News & Events

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: AALP 051LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Jamaican singer started singing dancehall roots in Jamaica and worked with a variety of artists. ln 1984 He worked with Heavy D with the hit song More Love." Now Abraham presents the release of Showcase, produced by Lord Koos. Featuring songs such as "Time Is Getting Hard" and "Problems." Featuring: Robbie Shakespeare (bass); Sly Dunbar (drums); D. Frazer (horn); W. Wright (organ); Skully The Great (percussion); Bingy Bunny (rhythm guitar).

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ACRSLP 1627LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Etta James' approach to both singing and life was one akin to riot and rebellion that included violence, drug addiction, armed robbery and highly impulsive behavior. She sang with unrivalled emotion and a pain that can leave the stoniest listener in emotional turmoil. The ferocity of her voice reflected her traumatic life... a neglected child, a teen drug addict, a woman constantly entering into bad relationships and an artist raging against an industry and a society that had routinely discriminated against her. Over a career spanning more than half a century Etta 'Peaches' James has become a true blues icon. Widely acknowledged as one of the most important and influential female blues and R&B singers of the post-war era, she has been cited by critics, peers, younger artists whom she influenced, industry insiders and consumer aficionados, as one of most versatile and expressive blues singers. Effortlessly bridging the divides between pure blues, rhythm and blues, rock n' roll, sophisticated pop and jazz with an intensity and passion rarely matched. From Bonnie Raitt to Beyonce, Tina Turner to Adele, Etta James stands alone in her far-reaching influence. This LP shines a light on her early career, showcasing some of her greatest and earthiest recordings. From her first single as a delinquent teenager 'The Wallflower,' through to the distinctly Motown influenced 'Next Door To The Blues' we hear just why Etta James is the true embodiment of blues."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: ACT 9972CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Krzysztof Komeda has legendary status in Polish music, and was also one of the pioneers of European jazz. His wider fame resides largely in his work as film composer -- he wrote the soundtracks for all of Roman Polanski's early films, notably Dance of the Vampires and Rosemary's Baby. Komeda died early in 1969, but left a hugely influential body of work. By fusing Polish folk music and its tradition of melismatic singing with the characteristics of jazz, Komeda as a composer became one of the truly great melodic voices. For a tribute to Komeda, there could be no better guide than Joachim Kühn, the German pianist and jazz icon. The two men knew each other: 'For me, he was one of the great visionaries of European jazz, even then,' Kühn recalls. The Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic concert takes as its point of departure the three pieces from Komeda`s legendary album Astigmatic. Kühn takes on the role of 'primus inter pares' among some quite phenomenal accompanists, his New Trio and the versatile Atom String Quartet. There is excitement in the improvising and soloing which alternates with Komeda's powerful, highly visual themes. This is individual music-making at the highest level, but also with an astonishing sixth sense of anticipation. No less enthralling and dramaturgically perfect are the individual arrangements from Komeda's work which follow: Kühn's romantic, wonderfully delicate solo on 'After the Catastrophe'; a moving duo with Mateusz Smoczy?ski on the 1961 tune 'Moja Ballada'; Atom String Quartet's version of 'Crazy Girl' from Komeda's soundtrack to Polanski's Knife in the Water; and a dazzling trio arrangement of the lullaby 'Sleep Safe and Warm' before everyone joins together once more for the energetic finale, 'Roman II.' For the encore, Kühn played the moving 'My Brother Rolf' in memory of his brother who had died on August 18, 2022. It was he, like Komeda, who showed the young Joachim Kühn the path to freedom & how jazz would bring him to it."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: AF 1006LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning "brother" and used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello's first releases on vinyl on the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound. Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularized by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesizers and DJs. For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent's output is incomplete without South Africa's pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic's unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: AF 1007LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning "brother" and used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello's first releases on vinyl on the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound. Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularized by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesizers and DJs. For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent's output is incomplete without South Africa's pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: BANG 083LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. In 1985, after the first breakup of his band The Gun Club, Jeffrey Lee Pierce released his first solo album, Wildweed. Recorded with Craig Leon in London, the album centers on Pierce's obsession with violence and love gone wrong, and showcases his idiosyncratic guitar work, reminiscent at times of Tom Verlaine. This reissue features remastered sound, photos, and lyrics, as well as bonus tracks "Fire" and "Get Away," originally released on Pierce's 1985 Flamingo mini-LP.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 145LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Guy Pedersen's magical Maxi-Music, originally released on cult Parisian library label tele Music in 1972, is psyche-rock and jazz-funk gold. It's a vital Pederson outing, oscillating between the rough and the smooth, but always with those hypnotic grooves. It's a start-to-finish winner, yet the final 13-minute-long opus will blow minds. "Prétexte Pour Indicatifs" is so mighty, it was covered by Keith Mansfield on "Hot Property" from Big Business/Wind Of Change on KPM. "Purgatoire Mood (Interlude)" is a beautiful segue into the stunning horn-laced, swift-paced aggressive jazzy excellence of "Purgatoire Mood 1" and the more poetic "Purgatoire Mood 2". "Christophus Colombus" is another song with multiple sections; the intro a rapid wah-wah-enhanced psych-rock statement that truly thrills before settling into a more steady yet no-less unrelenting guitar-funk showcase with wordless vocals and, later, reflective guitar and piano in gorgeous harmony. Closing out this electrifying side, the elegant "Bass In Love" is a soft'n'sultry slo-mo funk instrumental, as rough cello, jazzy piano and salacious, breathy vocals combine to create the scent of lingering heat to pretty rousing effect. Ushering in Side B, "Sing Song Bass" is a slow starter but, once the drums kick in brilliantly, there comes a deeply melodic, propulsive, organ-flute-piano-bass gem. The wonky, delirious psych-pop of "Petit Moujik De Nuit" is a curiously compelling number but it serves only as the pre-curser to the phenomenal closing track. An absolute beast that totally slays all before it! Yes, despite Maxi-Music being that rarest of library records -- a record that can stand up on its own from front to back -- it really does contain that one absolute killer track. And Peterson saved the best until last. The real highlight is the blazing psych-rock funky burner that is the infamous 13-minute thriller "Kermesse Non Héroique". Containing a wicked flute solo it genuinely sounds like something off the first Dungen album. The audio for Maxi-Music has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 146LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Guy Pedersen, French jazz-soul-funk double-bass player extraordinaire, recorded Contrebasses in 1970 for Tele Music. It's one of the most outstanding -- yet puzzlingly slept-on -- releases in the library's catalogue. Forget library, this is basically a sublime, straight-up moody jazz record with monster breaks. It's brimming with sensational psychedelic/jazzy bass-heavy moments throughout. "Indian Pop Bass" contains a deep, abstract breakbeat that intersects with a bassline that loops as if it sinks into the swaying, heavy, slow drums. The mysterious, deliberate "Prélude À Une Angoisse" is an eerie, magical number with ace effects whilst "Patio Bass" is a breezy deep jazz knockout with fantastic drums and a sashaying melody. "Tension Nerveuse" creates an atmosphere that's exactly as the title suggests, full of genuine suspense, rumbling percussion and deep drama jazz. "Amour, Délices Et Contrebasse" is a touch lightweight so you're advised to head to the much darker, peculiar funk of "Percussion Bass", bursting with imaginative sounds and effects. "Obsession Diabolique" closes out the A Side, with a funky walking bassline and sparkling percussion battling against droning strings to create a uniquely unsettling, beatless track. Enlivening the B-Side immediately is the fantastic, propulsive funky-jazz of "Les Copains De La Basse". "Doucement La Basse" is largely forgettable but "Bass Session" is a blazing psych-jazz-rock burner. "Bass After Love" is devastatingly psychy, funky and unique. "Ballade Pour Une Basse" is a classic funky French jazz piece with an infectious bass melody that seems to anticipate "Before The Night Is Over", the Joe Simon track that Outkast sampled for "So Fresh, So Clean". The audio for Contrebasses has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 148LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

European funk fusion of the highest order, Michel Gonet's Phasing News Volume 1 is the essential companion piece to the venerated Volume 2. As Tele Music themselves said, it contains "tense and mysterious underscores in a range of styles." "Moon To Light (Number II) - A" is a total wonder. It's incredible, and what a way to begin a record. The percussion is electrifying, complimenting the dark, heavy piano, eerie organ work, electric guitar soling and rhythm section brilliance. "Part B" is virtually identical but without the electric guitar. The slow "Soul Cathedral (Number II) - A" is an ambient spacey synth gem which is both beatless and drenched in phased organ. Part B plays it rather straighter, a church organ continuing the same melody and tempo but with less of the swirling synthy effects. "Light In The Rains (Number II) - A" sounds like something Diamond D would've sampled in the mid-to-late '90s, conjuring as it does that peculiar, creeping Axelrod-funk, all eerie electric guitar and organ, bass and spacey effects. Part B loses the electric guitar and adds brass. The swirling, dramatic "Mondial Scoop (Number II)" has that urgent News At Ten feel with its prominent timpani drums whilst "Mecanic Bird Song" is a frenetic, abstract track with disorientating keyboard interplay. "Mephisto Jet (Number II) - A" rides a slick, proto-hip-hop beat with melodic, warm Rhodes yet, thrillingly, casually ups the drama with strings and timpanis. It then returns to its more mellow state. Part B adds acidy, phased percussion to create a more hypnotic, tripped out feel to proceedings. "Part C" is half as long but, pared back to just drums and Rhodes, it's arguably twice-as-nice. To close, the shuffling, bell-laced urgent jazz of "Phasing News - A" is another highlight, riding a great bassline and augmented by ace drums, organ and electric guitar. Part B is also great, removing the guitar and doubling down on the head-nod funk. The audio for Phasing News Volume 1 has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 149LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Up until now, Michel Gonet's Phasing News Volume 2 transcends the "library" genre. This is a record that has always been so hot on secondary markets. And it's easy to hear why! It's a big French library classic with high demand. Opening with "Mondial Scoop (Number III)", it continues on from where the dramatic tracks of Phasing News Volume 1 left off. The group of "Phasing Percussions" get under your skin, sample material for days here. "Phasing Leitmotive A" and "Phasing Leitmotive B" hypnotise with their analogue synth loops. Yet it's "Phasing March", closing out the side, that is absolutely sensational. Timpani drums merge with open breaks making for an irresistible neck-snapping tour de force. Side B starts with "Devil Dance A", an unbelievably infectious bass instrumental whilst "Devil Dance B" adds more percussion and bass flourishes and is all the more funky for it. And now for the main event. "Flower Dance A" is an instantly captivating, sparkling keys loop and glittering percussion neatly arranged atop a very strong bassline and drums, all lean and potent. The melody was lifted wholesale by The Soulsavers for "Rumblefish" back in 2002 and you can't really blame them. "Flower Dance B" removes the bassline for a lighter feel but that loop still burrows inside your brain. "Happy Smith (Number II)" was used by Madlib for Erykah's "My People" (!!!) whilst the set closes out with a group of tense, phased workouts. The audio for Phasing News Volume 2 has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

 

PRICE: $44.00

CAT #: BDL 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"This recording of a reunion concert many years after most people had figured that they would never see the band again, will show you why so many fans hold this particular brand of musical insanity in such high regard."

 

PRICE: $44.00

CAT #: BDL 013LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Deluxe vinyl reissue of this 24-track compilation from British psychedelic rock band Les Fleur de Lys."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BOTA 001EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Botanica is the newly established Japanese label created by DJ/Producer, Iori Wakasa. It was formed for him to utilize it as a foundation for the realization of his own unique, artistic expression. And now, he has the pleasure to announce his label's inaugural title with the release of his own Botanica EP. Iori set up Botanica to convey two main concepts of "presenting music that provides each listener with their own viewpoint" and "to construct a fusion between 'nature' and 'man-made objects and human activity." Through the experience of traveling around Japan, Europe and Asia and connecting with people of different languages and cultures, he became to appreciate that music transcends all languages and grooves, and the framework in which he would like to shape his perspective and embody it as his way of life is what he envisions as the vital expression for Botanica, The two tracks and the artwork included in this first EP are the first steps towards hopefully chronicling the story of the vortex that he resides in now and the new forest that he plans to weave in the future with his label. The artwork for the front cover of this EP was created by Shinozaki Hiloshi, an illustrator who has been traveling and painting to express his true way of life that he learnt in the more than ten years of commuting between Tokyo (the end) and the Hawaii Islands (the beginning), and the graphic designer Hiro, who stands by Iori`s side as his life partner and as the person who understands him the best.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BB 102LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

There was a particular type of artist who could only have emerged in the legendary early 1970s. Few musicians fit the bill better than Conrad Schnitzler. Revolution, pop art and Fluxus created a climate which engendered unbridled artistic and social development. Radical utopias, excessive experimentation with drugs, and ruthless (in a positive way) transgression of aesthetic frontiers were characteristic of the period. The magic words were subculture, progress- positivity, and avantgardism. West Berlin, with its unique political status, was a crucible of turbulence. Founded in 1968, Zodiak was the ultimate point of convergence for subculture in West Berlin, with Conrad Schnitzler the driving force behind it. It was also here that Tangerine Dream and Kluster First met up to perform in public (the red album, Rot, was Schnitzler's first solo effort). As a member of Tangerine Dream, however, he had participated in the band's debut release Electronic Meditation some three years earlier (1970). He, Dieter Moebius, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius had also already founded Kluster, whose first album Klopfzeichen attracted a wealth of attention. On Rot, meanwhile, Schnitzler uncompromisingly pursued his very own vision of electronic music. As an acolyte of action and object artist Joseph Beuys, Schnitzler embraced the former's "extended definition of art," in which controlled randomness assumed an important role. Schnitzler actually extended the concept of music. Or to put it another way: he cared not one iota for existing rules of music, preferring to create his own or conceptualizing a certain degree of lawlessness. Improvisation grew in importance. The most exciting aspect of Schnitzler's music is not the fact that he only used synthetic sound and noise; the apparently chaotic movements of his microscopic particles of sound draw the listener into a paradoxical, yet also crystalline and vibrant artistic world. It doesn't get much more outlandish than this. Schnitzler's debut surpassed virtually every other pioneering artist of the day in terms of radicalness. Not content merely with making psychedelic soundtracks, he turned these on their head with his defiant artistic will. The rigor of his approach has never been matched. Schnitzler's inimitable cascades of sound and their transparency were, and remain, unique. Limited 50th Anniversary Edition: embossed, reverse board, hand numbered, limited edition red vinyl.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 431LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. 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: $38.50

CAT #: CNERS 2301LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

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. Here are persuasive, nocturnal and mischievous tracks in perfect nightclub style such as "Amore Tossico," "Autostop," "Ultima Notte," and "La Gabbia" side by side with more dance tracks such as her main hit "Supermacho," the dance-rock "Impulsi Di Sesso," and "Gate One (Aeroplano Telecomandato)" and the funky "Rocky."

 

PRICE: $36.50

CAT #: CNLP 072LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Tapestry: Koto is a three-album series produced by Nippon Columbia in the mid-1970s dedicated to one of the main instruments of Japanese traditional music: Koto. The beauty of the trilogy curated by composer Kiyoshi Yamaya, whose chapters are respectively dedicated to Sea, Hillside and Country, lies in the fact that they are a modern translation of tradition using newer and more avant-garde sound idioms, integrating the koto with jazz musicians. An original mix, a "crossover" that allows for the awakening and the consequential spread of traditional music in larger contexts. The extreme accuracy of the marvelous recordings is also remarkable. Toshiko Yonekawa who, from 1941 to 1944, won prizes as the best performer in the Japanese Cultural Federation's competition for traditional trios. She also received an award from the Prime Minister. Many other important recognitions followed until she became president of the Reichokai and executive director of the Sankyoku Association. In 1996, she was appointed Living National Treasure. Kiyoshi Yamaya attended the Kunitachi College of Music, and between 1956 and 1960 performed with Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats (clarinet, saxophone, etc.) and was responsible for composition and arrangement. In 1959, he formed the Modern Jazz Three Association with Norio Maeda and Keitaro Miho, which contributed to the improvement of the level of composition and arrangement in Japanese jazz. In 1965, he became conductor of the Tokyo Union Orchestra and received the Japan Record Award's Arrangement Award. This album is an unmissable session for those seeking new sounds. Original masters licensed by Nippon Columbia for the first ever reissue. Includes OBI and insert.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CTLP 179LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

A&A Productions presents Reggae Hits Vol. 2. Featuring Bob Marley & The Wailers, Horace Andy, Eric Donaldson, Owen Gray, Ernest Wilson, Count Prince Miller, Barry Brown, Ethiopians, Cornell Campbell, Leroy Smart, Johnny Clarke, John Holt, Brent Dowe, and Slim Smith.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CVSD 101CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

In the winter of 1980, Chicago tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson (1929-2010) brought his quartet to Milwaukee, where they were recorded live in concert. These tapes were first plumbed for The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 on the Unheard Music Series in 2000. Anderson's group featured his long-time trumpeter Billy Brimfield (1938-2012) as well as his protege and percussionist Hamid Drake, then known as Hank, and bassist Larry Hayrod. Finally, after another couple of decades during which both Anderson and Brimfield have passed, Corbett vs. Dempsey is proud to present The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 2, a full CD of previously unissued material from the same concert. Among the five tracks are four penned by Anderson, including his classic "3 On 2," as well as a rare composition by Brimfield, "He Who Walks Alone." The trumpeter is lithe and mercurial in this context, playing with his typical sense of mystery, while Anderson's huge tenor sound and unique approach to linear improvisation are in top form. Drake is, as always, the element that gets everything warmed up, his kit a veritable furnace, as propulsive as humanly possible. On The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 2, the influence of Edward Blackwell on the 25-year-old drummer is clearly audible, with intricate polyrhythms and a full head of steam. Recently rediscovered, this second half of the Milwaukee session fills out the picture completely, offering a glimpse of one of the great figures of AACM Chicago in his prime, with a simpatico working band on a great night. The package includes beautiful portraits of Anderson and Brimfield, the contemporaneous color shot of the leader never before seen.

 

PRICE: $130.00

CAT #: CE 309LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Christian Death is an American gothic rock band formed in Orange County, California, in 1979 by Rozz Williams. Their 1982 debut album Only Theatre of Pain was highly influential in the development of the style of music known as deathrock, as well as on the American gothic scene. During this time legendary LA punk rock photographer Edward Colver befriended the band and shot Christian Death at a dozen of the band's concerts in the Los Angeles area during 1981 and 1982, as well as a shoot with the band at Rozz's family home which was later used for the album back cover of Only Theatre of Pain. Cult Epics presents the 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Christian Death: Only Theatre of Pain -- including an exclusive double vinyl of the original album with a bonus LP of demos and bonus tracks (in collaboration with Lisa Fancher of Frontier Records) and 24"x 24" folded poster, a 220-page coffee-table hardcover book (edited by Nico B) featuring rare archive photography by Edward Colver alongside exclusive interviews with surviving band members and others, a 24"x 24" folded poster -- and all housed in a deluxe hardcase slipcase."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 202LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Insignificance consists of rock plus multiple musical allusions, layers of discreet noises, great playing from all the players and, to top it off, funny pop tunes laced with lyrical arsenic. As the moving finger of O'Rourke points (and clicks...just kidding! Insignificance is an all-analog affair), moments will come and go -- to remind you of other moments. Moments will arrive that have no precedent. And different, conflicting emotions will flash within you. He'll have total control of you, the helpless listener."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: EG 008LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Look no further for some classic contemporary ambient music! Originally released on tape in 1982, Maraccaba is the second solo album from Deutsch electronic wizard Klaus Wiese, a Popol Vuh member during the recordings of iconic masterpiece as "Hosianna Mantra" and "Seligpreisung." Klaus Wiese was a veteran musician, minimalist, and multi-instrumentalist. A master of the Tibetan singing bowl, he created an extensive series of album releases using them. Wiese also used the human voice, the zither, Persian stringed instruments, chimes, and other exotic instruments in his music. Wiese is considered by some as one of the great ambient or space music artists alongside Robert Rich, Steve Roach, Michael Stearns, Constance Demby, and Jonn Serrie. His musical style is much more appropriately compared to the organic soundscapes of drone and dark ambient music, such as Oöphoi, Alio Die, Mathias Grassow, and Tau Ceti. In the 1990s he founded the Nono Orchestra to play the giant sheet metal instruments of Robert Rutman. Wiese is known also for his collaborations with Al Gromer Khan, Mathias Grassow, Oöphoi, Tau Ceti, Saam Schlamminger, and Ted de Jong. He collaborated with Deuter on his Silence is the Answer album in 1980 and East of the Full Moon in 2005. Edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: ET 939LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Double LP version. Extremely obscure "Rare Groove" album recorded in Argentina in 1974 and produced by great radio and music producer Mochin Marafioti. It has been impossible to learn who the musicians of the amazing session were. Soul, funk, psychedelia and Latin melt into a sort of Funkadelic sound. Spoken intro, sensual vocals and a monster rhythm section flirt with wah wah guitars and catchy melodies. A truly hidden treasury brought back to life by legendary Easy Tempo crew and destined to please the worldwide Rare Groove clubbing nation. To the original recording were added edits by Andrea Passenger done in the spirit of the classic disco music manipulators like Tom Moulton, Danny Krivit and Walter Gibbons. To be played very loud.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: ET 942LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Double LP version. On the occasion of RT 30 (the celebrations of Right Tempo's thirty years of activity) the Italian record company has decided, among other things, to publish a new volume of this successful series. The Easy Tempo series, born in 1996, aimed to disseminate a sound linked to black culture (in its broadest meaning and most varied forms) with contaminations ranging from psychedelia to vintage electronics through soul, funk and jazz. Having drawn from the world of soundtracks did not arise from a specific passion in this area, but from the simple fact that that universe offered a vast repertoire, however submerged, of music suitable for the 'groove' vocation of Right Tempo, as well as a distinctive sign of national identity, considering the caliber of the composers and musicians involved in writing and performing the music featured in the different tracking lists of the series. To this respect, starting from Volume 11 that you are holding in your hand, Easy Tempo will expand its editorial horizons, including tracks taken from obscure, underrated and/or hard to find records that transcend the congested world of soundtracks. It should also be emphasized that, given the label international vocation, the repertoire from which we will draw will no longer be limited to Italian record production, but will have a global perspective. The sound journey you are about to embark on is steeped in soul, funk, jazz, Latin, psychedelia, with a pinch of electronics at times. Travelling flutes, tight and driving rhythm patterns and rich and colorful arrangements perfectly indicate Easy Tempo series new direction. The most intriguing and ubiquitous aspect is particularly incisive thanks to the "cinematic" cut given to the selection. We believe, upon a first check of the musical content, that this new chapter will meet the expectations of all those who have enjoyed the ten previous volumes of this collection of sounds and emotions over time. Enjoy Easy Tempo Volume 11. Features Roberto Pregadio, Soul's Soul, Orchestra Mustang, Genius, Gianni Marchetti, I Raffazzonati, Brooklyn Bridge Group, Hugh Bullen, Carlo Cordara e i Waterloo, Les Chakachas, Le Streghe, Ninety, Lara Saint Paul, Ivano Fossati, Sandro Brugnolini, Gianni Basso Quartet, Enzo Scoppa, Gino Marinacci, and The Gypsy-Gershwin Medley.

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: ESPDISK 4082CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

It has become clear that Matthew Shipp is the most interesting and important jazz pianist of his generation, the most continually evolving and pushing forward. Now that he's in his sixties and something of an elder statesman of the art form, he's overdue for a retrospective look at his catalog, and to help make that happen, ESP-Disk' will be reissuing some of his great early work that's gone out of print. The 1990 trio recording Circular Temple (originally self-released on Quinton, then reissued in 1994 by Henry Rollins on his Infinite Zero label) is now reissued in 2023. Circular Temple has marked many firsts for Matthew Shipp: his first CD release, first piano trio album, first of many times on record with Parker and Dickey, first album to be reissued, and on ESP-Disk's reissue of it, first CD-only album to finally appear on vinyl and first album to be released by three different labels. And, more trivially, the first Shipp album that current ESP head/reissue producer Steve Holtje acquired, back when the only choices were that and a 1988 LP-only duo by Shipp and saxophonist Rob Brown on the Cadence label.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: ESPDISK 4082LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. It has become clear that Matthew Shipp is the most interesting and important jazz pianist of his generation, the most continually evolving and pushing forward. Now that he's in his sixties and something of an elder statesman of the art form, he's overdue for a retrospective look at his catalog, and to help make that happen, ESP-Disk' will be reissuing some of his great early work that's gone out of print. The 1990 trio recording Circular Temple (originally self-released on Quinton, then reissued in 1994 by Henry Rollins on his Infinite Zero label) is now reissued in 2023. Circular Temple has marked many firsts for Matthew Shipp: his first CD release, first piano trio album, first of many times on record with Parker and Dickey, first album to be reissued, and on ESP-Disk's reissue of it, first CD-only album to finally appear on vinyl and first album to be released by three different labels. And, more trivially, the first Shipp album that current ESP head/reissue producer Steve Holtje acquired, back when the only choices were that and a 1988 LP-only duo by Shipp and saxophonist Rob Brown on the Cadence label.

 

PRICE: $25.50

CAT #: FTR 740LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Co-release with Carbon Records."It's my great pleasure to introduce you to guitarist Liam Grant and his debut album, Amoskeag... It's one of those records that critics, fans and musicians alike will look back at and say, 'This is where it all started'... [Liam] has since played with folks like Mike Gangloff, Glenn Jones, Trevor Mackenzie, Buck Curran, Dave Shuford, Joseph Allred... the list of heavy-hitters is already long and continues to grow. Every song on this album taps into raw, rich veins of sound that are simultaneously dense but easy to enjoy; vintage and modern; new yet timeless. The album kicks off with a monster track entitled 'Stratton-Eustis' -- one of those complex yet flowing tunes that makes you think overdubs were involved or the player has grown an extra set of limbs. Then there's 'Kenduskeag,' a raga-esque group recording in an abandoned New England Conservatory building with Ethan WL and the long-standing anonymous drone collective The Suncook Symphony that showcases his already masterful skills for composition and band leadership. The title track, 'Amoskeag,' is a powerful, overflowing whiskey glass full of deep, raw soul, drawn from ages past and times present. The closer, 'Androscoggin River Ragg,' is exactly that, an old-timey blues rag sucked straight from the ether of hundred years past, with Grayson McGuire on banjo and Mike Gangloff on jaw harp. This old, worn-out dog can't begin to express what an honor and privilege it's been to work with Liam and the other various musical misfits and mysticks that he's drawn into his circle. This album captures all that magick and then some. It's not just a good album... nor just a great one... it's a fuckin' important, much-needed beacon in the dark seas of overproduction, ephemera and watered down, easy-to-sell dullness of today...." --Rob Vaughn, 2023

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: GET 51324C-LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"The contemporary realm of hip hop music can be seen as polarized between two sides; mainstream versus underground, industry versus independent, at a base level boiled down to catchy sounds and infective hooks over higher quality lyrical content. These elements don't need to be mutually exclusive, but these days it's rare to find an act that can please all sides of the discussion. Clipse are one of the few groups that successfully and consistently caters to both sides of raps splintered psyche, simultaneously serving the scene with upbeat bangers that get the club poppin' and subwoofers rattlin' while crafting clever quotable compositions deserving of repeated headphone submersions. Though their preceding official albums Lord Willin (2002) and Hell Hath No Fury (2006) made bigger splashes commercially, 2009's Til The Casket Drops is surely no slouch, a gem which deserves to be revisited with fresh ears. Til The Casket Drops was a departure from the duo of Malice & Pusha T's previous works in that it was their first LP not completely produced by The Neptunes. However, the celebrated team who brought us 'Grinding' and 'Mr. Me Too' still helmed eight of the albums thirteen tracks, thus dominating the soundscapes and aesthetic of the album anyway. With the remaining beats handled by Hitmen Sean C & LV (Jay-Z, Big Pun, Ghostface) and Aftermath's DJ Khalil (Kendrick Lamar, Aloe Blacc, Eminem) clearly Clipse stock hadn't lowered in the game. While boasting notable vocal features from Kanye West, Pharrell, Camron, Keri Hilson, Yo Gotti and their Re-Up Gang affiliate Ab-Liva, Casket Drops leaves ample space for the core emcee duo of Pusha & Malice to shine in the spotlight, with verses revolving around each other succinctly in-synch and bonded by an exceptional creative rhythm only biological brothers could share. Pressed on fruit punch color vinyl with hand numbered obi. Limited to 2000 copies."

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: GET 51448LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Three 6 Mafia fans can get their hands on Hypnotize Camp Posse's one and only album on limited edition vinyl. Originally released in 2000 only on CD and cassette, Get On Down gives this southern Hip-Hop classic a proper release on vinyl. Featuring all The Hypnotize Minds affiliates DJ Paul, Juicy J, Project Pat, Lord Infamous, Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo, La Chat, T-Rock, and Koopsta Knicca. Presented as a double LP. Pressed on translucent blue vinyl."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: GONE 191LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Australia Stops was recorded in January 2023 at The Pet Food Factory studio with producer Jason Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb) behind the desk. A record that showcases a collection of diverse and gripping new works that highlight the band's evolution into more melodious, 1970s Australiana and boogie rock and roll. Frenzied, high-voltage guitars, thumping rhythms, flowing melody and clever, captivating lyrics exhibit an undeniable progression in composition and songwriting, while still unmistakably the C.O.F.F.I.N that fans worldwide have come to worship. For those who are no strangers to the Australian highways, "Australia Stops" may be best recognized as words donned on the back of truck mudflaps. To C.O.F.F.I.N, Australia Stops are words that became a polysemous idea and observation on Australian society, culture, art, politics and progression. 'When the city burns up you get out, when the flint hits shot you get down,' lyrics roared by Ben Portnoy, a look into 'idle-Australia,' the government action (or lack thereof) to social issues and the overarching notion of fear of change in this country. While the theme Australia Stops poses political questions and ideals, it also synchronously shines light on the eminence of community, the healthy beating heart of art and music, the beautiful landscapes and divergent nature surroundings held dear within Australia. With this, Australia Stops is neither a fully positive or negative elucidation of the country. It is a celebration of the things the citizens are lucky to have, while always trying to encourage and inspire those around them to try and do better."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HONEY 085LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

All of You is a live album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded at Jamal's own club in Chicago in 1961 and released originally on the Argo label. Jamal's group had a personal sound of its own, often playing quietly and leaving space but never losing the passion. These versions of "Time on My Hands," "Star Eyes" and "All of You" in particular are well worth hearing. On the cover, photographed by Don Bronstein, one of the first staff photographers for Playboy magazine, Jamal sits in an MAA chair, designed by George Nelson.

 

PRICE: $50.00

CAT #: HOS 804LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Official reissue of the modern cult classic -- this time on triple LP with side-F snake etching. Focusing on slow paced bass studies and synthetic dub textures, surrounded by collaged and looped field recording environments, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement shrouds sound over image to target the sector of brain where fear supersedes rationality -- the imagination. Ambient Black Magic moves away from the extreme saturation of the early cassettes and the industrial environmentalism of Green Graves, and defines itself simply as contemporary fear/chill-out' dub. Includes digital download code. Exclusive USA purple vinyl.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: JRLP 061LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress; LP version. King Tubby's studio and Channel One -- two of the great Jamaican studios that produced so many of the great reggae rhythms in Kingston -- find themselves here battling for the trophy. Bunny Lee threw rhythms over to Channel One, which had enlisted the great DJ Jah Stitch to return the fire. So sit back and enjoy two great institutions of the reggae sound, battling it out for supremacy. The winner? That's for the listener to decide. But in this Dub Soundclash there is no loser.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 408CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Geins't Naït was founded in Nancy, France, in 1986 by Thierry Merigout and Vincent Hachet, both students at the Architecture School of Nancy. A year later Laurent Petitgand joined the band. Their sound is often described as an equivalent of bands like Einstürzende Neubauten, Coil or Test Dept., but Geins't Naït is not pure classic industrial. While Geins't Naït offers rough pieces of music as an extension of its punk attitude, Petitgand refines them to create some musicality within the post-industrial collages, adding guitars, piano, and classical instruments. Geins't Naït and Laurent Petitgand sharpen sounds, giving them a kind of balance and density and ensuring that the musical language evokes a deep experience. Their music is raw and fascinating, and largely influenced by Surrealists and Situationists. Their early albums were released by French label Permis De Construire, with Fishes being the band's fifth album, originally released in 1989. It features fifteen tracks which have been carefully remastered for this first ever CD re-issue by Martin Bowes."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 435CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"The first duet album by Rhys Chatham and David Fenech, two well-known musicians of the experimental scene. It is a long piece of music in a minimalist spirit, where the two guitarists meet and merge with Rhys' trumpets, flutes and vocals and David's small percussion. This record has an organic feel and natural development that makes it unique. Tomorrow starts tonight! Rhys Chatham is best known for his compositions for electric guitar orchestra. He began his musical career as a harpsichord tuner, studied flute with Sue Ann Kahn, studied shortly thereafter with electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick and later with La Monte Young (also as a member of his famous Theatre of Eternal Music ensemble). He also played with Tony Conrad in an early version of his band The Dream Syndicate. In 1971, while still a teenager, Chatham became the first musical director of the famous venue The Kitchen in New York. He has played and recorded with musicians as varied as Charlemagne Palestine, Sonic Youth, Arthur Russell, Jonathan Kane (Swans), George Lewis, Band of Susans, David Toop, and in his large guitar ensembles with members of Tortoise, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Hüsker Dü. David Fenech is a French musician living in Paris, guitarist, singer, improviser. He plays a wide variety of instruments and is an accomplished guitarist with his own technique. His main instrument may well be the microphone, his music being composed of whatever he records with it. His distinctive, slightly baroque style, on the bangs of rock, jazz and improvised music, has often been described as 'a kind of musique concrète punk.' He has performed and recorded with musicians as diverse as Felix Kubin, Tom Cora, Pierre Bastien, Jac Berrocal, Ghédalia Tazartès, and Nurse With Wound. The music on this CD was recorded live at two concerts, one in Paris and one in Vienna. It was mastered by James Plotkin."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 436CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Maurizio Bianchi is an Italian pioneer of industrial music and dark ambient, originating from Milan. Bianchi was inspired by the music of Tangerine Dream, Conrad Schnitzler and Throbbing Gristle. He wrote about music for Italian magazines before beginning to release his own cassettes under the name of Sacher-Pelz in August 1979. He released four cassettes as Sacher-Pelz before switching to his own name or simply MB in 1980. Bianchi corresponded with many of the key players in the industrial music and noise music scenes including Merzbow, GX Jupitter-Larsen, SPK, Nigel Ayers of Nocturnal Emissions and William Bennett of Whitehouse. After this exchange of letters and music, his first LPs were released in 1981. Symphony For A Genocide was released on Nigel Ayers' Sterile Records label after Bianchi had sent Ayers the money to press it. Each track on the LP was named after a Nazi extermination camp. The cover featured photographs of the Auschwitz Orchestra, a group of concentration camp prisoners who were forced to play classical music as people were herded into the gas chambers. The back cover included the text 'The moral of this work: the past punishment is the inevitable blindness of the present.' By 1983 and the release of the Plain Truth LP on U.K. power electronics label Broken Flag, Bianchi had become a Jehovah's Witness. At the end of 1983 Bianchi announced his withdrawal from music. In 1998, encouraged by Alga Marghen label head Emanuele Carcano, who offered him a label of his own, Maurizio Bianchi resumed making music. The label was EEs'T Records, through which he released new editions of old MB albums and many new recordings. Never Existed Before Consequently It Will Never Exist After is credited to MB & Nisi Quieris, with the latter being another pseudonym for Maurizio Bianchi himself. The album introduces him on vocals next to the electronics this opening a new chapter for MB."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 438CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"GBK are an Austrian free jazz trio that isn't afraid of being groovy. The band was founded in 2007 after a first meeting the year before, being thrown together in an improvised music session. They performed many years under the name of KGB before changing their name recently due to Russian war against Ukraine. All three musicians are happy to swap roles in their trio, therefore abstract experimental sounds have the same place in their repertoire as groove and melody. Drummer Didi Kern works both in jazz and in alternative rock music. His best-known band is Bul Bul, and he also played a long time in Industrial performance outfit Fuckhead. He recently released an album on Klanggalerie with Elisabeth Harnik and Jaap Block. Susanna Gartmayer is a bass clarinet player, but also composer and graphic designer. She started her career in the early 2000s in an art rock band. She is a permanent member of The Vegetable Orchestra, a group that performs exclusively on vegetables, as the name suggests. Recently she released an album on Klanggalerie with Christof Kurzmann. Thomas Berghammer studied the trumpet in Linz and Graz and resides in Vienna. He has performed in all kinds of genres, playing amongst others with Wolfgang Mitterer, Oskar Aichinger, Georg Graewe, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafson, and Mars Williams. The three members of KGB also run a weekly improvisers' session in Vienna."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 443CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Francisco Meirino is a sound artist based in Switzerland. His music explores the tension between programmable material and the potential for its failure. His interest lies primarily in what is not supposed to be recorded: the end of life of electronic devices, electrostatic noise, magnetic fields and the unconventional use of music hardware and sound systems and how to exploit these sonic failures in radically different ways in his sound pieces. His music combines intricate textures, sonic precision, wide spatial panning and is fascinating by its physical intensity and detail precision. Born April 1966, in Marseille, Jérôme Noetinger discovered experimental music under the influence of the Déficit Des Années Antérieures in Caen. He is a composer/improviser/sound artist working with electroacoustic devices. Composing sometimes musique concrete in the studio, and performing improvised music using electroacoustic devices such as: the reel-to-reel tape recorder Revox A77 and magnetic tape, analogue synthesizers, mixing desks, speakers, microphones, various electronic household objects and home-made electronica. Performing both solo and in ensembles, and collaborating often, and touring extensively internationally. Jerome is also the director of Metamkine, a non-profit organization dedicated to the distribution of improvised and electroacoustic music, which operates with an on-line mail order catalogue. The music on this CD was recorded by the duo in 2019 in Switzerland."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 446CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Michael Fischer is an Austrian musician, composer and instant composition conductor. He works on the immanence of language within sounds, their sculptural and dramatic evidence, on the tenor saxophone, the violin, on cd-player setting and conducted instant compositions, in improvised and experimental music. Since 1999 he connects the electro-acoustic phenomenon feedback with acoustic instrumentation by creating and playing the feedback saxophone. He also collaborations with literary writers, dance productions, performance, installation and video. Fischer also launched the Vienna Improvisers Orchestra in 2004. Valentin Duit is the drummer of various ensembles, among them for example Dsilton, Robert Unterköfler Quintett, Coastline Paradox, Duit and Gadermaier, and Gnigler/Duit. In 2018 he released his first solo drum set record Mashevene. He has been performing as a duo with Michael Fischer for quite some time and two of their most recent concerts in Vienna were recorded for this, their debut duo CD. Its free jazz with an electronic and noisy touch. Unique!"

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: KRANK 007CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 reprint. "The debut album from New York City's Bowery Electric was released by Kranky in late summer 1995 after they came to the label's attention via their self-released 2x7-inch Drop EP from the year previous. The first in a trio of albums released by the core duo of Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener finds them in their most raw form. This new double LP version restores the track 'Deep Sky Objects' to the original running order of the album as it was left off of the original single LP version due to side length restraints. This is the first time this album has been available on vinyl in almost two decades, and the first time the Drop EP has been available in any format since original release in 1994. At the same time, Kranky is making the CD version available once again for the first time in many years, with the Drop EP tracks also included." "The perfect realization of their aesthetic, each word and chord tuned and focused for maximum impact." --Pitchfork "Genuinely hypnotic." --The Wire

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: KRANK 007LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. double LP version. "The debut album from New York City's Bowery Electric was released by Kranky in late summer 1995 after they came to the label's attention via their self-released 2x7-inch Drop EP from the year previous. The first in a trio of albums released by the core duo of Lawrence Chandler and Martha Schwendener finds them in their most raw form. This new double LP version restores the track 'Deep Sky Objects' to the original running order of the album as it was left off of the original single LP version due to side length restraints. This is the first time this album has been available on vinyl in almost two decades, and the first time the Drop EP has been available in any format since original release in 1994." "The perfect realization of their aesthetic, each word and chord tuned and focused for maximum impact." --Pitchfork "Genuinely hypnotic." --The Wire

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: KW 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Limited 2023 restock. Import Russia! Awesome compilation featuring rare demos, alternate mixes, live TV appearances and more from the golden era of the masters of Robotik music. An absolute must for kraut rock fans, mutant rockers, technoheads or anyone even remotely interested in the history of modern music, this album presents a great overview of the career of the Düsseldorf four. From great demos showing the embryonic stages of future hits such as "The Robots" to an amazing version of "Pocket Calculator" sung in Italian, there's plenty on It's More Fun To Compute to fully satisfy the most demanding of Kraftwerk fans.

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: MGART 603LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "In 1976 Michael Hoenig had a brief collaboration with Ash Ra Tempel's Manuel Göttsching in Berlin; A 48-minute recording of one of the sessions, which was released in 1995 under the title Early Water on Bernd Kistenmacher's Musique Intemporelle label. The album was deleted and unavailable for a long time. Now, finally, a re-issue of Early Water will be available again. Michael Hoenig still remembers: 'While I had been working on the Departure From The Northern Wasteland album, Manuel Göttsching had asked me if I would team up with him for some concerts in France, since his group had just gone through one of its hibernation periods. We rehearsed in my place for three or four weeks. One evening we got a call regarding some missing guarantee, which ultimately led to the decision to cancel the tour. Just for fun, we played one of the planned sets for a last time. Even though I do not recall pressing a record button, somebody recently dug up a Revox tape of that very set. After performing some digital sonic archaeology on it, it was just released under the very appropriate title Early Water.' And Manuel Göttsching adds: 'Unfortunately, some of the concert dates were not confirmed in time and we had to cancel the complete tour just on the day before we wanted to leave for France. On that evening, nevertheless, we recorded our last rehearsal 'just in case'. It turned out as a flowing harmonic piece, reflecting much of the optimistic air of 1976. Michael made his 'departure' to Los Angeles in the early 1980ies. When we met again in November 1994, I proposed to release this old track of ours. Michael took the original tape to Los Angeles, lovingly restored it and -- well, here is it again!'"

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NA 5215C-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Vibes From The Tribe is now available in a limited edition aqua color vinyl pressing. The Tribe co-founder's masterpiece, lacquered directly from his master tapes in an all analog transfer by Bernie Grundman. The definitive reissue of this spiritual jazz album, one of the most sought-after artifacts of the 1970s jazz underground. The Tribe label, one of the brightest lights of America's 1970s jazz underground, receives the Now-Again reissue treatment. This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos. In the words of the collective themselves, 'Music is the healing force of the universe.' Included in an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff 'Chairman' Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. The booklet features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe's mid-1970s heyday."

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: OR 028LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Thrill Addict, originally released in 2015, is the third album by rock duo Peter Kernel aka Barbara Lehno? (Camilla Sparksss) and Aris Bassetti.

 

PRICE: $45.00

CAT #: ORGM 1083LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2021 release. "Double Gatefold LP. Mastered from the original analog tapes at 45rpm by Bernie Grundman. Pressed on audiophile-grade 180 gram vinyl at Pallas in Germany."

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: ORGM 2091LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2018 release. "Janus is a compilation of rare material from Sun Ra and his Arkestra, drawing from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. The space-age jazz shaman conjures up a variety of styles and moods along the way. The album has been remastered, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2096LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2019 release. "Vibrations is the second album released by American free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler's quartet featuring Don Cherry, Gary Peacock, and Sonny Murray. The album was recorded in Copenhagen in September of 1964. Originally issued by the Freedom label, it also been released under an alternate title, Ghosts. Previously out of print for decades, the recordings were remastered for an audiophile-grade pressing on 180gram vinyl at Pallas in Germany."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2119LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2019 release. "Cecil Taylor's solo piano set at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 drew critical acclaim, earning five-star reviews from the Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide and AllMusic's Scott Yanow. The set features Taylor's five-movement work 'Silent Tongues,' along with two encores. After being out of print for nearly four decades, the classic live album has been remastered at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany. Silent Tongues is a must-have for fans of Taylor and collectors of free jazz."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2120LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2019 release. "Tutankhamun, the 1969 album by avant-garde jazz pioneers Art Ensemble of Chicago, features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, and Malachi Favors Maghostut. As the AllMusic review states, 'This landmark album is one of the most influential free jazz recordings in the '60s avant-garde canon.' Previously out of print for over three decades, Tutankhamun has been remastered for vinyl at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany. As a bonus, the reissue features 'Tthinitthedalen' Part 1 and 2, closing out sides A and B, respectively."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: POL 022-2023CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Write. Record. Break. Recategorize. Reassemble. In K. Leimer's most recent work, he returns to his long-running interest in developing relationships in sound that are not composed, not planned, not under conscious influence or control. Phrases and patterns emerge from dense layering and editing; melodic elements are split apart, re-voiced and reset in successive contexts. A music of distressed fragments, Spall originates from acoustic, electric, synthesized, manipulated, torn, and piece-work audio that combines into complex, layered, and flowing pieces of unexpected turns and contrasts. Modified, melted, and shaped into shifting sonic environments that fuse the clear signal with the distorted, the recognizable with ambiguous, Spall is music mined from an abandoned quarry."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PNG 011CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Former Guided By Voices guitarist and co-songwriter Tobin Sprout presents Demos And Outtakes Two, a collection of unreleased demos, live recordings and alternate versions of songs from throughout his career. Including songs from his first solo album Carnival Boy (1997) to his latest Empty Horses (2020), it also contains two remastered songs from hard-to-find compilation albums, 'Cryptic Shapes' (1998) and 'Small Parade' (1997), as well as piano versions of GBV favorites '14 Cheerleader Coldfront' and 'Atom Eyes'."

 

PRICE: $37.00

CAT #: PNG 011LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double-LP version. "Former Guided By Voices guitarist and co-songwriter Tobin Sprout presents Demos And Outtakes Two, a collection of unreleased demos, live recordings and alternate versions of songs from throughout his career. Including songs from his first solo album Carnival Boy (1997) to his latest Empty Horses (2020), it also contains two remastered songs from hard-to-find compilation albums, 'Cryptic Shapes' (1998) and 'Small Parade' (1997), as well as piano versions of GBV favorites '14 Cheerleader Coldfront' and 'Atom Eyes'."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: PONE 9020LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Flint, Michigan-based rapped MC Breed and his crew DFC (Da Funk Clan aka Dope Flint Connection) put the Midwest on the map in 1991 with the release of their self-titled debut album, an underrated gem of the early '90s. The lead single, 'Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'' with a boomin' west coast sound would get radio play across the country and video rotation on YO! MTV Raps, BET's Rap City, and Ralph McDaniels' Video Music Box. The album's second single 'Just Kickin' It' with MC Breed's laid-back vocal style over a funky groove landed in the top 10 on the Hot Rap Singles Chart. Tracks like 'Underground Slang' have an '80s electro vibe and 'Better Terms' has Breed rapping a little faster over a Bomb Squad influenced beat with his DJ on the cut. MC Breed would go on to release another 11 albums and collaborated with artists such as 2Pac on 'Gotta Get Mine' and Too $hortís 'Gettin It' as well as features with Slum Village, Pimp C, Kurupt, Erick Sermon, and The D.O.C. among others. Breed passed away in 2008 from kidney failure, but his legacy lives on having influenced other Midwest artists including Eminem, Proof, D12, Common, and Slum Village. Out of print on vinyl since 2018, Get On Down is bringing back this Midwest 90s classic on limited edition colored vinyl. Pressed on pink acid wash color vinyl. Limited to 1000 copies."

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: PRO 410CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The Oort Cloud is a vast spherical hull of ice proposed to reside on the outer rim of our solar system. Nothing in this cloud has yet been seen, though it may contain icy objects including comets once close to the sun. This imagined place is the inspiration for ambient musician Forrest Fang's The Oort Cloud Meditations. While many of Fang's releases are a hybrid of electronic and acoustic instruments, his latest remains predominantly a free-floating, transparent and gently unfolding electronic space. Using synthesizers to a greater extent than on previous releases, Fang organically transforms their tones into undulating harmonic gestures through ambient treatments and processing. The five far-reaching movements proceed at a relaxed pace; drifting atmospheres ebb and expand gradually, encouraging the mind to wander untethered. 'I created this album over an intense three months,' says Fang. 'It started with a simple experiment that continued to evolve and spilled over into new pieces as the results grew more interesting and more sonically complex. I created electronic sounds that revolved around each other semi-randomly with room for harmonies to develop organically from these interactions. I used melodies sparingly, subtly introducing alternate tunings at times to reflect different moods.' The work's open-ended textures are at times reminiscent of Brian Eno's generative soundscapes but more dynamic in nature. Our visit to the Oort Cloud ranges from distant celestial skies to internal spaces. Clusters of thick harmonious tones form their own vibrating cloud; it momentarily hangs in the air before receding into silence."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EZRDR 158LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "It's been nearly eight years since the last Mondo Drag album came out. In that time, the Bay Area psych-prog band toured the US and Europe, performed at major festivals and -- once again -- reformed their rhythm section. But in the context of the band's nearly two-decade existence, this period may have been the most fraught. Vocalist and keyboardist John Gamiño lost friends and family members. Meanwhile, humanity suffered the throes of a global pandemic. 'It was a dark chapter,' he recalls. 'I was going through a lot of stuff personally -- there's been a lot of death, loss of family members, and grief. Plus, the band was inactive. It felt like time was slipping away from me. I felt like I was wasting my opportunities. I felt like I wasn't participating in my story as much as I could have.' This feeling of time slipping away is the prevailing theme on Mondo Drag's new album, Through The Hourglass. 'For me, Through The Hourglass really encompasses the quarantine / pandemic years,' Gamiño says. 'But in a way that includes a couple of years before that for us, because the band was stagnant during that time. Living with that was really impactful on our daily lives. So, the album is reflective. It's looking at time -- past, present, future.' Luckily, Mondo Drag emerged from this dour period reborn. Freshly energized by bassist Conor Riley (formerly of San Diego psych squad Astra, currently of Birth), who joined in 2018, and drummer Jimmy Perez, who joined in 2022, Gamiño and guitarists Jake Sheley and Nolan Girard have triumphed over the seemingly inexorable pull of time's passage. The result is a dazzling and often plaintive rumination on the hours, days, and years -- not to mention experiences -- that comprise a lifetime. Through The Hourglass was tracked at El Studio in San Francisco, with an additional ten days of recording at the band's rehearsal space, which doubles as a hybrid analog-digital recording studio. The album was engineered and mixed by Phil Becker, drummer of space-punk mainstays Pins Of Light. 'We're still here,' Gamiño says. 'We've been in the studio working on our craft and honing our skills. Now we're re-emerging for the next stage of our life cycle.'"

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: RIP 206LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"First ever vinyl repressing of the legendary first album by desert rock heroes, Yawning Man. All new album art, created in concert with the band, to better fit the vibe of the album. Yawning Man, who hail from the arid desert area of Southern California, have been playing, jamming, and recording since 1986, and are a highly influential band. Most of their fans and those heavily influenced by them consider them to be 'the originators' of the entire 'desert rock' movement/genre, and their influence has reigned far and wide across the globe."

 

PRICE: $66.00

CAT #: RBL 048-4BLP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"Deluxe and definitive release of the iconic horror film soundtrack firmed by Claudio Simonetti for the horror/gore movie Demons by Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava. Ultra deluxe limited edition with a mask insert, and transparent demons postcards in a gatefold cover. Only 199 copies worldwide."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FFL 050LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Nicknamed the Primdufs, the group have a passion for the obsolete French "valse musette". But their take has nothing in common with the smutty chords of popular balls and singalongs in little town halls. This is "bal musette" with balls, it's genuine, virile, and authentic. Though these noble savages like rummaging around in 1920s Paris, they don't shy away from including rhythms from all over the planet, rhumba from Zaireto, gypsy jazz, Hindu waltzes or Argentine tango, blues, "paso doble" or "chanson réaliste". It all began in 1986, when Dominique Cravic, "ukukeke" champion and a renowned guitarist who learned from jazzmen like Lee Konitz or Larry Coryell and also played with Georges Moustaki and Henri Salvador, met a certain Robert Crumb. Yes, the legendary comic book author from the great days of the US psychedelic underground in the '70s, the creator of Fritz the Cat (1972) and Mr Natural in person, the same man who also created the cover for Cheap Thrills (1968) by Janis Joplin. Crumb plays banjo and mandolin, collects 78s of blues, jazz and musette. The two cronies then composed their own made-to-measure orchestra, alongside many famous names including accordionist Daniel Colin, clarinetist Bertrand Auger, saxophonist Daniel Huck, bassist Jean-Philippe Viret or singer Claire Elzière (sorry, it's impossible to name them all). This great group has recorded four albums since 1986 (all with sleeves drawn by Crumb), some including guest stars such as Pierre Barouh, Jean-Jacques Milteau, Allain Leprest, Sanseverino or Olivia Ruiz. For thirty years, the Primitifs du Futur have carried the torch of musette to the four corners of the earth, from fiestas to festivals, and today release a double vinyl, entitled Résumé Des Épisodes Précédents which brings together the best of their adventures. It is a refreshing and heartening cocktail of "world tribal musette", as they call it, which, in these electro digital times, has a rejuvenating effect, a magic swing potion. Double-LP with 20-page booklet with all Crumb previous artworks for the band's albums plus unseen photos. Edition of 1500; No repress."The Primitifs Du Futur travel on sound waves back in time to the early twentieth century and make the world seem like a far better place than it ever actually was. I can't get the band's music off my turntable or out of my head. Accordion, mandolin, harmonica, saxophone, musical saw, and beautiful haunting melodies--what's not to love? Even their sad songs make me happy." --Art Spiegelman

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: FFL 088CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

In 1972, trumpeter Baikida Carroll and some of his colleagues from the Black Artists Group (more precisely saxophonist/flutist Oliver Lake, trombonist Joseph Bowie, drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw and trumpeter Floyd LeFlore) took the advice of their friends in the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and left their native Missouri to come and discover the bright lights of Paris for themselves. The following year they would even get the chance to record their only album which would rapidly attain mythical status and a collector's item: In Paris, Aries 1973. Therefore, it was not surprising that they crossed paths with Jef Gilson, who offered Baikida Carroll the chance to record his first album under his own name. Carroll logically asked Oliver Lake to join him. He also recruited Manuel Villaroel, a young Franco-Chilien pianist from the group Matchi-Oul, who had already released an album on Futura in 1971 and would release another on Palm in 1976. The group was completed with the addition of Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos, who had just released a well-received album on the Saravah label. The first side of the album is divided into two long tracks which send free jazz back to its long-lost African roots. The opener "Orange Fish Tears" indeed rolls out a jungle of percussion of all sorts and sizes -- the whole group is involved -- which weave and mix together reaching a point where all bearings are lost, lending a sense of wonder to the majestic entry of the brass and woodwinds, flying suddenly out from the undergrowth. "Forest Scorpion" (sic) is a real voodoo ceremony where a venomous percussive groove backs the fiery solos from keyboards and saxophone in a furious trance. The other side is more introspective. Deliberately using dissonance and repetition, "Rue Roger" -- the only composition by Oliver Lake -- in a long dialogue between trumpet and saxophone, could almost remind us of Terry Riley in his favorite ballpark. "Porte D'Orléans", the fourth and final track on the album, has the group back to their old tricks in a long hallucinatory jam which owes as much to the contemporary music of György Ligetias to the most angst-ridden Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack music. With these two sides, and in under 45m, Baikida Carroll and his musicians show just what they can do, from cerebral to charnel without ever simplifying things. RIYL: Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sonic Youth, Shabaka Hutchings, and Rob Mazurek.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: FFL 088LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. Eight-page booklet with rare and unpublished photos. Heavyweight 180-gram LP. In 1972, trumpeter Baikida Carroll and some of his colleagues from the Black Artists Group (more precisely saxophonist/flutist Oliver Lake, trombonist Joseph Bowie, drummer Charles "Bobo" Shaw and trumpeter Floyd LeFlore) took the advice of their friends in the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and left their native Missouri to come and discover the bright lights of Paris for themselves. The following year they would even get the chance to record their only album which would rapidly attain mythical status and a collector's item: In Paris, Aries 1973. Therefore, it was not surprising that they crossed paths with Jef Gilson, who offered Baikida Carroll the chance to record his first album under his own name. Carroll logically asked Oliver Lake to join him. He also recruited Manuel Villaroel, a young Franco-Chilien pianist from the group Matchi-Oul, who had already released an album on Futura in 1971 and would release another on Palm in 1976. The group was completed with the addition of Brazilian percussionist Naná Vasconcelos, who had just released a well-received album on the Saravah label. The first side of the album is divided into two long tracks which send free jazz back to its long-lost African roots. The opener "Orange Fish Tears" indeed rolls out a jungle of percussion of all sorts and sizes -- the whole group is involved -- which weave and mix together reaching a point where all bearings are lost, lending a sense of wonder to the majestic entry of the brass and woodwinds, flying suddenly out from the undergrowth. "Forest Scorpion" (sic) is a real voodoo ceremony where a venomous percussive groove backs the fiery solos from keyboards and saxophone in a furious trance. The other side is more introspective. Deliberately using dissonance and repetition, "Rue Roger" -- the only composition by Oliver Lake -- in a long dialogue between trumpet and saxophone, could almost remind us of Terry Riley in his favorite ballpark. "Porte D'Orléans", the fourth and final track on the album, has the group back to their old tricks in a long hallucinatory jam which owes as much to the contemporary music of György Ligetias to the most angst-ridden Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack music. With these two sides, and in under 45m, Baikida Carroll and his musicians show just what they can do, from cerebral to charnel without ever simplifying things. RIYL: Art Ensemble of Chicago, Sonic Youth, Shabaka Hutchings, and Rob Mazurek.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: S4R 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"It doesn't always hurt to hurt? Soul 4 Real's first venture into the albums market is as compellingly essential as the label's impressive singles catalog. Its 11 tracks explore every lonely street and losers avenue that soul music has walked down since the early '60s, tempering essays of heartbreak and love lost with the occasional glimpse of positivity and happiness. It Hurts So Good is very much in the tradition of those great '60s soul compilations where diverse strands of black American music sat side-by-side with each other, and still formed a satisfying listening experience despite their apparent disparity because, in the final analysis, the music mattered most. Just as it does here, in fact. This album showcases just under a dozen goodies by some very big names in soul. It may well be that one or two of the tracks might be less than familiar to you, but you will know the artists -- and you will know, too, that they will never let you down. Originally unissued tracks by James & Bobby Purify and Walter Jackson blend seamlessly with early essentials from Aretha Franklin, Willie Hutch, and the Main Ingredient (as the Insiders). Soul 4 Real has delved into the deeper parts of discographies of legendary artists like Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and Esther Phillips to bring you songs and performances that are every bit as unforgettable as those that forged their reputations. And if you remain unmoved after experiencing the stellar offerings from the Soul Children and Lou Courtney, it may well be that you didn't have a soul to begin with. In the song that gives this collection its title, the great Prince Phillip Mitchell wrote 'it ain't no good unless it hurts a little bit'. It's true, and the 'Hurt' here really IS 'So Good'... and then some..." --Tony Rounce

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: SUBOST 009X-LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

LP version. Color vinyl. Taken from the 1993 movie directed by Pupi Avati. Riziero Ortolani was an Italian composer, conductor, and orchestrator, predominantly of film scores. He scored over 200 films and television programs between 1955 and 2014, with a career spanning over fifty years. Internationally, he is best known for his genre scores, notably his music for mondo, giallo, horror, and Spaghetti Western films. His most famous composition is "More," which he wrote for the infamous film Mondo Cane. The song was later covered by Frank Sinatra, Kai Winding, Andy Williams, Roy Orbison, and others. Ortolani received many other accolades, including four David di Donatello Awards, three Nastro d'Argento Awards, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In 2013, he received a Lifetime Achievement from the World Soundtrack Academy. In the early 1950s, Ortolani was founder and member of a well-known Italian jazz band. One of his early film scores was for Paolo Cavara and Gualtiero Jacopetti's 1962 pseudo-documentary Mondo Cane. The success of this led Ortolani to score films in England and the United States such as The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966), The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968) and Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968). In later years he scored many films for Italian director Pupi Avati.

 

PRICE: $48.00

CAT #: SUBOST 010X-LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

LP version. Color vinyl. A record of rare beauty that collects the soundtrack of a 1975 film called Drugged Rome: the Police Can't Intervene (in English Hallucination Strip) directed by Lucio Marcaccini. The soundtrack was written by Alber Verrecchia, a French composer who came to Italy in the 1960s and formed the group I Pyranas, with whom he recorded two albums released by Arc. In the 1970s Verrecchia devoted himself mainly to making soundtracks, including the one presented here. Unlike other soundtrack composers, Verrecchia preferred electric sounds to orchestral arrangements. This disc contains interesting tracks in rock and blues styles, with some psychedelic influences. Musicians featured on the record include Cyan, Baba Yaga, Toni Esposito, and singer Sammy Barbot. Singer Edda Dell'Orso, with her soprano voice, also appears on two tracks. In short, a unique record in the panorama of soundtracks.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: SF 113CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 reprint. Baba Commandant And The Mandingo Band return with their second album, Siri Ba Kele. After the Afro-beat fury of their first album Juguya (2015), the band has now distilled a potent mix of traditional and modern Burkinabe funk with a reverent take on the iconic Mandingue guitar music of the 1970's. Mamadou Sanou (Baba Commandant) leads the band with a confidence earned from years of toiling in the DIY underground of the West African music scene. His riveting growl and main instrument, the doso n'goni, still strike with a profound delivery. The band's guitarist, Issouf Diabate, is on board again and his breathtaking guitar work is one of the greatest examples of the instrument displayed in modern times. Massibo Taragna (bass) and Mohamed Sana (drums) are simply one of the finest rhythm sections working today, each a master on his instrument and the chops displayed here are truly something to behold. The band has become an interlocking five-headed hydra of complex funk and cosmic guitar explosions. Recorded in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in February 2018 by Camille Louvel and mixed with SF's Hisham Mayet, the Mandingo Band's sophomore LP is a modern statement of searing Sahelian compositions. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with such classics as Super Biton De Segou (1977), Kanaga De Mopti (1977), Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux (1981) and the mighty Rail Band.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: SF 121CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Sublime Frequencies is honored to release the third Album (CD format) from Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band. Sonbonbela was recorded in the beginning of 2022 in the Republic of Burkina Faso. The group continue to hone their trademark fusion of Mandingue and afro-beat styles. The Mandingo Band are a hit machine, sculpting seven new tracks of near Beefheart/Magic Band dynamics, Fela-inspired groovers dusted out in the Sahel zone, rather than the humidity and sweat of Lagos, creating one of the most original and propulsive musical statements to come from the contemporary West African cultural juggernaut. As with previous releases, the band features the legendary guitar pyrotechnics of Issouf Diabate, truly one of the greatest West African (or Earth for that matter) guitarists of the last forty years. The band is completed by a near bottomless barrel of artistry from the Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso musical talent pool. On bass guitar, Wendeyida Ouedraogo, on drums Abbas Kabore, and on percussion and balafon, Nickie Dembele. Leading the charge again is the captain himself, Mamadou Sanou on the Doso Ngoni featuring one of the most distinctive voices of the modern era. The opposite of the banal trends of auto-tune that have pervaded most of West African popular music, Baba's voice still impresses with its gravel and grit, showcasing a range that is ancient and defiant in equal measure. This LP is a non-stop hit parade of afro-beat bangers destined to light dance floors and living rooms ablaze!!! This album is dedicated to the memory of Massimbo Taragna, the bass player extraordinaire who was an integral part of the Mandingo Band's trance stun musical power. He passed away in early 2022. RIP.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: TAO 013CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"James Brandon Lewis' second album with the glorious Red Lily Quintet: For Mahalia, With Love. This highly anticipated new album -- following on their Jesup Wagon -- reimagines songs made famous by the gospel icon who galvanized a nation with her voice. Whereas Lewis used his transformative talents to newly illuminate renaissance man George Washington Carver on Jesup Wagon, the saxophonist does the same here for gospel-music force of nature Mahalia Jackson. The album consists of nine gospel songs made famous by Jackson, plus another indelible tune written by Lewis. The challenge was to turn these songs into jazz, the 21st century variety. And that's where not only Lewis' sensibilities come in, but the band's as well. What James and the band (William Parker on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, and Chris Hoffman on cello) conjure with this music is miraculous. Lewis' gospel origins are evident and wholly operational within a scintillating blend of pre- and post-avant contexts, with the leader's love cry on tenor meshing at cloud level with Kirk Knuffke's plaints on cornet. Rooting the band while somehow defying gravity is the bass playing of William Parker, who with his unparalleled mastery of intonation delivers each bouncing note as a distinct flavor curated for the split-second moment. Chad Taylor, hailing from Chicago, seems to embrace everything swept up by that city during the great Northern Migration -- including Mahalia Jackson herself -- in the tidal surges of his drumming. On cello, Chris Hoffman summons bright earth tones to move beautifully through this wondrous blend. The entire thing rides on the inspired melodies by Lewis that refract and reassemble those of Mahalia's original numbers, enabling the soul, tears, joy and devotion she whipped up to be heard in a wholly new context. The double CD and LP editions also exclusively include the contemporaneous suite, 'These Are Soulful Days,' JBL's first composition for strings; performed with the Lutos?awski Quartet."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: TAO 013LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Double LP version. "James Brandon Lewis' second album with the glorious Red Lily Quintet: For Mahalia, With Love. This highly anticipated new album -- following on their Jesup Wagon -- reimagines songs made famous by the gospel icon who galvanized a nation with her voice. Whereas Lewis used his transformative talents to newly illuminate renaissance man George Washington Carver on Jesup Wagon, the saxophonist does the same here for gospel-music force of nature Mahalia Jackson. The album consists of nine gospel songs made famous by Jackson, plus another indelible tune written by Lewis. The challenge was to turn these songs into jazz, the 21st century variety. And that's where not only Lewis' sensibilities come in, but the band's as well. What James and the band (William Parker on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, Kirk Knuffke on cornet, and Chris Hoffman on cello) conjure with this music is miraculous. Lewis' gospel origins are evident and wholly operational within a scintillating blend of pre- and post-avant contexts, with the leader's love cry on tenor meshing at cloud level with Kirk Knuffke's plaints on cornet. Rooting the band while somehow defying gravity is the bass playing of William Parker, who with his unparalleled mastery of intonation delivers each bouncing note as a distinct flavor curated for the split-second moment. Chad Taylor, hailing from Chicago, seems to embrace everything swept up by that city during the great Northern Migration -- including Mahalia Jackson herself -- in the tidal surges of his drumming. On cello, Chris Hoffman summons bright earth tones to move beautifully through this wondrous blend. The entire thing rides on the inspired melodies by Lewis that refract and reassemble those of Mahalia's original numbers, enabling the soul, tears, joy and devotion she whipped up to be heard in a wholly new context. The double CD and LP editions also exclusively include the contemporaneous suite, 'These Are Soulful Days,' JBL's first composition for strings; performed with the Lutos?awski Quartet."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TR 533LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Reissue, originally released in 1979. "The year is 2014: a sharp cry leaps out of my laptop's speakers. 'Ace!' the young punk girl yells into the microphone, 'Let's get this disco started.' She's wearing leather trousers with back to front braces as she sings about hot boys with similar dress sense. The band play fast, their sound is clear, curt, and catchy. What is this and where did it come from? Hans-A-Plast is what it is, straight out of Hanover . . . The year is 1978, fifteen years before I was born. 56 years earlier, the first self-adhesive plasters went on sale in Germany. A gang of four: two young women, two young men -- Bettina, Renate, Jens, and Micha -- form a group and name themselves after the aforementioned plasters (Hansaplast) . . . Annette takes 'Man of Stone' (one of their own) with her when she joins Hans-A-Plast, the band she meets in November 1978 at the first No Fun Festival, where Hans-A-Plast and Slime play together. Bettina asks Annette if she would like to sing for them -- yes, she would. Fast forward to the rehearsal bunker as Bettina hands Annette the lyrics to three songs: 'Lederhosentyp', 'Rock 'n' Roll Freitag' and 'Hau ab du stinkst'. The creative spark ignites and the three songs soon become 13. A few festivals follow, including the January 1979 event 'Into The Future' at the Hamburg Markthalle. In September of the same year, the band record their eponymous debut album in just four days, at the Toncooperative studio in Hanover, ably assisted by Rainer in his first encounter with punk. Emulating her idol Poly Styrene, Annette adds a wonderfully off-key alto saxophone to the mix: tracks like 'Für 'ne Frau' fizz with charisma and chutzpah, flying in the face of 'good girl' expectations, just as one might expect . . . One thousand copies represented the break-even point, but the album sold ten times that before the year was out. Although bigger labels came knocking, the group chose to set up their own record company under the name of No Fun..." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TR 534LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Reissue, originally released in 1981. "The story so far: in the late 1970s, a new four-piece band call themselves Hans-A-Plast, named after a self-adhesive plaster with a non-stick wound pad. The group's ranks are soon bolstered by a fifth Beatle -- or should we say a fifth plaster -- Annette, allowing drummer Bettina to focus exclusively on her drum kit. 'None of the new bands can match Annette for sheer energy, she can sing you into submission,' Alfred Hilsberg announces in Sounds magazine . . . When the music industry come calling, Hans-A-Plast keep them at bay with outrageous demands. The eponymous debut album features cover art by cartoonist Uli Stein and is released in true DIY fashion on 'No Fun', the label founded by the band for this very purpose. A thousand copies would see them break even, but before the new decade begins, they sell ten times that amount. The second No Fun Festival attracts a crowd of 2,000. Things are happening so fast. A legendary gig is recorded for a Rockpalast television broadcast in 1980 . . . While tens of thousands still revel in the sound of the debut album, Hans-A-Plast have already left their 1-2-3-4 punk days behind them. The band undergoes a veritable metamorphosis. Annette throws herself wholeheartedly into her role as lyricist, finding inspiration in the likes of Sex Gang Children and hanging out in the Rote Kuh bar frequented by British soldiers stationed in Hanover -- one of whom, Chas Briggs, designs the back cover of the new LP. Recorded in November 1980 at the Toncooperative studio in Hanover (like its predecessor), the second album virtually explodes with instrumental urgency: its dissonant guitars and increasingly avant-garde arrangements are reminiscent of the New York no wave scene. A singular nervous tremor is suddenly interrupted before everything rushes ahead again, left, right, radical rhythm shifts, bass drum quarter beats encircle atonal saxophone, nursery rhymes are fed through the meat grinder -- this hectic pace is reflected in Annette's vocal melodies, alternating between a choirgirl and a caw, whooping, almost yodeling, enthusiastically singing of self-immolation or murder threats on (long since expired) actors. Drummer Bettina knits assiduously in the gaps between recording, so it's apt that the cover of the new LP (released in 1981) features a clothing pattern. By the time the next 'No Fun' tour comes around in June, Bettina is five months pregnant. The band take a break as Bettina and Micha become parents and Annette goes back to England, where she takes two A-Levels." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TR 535LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Reissue, originally released in 1983. "... While tens of thousands still revel in the sound of the debut album, the 1981 sophomore disc moves on from 1-2-3-4 punk to dissonant guitars, radical rhythm shifts, and increasingly avant-garde arrangements. Hans-A-Plast virtually explode with urgency on 2 as Annette's vocals alternate between a choirgirl and a caw, almost yodeling, singing enthusiastically of self-immolation or sending murder threats to (long since expired) actors. And then? A hiatus. With the band's activities on pause, Annette takes two A-Levels in the United Kingdom and contemplates becoming an interpreter (already paying to start a course). One day, the phone rings -- it's Hans-A-Plast on the line, asking her to head home so they can get to work on what will be the third Hans-A-Plast album. For the first time, the band enlist a new producer -- Jan N?mec is at the controls -- and record in a new location, the Horus Sound Studio in Hanover. The tracklist includes 'Monstertanz', a song written by Annette in England and subsequently adapted by the band (the first time they create a song in this fashion). Hans-A-Plast then shoot their first (and last) music video, a DIY effort which debuts on Peter Illmann's Formel Eins, a popular and pivotal television show. Ausradiert is released in early 1983, another demonstration of Hans-A-Plast doing what they do best: ignoring what has gone before and going off at a new tangent. Gone are the sudden breaks and nervous shivers of the second album, ceding to a more conventional song structure and sharper production. There is a more typically eighties flair to the band's sound now, as the vocals and Bettina's drums swirl in reverb. Renate's bass slices like a knife and dual guitars ring out crystal clear. Lyrically, of course, nothing is off limits: Annette offers advice on how to be 'Gut im Bett' (good in bed), rails against the sanctimoniousness of Christianity; cannibalism, stalking, the list goes on -- The door closes on the band's No Fun label in the autumn of 1983. Whereas the first two albums sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, Ausradiert only manages 10,000. Ticket sales are down when the band hit the road in April and May (1983). This time around, Annette is pregnant, as Bettina was on the previous tour. The band begin to argue about which musical direction they should take in future. A sticking plaster doesn't stick forever. Echoing the name of the third LP, Hans-A-Plast find themselves ausradiert (erased)." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: TR 544CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

As Wreckless Eric he needs little introduction -- he wrote and recorded the classic Whole Wide World (1977) and had a hit with it back in 1977. Since then, it's been a hit for countless other artists including The Monkees, Cage The Elephant, and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Eric's version featured in the 2022 Expedia/Superbowl/Ewan MacGregor travel ad, and the Cage The Elephant version is the new theme tune for the podcast Smartless. As Eric Goulden, it's a little more complicated -- a musician, artist, writer, recording engineer and producer, he didn't like either the music business, the mechanics of fame, or the name he'd been given to hide behind, so he crawled out of the spotlight and disappeared into the underground. He went on to release twenty something albums in forty something years under various names -- The Len Bright Combo, Le Beat Group Electrique, The Donovan Of Trash, The Hitsville House Band, and with his wife as one half of Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, finally realizing he was stuck with the name Wreckless Eric. Eric's three most recent albums amERICa, Construction Time & Demolition, and Transience are widely praised as his best work. His albums encapsulate pop, bubblegum, garage trash, and psychedelia -- lyrical and sonic journeys, pop explosions, epic voyages, Polaroid snapshots. This new album, Leisureland, marks a return to his more ramshackle world of recording -- guitars and temperamentally unpredictable analog keyboards, beat-boxes and loops in conjunction with a real drummer, Sam Shepherd, who he met in a local coffee shop in Catskill, New York. He was delighted to find that Sam lived around the corner and could easily drop by to put drums on newly recorded tracks. The recording methodology may have been contemporary American but the subject matter is almost entirely British. It also contains more instrumentals than any of his previous albums.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TR 544LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. As Wreckless Eric he needs little introduction -- he wrote and recorded the classic Whole Wide World (1977) and had a hit with it back in 1977. Since then, it's been a hit for countless other artists including The Monkees, Cage The Elephant, and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Eric's version featured in the 2022 Expedia/Superbowl/Ewan MacGregor travel ad, and the Cage The Elephant version is the new theme tune for the podcast Smartless. As Eric Goulden, it's a little more complicated -- a musician, artist, writer, recording engineer and producer, he didn't like either the music business, the mechanics of fame, or the name he'd been given to hide behind, so he crawled out of the spotlight and disappeared into the underground. He went on to release twenty something albums in forty something years under various names -- The Len Bright Combo, Le Beat Group Electrique, The Donovan Of Trash, The Hitsville House Band, and with his wife as one half of Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, finally realizing he was stuck with the name Wreckless Eric. Eric's three most recent albums amERICa, Construction Time & Demolition, and Transience are widely praised as his best work. His albums encapsulate pop, bubblegum, garage trash, and psychedelia -- lyrical and sonic journeys, pop explosions, epic voyages, Polaroid snapshots. This new album, Leisureland, marks a return to his more ramshackle world of recording -- guitars and temperamentally unpredictable analog keyboards, beat-boxes and loops in conjunction with a real drummer, Sam Shepherd, who he met in a local coffee shop in Catskill, New York. He was delighted to find that Sam lived around the corner and could easily drop by to put drums on newly recorded tracks. The recording methodology may have been contemporary American but the subject matter is almost entirely British. It also contains more instrumentals than any of his previous albums.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54100LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 repress. Recorded in November 1969 at the US Embassy, Live In Ankara saw the adventurous jazz trumpeter Don Cherry performing with saxophonist Irfan Sümer, bassist Selçuk Sun, and drummer Okay Temiz, with arrangements by trumpeter Maffy Falay, who had introduced Cherry to Temiz in Stockholm. Mostly comprised of Cherry originals and adaptations of Turkish folk songs, there are one-off takes of compositions by Ornette Coleman and Pharoah Sanders as well, the sparse musical ensemble giving Cherry ample room for soloing as they drift between the sounds of tradition and experimentation. A must for all Don Cherry fans.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: TRESOR 073LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. "180 gram vinyl, full printed sleeve, download card. Tresor Records is fortunate enough to be sitting on a catalog of past releases that no other label in electronic music would turn down. Three of the finest in this collection were contributed by Surgeon Basictonalvocabulary, Balance and Force + Form, which all came out between 1997 and 1999. Surgeon's inimitable combination of Detroit techno and post-industrial sounds emanating from his British homeland found its fullest expression in these masterful trio of releases. Following the release of Surgeon's first album in five years Crash Recoil earlier in 2023, Tresor Records have decided that it is high time to give these seminal albums another airing."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: TRESOR 096LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Tresor is fortunate enough to be sitting on a catalog of past releases that no other label in electronic music would turn down. Three of the finest in this collection were contributed by Surgeon; Basictonalvocabulary (TRESOR 073LP), Balance, and Force + Form all originally came out on the Berlin institution between 1997 and 1999. Surgeon's inimitable combination of Detroit techno and post-industrial sounds emanating from his British homeland found its fullest expression in this masterful trio of releases on Tresor. Tresor have decided that it's high time to give these seminal albums another airing, and now presents, as part of a series of staggered reissues, a double LP reissue of Balance (1998). Balance was remastered in 2015 by Matt Colton at Alchemy Mastering, London.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: VDSQ 032LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Six Organs of Admittance takes listeners through an extended narcoleptic journey on Sleep Tones, an all-electronic double album of new ambient work. Mastered by VDSQ labelmate Chuck Johnson, Sleep Tones was made with a specific effect in mind. These new sounds from the Six Organs universe represent an essential creative shift from one of the great guitarists of the 21st century, showcasing his ever-evolving palate. An antidote to modern overload, Sleep Tones provides a welcome stasis. In its physical manifestation, each side of Sleep Tones ends with a locked groove in case of dream state, with no fear of a needle sliding outside the set mood. These sounds lull through speakers and headphones, creating ideal conditions for consciousness drift. All sounds by Ben Chasny. Mastered by Chuck Johnson. Astro and Sky Photography by Joram Young. Design by SEEN Studios. Gatefold edition with spot UV Gloss; pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 024LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; LP version. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album Thousand Knives Of, originally released in 1978 on the sought-after Better Days label. Save for a small-scale release in 1982, this is the first time the album is being released on vinyl outside of Japan. 1978 was a key year for Japanese music. Haruomi Hosono, one of the country's most innovative musicians had just formed Yellow Magic Orchestra pursuing the sonic experimentation he had started with his solo album Paraiso. The album, recorded between December '77 and January '78, featured both Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. Hosono quickly invited both musicians to form YMO but before the group could release their first album, Sakamoto entered the Nippon Columbia studios in April 1978 with a plan. Sakamoto had become an in-demand session musician after studying composition at the Tokyo University of Art and had played on many key albums of the time, such as Taeko Ohnuki's Sunshower (1977) and Tatsuro Yamashita Spacy (1977). This led to an invitation by Hosono to feature on Paraiso. A penchant for avant-garde and improvisation had gotten Sakamoto interested in electronic music early on, and with Thousand Knives he decided to get Hideki Matsutake on board as he had mastered the art of synth programming following a stint with Electronic Music pioneer Isao Tomita. Thousand Knives took several months to record as Sakamoto would be busy during the day with his session work and would only record at night. Named after Belgian-born poet Henri Michaux's description of a mescaline experience, the album is a reflection on how synthesizer technology might come to change the face of music. The first side conceived as a long suite opens with the title track and a recitation of the Mao Zedong poem "Jinggang Mountain" filtered through a vocoder, before morphing into a mid-tempo synthpop instrumental. It is followed by "Island Of Woods", a ten-minute track buzzing with insect-like synth sounds. Side one ends with "Grasshoppers", a beautiful acoustic piano melody underlined by a subtle synthesizer soundscape. Side two opens with "Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied", acknowledging the influence of the German sound spearheaded by Kraftwerk. The track features a mid-tempo metronomic beat skillfully intertwined with a Japanese folk sounding melody. The album ends with two catchy up-tempo synthpop tunes in the form of "Plastic Bamboo" and "The End Of Asia", which both became staples of YMO's and Sakamoto's live shows. YMO's sound included various influences from its three members but there is no denying Thousand Knives paved the way for the group's Computer Music sound. Remastered from the original tapes by renowned producer and engineer Seigen Ono.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 025LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Following the success of Wewantsounds' Alice Clark RSD edition featuring an extra 20-page booklet, the label reissues the standard version of Alice Clark's highly sought-after soul jazz classic produced by Mainstream Records' Bob Shad in 1972. Featuring original artwork, remastered sound making this reissue is the first official reissue of Alice Clark's original album for decades, a long overdue release of one of the best Soul albums ever recorded. When it comes to legendary albums, very few can match the cult status achieved on the international jazz and funk scene, by Alice Clark's eponymous album, recorded for Mainstream Records in 1972. The record which went unnoticed when it first came out has become one of the most sought-after albums ever since it became cult on the London jazz and funk scene in the late '80s. It is now being acknowledged as one of the best soul albums of all-times. Recorded live over two days at the Record Plant studios in New York City, the album was produced by Bob Shad and arranged by jazz veteran Ernie Wilkins with a big band setting. The music is a superb mix of jazz and soul blessed by Clark's superb singing and including two all-time favorites, "Don't You Care" and "Never Did I Stop Loving You" plus a selection of heart-wrenching songs beautifully sung by Clark. Hailed as a soul masterpiece alongside Aretha Franklin or Roberta Flack's best albums, Alice Clark's LP took almost fifty years to achieve classic status and Alice Clark is now finally getting the recognition she deserves.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 026LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. LP version. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Yukihiro Takahashi's debut solo album Saravah!, originally released in 1978. One of the key Japanese albums of the '70s, it was released at a key time when, following his tenure with Sadistic Mika Band, Takahashi had just joined the nascent line up of Yellow Magic Orchestra. A sophisticated mix of disco funk, synth pop, ambient, French exotica, and bossa nova, the album has the stylish feel of a night out clubbing in Paris circa 1978. It's the missing link between the city pop scene of the late '70s and the synth sound of YMO which was about to revolutionize the world. The month before recording the YMO debut album that would help alter the course of music, Yukihiro Takahashi entered the studio with his fellow band-members Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono to record Saravah! together with the cream of the Japanese scene. He drew his inspiration from globe-trotting French musician Pierre Barouh who had introduced Bossa Nova in France in 1966 with "Samba Saravah" (featured in soundtrack the Oscar winner A Man And A Woman which he co-wrote) and subsequently launched Saravah Records. Saravah! starts off with a couple of French and Italian exotica classics ("Volare" and "C'est Si Bon") with delicious touches of synth while "Saravah!" is a nod to Pierre Barouh, a languid bossa nova with beautiful soulful strings arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album gets hotter with "La Rosa", a superb mid-tempo ambient funk featuring Shigeru Suzuki's fluid guitar. Next is an amazing exotica-synth version of the standard "Mood Indigo", announcing the midi revolution that was to come before things get funkier shortly after with Ryuichi Sakamoto's superb up-tempo disco instrumental "Elastic Dummy" featuring soulful strings and horns with solos by Sakamoto and guitarist Tsunehide Matsuki. The album then moves on to the ambient synth pop of "Sunset" before switching back to disco funk with "Back Street Midnight Queen" which, like "Elastic Dummy", has become a dancefloor cult classic. Saravah! ends on a perfect note with the beautiful "Present" a perfectly crafted pop song which Takahashi wanted to do in a city pop mode, featuring a superb melody and high-class arrangements.. Newly remastered by renowned engineer Mitsuo Koike. Features original artwork with photos by Masayoshi Sukita (David Bowie's Heroes (1977)); includes four-page insert and a new Introduction by Benjamin Barouh (of Saravah Records).

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: WOODSIST 107CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Woods are in bloom again, inviting you to disappear into a new spectrum of colors and sounds and dreams on Perennial. Formed in Brooklyn in 2004, Woods have matured into a true independent institution, above and below the root, reliably emerging every few years with new music that grows towards the latest sky. Operating the Woodsist label since 2006 and curating the beloved homespun Woodsist Festival for the musical universe they've built, Perennial is the sound of a band on the edge of their 20th anniversary and still finding bold new ways to sound like (and challenge) themselves. Perennial grew from a bed of guitar/keyboard/drum loops by Woods head-in-chief Jeremy Earl, a form of winter night meditation that evolved into an unexplored mode of collaborative songwriting. With Earl's starting points, he and bandmates Jarvis Taveniere and John Andrews convened, first at Earl's house in New York, then at Panoramic House studio in Stinson Beach, California, site of sessions for 2020's Strange To Explain. With a view of the sparkling Pacific and tape rolling, they began to build, jamming over the loops, switching instruments, and developing a few dozen building blocks. The album's resulting eleven songs, four of them instrumental, are in the classic Woods mode -- shimmering, familiar, fractionally unsettling -- but with the half-invisible infinity boxes of Earl's loops burbling beneath each like a mysterious underground source. From source to seed to bloom, each loop unfolds into something unpredictable, from the jeweled pop of the aching 'Little Black Flowers' to the ecstatic starlit freak-beat of 'Another Side.' They are blossomings both far-out and comforting, like the Mellotronic cloud-hopping of 'Between the Past,' or sometimes just plain comforting, like the widescreen snowglobe fantasia of the instrumental 'White Winter Melody,' touched by Connor Gallaher's pedal steel." --Jesse Jarnow

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: WOODSIST 107LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Woods are in bloom again, inviting you to disappear into a new spectrum of colors and sounds and dreams on Perennial. Formed in Brooklyn in 2004, Woods have matured into a true independent institution, above and below the root, reliably emerging every few years with new music that grows towards the latest sky. Operating the Woodsist label since 2006 and curating the beloved homespun Woodsist Festival for the musical universe they've built, Perennial is the sound of a band on the edge of their 20th anniversary and still finding bold new ways to sound like (and challenge) themselves. Perennial grew from a bed of guitar/keyboard/drum loops by Woods head-in-chief Jeremy Earl, a form of winter night meditation that evolved into an unexplored mode of collaborative songwriting. With Earl's starting points, he and bandmates Jarvis Taveniere and John Andrews convened, first at Earl's house in New York, then at Panoramic House studio in Stinson Beach, California, site of sessions for 2020's Strange To Explain. With a view of the sparkling Pacific and tape rolling, they began to build, jamming over the loops, switching instruments, and developing a few dozen building blocks. The album's resulting eleven songs, four of them instrumental, are in the classic Woods mode -- shimmering, familiar, fractionally unsettling -- but with the half-invisible infinity boxes of Earl's loops burbling beneath each like a mysterious underground source. From source to seed to bloom, each loop unfolds into something unpredictable, from the jeweled pop of the aching 'Little Black Flowers' to the ecstatic starlit freak-beat of 'Another Side.' They are blossomings both far-out and comforting, like the Mellotronic cloud-hopping of 'Between the Past,' or sometimes just plain comforting, like the widescreen snowglobe fantasia of the instrumental 'White Winter Melody,' touched by Connor Gallaher's pedal steel." --Jesse Jarnow

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: WOODSIST 107XLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Color vinyl. "Woods are in bloom again, inviting you to disappear into a new spectrum of colors and sounds and dreams on Perennial. Formed in Brooklyn in 2004, Woods have matured into a true independent institution, above and below the root, reliably emerging every few years with new music that grows towards the latest sky. Operating the Woodsist label since 2006 and curating the beloved homespun Woodsist Festival for the musical universe they've built, Perennial is the sound of a band on the edge of their 20th anniversary and still finding bold new ways to sound like (and challenge) themselves. Perennial grew from a bed of guitar/keyboard/drum loops by Woods head-in-chief Jeremy Earl, a form of winter night meditation that evolved into an unexplored mode of collaborative songwriting. With Earl's starting points, he and bandmates Jarvis Taveniere and John Andrews convened, first at Earl's house in New York, then at Panoramic House studio in Stinson Beach, California, site of sessions for 2020's Strange To Explain. With a view of the sparkling Pacific and tape rolling, they began to build, jamming over the loops, switching instruments, and developing a few dozen building blocks. The album's resulting eleven songs, four of them instrumental, are in the classic Woods mode -- shimmering, familiar, fractionally unsettling -- but with the half-invisible infinity boxes of Earl's loops burbling beneath each like a mysterious underground source. From source to seed to bloom, each loop unfolds into something unpredictable, from the jeweled pop of the aching 'Little Black Flowers' to the ecstatic starlit freak-beat of 'Another Side.' They are blossomings both far-out and comforting, like the Mellotronic cloud-hopping of 'Between the Past,' or sometimes just plain comforting, like the widescreen snowglobe fantasia of the instrumental 'White Winter Melody,' touched by Connor Gallaher's pedal steel." --Jesse Jarnow

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: GR 015-7

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress, originally released 2017. "Self-release (made possible by love and support from the English family/Room40)." Winter solstice release.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: GR 021X-LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2023 restock.. "Double-LP gatefold version of new album by Jefre Cantu-Ledesma and Liz Harris on black vinyl; side D blank/mirror finish; handmade insert. Daughter is a record that took great patience to make. It captures a strange time spent in the desert, later added to, edited and finally made sense of after we lost the friend we'd been there with. There are fragments of beginnings and a deep sense of loss. A requiem, a lullaby, goodbye. Most of the material was generated in Marfa at a residency we did with Paul Clipson in 2016. We both felt confident that someday the shape of our hours of recordings would reveal itself but at the time it felt impossible to revisit. A lot happened that week. The desert was an anxious landscape, and each of us were in our own fevered headspaces. We met several times to work on finishing these recordings over the years, but a big piece of the record only made sense after sitting with the loss of Paul. The recordings took on a special resonance. They are a document of the last time the three of us were in the same physical place. His film projector sound is embedded there. The sound of our long walks in the desert scrub. Sounds of birds screaming in the mornings. Heat, calm, companionship, and grief; all moving very slowly -- across years, across a remembered landscape."