News & Events

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: 1972 012LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey might be better known as members of legendary post-punk group The Sound, but the two were childhood friends and had been playing together even earlier in The Outsiders, and continued their deep musical rapport as a duo, creating these intense and engaging songs as Second Layer at the same time as their higher profile band output. Following the release of Courts Or Wars, combining their early material, 1972 is proud to reissue their only full length album, World Of Rubber. Fueled by experimentation in both song construction and recording techniques, the duo leave you enveloped in what The Quietus described as 'a monochrome worldview morbidly obsessed with the dehumanizing effect of war, nuclear weapon annihilation, and the fracturing and negation of the self within an increasingly distorted and technologically mediated society.' Indeed, the goal had been to make each album a concept album, with this to be titled: Second Layer's World Of Rubber. Alas, this was to be the first and last of those efforts. New detailed liner notes from Graham Bailey shed considerable light on the creation of this cold classic and its immediate aftermath. Bailey's inventive construction and deconstruction of various electronics, effects boxes and tape loops form the propulsive base for these songs. Borland's guitar playing is jagged and unleashed. Above it all is an undeniable sense of melody and Borland's distinctive vocals. Soon, they would wonder where Second Layer ended and The Sound began, but World Of Rubber would stand as a document of this fertile period. It would also be a lasting testament to their desire to push the boundaries of their creativity. Dark and brooding the result is what Bandcamp described as 'brutally bleak, blank-eyed post-punk that remains chillingly compelling.'"

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ACOLOUR 042LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Percussionist extraordinaire Valentina Magaletti recorded live at Colourful Storm's showcase at Cafe Oto in 2021. Intricate, textural longform percussion pieces comprised of traditional drums, found objects, voice and electroacoustics conjured to hypnotic effect. A rare solo recording, following collaborations with Laila Sakini, Yves Chaudouët, Marlene Ribeiro, and outings for Blume and Takuroku. Extremely curious listening for fans of African Head Charge, The Necks, and followers of Magaletti's collaborative groups, including Moin, Vanishing Twin, and Holy Tongue. First-time vinyl pressing following a short run of cassettes. Full-color reverse-card sleeve with postcard and new artwork by Dennis Tyfus.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: ACT 9056CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"When I started working on Geyser in the fall of 2021, I made a conscious decision to move away from composing music that reflected the pain of the pandemic. Instead, I aimed to create a celebration, capturing the essence of music's triumphant return and the unique atmosphere when musicians come together to perform. The piece was intended to evoke predominantly joyful and optimistic emotions, with the title serving as a metaphor for the music's rhythmic energy, intermittently unleashed in ecstatic bursts, much like water and steam erupting from a pressurized geothermal spring. However, in February 2022, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, leaving me in a state of shock akin to the early days of the pandemic. I had already written a significant portion of the composition, but I found myself unable to complete it. As someone who channels deep emotion into his work, such events invariably impact the music I create. Consequently, I revisited and deconstructed many of the previously written elements, loosening their structure and tonality. This was a symbolic representation of how quickly beauty, pleasantness, and safety can be lost. The darkness and despair triggered by the Russian invasion added a new layer of meaning to the title and its original associations. It also influenced the overall structure of Geyser, which undergoes a transformative journey from darkness to light across its eight movements. Despite the dramatic changes that occurred during the compositional process, the fundamental motivation behind all my music remains constant, whether I am composing a symphony, a saxophone concerto, or engaging in improvisation: I strive to tell a story -- it is the essence of my artistry. My hope is that this story resonates with the listeners." --Marius Neset

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: AMI 056LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Since 2016, Chicago's Luggage has operated according to a less-is-more philosophy, tastefully shuffling spare lyrics in a song space primarily occupied by guitar, bass and drums. This sense of openness and order define Hand Is Bad, their forthcoming album to be released by New York's Amish Records on September 29, 2023. Hand Is Bad arrives in succession of their pandemic-toiled 2021 Happiness EP (Husky Pants) and much like that release, the Chicago band picks their vocabulary carefully both with music and words. Michael Vallera presents guitar rotating around MJ Grant's airy bass rumble, and minimal, metronomic drum thud held down by Luca Cimarusti. Vallera's more abstract and understated musical and artistic past with projects like Cleared (Immune, Utech, Touch, Digitalis), COIN (Opal Tapes) and Maar (Umor Rex and Entr'acte) find their way into the production, arrangement and recording of Hand Is Bad. Grant and Cimarusti's musical output as Basic Cable (Permanent Records) adds a spindly post-punk edge. And it's a definite plus to get Luggage back in at Chicago's Electrical Audio, a place that enhances the crispness with a very distinct, unfettered mix theology. Jeremy Lemos returns as well-dialed-in engineer, recording and mixing in three days with minimal overdubs. Hand Is Bad is a tonal dream full of surprises, including the band members surprising themselves with some clear new pathways blazed since Happiness. For years there was a lot of challenging gravity going on, and for this outing it seems Hand Is Bad enhanced their own atmosphere to escape the Earth's."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: BING 202LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"While possibly not the first ambient record to be inspired by J Dilla's Donuts, Secret Pyramid's A Vanishing Touch is in rarified company. The two seem antithetical -- with Donuts a now classic collection of short beats compiled together and A Vanishing Touch being a forty-minute suite consisting of fourteen pieces. However, like any genre, ambient music has a lot more going on beneath the surface than might be initially gleaned. From the start, Amir Abbey dropped his usual songwriting process of long contemplation and careful sculpting. 'I let the pieces live and breathe, and I spent a lot less time tweaking and editing. This allowed the record to come together quickly, with Abbey working on it nightly after his work day had ended. Working at home, as he always has, Abbey embeds synths, tape loops and processing, horns, ondes martenot, guitar, bass, and organ within the multi-tiered composition of A Vanishing Touch. Sounds morph, bleed, fade, and permeate with moments where a listener is able to make out what is being played at that moment. Each measure feels deep, singular, mysterious, and unconfined. It's a new approach to ambience?the magic of the moment as a moment, not stretched beyond its point in time."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BALMAT 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress! Balmat's first release comes from Luke Sanger, a Norwich, UK-based artist whose two decades of electronic music-making have encompassed a range of tools and techniques, from MaxMSP to modular synthesis. Along the way he has built an extensive catalog encompassing ambient atmospheres, abstract soundscaping, and more. With Languid Gongue, he puts multiple approaches into play. Experiments in microtonal composition balance out pieces in standard tunings, while esoteric electronic machines merge with familiar acoustic treatments and microphone techniques. The result is a constellation of his signature sounds: freeform new-age fantasia; spring-loaded toytronic arpeggios; quartz-driven braindance clockworks. Drifting between consonant, almost lyrical compositions and shape-shifting textural sketches, the album drifts with the nonchalance of a sky-high cirrus cloud, and it glows as if illuminated from within. When the label heard the material, they knew that it was the perfect choice to launch the label. To Balmat, it sounds like a roadmap for points unknown.Balmat is a new label with a cloudy outline. Jointly shepherded by Philip Sherburne and Albert Salinas, two friends living in Cardedeu, Catalonia, and on the Balearic island of Menorca, Balmat grew out of Lapsus Radio, a weekly show on Spain's Radio 3. Balmat's mission is simple: to foster new ideas, expand upon personal obsessions, and put enveloping sounds out into the world. "Balmat" means "empty" or "void" in Catalan. But quite apart from any negative connotations, the label prefer to think of it in terms of possibility: a space waiting to be filled.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BJR 093CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Following on from 2020's debut album Vodou Alé and two EPs last year, the collaboration between Haitian seven-piece Chouk Bwa and Belgian production duo The Ångströmers return with their second album Somanti. Full of Afro-Caribbean voodoo polyrhythms and bass-weight dub electronics, the group count the likes of Gilles Peterson, Gideon Coe, Trevor Jackson, and Worldwide FM as fans. Brutally separated by the COVID crisis, the band went back on stage in 2022 and performed about thirty concerts in Europe. Between two concert series, they took the opportunity to record their live set. The connection between the well-preserved vodou tradition on one hand, and analog electronics on the other hand, gets deeper and deeper, with also a kind of rage due to the incredible difficulty of the world. The musical result is wild and full of twists and blasts. It's in-your-face.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: BPX 025EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

BPitch present a new EP of unfiltered techno and impeccable sound design by Turin-based duo Boston 168. Following on from three releases on the label and a 2019 appearance on its hotly tipped sub label UFO Inc, the duo head for cavernous industrial spaces and vivid psychedelic trips with Gigantia. Having produced music together since 2014, Sergio Pace and Vincenzo Ferramosca have built a name for themselves from a particularly spatial strain of techno that has afforded them an illustrious career to date. Gigantia sees the duo drawing upon the industrial roots of their hometown, merging a range of influences with a distinctly melodic take on acid techno.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BR 012-025LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

R.Y.F. (Francesca Morello) announces the original soundtrack of Tutto Brucia, the new theatrical show by Motus, via Bronson Recordings; Tutto Brucia (Music From The Motus Show) is the original soundtrack composed by R.Y.F. for the homonymous new theatrical show by the acclaimed Motus theater company by Daniela Nicolò and Enrico Casagrande (MDLSX, Panorama, NELLA TEMPESTA), that sees her as protagonist on stage -- on songs and live music -- together with Silvia Calderoni and Stefania Tansini. Morello says she created the music, based on the union between the electric guitar and a more and more free and powerful voice, starting from improvisation, that means following her usual instinct. This is why it was decided to record live Tutto Brucia (Music From The Motus Show), during a show at the Triennale, in Milan, in November 2021, in order to represent the fundamental interaction between music and text. Recording, editing and mixing were completed by Andrea Cola, who carried out a remarkable production work, masterfully depicting the depth of the theatrical spaces. Finally, the master was entrusted to Giovanni Versari. Music and lyrics by R.Y.F. (Francesca Morello).

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: BECD 231001CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"The Dave Brubeck Quartet's Live from the Northwest, 1959 is the newest release from Brubeck Editions, the family-run label that only puts out music of the highest musical and technical quality. These exciting performances were recorded by the trailblazing and iconic audio engineer, Wally Heider, who pioneered the art of remote recording from his 'studio on wheels.' The sound he achieved is stellar, and this is perhaps the best live recording you can hear of one the most popular jazz groups of all time. The tapes were recorded in April, 1959 at the Multnomah Jazz Club and Clark College, both in the Portland, Oregon area. On this recording you can hear the Quartet's mastery of spontaneous counterpoint improvisation. Four months later, the Dave Brubeck Quartet's focus shifted to polytonal and polyrhythmic approaches when the group recorded the legendary Time Out, and changed the course of jazz forever."

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: BB 431CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Oui Bitte is the eleventh studio album by Station 17 and was recorded in Forellenhof, Nordhastedt, North Germany. In 2001, the legendary label Mute Records released the album Mikroprofessor with remixes by DJ Koze, Thomas Fehlmann, Justus Kohncke, and To Rococo Rot. In 2011, the Goldstein Variations Remixes followed, including versions by Erobique, Tobias Thomas, but also by Ada and Mense Reents. Timidly, the band began to ask their favorite producers most of whom agreed without hesitation. Soon, a top-class remix of Oui Bitte came together, with a who's who of the local electronic music landscape, and even if only the bases of the original pieces are recognizable, a completely new listening experience has been created here. It's grown into an independent work through the versatility of the participants and their expertise and can be enjoyed detached from the original material. As if by magic, a simultaneously stringent and diverse vibe has emerged that makes Oui Mixe more than just an addition to Oui Bitte. Also featuring Efdemin, Paul Frick ist mude, Pantha du Prince Sharing Lunch with Apes, and Toto Belmont Sophisti.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CF 148CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The band is John Dwyer (synths, vocals), Heather Lockie (viola), Thomas Dolas (synths), Andres Renteria (hand percussion), Brad Caulkins (tenor saxophone), Kyp Malone (synths) and Archie Carey (bassoon). The singers are YoshimiO (Boredoms, OOIOO), Albert Wolski (EXEK), Gracie Jackson (GracieHorse), Ciriza (Artist Extraordinaire), Kyp Malone (Bent Arcana, TV On The Radio, Rain Machine), Brigid Dawson (Thee Oh Sees, The Mothers Network), AZITA (Scissor Girls, Bride of NONO, AZITA). For fans of Steve Roach, Eno, Syrinx, Howard Shore, Current 93, Terry Riley, Tangerine Dream, and a proper sage scrub."

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: CNERS 2302LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Second album by Cinedelic Records to complete the discography of Moana Pozzi. Includes three previously unreleased tracks. Moana Pozzi in the late 1980s, following in the footsteps of her illustrious colleague Ilona Staller/Cicciolina, made her official singing debut by recording several songs arranged and produced by Jayhorus, a pseudonym of Carlo Rustichelli's esteemed son: Paolo Rustichelli. The music ended up in several of her films as well as being performed in her hot live shows. Discographically at the time only a few tracks were released on 7" and 12" singles that are now cult collector's items for fetishists and weird DJs. At last, Cinedelic has gotten their hands on the original masters, unearthing some unreleased ones as well, producing a luxurious gatefold LP. Unmissable!

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: DDCT 006LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Catalogue number 6 from Dedicate highlights a reissue from a timeless beat mixtape dropped in a prestreaming era in 2012. The original 2rbostatic was released as a handmade USB flash drive/cassette tape hybrid in combination with a free download. For the first time, the remastered version will be on vinyl. On 50 minutes playtime Kollege Schnürschuh expresses his affection for hip-hop with 27 (almost) exclusively instrumental tracks representing the full spectrum of musical influences in all shapes and forms. A short entertaining journey through MPC sampling and synth sounds with an extraordinary love for details. Also featuring King Solomon.

 

PRICE: $9.00

CAT #: DKR 124RE-EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"New pressings of Digikiller's very first two Wackie's releases from over a decade ago, first released in February, 2013. Back then, these Joe Axumite and Wayne Jarrett 45's were remastered from original vinyl copies, as the tapes were MIA. In the years since Digikiller has been hard at work sourcing master tapes all over the place, including ones long thought lost or left behind. Fortunately, the tape was found for these singles a couple years ago, and since they've been out of press for a while, it seemed only right to remaster them now straight off the original tapes for optimum quality. The Joe Axumite 45 is probably my all-time favorite Wackie's single, a defiant polemic against mere reform in a corrupt system, with a brilliant echo overdosed mix that perfectly encapsulates Wackie's late '70s sound. Likewise, the Wayne Jarrett is equally canonical Wackie's, a killer vocal on one of the best original rhythms from the studio, back with a killer Jerry Johnson horns dub."

 

PRICE: $9.00

CAT #: DKR 125RE-EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"New pressings of Digikiller's very first two Wackie's releases from over a decade ago, first released in February, 2013. Back then, these Joe Axumite and Wayne Jarrett 45's were remastered from original vinyl copies, as the tapes were MIA. In the years since Digikiller has been hard at work sourcing master tapes all over the place, including ones long thought lost or left behind. Fortunately, the tape was found for these singles a couple years ago, and since they've been out of press for a while, it seemed only right to remaster them now straight off the original tapes for optimum quality. The Joe Axumite 45 is probably my all-time favorite Wackie's single, a defiant polemic against mere reform in a corrupt system, with a brilliant echo overdosed mix that perfectly encapsulates Wackie's late '70s sound. Likewise, the Wayne Jarrett is equally canonical Wackie's, a killer vocal on one of the best original rhythms from the studio, back with a killer Jerry Johnson horns dub."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 210EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Moja Nya's Freedom For Trots EP. Killer Wackie's from 1978, originally released on the Jumbo Caribbean Disco label run by Brooklyn's African Record Center shop. Deep roots discomixes on both sides. Essential and finally back out."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 220EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Double sided killer Wackie's from 1978. Originally released on the Jumbo Caribbean Disco label from Brooklyn. "Big Leg Mary" is on the same rhythm as Wayne Jarrett's killer "Come Let's Go." "Wasn't It You" is a different cut from the earlier one on the Senrab label, but equally as killer. Both sides fully smoked out dubwise trademark Wackie's style. Essential."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 225EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"A couple of excellent Wackie's 12" sides from the '80s now paired together for maximum pressure. Each originally appeared on separate 12"s in approximately '85 and '80 respectively. The A-side is another killer Sugar Minott shot, one of his many for Wackie's. That is paired with a more obscure one in the Wackie's catalog, "Zion Land," a great shimmering and chanting roots tune which is tough to find on original pressing."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 244EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Message from the Congo finds Bob Soul & The United Stars chanting a message of rastafari over the propulsive uptempo rhythm driven by the late Carly Barrett's masterful drumming. The harmonizers in the 'United Stars' as they are dubbed on this record, were actually members of both the Righteous Flames and Rocking Horses vocal groups. In hindsight Digikiller finds in this track King Tubby prefiguring not only the remix and the 'edit,' but also the frantic yet orchestrated chaos of a lot of the complex electronic dance music that would begin to come into its own a full decade later. To try and describe the magic herein would be pointless, you must simply listen to Tubby deconstruct and reconstruct the rhythm using a melange of his now famous tools and techniques to devastating effect. Indeed, it is tracks like this one which made the man himself and those very techniques now so famous. These two tracks were originally released in Jamaica on both the Gemini and Danger Zone labels (in identical mixes). On the flip side of this first 12" is Billy Hutch's little known vocal on the rhythm, entitled 'Ten Long Years.' The soulful vocal finds Bill in top form, and this track was originally released on Bill's very first album Reggae Showcase, released only in NYC and extremely tough to track down. Rounding out the 12" is a real treat, a previously unreleased different take of 'Message from the Congo,' with different harmonies, and a background voice telling you 'this is a message...,' bringing the title of the song sharply into focus."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 249EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Finally realized, here's one that was long on the DKR wish list. Among the very finest moments from both artists, these brilliant interpolations of Curtis' classics have been unavailable too long. A mesmerizing rhythm adorned with the lovely sounds of hand drums, melodica and flute, mixed and dubbed to perfection by King Tubby himself. This 12" is a six-track EP, with all four cuts as originally released on two separate 45s, plus two unreleased mixes straight off the original tapes. Digikiller likes to think Tubbs favored these cuts, as so many mixes were done! The dub titled "Super Cool" is one of Tubby's top ten extant mixes. All tracks except "Super Cool Pt. 2" come from the original Jamaican mastertapes."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 259EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Digikiller returns to its long running Tasha reissue program with a unique pair of 12" releases, each with something old meeting something new. The first one features the roots veteran Prince Alla, school mate of producer George Nicholson. 'Can't Fool I' has Alla voicing over a killer rhythm cut at Channel 1 with the Revolutionaries back in 1978, at Tasha's first ever recording session. Finally voiced and mixed again over 40 years later, to great effect. The flip side 'Easy Skanking' has Alla in fine style over a great new rhythm licked by Danny Bassie of Firehouse Crew and long-time Channel 1/Tasha associate, the one and only Barnabas"

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DKR 260EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Digikiller returns to its long-running Tasha reissue program with a unique pair of 12" releases, each with something old meeting something new. The second of the pair features one of Digikiller's personal favorite artists, Icho Candy. The A-side 'Get Up Natty' was cut at Channel 1 in the mid '80s with the Gifted Roots Band, like much of Tasha's best material. It is released here for the first time. The B-side features a new tune, recently recorded, with Icho still in fine voice, over a tuff new rhythm licked by Danny Bassie of Firehouse Crew and long-time Channel 1/Tasha associate, the one and only Barnabas.'

 

PRICE: $9.00

CAT #: DKR 262EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"One of a pair of absolute killer late '80s singjay reality tunes, originally released back to back on one notoriously rare 12". Despite being from '87 these tunes have a wicked mid 80s style 'live digital' sound with a band on the rhythm. These tunes were produced in Jamaica by Delroy Francis for his Claypot imprint. Delroy is better known as the producer behind the Park Heights label and record shop, one of Brooklyn's foundational players in the record biz. This batch of releases kicks off a long-planned program of Park Heights productions, featuring as always rarities and previously unreleased tunes. These Nuthead tracks are recut from the mixdown master tape, the original '87 mixes for maximum pressure; a previous reissue of these tunes from a decade ago featured new mixes done at that time."

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: DC 863EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Limited pressing reissue of the 2008 Sub Pop single, the first OM recording featuring Emil Amos on drums. B-side features the band's first dub version."

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: EFR 004LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

As one of the three inaugural 1976 releases to ignite the mythical Mustevic Music catalogue, David Wertman's elusive Kara Suite LP was the first record to turn jazz drummer Steve Reid's vanity imprint into an bona fide cooperative record label with a multi-artist repertoire. Entrusting his own bass player with the limelight, Reid's unlikely A&R decision would typify his oblique strategies and challenge the common perception of a soloist within jazz's shifting landscape. Drawing few comparisons amongst independent label releases of the time, Wertman's only solo album combined frenetic bow work, intricate spiritual exchanges and raucous rock solid cyclic riffage to underpin his own compositional complexities. Providing a platform for first-time players like Richard Schatzberg (French horn) and future avant jazz punk participant Ken Simon (tenor/soprano sax) Kara Suite provides an early indication of Wertman's multilayered and non-conformist blueprint from which the hallowed New Life Trio would eventually illuminate. The album's off-kilter commitment is further cemented by the inclusion of worldly free jazz luminary Charles Tyler (alto sax) and the naturalistic back-beat of Steve Reid himself to complete the dream team -- albeit a sleepless one, on account of this one-off quintet's wide-eyed innovation. Presented in four parts, Kara Suite documents Wertman's very first musical directorial commitment to vinyl, preceded only by guest appearances, months earlier, on Steve Reid's classic Rhythmatism and the ultra-rare The Universal Jazz Symphonette LP which chronicles Wertman's deep-end New York baptism alongside Billy Bang and Earl Freeman before his relocation to Northampton forged this unique and oblique chapter in America's independent jazz narrative. As one of the final pages to be turned in the Mustevic reappraisal legacy this album perhaps remains the best kept secret for aficionados who actively choose to blur the lines between spiritual jazz and free jazz with no discrimination against art rock and the genre that might soon be christened punk (but not as we know it). Finally resurrected via the Finders Keepers/Early Future unison, complete with full cooperation and sleeve note narration by David's partner Lynne Meryl, it might come as little surprise that amongst these pillars of alternative, privately pressed jazz is a story that also intertwines names such as Alice Cooper, Archie Shepp, KISS, and DJ Shadow and many mutating musical genres that have made this music so hard to pin down over the subsequent five decades.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: ET 944LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Double LP version. Les Chakachas Disco Sudamericana was released by CBS Sugar in 1974, and when it originally came out did not receive the attention it deserved. Disco Sudamericana is a rich album in terms of catchy tracks and killer grooves. "Super Cat," "Liza& Brooks," and "Selling Mango" are just some of the peaks here. This is yet another major release on the legendary Easy Tempo label, offering this time two extra tracks not featured on the original release!

 

PRICE: $11.50

CAT #: ESPDISK 5083CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

ESP-Disk presents They Tried To Kill Me Yesterday. Frequently lyrical, sometimes hard-hitting, nostalgic for jazz and R&B, proud of African-American heroes, Paul r. Harding has been around, has seen and heard things he reflects on and refracts to us with vivid words. Based in upstate New York, he's joined by bassist Michael Bisio (Matthew Shipp Trio) and, on half the tracks, by percussionist Juma Sultan (who played with Jimi Hendrix).

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: FC 061LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Channeling the speed of youth and the heaviness of a fleshy, lived life in equal proportion, Upchuck's second LP, Bite the Hand That Feeds, is a Trojan Horse par excellence, craftily smuggling in waves of sentimental emotion and clever pop songwriting under a veil of pulsing rhythms and scorching riffs. What binds Upchuck together is a purity of intention, an organic loyalty to a thick knot of uncalculated friendships, struggles, and desires. These are songs about the joy of continuing to live, songs that find each other in the rush of a crushing reality, propelling the listener onward towards a collective release, however brief it may last. Themes of surviving through the night, youth-blinded love, cheap champagne soaked back-alley parties, and chaotic street protests are subsumed under a single unifying thread: the needs we have for one another, our shared hunger for connection. In a world saturated with arbitrary rules and paper-thin moralism, Upchuck offer freedom through sensation, a type of unserious transcendence found through the swirl of bodies melting into one another in the passion of dance. With Bite the Hand That Feeds, Upchuck isn't trying to tell anyone how to live. Rather, they are simply trying to find a way to make life more worth living for both themselves and their friends -- if the music compels you to move, you might as well consider yourself their friend too. The razor tight focus of Bite the Hand That Feeds was forged in the fire of these live shows, speaking directly to the power of their in-person presence -- these are songs meant to be heard pressed up against a barricade, blasted through dimed guitar amps placed so close to your ears that you can practically reach out and touch them. In its totality, Bite the Hand That Feeds offers a sonic portrait of what it feels like to be young and caught up in the thrill of it all, coursing between ripping dance grooves and thundering dirges, anti-self-serious crowd anthems and charming pop hooks."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: FARO 022X-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock; LP version. 180 gram vinyl; Includes download code. Up until Nova Bossa Nova, Marcos Valle's first release for Far Out Recordings originally released in 1997, Marcos Valle hadn't released an album for well over a decade. After 1983, he resented the way the music industry had changed with commercialization and new demands curtailing his creative freedom. This was until 1994 when Marcos met Far Out Recordings boss Joe Davis and they recorded a track for Far Out's first Friends From Rio album. This new collaborative partnership resulted in a new solo album, which commenced recording in 1996. Nova Bossa Nova brought Marcos bouncing back into the '90s, slotting nicely in place alongside the acid jazz movement as well as a voracious new demand for Brazilian music on dancefloors from London to Tokyo. It was witnessing the London club scene's growing appetite for Brazilian music, as well as a lack of new sounds coming out of Brazil at the time, that a young Joe Davis put in a proposal to record a new album with one of his musical idols. Joe wanted to facilitate an album which would combine the latest technologies and production techniques, with live to analog tape recording: a Marcos Valle album tailor-made for London's clubs. Always open to modern influences and possibilities, Marcos agreed to the project, and Joe and his production partner Roc Hunter flew to Rio in '96. The record wasn't released until '98, as the original ½ inch tapes were stolen from Far Out's London studio, meaning parts of the album had to be re-recorded. Nova Bossa Nova was unveiled at the peak of the of the Brazilian movement, the record would also prove to be something of a revolution, inspiring a new generation of artists like Bebel Gilberto, Sabrina Malheiros, Da Lata, and Bossacucanova, who continued to fuse Brazilian influences with modern electronic sounds. The album takes a panoramic view of Valle's career, which was so fundamental in defining the standard of bossa back in the sixties and continues to do so to this day. "Nova Bossa Nova", the album's title track is an update on Marcos's trademark style, developing a more modern, funkier sound. Other gems include the dancefloor ready re-work of his 1970 hit "Freio Aerodynamico", and the smooth instrumentals "Bar Ingles", a jazz fusion looper, and the sun-soaked samba "Nordeste".

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FEELIT 104LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The artist works in a museum and that museum is rock and roll. In a world of meme punk rockabilly grandads, it's the classicists that really have something to say. Straight lines, hooks, and a clear path to your heart. They might not be dbeat heart throbs, but no one else can give you that feeling that you can hold on to a moment like you are driving too fast down Route 60 and it's never going to end. In 20 years when you skulk the dark alleyways of wherever punk's red fern grows, they won't be talking about Dwight Twilley, the Looks, or the Nerves, they will be looking for a little CLASS." --Tobi Vail and Hayes Waring

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FEELIT 115LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Oh boy, now we're cooking. Now we're in the court of Sugar Tradition. Only a city like their hometown of Detroit could foster such a refined appreciation of rock'n'roll, R&B, and garage punk -- and Sugar Tradition clearly have it. The trio, consisting of Antonio Keka (guitar/vocals), Kevin Irwin (drums), and Arlo Betley (bass) are a complete force of nature live -- contemporaries of the Stools, Toeheads, and 208. They're also fresh off a tour supporting none other than the Detroit Cobras. Sugar Tradition have managed to capture that raw, driving Motor City sound in damn near perfect form on More Sugar, their vinyl debut on Feel It Records. 'Rockin' Baby' kicks things into gear, anchored by a driving piano line that plays off a pounding rhythm section, allowing Keka's guitar and vocals to rule the high end of the mix. There's some tasteful harmonica and tambourine peppered throughout, but it's the raw, fuzzed-out sonics heard best on 'Don't Leave Me' that may just steal the show. Oh yeah, did we mention the roaring rendition of Chuck Berry's 'Come On?' It's all recorded live, too. A stupendous fourteen minutes at 45 RPM. Sugar Tradition are one of the brightest sets of young heads on the face of planet rock'n'roll right now, and More Sugar proves that to a tee."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FAB 003LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Meat Joy formed in late 1982 amidst the vibrant Austin, TX post-punk music scene. Its core members were Mellissa (Cobb) DeMille, Tim Mateer, John (Perkins) Hawkes, Gretchen Phillips, and Teresa Taylor (aka Teresa Nervosa). In April, 1983, Meat Joy played the Houston leg of the 'Rock Against Reagan' tour headlined by the Crucifucks. That autumn, Taylor left to join the Butthole Surfers. Jamie Spidle joined the band in November, cementing its permanent lineup. In the coming months Meat Joy played shows with The Meat Puppets, Husker Du, The Dicks, The Mydolls, and The Big Boys. Meat Joy recorded and released an album in 1984. The LP featured eight different front covers, designed and silkscreened by the band. The back covers were each individually hand decorated by the band and friends. The record was distributed by Rough Trade and Dutch East India, and received critical praise internationally. The first run quickly sold out, as did the second. Today they're collector's items and command exorbitant prices. The band was also featured on two compilation LPs, Metal Moo Cow and Bands On The Block alongside Scratch Acid and a host of Texas bands. Touring the Midwest in the summer of 1984, playing shows with CH3, Sun City Girls, Jodie Foster's Army, Tales Of Terror, and many others, the group was voted 'Best Avant-Garde/Experimental Band' in the 1984-85 Austin Chronicle Music Poll. The Chronicle Poll and the award show that followed laid the groundwork for what would become the SXSW Music Festival. Meat Joy was difficult to categorize. They were a leaderless collective. Often improvisational, they moved fluidly among many genres seeking joy and truth. Their sound was alternately queer and straight, dark and funny, heartfelt and biting. Loud soft fast slow beautiful ugly music, sometimes all in the same song. The band played their last show at Austin's Continental Club in April, 1985."

 

PRICE: $21.50

CAT #: FD 136LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Representing Ahad's Flux Worlds 2, this album arrives as the companion to the Flux Worlds 1 2CD, Nemo Point Soundmap..., co-released by Fourth Dimension Records and Hinge Thunder in January 2023. Recorded live, this once again takes the listener through an immersive setting where real time electronics converge with improvised viola, percussion, cello, trumpet, synths, gadgets and so on to create vast washes of avant-garde turbulence that assumes a stance rarely seen outside very early electroacoustic-flavored kosmische music or abstract droneworks. This LP is published with the support of the DAAD Artists-in-Berlin program.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: GONE 192LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"In a just world, Song Machine, the fifth full-length album from The Exbats, which arrives via Goner Records, would become one of the most-loved and most-listened to albums of the 2020s. With the thirteen-track album, the Bisbee, Arizona-based band further their analog back-to-the-future combination of the Shangri-Las and pre-Velvet Underground doo-wop wannabe Lou Reed, churning out catchy tunes laden with buoyant choruses that rank alongside the best A-sides recorded in the shadow of the Brill Building or with the Wrecking Crew in tow. The Exbats are effortless time travelers -- this time, they've set the dial for the early 1970s, incorporating the sonic magic of The Partridge Family, Muswell Hillbillies-era Kinks, and Brian Wilson into the crux of their musical ethos, evident on tracks like the propulsive 'Riding With Paul' and 'The Happy Castaway,' which bookend the album. Inez McLain, namesake of the Monkees' wool-capped guitarist Mike Nesmith, has played drums and sung for The Exbats since she was just ten years old. Surveying the band's back catalog in relation to Song Machine, she adds, 'I always felt like our progression is similar to that of the Kinks -- starting off garage and punk and then becoming more deliberate about everything.' On this latest release, time stops altogether when Inez masterfully -- and wholly unselfconsciously -- evokes the remarkable harmonizing of Cher or Karen Carpenter at the height of their careers on two songs that unveil the raison d'être for The Exbats, and, thus, music lovers in general: 'Singalong Tonight' and 'What Can A Song Do,' which, together, anchor Song Machine while poignantly and audaciously celebrating the very act of singing itself with a sentimentality worthy of Muppets Movie-era Paul Williams. In a different world, either might inspire a viral revolution."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: GONE 194LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Less than twelve months on from the triumphant rock 'n' roll record that was Stained Glass, Australia's most tasteful sonic culinary artiste Jake Robertson serves up The Derivative Sounds Of, another platter in his never-ending, ever-extending Alien Nosejob banquet. Since initially firing out similar flavors on his first offering, Alien Nosejob has conquered the challenges of disco, hardcore, new wave, rock and roll (all drowned in his characteristically sweet sense of humor) before finally returning back to his musical roots: the jangly, adolescent feel of 1960s garage. After one of Robertson's first bands, The Frowning Clouds, reunited for a few shows in September 2022, he found himself digging up old songs and riffs from the period, some spanning back to as early as 2006 and up until around 2012. This record features many of those song ideas -- some reworked, some rewritten, some exactly the same. All together now as one hot package. Leaning into his musical tastes from the Clouds' period of existence, Robertson digs up inspiration in some teenage staples: The Troggs, Mike Furber, the under-appreciated bands that make up the Shutdown '66/Back From The Grave compilations, without overdoing the sugar, salt, MSG, whatever one wants to call it. This record was recorded by Robertson all by his lonesome over a weekend in his garage. There's no paisley shirts, no skinny-ties, no winkle-pickers, no slim-fit suits and no haircuts -- just Robertson and his 1964 MacBook Pro. Garage rock revival is a sound that's often overdone, drenched in nostalgia and small-minded attitudes, but this album is not just a throwback to the sounds of yesterday. It doesn't belong with the golden oldies or the usual garage resuscitations. Goner Records is proud to present, The Derivative Sounds Of, the sixth piece of Alien Nosejob's eternal buffet and the 'all you can eat' of record titles."

 

PRICE: $48.00

CAT #: GREL 2175LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Special Halloween color vinyl edition: Format: 2 color vinyl (mix 11 copper nugget/mix 14 America). Includes: 24"x24" poster. "Produced and arranged by Henry Junjo Lawes. Rhythm tracks laid at channel one mixed at King Tubby's by Scientist at Midnight Friday 13th. June 1981. Roots Radics as themselves; Flabba on bass; Style and Santa on drums; Sowell and Bingy Bunny on rhythm guitar; Gladdie, Ansel, and Winston on rhythm guitar; Bo Pee and Alan on lead guitar; Scully, Sticky, and Sky Juice on percussion; Deadly Headley, Dean, and Nambo on horns."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: GBVI 119CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Formed in 2001, the psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils features vocalist Robert Pollard, backed by brothers Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias. In their first album in six years, and their fifteenth overall, Circus Devils is back with Squeeze The Needle, a funhouse romp full of rock and roll swagger and childlike glee. The pounding psychedelia of the single 'The Owl Presents?' harkens back to The Doors. Mixed into the twenty-track song collage are heavy rock thumpers ('Street Toughs,' 'Mama's Got A Brand New Snake'), cryptic interludes ('Age Of Transfusion'), and pretty acoustic pieces ('Difficult Dreamer,' 'The Joke is Over')."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: GBVI 119LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Formed in 2001, the psychedelic rock trio Circus Devils features vocalist Robert Pollard, backed by brothers Todd Tobias and Tim Tobias. In their first album in six years, and their fifteenth overall, Circus Devils is back with Squeeze The Needle, a funhouse romp full of rock and roll swagger and childlike glee. The pounding psychedelia of the single 'The Owl Presents?' harkens back to The Doors. Mixed into the twenty-track song collage are heavy rock thumpers ('Street Toughs,' 'Mama's Got A Brand New Snake'), cryptic interludes ('Age Of Transfusion'), and pretty acoustic pieces ('Difficult Dreamer,' 'The Joke is Over')."

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 273LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Black Rainbows are back with 12 fresh, brand new tunes. Superskull sounds huge, with of a great deal of attention paid to the guitars in the recording, and it seems that the band has finally found the perfect balance and tone for their heavy super stoner sound. This album gives you not only incredible heavy rock-stoner gems, but also: one space acoustic song, one super psychedelic suite and one melodic trippy ballad that adds a perfect mixture of what is sure to be the best album released by the band so far. Recorded by Fabio Sforza in May 2022. Artwork by Brazilian artist Pedro Correa.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 275LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Kadabra formed during the dark days of 2020 and were quickly signed by Heavy Psych Sounds, releasing Ultra in the fall of 2021 and establishing their penchant for delivering crushing doom riffs and haunting vocals accentuated by bursts of psychedelic flair and swampy Americana swagger. And while the chemistry of long-time friends Garrett Zanol (guitar/vocals), Ian Nelson (bass) and Chase Howard (drums) was apparent upon listening to their debut, their bond was further strengthened by relentlessly touring the western United States and completing a month-long tour of Europe. The trio almost immediately began looking forward, road-testing and crystalizing the songs that would comprise their follow-up, which found the band reuniting with Ultra producer Dawson Scholz. The result is Umbra: a singular statement that is more focused and cohesive than its predecessor, while managing to capture the immersive, free-flowing experience of their live show. For fans of: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Dead Meadow.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 275LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Color LP version (red vinyl). Kadabra formed during the dark days of 2020 and were quickly signed by Heavy Psych Sounds, releasing Ultra in the fall of 2021 and establishing their penchant for delivering crushing doom riffs and haunting vocals accentuated by bursts of psychedelic flair and swampy Americana swagger. And while the chemistry of long-time friends Garrett Zanol (guitar/vocals), Ian Nelson (bass) and Chase Howard (drums) was apparent upon listening to their debut, their bond was further strengthened by relentlessly touring the western United States and completing a month-long tour of Europe. The trio almost immediately began looking forward, road-testing and crystalizing the songs that would comprise their follow-up, which found the band reuniting with Ultra producer Dawson Scholz. The result is Umbra: a singular statement that is more focused and cohesive than its predecessor, while managing to capture the immersive, free-flowing experience of their live show. For fans of: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Dead Meadow.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HPS 275ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Color LP version (white/pink/purple vinyl). Kadabra formed during the dark days of 2020 and were quickly signed by Heavy Psych Sounds, releasing Ultra in the fall of 2021 and establishing their penchant for delivering crushing doom riffs and haunting vocals accentuated by bursts of psychedelic flair and swampy Americana swagger. And while the chemistry of long-time friends Garrett Zanol (guitar/vocals), Ian Nelson (bass) and Chase Howard (drums) was apparent upon listening to their debut, their bond was further strengthened by relentlessly touring the western United States and completing a month-long tour of Europe. The trio almost immediately began looking forward, road-testing and crystalizing the songs that would comprise their follow-up, which found the band reuniting with Ultra producer Dawson Scholz. The result is Umbra: a singular statement that is more focused and cohesive than its predecessor, while managing to capture the immersive, free-flowing experience of their live show. For fans of: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and Dead Meadow.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 284CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile's voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy -- like the passing of time.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 284LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile's voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy -- like the passing of time.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 284LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Colored LP version (red vinyl). Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile's voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy -- like the passing of time.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HPS 284ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Colored LP version (blue/black splatter vinyl). Spirit is the second album by Danish-French Emile, otherwise known from the acid rock band The Sonic Dawn. On this new solo effort, Emile unfolds a new and exciting side of his songwriting. Each song ebbs and flows effortlessly with a great sense of purpose, always centered around Emile's voice and masterful, mainly acoustic guitar playing. He is backed by a small ensemble of selected musicians and blackbirds singing the sun down. The lyrics reflect an unpretentious cosmic consciousness, simply marveling at existence as it is. Spirit about connection with our surroundings, with nature and the universe. There is beauty in transformation too, Emile reminds us. Spirit is a different album from a different singer-songwriter. It is both surrealistic and easy to understand, accomplished and untamed, light and heavy -- like the passing of time.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 285CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Our upcoming album, titled Helichrysum, delves deep into the human experience, exploring the wounds we carry and the transformative power that lies within us. It serves as a culmination of the countless creative and personal choices we have made, leading us to a place of greater harmony within ourselves, with each other, and with our collective intentions. Musically speaking, the new album is a testament to our commitment to delivering a sonic experience that is unapologetically raw, adventurous, heavy, groovy and psychedelic. The choice to name the album after the Helichrysum plant, holds a significance as the plant symbolizes endurance, healing, immortality, and the power to overcome adversity, which mirror many of the themes throughout the record." --Hippie Death Cult

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 285LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Our upcoming album, titled Helichrysum, delves deep into the human experience, exploring the wounds we carry and the transformative power that lies within us. It serves as a culmination of the countless creative and personal choices we have made, leading us to a place of greater harmony within ourselves, with each other, and with our collective intentions. Musically speaking, the new album is a testament to our commitment to delivering a sonic experience that is unapologetically raw, adventurous, heavy, groovy and psychedelic. The choice to name the album after the Helichrysum plant, holds a significance as the plant symbolizes endurance, healing, immortality, and the power to overcome adversity, which mirror many of the themes throughout the record." --Hippie Death Cult

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 285LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version, green colored vinyl. "Our upcoming album, titled Helichrysum, delves deep into the human experience, exploring the wounds we carry and the transformative power that lies within us. It serves as a culmination of the countless creative and personal choices we have made, leading us to a place of greater harmony within ourselves, with each other, and with our collective intentions. Musically speaking, the new album is a testament to our commitment to delivering a sonic experience that is unapologetically raw, adventurous, heavy, groovy and psychedelic. The choice to name the album after the Helichrysum plant, holds a significance as the plant symbolizes endurance, healing, immortality, and the power to overcome adversity, which mirror many of the themes throughout the record." --Hippie Death Cult

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HPS 285ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version, magenta/yellow vinyl. "Our upcoming album, titled Helichrysum, delves deep into the human experience, exploring the wounds we carry and the transformative power that lies within us. It serves as a culmination of the countless creative and personal choices we have made, leading us to a place of greater harmony within ourselves, with each other, and with our collective intentions. Musically speaking, the new album is a testament to our commitment to delivering a sonic experience that is unapologetically raw, adventurous, heavy, groovy and psychedelic. The choice to name the album after the Helichrysum plant, holds a significance as the plant symbolizes endurance, healing, immortality, and the power to overcome adversity, which mirror many of the themes throughout the record." --Hippie Death Cult

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HP 000LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The highly acclaimed and most influential album in the mallsoft subgenre of vaporwave. Released almost 10 years ago by the mysterious artist Disconscious, it continues to captivate listeners with its haunting and relaxing soundscapes, creating a vivid atmosphere of abandoned malls, combining elements of nostalgia, emptiness, and a touch of sinister undertones. Tracks like "Enter Through the Lobby" and "Lunar Food Court" stand out as fan favorites, transporting listeners to a bygone era of ultra consumerism, offering a unique and immersive experience that has stood the test of time. Official vinyl edition of the classic album. Remastered including three bonus tracks. Split cristal and curacao vinyl. For fans of vaporwave, mallsoft, electronic, ambient, chillwave, dream, elevator music, experimental electronics, hypnagogic pop, mallsoft, muzak, newbreed, plunderphonics, post-internet, psychedelic, surreal & vaporwave.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: HOS 753LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Two of the most legendary industrial noise artists, Final and Richard Ramirez, break down and grind into dust with mortar and pestle each other's sounds, thoughts, and silence into a textural collapse that could very well be the discovery of new kinds of static, new kinds of fuzz and new kinds of words that might never be spoken but fall into the Ravine Of Spears. Presented in grim recycled board with spot gloss jacket and inner print on clear vinyl. Digital download code included.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: HOS 820LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

First time on vinyl of what some may say is the hallmark of the recent Lussuria era, this double LP includes the bonus tape from the special edition Migrate Exquisite Corpse. Presented in decadent gatefold on black vinyl. For your autumnal listening pleasure and pain.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: IMPREC 512LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mirage is a cosmic collaboration between the Silver Apples and Makoto Kawabata of Japan's Acid Mothers Temple. Packaged in a deluxe jacket printed with metallic silver ink. This album is dedicated to the memory of Simeone Coxe who died September 8, 2020 while this project was being assembled. "Dragonfly's First Flight," taking up the full side A, features Simeon Coxe and Makoto jamming over familiar Silver Apples hypnotic rhythms. Fans of both groups will delight in the interplay between Simeon's keyboard and Makoto's drone guitar feedback soloing. Side B ranges from free-form freakouts to ambient poetry readings by Simeon with Japanese translation spoken by Makoto. "Future Reminiscence," which closes side B, sounds like a long-lost Silver Apples track.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: IMPREC 527CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Earthwave is Zak Riles' (Grails/Watter) follow-up to his eponymous debut CD (IMPREC 213CD) released on Important Records in 2008, a cinematic ascent through dark space, volatile illumination, reflection and refraction. Recorded during the pandemic -- when Riles took refuge in his rural Kentucky studio, providing remote engineering work for groups like Sleep, Om, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Mono, and Joan Shelley -- it's a monumental exploration of his enduring interest in late '70s/early '80s instrumental electronic and new-age music. The humid atmosphere and ominous moods of Earthwave were accomplished using an Arp 2600 and multiple Yamaha and Farfisa keyboards. The recordings were then run through analog equipment -- MCI JH110 tape machine, Lexicon Prime Time, Roland Space Echo -- adding to the sense of a time out of time. Echoes of past Riles compositions float through Earthwave's chambers, the saz, oud and twelve-string acoustic recalling his memorable contributions to early Grails recordings. The only guest is the legendary Britt Walford (Slint), whose drumming appears on two tracks. Earthwave is a project of sonic world-building by a master of his craft. Let yourself be overcome by its tectonic movement.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ITR 377LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"In the Red Records will proudly present the U.S. edition of Rantings from the Book of Swamp, the freewheeling eighth studio release by Australia's magnificent and unpredictable Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, as a two-LP. The Surrealists were formed by the Scientists' singer-songwriter-guitarist Kim Salmon in 1987, betwixt the last two tours by the original incarnation of that pathfinding Perth-bred band. The Surrealists had been dormant in recent years, as the bandleader focused his energy on recording and touring with a reunited lineup of the Scientists featuring guitarist Tony Thewlis, bassist Boris Sujdovic, and drummer Leanne Cowie, who had recorded the career-summarizing 1986 LP Weird Love. (In 2021, In the Red issued Negativity, a new album by that unit, to wide acclaim.) In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown settled around the globe, Salmon reconvened with bassist/baritone guitarist Stu Thomas and drummer Phil Collings, who had appeared on the Surrealists' 2010 release Grand Unifying Theory, the group's most recent record. As with that work, the new material was created live on the studio floor, and emphasized improvisation in both its structure and content. 'The premise for this recording,' Salmon explains, 'was that at its commencement the band members would come prepared with no other material than whatever ideas they might be able to individually bring. The lyrical content was all derived from my notebooks (Book of Swamp) from sketches I'd been jotting down over the last couple of years. There was to be no consultation about musical forms until the event began. Once the event began, the band had carte blanche to do whatever necessary to salvage compelling performances over the two live events @ 7PM AEST 6/13/20 + 6/14/20 respectively??.i.e., we had to make it up from scratch!' Captured at Rolling Stock Recording Rooms in Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, by Myles Mumford, the music heard on Rantings from the Book of Swamp was originally presented as a pair of live streams directed by Andrew Watson at Semiconductor Media. The resultant album comprises 13 brain-bending tracks characterized by Salmon's percolating lyrical imagination and the raw, unfettered interplay of the three seasoned musical collaborators..."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: JL 055EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Two more killer 12" disco mix sides from the Jah Life archives. On the A side is one of Barrington's best, 'Black Heart Man,' in its original disco mix from 1983, with killer Scientist dub wise. On the flip is one of the all-time sleepers from the Jah Life catalog, way under the radar since its original release in the early '80s. Terrie from the Nairobi Sisters voices the immortal 'Left With a Broken Heart' on the killer original cut of the rhythm, which follows into a dub wise melodica piece, which sounds like the maestro Augustus Pablo. Both sides are pressed using new stampers made from the original mothers, so what you get is identical to the original pressings."

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: VP 4107COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Joe Gibbs (real name Joel Gibson) was the producer, owner of the studio, business manager, paymaster and the one who collected the profits by virtue of being the publisher for originals. He was also the man who called the shots when it came to arrangements even though he did not actually perform. The moniker Joe Gibbs and The Professionals could mislead the casual listener. His studio engineer Errol Thompson was a complementary genius when it came to recording and mixing and they awarded themselves the epithet The Mighty Two. This pair were responsible for such greats as Culture's Two Sevens Clash, Prince Far I's Under Heavy Manners, and of course, everyone's favorite summer reggae tunes, Uptown Top Ranking. As for The Professionals, the house band who formed up to perform these songs reads like a who's who of reggae greats. They also recorded as The Revolutionaries and The Aggravators for other studios. With such talent and experience on hand, for their dub albums The Mighty Two could dip into the back catalogue of not only Joe Gibbs releases but Channel One and Treasure Isle hits as well. Consequently, many of the rhythms will be recognizable to anyone with a passing knowledge of reggae and rock steady.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: FREUD 020CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The classic Johnny & Patti album Copy Cats from 1988, reissued on its 35th anniversary. An acclaimed, affectionate collection of tunes that the expatriate New York pair grew up with, it features songs by The Shangri-La's, Dion, Elvis, The Seeds, The Shirelles, Roy Head, and Screaming Jay Hawkins amongst others. Johnny is of course the late New York Doll and Heartbreaker notorious rock legend; his pal Patti is half of punk girl duo Snatch as well as being an Eno and Flying Lizards collaborator. The positive reaction on its release was unanimous; DJs John Peel and Charlie Gillett both declared it to be 'better than the originals!' With Patti in the producer's chair, the extended 1987 sessions enlisted well over 20 musicians including real brass and strings players to create a meticulously crafted homage to the originals. Whilst stamping the duos own personalities on the songs, this thorough and conscientious project is also in high contrast to Johnny's often-wayward live persona. The singles 'Crawfish,' 'I Was Born To Cry,' and 'She Wants To Mambo' were issued as highlights. The assembled players included guitarist John Perry (Only Ones), bassist Robbie A. Gordon (Gil Scott Heron band), keyboardist Bob Andrews (The Rumour, Brinsley Schwartz), guest backing vocals by Chrissie Hynde and Jayne County, violinist Alex Balanescu, brass section Jim Dvorak, Nick Evans, and John 'Irish' Earle, percussionist Pedro Ortiz, drummer Steve Washington, Heartbreakers Billy Rath and Jerry Nolan, plus numerous others."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 442CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Blurt was founded in Stroud, UK, in 1979 as part of the post-punk movement by poet, saxophonist und puppeteer Ted Milton along with Milton's brother Jake, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar. After three albums Creese left the band to be replaced by Herman Martin on synthesizers who, after a year of constant touring left the band, and was replaced by Steve Eagles, former member of Satan's Rats, The Photos, and Bang Bang Machine. Shortly thereafter Jake Milton left to be replaced by Nic Murcott, who was subsequently replaced by Paul Wigens. Most of Blurt's compositions feature simple, repetitive, minimalistic guitar and/or saxophone phrases, but they can also explore more abstract musical territories, often serving as an atmospheric backdrop for Ted Milton's existentialist poetry. The music has been described as dada-avantgarde-jazz or paranoid jazz-mutant funk. Practically impossible to pigeonhole. In the early 1990s, Ted Milton released a small run of self-made lyrics books, amongst them Pagan Strings. The first two volumes contained the lyrics to the Blurt album of the same name. The first edition of this came as an art edition with card backing and plastic sleeve, the standard edition was released on the band's own Toeblock label in 1992. The year after, Blurt took the album on the road. At Tilos brings you a formerly unavailable recording of a fantastic show in Budapest in 1993. It shows the band in full form."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 445CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"MX-80 Sound is an eclectic American art-rock band founded in 1974 in Bloomington, USA, by guitarist Bruce Anderson. Considered one of the most out-of-step but prescient bands of its time, MX-80's signature sound consists of breakneck metallic guitar combined with atonal chord structure, cross-rhythmic percussion and dispassionate vocals. Notoriously difficult to categorize -- the band has been labeled noise rock, post-punk, acid punk, and heavy-metal -- MX-80's sonic mélange set the stage for bands such as Swans, Sonic Youth, Codeine, and Shellac. After a musical journey spanning five decades, MX-80 Sound announces the release of their final opus, Better Than Life, featuring MX-80's dense, extra-beefy sound, emotional guitar work, and free-associative vocals. For the album Bruce Anderson merged his rock trio, Rattletrap, with the talents of MX-80 Sound resulting in big bang sonics including two drummers (Nico Sophiea and John Morman), two bassists (Dale Sophiea and Chris Xefos), and two guitars (Bruce Anderson and Jim Hrabetin), along with vocals and horn by Rich Stim. In a remarkable feat, Better Than Life was recorded amidst the COVID-19 lockdown at 25th Street Recording in Oakland with Matt Boudreau engineering. The album was mixed by Steve Albini, in collaboration with MX-80 Sound, at Electrical Studios in Chicago. Sadly, Bruce Anderson, MX-80 Sound's founder, died in 2022."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 448CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Olaf Rupp plays improvised music on the acoustic and electric guitar. The organic flow of his music is guided neither by chance nor by dominant, willful decisions. To him the same level of focus and attentive energy should be present in loud and fast music as well as in softer, more subdued kind of playing. In all his music he explores how motion-clusters can be perceived as one agglomerated sound in motion by using spectralistic fields of tones. Meinrad Kneer is a double bass player, composer, improviser, band-leader and label owner. His music moves along the musical boundaries of jazz, improvised, contemporary-composed and ethnic music. He studied double bass and music in the Netherlands (conservatories of Hilversum and Amsterdam), where he quickly entered the Dutch jazz- and subsequently the international scene of free improvisation. Rudi Fischerlehner plays drums in various different musical projects that fall between improvised and experimental music, jazz and post-rock. He also composes and produces music for bands, film and performances. Born in 1977 in Austria he was introduced to the drums in his childhood and started playing in bands as a teenager around Linz. Following a brief period studying classical percussion he moved to Vienna, travelled to Africa and China, spent a few months in New York and now resides in Berlin. Puna is the trio's first album as a group."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: KRANK 210LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2017 release. "Michigan trumpeter Justin Walter's solo work centers on evocative, intuitive explorations of the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), a rare wind-controlled analog synthesizer from the 1970s. Its unique, smeared tonality allows for an expressive range of glassy, jazz-like textures, which Walter loops and layers with hushed electronics and twilit trumpet, painting opaque landscapes of resonant beauty. Walter's 2013 debut, Lullabies & Nightmares, included a handful of collaborations with percussionist Quin Kirchner, but Unseen Forces finds him fully solo, refining the project to its essence: shape-shifting watercolors of pastel haze, lit by the soft synthetic glow of electric breath. It's a sound both modern and timeless, fusing emotion and technology, gauze and melody, force and fragility."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: KRANK 237LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The music of Justin Walter veers between nebulous and numinous, coaxed from the translucent tonalities of his signature instrument, the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument). Destroyer, his latest, and third for Kranky, marks his most multifaceted work yet. Inspired by minimalistic urges (evading grandiosity, condensing scope, embracing spatial restraint) tempered with the drama of triptychs (becoming, destruction, aftermath), the album's eleven tracks thread a keening suite of aching, opaque beauty, traced in absence and breath. First begun in the the no man's land summer of 2020, Walter gradually amassed nearly two hours of demos, drafts, and ideas, then steadily whittled them to their essence. Destroyer enlists the sounds of a recently restored pump organ, adding pulses and quaking texture, but otherwise the album is a shimmering showcase of the EVI: miasmic, melodic, intuitive, infinite. It's music of fraught devotion and uneasy peace, questing yet languorous, forever rapt and untethered."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: LANR 035LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

A mandatory selection from the Jamaican singer's large catalog, recorded at Channel One Studio with the likes of Sly & Robbie, The Tamlins, Don Drummond Jr., Dean Fraser, Ansel Collins, and Winston Wright. The songs have been engineered by Soldjie, Barnabas, and Scientist! A legendary cast for a series of unbelievable numbers. Roland Burrell was born in Pennants, Clarendon in Jamaica and was destined to become a star from his early days at John Austin School which set the stage for a career in the music field. Growing up in Trench Town, he met Bob Marley and Toots Hibbert who gave him inspiration and counseling as he would often "jam" with them. During his growing artistic years, he sang with a group called The Shades, where he encountered Lee "Scratch" Perry. Along with Conrad Brown, they produced Lonely Man. Thereafter, Roland quickly rose to popular fame when he recorded the chartbuster "Johnny Dollar," a song that topped the Jamaican charts in Europe, USA and Japan. He recorded his first album, Johnny Dollar for Tanka Records which included the hit songs "Hey Mama" and "Stormy Night."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: M 1219CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Alto saxophonist Marion Brown was an initially underrated hero of the jazz avant-garde. It was only after he moved from Atlanta to New York and joined John Coltrane that audiences and critics took notice. Dedicated to discovering the far-reaching possibilities of improvisational expression, Brown possessed a truly lyrical voice. In the early seventies, he played with Anthony Braxton, Andrew Cyrille, Bennie Maupin, Jeanne Lee, and Chick Corea, among others. On this recording, he was accompanied by the German jazz musician Gunter Hampel (composer, vibraphonist, saxophonist, flutist, pianist, and bass clarinetist). His son Djinji remembers his father by saying, 'The way he played sounded like his speaking voice, the way he held his horn reminded me of the way he held my hand, the way he walked was in the same rhythm as his songs, and then everything made sense. His music was first and foremost who he was. It was the purest expression of his soul, and everything he did had the same gentle power as his music. He was truly one with his art; there was no separation between the two.'"

 

PRICE: $10.50

CAT #: MO 001EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Here's a new release direct from Wackie's studio legend Jerry Harris, pressed by the man himself on his own Motive Records label. Jerry went into his archives and dug out this great previously unreleased gem from 1982, backed with a nice dub version. Jerry was one of the core singers and guitarists in the heyday of Wackie's studio, also a member of the Stepping Stones and Itopia groups. Since then he has toured the world many times over, both as a successful solo artist as well as a core backing musician for some of reggae's all-time greats."

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: MPI 012LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

La Settima Donna (1978), also known as The Last House On The Beach, is a disturbing thriller directed by Franco Prosperi and set in a secluded cottage overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea, starring Florinda Bolkan, in the role of Sister Cristina, governess of five female students on a short vacation, rehearsing their Shakesperean end-of-year play. Roberto Pregadio's brilliant music is not surprisingly, functional and almost disconnected from the bloody images: there is no overwhelming sense of disturbance for the listener. The soundtrack of La Settima Donna was published only once, in CD format, attached to the rare DVD of the film, gaining new life on vinyl thanks to Musica Per Immagini. Some of the eleven tracks of the score are characterized by an easy listening mood and united by a psychedelic feel, in harmony with the progressive atmospheres found in albums such as A Saucerful Of Secrets (1968) and Meddle (1971) by Pink Floyd. However, the English band is not the only reference for the jazz pianist, who quotes a piece by Bryan Ferry, entrusting it to the voice of Ray Lovelock, one of the three kidnappers. After that, the Sicilian composer remodels an international hit by Donna Summer, background of the sequence in which the nun is forced to strip naked in front of her tormentors.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SW 113LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Limited restock. Beautiful, fan-made album of acapella versions of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds classics on one disc. Be able to hear and appreciate their intricate harmonies like never before. Sit back, close your eyes and have a listen to the isolated vocal tracks of one of the greatest albums ever made. "God Only Knows", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "That's Not Me", "You Still Believe In Me" and so on and on... It also contains some rare audio clips Carl Wilson and the Boys at their finest.

 

PRICE: $21.50

CAT #: OUTISOPER 004EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Italian sound Dino Sabatini is back on his own Outis Music. Opera Quattro EP on the Outis Opera Series is a mesmerizing collection of playful electronica, heavily influenced by trip-hop and dub music, perfectly capturing Sabatini's current state of mind. Balancing in between half-tempo drum and bass and organic techno grooves, it's an essential pack of Italian deep techno trips.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: PAL 076LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2023 repress. Since exploding on the improvised music scene a couple of years ago Tennessee native Zoh Amba has found herself engaging with an ever-widening group of collaborators as she tours across the US and Europe. She's forged some enduring partnerships, working regularly with drummer Chris Corsano, bassist Thomas Morgan, and pianist Micah Thomas, among others, but one of the deep pleasures of improvised music is when a first-time meeting produces sparks. Indeed, that's certainly the case with The Flower School, which bottles some serious lightning. In March of 2023, Amba and Corsano had finished up a duo tour of the west coast with an explosive performance in San Francisco. The next day the duo entered the studio with guitarist Bill Orcutt -- a trusted collaborator of the drummer stretching back a decade. It was the first time Orcutt and Amba had ever played together, but it sure doesn't seem that way. Although Amba has often recorded a bunch of tune-oriented albums for Tzadik, she's a free improviser at heart, and this trio arguably provides the most effective, elastic context for her playing yet. Yet what's most astonishing about The Flower School is how it elevates and transforms the playing of all three participants. It appears that there was more than enough trust in the room to allow each player to push-and-pull. Anyone who pays attention already knows that Orcutt and Corsano are mercurial figures, perpetually adapting, adjusting, and challenging one another. Inviting a third person to the party could threaten a slowly cultivated balance, but in this case the addition only heightened various dichotomies: soft vs. loud, bruising vs. tender, furious vs. lyric. Much has been made of Amba's debt to the free jazz of 1960s, particularly the way her vibrato-drenched tone dips into valley of sacred music, but here she carves out a space that's entirely hers. On tracks like "The Morning Light Has Flooded My Eyes" and "What Emptiness Do You Gaze Upon!" she reveals a meticulously sharpened gift for motific improvisation, taking a single phrase and chiseling away it until she's discovered every possible permutation, all the while driven by the feverish energy and empathy of her cohorts. This group also displays Orcutt's masterful support skills, as he often takes a single chord or two, letting them float in mutate in the background or splintering them into patient, reserved arpeggios that ripple alongside Corsano's circular sculptures and the saxophonist's edgy blowing. Two of the album's five tracks are duets between Orcutt and Amba. The collection is bisected by "Sweet One," a delicate lattice formed by Orcutt's tremulous electric guitar arpeggios and Amba's spike acoustic pointillism that basks in its own leisurely beauty for a couple of restorative minutes, while the album closer "Moon Showed But No You" is a searingly beautiful ballad where the guitarist unspools clusters of notes somewhere between vintage Loren Mazzacane Connor and a distorted kalimba, while Amba puts an upwardly arcing melodic line through its paces, finding new wrinkles at every turn.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: SPGRM 004CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2023 repress. Following her critically acclaimed album The Sacrificial Code (IDEAL 192CD/LP), Swedish-American composer Kali Malone returns with Living Torch on Portraits GRM. Living Torch, through its unique structural form and harmonic material, is a bold continuation of Kali Malone's demanding and exciting body of work, while opening new perspectives and increasing the emotional potential of the music tenfold. As such, Living Torch is a major new piece by the composer and adds a significant milestone to an already fascinating repertoire. Departing from the pipe organ that Malone's music is most notable for, Living Torch features a complex electroacoustic ensemble. Leafing through recordings from conventional instruments like the trombone and bass clarinet to more experimental machines like the boîte à bourdon, passing through sinewave generators and Éliane Radigue's ARP 2500 synthesizer. Living Torch weaves its own history, its own genealogy, and that of its author. It extends her robust structural approach to a liberated palette of timbre. Living Torch was initially commissioned by GRM for its legendary loudspeaker orchestra, the Acousmonium, and premiered in its complete multichannel form at the Grand Auditorium of Radio France in a concert entirely dedicated to the artist. Composed at GRM studios in Paris between 2020-2021, Living Torch is a work of great intensity, an oeuvre-monde that is singularly placed at the crossroads of instrumental writing and electroacoustic composition. Living Torch proceeds from multiple lineages, including early modern music, American minimalism, and musique concrète. It's a work as much turned towards exploring justly tuned harmony and canonic structures as towards the polyphony of unique timbres, the scaling of dynamic range, and the revelation of sound qualities. GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales), the pioneering institution of electroacoustic, acousmatic, and musique concrète, has been a unique laboratory for sonorous research since 1958. Witnessing the extreme vitality of the music championed by GRM, the Portraits GRM record series extends and expands this momentum with Kali Malone's Living Torch. The French label-partner Shelter Press is proud to continue the collaboration with GRM, which Peter Rehberg of Editions MEGO set the foundation for in 2012. Composed and produced by Kali Malone at INA GRM 2020-2021. Trombone and bass clarinet recorded at EMS Elektronmusikstudion 2020. Pre-mastered by Emmanuel Richier at INA GRM. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering. Cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle, Berlin. Personnel: Mats Äleklint - trombone; Isak Hedtjärn - bass clarinet; Kali Malone - ARP 2500, Modular Synthesis, Pura Data, Boîte à Bourdons.

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: PRO 044CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A classic mid-90s release in the shoegazer genre. A beautiful wrestling of ethereal noise, Lovesliescrushing emerged in the early '90s as America's answer to Britain's My Bloody Valentine and the nascent shoegazer scene. LLC's first two Projekt releases of captivating low-fi sonic atmospheres invoked a tangled palette of noisy guitar textures, frenzied distortion and longing ethereal vocals. From milky softness to a blasting metallic roar, instrumentalist Scott Cortez took the shoegaze genre to its furthest regions, far removed from song-structured pop. On these two albums, Lovesliescrushing originated a sound still reckoned with today. A beautiful labyrinth of noise... a combination of Melissa's ethereal vocals and Scott's saturated, overloaded distortion wrestled from his 12-string guitar. The resulting 'ethereal noise' is chaotic and innovative... gritty, choppy, stunning and beautiful. A sound that captures the sensation of falling, floating on a wave of sounds bleeding into one another like staining watercolors. CD in 4-panel digipak."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: QUI 009LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

At once a spiritually-charged journey and a shit-kicking party record, American Cream Band comes to Quindi covering all the bases. American Cream Band was formed by Twin-Cities musician Nathan Nelson, taking the form of improvised live shows and albums Frankensteined from these sessions into exultant, fully-formed records. The band's previous records have manifested on labels like Moon Glyph and Medium Sound, and now Presents arrives in a freewheeling flash of snappy new wave, skronky sax, call and response sass and some krautrock-minded sonic cosmology. The album came together in December 2021, when Nelson took ten musicians to legendary studio Pachyderm in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Living together, they laid down some drum-heavy sessions that became the building blocks of the record. "Taste What We Taste" is the perfect example of an exuberant groove pounded on skins as a vessel for a joyous get-down, with the singers and players free to freak out on top. Nelson remains at the center of the melee, throwing half-sardonic, half-heartfelt calls out for connection. "Banana" celebrates nonsense and holds down the most serious of beats -- a disco-not-disco deadeye dripping in late night sleaze and lysergic potential. On "Royal Tears," the jagged guitar chops call back to Gang Of Four, while the hot n' heavy sax from Cole Pulice baits James Chance and all the other angular New York un-jazz misfits. Amongst his other implied intentions for the recordings, Nelson wanted to channel opposites, not least the distinct male-female energies in his vocal sparring with the girls on assistance duties. It wouldn't be right to call them backing singers as they shoot back at his punchy mantras, bringing a certain fierce femininity that tips its hat to The B-52s' Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson, not to mention iconic post-punk bands like Au Pairs, Delta 5 and Bush Tetras. There's space for the dreamier kosmische which has crept into the American Cream oeuvre in the past, as "Sirens" opens the album up in a swirling pond of rag tag percussion and molten synths. "Words Would Handcuff Us" cools the whole riotous assembly down in unmoored perfection, a strung-out Bossa nova seance dusted with celestial drips from analogue spaceships. Equally treading the line between light and dark, conscious and unconscious, the sacred and profane, Presents is a life-affirming, creep-under-the-skin listening experience -- a joyously transient chapter in the evolution of American Cream Band.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RR 379LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

The compilation you hold in your hands features the best of U Brown's 1983 release Jam It Tonight, cut at Channel One with the Roots Radics, coupled with enthralling earlier singles laid at Channel with the Revolutionaries. The high points are many in this thoroughly agreeable set that showcases the best of peak-period U Brown; beginning with the devotional "Jah Is My Father Still" and "Walk With Jah Love" from Jam It Tonight, the title track speaks of reggae music's unstoppable nature and "Reggae Gone International" is a celebratory take of the "Pick A Dub" rhythm, here totally reconfigured. "Rub A Dub All The Time" (aka "Tu Sheng Peng") is a killer take of the Dennis Brown song of the same name, while "Blow Mr Hornsman Blow" is an awesome reworking of the "Take Five" rhythm, and "Come Along" a beautiful deejay counterpart to Sugar Minott's "Steal Away Girl." U Brown has since gone on to enjoy all kinds of musical adventures in the UK, USA, and Europe, where he settled in the 1990s; listen to the artistry on No Stoppin' This Music and marvel at his enduring talents.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EZRDR 156LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Lucky number seventeen? Believe it. Those at Brown Acid have been scouring the highways and byways of America for even more hidden stashes of psych/garage/proto-punk madness from the so-called Aquarian Age. There's no flower power here, though -- just acid casualties, rock stompers and major freakouts. As always, the songs have been officially licensed, and all the artists get paid. Some samples of this trip include: Stone Hedge were a seven-piece rock band out of Michigan with a penchant for Creedence and anthropomorphism. 'Smokey Bear' is their 1972 tribute to the official mascot of the U.S. Forest Services -- not to mention the A side of their sole single -- and it recalls the kind of organ-drenched swamp jam that soundtracked many a Burt Reynolds flick back in the day. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may not be known as a cultural mecca, but they did produce Truth & Janey. This deadly hard rock trio delivered their holy grail full-length, No Rest For The Wicked, back in 1976. 'Around and Around' is a Chuck Berry cover that originally appeared on a 1973 single the band released under the earlier name Truth. Originally released in 1973, 'High School Letter' is the debut single from San Diego rock squad Glory. This infectious bonehead cruncher features future Beat Farmer Jerry Raney and the original rhythm section of Iron Butterfly in bassist Greg Willis and drummer Jack Pinney. Glory is what they got up to after their former bandmates left for L.A.'s garden of Eden. 'Jack the Ripper' is a mercilessly bootlegged Cleveland classic from 1978 with a serrated punk edge and vocals that recall Mick Blood of Aussie savages the Lime Spiders. Or maybe it's the other way around -- the Lime Spiders formed the year after Strychnine carved off this lethal paean to the infamous Whitechapel slasher of olde."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EZRDR 159LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "'This is definitely the most honest and mature record Deathchant has ever made.' That's Deathchant vocalist and guitarist T.J. Lemieux talking about the band's third and latest album, Thrones. Think of it as not just the follow-up to 2021's Waste, but the other side of the coin. Thrones just might be their heaviest record thus far. The band's seamless swirl of classic rock guitar harmonies, syrupy sludge, blues boogie and psych bombast has reached a thrilling new apex as Lemieux spins high-powered tales of reckoning from beyond the wall of sanity. Thematically, Lemieux and his bandmates -- bassist George Camacho, guitarist Doug Stuckey, and drummer Joe Herzog -- peel back the veneer of self-delusion to expose the fork in the road. Thrones was recorded live in a cabin in the remote mountain community of Frazier Park, CA, with trusty engineer Steve Schroeder (a.k.a. Schroeds). Overdubs were done at the cabin, Schroeder's Studio 3, and Lemieux's place. The album was produced by Lemieux and Schroeder."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: RUMP 010EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Kalabrese & KAYYAK strike back! A 24-minute trip full of wonderful, powerful and hypnotic music. With the A-side "Dancing In The Dark", Kalabrese rocks a steady beat and focuses on a powerful Juno synth motive. Kala plays with these waves and finds a subtle way to tell his intimate story full of sorrow, tears and hope. Everything sits together perfectly. Kala lets us look deep into his heart and unleashes his musical genius. In 10 minutes the synth waves wash the honest pain on and off shore and as with all Kalabrese songs, you don't really want it to ever end. On the B-Side, KAYYAK takes us into a poetic and lyrical land. A trip through Oceania, soft, clear and full of faith. With this song, KAYYAK creates his first masterpiece. A killer synthesizer hook, a strong bassline and an irresistible groove create the foundation of "Dreaming Place." After just a few moments it becomes clear, that this is a hidden dancefloor burner. The perfect 12" for the sunrise, the sunset and every moment in between.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: SEC 301CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Re-issue of 1978 album on CD with two bonus tracks and 16-page booklet containing artwork, photos and extensive sleeve notes."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SB 196LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Oamaru, located about 80 miles north of Dunedin on New Zealand's south island, might seem like the last place you expect to find a prodigious racket like Cuticles, but ain't that a kick? You just never know. Formed around the nucleus of Austen McMillian, Matthew Plunkett (ex-Trendees) and Lisa Preston (Nux Vomica, The Portage) a couple years back, they've been stacking up the hits and on Major Works, it's time to cash in. There's 18 tracks here and Cuticles chew through 'em with abandon. Someone just yelled out from the attic next door, 'Sounds like the Pastels, with guns!' One could make a case for the South Island Sound coursing through their veins (they do live there after all), but the sheer abandon-pop that gushes off the grooves, it's hard not to be reminded of those two, great, David Mitchell helmed Auckland outfits, The Exploding Budgies & Goblin Mix. They might all drink the same water, who knows? But it sure feels good to get brain-stung again by the salty rimes off the Otago Coast. Long may they howl."

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: SCR 233EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The EP features two brand new tracks alongside two remixes of songs from last year's acclaimed album Red Sunset Dreams. The Dot Allison-featuring "Sundowning" gets an almost Balearic makeover by Richard Norris which flows perfectly from "Silver River," featuring B.J. Cole, which has been turned into awe-inspiring ambient Americana by the Indianapolis collective Dawn Chorus And The Infallible Sea. The two new tracks, despite sharing a common theme with the album in terms of their sunset-themed titles, signal a change in musical mood. Both are much more propulsive and driving, inspired by Mark Peters' recent live shows which he has played as a trio with bassist Dean Roby and drummer Chris Smith. "Alpenglow" came about more recently after Mark bought a Boss RC-300 Loop Station. It has a dark, post-punk feel, like a souped-up "Shadowplay," but as it cranks into krautrock gear it could almost be Neu! with the late, great Tom Verlaine replacing Michael Rother on guitar.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: FFL 087CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Compilation curated by Steven Stapleton (of Nurse with Wound) of creative-experimental-unlikely music, originally released in 1984. Released on his United Dairies label that he had created with John Fothergill, he naturally called on Jean-Jacques Birgé and Francis Gorgé, who were then playing with Bernard Vitet in Un drame musical instantané. The compilation would be named In Fractured Silence. Alongside Nurse With Wound and Un drame musical instantané, could be heard Hélène Sage (whom Birgé introduced to Stapleton) and Sema, a project from the experimental British musician Robert Haigh who had participated in key records in the Nurse With Wound discography, such as Homotopy to Marie and Spiral Insana.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SPEAKEASY 007LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Tired Girls is the third full-length studio album by Bay Area singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Anna Hillburg. Co-produced and recorded with Jason Quever of the Papercuts, the pair created an album for lovers of finely crafted and supremely catchy chamber pop. As always, Hillburg's voice takes center stage, but for Tired Girls she made a conscious choice to dig deeper into her trumpet skills and make more elaborate horn arrangements than her previous records. Lyrically, Hillburg dives into what it is to be a contemporary woman, and how one perseveres, finds inspiration, creates, loves, and lives. Recorded throughout 2022 at Quever's studio, the two built dreamy soundscapes with long-time collaborators Logan Kroeber on drums (The Dodos), Josh Miller on bass (Chime School, Extra Classic), and Yea Ming Chen on keys. The entire record has a real 'Ladies, trust your gut' feeling, unsurprisingly, as Hillburg says she tends to write songs about 'the reality of womanhood and feminism but ya know, why not make that a little 'dancey'?' As a collection, Tired Girls marks her arrival as an artist who has hit their stride. Each track shows her talent and progression as a songwriter and performer. As a multi-instrumentalist and classically trained trumpet player, Hillburg is a sought-after session and live musician in the vibrant Bay Area music scene, performing regularly with Shannon And The Clams, The Dodos, The Moore Brothers, The Once And Future Band, Will Sprott, Dream Date, Greg Ashley, Shannon Shaw and her All-Star Buddy Band, and more."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: SR 544CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

At the border of genres, Ogives is an ambitious musical project, initiated and led by composer and musician Pavel Tchikov. This large ensemble leads us onto a path to a sacred universe, to a cathedral of sounds, whose foundations are rock and classical music. Born in Liège (Belgium), Ogives offers a resolutely intense personal and poetic work, dominated by layers of melodious, polyphonic, shouted or lyrical voices. This first album from Ogives, La Mémoire Des Orages ("The Memory of Storms"), is build and orchestrated around poems written by two members of the group. These texts revolve around the themes of the perception of time and the perspective of death. We find here all the group's influences, ranging from post-rock, prog, to contemporary music, baroque and medieval music, through electronic music and noise, all exploited to forge a homogeneous and singular material. From the first choral notes to the last sharp riff, it is a dense and melancholic epic, carried by inhabited and versatile musicians. The album was mixed by Steve Albini.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: SUBEX 094LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Giants Of Discovery is the alias of Kevin Downey. The origins of And It's Goodnight From The Human Race can be traced to a session that Downey recorded for The Magic Window, Steven Anderson's radio show. Titled Next Stop, The Stars, his set was conceived as a family vacation where the sightseeing included the rings of Saturn and the vastness of Jupiter, all seen from the cockpit of a small recreational spaceship. The tracks captured that sense cosmic wonderment that had characterized the 1950s Space Race and the imaginations of a whole generation. The tracks from Downey's Magic Window session form the first four tracks on And It's Goodnight From The Human Race. Between Next Stop, The Stars and this album, Downey's outlook changed. Twin themes allow And It's Goodnight From The Human Race to oscillate between the hopeful and funereal. A piece like "First Night Under A New Moon" outwardly seems full of optimism and energy. A rapid arpeggio presages a sense of excitement, which is increasingly held in check by minor chords that leave you feeling uncertain and full of trepidation by the track's conclusion. "Elsewhere, We Can Never Go Home" is utterly heart-wrenching. There is a profound sense of melancholy here, as if we are collectively longing for something that was once held dear, but which is now lost forever. Despite oscillating between those two poles, Downey was keen for the album to take the listener on mankind's journey to a new home, the conclusion of which he wanted to be upbeat and positive. Presented on translucent red color vinyl.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: SUBSOUND 124CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Doom Jazz II: Deception continues the epic story of the Doom Jazz saga, with Jamie Saft and Bobby Previte trading the slow, sensual lines of Doom Jazz I for a more active, muscular sound. Side One, "The New Friend" and "Everyone is Aware," uses a vintage Yamaha organ to create an atmosphere of mystery and space. Side Two, "Deception," moves into different territory, with Saft's distorted Hammond Organ sailing over Previte's active, commanding tom toms in a blues-based jam of wild ferocity and intense foreboding. The plot thickens.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: SUBSOUND 124LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Doom Jazz II: Deception continues the epic story of the Doom Jazz saga, with Jamie Saft and Bobby Previte trading the slow, sensual lines of Doom Jazz I for a more active, muscular sound. Side One, "The New Friend" and "Everyone is Aware," uses a vintage Yamaha organ to create an atmosphere of mystery and space. Side Two, "Deception," moves into different territory, with Saft's distorted Hammond Organ sailing over Previte's active, commanding tom toms in a blues-based jam of wild ferocity and intense foreboding. The plot thickens.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SUBSOUND 124LTD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Violet/clear blue vinyl. Doom Jazz II: Deception continues the epic story of the Doom Jazz saga, with Jamie Saft and Bobby Previte trading the slow, sensual lines of Doom Jazz I for a more active, muscular sound. Side One, "The New Friend" and "Everyone is Aware," uses a vintage Yamaha organ to create an atmosphere of mystery and space. Side Two, "Deception," moves into different territory, with Saft's distorted Hammond Organ sailing over Previte's active, commanding tom toms in a blues-based jam of wild ferocity and intense foreboding. The plot thickens.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: ST 25807CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Sulatron Records is happy and proud to release the tenth album by UK's kultband Sun Dial! Sun Dial is the vehicle of guitarist and singer Gary Ramon, who started recording in the eighties as The Modern Art. He changed the name to Sun Dial when forming his live band in 1990. The new album Messages From The Mothership takes its inspiration from Gary Ramon catching sight of a UFO in desolate marshland at the age of fourteen. This gives way to a theme throughout which is especially prevalent on side two. There are elements of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Hawkwind but the album has all the elements of Sun Dial's Other Way Out and those in the know are calling it their best work since then. After Sulatron released some Krautrock influenced albums by Sun Dial (and the spaced-out Quad album, Gary's old sideproject) it's back to guitar-psych and the tracks have Gary's unmistakable vocal and guitar work interspersed with 'Hammond,' 'Mellotron,' and various rare keyboards. His astonishingly intricate soloing sounds like a man possessed by an otherworldly force. Messages From The Mothership is a focused but 'out there' album which will please Sun Dial fans and surely win them a generation of new followers. CD in four-page digifile. CD includes a, aural easter egg."

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: SYST 016LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After the success of the first volume here comes the second edition of this new compilation concept called Music From Space. Marc Romboy started his new podcast and radio show series with tracks which are spacy and for this compilation he could collect eight exclusive tracks from the likes of Tal Fussman, Invõker, Nicolas Masseyeff, and himself together with Oniris again. Also featuring Thodoris Triantafillou, Kiberu, Captain Mustache, and Satoshi Fumi.

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: RELS 003CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Shortly after his recent single release Don't Hurt Me Now and its accompanying B-sides, Rico Friebe presents his follow-up "So... Hi!" --a heartfelt dedication to the good moments in life, somehow deeply inspired by '80s and '90s pop music. Alongside, he presents his meditational songs "Me&You" and the Zen-like instrumental "Tiger Tundra" from a same-titled album that has never been released (yet)...

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: TOYT 141LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Toy Tonics presents Gomma Dancefloor Gems Vol. 1. It's all about Y2K, punkfunk and indie disco. Gomma was one of the key labels of the Y2K indie dance wave along with labels like James Murphy's DFA and Trevor Jackson's OUTPUT Records. And as the '90s revival that dominated the last years in fashion and electronic music reached its peak, the Toy Tonics gang thought it's a good moment to re-mind some of these early 2000s tracks that connected a more raw, indie disco and punky funk vibe. Not just music people like James Murphy, who did music with Gomma before starting his own LCD Soundsystem or bands like Chromeo, New Young Pony Club, or Soulwax who started later with a similar vibe, but also art, graphic and fashion people took inspiration from the Gomma world. When new labels popped up copying the Gomma attitude and styles (till these days), Gomma's head honcho and main inventor Mathias Modica stopped the whole thing, changed the name and started something new: Toy Tonics records. Mathias Modica aka Munk aka Kapote himself now is busy with Toy Tonics, which basically is bigger than Gomma ever was: Spreading a very own sound of organic house and disco funk. With party happenings all over Europe every weekend and a very young audience. Featuring: Moullinex & Peaches, Munk, Whomadewho, Golden Bug, Headman, Baldelli, Trans Mania, Leroy Hanghofer, Severino Horse Meat Disco, and Rodion.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: VAMPI 189LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. In 1968 Enrique Delgado, leader of Los Destellos, launched an original musical proposition that combined tropical music, rock and touches from other genres, which he arranged by drawing on his extensive experience accompanying stars of Andean and coastal music from Peru. He was determined to find his own style and created an earthy vibe that people still love dancing to today. Delgado was a precocious musician from Lima, passionate about waltzes, polkas and marineras from Creole music from an early age, founding Los Destellos in 1966 for purely commercial reasons, aiming to liven up exclusive social gatherings with a wide repertoire of danceable music. In mid-1967 he revamped the band to embark on the task of creating a new style that would be a hit with dance fans and guarantee economic success, influenced by the visit of Hugo Blanco to different cities across Peru, playing cumbias and other tropical rhythms using the harp as a solo instrument. Rock was another ingredient that this Beatles fan added to the mix; his goal was to find a formula through which he could integrate the different musical genres from Peru, ranging from Creole music from the Pacific coast to the exotic dances from the Amazon, thereby acknowledging Peruvian cultural diversity. He put all the ingredients together and mixed them well before going into the recording studio. Halfway through 1968, Fernando Quiroz joined the line-up. Delgado was looking for a guitarist who played rock and was recommended Fernando, who had played Los Zany's. This line-up also included Carlos Ramírez, Eduardo Rivera, and Rodolfo Casaretto. Sicodelicos selects the Los Destellos tracks closest to the genres of psychedelia, beat and boogaloo, released between 1968 and 1978, with Enrique playing lead guitar on the bulk of them. In the 21st century, several compilations such as Vampisoul's own Cumbia Beat (VAMPI 116CD/LP, VAMPI 143CD/LP) series have helped globalize Peruvian cumbia, winning fans from all over the world. Led by Delgado, Los Destellos truly defined the sound of Peruvian cumbia with the incorporation of diverse influences and the use of electric guitars. These 20 irresistible songs are essential elements of Peruvian cumbia, the rhythm that changed the face of Lima, shook the Andes and spread like a forest fire across the Amazon basin. For fans of Los Mirlos, Link Wray, Davie Allan, and surf instrumentals.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: VEYL 038CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Veyl welcomes Blind Delon to the label for their third album, La Métamorphose. Founded in 2016 by Mathis Kolkoz, the project released several EPs leading up to their first full length, Discipline (Khemia / Unknown Pleasure Records, 2019) and their subsequent follow up, Chimères (Manic Depression, 2020). Originally a three piece before the departure of guitarist Theo Fantuz after their second album, the project then focused on refining their sound and energy through alternative projects and more EPs before adding a new member ahead of their latest opus. The band currently consists of Mathis Kolkoz (Vocals, Guitars), Coco Thiburs (Bass) and Thom Mayor (Synths, Guitars). Fueled by cold bass lines and synthesizers of yesteryear, French post-punk and black romanticism, Blind Delon shatters genres and styles to create an evolved strain of synthpunk that wears its influences proudly while mutating into something totally new. La Métamorphose represents a fresh direction -- a heavy, post-metal sound that's full of emotion and raw intensity. "Le Crépuscule" opens the album with a hard-hitting piece that commences the experience perfectly. Next up, the group kicks things into high gear with the speedy, heavy-synth play of "La Violence" featuring vocals by Fivequestionmarks, followed by "La Mort," a blackened post-punk cut featuring the one and only Curses. Label head Maenad Veyl makes a guest appearance on the fourth track, "L'Homme," which drifts into deep experimental melancholy with a cinematic feel. Keeping with this mood is the powerful "L'Affront" featuring The KVB, which descends further into darkness before resurrecting with the immense feelings of "Le Sarcasme." Track seven, "La Noyade," drills into the skull with growling vocals and menacing synths which bleed nicely into "La Foule," slowing things back down with a subtle yet lingering sense of dread. French project Poison Point arrive on "L'Envie" which moves guitars back to the forefront for a raucous ballad that sets up the final piece and title track, "La Métamorphose," the glorious grand finale of an album teeming with emotion and begging to be played again and again. Feature remix by Contre Soirée.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: WJCD 056CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

In January, 2022, Mike Reed brought together some of the most creative figures in Chicago's experimental and improvised music community -- cornetist Ben LaMar Gay and poet and spoken word artist Marvin Tate -- both of whom worked on his 2017 project Flesh and Bone, and who sporadically joined him in an improvising trio -- along with the members of Bitchin Bajas (multi-instrumentalists Rob Frye, Cooper Crain, and Dan Quinlivan). He called the new group the Separatist Party, a name he had occasionally used for ad hoc live performances, as well as a title for an old Flesh and Bone tune. The six musicians coalesced into an exciting new ensemble commingling a wide array of styles and influences into a groove-oriented expression of communion in the face of crippling solitude. The music draws upon a raft of influences, weaving together varied traditions and practices within a groove-oriented attack to forge something entirely new. One can glean wisps of Don Cherry's Organic Music conception, the ecstatic fire of Pharoah Sanders, the cycling minimalism of Terry Riley, the motoric rhythms of krautrock, the exploratory tones of Sun Ra, and clipped soul of vintage Ethiopian music within the Separatist Party's music, but no single element arrives wholesale. While defining the sound of Chicago has always been a fool's errand, The Separatist Party couldn't have come from anywhere else. The Separatist Party is the first installment of a three-album cycle involving a varied cast of musicians, dealing with themes of inner and outer human isolation.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: WJLP 056LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. In January, 2022, Mike Reed brought together some of the most creative figures in Chicago's experimental and improvised music community -- cornetist Ben LaMar Gay and poet and spoken word artist Marvin Tate -- both of whom worked on his 2017 project Flesh and Bone, and who sporadically joined him in an improvising trio -- along with the members of Bitchin Bajas (multi-instrumentalists Rob Frye, Cooper Crain, and Dan Quinlivan). He called the new group the Separatist Party, a name he had occasionally used for ad hoc live performances, as well as a title for an old Flesh and Bone tune. The six musicians coalesced into an exciting new ensemble commingling a wide array of styles and influences into a groove-oriented expression of communion in the face of crippling solitude. The music draws upon a raft of influences, weaving together varied traditions and practices within a groove-oriented attack to forge something entirely new. One can glean wisps of Don Cherry's Organic Music conception, the ecstatic fire of Pharoah Sanders, the cycling minimalism of Terry Riley, the motoric rhythms of krautrock, the exploratory tones of Sun Ra, and clipped soul of vintage Ethiopian music within the Separatist Party's music, but no single element arrives wholesale. While defining the sound of Chicago has always been a fool's errand, The Separatist Party couldn't have come from anywhere else. The Separatist Party is the first installment of a three-album cycle involving a varied cast of musicians, dealing with themes of inner and outer human isolation.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: WJLP 056X-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. Green color vinyl. In January, 2022, Mike Reed brought together some of the most creative figures in Chicago's experimental and improvised music community -- cornetist Ben LaMar Gay and poet and spoken word artist Marvin Tate -- both of whom worked on his 2017 project Flesh and Bone, and who sporadically joined him in an improvising trio -- along with the members of Bitchin Bajas (multi-instrumentalists Rob Frye, Cooper Crain, and Dan Quinlivan). He called the new group the Separatist Party, a name he had occasionally used for ad hoc live performances, as well as a title for an old Flesh and Bone tune. The six musicians coalesced into an exciting new ensemble commingling a wide array of styles and influences into a groove-oriented expression of communion in the face of crippling solitude. The music draws upon a raft of influences, weaving together varied traditions and practices within a groove-oriented attack to forge something entirely new. One can glean wisps of Don Cherry's Organic Music conception, the ecstatic fire of Pharoah Sanders, the cycling minimalism of Terry Riley, the motoric rhythms of krautrock, the exploratory tones of Sun Ra, and clipped soul of vintage Ethiopian music within the Separatist Party's music, but no single element arrives wholesale. While defining the sound of Chicago has always been a fool's errand, The Separatist Party couldn't have come from anywhere else. The Separatist Party is the first installment of a three-album cycle involving a varied cast of musicians, dealing with themes of inner and outer human isolation.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: WE 001X-LP

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

Limited 2023 repress. In 1973, Stay On It turned the coordinates of avant-garde music on its head. It is minimal, but un-ashamedly groovy; it is open to improvisation, grants performers all the freedom they could need, but it isn't jazz and never slips into the non-committal. It is open to theatrical and performative elements, but also to poetic-lyrical ones. Cut to 1981. Julius Eastman releases The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc. Where has the lightness gone? The relationship to pop music? The love for the musicians who have to develop the piece during its performance? It sounds like heavy metal: forceful, dark, urgent, sawing -- and then plaintive, heartbreaking.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: WWSCD 080CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Wewantsounds presents the release of Touch, a selection of sought-after tracks produced by Yuji Ohno, one of the most revered producers and arrangers on the Nippon music scene. His blend of jazz, space funk and disco have long been sought-after by DJs around the world and Wewanstounds has been given unique access to the Nippon Columbia vaults and to Mr. Ohno himself to come with a versatile selection from his '70s body of work, all bearing his uniquely recognizable sound. The set includes works with singers Nanako Sato, Hatsumi Shibata, and Ken Tanaka alongside tracks from his cult anime soundtracks for Lupin III and Captain Future. Approved by Yuji Ohno himself, Touch was remastered in Tokyo by Nippon Columbia and features liner notes by Nick Luscombe in conversation with the maestro and artwork by Optigram's Manuel Sepulveda. Also featuring Ann Young, Mieko Hirota, and Electric Keyboard Orchestra.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: WWSLP 080LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Wewantsounds presents the release of Touch, a selection of sought-after tracks produced by Yuji Ohno, one of the most revered producers and arrangers on the Nippon music scene. His blend of jazz, space funk and disco have long been sought-after by DJs around the world and Wewanstounds has been given unique access to the Nippon Columbia vaults and to Mr. Ohno himself to come with a versatile selection from his '70s body of work, all bearing his uniquely recognizable sound. The set includes works with singers Nanako Sato, Hatsumi Shibata, and Ken Tanaka alongside tracks from his cult anime soundtracks for Lupin III and Captain Future. Approved by Yuji Ohno himself, Touch was remastered in Tokyo by Nippon Columbia and features liner notes by Nick Luscombe in conversation with the maestro and artwork by Optigram's Manuel Sepulveda. Also featuring Ann Young, Mieko Hirota, and Electric Keyboard Orchestra.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: WRWTFWW 071LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

WRWTFWW Records announces the official reissue of Daisaku Kume's original soundtrack for the highly acclaimed 1989 Japanese crime/drama movie Violent Cop. Available for the first time outside of Japan, the album comes in a limited edition of 500 copies worldwide with a 45rpm cut providing full audio pleasure and an iconic record sleeve featuring the movie director and star: the one and only "Beat" Takeshi Kitano! Violent Cop marks Kitano's directorial debut -- a gritty neo-noir in which he stars as a rogue detective fighting a sadistic crime syndicate, only to discover widespread internal corruption in the police force. Poetic, minimalistic, with a superb balance between small soothing moments of beauty and vertiginous sudden violence, the film spearheaded a superb international career for the multi-talented filmmaker, actor, and comedian, which includes works such as Sonatine, Hana-Bi, and Battle Royale. The release of the soundtrack on vinyl presents an excellent opportunity for fans to explore the musical underpinnings of one of Kitano's earliest creations. Daisaku Kume, known for his work as the keyboardist for late '70s fusion bands T-Square and Prism, showcases versatile musical prowess on the soundtrack, taking listeners on a sonic journey through a blend of genres including magnificent Erik Satie re-interpretations, melancholic smooth jazz sometimes reminiscent of Taxi Driver, ambient-classical, and modern Western atmospherics. It's the perfect setting for Kitano's stoic but tormented lonesome urban cowboy character. Raw power mixed with timeless elegance. Violent Cop (Original Soundtrack) by Daisaku Kume follows the recent release of the soundtrack from another groundbreaking Japanese movie, Shin'ya Tsukamoto's Tokyo Fist (1995), with music by industrial visionaries Chu Ishikawa and Der Eisenrost, also currently available on WRWTFWW Records.