challenge was released in 1981 on Bootleg, a record label born inside a record store in Pavia with the same name. Challenge keeps the original and uncompromising punk attitude alive. Three groups: No Suicide (from the Udine province), Mercenary God (from Gemona), No Submission (from Treviso), all sick children of the industrious, rich and Christian Democratic north-eastern part of Italy. I read about them in 'New Fahrenheit' (a controversial article about local rivalries, common backgrounds and eventually separate roads) but I don't know their music. Something tells me that Challenge is the record I was looking for, perhaps because of its very powerful cover with no slogans, and a circled 'A.' I send the money in a sealed envelope and wait. When the package arrives, I open it, I put the record on the turntable and let the needle go. The first listen is enough to realize that this is a crucial release, a real 'challenge.' The challenge is against an indifferent market. The instrument is a sound that is already changing skin. No Suicide, Mercenary God, and No Submission have nothing to do with Great Complotto, they are the other face of the northeastern underground. Punk is their background, (read 'hardcore' for No Suicide) but for all of them there is a progressive detachment from the original material, including a common attitude towards the caustic sound coming from the harshest side of British wave. A classic example of 'work in progress' able to generate great songs like 'The Degraded Men' by No Submission (the band that later evolved into Wax Heroes), one of the peaks of Italian post-punk. Mercenary God will give birth to The Sex, while No Suicide with their tight hypnotic hardcore will disbanded soon. It's 1981 when the rain clouds on the Challenge front cover seem to remind us that the wind is going to change soon. Three bands, 11 songs, an unearthed piece of history, 43 years after its first release. Thanks to this reissue, Challenge is now back on track. A different disc, today as then." --Luca Frazzi

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 150LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"The Missing Boys is a film born from the need to tell the story of the emergence and affirmation of a forgotten music scene, like much of the youth movement that spread in metropolitan areas as well as in the provinces more than forty years ago, dealing with the same critical issues of everywhere. It's a story of mostly unknown bands, who from Sardinia, especially from Cagliari and Sassari, interrupt the blissful isolation of an island, only apparently distant from that revolution that ignited wherever there was a stage and a power socket. The birth of a path that began with punk and quickly transformed into a magmatic picture where research, experimentation, sound subversions and slivers of darkness, shape a multifaceted and unique scene in balance between affinities and divergences with its whole surroundings. The examined period between 1979 and 1989 marks a seminal decade, a ten-years-time-frame linked to an indelible generational transition, like an imaginary journey 'from the ants to the clouds,' an invisible thread suspended between those kids and their great dream. This album contains music from a vibrant and uncompromising season, just like all that cannot be recognized as industrial product and maintains an independent spirit." --Davide CatinariFeaturing Cr?pesuzette, Physique Du R?le, Polarphoto, D?mod?, Weltanschauung, Ici On Va Faire, Rosadelleceneri, Vapore 36, Anonimia, Agor?, Autosuggestion, Quartz, and Maniumane.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SUBSOUND 131LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

The Kotiomkin band was born from a great passion for '60s/'70s/'80s Italian genre cinema, a series of movies characterized by aesthetically innovative approach, in complete opposition to the mainstream and to more or less politicized intellectual cinema of the time. The duo devote themselves to the creation of instrumental soundtracks for non-existent movies, with invented plots featured in the liner notes, having as a reference the classic soundtracks of the time but revisiting them with the violence of the most modern stoner, pushing the boundaries of doom. It is the rediscovery of a never really finished cinematic world that is also celebrated in terms of its extraordinary soundtracks by musicians such as the masters Ennio Morricone, Nico Fidenco, Fabio Frizzi, Franco Micalizzi, Berto Pisano, Lallo Gori, up to bands such as Goblin, Osanna, Libra, Marc 4, and many others. Kotiomkin not only look at horror movies but also at those more niche genres, ranging from erotic, to "giallo," to "poliziottesco," and more extreme subgenres such as cannibal movies, "mondo" movies, or sexploitation, all with a violence of sounds unknown to Italian B-movies.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SUBSOUND 131LTD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Quad color vinyl version. The Kotiomkin band was born from a great passion for '60s/'70s/'80s Italian genre cinema, a series of movies characterized by aesthetically innovative approach, in complete opposition to the mainstream and to more or less politicized intellectual cinema of the time. The duo devote themselves to the creation of instrumental soundtracks for non-existent movies, with invented plots featured in the liner notes, having as a reference the classic soundtracks of the time but revisiting them with the violence of the most modern stoner, pushing the boundaries of doom. It is the rediscovery of a never really finished cinematic world that is also celebrated in terms of its extraordinary soundtracks by musicians such as the masters Ennio Morricone, Nico Fidenco, Fabio Frizzi, Franco Micalizzi, Berto Pisano, Lallo Gori, up to bands such as Goblin, Osanna, Libra, Marc 4, and many others. Kotiomkin not only look at horror movies but also at those more niche genres, ranging from erotic, to "giallo," to "poliziottesco," and more extreme subgenres such as cannibal movies, "mondo" movies, or sexploitation, all with a violence of sounds unknown to Italian B-movies.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: SVVRCH 083LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. After a debut single in 1977, forward-thinking Edinburgh punk band The Rezillos signed to Sire, leading the band to record their acclaimed debut Can't Stand the Rezillos in New York, where co-produced Bob Clearmountain drew out the best of their abilities. The anthemic "Top of the Pops" reached the UK top-20 and spirited punk covers of The Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over," Gerry & The Pacemakers' "I Like It," and Fleetwood Mac's "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" added to the appeal. The band would soon split and reform as The Revillos, but nothing beats the power of this unmatched debut LP. Four bonus tracks included, great stuff!

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: TGR 040LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

NYC-based electric cowboy Chillemi announces his sophomore, dark break-up album, Vacant Cowboy. Singing with an enigmatic allure, Chillemi's style paints with broad strokes of cinematic themes. The solo project of Brian Chillemi (Rose Cologne, Junk Boys), his debut album With Woman was released in April 2021 on Swiss indie label Taxi Gauche Records. After moving to Los Angeles from his native home of New York City just months before the pandemic, Chillemi returned to Manhattan to put the finishing touches on this LP. Edition of 200.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: TRESOR 329EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. Propulsive techno solicitations abound on Ideoma, the debut EP from Oscean, a collaboration from Sebastia?n Galante, also known as Seph, and Andre?s Zacco. The two are figureheads of Argentina's techno sound, with releases on labels such as Insurgentes, Echocord Colour, and Ilian Tape over the last decade. Galante and Zacco join forces for the first time with inspiring effects, moving forward with vast paces, unshifting footsteps, with uneven prisms of electronic rhythm. Its direct intent and crisp sonic detail conjure a cinematic and nocturnal drive, unearthing subterranean pulses that leave all in its wake. With Ideoma, Tresor presents a whirlwind of dense movement and cosmic energy that twists on percussive bends and distorting spirits. "Spiral" recalls natural phenomena, bound tight, with a rugged texture like no other, as flickers of sound processing suggest lift-off. The flanging "Feral" exudes a potent demeanor, wicked and unceasing. The ebbing melodics of "Spacion" hark back to '90s ambient techno and yet possess a rhythmic cut and thrust that navigates unchartered terrain. Transmuting beyond planet earth, further into the extra-terrestrial, Galante and Zacco mask fractal brush- strokes with hurrying rhythms. They smear primitive and sharp sonics, pressed with dizzying resilience. The nosediving FM synths of "Austraal" beckon a haunting trip, cloaked in a trance of motion and forever eschewing all prediction.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: VHF 159LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Delicate and beautiful music from the combined forced of the recently ubiquitous East-Coast psychedelic combo Elkhorn and Pelt's Mike Gangloff, laying down two epic raga-like performances captured on a 2022 collaborative tour. Gangloff -- fresh from the triumph of his VHF solo fiddle album Evening Measures -- has found a distinct instrumental voice, blending drone music and trad influences in way that really advances the tradition into new areas. 'East Dauphin Suite' builds patiently on the interlocking acoustic guitars of the Elkhorn duo, with Gangloff's hardanger fiddle carrying the melody over the top. The sound is a neat riff on American primitive, with just enough Appalachian-style touches via Gangloff's careful glissandos cutting through the Vuh-type chords and patterns to create a unique and supremely melodic hybrid. 'Summerfield Raga' takes things further out, with more microtonal variation in the embroidery, with assertive bowing and an increased energy level. Pressed in Chicago and housed in an amazing jacket by Jake Blanchard."

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: VOID 066LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress on black vinyl. "Many call Roger Salloom the underground Dylan because of his incredible songwriting capabilities. Still active today, this album was originally released in tiny quantities back in 1967. Songs like 'Born To Lose,' 'Relativity Blues,' and many more. Kevin Kline (the actor) performs with the Vest Pocket Players on their lengthy improv rap."

 

PRICE: $51.00

CAT #: WE 005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Guitar Solos is the debut solo album of British guitarist, composer, and improviser Fred Frith. It was recorded while Frith was still a member of the English experimental rock group Henry Cow and was released originally in October 1974. Voted one of the best albums of 1974 by NME critics it also attracted the attention of Brian Eno, resulting in Frith playing guitar on two of Eno's albums. Frith's never tiring spirit in creating and performing music has made him one of the most notable and creative guitar players and musicians in the scene of improvised and composed music. For the anniversary of this release, Week-End Records have encouraged Frith to arrange a set up similar to what he used 50 years ago to record an album of new compositions which will accompany the original record.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: WNCL 046EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

WNCL Recordings is back with a series of two-track 10" vinyl battle weapons for your record box. Head honcho of Birmingham based Futurepastzine, Rawtrachs comes through with the tough, rolling beats of "The Hiss" and a twisted take on CEO's "Microfiche Edits" for his WNCL debut.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: WNCL 047EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

WNCL Recordings is back with a series of two-track 10" vinyl battle weapons for your record box. South London badman Pepsi Slammer rounds off a bumper year for WNCL with this previously dubplate only affair, backed with a killer remix from Planet Wax cohort, Dexta.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: WRWTFWW 042CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock. WRWTFWW Records reissue Swiss cult band Grauzone's self-titled album in an expanded "40 Years Anniversary Edition" packed with the original 1981 album plus nine extra songs, as well as extensive liner notes by Swiss music historian Lurker Grand. The pioneering band from Bern (Switzerland) had a short-lived but highly-regarded career which birthed a cult discography that still fascinates and resonates today. Consisting of core members Martin Eicher, Stephan Eicher, and Marco Repetto, and on-and-off participants Christian GT Tr?ssel, Claudine Chirac, and Ingrid Berney, the elusive group broke new grounds in the early '80s, experimenting with punk and industrial music, early techno sounds, minimalism, new wave, pop, and various electronics. With an innovative and polished approach to design, visuals, performance, and all-around style and philosophy on top of their superb music, the constantly transforming unit developed a whole experience -- the Grauzone experience: wild and unpredictable, yet sophisticated and cohesive, or as Swiss music historian Lurker Grand would call it, "an Art band with a Punk attitude." Completely rejecting the music industry rules and refusing to play the game of promotion, touring, release schedules, and TV appearances even though they had a multi-platinum international hit with the song "Eisb?r", the band quickly disintegrated in full convention-defying glory, leaving behind an inspiring music legacy for the world to discover and discover again, one generation after the other. This extended version of their debut (and only) album beautifully crystallizes the Grauzone miracle/accident -- where pop and youthful experimentation meet at (new/cold/no) wave and industrial crossroads, and where classic hits ("Eisb?r", "FILM 2", "Raum", "Tr?ume Mit Mir", "Der Weg Zu Zweit") flawlessly mesh with unconventional deep cuts ("In Der Nacht", "Film 1", "Maik?fer Flieg"). Very simply put: good timeless music with an edge. Stephan Eicher went on to be, arguably, the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and Sylvie Fleury, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin's Rephlex label. Sourced from the original reels and put together under the supervision of band member Stephan Eicher. CD version comes in a digipack.