News & Events

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: 12XU 149LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"First US pressing of Lewsberg's 2018 debut album. Recorded at Schenk Studio during the summer of 2017 in Delfshaven. Produced and mixed by Jan Schenk and Lewsberg. Mastered by Mikey Young. 'A riveting chugger of blase threat and moral ambivalence.' --Mojo"

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: 12XU 154CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Dutch four-piece Lewsberg present their fourth studio album, Out And About. Since forming in 2016, Lewsberg have gone from strength to strength. On Out And About, rudimentary pop and rock songs are deliberately kept bare, only occasionally embellished with a violin or organ part. In the lyrics, the tendency towards existentialism and black humor is nuanced with an almost naive openness and engagement. Recorded in Amsterdam in Spring 2023 with producer Yulya Divakova, Out And About sees founding members Shalita Dietrich (vocals, bass guitar), Michiel Klein (guitar) and Arie van Vliet (vocals, guitar, violin) joined for the first time on record by drummer and vocalist Marrit Meinema, who joined the band in the Autumn of 2021. Out And About embraces a collaborative spirit, allowing each member to contribute their unique songwriting talents. The result is a collection of tracks that capture the band's collective creative energy and their individual perspectives. Compared to their first three albums, Out And About feels lighter, calling to mind the The Feelies, Marine Girls, and Young Marble Giants, whilst remaining distinctly Lewsberg."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: AMAC 727CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Arjunamusic Records presents the new album The River, from the trio of João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Mário Franco, and Samuel Rohrer, following on the aesthetic developed on their previous release Brightbird from 2017: it is characterized by meaningful pauses and clever subtractions, but it is also a strong and mature demonstration of the fruitful partnership that exists between them and more undeniably perceptible musical features. The group's willingness to consider the value of the spaces between the notes (and their understanding that reflection and contemplation upon those spaces is an act of engagement rather than detachment) is one immediately recognizable feature of their sonic terrain. However, it's far from the only one. In the final estimation, the dialogue between the perceptible and the imperceptible works as well as it does here because an aesthetic of mutual exchange is central to these musicians' playing styles. It is rare to hear albums in which the gestalt can be comprehended rather than voluntarily or involuntarily zooming in on a single player or aspect of the presentation; the trio here has created something that can be appreciated in its totality and which challenges listeners to apply its qualities to other areas of lived experience.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: AUS 002EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Austudy Records present the debut vinyl release from the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band with their modern classic slice of Yolngnu-funk, "Gatjumak". Originally released digitally last year with an accompanying video clip, "Gatjumak" captures the unique dance sound and energy of East Arnhem Land's deadliest recent export at their funkiest and is presented on 7" vinyl with an unreleased, poly-rhythmic remix from Brisbane producers Walrii and RU! of the Dank Morass/Dub Temple crews.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: AWE 001CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Currently based in Los Angeles, Laurel Halo has spent over a decade stepping into different towns and cities for a moment or more, to the point where everywhere almost became nowhere. Atlas, the debut release on her new imprint Awe, is an attempt to put that feeling to music. Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a potent set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and detuned, hallucinatory textures. The music functions as a series of maps, for places real and imaginary, and for expressing the unsaid. The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-GRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton, and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny. In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe. Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos human error, hallucinations.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: BWZ 771LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Curly Castro's new album Little Robert Hutton is a paen to the radical imagination. Over the course fourteen songs, the Bajan-American artist fuses his vivid wordplay with a historical continuum of black revolutionary thought and the result is an Afro-Futurist vision in 3-D IMAX. This is Castro's rawest and most uncompromising work, the heat from a thousand ghetto uprisings smoldering in every bar. Lyrical gymnastics take a backseat to the power of the word and the concussive energy of the beats. Little Robert Hutton is hard in every sense of the word, speaker rattling banger after banger. That production is handled by Quelle Chris, Messiah Musik, Blueprint, August Fanon, Locust, DOS4GW, and Jason Griff. The album also features guest appearances from Breezly Brewin, Mr. Lif, PremRock, billy woods, Zilla Rocca, Marcus Pinn, ALASKA, SKECH185, Candice Murray, and Margel the Sophant."

 

PRICE: $48.00

CAT #: BWZ 781LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Save Yourself is the debut solo album from rapper/producer ELUCID, New York's best-kept secret. He's worked with some of indie hip-hop's most celebrated artists, like Open Mike Eagle, Tanya Morgan, billy woods, Beans from Antipop, milo, J*Davey, Busdriver, Small Professor, and Rob Sonic. ELUCID has released critically-acclaimed collaborative projects as Armand Hammer with billy woods, and as Cult Favorite, with A.M Breakups, but Save Yourself represents a new chamber from a breakthrough artist. The album is largely self-produced with additional production by Willie Green, A.M. Breakups, Messiah Musik and more. This deluxe reissue features Save Yourself as a double LP 12" with grey marble colored vinyl in a gatefold jacket with photography by Alexander Richter. Side A/B is the main version and C/D is the instrumentals."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: BWZ 785LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Decay, the new album from New Jersey rapper Fatboi Sharif and producer Steel Tipped Dove, is an anomaly. In an era of microwave projects and email collaborations, the duo spent more than a year writing, recording and mixing Decay together in Dove's Brooklyn studio. At a moment when many independent hip-hop projects are sonically predictable, easily categorized, and derivative, Decay is unapologetically experimental. Love it or hate it, it doesn't sound like any other record out. Add to all that the fact that, bucking the trend of feature-laden rap records, there isn't a single guest appearance on Decay. This album is a one-of-one, handcrafted from the ground up by two of the genre's most esoteric artists, under the umbrella of indie rap's preeminent record label. In October 2020 Dove got in touch with Sharif after hearing Gandhi Loves Children, Sharif's project with Roper Williams. 'I really liked the experimental writing he was doing. The whole vibe was different from the beat choices, the visuals, the lyrics -- all unique,' Dove explains. The two of them linked up and hit it off immediately. 'In the first session we had made two songs that ended up being some of the best work on the album,' Sharif says, 'and as we worked on it we knew we had something special that we weren't hearing anywhere else and we kept building on that' Sharif found himself digging deeply in order to write, which he credits to Dove's attention to detail and ability to push the boundaries sonically. 'Dove's production kept me in the zone to touch on stories that I never touched on in my past work, from personal situations tucked away that I thought I wasn't ready to unveil yet, to convos we just would have regarding the state of everything going on in the world and beyond' For his part, Dove was consistently impressed by the young artists' dedication, as well as his ear for the unusual. 'It was almost like a challenge to him, if I had a beat that no one had chosen, or that had kinda strange timing, he would almost always choose that one' This is Koyaanisqatsi via Rahway, New Jersey. A winding nighttime drive along the narrow, rutted paths of a damaged psyche, dead deer watching from the roadside. Decay is a candlelit spades game in the parlor of a dilapidated mansion, eviction papers pasted atop one another on the front door. A black Woodstock in the wetlands, blotter acid in the headband, as ELUCID might say. Together, Sharif and Dove just flipped on the power to a carousel in the middle of an abandoned amusement park, and every horse has a rider, spinning and spinning in the dark."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BEWITH 158LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Known principally as a smooth titan of blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell transcended genre tags with consummate ease; he was a musical icon of real class and versatility, cherished the world over. His double platinum self-titled album from 1978 is a timeless masterpiece of sophisticated jazzy soul brilliance and is strictly canonical. Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted. Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of his eponymous album will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans -- and soul music enthusiasts worldwide -- can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest quality at Record Industry in Holland.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BEWITH 159LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Bobby Caldwell's second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is a work of soulful sophistication. Featuring the eternal "Open Your Eyes", sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", it's about as essential as records get. Like its eponymous predecessor, it's been out of print for far too long. Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted. Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of Cat In The Hat will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans -- and soul music enthusiasts worldwide -- can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed at Record Industry in Holland.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BEC 5612659

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Fluorescent green vinyl. 17 new instrumental songs by SebastiAn from Ed Banger Records. Soundtrack for Edouard Salier's 2023 film Tropic. French director Edouard Salier previously directed many short films and music videos (Massive Attack, Justice, Air, 30 Seconds To Mars). Also featuring Oliver Sim.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: 9781953691163

FILE UNDER: Misc

"A thrilling account of life with Sun Ra's Arkestra and New York's avant-garde jazz scenes of the 1970s-90s. In this memoir, Harlem-born trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah recounts decades of national and international touring with the Sun Ra Arkestra and charts the rise of the New York loft jazz scene, offering a fascinating portrait of advanced music in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan from the 1970s through the 1990s, including thrilling stories about the politically important Bed-Stuy venue The East and the author's tutelage under composer and long-time Archie Shepp collaborator Cal Massey. Along the way, Abdullah covers his spiritual development as a Buddhist, battles with addiction, tribulations as a father, lessons from Sun Ra and working life as an educator and cab driver. Trumpeter and educator Ahmed Abdullah was born in Harlem in 1947. An important figure in the New York loft jazz movement, in 1972 he formed a group called Abdullah, two years before joining the Sun Ra Arkestra, with whom he played for more than 20 years. He is a founding member of the bands Melodic Art-Tet, The Group and NAM, and of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. Abdullah is the music director at Sistas' Place in Brooklyn, and teaches music at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan and an elementary school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn." 512 pages. 6.25(w) x 8.25(h) x (d). Paperback

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: BBI 037LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Colored Lights was born out of a deep desire to rekindle the bonds with cherished old friends and spend time in a recording studio, sharing and creating music together. More than just a musical endeavor, this heartfelt project serves as a profound tribute to a departed friend and mentor who touched our lives. The band's debut album, recorded live in a small coastal town called Egersund, Norway during a cold week in January 2023, captures the raw energy and infectious chemistry that fueled their collaboration. The studio sessions provided an intimate and authentic experience, resulting in a record that showcases the true essence of Colored Lights' music. The debut album by Colored Lights is a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the indomitable spirit of artistic collaboration. It is an invitation to embark on a captivating journey, where heartfelt lyrics, infectious melodies, and innovative sonic landscapes converge to create an unforgettable musical experience. At the helm of Colored Lights is Frode Strømstad (I Was a King, The No Ones), a musical luminary who has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, Peter Buck of R.E.M., and Scott McCoughey of The Young Fresh Fellows. For this project he is joined by Norwegian producer and musician Bård Ingebrigtsen, Frank "Tønes" Tønnesen, Ole Reidar Gudmestad (also of I Was a King), and Tomas Pettersen. From the melodic craftsmanship of Guided By Voices and The Beach Boys to the experimental genius of Brian Eno and the heartfelt sincerity of Emitt Rhodes and Palace Brothers, their music weaves together an intricate tapestry of sound. With hints of unconventional brilliance reminiscent of Ween and the genre-bending creativity of The Minus 5, Colored Lights embraces musical exploration.

 

PRICE: $55.50

CAT #: BMVI 009LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Formed in the late 70's, the duo is still grooving at their studio in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Laid Back gained their first international major breakthrough in the '80s with "Sunshine Reggae" and "White Horse." The dualism and originality of the two songs has left a worldwide and everlasting reputation of their music. The third evergreen from their hand was made in 1990 named "Bakerman" altogether with a music video by Lars Von Trier. More recently, the two members has co-founded their own record company, Brother Music, which has released Laid Back singles such as "Cocaine Cool," remixes from Soul Clap, and latest the mini-album Cosyland and the chill out album, Cosmic Vibes. In 2013 they released the double album Uptimistic Music. 2019 was the 40th anniversary and release of the album Healing Feeling. 2023 marks the year of a new 21-track studio album Road To Fame.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BB 331LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Heldon's seventh and final album of the 1970s Stand By, originally released in 1979. After the release of Stand By, Richard Pinhas focused on solo LPs before quitting music for around a decade. "It was the end of the tale," he explains. "We decided to split for many reasons. The main one was that one or two of the other musicians wanted to stop. They were session musicians, mainly. At one point they said they didn't have so much time to give. And it was a time when a lot of bands who had become reluctantly successful decided to split . . . Split at the top, not waiting to go down." Heldon certainly went out on a high. Stand By's mood remains urgent and gripping throughout, fashioned via immense synthesizer sounds, a plethora of interweaving drum patterns, spiraling guitar chops, and lurching riffs. It's been likened to krautrock, yet Pinhas never paid attention to the German scene. There are other similarities to parallel innovations that John Carpenter was making in the field of sci-fi/horror soundtracks. The hazmat-suit-wearing figure on Stand By's cover could have starred in such a movie. The album's unearthly vocals were provided by Klaus Blasquiz of Magma. Some progressive musicians of the '70s felt threatened by the rise of punk -- Not Pinhas. As producer, he worked with French punk acts like Asphalt Jungle. No, Pinhas was more troubled by wider world developments. These miseries played their own part in Heldon's demise. "We recorded Stand By in '78, going into '79. Politics had all shifted to the right with your Maggie Thatcher and, in America, that very bad actor. They started the bullshit of neoliberalism that we have to live with now, everywhere. We're going to be in a very fascistic world within twenty years. Not even that long. The initiation of this change came with Reagan and Maggie. It started in the '80s." Stand By was recorded at Studio Davout, the Parisian home to recordings by everyone from Karlheinz Stockhausen to Johnny Hallyday. That, too, has fallen victim to brutal economics. It was demolished in 2018. "They destroyed the main historical studio in France to put up a supermarket!" says Pinhas. "It was a place where a lot of things happened. Musicians were working all night long. It could've been a museum for music."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: CPT 617CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Trustworthy sequel of Compost's classic and mega-selling series. After 20 years a new Glücklich! Rainer Trüby fished deep in Brazilian- and Latin-tinged music and makes us more than glücklich. It only took a little over 20 years since the last installment but a classic and much-loved compilation series is "de volta" in a very big way. And a two-decade break means that when you come back, you'd better come back strong, but of course this is Rainer Truby we're talking about here and he's got a serious bag of Brazilian and Brazilian-flavored goodies for all good boys and girls! Some of them were buried on obscure CDs ignored by vinyl collectors, several have escaped being compiled until now and all of them will make your summers very pleasant and happy indeed. By the way: the car is a VW Volkswagen SP2 manufactured in Brazil between 1972 and 1976. Includes extensive liner notes. Features: Jon Lucien, Debbie Cameron & Richard Boone, Marcia Maria, Midnight Gigolos, Sonzeira, Rainer Trüby, Corrado Bucci, A Bossa Elétrica, The Matheus Combo, Grupo Ébano , Guillermo Reuter, Jean-Marc Jafet, Wütrio, and Christian Knobel.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: CPT 617LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Double LP version. Trustworthy sequel of Compost's classic and mega-selling series. After 20 years a new Glücklich! Rainer Trüby fished deep in Brazilian- and Latin-tinged music and makes us more than glücklich. It only took a little over 20 years since the last installment but a classic and much-loved compilation series is "de volta" in a very big way. And a two-decade break means that when you come back, you'd better come back strong, but of course this is Rainer Truby we're talking about here and he's got a serious bag of Brazilian and Brazilian-flavored goodies for all good boys and girls! Some of them were buried on obscure CDs ignored by vinyl collectors, several have escaped being compiled until now and all of them will make your summers very pleasant and happy indeed. By the way: the car is a VW Volkswagen SP2 manufactured in Brazil between 1972 and 1976. Includes extensive liner notes. Features: Jon Lucien, Debbie Cameron & Richard Boone, Marcia Maria, Midnight Gigolos, Sonzeira, Rainer Trüby, Corrado Bucci, A Bossa Elétrica, The Matheus Combo, Grupo Ébano , Guillermo Reuter, Jean-Marc Jafet, Wütrio, and Christian Knobel.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: CPT 619LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The fifth album by the Berlin band Automat pours oil on the fire. Heat is more homogeneous, warmer and rounder than its predecessors. Intimate dub, rich bass, scrambled delays, deep blue trip hop, deep violet downtempo ballads, reggae/rap sparks fly here and there, all of which makes Heat a beautiful album. Heat stands for a process of change: both in the line-up and for the energy and passion of the new line-up. After a longer break due to Corona, the leave of guitarist Jochen Arbeit, the entry of keyboardist Max Loderbauer and producer Ingo Krauss as well as the ingenious reinforcement by Scott Montieth (Deadbeat), singer Barbie Williams and the guests on the microphone Gemma Ray and both reggae legends Prince Alla and R Zee Jackson, the new Automat is running like a machine. Automat are: Achim Färber (Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub, Skip McDonald), Georg Zeitblom (wittmann/zeitblom), Max Loderbauer (Ricardo Villalobos/Sun Electric/Moritz Von Oswald Trio), and Scott Montieth (Deadbeat). Black double LP with black inner sleeves. Includes download card.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: CPT 621LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

16 modern Kraut-ish electronic tracks inspired by Kraftwerk, CAN, Neu, Rother, Klaus Schulze etc. Curated and compiled by Compost artist Fred und Luna. Their selection (with six exclusive tracks!) shows how well younger artists are revitalizing the Kraut scene. The better known ones, like Pyrolator, Sankt Otten, I:Cube, anyway. Watch out for Vol. 2 at the end of the year. The collage on the cover was exclusively made by the fantastic artist Norika Nienstedt from Kraut-metropole Düsseldorf. It's not at all easy or even impossible to define "Krautrock" or "Kraut." Nevertheless, Compost Records and Fred und Luna strike out on the path to find the diverse elements of German electronic music of the 1970s and 1980s and their effects on the newer German and international music scene. So, as a first approach, this volume of Future Sounds Of Kraut includes the music of up-to date artists primarily influenced by bands representing the repetitive character of German Electronica: Kraftwerk, CAN, Neu!, Harmonia and Cluster, just to name a few. Feel free to listen and get krautified! Featuring Fred und Luna, Baikonour, Musiccargo, Abrão, Listening Center, Higamos Hogamos, Gilgamesh Mata Hari Duo, Kosmischer Läufer, Sankt Otten, Pyrolator, I:Cube, Organza Ray, Sula Bassana, Halwa, and Lionel, Julien, Marceau et Rainer.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JACK 032CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Yellow vinyl version. Although they released six albums in their lifetime, The Sound, who formed in early 1979 and broke up in late 1987, were undervalued in their own country, always attracting only a small audience. 200 miles away from their native South London and across the North Sea in the Netherlands, The Sound, however, had a fanatical following, regularly filling out 2000 capacity venues and at one point in the early '80s outselling both U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen there. This performance was recorded at the Amsterdam Paradiso on the 8th March 1981 on the last night of the band's four-date first Dutch tour.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: JACK 032LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Although they released six albums in their lifetime, The Sound, who formed in early 1979 and broke up in late 1987, were undervalued in their own country, always attracting only a small audience. 200 miles away from their native South London and across the North Sea in the Netherlands, The Sound, however, had a fanatical following, regularly filling out 2000 capacity venues and at one point in the early '80s outselling both U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen there. This performance was recorded at the Amsterdam Paradiso on the 8th March 1981 on the last night of the band's four-date first Dutch tour.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: JACK 034CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Color vinyl. The Cure had been gradually building their US fan base when they embarked on their third American tour to promote their 1984 studio release, The Top. This recording was made on that tour, and features the band during their most defining musical period. Coming off the success of hits like "Let's Go To Bed" and "Boys Don't Cry," Robert Smith and the band had finally come to the point where they could take The Cure's eccentric, characteristically dark sound and combine it with a more radio-friendly approach.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: JACK 034LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Cure had been gradually building their US fan base when they embarked on their third American tour to promote their 1984 studio release, The Top. This recording was made on that tour, and features the band during their most defining musical period. Coming off the success of hits like "Let's Go To Bed" and "Boys Don't Cry," Robert Smith and the band had finally come to the point where they could take The Cure's eccentric, characteristically dark sound and combine it with a more radio-friendly approach.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JACK 035CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Color vinyl version. The Velvet Underground were undoubtedly one of the most important bands on the history of rock music. But their greatest line-up broke up in the late 1960s, and where not to reform for nearly 30 years. However, as early as 1982 the two prime movers teamed up with original chanteuse Nico, for this historic album which was recorded during a live show at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972, and was originally broadcast on French TV. The concert marked the first time since the breakup of The Velvet Underground that Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico were on stage together.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: JACK 035LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Velvet Underground were undoubtedly one of the most important bands on the history of rock music. But their greatest line-up broke up in the late 1960s, and where not to reform for nearly 30 years. However, as early as 1982 the two prime movers teamed up with original chanteuse Nico, for this historic album which was recorded during a live show at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972, and was originally broadcast on French TV. The concert marked the first time since the breakup of The Velvet Underground that Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico were on stage together.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 053LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The esteemed French singer and actress Françoise Hardy achieved an international breakthrough as a teenager in the early 1960s as a prominent artist of the Yé-Yé movement, blending the sentimental chanson style with rock elements of the British 'Beat' groups. Her self-titled debut album, released by Disques Vogue in 1963, was applauded by Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan, among others, following the outstanding success of the melancholic lead single Tout Les Garçons Et Les Fils; since the rock element would soon wane in her work, this outstanding debut is the one to reach for to understand her dramatic early impact.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DC 782LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; LP version. "Meg Baird's songs are rarely made up of tidy stories. In fact, for Meg, mystery itself is often the medium. With Furling, Meg's fourth album under her own name, she explores the breadth of her musical fascinations and the environments around them -- the edges of memory, daydreams spanning years, loose ends, loss, divergent paths, and secret conversations under stars. Furling moves through these varied spaces with the slippery, misty cohesiveness of a dream -- guided by an ageless, stirring voice that remains singular and unmistakable. Since co-founding the beguiling and beautiful Espers in the mid-aughts amid Philadelphia's fertile underground music community, Meg's solo recordings have constituted just a fraction of her work. Her first solo LP, the disarmingly out-of-time Dear Companion (2007), saw her carve a quiet, sunlit space away from the flickering swirl of Espers. Since her last solo releases, Seasons on Earth (2011) and Don't Weigh Down the Light (2015) Meg has lent thunderous drumming, lead vocal, and poetry to Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop) . . . She collaborated with harpist Mary Lattimore on the mesmerizingly hazy Ghost Forests (2018). She's played drums with Philadelphia scuzz-punks Watery Love (In The Red, Richie Records) and explored her deep familial folk roots in the Baird Sisters (Grapefruit Records). She also contributed her vocal arrangements to albums from Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Will Oldham, and Steve Gunn, and toured with Angel Olson, Dinosaur Jr., Bill Callahan, Thurston Moore, and Bert Jansch, among others. Yet Furling is the album that most irreverently explores the span of her work and musical touchstones. It showcases her natural tether to '60s English folk traditions. But it also reveals her deep love for soul balladry, the dubby Bristol atmospherics of Flying Saucer Attack, the solitary musings of Neil Young shackled to his piano deep in the foggy pre-dawn, the melancholy memory collage of DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, and the delicious, Saturday-night promise of St. Etienne. Furling was primarily recorded at Louder Studios by Tim Green (Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, Melvins, Wooden Shjips). Additional piano and vocal recording were captured at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, CA with Jason Quever (Papercuts). It was mastered in Brooklyn by Heba Kadry, who mixed Bjork's Utopia and mastered LPs for Slowdive, Cass McCombs, and Beach House. For all its adornments, Furling remains deeply intimate. The entire album was performed by Meg and her longtime collaborator, partner, and Heron Oblivion bandmate Charlie Saufley. While her prior solo work hinted at more expansive horizons, Furling explores the idea of Meg Baird as a band much more freely. Venturing beyond the musical confines of fingerstyle guitar, she plays drums, mellotron, organs, synths, and vibraphone over her piano and guitar foundations. Her distinctive, simultaneously elegiac and uplifting vocals, meanwhile, connect surreal dream montages, graft sunshine sonics to swooning meditations on romantic solidarity in trying times, and weave odes to the simple gestures of friendship -- and the loss of family and friends..."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: ET 939CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

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: $28.50

CAT #: GR 2159LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Javier Hernando's musical journey began in 1979 with his first band, Xeerox. In 1981, he embarked on his first fully electronic project, Melodinamika Sensor, which continued until 1985. During that year, three tracks by M.S. were featured on a compilation LP titled Grupos de Barcelona, released by Discos Esplendor Geométrico. This compilation showcased four bands from the thriving Barcelona underground scene. From 1985 to the early nineties, Hernando co-directed the cassette label Ortega y Cassette, while also hosting Los Silencios de la Radio on Radio PICA. This radio program was dedicated to showcasing electronic and experimental music. In the nineties, he released new works in cassette format, including two albums on Toracic Tapes, and later published the CD Luz Nacarina through Geometrik Records. Subsequent releases took listeners on a journey through post-industrial landscapes, interspersed with moments of serene tranquility. These releases gained notable recognition from Geometrik, as well as other respected labels such as Alku, con-v, Nostalgie de la Boue, Anòmia, Novak, and República Ibérica Ruidista. More recent works have revealed a shift towards harmonious compositions, evident in albums like Jardín Náufrago released on La Olla Express. Hernando has also explored poetic atmospheres in collaborations such as the CD-book El Archipiélago Sideral with artist Juan Miguel Muñoz, and Vacuola, his latest release on WD Records, in collaboration with Ángel Lalinde. Currently, Hernando's artistic trajectory is at its most vibrant and creative state. The highly anticipated album Dómina Esteléctrica is set to be followed by a new composition that transcends the hermeticism of painter José Manuel de Yngunza, as well as a collaborative work with Krishna Goineau (Liaisons Dangereuses, Velodrome). These upcoming projects promise to further expand Hernando's artistic horizons and captivate audiences with his innovative approach to music.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: GET 51322C-LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Ghostface Killah reunites with his partner in rhyme Raekwon to bring fans Bulletproof Wallets, which continues Ghost's winning streak of delivering front to back classic material. Filled with the usual Ghost slang, bass heavy production, Bulletproof Wallets dropped not long after Supreme Clientele without skipping a beat. The fun Ghost and Rae are having on this record is beyond apparent. Bulletproof Wallets is almost like a party album, hit singles and street bangers. 'Never Be the Same Again' (with Carl Thomas and Raekwon) and 'Ghost Showers' play alongside 'Maxine' and 'The Forrest' all working off each other's energy. Other stand outs like 'Walking through the Darkness,' 'The Hilton' all bang through the speakers and continues to add to Ghost's undeniable catalog. On some groundbreaking production from The RZA, Alchemist, Carlos 6 July Broady and Mathmatics, Ghostface shines and the chemistry between Rae and Ghost is incredible!"

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: GODRECORD 029CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Four years after they went all the way to Antarctica, Flat Worms are back in gen pop with the rest of us -- but, as intoned on the album opener 'Sigalert,' 'back again like I never was.' Is this a nod to the way time passes over our sorely vexed synapses? Or are we to believe that there's hope to be found in this broken world? Kick back with Witness Marks and see what other traces Flat Worms have left us in the dust. The album title alone leaves a foreboding impression. But look closer ? 'witness marks' aren't something out of a forensic analysis -- they're actually practical; scratches placed in old clocks designed to aid continued maintenance further in time. Sure, there's big questions and more on the board; primarily if we're at all distinct from the absurdity coming down around us, or just another character in the mirror? Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others -- sometimes even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slate-grey outrage, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially. Working once again with Ty Segall, Flat Worms continue to find new answers by digging into themselves and playing their kind of rock: hard and flat, bass and drums thrusting stalwartly forward with conviction, guitar twisting and spinning in outrage, deadpan vocals decrying a dire set of circumstances. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for Justin, Tim and Will. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated challenging times by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world. In the short century of their existence, Flat Worms have agitated against the status quo with a disquieting lyric bent, to emphasize the psychosis of the times. These are positions taken within songs, sung out to individuals in the world. As evidenced by the lyrics, 'But I know I can always see you at the show Even though it's only temporary and it's time to go.' Witness Marks surveys an evolving sense of community. Flat Worms are dedicated to persevering and using the power of their collective. Come witness!'

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: GODRECORD 029LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version."Four years after they went all the way to Antarctica, Flat Worms are back in gen pop with the rest of us -- but, as intoned on the album opener 'Sigalert,' 'back again like I never was.' Is this a nod to the way time passes over our sorely vexed synapses? Or are we to believe that there's hope to be found in this broken world? Kick back with Witness Marks and see what other traces Flat Worms have left us in the dust. The album title alone leaves a foreboding impression. But look closer ? 'witness marks' aren't something out of a forensic analysis -- they're actually practical; scratches placed in old clocks designed to aid continued maintenance further in time. Sure, there's big questions and more on the board; primarily if we're at all distinct from the absurdity coming down around us, or just another character in the mirror? Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others -- sometimes even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slate-grey outrage, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially. Working once again with Ty Segall, Flat Worms continue to find new answers by digging into themselves and playing their kind of rock: hard and flat, bass and drums thrusting stalwartly forward with conviction, guitar twisting and spinning in outrage, deadpan vocals decrying a dire set of circumstances. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for Justin, Tim and Will. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated challenging times by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world. In the short century of their existence, Flat Worms have agitated against the status quo with a disquieting lyric bent, to emphasize the psychosis of the times. These are positions taken within songs, sung out to individuals in the world. As evidenced by the lyrics, 'But I know I can always see you at the show Even though it's only temporary and it's time to go.' Witness Marks surveys an evolving sense of community. Flat Worms are dedicated to persevering and using the power of their collective. Come witness!'

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 223LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Formed in Blackpool in the late '60s, Heavy Rain was a "heavy progressive blues" band who shared stage with big names like Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, and Caravan. In 1973, now reduced to a power-trio (Geoff Carter on lead guitar/vocals, Oggy Hargreaves on bass, and Bernie Worsley on drums), they went to London and registered an album which was never released at the time but a few metal acetates were made. Only one copy is actually known of this monster rarity. 100% underground psychedelic hard-rock with heavy distorted fuzz-wah guitars and delay/echo effects. Seven original songs plus a spaced out Pink Floyd cover. Comes with download card which includes three unreleased studio tracks from 1972.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: HPS 240ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. Half black, half orange vinyl with black splatter. Once again, Brant Bjork is back with a wonderful new album, Bougainvillea Suite. He's never missed a shot in the last 20 years. His discography is connected by an imaginary line which crosses different sounds and melodies, but always with the same attitude. In the background you can imagine the Mojave Desert where everything started many years ago, but his last record sounds fresh as his debut Jalamanta. Brant says about this album: "This is a bitter sweet record for me. So much change in my life. Some stuff more positive than others. But it's always a blessing to be able to make a record and get the music out and to the fans. This is the last record to be recorded in my Joshua Tree studio. I'm saying good bye to an era and looking down the road toward new beginnings." Bougainvillea Suite is composed by eight songs. Produced by Yosef Sanborn and Brant Bjork. Recorded at The Rad Cabin, Joshua Tree, CA. Engineered and mixed by Yosef Sanborn.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SUBURBIA 039LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Originally released on No Tomorrow in 1996, this is the first vinyl reissue for Operacion Dragon, third album by the kings of Spanish '90s Ramones-core: Shock Treatment from Castellon. Limited "Punk Rock Raduno 2023" edition with slightly revised tracklist, now featuring their version of "Modern Machine" by The Crowd.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HYPE 006LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The extraordinary trio creates a fascinating, atmospheric fusion of electronic sounds, piano, violin, percussion, field recordings, and mystical Ladino texts and chants with Metamorfosa. Metamorfosa is a new band project founded by Marlene Schuen (Italy), Dimitri Andreas (Belgium), and Marc Romboy (Germany). The arrangements, co-compositions, and production come from Marc Romboy and Dimitri Andreas (Music Man, Systematic). Marc Romboy has been releasing electronic music since 1991 and has performed worldwide in legendary clubs like Berghain, Rex Paris, Fabric London, and Womb Tokyo. Marlene Schuen's lyrics for Metamorfosa revolve around nature and stories of mythical creatures in the mountain world of South Tyrol, taking the listener into the world of her homeland. Her impressive voice and singing style deeply touched and fascinated Marc and Andreas from the very beginning, ultimately inspiring them to create this fusion of electronic sounds, atmospheric piano parts, violin, field recordings, percussion, and Ladino singing.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: IF 1084CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Building off of the themes of identity, storytelling and experimentation on her critically acclaimed debut album, Khonnar (2018), Deena Abdelwahed's album Jbal Rrsas is the next chapter of a reimagining of what club music could be. The album spans seven tracks of bass, techno, and experimental music, with Abdelwahed consulting with masterminds like Tunisian composer and multi-instrumentalist Khalil Hentati, aka Khalil Epi, and Iraqi-British multi-instrumentalist, composer, and researcher Khyam Allami, as well as Egyptian mastering engineer Heba Kadry, to help realise her vision. Jbal Rrsas starts with the seductively apocalyptic opener, "The Key to the Exit," a deconstructed sha'bi production. With tracks like "Six as Oil" and the delightfully intense "Violence for Free," Abdelwahed leads users to a desert rave, where industrial rhythms are left unbridled. Abdelwahed's vocals on "Complain" and "Pre-Island" are powerful and exposed, confidently placed on dizzying avant-garde productions. The Wire previously said "[Khonnar is] an assured debut that sits on the edge of a whole swathe of possibilities, not only sonic but also geographical, social and political." With Jbal Rrsas finds Abdelwahed deftly navigating through those possibilities, frequently pushing against genres, labels, and social identifiers, while elevating club music to otherworldly heights.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JPR 029LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock, blue vinyl. "Best known for the lush 1961 rendition of the ballad 'At Last' - a slow-dance staple at wedding celebrations everywhere, she is also celebrated for having recorded one of the best live albums of all time, Rocks the House. Recorded in 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, James is captured at her performance peak. The foundation for her reputation as a fiery no-holds-barred performer was firmly established in this recording. Blues, soul, jazz, R&B, and rock vocalist Etta James, needs no introduction. An icon from early rock'n'roll's pantheon of divas, she has inspired 5 decades of listeners and fellow artists with her vocal stylings. From Janis Joplin to Beyonce, her expressive and guttural style has been imitated but never quite matched. Jackpot Records is honored to release this momentous record on stellar blue vinyl, with the original album artwork and including 3 bonus tracks which have only ever been released previously on CD."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: JAKA 185LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Jakarta Records & Uno Loop are thrilled to announce Bowes Road Band's LP Back in the HCA. In 1972, four design students at the now defunct Hornsey College of Art (HCA) in London decided to make a record; neither the result of nascent dreams of stardom nor of fastidiously developed musicianship. Bowes Road Band's sole LP was simply the result of an impulse to create. With only fifty copies originally pressed, the LP's Berlin flea market discovery revealed a foray into a delicately balanced world of psycho-trip meltdowns, rich jazz improvisations, and tuneful folk stylings. Hear echoes of Mark Fry's Dreaming With Alice, Donovan's honeyed folk, the Kinks's blistering blues rock & more on Back in the HCA. In 1972, a foursome of design students set out to make a record. This was, in many ways, a strictly creative endeavor. The quartet -- composed of Dave Pescod, Alan Lewis, Phil Rawle, and Ted Rockley -- were all trained, not as musicians, but as creatives. Art school heavyweights, the four were well-versed in the methodology of intentional experimentation, in the delicate balance of pushing the limits without completely unmooring oneself from a guiding creative intention. Emboldened by a high-brow familiarity with thoughtful experimentation and all the non-conviction of non-musicians, Bowes Road Band's stint in the world of popular music yielded a record that is as much mind-melting as it is a direct product of its time. Their sprawling LP Back in the HCA embodies the exigence 'art for art's sake,' but it is for art's sake that this record, however off the deep end it seems to travel (hear: 'Doctor, Doctor'), remains a unified, and stunning, body of work. The LP's do-it-yourself garage rock noisemaking meets highfalutin creative processes. Back in the HCA is warbling psychedelic freakout, Donovan-esque English countryside folk stylings, and avant-garde jazz improvisions in one luminous release. Originally a nine-track LP, Jakarta, Uno Loop, and Bowes Road Band decided to mine the six most cohesive tracks for the reissue, though the extras may be released somewhere down the line. Cohesion efforts aside, Back in the HCA stands alone in its singular conception of a genre-bending continuum -- it evades definition."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: KIOSKID 021EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mila Stern's groove-heavy and highly danceable sound explores fringe soundscapes informed by post-punk and electro. What sets her apart is a willingness to embrace unorthodox sounds, explore the beauty in harshness and dissonance, and transform jarring atmospheres into captivating dancefloor moments. With Five Finger EP, Mila Stern delivers an eclectic six-tracker featuring two high-pressure originals and four carefully selected reimaginations by Camea, mytripismytrip, Öona Dahl, and Hardt Antoine for Kiosk catalog number 021. Five Finger Discount encapsulates Mila's uncompromising aesthetic: warm, powerful, energetic, and constantly teetering on the brink of disintegration. Morphing, overdriven stabs build energy atop a sub-heavy groove and a sea of pads. A sweeping break fractures the track into shuddering bursts of corroded machinery, before the compact groove returns with punishing dancefloor power. Camea transforms "Five Finger Discount" into a heavy-weight techno roller. Shuddering, pitch-shifting bass hits and salvos, sizzling white noise sweeps, and an ominous mantra morph the track into a darkly efficient peaktime banger. Hardt Antoine builds his rendition of "Deadline Disco" around an infectiously body-moving arpeggio. Layers of distortion add a searing edge, transforming the original into a stripped powerhouse with dark disco undercurrents. Few artists move on the fringe so comfortably, make unconventional sounds so accessible, or pursue their vision with the same bright-eyed conviction. With Five Finger EP, Mila Stern epitomizes the magic that happens when uncommon sounds are embedded in the framework of commanding, floor-focused energy. Five Finger EP embodies her stand-out style and the stunning range of musical interpretations it inspires.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: KOM 276LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Gatefold double LP version featuring 6 of the tracks from the 13 track CD. Speicher staple and renowned club juggernaut Kölsch debuts on Kompakt with the full-length 1977, an extraordinary collection of club gems that introduces his earlier masterpieces to exclusive new material. Here, the epic, the rad, and the snappy find themselves under one expertly-crafted groove, making this album an essential choice for both home clubbers and floor hounds. Your new best friend is here and it's a record. Despite the name and despite Kompakt's well-documented love for Cologne's beer, Kölsch isn't a local and he didn't label himself after the famed brew. Even with a much-acclaimed print run and a series of venerated live appearances under his belt, award-winning Danish producer Rune Reilly Kölsch has to regularly duck quizzical questions about his heritage. 1977 isn't a simple "best of" hack job, however: with new crackers "Basshund," "Bappedekkel," and "Eiswinter" lighting the fire, Kölsch doesn't need to worry about future impact. And then there's a cut like the emotive "Oma." The sweeping "Wasserschutz" and a Trojan horse called "Felix," originally intended to be an album outro of sorts. But then someone pushed the button and the transdimensional portal sprang to life.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: MILS 003LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"This is the next up in a series of music library releases, with future volumes produced by DJ Muggs, Karriem Riggins, and more. The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon to give their creative friends a chance to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted. This music was created for easy, one-stop clearance in film and television synchronization usage and for sampling. You can also enjoy these albums in the way that many do with the best of the best vintage library catalogs -- listen, ponder, repeat."

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: MUSIQ 215LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; double LP version. In February 2015, Japanese producer and sound designer Kuniyuki Takahashi, sometimes known as Koss, released the EP Newwave Project #2 (MUSIQ 183EP), a record that tapped some roots of his musical education: new wave, German electro punk from bands like Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, EBM from acts like Front 242, as well as industrial music, all styles Kuniyuki claims are his "favorite music". Nearly two years after his first Newwave Project EP, he drops an album that is leaning towards his musical love from the past. Compared to his former work, which was rooted in worlds of classic, jazz, house, ambient, and electronic song-writing, his new tunes are full of melodic drifts and rhythmical shifts. As usual, all is loaded with tones and rhythms straight from the heart that filter and modulate human emotions without losing their natural source. To get a sound that is fresh but still leaning to the '80s, he used some old synthesizers, like Roland Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Korg MS 20, and an old tape echo machine, but he also used newer instruments, like the Roland AIRA. His modular synthesizers talk too. Sampled voices, and other alienated sound sources of unknown origin, inject otherworldly atmospheres into his new tunes. It is also evident that he is a fine instrumentalist, as Kuniyuki also plays piano, percussion, and flute on the album, if he felt their warm sound was needed for his freely grooving tracks. Some dance in house or techno outfits; other slam like a mix of funk and EBM. Tunes like "Puzzle" or "Body Signal" are twisted treasures that bemuse deeply. In-between, you hear the echoes of cosmic spheres, the darkness of the Cold War days, and some bewitching tribal jungle vibes; A new, moving, unorthodox, yet catchy side of Kuniyuki Takahashi. It is not totally novel to him, as he already released some industrial, EBM, and electronic with the project DRP. But for his listeners that know him for detailed house, jazz, and classic, or even his collaborations, the Newwave Project sheds a light on a different artistic side of Takahashi. It is diversified, with many rhythmical and atmospheric turns, but stays stirring and compelling throughout. A true new wave, formed, played in, and envisioned, with a view on the past that was filtered through the now while feeling the future. Cover art by Swiss artist Augustin Rebetez.

 

PRICE: $19.50

CAT #: MR 352LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Brilliant DIY 'n' roll from Steve Treatment, one of the most fascinating but less heralded figures of the late '70s British punk/DIY scene. Bonding over a shared love for Marc Bolan, Steve and the nascent Swell Maps would play and hang out together around London. The Maps backed Steve on his first single, released on their own Rather Records in 1978. All Dressed for Tomorrow includes said record and Steve Treatment's other two singles from 1979, plus chosen highlights from 1977-1979 recordings, unreleased at the time. Raw, unkempt, experimental glam rock magic. The extensive liner notes by Chuck Warner (Hyped to Death, Messthetics), accompanied by copious photos and memorabilia, cover not just the music but also Steve's varied interactions with Marc Bolan, the Swell Maps, The Moors Murderers, Derek Jarman... among others.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: MUSAR 017EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In Japanese, the word "Guru-Guru" refers to the state of spinning, whirling. This state is captured in the work of Japanese artist Hoshina Anniversary, who makes his third appearance on Musar with his EP Guru Guru and marks the return of the label after an extended break. Hoshina's self-titled brand of "watechno" has appeared on well-loved dance music labels like ESP Institute, Volvox's Jack Dept, and Young Marco's Safe Trip, alongside Musar where he also appeared as Shifting Gears back in 2022; an electronic-jazz centered moniker. His Guru Guru EP captures the latest snapshot of Hoshina's sound and sees him draw from Japanese language as a through-line. The title track is the clearest representation of his "watechno", where he uses Japanese instrumentation on top of a menacing EBM-style march. The track's slowly whirling momentum is the "guruguru". On tracks like "Banri", which means far away in Japanese, we see new shades to Hoshina's work as he mixes a Japanese Wadaiko drum groove with acidic elements and piano melodies to make a track of contradictions which pairs roughness with elegance. Whereas on "Usagi", Japanese for rabbit, Hoshina fires up the BPM. Piano melodies remain here but their effect is more drifting and emotive than on "Banri". "Kaga" is named after a place in the southernmost part of Ishikawa Prefecture, between Kanazawa City and Fukui City. On this track, Hoshina's love for jazz comes through and even mirrors the work he put out as Shifting Gears.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: NP 042LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Reissue of Amon's seminal 1996 debut dark ambient album augmented with three tracks from the same sessions. Since the mid '90s Andrea Marutti has been crafting his own blend of mind-expanding soundscapes, creating a strong sense of ancient mysticism and time travel with his Amon project. His mesmerizing recordings of drones and tones, presented as a careful form of resonant minimalism pregnant with cavernous sounds and slow movements, reverberations and drifting elements, have always been intimately distant from the aesthetic form of dark ambient music which they have often been hastily associated with. Taking inspiration from the mysteries and rites of Ancient Egypt, along with the vivid suggestions offered by Peter Kolosimo and other writers of the so-called Pseudoarcheology current, after his debut on Murder Release in 1996, a few CD albums -- mostly released by Eibon Records in Italy -- and a 7" on the German cult label Drone Records, were enough to consolidate Amon as a pillar among deep listeners. Finally reuniting all the music Marutti spontaneously created in a short period during the very first Amon recording sessions, and bringing it to vinyl for the first time, Akh is a ticket for a trip back in time, a musical universe rich with impenetrable scenarios, a driving, grey space of ever-increasing numbness resounding all around and inside the listener. In Ancient Egypt, Akh was most often used to mean a complete person, whether living or dead. While living, the Akh was composed of all five elements -- The Body, Ba (the personality: humor, warmth, charm), Ka (the life force unique to every person) which stayed, The Name, and The Shadow. When dead, the Akh referred to the reunion of the Ba and the Ka, which they also believed happened each night. In death and every night too, Akh is the reunion of the self. Mostly lacking any flash of light, the tracks featured on this collection open a subtly esoteric universe, which rises up out of the desert, leading through a profound and introspective path with their sonic stimuli, plumbing the depths of the unconscious with a hypnotic, mystical and arcane flavor. Perfect to listen to during the late hours when distracting factors are few and the music may join forces with the night itself. Will appeal to fans of Roland Kayn, Thomas Köner, Éliane Radigue, deep listening, minimalism, and isolationism alike. Edition of 250.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: NSD 235CD

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Lyrically gifted, socially aware, and politically insightful, Talib Kweli is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the last 25 years. His early collaborative albums with Mos Def and Hi-Tek were among the most important releases in the genesis of modern rap, forging a future for thought-provoking lyricism and raw soundscapes at a moment when mass commercialization threatened the soul of the genre. Now more than two decades into a thrilling solo career, Kweli has evolved creatively while maintaining his artistic integrity, working with top talent across the musical spectrum in the process. Known for classic collaborative albums with artists like J Dilla, MF DOOM, and Freddie Gibbs, widely celebrated producer Madlib is a sampling savant who has crafted beats for the likes of Erykah Badu, Anderson Paak, Tyler The Creator, Logic, De La Soul, and many more. After releasing a groundbreaking collaborative project back in 2006, Madlib and Talib Kweli are reuniting for the highly-anticipated follow-up Liberation 2. Expansive in concept, the album is a vivid exploration of revolution, love, pan-Africanism, music, spirituality, and more, with Madlib's jazz-inflected instrumentals providing the perfect soundtrack. 'The materialism and debauchery that is stereotypically associated with hip hop has lost some of its luster,' Kweli explains. 'Never has there been a better time for such honest, message driven music that pays tribute to the sounds that came before us.' A global call for unity through space and time, Liberation 2 features appearances by Q-Tip, Westside Gunn, Roc Marciano, Roy Ayers, Goapele, Wildchild, Pink Siifu, and more, plus a posthumous verse by Mac Miller. Not on traditional digital outlets, the album is now available in physical form for the first time ever."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NSD 235LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

Double LP version. "Lyrically gifted, socially aware, and politically insightful, Talib Kweli is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the last 25 years. His early collaborative albums with Mos Def and Hi-Tek were among the most important releases in the genesis of modern rap, forging a future for thought-provoking lyricism and raw soundscapes at a moment when mass commercialization threatened the soul of the genre. Now more than two decades into a thrilling solo career, Kweli has evolved creatively while maintaining his artistic integrity, working with top talent across the musical spectrum in the process. Known for classic collaborative albums with artists like J Dilla, MF DOOM, and Freddie Gibbs, widely celebrated producer Madlib is a sampling savant who has crafted beats for the likes of Erykah Badu, Anderson Paak, Tyler The Creator, Logic, De La Soul, and many more. After releasing a groundbreaking collaborative project back in 2006, Madlib and Talib Kweli are reuniting for the highly-anticipated follow-up Liberation 2. Expansive in concept, the album is a vivid exploration of revolution, love, pan-Africanism, music, spirituality, and more, with Madlib's jazz-inflected instrumentals providing the perfect soundtrack. 'The materialism and debauchery that is stereotypically associated with hip hop has lost some of its luster,' Kweli explains. 'Never has there been a better time for such honest, message driven music that pays tribute to the sounds that came before us.' A global call for unity through space and time, Liberation 2 features appearances by Q-Tip, Westside Gunn, Roc Marciano, Roy Ayers, Goapele, Wildchild, Pink Siifu, and more, plus a posthumous verse by Mac Miller. Not on traditional digital outlets, the album is now available in physical form for the first time ever."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: NMG 3577911LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. "In the early 2000s, Slum Village was riding high on the success of their Fantastic and Fantastic Vol. 2 releases and upped the ante with the release of Trinity (Past, Present And Future). Despite Jay Dee's starting to pursue solo efforts, the production team assembled for Trinity kept the Slum vibe found on the Fantastic albums alive. Producers on the release include Hi-Tek, Waajeed, Scott Storch, Karriem Riggins, T3, Black Milk, Young R.J., Shelton 'Ess' Rivers with a significant contribution from Jay Dee himself. Ne'Astra Music Group revisits this too oft overlooked chapter of Slum Village's history with this double LP colored vinyl pressing. Trinity is presented on double colored vinyl with LP 1 in canary yellow and LP 2 in tangerine."

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: NSR 001EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The Icelandic musician and visual artist Sunna Margrét has put together five experimental-ambient-braindance-electronica tracks on the Iceland Music Award nominated and Kraumur Awards winning EP Art of History. Co-released between her oceanic hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland, and her current alpine home base in Lausanne, Switzerland, Art of History brings together distant dreams of elvish druids and beats of a contemporary urban woman. We don't see with our eyes and we don't hear with our ears. Those are only receivers for us to then interpret what we are sensing. The music is heard, is sensed, is felt, is seen. It speaks of the experience of a sensible being, of a sensible life. It's a sensible writing.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5205C-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Red vinyl. "Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin's music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin's recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7" singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia's 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums -- the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin's uber-rare 7" single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Mot Aykerim gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7" single releases. Contains an oversized 11" x 11" 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin's role within it."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NA 5214C-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Yellow vinyl. "Originally planned for issue on Strata-East, Hammond took his collaboration with Durrah to Detroit and issued his masterpiece. Lacquered by Bernie Grundman. Now-Again presents the defi¬nitive Tribe Records reissues. Deep, spiritual jazz of the highest order. 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: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2121LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2020 release. "The Spiritual, a free jazz album recorded by the Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1974, finds the group of stellar musicians at their creative peak. With various types of percussion, though the absence of a traditional drummer, the ensemble is able to create vivid, freeing compositions without the confines of conventional structure. The quartet, consisting of Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors, explore the depths of avant-garde jazz through a means that has yet to be touched on in a comparable capacity. The Spiritual will now be widely available on 180gram black vinyl. Mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. Pressed at Pallas Group in Germany."

 

PRICE: $115.00

CAT #: ORGM 2126LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 release. "Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the four LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, Lörrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two-week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12x24" fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour. Each LP pressed on audiophile-grade black vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2149LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"2020 release. Altoist Marion Brown is perhaps best known for performances on albums by his contemporaries, such as Coltrane's Ascension, but Brown stands on his own as one of the most creative and important forces to come out of the 1960s avant-garde jazz movement. Porto Novo is widely regarded as one of Brown's best recordings, captured during a 1967 session in Holland at the peak of his creative powers, accompanied by bassist Maarten van Regteben Altena and drummer Han Bennink. Previously out of print for decades, the recording has now been remastered for a long-overdue reissue on audiophile-grade vinyl, originially released exclusively for Record Store Day 2020, now widely available."

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: ORGM 2179LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2021 release, black vinyl. "Bad Brains is the self-titled debut studio album recorded by American hardcore punk/reggae band Bad Brains. Recorded in 1981 and released on (then) cassette-only label ROIR on February 5, 1982, many fans refer to it as 'The Yellow Tape' because of its yellow packaging. Though Bad Brains had recorded the 16-song Black Dots album in 1979 and the five-song Omega Sessions EP in 1980, the ROIR cassette was the band's first release of anything longer than a single. In coordination with the band, Org Music has overseen the restoration and remastering of the iconic Bad Brains' recordings. The audio was mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Furnace Record Pressing. This 'Punk Note' edition comes with alternate packaging artwork from designer John Yates (Stealworks). The artwork is a nod to Reid Miles and Francis Wolff, and their amazing work at the Blue Note label."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: ORGM 2228LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Thriller is the 1975 album from Augustus Pablo, the reggae visionary who popularized the use of the melodica in the genre. As the founder of multiple labels, he was a crucial part of invigorating the burgeoning dub reggae scene in its early days. The record's warm, mellow sound makes for a breezy and hypnotic listen, perfectly paired with a jazz cigarette. This lost gem has been reissued with updated artwork from D. Norsen, and was pressed at Furnace Record Pressing."

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: ORGM 2233LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"2022 release. Renowned trombonist and co-founder of Detroit's famed TRIBE Records Phil Ranelin is back with his first album in a decade. A master trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, Ranelin's career has spanned over five decades with ten records as a solo artist, four as a Freddie Hubbard sideman, session recordings for Motown, and work with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Telefon Tel Aviv. At 82 years old, Ranelin proves that he still has much to offer with Infinite Expressions, a work that showcases his unique style both as a player and composer. Includes digital download."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: OSR 095LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Previously unreleased '72/'74 recordings by this US hard rock band. Blind Willie formed in Spokane (Washington) in 1972 and featured terrific guitar player Frank Trowbridge from hard-psych legends Sleepy John. They carved out a unique niche in the Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington rock scene in the early to mid-'70s, performing original music in a time when doing so wasn't widespread for regional bands. Within weeks of the group's formation, they commanded stages with a potent smattering of hard-rock, country-rock and psych. The band's history includes a brief courtship with the Doobie Brothers' Dave Shogren on bass, as well as major label interest from Columbia and Epic Records. Here's the first ever release of their amazing studio demos from 1972/1974. Blind Willie's original lineup of Craig Karp (guitar, vocals), Frank Trowbridge (guitar), Charlie Bieker (bass, guitar, vocals) and Jim Griffith (drums) is represented via slices of incendiary rock pomp recorded on a four-track tape machine in a friend's apartment in 1972. Live in the studio tracks from 1974 feature later drummer Mike Garland and bassist Joe Johnson for a fiery radio set at the legendary Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle. The album's selected tracks navigate Blind Willie's wide-ranging sonic explorations, anchored by formidable guitar-forward rockers that stand the test of time, and hold up to any of the more well-known work of their peers from the '70s. Writhing in the rock milieu, Blind Willie's musical tributaries run deep, steeped in a spectrum of styles that range from hard blues-rock scorchers like the incendiary "Georgia," to heartfelt ballads ("I'm Wondering If") and into the upper echelons of sci-fi psych ("Zolly"), a comet ride through wah-wah geetar spacedust, replete with Rocky Horror cinematic sheen. It's also easy to imagine songs like the choogle-heavy "Somebody Help Me" illuminating the vibe of parties, bars and theaters all over North America. Includes rare photos as well as a digital download card.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: PING 060LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was a folk singer from Japan. She was a representative of the Ainu culture on the Hokkaido Island in the north of Japan. Ihunke is her first album which was recorded with the Ainu musician and dub producer Oki Kano in 2000. It was released on CD in Japan only and is finally available on vinyl. Ihunke follows 2017's single Iuta Upopo (PING 058EP) which had been received with overwhelming enthusiasm and was quickly sold out. The 16 Ainu songs on Ihunke are delicate, natural gems. They are built on Oki Kano's tonkori patterns (a five-string harp), over which Umeko Ando develops her repetitive, mantric vocals, often in a call-and-response manner. Oki Kano is one of very few professional tonkori players who performs worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band. The songs possess a mystical energy -- when crows call accurately with Ando's brittle voice in the first song, it seems like natural powers join in with her music. Her voice sounds like animals of the sky and the forest. Oki Kano: "It was a lot of fun to record with Umeko Ando. Many Ainu hesitate to break from tradition -- if Umeko hadn't been so flexible to work with the younger generation and recording technology, this album would never have happened. Our sessions were intense, and we were proud and happy about making such beautiful music." Only recently (in 2008) have the Ainu officially been acknowledged as indigenous people who are culturally independent from Japan. This record is an example of how their music has been passed on through generations in the underground Ainu communities while it was oppressed by the Japanese hegemony. It deserves a huge audience. Includes liner notes and download code.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: PP 088EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

World Gym is back. The favorite dive bar band with more music for the people by the people. Glamour is everywhere, it's a feeling. Clap your hands, raise your glasses, this is music for the masses.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: PP 089EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Simone De Kunovich: Mythical Figure. Use variably, whenever you need. D.J. at MainStage, High Profile Fashion Event, Underground Basement Club, Balearic Terrace Situation. Gifted selector. Room filling presence. Oversized packaging. He (here) deals three cards. "Flow My Tears," "Super Mana Drain," and "Warp Lord."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: PPDISC 006CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Volume five of Chill Pill will help you get in line with nature, enhancing positive feelings through better awareness of one's surroundings. Listening to this music will improve your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. While consuming Chill Pill a healthy mix of relaxation and hedonism is recommended. Featuring Aiden Ayers & Yu Su, SMLR, Nice Girl, Zylva, Mount Liberation Unlimited, Didi Han, DJ City, Popp, Jürgen Branz, Pascal Moscheni, Mayurashka, RIP Swirl, Bollard, Caslean, Zam Ram, Aksel & Aino, Ultraflex, ddwy, Over The Hill, DJ Chrysalis & Jennifer Loveless, and Polygonia.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: RADK 7029CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue. British garage rock revivalist's 1986 album for Stiff Records' 54321 Countdown affiliate. The Prisoners got their start in the same Medway River delta area of Britain as Billy Childish's Pop Rivets. After the band's demise singer/guitarist/songwriter Graham Day went on to join Childish's Thee Mighty Caesars and eventually formed the Prime Movers, organist James "Jamie" Taylor went on to form the James Taylor Quartet.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RM 415R-CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A note from Lawrence English: "Some time in the early '00s John Chantler, who was living in Japan at the time, sent me a couple of curious sound pieces he'd just recorded with musicians he'd met from Tokyo -- Tenniscoats. This was my first introduction to Saya and Ueno, who have subsequently gone on to become longtime friends and a wellspring of sonic inspiration. In 2005, through their connections to Guy Blackman in Melbourne, Tenniscoats under took a tour of Australia and as part of that visit I arranged a concert for them in Brisbane. Their show, held at Rics Cafe in Fortitude Valley, was a wildly-flowing flux of song, improvisation and sheer melodic freedom. Following the performance Saya, Ueno and drummer Yoshinari Kishida spent a few additional days in Brisbane, and it's during this time that the majority of Totemo Aimasho was recorded. The recording itself took place in a reappropriated office building, where my friend Heinz Riegler had set up a small recording space. We were able to use the various offices as somewhat isolated recording zones. The results were surprisingly rich, a testament to office room design I suppose. For this special 15th anniversary edition, I spent some time going back over the recordings to remaster them. This version is perhaps a bit more faithful to the dynamics of those sessions. I also spent some days going through archival materials that were not included in the original Totemo Aimasho sessions. To my surprise I found a couple of demo versions of "Cacoy," one of my favorite pieces from the record, as well as some variations of other album pieces and also a couple of experiments not included on the record. There's a certain radiant joy to this music. The record is equal parts curiosity, porousness and generosity. It's a mixed methodology that informed this collaboration, and equally the creation of Totemo Aimasho itself. I want to send a special note of thanks to John, without whom this project, and many subsequent other connections, would not have occurred."Monochrome printed, matte laminated and embossed sleeve with insert card. Includes previously unreleased demos and outtakes.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: RM 4204CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

A note from Lawrence English: "To attempt to summarize the journey of Annea Lockwood's life, as a composer and performer, is difficult if not impossible. For six decades now, she has carved out a multifarious and fluid existence that has orbited various musical movements and approaches. Hers is a life led by intuition, curiosity and listening, one in which passion is paramount and wonderment abounds. If you were to reflect upon one aspect of her way of being that holds the greatest gravity in her day to day, it is perhaps listening that resonates most vibrantly. It is a practice that she has sought to deepen, with an unwavering dedication across her life, and a it is practice that has sustained her in the absolute. It's here that Glass World comes into focus for it documents some of her first significant studies into sound, object and listening. It is a recording that captures her in a moment of profound fascination with a rather familiar material, glass. This recording celebrates many things, amongst them Lockwood's willingness to allow single sounds to resonate, fully. Across each of the 23 vignettes captured here, Annea Lockwood invites us to lean into the material nature of sound with her. Glass World shimmers with an almost fanatical incandescence. It radiates a vibrational intensity that holds as strongly today as it did upon its original release in 1970 on Tangent Records. I had the privilege to re-master these recordings, under the guidance of Annea, and sitting with them so intensely was nothing but a delight. In tandem with this project, Annea and I have undertaken a long-form in conversation, which is collected in the book which sits alongside this edition. The conversation splays outward from Annea's work on Glass World and it deliberately seeks to visit upon her interests and passions, and through doing so revel a certain perspective that has guided her ways of being, and ways of making. It's an honor to have the opportunity to share this edition with you. I hope you too can catch Annea's resonate curiosity and be as captivated by these sounds as I (and many others) have been."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: RM 4220CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A note from Lawrence English : "When I was preparing the 15th anniversary re-issue of Totemo Aimasho I spent a few days doing a deep dive through the room40 archive. There's a hell of a lot of material that has been collected over the years, and truth be told I don't exactly remember a lot of it. About a day into this search, I came across this recording. Tasmania Bootleg was recorded on Sunday the 15th of February 2009, at The Brisbane Hotel in Hobart. The visit to Hobart came about pretty last minute, so my email chain from the time seems to suggest. I'd invited Tenniscoats down to Australia to help celebrate the finale of the Fabrique series I was curating at Brisbane Powerhouse. Some folks from Hobart reached out once the other tour dates were announced and then before we knew it, we were headed there. As part of the Hobart visit we recorded a suite of material using the same 'field recording' style we used to create Temporacha in Tokyo the previous year. We also took the chance to record the show at The Brisbane Hotel. This recording is 100% bootleg territory. I must confess to being a huge fan of this style of recording. I was an enormous cassette trader back in my teen years and I put down a lot of my interests in texture and noise to the quality of duplicated bootlegs I listened to back then. This recording was made in the audience by a friendly local and is an entirely faithful capture of the atmosphere that surrounded Tenniscoats during this time. You can literally hear the audience becoming completely entranced by Saya and Ueno's performance. I was honored to play alongside them for this show. It's not something I talk about much, but my first life in music was as a drummer and a flicker of that life is captured here. The edition also comes with a digital phonebook, containing photos in 110 and other formats, that were captured in Tasmania during that time."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: RB 119EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Katerina's full-blown debut EP for Running Back melds cultural images of both places she calls home. Alternatively hailing from Helsinki or Sofia, she serves ethereal vocals, heartbreaking melodies and the chilly melancholic strains of the north to meet an optimistic and at times cheerful mood, paired with pop music themes, heavy bass lines and an upbeat drum section. Six tracks of idiosyncratic and independent dance motifs (including two ambient takes) that all go against the grain of the fast pace of life today, cheap thrills and unnecessary kills. All symbolized in the lyrics of the lead song "Get To Know You" or the instrumental love ballad "Rain In Her Eyes" and bound together by "Marsu The Cat" or "Time Machine." An EP with the depth of an LP, lots of weight and even more character. Powerful, wonderful and more durable than the remains of one day.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: SAT 059EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following the success of their EPs released last year on Scissor and Thread, Frank & Tony return with another outing of deeper than deep house with a three track EP including an expansive collaborative exploration with Comatonse recording artist Will Long. The title track, "Understanding" takes a nod to '90s Chicago deep house with a slow rolling groove set against plush pads and euphoric stabs sure to send dancefloors swirling in the earliest of nights and mornings alike. "We Begin," a dreamy trip of emotive soundscapes, kicks things up a notch with jazzy undertones but a drive meant for peak times as it unfolds in moods and grooves for ages. The EP then culminates with a vast rework of the same track in collaboration with Comatonse artist and DJ Sprinkles collaborator, Will Long, pushing the EP to psychedelic lengths as the essence of what we call a house groove reaches new idiosyncratic heights.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: SOW 008LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Sowing Records present a reissue of Joao Gilberto's O Amor, O Sorriso E A Flor, originally released in Brazil in 1960. This is Joao Gilberto's second studio effort. A seminal album that just one year later introduced bossa nova to the United States. Joao Gilberto, one of the true masters of the genre, displays a great selection of songs including various Tom Jobim's classic gems such as "Samba de Uma Nota Só" ("One Note Samba"), "Corcovado", and "Outra Vez". An essential piece of work in the whole history of Brazilian music. Clear vinyl.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: SQM 017CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

After the success of 2021's Ursgal, Mongolian jazz singer Enji returns with her third album Ulaan. The line-up has grown in size with drummer Mariá Portugal and clarinettist Joana Queiroz from Brazil joining the band to create an invigorating blend of grounded folk and brooding jazz.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: SQM 017LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. 180 gram vinyl. After the success of 2021's Ursgal, Mongolian jazz singer Enji returns with her third album Ulaan. The line-up has grown in size with drummer Mariá Portugal and clarinettist Joana Queiroz from Brazil joining the band to create an invigorating blend of grounded folk and brooding jazz.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: SF 097CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 reprint. Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band are a contemporary group from Burkina Faso. Coming from Bobo-Dioulasso, the group is steeped in the Mandingue musical traditions of their ancestral legacy. The enigmatic lead singer Baba Commandant (Mamadou Sanou) is an original and eccentric character who is well respected in the Burkinabé musical community. A sort of punk Faso Dan Fani activist for traditional Mandingo music, Baba continues to redefine the boundaries between traditional and modern. In 1981, he joined the Koule Dafourou troupe as a dancer. Later, he embarked on his current musical direction as a singer, first in Dounia and then in the Afromandingo Band. His current band -- when he's not playing with the now-famous Burkinabé musician Victor Démé -- is the Mandingo Band. At present, he is a practitioner of the Afrobeat style, drawing inspiration from the golden era of Nigerian music. Fela Kuti/Africa 70 and King Sunny Adé are big influences, as is the legendary Malian growler Moussa Doumbia. Baba Commandant plays the ngoni, the instrument of the Donso (the traditional hunters in this region of Burkina Faso and Mali). His audience comprises multiple generations and strata of Burkinabé society; he accordingly adapts his repertoire to his surroundings, which range from cabaret Sundays in Bobo-Dioulasso to the sound systems of Ouagadougou. Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band are a formidable force steeped in Ouagadougou's DIY underground musical culture. Juguya is their sound.

 

PRICE: $25.50

CAT #: SF 123LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Mystic choral beauty drifting far into the outer cosmos, this other worldly traditional music ensemble creates a contemporary-sounding avant-garde vocal fusion combined with strange instrumental accompaniment. The HANI are linguistically derived from the YI branch of the Tibeto-Burmese and number a million and a half in the southern part of Yunnan province in China above Laos and Vietnam where smaller Hani communities also live. As with many other ethnic groups of the area, an original traditional singing pattern is used with each singer adapting the words to the context. The choir that gathers all singers at the same time is considered to be a very unique style of vocal polyphony or heterophony. The cascading, mournful feel of this music is powerfully transcendent and you've never heard anything like it. Many of these songs express intimate strong emotions that bring tears to the performers while they are singing. Instruments used by the ensemble include the BABI (single tree leaf) and MEPA (rolled up tree leaf in a shape of a horn or mirliton), a CHIWO (3-stringed bowed instrument), a LABI (6-holed bamboo flute), a LAHE (3-stringed small lute) and a MEBA (vertical reed instrument). All tracks featuring singers and musicians from the Hani tribe in Yunnan China. Recorded by Laurent Jeanneau in 2011, this Limited-Edition vinyl LP includes a two-sided insert with photos, liner notes, and names of all the vocalists and accompanying musicians.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: TVPCRE 004LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Zambon from The Very Polish Cut-Outs have once again sought out forgotten and somewhat obscure artists whose music is in need of a revival. This time, they have chosen the duo Modfunk, who were active in the Polish electronic music scene from 1999 to 2009. Piotr Jarecki and Martin Tigermann, two Varsovians who shared a love for the "French touch" genre that dominated dancefloors worldwide at the time, showcasing Daft Punk, Cassius, Stardust, and Bob Sinclar, were the brains behind the project. The compilation comprises a subjective and cross-sectional selection of the ten best tracks from Modfunk's entire discography. While their music evolved over the years, they never abandoned their French-inspired sound, which is why the compilation includes tracks like "Souler" and "The Wav," which draw inspiration from Daft Punk. It also features "Love," a track sung in Polish that echoes Romanthony's work, as well as "Texmex" and "Wishes," two electropop tracks that could have been released on Ed Banger Records.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: TOYT 090-3LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Toy Tonics brings back the Kapote album What It Is -- ten dancefloor tracks originally released in 2019 -- now reworked, re-edited and with two new tracks, released as What It Is (2.0). House music, but with a heavy jazz-funk, brasil, lo-fi influence. A mood that evokes early Moodymann, Kerri Chandler or 1990s Paris stuff. When this album came out originally, it caught the attention of many great DJs -- DJ Harvey was playing "Jaas Func Haus" a lot at Pike in Ibiza, and Gerd Janson, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Kenny Dope and Blessed Madonna were filmed playing other tracks from the album. Kapote (Mathias Modica, also known as Munk) doesn't release much music -- he is mainly involved in the Toy Tonics label development, creative direction, and productions of other artists that release on Toy Tonics. Originally a piano and art student, he later discovered DJing, nightlife, and electronic music. Mathias aka Kapote aka Munk has produced and released records with artists like Peaches, James Muprhy and Nancy Whang (of LCD Soundsystem), The Rammellzee, and WhoMadeWho.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: UNROCK 025LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Trolling The De-Enlightenment is a solo live recording from Alan Bishop under his well-known Alvarius B. alias. It was recorded on various occasions throughout western Europe during and after the period he was recording his 2017 trilogy release With A Beaker On The Burner and An Otter In The Oven (ABDT 059CD, 2017). Bishop's presence and charisma, alongside his distinctive voice and the twisted characters he has to offer, filled the rooms he played in, and these recordings transport his unique performance vibe to this vinyl edition. The album contains some tracks you're possibly familiar with, and some which have never been played before. There's not only a re-written Bob Dylan song and two interpretations of Burt-Bacharach-lounge as it could be called, but many of Bishop's original songs are present on this first ever Alvarius B. live album release. Photos by Hans Van Der Linden. Recorded by Peter Koerfer. Master by Kubbara in Cairo. Sleeve design by Philip Lethen. Produced by Alan Bishop and Michael Stahl. Edition of 400.Alan Bishop is perhaps best known as a founding member of the legendary Phoenix/Seattle underground band Sun City Girls, in which he played alongside his brother Richard Bishop and the late Charles Gocher. During the early 1980s he recorded with his brother Richard and Velvet Underground percussionist Maureen Tucker under the name Paris 1942. Currently Bishop is working under his Alvarius B. moniker, and is a founding member of Cairo's Invisible Hands and The Dwarfs Of East Agouza where he plays together with Sam Shalabi and Maurice Louca.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: VSSL 006LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

e is sky is a collective born out of these first collaborations between Melbourne based experimental composer CORIN, electronic-pop musician Sui Zhen and music producer Casey Hartnett.

 

PRICE: $52.00

CAT #: WQJL 127LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Released in 1971. After the dissolution of Food Brain, a trio rock band consisting of former members Shinki Chen (guitar), Masayoshi Kabe (bass), and Joey Smith (drums, vocals). The band was named by Mickey Curtis. Its bluesy guitar, undulating bass, and heavy drums are reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, reigning as Japan's first and foremost heavy rock album. This analog version uses a 96khz24bit sound source mastered in 2017. The jacket is a single jacket, Rock Age OBI and others. It reproduces the original as much as possible."

 

PRICE: $52.00

CAT #: WQJL 125LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Repress! Released in 1971, this is the first album produced by a Japanese artist with the overseas market in mind. It was released in the United States, Canada, and Japan, and in particular, the single 'Satori Part 2' reached number eight in Canada. There is also an oriental thought trend in Europe and the United States, and the work is characterized by incorporating more oriental and Japanese sounds. Japan at this time was also a turning point from GS to folk, and there were still few people who accepted rock, but it continues to be supported by its advanced sound. Of course, it is very popular overseas and its name recognition is still undiminished. The jacket reproduces the original W jacket, Rock Age OBI, and enclosed postcard as much as possible."

 

PRICE: $75.00

CAT #: WQJL 128LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Repress! Speed, Glue & Shinki's last album is a luxurious specification that faithfully reproduces the original, including the full band! Released in 1972. The second, which became the last album, is a two-disc set. Famous for tiger jacket. This work has many songs that are thought to be centered on Joey Smith, but like the previous work, it is full of bluesy rock. There are some lyrical songs, but the D-side medley makes extensive use of the Moog synthesizer, which was still rare at the time. Michael Hanopol, Shigeki Watanabe, Hiroshi Oguchi, participated as guests. This analog version uses a 96khz24bit sound source mastered in 2017. The jacket is a single jacket x two, a full-length Obi, a lyric card, etc. It reproduces the original as much as possible."

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: WWSLP 027LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock. Following the success of the special Record Store Day Abu Ali edition (WWSLP 021LP), Wewantsounds are reissuing a standard version of Ziad Rahbani's mythical disco 12" which was originally issued in Lebanon in 1978. This reissue on black vinyl features the original artwork, with remastered audio. Wewantsounds is to announce the first-ever official vinyl reissue of Ziad Rahbani's mythical Lebanese Disco 12" Abu Ali, originally issued in Lebanon in 1978 on his label Zida Records. A highly collectible album, it will get reissued by Wewantsounds with its original artwork, remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris. Ziad Rahbani is a cultural icon in Lebanon. The musician, pianist, and producer is also a renowned playwright and a political activist, one of the most important exponent of the Lebanese left-wing counterculture to emerge from the '70s. Coming out of an illustrious artistic dynasty (his father is the famous composer and musician Assi Rahbani, member of group The Rahbani Brothers and his mother is the legendary Middle East Diva, Fairuz), Ziad Rahbani started his music career during his late teens, composing music for his mother. Rahbani quickly spread his wings further. He started producing his own music co-founding the label Zida in 1978 at age 22 in the process and started releasing records under his own name. Among these was Abu Ali recorded in Greece at the EMI Studios in Athens with a full orchestra -- there he also recorded his mother's 1979 album Wahdon (WWSLP 022LP) -- and released it as a limited run EP for the Lebanese market. Legend has it that the album was only pressed at 500 unit hence its rarity. The result is a fabulous New York-meets-Beirut disco ecstasy, developing over two 13-minute tracks and one of the most collectible albums on the international dance and disco scene.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 041LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock; LP version. Wewantsounds reissue of Billy Brooks's much sought-after album Windows of the Mind, released in 1974 on Ray Charles's Crossover Records. The album was co-produced by Charles and features such heavy players as Herman Riley, Calvin Keys, and Larry Gales. There's not a huge amount of information to be found about trumpet player Billy Brooks. A solid session musician who'd been around since the '50s, he played with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader, and of course Ray Charles, who signed him to his sub label Crossover Records in the early '70s to release Windows of the Mind. Interestingly, Brooks also appears on Bea Benjamin's 1976 cult classic African Songbird produced by Dollard Brand. Windows of the Mind released in 1974 remains Brooks' only solo album. Windows of the Mind was recorded in Los Angeles and co-produced by Ray Charles. It is a skillful, brass-led mix of jazz and funk performed by such cult players as bassist Larry Gales (Thelonious Monk), drummer Clarence Johnston (Freddie Roach, James Moody), saxophonist Herman Riley (Side Effect, Pleasure, Earth Wind & Fire, Letta Mbulu), guitarists Jef Lee (Roy Ayers, Sylvia Striplin) and cult player Calvin Keys of Black Jazz Records fame. From the groove of "Rockin Julius", "Shetter Cheeze", and "Black Flag" to the mid-tempo jazz mood of "Cooling It" and "C.P. Time" and the cinematic brass pyrotechnics of "The Speech Maker", "Windows of the Mind" is a superb funked-up big band jazz album. Windows of the Mind did reasonably well among the jazz circles when it came out but its fate would change fifteen years later when, in 1990, A Tribe Called Quest heavily sampled its closing track "Fourty Days" for their own "Luck of Lucien" featured on the group's debut album People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990). The album revolutionized hip-hop and "Luck of Lucien" became one of the album's highlights, thus cementing the reputation of Billy Brooks original LP among DJs and collectors. Original LPs now change hands for a few hundred dollars. Wewantsounds now make this landmark album available again in partnership with The Ray Charles Foundation. Newly remastered audio; comes with original artwork.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 045LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock. Wewantsounds present the first vinyl reissue Omar Khorshid's cult instrumental album from 1978 originally released in Lebanon. The album features Khorshid's trademark twangy electric guitar sound over Arabic melodies enhanced by fascinating fuzzed-up arrangements and early synthesizer sounds. Wewantsounds' series of Arabic music reissues are curated by Lebanese-born Arabic music expert Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. The album has been newly remastered and comes with the original Voice of Lebanon LP artwork. One of the greatest guitar players of the Arab world accompanying such stars as Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez, and Farid El Atrache, Omar Khorshid was born in Cairo in 1945. After studying music from an early age, he joined the Egyptian pop group Les Petits Chats in 1966 and played with them for a couple of years. After seeing the group playing, Abdel Halim Hafez then recruited Khorshid for his band which led him to subsequently play for Egyptian diva Oum Khalthoum and a few other Egyptian pop stars. Following the political troubles faced by Egypt in the early '70s, Khorshid decided to move to Lebanon in 1973 and started recording under his own name for a few Beirut-based labels. In 1977, he was invited by Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat to perform at the White House for the celebration of the Camp David Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. In 1978, Khorshid moved out again -- to Syria this time -- for a about a year before returning to his homeland of Egypt to concentrate on live performances and on his nascent film career. Unfortunately, Khorshid efforts were cut short and he didn't have time to fulfil his ambitions tragically dying in a motorbike crash in May 1981, aged just 36. With Love released by the Beirut-based Voice of Lebanon label in 1978 is a testament to Omar Khorshid's greatness and encapsulate the unique sound of his guitar playing over modern arrangements establishing him as one of Arabic music's true innovator. Featuring reworkings of such favorites as Mohamed Abdel Wahab's "Ahwak", Farid El-Atrache's "Hebbina Hebbina" (a Brian Eno favorite), and the Rahbani Brothers' "Rahbaniyat", the album is a fascinating example of modern Arabic music that aimed at fusing traditional influences with the more contemporary ones, and has become highly sought-after by lovers of this Middle Eastern sounds around the world.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: XI 119CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock; 1998 release. Voted one of 1998's top 15 Records of the Year in Modern Composition by the writers and critics of The Wire, Trilogie de la Mort is a work in three parts for anolog Arp synthesizer. The first third of the work, Kyema, is inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead and invokes the six intermediate states that constitute the existential continuity of the being. Kailasha, the second chapter, is structured on an imaginary pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash, one of the most sacred mountains in the Himalayas. Koumé makes up the last part of the trilogy and emphasizes the transcendence of death.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: YRE 047EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Yore Records presents P0lyrhythm's Motor City Dreams EP on 12" vinyl.

 

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."

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: 3000GRAD 004LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. On The Fly tells about the small moments of the big journey that is the path of jPattersson as a musician: Barefooted gratitude in the shade of a palm tree, a hike through the dreamlike colors of the highlands, a balcony scene with a glass of wine and the view of another galaxy... It's these small moments that fuel his contagious enthusiasm and hope that form the backbone for his signature "jPatterssong-writing". On The Fly is a very personal album that invites you to join the flight yourselves: six of the eight tracks come with the highly stimulating catchiness of a four-to-the-floor beat. Sometimes it's jPattersson's voice that sets the mood, sometimes it's his trumpet, and then again, it's the frequencies of electronically processed harmony which stretch like elastic rubber bands between delicate introspection and buzzing euphoria. A track generously marinated in sunlight and dub as well as a piece of oceanic downbeat relaxation round off this forth jPattersson album just perfectly. "Baila Conmigo" features Macarena Gómez.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: 3000GRAD 025CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

On The Fly tells about the small moments of the big journey that is the path of jPattersson as a musician: Barefooted gratitude in the shade of a palm tree, a hike through the dreamlike colors of the highlands, a balcony scene with a glass of wine and the view of another galaxy... It's these small moments that fuel his contagious enthusiasm and hope that form the backbone for his signature "jPatterssong-writing". On The Fly is a very personal album that invites you to join the flight yourselves: six of the eight tracks come with the highly stimulating catchiness of a four-to-the-floor beat. Sometimes it's jPattersson's voice that sets the mood, sometimes it's his trumpet, and then again, it's the frequencies of electronically processed harmony which stretch like elastic rubber bands between delicate introspection and buzzing euphoria. A track generously marinated in sunlight and dub as well as a piece of oceanic downbeat relaxation round off this forth jPattersson album just perfectly. "Baila Conmigo" features Macarena Gómez.

 

PRICE: $18.50

CAT #: AALP 046LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Tracks by Scientist, Barrington Levy, Johnny Osbourne, Linval Thompson, Wayne Wade, Wade Brammer, Barry Brown, Sammy Dread, and Wailing Souls. Produced by Brad Osborne.

 

PRICE: $18.50

CAT #: CTLP 4967LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Crucial set featuring Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Aston Barett, Winston Wright, Sly Morris, J. Francisque, and Skully "Zoot" Simms.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: ALT 074CS

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Cassette version. The collaboration between Klara Lewis and Nik Colk Void somehow seemed inevitable. Both artists having seen their releases published by Editions Mego, individually carving out idiosyncratic voices in the worlds of extreme, abstract electronic music. With Full-On, Lewis and Void explore and assimilate the very edge of their individual practice where a unique collaborative interface allows two voices to combine and morph into a third voice. Lewis and Void play ping pong with the conversation of sounds, generating ideas and bouncing them off each other, simultaneously encouraging the other to go further with their ideas opening up an opportunity to engage with previously unexplored terrain. Guitars, synths, Eurorack modular systems, voice, sampling, and outboard processing are folded in a playful unification with a propensity to tease, explore and extract new ideas and shapes, sometimes brutal, sometimes playful. Trust was also a compositional tool allowing instinct to freely move on any aspect of the sound and space. This sound/feeling/instinct/association let this wild and wonderful material grow organically into something new. The result of this exploratory interplay are 17 intense miniatures reveling in the process of unadulterated experimentation and whimsical interplay, not just between the humans, but the machines themselves. United in an endless series of sonic U-turns, this daring duo intertwine pop and noise whilst also bringing together visions of tender techno and forthright ambient. The various zones which manifest from all these reveals vocals shifting in mysterious ways, dust drenched beats churning limpidly and devilish string loops navigating a disorientating domain. The experience of listening to Full-On is to be confronted with a range of ideas resulting in a platter of emotions. A place where beauty and the beast collide with the impulsive and outright weird. What a wonderful world.

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: AX 059CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

The Tomorrow Comes The Harvest project started with late Tony Allen, one of the originators of Afrobeat, and Jeff Mills, who got together to create an improvisational type of performance. The idea was to not pre-prepare or to preplan anything, but just to play in the moment spontaneously and to reach for the same understanding musically. Jean-Phi Dary had been working with Tony Allen for a long time, naturally joined the unit. After an untimely passing of Tony in 2020, they thought that maybe a good idea to continue with the project and to consider it in a much more broader respect other than just three main musicians that may be, it's interesting to make it open, to be able to invite other musicians in for certain concerts. They decided to invite Prabhu Edouard, who already had an experience of working with Jeff for classical concerts in France. The album was recorded live at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium in 2022.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: B 143LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Warehouse find, last copies. Part two, on clear vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with blue lettering. Limited edition 500 copies.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: BANG 167LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 2006. Gala Mill is considered as Exile on Main Street in The Drones' discography. Gala Mill is the third studio album by Australian band The Drones, which was released in September 2006. Recorded in an abandoned mill in Tasmania, it was their last album to feature founding member Rui Pereira and the first to feature Mike Noga on drums. The music, which makes "an epic leap beyond garage rock", adds influences from folk rock and contemporary folk music to their usual punk blues style. Gareth Liddiard's lyrics for the album are centered more on Australia's colonial and recent history, evident in tracks such as "Jezebel", "Words From The Executioner To Alexander Pearce", and "Sixteen Straws". Much like its predecessor, the album received critical acclaim from sources both within and outside Australia, with much of it centered on the album's raw musical style and Liddiard's dark lyricism. In 2014, Flavorwire included the track "Sixteen Straws" on their list of "The 50 Best Album Closing Tracks Ever". In 2021, Rolling Stone Australia listed Gala Mill at number 155 on their list of "The 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time" (one of two Drones albums on the list). New sleeve artwork.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: BANG 172LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Tyla is an English rock musician, best known for his work with The Dogs D'Amour as well as an extensive solo catalogue. Not only performing vocals, guitars and other instruments, he also illustrates the album covers in his own recognizable style. Libertine is his second solo album and it was recorded and released only on CD and in the UK in 1996. Now for the first time on vinyl, Libertine contains material which arguably bares the closest stylistic similarity to The Dogs D'Amour. There has been speculation amongst fans that some of the songs were written for his former band. As on Tyla's first solo album (also available on Bang! Records), Libertine contains both electric and acoustic material. For fans of Jacobites, The Dogs D´Amour, and Johnny Thunders.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: BPR 036LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The first vinyl reissue of Tucker Zimmerman's 1974 album. A self-described "songpoet," Zimmerman's long and storied life as an American "exile" in Europe has so far produced nine studio albums and many hundreds of poems and, more recently, led to his current collaborations with Big Thief. Running through it all is a sustained, singular will to create beautiful low key, low ego art on the biggest, most timeless themes. Tucker's experimental use of keyboards, synthesizers and that rarest of birds -- the Ondes Martenot (a kind of theremin hybrid) -- creates a shifting palette to lift songs with a classic singer/songwriter feel into something new. Perhaps only the early '70s Beach Boys were onto the same idea, albeit with slightly different budgets. Tucker produced this LP himself. Cutting his production teeth with another life friend Tony Visconti in London, experimenting with tapes and electronic sounds while working with others on many albums, including Marsha Hunt and Paul Butterfield, as well as on his own debut (one of Bowie's favorite records). Zimmerman is the real deal and Over Here In Europe was a new direction which would end seven years later with the excellent Word Games, whereupon he paused from the creation of albums in this form.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: BT 104LP

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

Black Truffle announce Symphony No. 107 - The Bard, a previously unheard archival recording of the legendary improvising ensemble MEV (Musica Elettronica Viva), captured in concert at Bard College, New York in 2012. Formed by a group of American expat composers in Rome in 1966, the MEV ensemble played an important role in the development of free improvisation, bridging the live electronics tradition begun by Cage and Tudor and the high-energy squall of free jazz. Early recordings like Spacecraft (WELLE 104LP) or The Sound Pool unleash volleys of metal and glass amplified with contact microphones, howling winds, primitive synthesizer bleep, and raucous audience participation, the intensity of which puts much later "noise" to shame. In later decades, the ensemble would go through many iterations, often including legendary free players like Steve Lacy and George Lewis. In its final years, MEV settled into the core trio of founding members heard here: Alvin Curran, Frederic Rzewski, and Richard Teitelbaum, using piano, electronics, and small instruments. MEV is the sound of these three personalities coming together, their contributions radically individual yet attaining a state of "fundamental unity" that Rzewski, in a text written in the collective's earliest years, defined as the "final goal of improvisation". Of course, listeners familiar with aspect of the trio's individual works might hazard some guesses about who is doing what: the crisp piano figures are probably Rzewski's, the cut-up hip-hop samples most likely Curran's, the sliding, squelching synth possibly Teitelbaum's. But often these identities are dissolved in a constantly shifting hall of mirrors. The two side-long sets here occupy a similar terrain of constantly shifting texture and instrumentation, unexpected interruptions, and moments of sudden beauty. The first set is sparser, at times almost ominous, as a bell repeatedly sounds across wheezing harmonica, seasick orchestral textures, and creaking wood, making room for episodes of yodeling and delicate prepared piano before exploding into a storm of buzzing synth and piano fragments. The second set is more frenetic, moving rapidly across centuries and continents: cars crash into post-serial piano pointillism, wailing voices collide with chopped and screwed hip-hop samples, Hollywood strings are buried under layers of electronic gurgles. The performance slows in its final moments, making way for a sampled voice repeating the phrase "protest and the good of the world", reminding you that MEV's idea of freedom was always more than musical. Symphony No. 107 - The Bard is a beautifully recorded example of the endlessly multi-layered later MEV sound, accompanied by new liner notes by Alvin Curran and a selection of previously unseen photographs from across the many decades of the group's activity.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BT 105LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Black Truffle welcome free jazz legend Joe McPhee back to the fold with Oblique Strategies, a wild trio recorded in Antwerp in 2018 in the company of Mette Rasmussen's fire-breathing alto saxophone and Dennis Tyfus's post-Fluxus antics on tape, voice, and percussion. Rasmussen and Tyfus have previously recorded together as Bazuinschal, and some similar strategies are on display here: mysterious metallic scrapes, extended tones in which voice and sax become indistinguishable, comic explosions of varispeed tape. With McPhee on board, however, proceedings are more sumptuous, with the two horns moving fluidly from expeditions into the extremes of their instruments' registers to pointillistic note-splatter and Ayler-esque folk melodies; we even get to bask in some of the slow-motion free blues that McPhee has now been playing for half a century. McPhee is heard primarily on tenor, Rasmussen mainly on alto, but with Rasmussen doubling on sundry objects, and the whole trio contributing vocals, certainty about who is doing what becomes nigh impossible. The recording and production add to this hazy unclarity. Where much contemporary improvised music aims at dryly clinical hi-fi, the lively reverberant space of Oblique Strategies calls to mind the less-than-pristine sonics of classic free jazz artifacts like John Tchicai's Afrodisiaca or McPhee's own Underground Railroad. Spread across four pieces ranging from four to nineteen minutes in length, Oblique Strategies moves with anarchic swagger from explosions of clattering cymbals and bellowing horns to near-silent episodes of mysterious rumble and clunk. "Death or Dinner?" opens the record with a lovely duet of climbing melodic patterns shared between the two saxophones, played with a buzzing oboe-like tone. A long, wavering note sung by Tyfus cues the first of countless changes of direction, eventually leading to a crescendo of watery splutters and dueling saxes. At points Tyfus's keening resemble the signature moves of his friend and collaborator, Ghédelia Tazartès; at others, his tape-sped huffs and puffs possess a rawness reminiscent of Henri Chopin or Gil Wolman. The dialogue between wailing saxophones and vocal cries, punctuated by percussive thuds and crashes, can at times feel less like a musical performance and more like the calls of some mysterious forest creatures. Oblique Strategies can also be delicate at times, as on the beautiful third piece, "Destilled Edible", dominated by a slow, microtonal melody played with a breathy tone resembling a shakuhachi. The closing side-long "Light My Fire" ranges across classic improv call and response, skittering trumpet blurts, inept cymbal clatter, mock-operatic vocals, and crude tape maneuvers. Oblique Strategies is an invigoratingly free-spirited blast of improvisation.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BT 106LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Black Truffle announce The Leisure Principle, a new solo LP from London-based bassist and sound artist Otto Willberg. A key player in the London underground, Willberg is often heard on acoustic and electric bass in free improv settings and bands with Laurie Tompkins (Yes Indeed) and Charles Hayward (Abstract Concrete), as well as the fractured no wave unit Historically Fucked. His previous solo releases have ranged from extended technique double bass to explorations of the acoustics of a 19th century artillery fort. But nothing Willberg has committed to wax so far prepares a listener for The Leisure Principle, six unashamedly melodic improvisational workouts created almost entirely with heavily filtered bass harmonica and electric bass. On the opening "Reap What Thou Sow", a single-note bass harmonica loop pulses along underneath a roaming bass solo, the side-chained envelope filtering (where the dynamic behavior of the bass determines the filter for both bass and harmonica) fusing the two instruments into a single stream of burbling shifts in resonance. After several minutes of patient exploration of this low-end landscape, the music suddenly opens up in widescreen with the entrance of Sam Andreae's graceful melodica chords, spreading out across the stereo field. From this epic opener, each of the remaining pieces goes on to explore a slightly different aspect of the terrain. On "Shadow Came into the Eyes as Earth Turned on its Axis", a similarly buoyant harmonica bass line provides the foundation, but this time playing a soulful descending riff, it's almost R&B feel abstracted and half-obscured by the filtering. On "Mollusk", echoed bass arpeggios skitter between elegiac chords somewhat reminiscent of the opening of John Abercrombie's "Timeless", before settling into a hypnotic groove. On the record's second half, Willberg pushes further into the possibilities of his idiosyncratic instrumentation. On "Wetter", bass and harmonica come together into a monstrous, growling jaw harp; on "Had we but world enough and more time", the subtly shifting pulsating patterns start to feel almost like a kind of evaporated, drum-less dub techno until an eruption of wheezing bass harmonica gives the piece a comically folkish turn. Willberg's melodically inventive and virtuosic bass performance calls to mind any number of fusion touchstones, from Jaco Pastorius to Mark Egan's singing tone in the early Pat Metheny Group. But with its radically reduced instrumentation, The Leisure Principle is also an exercise in minimalism, and the absence of percussion gives even its funkiest moments a strangely abstracted quality. At times, its uncanny blend of the abstruse and the immediate suggests the fried pop experiments of David Rosenboom or the skewed but deeply musical DIY of '80s underground groups like De Fabriek.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BLACKBALL 010LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Received a 9.1 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork. One of the most popular and successful underground bands of the early- /mid-'90s, California's Jawbreaker was comprised of Blake Schwarzenbach (guitar and vocals), Chris Bauermeister (bass) and Adam Pfahler (drums). The band melded raw vocals, a driving rhythm section and grinding guitar with complex song structures and literary lyrics, forging a distinctive style that has since, along with Schwarzenbach's subsequent band Jets to Brazil, influenced a generation of independent music. By the end of 1993, Jawbreaker was in full stride. The band had completed a full US tour in the summer, played several shows that October with Nirvana, and was attracting significant major label attention. 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, released in early 1994, was Jawbreaker's third album. After the more 'progressive' Bivouac, the trio had returned to a straightforward, poppier sound, and the resulting full-length is widely regarded as their best. The bulk of the recording was done by noted independent producer Steve Albini (though it is officially credited to Albini's cat, Fluss). Following the mainstream success of fellow Californians Green Day and Rancid, Jawbreaker decided to sign with DGC. They released a final studio album, Dear You, before calling it quits in 1996. A feature-length documentary on the band is currently in the works."

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: BFRC3K 001LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Piero Zuffi made this bizarre film set in the seedy underbelly of Off-Broadway productions, hippie communities, S&M bars and bike gangs. The story follows a serial killer on the loose and an investigator looking into an heiress' kidnapping. With the help of editor Franco Arcalli, the movie was reconfigured into an effective fever dream with a non-linear structure. Once more the music composed by maestro Piero Piccioni is better than the movie. A wonderful kaleidoscope of psychedelic oddness favors the composer's jazz roots and strong percussion work, but also features delightful bursts of source music as well as the self-contained brilliance of the occasional set pieces -- including background scores for the experimental productions of the Off-Broadway world. This highly addictive score, impossible to find on the original LP released by RCA in 1970 and reissued on vinyl only by South Korean label Beatball can finally benefit from a meticulous restoration from the original master tapes, thanks to the involvement of Piccioni's family. It's exactly like buying a copy in 1970 without any compression and digital artifacts. Black vinyl pressing of 500 copies worldwide.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BJR 088CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Lalalar is back with a new album on Les Disques Bongo Joe! After setting European stages on fire with the release of their first LP in 2022, the mighty Turkish band returns with En Kötü Iyi Olur, an album that reflects their image: edgy, independent, political, and tremendously effective. With their roots in Anatolian poetry and sonorities, but their focus on a club-oriented, uncompromising rock, Lalalar has not given up and is once again ready to turn everything upside down. The streets of Istanbul have always been a melting pot of political energy, social furor, and intense musical progression. It's a hotbed of riotous sounds and artists looking for new outlets and sound; a bi-product of youth culture who have been living under the rule of Erdo?an for almost a decade. It's from these streets that the band Lalalar came to fruition. The alternative electronic-activists Ali Güçlü ?im?ek, Barlas Tan Özemek and Alican ?pek are radicals in terms of their political ideology of sounds; outspoken, ideological, and full of energy, ripe for the dancefloor.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BJR 088LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Lalalar is back with a new album on Les Disques Bongo Joe! After setting European stages on fire with the release of their first LP in 2022, the mighty Turkish band returns with En Kötü Iyi Olur, an album that reflects their image: edgy, independent, political, and tremendously effective. With their roots in Anatolian poetry and sonorities, but their focus on a club-oriented, uncompromising rock, Lalalar has not given up and is once again ready to turn everything upside down. The streets of Istanbul have always been a melting pot of political energy, social furor, and intense musical progression. It's a hotbed of riotous sounds and artists looking for new outlets and sound; a bi-product of youth culture who have been living under the rule of Erdo?an for almost a decade. It's from these streets that the band Lalalar came to fruition. The alternative electronic-activists Ali Güçlü ?im?ek, Barlas Tan Özemek and Alican ?pek are radicals in terms of their political ideology of sounds; outspoken, ideological, and full of energy, ripe for the dancefloor.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BJRA 003LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

After the success of Cruise Control repress, Les Disques Bongo Joe are proud to announce the official reissue of Polymood, second album of L'Éclair and maybe their most renowned project for the moment. Recorded live in Amsterdam by the wizard Japser Gelük (Altin Gün, Allah Las, Jacco Gardner), this library-groove-oriented album goes deep into L'Éclair influences back in the days: Piero Piccioni, AIR, Sly Stone or Can.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BRINE 005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Limited 2023 restock; LP version. "Prior to co-founding the Incredible String Band, Clive Palmer had already made a name for himself as a versatile instrumentalist from his teenage years busking around London. Just after the first ISB album was released, he would quit the band and seemingly vanished from the scene, traveling around Europe, India and Afghanistan. He resurfaced with his banjo a few years later under the guise of COB, Clive's Original Band, with instrumentalists and songwriting partners Mick Bennett and John Bidwell. Guitarist Ralph McTell agreed to produce the project as a labor of love, and with the newly coined trio they created what is considered to be one of the most beautiful acid folk albums ever to come out of the British Isles. McTell kept the production organic, with most of the vocals and rhythm tracks recorded live. Experimental in nature, Spirit of Love is a highly original album that embodies the spirit of UK folk amidst reality at the time. Bootlegged several times, this is the first official vinyl reissue of this eternal classic."

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: BR 169LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Relikte aus der Zukunft (Relics from the Future) is a new album by experimental German artist Baldruin. Growing up in a small Bavarian village rectory around 10 meters beside the church and serving as an altar boy; organ music, church bells, and spiritual chanting were very much present in Johannes Schebler's ears during his childhood years. This experience was probably the basis for his ongoing interest in transcendental and mysterious atmospheres, he recalls. Schebler started making music as Baldruin back in 2009 with DIY experimentations which were first released on tape, a CD-R 3" and later on several LPs all over Europe (Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Finland, Netherlands, Slovakia), as well as in the USA and Japan. While in the beginning Baldruin's tracks were mostly created with acoustic instruments, later synthesizers and other electronic sound sources joined, expanding the sound palette and letting primordial and futuristic worlds merge organically into each other. Although Relikte aus der Zukunft feels like a journey to the unknown, with constantly changing moods, all of the recordings were done in a small and improvised home studio in Schebler's living room in Wiesbaden, Germany, using mostly a single MIDI-keyboard for recording. The tracks are full of color and amazement, detailed and thorough when evoking the setting and conjuring the experience. They can be playful and bright, or suspenseful and ominous, until bursting into ritual and hallucination. The gloomiest soundscapes can jump into a ship fueled by retro sci-fi arpeggios, the solemn can turn to rejoice, and a star can shrink into a fireplace. Mastered by Alberto Cendra at Garden Lab Audio. Cover art by Johannes Schebler. Edition of 300.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: BR 177LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Implosiones is the second album by Búho Ermitaño, Peruvian psych explorers. With references to kraut rock and the Andean folk of groups like El Polen, the sound of Búho Ermitaño is immersed in hypnotic instrumental explorations, melodic passages, and bursts of cosmic rock. Implosiones is a renovating sound synthesis that places the band as one of the new referents of psychedelic rock in Peru. Formed in Lima in 2008 by Franz Núñez (guitar) and Diego Pando (guitar), they began as a jam band. With the addition of Irving Fuentes (charango) and Leo Pando (synthesizers), the group's sound began to have its own color, which found its final formation with the inclusion in 2014 of Ale Borea (percussion) and Juan Camba (drums). Since then, they have been an active band in the underground circuit of Lima, alternating with psychedelic rock bands and experimental music artists (several members of Búho Ermitaño play at the same time in various sound experimentation musical projects). It is with this formation that the group has recorded Implosiones, incorporating a wide range of instruments that includes guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers, theremin, electronic loops, bongos, flutes, djembes, charango, among others. All of this is reflected in songs like "Herbie" with a marked percussion base, or in "Explosiones", and their high-energy neo-psychedelia, unlike their first album, the inclusion of vocals in song format is now present, opening up a new creative path. Implosiones also includes some of the group's classic songs such as "Buarabino", a drift of psychedelic folk, but also new compositions such as "Entre los cerros", where synthesizers set a course for space rock. Implosiones has been recorded and mixed by Camilo Uriarte at Eco Estudio and mastered by Alberto Cendra and Camilo Uriarte. Produced by Búho Ermitaño and Camilo Uriarte. Art by About Visual Studio. Edition of 300.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: CF 029LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Recorded live by Jürgen Lindenau on April 14th and 15th, 1974 during the Workshop Freie Musik at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. This album was originally released on FMP(0180) in 1975 and remastered in 2022 by Martin Siewert. Featuring: Peter Brötzmann (alto and baritone saxophone, clarinet); Albert Mangelsdorff (trombone); Fred Van Hove (piano); Han Bennink (drums, selfmade clarinet, homemade junk, voice). Artwork and design by Peter Brötzmann.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: CF 030LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Recorded live by Jost Gebers on May 4th,1974 at the Ost-West-Festival in Nürnberg. This album was originally released on FMP(0200) in 1975, and remastered in 2022 by Martin Siewert. Featuring: Peter Brötzmann (alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet); Fred Van Hove (piano); Han Bennink (drums, clarinet, homemade junk, everything, anything). Artwork and design by Peter Brötzmann.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: CTLP 1415LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Twofer reissue of the excellent Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters LPs, Chapter 1 (1981) and Blackboard Jungle Dub (1981). Comes with large poster. Not an exact duplication of the original LPs. "The material is weirdly wonderful and represents some of Perry's earliest and most unrestrained efforts at dub madness. Issued on one disc, they ebb and flow seamlessly (set your CD player or playlist on 'shuffle' for proof), with tracks like 'Scratch The Dub Organizer' and 'Dub From Africa' especially delicious. This is a great way to dig deep into Perry's unique mindset without spending a ton of money." --John Dougan, AllMusic

 

PRICE: $18.50

CAT #: CTLP 876LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Track by King Tubby and Aggrovators, Tower Unlimited, Rod Taylor, Augustus Pablo, Ossie All Stars, Linval Thompson, Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, and Johnny Lover.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CVSD 100CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

In 1981, British percussionist Paul Lytton and German guitarist Erhard Hirt met and recorded for a couple of days in Belgium. This explosive, ahead-of-its-time first encounter, which had been planned as a release on the legendary Po Torch label, has remained dormant for over four decades. In that period, Lytton and Hirt teamed up often, joining forces with saxophonist/clarinetist Wolfgang Fuchs and bassist Hans Schneider as the quartet X-Pact, a group that has recently reformed -- several years after the untimely death of Fuchs -- with Stefan Keune in the saxophone chair. Lytton and Hirt were key participants in the Aachen (Germany) improvised music scene, also key members of King Übü Örchestrü, one of the most radical improvising large ensembles. Lytton's legacy hearkens back to his time in the London jazz scene of the late 1960s, where he played with a who's who of heavies, and he's perhaps best known for his long-standing collaboration with saxophonist Evan Parker, in duet settings and their collective trio with bassist Barry Guy. He is one of the great innovators of European improvised music, both as a percussionist and with his unique electronics rig. Hirt's super-resourceful guitar work -- here both on electric guitar (with active whammy bar) and acoustic dobro -- deserves to be more widely heard. Along with his own solo music, which started with a killer record called Zwischen den Pausen on Uhlklang in 1983, he's worked intensively with musicians such as Axel Dörner, Phil Minton, Thomas Lehn, Phil Wachsmann, and John Butcher. For its debut voyage, Borne on a Whim was lovingly transferred (for the first time) from the original reels by Ken Christianson, preserving every crispy, crackling noise. The cover features a stencil used to make a poster for them back in the period that Lytton and Hirt first began their work together. Borne on a Whim is the first release drawn from the Paul Lytton Archives at Corbett vs. Dempsey.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DTW 075LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Dark, evocative beats engulfed by bold raw vocals: this is Totek, the genre-defying electronic project of Allysha Joy and Max Dowling. In their own right, Allysha and Max both lay claim to an extensive musical prowess: the former as a member of the internationally-acclaimed nu-soul outfit 30/70 and her equally revered solo project, the latter as a prolific producer, performer and collaborator (Client Liaison, NO ZU, Parvyn, and countless others). Born out of burn out and edging frustration for the pace and complication of life at times, this collaboration came together almost immediately. Totek found itself in the dark edges, wanting to punch a little harder and move through it all quickly, boldly, unafraid in relief. The chemistry held between Max and Allysha found songs written in mere moments that expressed something new that neither artist had been able to access alone. On face value, the six tracks on ttk.1 could feel musically divergent: representing different idioms, different tempos and different themes. Yet they are unified on a more holistic level through their energy, ethos and character. Totek prefers to view music in this way: what is the overall experience of a record? Pushing boundaries and eschewing conventions has been organically at the heart of Totek from the beginning. The process of crafting a record was no different: the artists intended to create a work that is characterful and unpredictable yet unified by a throughline of potency and intensity. Totek represents a masterful coming-together of influences: a blend of multiple electronic idioms with a unique soul sensibility; channeled through two creatively potent individuals. While their music conjures shades of Dorian Concept, Jana Rush, and Flying Lotus, ultimately their sound is eclectic, elusive and unique. For fans of Allysha Joy, 30/70, Flying Lotus, Saul, Joearmon-Jones.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: DIAL 047LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Dial announce Ben Kaczor's album, Petrovo Uho. After his debut LP, Sun Chapter One on KCZ, Ben Kaczor presents eleven brand new tracks. "For the album, an important conceptual thought came from encountering a rare ear-shaped seashell called 'Petro Uvo (Peter's Ear).' I found it while diving in Dubrovnik, Croatia in the summer. Inspired by the sound of a foreign language, I decided to keep all the tracks in Croatian, some of them in the dialect of the town of Dubrovnik, because the atmospheric soundscapes of the tracks reflect memories and feelings of traveling through Croatia, the force of the sea and wind, the play of lights and moods." --Ben Kaczor, 2022. Edition of 250.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: CREP 094LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

More than a decade after the release of Land Lines, the mythical Humboldt County, California based duo of Brian Pyle and Merrick McKinlay reappears seemingly out of nowhere with Atheistsaregods. With past releases on such cult-like labels as Root Strata, Weird Forest, Blackest Rainbow, or Digitalis, Starving Weirdos were an indelible part of a sprawling and loose network of artists in Northern America whose DIY work ethic and extreme activity revolved around shoestring-budget constant touring, numerous limited editions on CDR, tape, and vinyl, and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of genre. Out of that cauldron, Starving Weirdos stood out as one of the most persistent and visionary acts, developing a mind-altering body of work that went from warm soundscapes through droney digressions, freeform improvisation, and raucous noise summoned from a myriad of instrumentation and low budget processing -- vocals, keyboards, violin, flute, percussion, and an assortment of less identifiable sound sources. Ten years on their legacy remains a timeless and wildly under-appreciated one, but hopefully this new album will shine a light on their idiosyncratic approach. As time itself was never a constraint. This is music suspended outside of it. Right from the start with the echoing percussion, dissonant keys and processed vocals of "Haiku Nagasaki", Atheistsaregods draws a continuous flux of psychedelic elevation that goes from the gloomy electronic motifs not unlike the early Cluster vibes of "Invocation" into the dank percussive maze of the appropriately titled "Barulho do Samba". The self-titled track induces a sense of post-apocalyptic vertigo via hallucinatory scraps of voice, suspended synth tones and reverberating field recordings, connecting into the droney mystics of "Dudukahar (Reed Prayer)". Coming full circle, "For Vinny" brings back the echoing percussion amidst hypnotic cello lines until it drifts off into the unknown. With the same palpable sense of urgency, Starving Weirdos feel as vital as ever. Welcome back. Artwork by Mioshe. Mastered by Rashad Becker.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 759LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Recorded in 1995 and 1996, mostly in John Fahey's room at a Salem, Oregon boardinghouse, the performances on Proofs and Refutations prefigure the ornery turn of the page that marked Fahey's final years, drawing another enigmatic rabbit from his seemingly bottomless musical hat. Cloaked in the language of dogma, this is Fahey dancing a jig in the Duchampian gap, jester cap bells a-jingling. Right out of the gate, Fahey re-materializes before us, somewhere between Oracle of Delphi and Clown Prince at Olympus. Mounting a thundering dialectic from on high, 'All the Rains' resembles nothing else in his extensive discography -- betraying roots in everything from Dada to Episcopal liturgical chant -- and contains nary a plucked guitar note. When the lap steel of yore appears on 'F for Fake,' it serves more as soundbed for an extended sequence of vocal improvisations, running the gamut from wordless Bashoian caterwauling to free-form (but decidedly fake) Tuvan, even revealing a burnished falsetto in the process. Fahey takes on a different kind of provocation in the two acoustic guitar-based tracks closing Side 1 -- 'Morning' parts 1 and 2 -- the first of four recordings in this session that have him wrestling with the ghost of Skip James, perhaps Fahey's effort to wrench the 'bitter, hateful old creep' (his words) back into the grave. Anchoring Side 2 is the two-part 'Evening, Not Night,' the second half of his extended cathexis on James. The opening and closing pieces again feature Fahey's guitar as drone soundbed -- employing distortion, oscillation, and an altogether absurd quotient of reverb to create texture and harmonics that are --if we wanna go there -- not dissimilar to the sustained tonic clusters of Tibetan singing bowls, the hurdy gurdy, Hindustani classical music, or La Monte Young. Portions of this material appeared on obscure late '90s vinyl in the 7" or double-78 rpm format, but as a 'session' it has lain dormant more than a quarter century now. Taken together, we can now see these tracks as secret blueprints to latter-day Fahey provocations, several years prior to records like 1997's City of Refuge and Womblife."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: DC 872LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Straight outta Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York City, Prison is a state of mind, an experience, a loose collective, a band, a jam band and a bunch of psychedelic dudes who aren't your average bunch of jambanders. You get what you're dealing with here? No...you don't. The only way to REALLY get it is to go to Prison -- and if you're not from greater NYC and haven't showed at any of the shows, here's your best bet: their breakout album, Upstate. And what a breakout! So high, you can't get under it; so wide, you can't get over it! How wide? Every song has two titles, that's how wide. And almost everybody sings, like, all the time. That wide. Sure, you can break down the numbers -- five guys, five songs and four sides of vinyl in one gatefold sleeve -- but that won't get you Upstate, either. Prison is the sound of everybody in the room figuring out where to go, individually and collectively. As they go through it, the meaning changes, the destination changes, the words mean something different. It's meaning and no meaning, rising and falling, sinking and flying on the back of something massive cacophonized by three guitars, four vocals, a bass and drums. A lot of information bouncing around and enough time to really get you out of yourself! Take a look at the titles: each one a dichotomous inquest that the assembled Prison-ers march upon with fervor, glee, vengeance -- a whole spectrum of feels and perspectives woven into the jam for you to see. This'll take you places! The Prison population changes with the seasons, and during the season this album was recorded, Sarim Al-Rawi, Mike Fellows, Sam Jayne, Matt Lilly and Paul Major were in Prison. Sarim you might know from Liquor Store; Mike's made a bunch of scenes and records as Mighty Flashlight; Sam, who passed away in 2020 (R.I.P., brother) was in Love as Laughter -- and Paul Major you know from Endless Boogie, and despite being 'just a skateboarder who loves music' with no previous experience on the drums, he and Sarim inaugurated the Prison experience, like, seven years ago. Since then, it just fell together and it keeps doing so. A free thing called Prison. Just go for it! Follow the signs, listen up, have fun. That's how Prison got Upstate."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: DRUNKEN 164LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"If you've ever spent any time in the darkest recesses of the internet, you'll know that 'powerpop' is an emotive term. For every pockmarked tenderfoot flying the flag for some fuzzed-out alterna-rocker's harmony-drenched new single, there's a grizzled veteran insisting that there's not enough jangle, not enough hook, not enough oomph on display... This is where Class come in. Class are a four-piece from Tucson, AZ, who are most assuredly all the power, all the pop, all the time. They've served time in a bunch of bands you already know and love -- most notably everyone's favorite 'delinquent slobs' Rik And The Pigs -- and Matt Rendon of their citymates The Resonars is the guy behind the mixing desk, so you know whatever comes out is gonna be good. 2-4-1 compiles the two cassettes they've released on Cincinnati's Feel It Records (which also released their debut LP proper, Epoca De Las Vaqueros) and it's absolutely rammed with new pop classics. 'Steady Hands', 'Wrong Side Of Town', 'Inspect The Receipt', 'Left In The Sink'... get learning these titles now, 'cause you're gonna get very well acquainted when you spin 'em until your needle's worn down to a flattened-out nub. Sound-wise, it's pop music as envisioned by the punks -- straight to the point, no fucking about. Some of these songs feel like Alex Chilton playing 'September Gurls' on a curious cocktail of cheap speed and wayyy too much sugar; others are kinda like the aforementioned Resonars if they ditched their British Invasion records and got obsessed with a heady mixture of The #1s and Richard Lloyd's Alchemy. Sometimes it just sounds like a forgotten late '70s punk classic, so I think we're all in the right place here. It's scuzzy and scuffed up in all the right places, with blazing guitar solos and crashing drum fills designed to get you where you need to go, with a minimum of fuss. 'Class' is an apt name. As you'd expect from a band with three vocalists, there's more than one style at play here, meaning this record pulls from enough varying strands to keep things interesting without sounding unfocused. There's no time to get bored, unlike when reading my drivel. What the fuck are you waiting for? This is power pop at its best, punk at its funnest, a whale of a time in less than 30 minutes. Let the nerds wage war on each other -- clearly, I'll be reading it -- and claim your own victory by playing this one to death. This band are in a class of their own, and if I've not laid it out explicitly enough, you need to start listening. Now." --Will Fitzpatrick

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: DUMBYLP 001LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Mungo's Hi-Fi return with their exciting new vocal project Past and Present. Released on their Dumbarton Rock label, it's the eagerly awaited vocal companion piece to 2021 dub album Antidote. Past and Present is unique for Mungo's in being devoted to the Rub A Dub reggae style that arose in late '70s and early '80s Jamaica. The record has its roots in both past and present. Back in 2021, Mungo's responded to the pandemic with the dub project Antidote, an album of reflection among wide spaces and nature. As the world has reopened, Past and Present celebrates the return of verbal communication and dancing to hypnotic basslines, with the original vocal cuts by veteran and rising microphone talent. The haunting voice of French pure sing-jay Pupajim encourages you to face living in the now, on title track, "Past and Present". Pioneering Jamaican female deejay Lady Ann toasts the importance of "Good Lovin" over a sensual, waist-winding rhythm. Ethereal UK neo lovers rock singer Hollie Cook revisits her classic "Sugarwater", floating above a sparse and eerie future Rub A Dub soundscape. Honey-toned Londoner Kiko Bun exudes confidence and humility as a "Riddim General" while veteran talker Solo Banton shakes up the dance on his seismic, much requested, "We Pulsating". The biblical voice of Jamaican legend Prince Alla sounds fresh on a revisit to his immortal "Only Love Can Conquer". Fellow elder statesman of reggae Johnny Clarke contributes the sole non-Rub A Dub offering with the "Flying Cymbals" driven, deep roots track "Rain Keeps On Falling". French singjay Shanti D and Israeli chanter Ranking Levy pair up on the mighty Jaqueline rhythm for a warning against "Total Disaster". The prodigious Charlie P joins Godfather of UK emcee-ing, Daddy Freddy, to request freer movement on "Control The Border". The final statement is without words or vocals: as Mungo's production team take centerstage for the soaring "Birds Of Vice" -- the A side to Antidote's closing dub, "Birds Of Pleasure". In reggae, the vocal traditionally precedes the dub. By completing their pairing of Antidote with Past and Present, Mungo's have flipped the script and reversed the process --crafting a loving tribute to Rub A Dub's rolling basslines and upward vibes in a modern style.

 

PRICE: $52.50

CAT #: DUST 113LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2x12" version. "... For months, we'd been working away on various projects and then, without really thinking about it, The Black EP just happened. It seemingly appeared from nowhere. We'd been talking about the old days; making music with friends and dodgy kit, renting small practice rooms and using makeshift recording studios. It was such a common thing back then, you could pick a dusty space in a half-derelict building for as little as £25 a month. In those days, the Cabs and Human League had studios with posh-sounding names, but in reality, they were the same old workspaces long abandoned by the industries they were built for. Nevertheless, the grand names made them sound magical. Sheffield had thousands of these spaces, and some still exist today, but their abundance and low-cost made Sheffield a very active place. Someone was always doing something. They'd exploded onto the scene in a flurry of excitement before disappearing just as quickly. There's something about these little mesters (workshops) that we believe lives in the very consciousness of Sheffield. It's one of the reasons we never really had big scenes like Manchester or Leeds. The Hacienda would've never been built here. We don't really do big gangs or have that kind of mentality. We tend to exist in little pockets, often leaving each other alone. It would be 30 years before any member of The Black Dog talked to Cabaret Voltaire. Sure, we'd stood outside their practice room as kids, trying to listen in, but never felt any reason to approach. Sheffield is like that. Once we had the first two tracks of the Black EP, we set off to see Jon at Do It Theesen, where he manually cut the tracks to an extremely limited set of 7" singles using a vinyl lathe. It just felt right to go back to the old ways; a small gang creating something special in workshops and sheds . . . We pushed further by adopting old practices, working with one synth per person and limiting the use of our computers. We only stopped short of putting everything on beer crates. It seems like madness these days, but there is raw creativity within these confines. Pretty much every band started this way. Depeche Mode travelled to the studio on the London Underground for their first appearance on Top Of The Pops, all lugging a synth each. That's how we approached the creation of this album; stripped back, raw and minimal -- it just felt so right. And then there's the competitive element that was influenced when the original Human League split and became Human League MK II and Heaven 17. Both continued to use the same studio to write what became the albums Dare and Penthouse and Pavement. There is something about that drive that is very Sheffield, just making stuff and hoping everything falls into place..."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: ECHO 092EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Echocord welcomes the return of Mathimidori to the imprint with his Anata EP, accompanied by a remix from New Yorker and Novel Sound boss Levon Vincent. Mathimidori is the dub techno leaning guise of Germany's Mathias Kaden, known for his works under his own name on imprints such as REKIDS, Ovum, and Freude Am Tanzen, while Mathimidori material has found a home on the likes of Mule Musiq, Raum, Ornaments, and of course, Echocord where he returns here following 2020's Akebono LP (ECHO 086LP). Opening the release is "Anata", a texturally dense six-and-a-half-minute composition fusing pulsating subs, billowing synth atmospherics, spiraling dub echoes and sporadic dubbed out spoken word running atop a crisp 4/4 rhythm. "Zanziba" follows and dives deeper via ethereal pads, snaking low-end pulsations, choppy stab sequences and heavily echoing reggae chants. Levon Vincent steps up to remix "Zanziba" next, delivering a typically raw and dynamic rework, upping the energy levels as dub stabs dynamically unfold and retract amongst a thunderous low-end drive, intricate synth flutters and low-slung drums across its ten-minute duration.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: EUDEMONIA 015EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Eudemonia Records present you the newest record by no other than Zeta Reticula. The Slovenian born artist needs no introduction as he has released several iconic releases during the last 23 years. For this EP he explores his more melodic side and presents three unique tracks ranging from electro to breakbeat.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FEELIT 094LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A band famous for their unfussy, monolithic anthems, Sweeping Promises elegantly ravage us again with another future classic. They return as a fist of velvet rose petals roaring inside a compact wrecking ball. Gone is the Boston brutalist ambience of their subterranean concrete laboratory and the revelatory single mic recording technique. In its place, a retired and resplendent nude painting studio in Lawrence, Kansas, bathed in light with high ceilings and hardwood floors. Guided once again by their surrounding architecture, a reverb-rich space remains the defining element at the heart of their highly stylized sound. A watery ghost from the golden age of art-punk now wields sharper knives and more microphones. If the mood of HFAWO was hungry, GLICFY is RAVENOUS. In 2023, appetite is addressed in new ways: Power struggles are aired in 'Eraser,' restraints are broken in 'You Shatter,' anguished exclamations sting in 'Good Living Is Coming for You.' The taboo subject of aging is (s)heroically dragged out into the open. Every line is delivered with such joyous, soaring layers that each punch lands like a chef's kiss. Sweeping Promises are Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug. A chance meeting in Arkansas led to a decade of playing in an eclectic assortment of projects together. Their relentless practice made perfect. Bass playing Lira is an emotive bolt of thunderous energy with the iconic blast of a girl group rolled into one robust throat. Caufield is an intentional guitar player and drummer. No note or hit is extraneous. Together they are meticulous sound engineers, using space as a key ingredient to their distinct sound. Controlling every aspect of their craft, from the first note they write together, all the way through to the final mastering process, each record is an unspoiled fingerprint unique to their dynamic chemistry. Written before the pandemic, Hunger for a Way Out was released on Feel It Records in the summer of 2020. These songs drip with the anxious urgency of a commanding live performance yet their gauzy production transports us like the fading memory of a favorite song. This distorted sense of time resonated with thousands of quarantined listeners who turned the album into a life-saving floatation device and most beloved album of the year. This is when Feel It Records joined forces to divide/unite and conquer; beginning with the 2021 single 'Pain Without a Touch' and now carrying through to Good Living Is Coming For You. The pandemic went on to trigger an absurd chain of events for Sweeping Promises. Under financial strain, Mondal and Schnug uprooted their lives. They surrendered their studio in Cambridge to take refuge with family in Texas. They completed over 50 demos between their Austin bathroom and a Marfa abode, but feeling unsatisfied, they sought another fresh start. When a disused church in Ohio proved too difficult to rehab, they ultimately found lasting inspiration in Kansas. With their home and studio all under one roof, life is music and music is life. Good Living Is Coming For You ultimately reflects being thrust into a severely unpredictable world. A capsized boat isn't entirely bad. In fact, it can be the necessary push toward finding solid ground." --Tracy Wilson (Courtesy Desk)

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: FIELD 033LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Matching expansive ambience with environmental sound, Chihei Hatakeyama's new album continues Field Records' exploration of Japan and the Netherland's shared approach to water management. As with Sugai Ken's 2020 album Tone River, a specific project becomes Hatakeyama's area of focus -- in this case the Hachir?gata Lake in Akita Prefecture. Previously the second largest body of water in Japan, the government ordered extensive drainage work of Hachir?gata Lake after the second world war with the help of Dutch engineers Pieter Jansen and Adriaan Volker. After the project was completed in 1977, reclaimed land took up eighty percent of Hachir?gata Lake's total size. As a result, a new ecosystem was established as plants spread from surrounding areas, bringing with them a wider variety of birds and other wildlife. Hatakeyama's approach to this unique subject matter took in field recordings from particular locations around the lake -- the drainage channels, the Ogata bridge, grassland conservation reserves and other key areas. The aquatic subject matter and sonic material is a natural fit for Hatakeyama's accomplished sound, which has featured on numerous solo works for labels including Kranky, Room40 and his self-run White Paddy Mountain. From the intimate intricacies of the sampled material to the glacial expanses of droning synthesis and languid guitar, Hatakeyama creates a tangible environment which at once reflects the settings around Hachir?gata Lake, while offering the listener any number of imagined scenes to observe in their mind's eye.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: FIELD 035LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Field Records presents the first complete vinyl edition of Monolake's seminal excursion into experimental dub techno, Hongkong. Originally released on the now-classic Chain Reaction label in 1997, this collection of early singles by Robert Henke and Gerhard Behles has gone on to become a vital listening experience in its own right -- a genre classic alongside the other groundbreaking works from the likes of Porter Ricks and Vladislav Delay. The tracks which make up Hongkong were made while Henke and Behles studied computer science and immersed themselves in Berlin's techno scene. Their early forays into computer-based music production were enabled by the use of the Max/MSP programming environment, forming a backdrop to the landmark work they would undertake in developing the Ableton Live DAW. Henke and Behles traveled to Hong Kong in 1996 to attend the annual International Computer Music Conference, and while there recorded extensive field recordings. These recordings became the glue that pieced together their collaborative tracks into a fluid listening experience for a CD-compilation at Chain Reaction's request. While absolutely rooted in the embryonic sound of European dub techno, Monolake's early work possesses a back room, headphone-ready demeanor which lends itself to the album listening experience. In the cascade of rhythms created by precision engineered delays and subliminal, expansive spatial world building occurring throughout Hongkong, the stage is set for a full and thorough immersion. Before the Monolake sound progressed into a more pointillist form of computer music as Henke's solo project, Hongkong presented a gritty, grainy sonic still tied in some way to the traditional methods of techno production, even as the artists' ideas were sending the sequencing and arranging in exciting new directions. Remastered and presented for the first time as a complete double 12" package, this is the definitive edition of an essential work in the evolution of experimental techno. As Henke himself explains, "twenty-five years later, this record still holds immense value to me in many ways."

 

PRICE: $41.00

CAT #: FR 006LP

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 repress. Double-LP version, black vinyl in gatefold sleeve -- on vinyl for the first time, in a revelatory new remaster by Jim O'Rourke. In 2016, Finnish label frozen reeds published the première release of Julius Eastman's Femenine, for chamber ensemble. Laying unheard for decades prior, the release documented a 1974 performance by the S.E.M. Ensemble with the composer himself on piano. Lauded in Pitchfork (awarded "Best New Music"), The New Yorker, and The New York Times, the first release of Femenine served as the catalyst that propelled Eastman's music into the mainstream. Articles on Eastman's music and its immediate disruptive impact on the classical canon began to appear in every major news organ in the English-speaking world and beyond. His music began to be programmed in major concerts and festivals, several of these entirely themed around his life and work. New recordings sprang up from a fresh generation of musicians engaging with his ideas and interpreting them for a modern audience hungry to hear more. But the raw, emotionally cascading spirit of the original performance continues to inspire listeners. Joyous, insistent, and immersive, Femenine bathes the listener in surges of tonal color from intertwining winds, piano, violin, pitched percussion, synthesizer, and -- uniquely -- the composer's own invention of mechanized sleigh bells, which provide the 72-minute piece with its characteristic pulse. Femenine was recorded live by Steve Cellum -- co-producer of Arthur Russell's World of Echo -- and the new vinyl reissue has been remastered from the original high-definition tape transfer by Jim O'Rourke at his Steamroom studio in the Japanese mountains. Illuminating sleeve notes are provided by composer and author Mary Jane Leach, key figure of the Eastman revival and co-editor of the Gay Guerrilla collection of essays on his life and music. Gatefold. "Eastman's stated aim with Femenine was to please listeners, saying of the piece that 'the end sounds like the angels opening up heaven . . . should we say euphoria?" --Mary Jane Leach

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: GR 2157LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Reissue of Kosmos Kino, originally released in 1988. A Spanish industrial classic album by Esplendor Geométrico, has been unavailable on vinyl for more than 12 years, now out on limited, numbered, and remastered 2023 edition. Kosmos Kino is the third album of the influential Spanish industrial cult band Esplendor Geométrico. Recorded and originally published in 1988 and unavailable on vinyl for many years, now available again in its original format. Remastered in 2023, this release reproduces the original cover but with a different exclusive artwork on the back cover. After a start in which the line of acute distortions and buzzy basses of their previous albums continues, it follows a surprising rhythmic visceral nature, reaching its peak in the track "Trybuna Robotnicza", suitable for the most frantic dance and one of the greatest moments in their vast discography.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: GR 2158LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Expanded reissue, originally released in 2009. Esplendor Geométrico's style continues having a unique and unmistakable mark that distinguishes them from later bands they have had influence onto. At first sight, Pulsión is pure industrial hypnosis based on the electronic manipulation of sounds together with irresistible rhythms, repetitive, machine-like, industrial, hypnotic, sometimes tribal, sometimes danceable, that mix up with voices and chants. Some of them are taken from traditional Arab and oriental music (Mongolia, China, Tibet...) to be later electronically manipulated, others are simply speech fragments, as the one of a leader of a radical political party in Japan, Che Guevara, or an anti-occidental harangue from an Islamist leader. But the idea of EG is not to transmit any political or ideological message, the sources have been chosen for their strength and sonority. New cover design by Juan Carlos Sastre, founding member of EG, inspired by the original one. Special reissue, with a bonus LP. Not available on vinyl for more than twelve years. Includes a reconstruction of "Aplicación Insospechada" by M.S.B. and Luca Spagnoletti. Includes for the first time on vinyl the five exclusive tracks from the original CD version. 2023 remaster; edition of 600 (numbered).

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: VPGS 7064CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"King Jammy breathes new life into a top draw selection of Cool Ruler Classics on this highest upgrade to Gregory Isaacs' Kingston 11 catalog. Making the journey down to Jammy's warehouse HQ to lock down the safest combinations is an A-list selection of Jamaica's finest including Sean Paul, Shaggy, Alborosie, Jesse Royal, Bounty Killer, Jr. Reid, and Ras Shiloh."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: VPGS 7064LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. "King Jammy breathes new life into a top draw selection of Cool Ruler Classics on this highest upgrade to Gregory Isaacs' Kingston 11 catalog. Making the journey down to Jammy's warehouse HQ to lock down the safest combinations is an A-list selection of Jamaica's finest including Sean Paul, Shaggy, Alborosie, Jesse Royal, Bounty Killer, Jr. Reid, and Ras Shiloh."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: HAFTW 003LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

First re-press in a decade for The Caretaker's 2009 masterpiece, one of the earliest and most iconic releases on his label History Always Favours the Winners, and a true classic of the early 21st century. Spine shivers, all the way. Persistent Repetition Of Phrases was the follow-up to Leyland Kirby's 7CD boxset Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia (2006), and a landmark on the path that ultimately led to the influential An empty bliss beyond this world and Everywhere at the End of Time albums. Beloved of departed cultural theorist Mark Fisher, The Caretaker's alchemic transformations of 78RPM shellacs have, over time, come to hold a unique place in underground and popular imaginations simultaneously. It's the sort of music that elicits strong feelings from gen Z as much as Janus-faced xennials, jaded gen X-ers and perhaps even your gran, in a way practically incomparable to any other records of this strange century so far. It's an album that transcends notions of ambient or even concrète, sharing a palpable uncanniness, on the cusp of soothing, melancholy and something deeply ineffable. An essential listening experience for anyone who prizes the capacity of music to transport across time and space, or more acutely impact your sense of self. Pour one out and drink in deeply.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: IRON 2607EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

In Brasil, with the rise of sound systems inspired by the UK and JA scene, Monkey Jhayam was one of the first reggae artists to express his art and also build a solid and prominent career alongside many sound systems in his country. Out of São Mateus, Monkey broke barriers and has been collaborating with producers from all over the world. Monkey Jhayam features on an interpretation of the Johnny Osbourne roots reggae classic, "Truths & Rights" on the A side and a re-mix version of "Great Old Men" on the B side. All tracks also feature Alvin Davis (horns), Asha B (congos and percussion) with rhythm/lead guitar from Steven "Marley" Wright.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7007EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Tappa's classic Pick Up The Rockers cut at Channel One by the Revolutionaries, alongside its King Tubby dub cut.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7008EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Winston Wright, the original organ player with the Harry J's Allstars cut of the 1969 "Liquidator" hit. This great version features the mighty Dennis Alcapone toasting in fine style.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7009EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Johnny Clarke's roots classic, plus a great King Tubby dub cut.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7019EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Two classic tracks from one of Jamaica's finest singers, Mr. Jamaican soul himself, the great Pat Kelly.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7020EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Jamaican Recordings presents a 7" with Horace Andy's "Skylarking."

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7021EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Jamaican Recordings presents a 7" of Ken Boothe's "You're No Good."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PROJR 10-08

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Two tracks taken from the forthcoming budget priced CD sampler on Jamaican Recordings in the shape of a couple of "long lost" dubs from the mid '70s, both produced by Bunny Lee. "Dub Knowledge" is a version of a rare Leroy Smart track and "Dub Direction" is a cut to Cornell Campbell's "My Confession."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: KOM 460LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The 23rd edition of Kompakt's annual compilation series Total. Total 23 kicks off in a disco mood with a well-tempered double punch from label co-founders Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. Jörg Burger calls out a trippy new genre named Cinematic Dance before C.A.R. and Patrice Bäumel resurface with a club mix of their early 2023 single "Four Down." Sofia Kourtesis' sultry remix of Perel "Matrix" finally gets a well-deserved vinyl release. "Ice Cream Cake" by Cologne's newcomer M.A.P.E. helps cool things down a bit before another debutante, Argia from Madrid makes her first entry to the Kompakt catalogue. Gui Boratto's recent single "Drink In Paris" raises the energy levels just in time for Reinhard Voigt's ruthless closing track "Endlich XXL," an ode to some of the best things in this world: beer and techno. Also featuring Lhana Marlet and Eduard Weber.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KOM 469EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Drei Remixe für Andreas Dorau -- Unsichtbare Tänzer follows on from the extensive series of remixes for Andreas Dorau that have been produced by Wolfgang Voigt since the mid-1990s under a wide variety of project names, but also by Michael Mayer, Tobias Thomas, and Reinhard Voigt (Forever Sweet) released on Ladomat. The limited 12" Unsichtbare Tänzer will be released as an edition of 500 copies, hand-numbered and signed by Andreas Dorau and Wolfgang Voigt.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KOM EX128EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The sun is getting stronger in our northern hemisphere and the festival season is looming around the corner. This calls for a new Speicher release from someone who knows how to deliver joy in abundance: Kölsch. The first track's name "Cold Air" might be somewhat misleading as it is a hell of a heater. Same goes for the heavy polka hitter "Environ" on which Rune is conjuring the vibes of his legendary Speicher debut from 2010, Loreley. As you've come to expect from the man with the hat: This is 100% primetime customer satisfaction with heart and soul.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: KOMP 177CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The 23rd edition of Kompakt's annual compilation series Total. The lively dance begins solemnly with Kollmorgen's deep-subtle minimal gem "Muddy." Making her debut is the wonderful Argia with the somewhat misleading title "No Concept" -- the Madrid native indeed has a very precise plan. Also, our number one hit guarantor, Jürgen Paape, is represented here with his brand-new super hit "Alone In Italy." His colleague Michael Mayer is also in top disco spirits with "Talmi." One of the secret weapons of the current season comes from Stephan Barnem and Futuristant. "Don't Cry" is a passionate new wave belter for eternity. Jörg Burger proclaims a new, trippy genre: cinematic dance, before C.A.R. and Patrice Bäumel slowly raise the energy level in the "Four Down" club mix. John Tejada then cruises calmly at the desired cruising altitude while the cabin crew serves refreshments. "Duration" by Barnt/Mayer pays tribute to an artist formerly known as Prince with grand rave romanticism, and about Rex The Dog's summer smash hit "Change This Pain For Ecstasy," there's really nothing more to say. The Thuringian force of nature Robag Wruhme must not be missing here, of course. "Fire" once again shows him in top form, with one of the dirtiest basslines in techno history. Joining us from London is Hardt Antoine, who spells "understatement" with "All We See." And finally, Reinhard Voigt featuring Eduard Weber bring it all together -- live from the grand Comedy Barn of folk music.

 

PRICE: $67.00

CAT #: KRANK 050LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress on triple-vinyl. "Are there other earthling-conjured soundworks rivaling the majesty of Henry Flynt's minimalist hillbilly fiddle fantasias or the heavens-rending power of Messiaen's works for organ? Undoubtedly, else why bother listening. But the only thing speaking at us right now from these charmed regions are the celestial airs of these Stars of the Lid. Alternately lulling and wielding a potency that wholly escapes 'experimental' musics, SOTL bring big, whomping chunks of sonic firmament with a sustaining, life-affirming sweep. For the most part the latest SOTL missive offers sound sources which refuse to readily reveal themselves. Treated strings, organ or backwards tubular bell runs -- it's simply a sublime chorus of instrument voices, irresistible as the undertow. Also gurgling up in the mix are whimpering pups, shuffling feet, Dictaphone-preserved foreign lecture hall blather, a city bus shouldering to an unsteady stop -- common enough stuff, but rendered here as the sounds of civilization heard distantly, the human receiver filtering everything through a palpable dis-ease that bespeaks a Higher yearning." -- Dean Blackwood "I simply feel that they are making the most important music of the 21st century." --Ivo Watts-Russell (4AD label founder)

 

PRICE: $67.00

CAT #: KRANK 100LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "This is the first time this monumental album has been available on the vinyl format in five years. Painstakingly recorded, processed and assembled over five years, SOTL once again deliver a massive work filling two compact discs and three vinyl albums, clocking in at over two hours. While most albums of this length would be considered tedious at best, SOTL are arguably the only contemporary composers who can seemingly alter the time-space continuum simply through the playback of their organized sound. They take time itself and stretch, compress and turn it inside out, altering what would otherwise be an arduous test of nerves into an interlude of half awake dreams that ends too soon. In this album, SOTL picks up where The Tired Sounds Of... left off with an emphasis on melodic development, moving their epic soundscapes beyond mere drone and subsequently frustrating all the typical ambient cliches associated with their music. Perhaps the best references for this current work would be found in the score to the film Le Mepris by Georges Delerue, the orchestral works of Zbigniew Preisner, or the 1958 CSO/ Fritz Reiner recording of Hovhaness' Mysterious Mountain, specifically the third movement. But in the final analysis, such comparisons are superfluous at best, as Stars of the Lid have created a musical universe in which they are the sole inhabitant. Simply put, this album is a masterpiece."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: KRANK 153LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2013 repress. "First time vinyl release for this classic Low holiday recording. We would suggest that few bands from an ostensibly 'indie rock' background should release Christmas music, if not out of respect for the holiday or material then at least out of a sense of self-esteem. Low, however, were made for this. Their attention to musical detail combined with the heavenly vocal harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are perfectly attuned to both traditional carols like 'Silent Night' and more contemporary tunes such as 'Blue Christmas.' Christmas contains a selection of seasonal songs, including four originals by the band, mostly recorded at Low's 20º Below studio in Duluth, MN. 'If You Were Born Today' and 'Blue Christmas' were released as a 7" single in 1997 on the English Wurlitzer Jukebox label, while 'Taking Down The Tree' is taken from a 1998 compilation of live recordings issued by the Dutch VPRO radio station."

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: MUS 277LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Bursting through the door with a raw martial snap, Spirits Di Lupo blast out snarling anarcho-hardcore anthems inspired by the raspy maniacal sounds of the '80s Italian punk greats and the sloganeering/passionate-rant lyrical delivery style of the UK's legendary anarcho punk scene. A riveting combination that doesn't pull any punches and serves to highlight the beauty of the world rather than dwell in the brooding fodder that usually haunts those genres. Catchy, rudimentary and ecstatic music of the highest order.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: MCD 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"At last, the second installment of this ass-kicking compilation of obscure, snotty and moronic punk masterpieces that time forgot. With contributions from the U.S. and U.K. and collecting 17 given-up-for -lost gems from 1979 to 1983, this is an endless barrage of lost hits any fan on the Killed By Death or Bloodstains compilations should absolutely put their hands on. Satisfaction guaranteed, up the punks!"

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: MUSIQ 287EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mule Musiq is proud to announce the debut release of Mexico City-based DJ and artist Soos. He is a resident DJ of Mexico City's best party Sunday Sunday. This release is his first physical release. A-side is unique mixture of '90s ground beat, break beats and obscure sound. B-side is '90s underground vibe deep house.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: MR 441LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Internationally labeled as nuggets (after the original compilation of the same name concocted by Jac Holzman and Lenny Kaye in 1972 for the Elektra label), the more common garage rock label has been used to place and describe one of the most fertile chapters of rock n' roll history during its most creative years. An underground story which has luckily become known, with participants from all around the globe which included anonymous musicians, independent record labels with impossible names and ridiculously limited pressings, often not more than a few hundred copies. After three previous volumes in our series Algo Salvaje devoted to the Spanish nuggets, this new instalment explores the darkest, neglected and rebellious side of Peruvian beat. Many of the 14 tracks are reissued for the first time, including extremely hard-to-find records, and are mostly taken from the Discos MAG catalog, owned, and directed by Manuel A. Guerrero. Guerrero's intuition and talent for business allowed his artists to be given creative freedom. Despite initially feeling challenged by the unusual songs that the bands proposed to him, several musicians of the time agree that he ended up giving in and betting on them. As a consequence, the MAG studio was always very busy, working as a sound lab for musicians and engineers to learn how to record these new sounds properly. Songs were recorded weekly, including originals and versions that were often better than the original. The tracks chosen for the occasion, a selection filtered strictly by their musical value, adhere to the rules of the classic nugget genre while demonstrating the permeability of garage sound and its inevitable evolution at the turn of the decade (1965-1970) through mixes that embraced psychedelia, soul, beat, and tropical arrangements. Epic and pretty wild. Just the kind of material that this record label usually handles. Many of the 14 tracks are reissued for the first time, including extremely hard-to-find records, and are mostly taken from the Discos MAG catalog from Peru. This compilation includes notes by genre-expert Marco Caballero featuring the original record labels and artist photos.Features Los Mutables, Pina Y Sus Estrellas, Los York's, Los Dacios, Los Saicos, Los Teddy's, Delai Alamos Con Los King Stay, Melcochita, Los 007, Traffic Sound, Los Junior's, Los Silvertons, Jean Paul El Troglodita, and New Juggler Sound.

 

PRICE: $38.00

CAT #: MOV 1686COL-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Born in Natick, Massachusetts, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jonathan Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-60s. While in Boston, Richman formed the Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band. Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars, respectively. In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter. In January 1976, Richman put together a new version of the Modern Lovers, which included original Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson, along with former Rubinoos bassist Greg 'Curly' Keranen, and Leroy Radcliffe on guitar. The album Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers was released in May 1976, three months prior to the earlier Modern Lovers sessions which were released as their eponymous self-titled debut studio album. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on gold color vinyl."

 

PRICE: $38.00

CAT #: MOV 3348COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Michael Campbell started out as an engineer with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation and made reggae history presenting his Dread At The Controls radio program, after which he embarked on a successful career as an innovative performing artist, producer and bona fide dubmaster. As such, he was among the first to utilize the incredibly talented, young the Roots Radics to lay the foundations of his tracks. Much less relying on endlessly recycled riddims from the Studio One and Treasure Isle catalogues than many of his peers, Mikey mostly delivered crisp, original tunes. They were 'deconstructed' at King Tubby's studio -- the birthplace of dub -- in this case by virtuoso Scientist with Mikey himself. Dread at the Controls indeed! This catalogue includes the majestic 'Two Track Dub' (a version of the Roots & Culture riddim) and 'Demo Dub' (versioning Radio One, featured on the B-side of The Clash' Hitsville UK). Dub Catalogue Volume 1 is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow color vinyl."

 

PRICE: $59.00

CAT #: MOVATM 184PR-LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"Call Me By Your Name, the film by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by Andre Aciman. Summer of 1983, Northern Italy. An American Italian is enamored by an American student who comes to study and live with his family. Together they share an unforgettable summer full of music, food, and romance that will forever change them. The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Chalamet, Hammer and Stuhlbarg's performances, Guadagnino's direction, and the screenplay. Call Me By Your Name won a variety of awards, including an Academy Award, BAFTA, GLAAD and the 23rd Critics' Choice Award amongst others. Sufjan Stevens' song 'Mystery of Love' was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Luca Guadagnino wanted the film's music to be connected to Elio, a young pianist who likes to transcribe and adapt pieces to get close to Oliver. The music is used to reflect the time, the characters' family, level of education and 'the kind of canon they would be a part of.' Guadagnino found himself resonating with Sufjan Stevens' lyricism through his work and initially asked Stevens to record an original song. Eventually, Stevens contributed three songs to the soundtrack: 'Visions of Gideon,' which was used at the end of the film, 'Mystery of Love,' which was featured in the film's first trailer, and a new rendition of 'Futile Devices' with piano. Stevens penned the songs by using the script, the book, and the conversations with the director about the characters. It marks Sufjan Stevens' first soundtrack for a feature film. Call Me By Your Name is available as a limited edition of 15,000 copies on 'Velvet Purple' colored vinyl. The double LP is housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with rainbow laminate finish and includes printed innersleeves, an insert with movie stills, and a poster."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: NS 7902CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Volume 2 out of 11. This is the last recording with Jesse Sharps as the bandleader before he left for the Army. An incredible afternoon of music and a fitting 'Departure' for a Jesse, a true pillar of the '70s Arkestra. Macrame was originally released in 1979 on the IUCC 2LP; it is presented here, in a raw transfer of the master reel. Mykowski's 1st Fifth is nothing but pure fire with those blistering solos by Sharps, Session, and a very special reading by Kamau Daaood. The take of Stanley Cowell's 'Departure' is sure to wake the neighbors and drive away evil spirits. The Arkestra would never be the same."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: NS 7906CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"This 2-disc set documents a legendary concert at the Immanuel United Church of Christ -- June 24th, 1979. This is the sixth in a series of eleven recorded concerts from the Immanuel United Church of Christ! This month features the longest recorded version of the 'Village Dance,' also a lovely version of 'Many Nights Ago' featuring Linda Hill on vocals. The only previously released track is 'Noissesprahs', but taken direct from the master reel it has a new depth and sense of space."

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: OPT4 054CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Expanded version of the 1987 mini-album released on Creation Records. Described as a "minor classic" by Luke Haines. Band features Luke Haines, Martyn Casey (The Triffids, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) and Alsy Macdonald (The Triffids). Includes: Dave Westlake's Westlake album from 1987; BBC session recorded with members of The Go-Betweens plus two studio demos of unused songs. David Westlake's first album finally gets a new day in the sun in the wake of his brilliant current LP My Beautiful England. 36 years after it first appeared in 1987 on Creation Records David Westlake formed The Servants in 1985, who released two excellent singles and appeared on the NME compiled C86 LP. Searching for a stable Servants line-up to release an album he recruited Luke Haines (The Auteurs/Black Box Recorder) via an NME advert, who came on board, and stayed for five years. After failing to find a committed rhythm section, he enlisted the help of Martyn Casey and Alsy Macdonald and recorded the 1987 Westlake album for Creation. Overlooked at the time, the record was later described as a minor classic by Luke Haines himself. It is included here. It also contains the previously unreleased Janice Long BBC session recorded in the summer of 1987 featuring Go-Betweens members Robert Forster, Amanda Brown, and Robert Vickers. As chronicled in an interview in US music magazine The Big Takeover (issue 53, 2004), Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch was a huge Westlake fan and tried to locate him in the early 1990s in hope of forming a band with him, before launching Belle and Sebastian in his school class instead. Sleeve notes by Luke Haines.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: OPT4 054LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Clear vinyl; printed innersleeve. Expanded version of the 1987 mini-album released on Creation Records. Described as a "minor classic" by Luke Haines. Band features Luke Haines, Martyn Casey (The Triffids, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) and Alsy Macdonald (The Triffids). Includes: Dave Westlake's Westlake album from 1987; BBC session recorded with members of The Go-Betweens plus two studio demos of unused songs. David Westlake's first album finally gets a new day in the sun in the wake of his brilliant current LP My Beautiful England. 36 years after it first appeared in 1987 on Creation Records David Westlake formed The Servants in 1985, who released two excellent singles and appeared on the NME compiled C86 LP. Searching for a stable Servants line-up to release an album he recruited Luke Haines (The Auteurs/Black Box Recorder) via an NME advert, who came on board, and stayed for five years. After failing to find a committed rhythm section, he enlisted the help of Martyn Casey and Alsy Macdonald and recorded the 1987 Westlake album for Creation. Overlooked at the time, the record was later described as a minor classic by Luke Haines himself. It is included here. It also contains the previously unreleased Janice Long BBC session recorded in the summer of 1987 featuring Go-Betweens members Robert Forster, Amanda Brown, and Robert Vickers. As chronicled in an interview in US music magazine The Big Takeover (issue 53, 2004), Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch was a huge Westlake fan and tried to locate him in the early 1990s in hope of forming a band with him, before launching Belle and Sebastian in his school class instead. Sleeve notes by Luke Haines.

 

PRICE: $36.50

CAT #: OM 027LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Back in 2018, two mysterious twelve-inch singles appeared in underground record shops. Credited to Blotter Trax, a previously unknown outfit who cherished "faceless" anonymity, the pleasingly twisted and mind-altering music on show was a mutant form of electronic psychedelia. The included tracks were variously informed by analogue techno, acid, electro and minimal, but inhabited their own clandestine sonic space. These tracks were, Optimo Music later discovered, lightly edited "straight to tape" jams, crafted on the fly by their creators in one of Berlin's most admired studios. By the time Blotter Trax delivered their follow-up on Clone offshoot Frustrated Funk a year later, the secret was out: the project was in fact a collaboration between two storied artists, techno titan Magda -- a DJ/producer who should need little introduction -- and serial underground aggravator (and man of many aliases) Jay Ahern, sometime Hauntologists member and acid techno royalty thanks to years spent releasing similarly shadowy EPs as T.B Arthur. In the years that followed, and before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded them in Berlin, the pair took their incendiary, modular-driven live show to esteemed clubland institutions (fabric included), on an acclaimed tour of Japan, and onto the stages of festivals across Europe. Four years on from that appearance on Frustrated Funk, Blotter Trax are back in updated and expanded form. Now a trio thanks to the addition of bassist Hannes Strobl, the band is set to release their far-sighted, funk-fueled debut album, Super Conductor, a pulsating, thrill-in-minute ride includes contributions from a swathe of notable guests (Nina Hynes, Ilhem Khodja, and David Moss provided vocals; Shigeru Tanabu played guitar; Matthew Styles mixed the set; and old friend John Tejada mastered it). While rooted in electro and acid, the album is impressively low-slung, stylish and funky, with nods towards Blotter Trax's mutual love of Arthur Russell, early '80s NYC downtown disco, leftfield new-wave pop and flash-fried punk-funk. Released by JD Twitch's Optimo Music imprint, it charts the ongoing dancefloor evolution of a band whose days of mystery and mischief are now a distant memory.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: TAPEITMRL 016LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Dark, cute and cool" has always been a mantra for Pleaser, starting as an inside joke on how the members come across in everyday life but perhaps also being a fitting description for their iconoclastic tendencies and aesthetics. On their debut album, Pleaser manifests themselves as a punk band in both a strict and a loose sense of the term. Their musicality, ethics and community are undeniably punk, but their expression is vast and more personal than sub-genre-bound. The band projects the heart-on-the-sleeve of early emo, the catchy viciousness associated with original punk rock, a dark convolutedness of certain kinds of metal -- and yet an earthiness and willingness to explore that harkens back to earlier forms of rock music and all the way up to a current experimental music scene. Songs are both catchy and impenetrable at the same time, appreciating a pop hook just as much as a labyrinthine song structure. Pleaser's self-titled debut album is the result of a combination of hard rehearsal space labor, playfulness, and increasingly sharp band-instincts. Lyrically, the songs contemplate themes of life/death, subconscious patterns, internal search for hope and love, demons, fear and desperation but also growth, playfulness and the shaping of new pathways. Songs dating back to the formation of the band three to four years ago have built in vigor from the band's growing stage experience and willingness to treat songs like football tackles. Harmony, dissonance, riffs and rhythmic shifts are jumbled together and allowed to remain tumultuous and imperfect, just as a debut album should be. The album is recorded, mixed and mastered at No Master's Voice Studio in Copenhagen.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: PZ 34079LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Space funk from keyboardist Dexter Wansel, originally released in 1976. Sampled by DJ Shadow. "American R&B/jazz fusion singer, arranger, musician, composer and conductor Dexter Wansel. The album is considered to be a ;space-funk' classic, inspired by David Bowie's 'Life On Mars?'. Wansel composed his own sci-fi sounds with swirling, ring-like oscillators, cosmic sub tones, and metallic, otherworldly leads using his signature ARP 2600 synthesizer. Wansel's pioneering synth sound was shared on numerous records with artists like MFSB, Billy Paul, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, Teddy Pendergrass, and The Jones Girls. The album inspired other artists and Wansel's 'Theme From The Planets' drum beat intro is hailed as being one of the first foundation beats of hip-hop. His sampled music has been used by Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, Rick Ross, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, and Ice Cube amongst others."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: PING 080LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Hat?ralar was Anadol's second album, originally composed between Berlin and Istanbul around 2012 and released years later only in digital form on the Istanbul based label Inverted Spectrum. The title Hat?ralar ("Memories") turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anadol recalled and revisited the music in 2023, gently editing and mixing the compositions for the newly mastered LP format in which they now see the light of day. Hat?ralar represents an early version of the melodic, instrumental synth-pop that Anadol refined on her album Uzun Havalar (PING 065LP, 2019) before exploring the more free, krautrock-inspired musique concrète of her last album Felicita (PING 074LP, 2021). Here is the text that accompanied the original 2017 release: "Anadol, named after an old-fashioned Turkish automobile brand, is an instrumental synth-pop project by Gözen Atila, an artist, DJ and keyboard player. She records with mini organs manufactured during the 70s and 80s, the built-in rhythms and arpeggios of these machines provide the backbone of her sound, and her melodies are influenced by pop music and soundtracks from France, Italy and Turkey from the same period. The music is awash with allusions to the moods of old Turkish and European cinema, from the erotic to the melodramatic, and with a reminiscence of the sound and spirit of so-called 'tavern music' popular in Turkey's urban nightlife in the 1980s, a flexible pop style usually performed by a solo keyboardist-singer. Anadol is a continuation of the tradition of lone synth experimentalists like Bruce Haack and The Space Lady with their childlike curiosity for electronic sounds, and of the keyboardists pushing the boundaries of minimal equipment to entertain middle aged drunk couples in pubs and wedding parties of Istanbul."

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: PING 081LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Upopo Sanke means "Let's sing a song" in the Ainu language. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was one of the best-known artists of the Ainu, an indigenous, long-suppressed community in northern Japan. She sings their traditional songs together with Oki Kano on the Tonkori harp, who also recorded the album. The two are supported by members of the female vocal group Marewrew as well as Ainu percussionists, a string player and a male singer who provides rhythmic shouts and also throat singing. The call-and-response structure of many of the songs is performed with a mantric quality in a vocal style that is perhaps best described as elastic and breathing. There seems to be a gentle smile in every note and syllable. This music softly hits the heart. Upopo Sanke was recorded on a farm in Tokachi in the summer of 2003. You hear dogs barking, a distant thunderstorm and voices imitating animals. The liner notes that accompany the double-LP release gather the anecdotal memories of Umeko Ando and Oki Kano about the stories of the 14 songs. Oki Kano is a musical ambassador of the Ainu culture who tours worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band and also gives solo concerts, always playing the Tonkori, the five-stringed Ainu harp. The Ainu have suffered from the oppression of their culture and language by Japan, especially since the 18th and 19th centuries. Only recently, in 2008, were the Ainu officially recognized again as an indigenous people culturally independent of Japan. As a result of the marginalization, there are now only a few hundred native speakers of the Ainu language left, making it a particularly worthy object of preservation. Upopo Sanke was mixed again in part by Oki Kano, before being mastered and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer. This album was the second album by Umeko Ando, the follow-up to Ihunke (PING 060LP) and also re-released in 2018 by Pingipung together with Oki Kano. 45rpm.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: R-M 206CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Ödipus, Herrscher is the debut release of Japanese sound artist Mieko Suzuki on raster. Her work is the result of a composition commissioned by Schauspielhaus Bochum. The classic, timeless material of Oedipus has been staged as a gloomy dystopia in Bochum since 2021. With her immersive sound layers for the play, Suzuki focuses on the processing of archaic resonance media such as wood, stone, metal, fur, and clay. Already before the first words of the play are spoken, the auditorium is filled with a gloomy, static drone; a sound that anticipates what will later become the bitter basic tendency of the material on stage: pestilence, decay, fear, and resignation. Anticipating the plot theme with this drone also underlines the key role of the sound, the importance of the music for this production. Suzuki processes sounds with contact microphones, gently stroking on wood, but later increasing to scratching and hitting. Only in the background the sound sources are electronically manipulated, alienated, and distorted. Her central concern is direct interaction, the correspondence between acting and music through the direct improvisation of her sound spheres. Without the primary use of classical instruments, music emerges that includes the gesture of triggering sound events. The titles of the individual tracks such as "Disaster", "Taboo", "Pest", and "Vertigo" express the underlying story line musically and emotionally without illustrating it as a compositional narrative. "Vertigo", for example, features a constantly playing Shepard tone, expressing the inevitability of the abyss. In addition to this production, Suzuki is involved as a sound artist and musician in other theater plays such as Hamlet at Schauspielhaus Bochum and Richard II at the Vienna Burgtheater. She has performed at Mutek.JP (Tokyo), CTM Festival (Berlin), Human Club (Barcelona), and E1 (London), among others, and co-organizes the Berlin event series Kookoo. Mieko Suzuki lives and works in Berlin.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: R-M 211CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Originally released in 2005 on his brother's online label Tokyo Trauma, Die Wiederholung der Geschichte der amerikanischen Heimatlosigkeit is Grischa Lichtenberger's debut release, predating his involvement with raster. Anticipating and framing his later works, the visceral sound palette, ranging between harsh digital noise and compelling analog roughness, is put to play in a very unconcerned and uncompromising way on this release, in harmony with an idiosyncratic beat science and an organic, natural feel of song structure and melodies. The influence of independent rock music of the '90s as well as an artistic experimental approach center this record, as his brother David Lichtenberger put it in his description of the record: "Very arty stuff, but first of all characterized by an incredibly direct and heavy sound oscillating between punching beats and digital harsh noise making your ears bleed and you (me at least) scream for more." Conceptionally, Die Wiederholung der Geschichte der amerikanischen Heimatlosigkeit (the repetition of the history of American rootlessness) parallelizes the history of European and American relations with the dialectics between digital and analogue technologies. Experimental methods of electronic music are put in a metaphoric relation with a historical topic, like in "Durchquerung 3" scrubbing a wave form of an audio file that is put in a relation to the crossing of the Death Valley by early American settlers. Using the compressor as an expressionistic tool of composition, overshooting the 0db barrier creating noisy artefacts, time stretching, collaging all work as tools for regenerating material, create a relation to an acoustical subconsciousness of recorded sounds (similar to the optical unconsciousness of slow motion and montage that Walter Benjamin described in his first analyses of cinema in the 1920s). raster reissue this early work of Grischa Lichtenberger, remastered and for the first time in physical format. Silkscreen artwork; edition of 300.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EZRDR 152LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Cursed to ride forever on this mortal plane after partaking in a satanic drug ritual, The Death Wheelers pledge allegiance to the god of hell and fire. However, in order to prove themselves to their newly anointed leader and for the spell to take effect, the band will need to engage in a series of lewd acts of sex and violence across the country. Immortality comes at a price and the listener is about to pay for it... The beating heart of The Death Wheelers is a rumbling engine. Since their self-titled debut in 2015 and in 2020's cinematic-storytelling breakout, Divine Filth, the Canadian outfit have tapped into wind-through-hair freedom and careened down open roads of groove, not a cop in sight. Their third record, Chaos And The Art of Motorcycle Madness, more than lives up to its name on all fronts. With songs like 'Morbid Bails' and 'Lucifer's Bend,' the in-the-know references abound, and The Death Wheelers draw from classic underground metal, scummer heavy rock and cast themselves into a cauldron of cultish biker devil worship, reveling in any and all post-apocalyptic dystopias with genuine glee at having just seen the world eat itself. One might hear some surf guitar. Crazy things can happen."

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: RM 4205LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

A note from Lawrence English: "I first met David Toop some 20 years ago. I think we were in touch shortly before that, but our first meeting took place when I invited him to Australia to perform and to speak as part of REV, a festival held at Brisbane Power-house. It was a memorable meeting, I vividly remember his solo performance and the edition A Picturesque View, Ignored documents an improvised meeting during that time. Over the years, David and I have shared an interest in both the material and immaterial implications of sound (amongst other things). Moreover, we've connected many times on matters which lies at the fringes of how we might choose to think about audition, our interests seeking in the affective realm that haunts, rather than de-scribes, experience. The Shell That Speaks The Sea very much resonates from this shared fascination. I'm not exactly sure when we first mooted this duet, but I sense its initial trace is now more than a decade ago. I tend to live by the motto of 'right place, right time' and I believe David likely also subscribes to this methodology. A couple of years ago, David and I reignited the duet conversation and began exchanging materials. As a jumping off point, I explored a series of field recordings that, for me at least, captured something of this affective haunting that I mentioned previously. One such recording was of a tawny frogmouth at Nugum (White Rock) on the lands of the Yugarabul people. The frogmouth is an utterly elusive creature whose voice is like a modulating low frequency oscillator. They are a magical bird, and like the Potoo, have captivated David and I at various points if our lives. The recording seemed to suggest a whole way of approaching sound and, for me at least, it opened an entirely new range of sound worlds which are present in the final version of this recording. This edition is the product of spontaneous burst of exchanges, buffered by periods of tempered silence. A patient work, charged with unexpected dynamics. It's with great pleasure we share this recording with you."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: RLP 3232LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Never one to rest on her laurels and always eager to break new ground, it's full steam ahead for guitarist Hedvig Mollestad when teaming up with sublime keyboard player Ståle Storløkken (Elephant9, Supersilent) and young drummer ace Ole Mofjell in a new trio bearing her name. Beautifully subtle and fiercely burning, Weejuns is a solid step into shimmering, hardcore improvisation and breathtaking instrumental interplay, a temporary move away from the composed music of her regular trio and the ensemble projects. It was not the intention, but with this in mind and great recordings of a handful of concerts, it made perfect sense to make the trio's debut a double live album. One could place the trio in the same musical landscape as Bitches Brew-era Miles, Supersilent, Henry Cow, and King Crimson '73-'74.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: SEAL 016LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

14-track compilation from Swiss punk and bubblegum indie pop band Chin-Chin. This compilation features the unreleased four track Janice Long Session recorded for the BBC in 1988 (which includes songs only heard on the broadcast plus tracks from the Stop Your Crying! 12" from 1986), a selection from the classic Sound of the Westway LP from 1985, and two tracks from the 1984 We Don't Wanna Be Prisoners 7". Formed in 1982 in Biel Switzerland, Chin-Chin are a group that sits perfectly next to the Ramones, '60s girl groups, The Shop Assistants and Blondie. The sound is instant, urgent, and with choruses that stick in your head for days, weeks and years. The songs are perfectly produced and have aged like a fine wine. The LP comes with an insert featuring photos handouts and archive.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: STSLJN 380LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Farewell to Faraway Friends finds Anja Lauvdal at her Wurlitzer, captured by two mics in the room, with no additional overdubs or edits. Her set of hushed, jazzy flourishes and pregnant pauses is so well realized that it's hard to believe they were improvised, while the "kitchen feel" of the room recording (as Marhaug describes it) enhances a sense of brittle intimacy. Much in the same way that Dominique Lawalrée imbued his ostensibly naive music with glimpses into a multifaceted inner life, Lauvdal explores an ocean of feeling through the most-humble components, transporting us through some alchemical act of emotional teleportation. Lauvdal avoids meandering flights of fancy, instead exposing a filigree level of detail and beauty through the cracks of her spartan recordings. There are no arbitrary found sounds, no sound design or overdubs, just Lauvdal and her Wurlitzer, occasionally singing at a barely perceptible volume in the background. If there's melancholy, it's not self-absorbed or effacing, but trapped behind sunny rays and poetic, romantic phrases. One of those effortlessly impactful records we've not been able to stop listening to for a while now, Farewell to Faraway Friends is apparently the first in an ongoing series. Here's hoping. Required listening if you're into Harold Budd, Loren Connors, Dominique Lawalrée, Robert Wyatt, and Vincent Gallo. Released as part of the Le Jazz Non series. Edition of 300 copies.

 

PRICE: $75.00

CAT #: SS 095-97LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Triple LP version. "'The Truth' features K. Waterman. 'Snakes' features D. Deporres."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SSCAS 007CS

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Cassette version. "'The Truth' features K. Waterman. 'Snakes' features D. Deporres."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: SSCD 016CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"'The Truth' features K. Waterman. 'Snakes' features D. Deporres."

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: STUDIOMUL 046LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Tenderly propelling and full of haunting melodies: Studio Mule reissues Sakura Tsuruta's so far digital-only, self-released debut album C/O from November 2022. An evocative first long player by Tokyo based artist, who was trained in classical piano during childhood, played with brass instruments, studied music production, and is today active as a composer, live performer, and versatile DJ. With C/O, she expressed her personal history in a fluid, around 43-minute-long light flooded, yet darkish musical vision. Eight profoundly composed tracks, melding complex rhythms with emotional airs, tripping arpeggios, and ghostly sounds, slightly influenced by some of her favorite artist like Björk, Holly Herndon, or Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. "C/O is a love letter for the experiences, people, and memories I had in the last two years that I spent producing this album. I also like that the letter 'c' looks like an incomplete circle, whereas the letter 'o' is a full circle."

 

PRICE: $21.50

CAT #: STUDIOMUL 047EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Studio Mule announce the debut release of a new artist on the label. Soshi Takeda has released some cassettes on 100% Silk. This release is his first vinyl release. Six tracks modern ambient Balearic stuff. If you like the sound of obscure new age stuff, you can't miss it.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: STUDIOMUL 048LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Originally released in 1983 through Apollon Music industrial corp's alty sublabel, Mule Musiq sub-label Studio Mule presents the first official digital reissue of Shinsuke Honda's rare Silence album. Recorded as part of alty's resort mind music series, Honda-san's contemplative guitar instrumentals tint the air with nostalgia, longing and a gentle sadness at the impermanence of all things, transporting the listener to an eternal sunset of the mind. A masterful guitarist and composer with a well-listened ear, Honda-San grew up in Hiroshima during the middle years of the 20th century, eventually making his way to Tokyo in the early 1970s, where he spent several years as a member of the pioneering Japanese language folk-rock group Hachimitsu Pie. After they disbanded, Honda-San spent some time in Japan's jazz and experimental rock scenes before turning his hand to film and television soundtrack work in 1978. Five years later, as new age and kanky? ongaku (environmental music) became commercial record label concerns, alty offered him a record deal. Over Silence's eight songs, Honda-San collapsed time and space, effortlessly integrating his sepia-toned memories of the rock instrumentals of his childhood with his adult love of jazz, minimalism, electric blues and soundtrack composition. Although Honda-San went on to have an accomplished career in soundtrack work, along the way scoring the Japanese films Target of Lust (1979), Koichiro Uno's Shell Competition (1980) and Moonlight Whispers (1999), and working on the theme music for the Fuji tv travel program Kazemakase Shin Shokoku Manyuuki, his early work spent decades languishing in obscurity, until it was rediscovered in recent years by record diggers like Tsunaki Kadowaki and Diego Olivas. Forty years on, Mule Musiq and Studio Mule are pleased to be able to contribute to the critical re-evaluation of Shinsuke Honda's Silence album as an essential desert island disc for lovers of contemporary jazz, steel-string blues and Balearic guitar bliss.

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 162LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. LP version. "For five decades, Harold Budd stood on the forefront of the West Coast avant-garde. Born in Los Angeles, he studied with Schoenberg-pupil Gerald Strang and began teaching at CalArts in 1970. While searching for his own voice, he was influenced as much by abstract expressionist painters as by John Cage and Morton Feldman. In his work, Budd brought delicate, slowing-moving melodies to the foreground -- creating a new musical language based on 'eternally pretty music' and smooth surfaces. In the early '70s, Budd started an extended cycle of compositions that would comprise The Pavilion Of Dreams. For Budd, the album was a signpost for a new direction in thinking about music: 'The Pavilion Of Dreams erased my past. I consider that to be the birth of myself as a serious artist. It was like my Magna Carta.' Produced by Brian Eno in 1978, The Pavilion Of Dreams stands toe-to-toe with another minimalist masterpiece also released that year, Steve Reich's Music For 18 Musicians. Budd's gorgeous pieces reveal a lightness of touch that draws the listener in, while sublime voices float in and out as if in a recurring dream. Featuring saxophonist Marion Brown and multi-instrumentalists Gavin Bryars and Michael Nyman, The Pavilion Of Dreams remains a master class in exquisite timbre and shimmering texture. The Pavilion Of Dreams was both the final release on Eno's Obscure imprint and a transition point towards his seminal ambient series. This first-time reissue is recommended for fans of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jon Hassell and Mark Hollis."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: TPR 130LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"After countless hours of data driven market research it was determined that the wild success of the first Retail Simps album, Reverberant Scratch was 82.6% due to the cheeky and iconic album cover, as such the group was faced with a dilemma. Using focus groups funded by the Center for Odd Human Behaviour (COHB), the group surmised that the man pictured on said cover, none other than Montreal born chanteur Joe Chamandi, reminded the typical unsophisticated commoner of their ner'e do well uncle, and it is this sense of uncanny familiarity that drove people to purchase the record. Upon first needle drop it was revealed to house an abhorrent and obfuscatingly decrepit take on roots rock. Armed with this keen analytical knowledge, the band and their creative team harnessed the boundless marketability of the Trashmen, Dancing Cigarettes and 2 Live Crew to adorn their new disc with an equally palatable and deceptive frontal armour, provoking the straight-laced garage rocker of yore to pay the price of entry. Once the branding and visual identity of this little package invited potential listeners in, they were met with incorrigible confusion. You see, after being pigeonholed by the punk paparazzi as a lowly party band, the Simps were tasked with driving home their knack for fervent versatility. This new record captures a group, in the clutches of maturity, boasting their emotional depth, triumphant chops and humble servitude to the trade of rock n roll clowning. Recalling the double speak of VU's murder mystery, the soul bent lament of Fred Cole and the bastardized funk of Minutemen, the Simps have thusly widened their sonic palate and created yet another masterpiece of the modern age. This is the southern soul of Memphian tradesmen flipped on it's snowy head, conjuring an impure regionalism that was largely thought to be dead and gone. An alternate kind of Northern Soul with a frosty Arctic sheen. More spazzed out guitar, more howling lunacy, more heat of the moment, turnt poetry and outside the box-isms. 'The Simpies have done it again!' Proclaim the industrial-indie-music-complex! Bolstered by the angelic croon of theee Simpettes and the honking heart-wrench of theee Horny Boys, Theee Retail Simpletones bring you this 82.5 % Total Punk din!"

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: TOYT 152EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Toy Tonics welcome one of the US' absolute legends in the game on their roster -- Kai Alcé! One of the original masters of jazzy house, Kai is a prime example, someone who witnessed the genesis of Detroit's electronic musical landscape and strives to keep that spirit alive. Being of Haitian descent laid the foundation for his musical ear starting with his childhood in Queens, New York. Some of his earliest musical influences included his mother's penchant for soca music and the distinct Caribbean rhythms of his culture. An appreciation of jazz would be further guided by his father's expanding audiophile home system. During the 1970s the kindling of hip hop and the heyday of disco perked the ear of a young Kai while they were living in NYC. The Big Apple would remain a constant throughout his musical journey as the years went on, but it was the move to Michigan that ultimately shaped his artistic vision. On this five-track EP, Kai once again makes it all feel so easy! Deeply musical, yet also instantly effective on the dance floor, tracks like "New Life Livin" and "Slide It In" come with an ease that shows why he's shaped the game for decades.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: UR 012GRE-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Green vinyl. Includes three-page concertina booklet. London slowcore band deathcrash have today announced their new album Less via untitled (recs). Recorded at the UK's most remote studio in the Outer Hebrides, Less follows their critically acclaimed 2022 album, Return, with a statement in reduction that turns out to be as powerful and potent as it is tender and introspective. "The mission statement was to be super minimal," says deathcrash singer Tiernan Banks. "Just simple and beautiful guitar parts and to be really bare. To be...less." Swiftly following Return, the band initially had no plans to make a full length. "The last thing we felt like doing was making another album," says bassist Patrick Fitzgerald. "It was like, 'let's do this little EP that's aesthetically quite different and pared down'." Less was always planned to be a statement in reduction but it soon became apparent that the songs the band were writing were significant, personal and, despite the intentions to strip things back, bigger. "As time went on, we started putting much more emotional weight into it and it became more important to us," says Banks. The result is a record that is as powerful and potent as it is tender and introspective, with arrangements that manage to feel refined yet detailed and with a deep emotional resonance at the core of the record. Banks's voice shifts from hushed whispers to guttural screams, one minute tapping into the kind of fragile beauty that artists like Elliott Smith managed so well, on tracks such as "Duffy's" before unleashing a doom metal growl in thundering unison with the band on "Empty Heavy".

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: UR 012LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

London slowcore band deathcrash have today announced their new album Less via untitled (recs). Recorded at the UK's most remote studio in the Outer Hebrides, Less follows their critically acclaimed 2022 album, Return, with a statement in reduction that turns out to be as powerful and potent as it is tender and introspective. "The mission statement was to be super minimal," says deathcrash singer Tiernan Banks. "Just simple and beautiful guitar parts and to be really bare. To be...less." Swiftly following Return, the band initially had no plans to make a full length. "The last thing we felt like doing was making another album," says bassist Patrick Fitzgerald. "It was like, 'let's do this little EP that's aesthetically quite different and pared down'." Less was always planned to be a statement in reduction but it soon became apparent that the songs the band were writing were significant, personal and, despite the intentions to strip things back, bigger. "As time went on, we started putting much more emotional weight into it and it became more important to us," says Banks. The result is a record that is as powerful and potent as it is tender and introspective, with arrangements that manage to feel refined yet detailed and with a deep emotional resonance at the core of the record. Banks's voice shifts from hushed whispers to guttural screams, one minute tapping into the kind of fragile beauty that artists like Elliott Smith managed so well, on tracks such as "Duffy's" before unleashing a doom metal growl in thundering unison with the band on "Empty Heavy".

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: VAMPI 263LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

First time reissue, originally released in 1970. The only album by Venezuela's most prolific percussionist, Nené Quintero, and his first band sounds like a somewhat artisanal classic rock album from the end of the '60s but made by "salseros" (as involved in Salsa music). Grupo Pan was formed in 1970 in the popular Caracas neighborhood of Marín at the initiative of Carlos "Nené" Quintero together with his brother Jesús "Chú" Quintero. His experience as a professional musician as part of Los Dementes, Ray Pérez's group, would allow him to retain the rhythmic strength and brass arrangements typical of salsa, but also explore other sounds based on powerful guitars. The band would be completed with Alfredo Padilla (percussion), David Azuaje, and Carlos Guerra (trombones), Henry Camba (trumpet), and Rubén "Micho" Correa (electric guitar), already with a solid reputation as a guitarist after years playing in rock bands. Nené Quintero would resume contact with his acquaintance Mario Tepedino, at that time artistic director of 2001 Juvenil, a Venezuelan TV show focused on the promotion of young musical values, who would offer them to appear on said program. Through the popularity provided by, their frequent television appearances, they were offered the opportunity to record an album. In December 1970, their first and only LP would be released, recorded at the Fidelis studios in Caracas and produced by Mario Tepedino. It was published by Souvenir, a label responsible for the release of many other essential Venezuelan rock albums, such as the highly sought-after records by The Love Depression or Ladies W.C. Pan's successes in overcoming through its grooves the eternal rivalry between the followers of the hard rock sounds and those who, on the contrary, were devotees of salsa. All the songs on the album are written by "Nené" Quintero himself and remain as fundamental milestones in the history of Venezuelan rock. The album would contribute to the birth of a new paradigm of Latin rock, along the lines of what other artists such as Santana or El Chicano were doing from the United States in those same years. After this Souvenir release, the band would also record two singles on another label called Promus. Grupo Pan would remain active until 1973 when the band members would follow different paths. Pan, their only LP, has become one of the essential and most sought-after Venezuelan albums. Remastered sound; includes two bonus tracks, liner notes, and exclusive photos; 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: VAMPI 45098EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

First time reissue. Afrosound was born from the desire of Discos Fuentes vice-president José María Fuentes to come up with a domestic version of the emerging African and Latin rock sounds coming from outside the country, inspired by groups like Osibisa and Santana. The mission was to emulate the guitar-heavy tropical sounds emanating from Perú and Ecuador at the time. According to various sources, the 1972 tune "La danza de los mirlos" (by Peru's Los Mirlos) emerged as a great success in Colombia and with it a new way of interpreting the country's most famous musical export, namely cumbia, through a Peruvian perspective. Fuentes executives convened an expert crew of musicians led by Julio E. Estrada, aka Fruko, the following year to create this type of music for the domestic market because they sensed a potential for similar success. Once again Fruko is at the helm in the studio for this recording, simultaneously holding it down and allowing the musicians to explore their most spaced-out fantasies. This time Jose A. Villerias is in control at the mixing console, pulling all sorts of tricks with space sounds, reverb and echo, and everyone sounds as if they are having a lot of fun. Both songs had been previously recorded and included on Afrosound's 1974 album Carruseles -- recently reissued on Vampisoul (VAMPI 282LP) -- but these new versions from 1983 feature an updated sound with an extensive use of space effects and unexpected sonic tricks. Taking advantage of the pull the film was having at the time, the result was carefully packaged with an E.T. themed artwork, aiming commercial success.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: WE 002LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

For the exhibition "Flowers in 20th and 21st Century Art", Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O'Rourke had created the installation Lifetime of a Flower in which they set parameters but allowed the process itself to grow uncontrollably. Literally: in the garden of their Japanese house, they planted seeds and filmed the plant growing and thriving throughout the duration of the exhibition. Visitors were able to watch the stream in real time -- and they heard a composition in which Ishibashi and O'Rourke reflected the organic process in sound. The eponymous composition now available on LP, is an enigmatic and sophisticated layering of sounds, melodies and rhythms, noises from everyday life, all of which are repositories of associations, memories and expectations.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: WE 004LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

In 1972, left-wing intellectual film critic Uwe Nettelbeck suggested to Anthony Moore that he might write some straight songs (relatively speaking), which in turn prompted Moore to invite his old school friend Peter Blegvad over to Hamburg to form the band Slapp Happy. Dagmar Krause, a young singer from Hamburg and Moore's girlfriend, joined them both on their trip to Wümme to record what was to become this album, Sort Of, using Faust as their rhythm section. In honor of this album ?s 50th anniversary the album will get a nicely remastered reissue with the newly founded Week-End Records -- the festival's inhouse label who managed to get the band together for a final reunion shows in November of 2016 and Spring of 2017.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: WWSCD 016CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Akiko Yano's Tadaima., originally released in 1981. The first release Wewantsounds' ambitious program to release Akiko Yano's albums outside of Japan Tadaima. ("I'm home" in Japanese) is Yano's fifth studio album and a synth-pop masterpiece, co-produced by her then husband Ryuichi Sakamoto and featuring all the musicians from Yellow Magic Orchestra (Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Sakamoto), the group she was touring with at the time. Japan's best kept secret, Akiko Yano is one of the most ground-breaking artists to come out of the '70s Japanese music scene along with Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto. A piano child prodigy, Yano started her solo recording career in 1976 at just 21, recording her debut album Japanese Girl with no less than Little Feat as the backing band. This album created a stir on the Japanese scene and Yano was on the map. She went on to record a series of superb albums mixing funk, electro, and city pop featuring the cream of Japanese (and sometimes American and English) musicians; The fact she was producing, writing and composing herself made her a true maverick in a very male-dominated industry. These albums, incredibly, have never been released outside of Japan to this day. Tadaima. is Yano's first attempt to leave the acoustic piano aside and delve into the synth sounds of the early '80s. The result is a fascinating electro pop masterpiece showcasing her talent as a writer, musician, and singer, creating her own unique universe. Mixing Japanese and English lyrics, Yano crafts perfect pop songs such as "Tadaima.", "I Sing", "Harusaki Kobeni" (which became one of her most famous songs after its use in a Japanese cosmetics ad), while "Taiyo No Onara" is a suite composed of nine short stories written by children. Contributors on Tadaima. also include Shigesato Itoi, one of Japan's most famous copywriters (for Studio Ghibli among others) who wrote two tracks on the album and his friend legendary illustrator Teruhiko Yumura -- aka King Terry -- who revolutionized underground manga in the '70s with his "heta-uma" (bad-good) style, as showcased on the album's striking artwork. Tadaima. is the perfect entry point to Akiko Yano's unique body or work. This reissue includes original artwork by cult illustrator King Terry and a new introduction by renowned DJ Joakim.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 016LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; LP version. Obi strip; Includes two-page insert. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Akiko Yano's Tadaima., originally released in 1981. The first release Wewantsounds' ambitious program to release Akiko Yano's albums outside of Japan Tadaima. ("I'm home" in Japanese) is Yano's fifth studio album and a synth-pop masterpiece, co-produced by her then husband Ryuichi Sakamoto and featuring all the musicians from Yellow Magic Orchestra (Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Sakamoto), the group she was touring with at the time. Japan's best kept secret, Akiko Yano is one of the most ground-breaking artists to come out of the '70s Japanese music scene along with Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto. A piano child prodigy, Yano started her solo recording career in 1976 at just 21, recording her debut album Japanese Girl with no less than Little Feat as the backing band. This album created a stir on the Japanese scene and Yano was on the map. She went on to record a series of superb albums mixing funk, electro, and city pop featuring the cream of Japanese (and sometimes American and English) musicians; The fact she was producing, writing and composing herself made her a true maverick in a very male-dominated industry. These albums, incredibly, have never been released outside of Japan to this day. Tadaima. is Yano's first attempt to leave the acoustic piano aside and delve into the synth sounds of the early '80s. The result is a fascinating electro pop masterpiece showcasing her talent as a writer, musician, and singer, creating her own unique universe. Mixing Japanese and English lyrics, Yano crafts perfect pop songs such as "Tadaima.", "I Sing", "Harusaki Kobeni" (which became one of her most famous songs after its use in a Japanese cosmetics ad), while "Taiyo No Onara" is a suite composed of nine short stories written by children. Contributors on Tadaima. also include Shigesato Itoi, one of Japan's most famous copywriters (for Studio Ghibli among others) who wrote two tracks on the album and his friend legendary illustrator Teruhiko Yumura -- aka King Terry -- who revolutionized underground manga in the '70s with his "heta-uma" (bad-good) style, as showcased on the album's striking artwork. Tadaima. is the perfect entry point to Akiko Yano's unique body or work. This reissue includes original artwork by cult illustrator King Terry and a new introduction by renowned DJ Joakim.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 017LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; LP version. Includes download card and original four-page insert with lyrics and line-up. Wewantsounds continues their Akiko Yano reissue program with the release of Japanese Girl, her landmark debut album from 1976. Backed by Little Feat with Lowell George and by top Japanese musicians (including Haruomi Hosono), Japanese Girl is one of the most important Japanese albums of the '70s, mixing pop, rock, and Japanese folk together with Little Feat's superb classic sound. After a marriage with musician/producer Makoto Yano and the birth of her son (Fuuta), Yano and her team resumed the recording of the album and decided to pitch Little Feat for a collaboration as she loved the group. Against all odds they said yes and Yano left Tokyo for Los Angeles in March 1976 to record a full side with them. The legend has it they found it so difficult to keep up with Yano's compositions they returned some of their fee. The session was nevertheless stunning and Lowell George even compared Yano to Stevie Wonder. The Little Feat blend of New Orleans groove matched Yano's melodies perfectly, as witnessed on "Funamachi-Uta Part ". Originally a traditional song from The Nebuta Festival in her hometown of Aomori, the Little Feat version is a formidable slow-funk workout not dissimilar to their classic, "Spanish Moon", serving Yano's beautiful vocals and sense of groove to perfection. The whole side is a match made in heaven, showcasing the classic Little Feat line up at their funkiest with Yano's unique Japanese twist. The Japanese side on the album gives a great snapshot of the Tokyo music scene of the '70s with many musicians gravitating around Haruomi Hosono and also several musicians from Japanese band, The Moonriders. Recorded at the legendary Onkyo Haus studio in Tokyo, the sessions mix singer-songwriter sensitivity and pop with traditional Japanese sounds and instruments like the shinobue transverse flute, the koto string instrument, or the Tsuzumi hand drum as played on "Hekoriputaa" by the legendary percussionist Kisaku Katada who was appointed Living National Treasure by the Japanese state in 1999; together they create a beautiful east-meets-west mix masterfully driven by Yano's creativity and unique talent. First international release. Remastered sound.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 018LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; LP version. Obi strip; Includes insert. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Akiko Yano's Iroha Ni Konpeitou, originally released in 1977. Another superb Akiko Yano album and one of her funkiest, highlighting her singing and songwriting talents. Iroha Ni Konpeitou is perhaps Akiko Yano's best-known album in the Western world not just because of its striking front cover -- a shot by famed photographer Bishin Jumonji featuring Akiko holding an inflatable dolphin. A slick mix of Japanese pop and New York funk, the album was recorded in Tokyo except for the title track which was recorded in NYC with an all-star line-up consisting of Rick Marotta, David Spinozza, Will Lee, and Nicky Marrero. For the rest of the album, Akiko is accompanied by some of the best musicians from the Tokyo music scene gravitating around the groups Happy End and Tin Pan Alley: the ubiquitous Haruomi Hosono on bass, Tatsuo Hayashi on drums, Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, to name just a few. Interestingly, two Hosono compositions are featured on the album: "Ai Ai Gasa" which he recorded on his 1973 landmark debut Hosono House and "Hourou" originally recorded in '75 by singer and musician Chu Kosaka, on the eponymous album Horo. Last but not least, Hideki Matsutake is handling the keyboard programming duties on the album as Yano is playing a wide array of keyboards: Moog IIIc, Mini Moog, String Ensemble, on top of the Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and Yamaha CP7C. Matsutake would soon become programmer in chief for Yellow Magic Orchestra, touring and playing with them around the world (like Yano herself). Although the album feels very accessible and funky, there are complex keyboard layers underneath as on the first short introduction "KAWAJI", a short electro fantasy, or on such tracks as "Ai Ai Gasa" and "Kino Wa Mou" on which Akiko is playing bass with her Moog, making the album a richly textured and inventive one once you scratch its surface. The tracks on the album flow effortlessly also highlighting Akiko Yano's superb songwriting and knack for creating fascinating pop song. "Iroha Ni Konpeitou" sounds as fresh and beautiful as when it first came out more than forty years ago and will please the growing circle of Akiko Yano fans around the world as a welcome addition to her brilliant discography. Remastered sound. First release outside of Japan.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: WWSLP 055LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; double LP version. Following the recent success of the Tokyo Dreaming (WWSCD 040CD/WWSLP 040LP), Wewantsounds comes with another compelling set, this time compiled by city pop expert DJ Notoya who has dug the rich Nippon Columbia catalog to bring a breezy selection of funky gems. Nippon has amassed an incredible back catalog over the decades. Particularly strong in the '70s and '80s, the label was one of the main purveyors of great music at a time when Japan was entering its greatest economic boom and labels had budgets at hand to create the highest quality music. As Notoya explains in the liner notes "Back in the day, the record companies had big budgets and could afford to have many great musicians playing on one record, plus strings and horn sections, top drummers and keyboardists. It all made for a very rich sound, which is generally very different to today's music." Keen to emulate the music created in the US by their American counterparts, Japanese musicians came with their own blend of funk, boogie and soul that has come to be known as city pop. The selection on Tokyo Glow is full of such gems and starts with "Kimugare" a relaxed, mid-tempo track by Kumi Nakamura, famous actress who only recorded one album in 1980 for Columbia. The set continues and flows effortlessly with the sunshine grooves of Miyuki Maki, Hatsumi Shibata and cult keyboard player Hiroshi Sato before the pace starts going faster and funkier with New Generation Company, Kengo Kurozumi -- with his superb boogie, "Juggler" -- and one of the queens of the genre, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama with "Tuxedo Connection". Tokyo-based DJ Notoya is from a new breed of Japanese DJs there focusing on nippon music and is an expert on funk, modern soul, and boogie from the Island. With Tokyo Glow, Notoya says he "focused more on the slightly more underground tracks from the era, rather than the bigger, well-known releases. For me that was a more fun and satisfying approach." Another fine example on the set is the mid-tempo groove of "I Wander All Alone Part III" by New Generation Company, an aggregate group of some of the best Japanese session musicians led by arranger Katz Hoshi and including Hiroyuki Namba, Kazuo Shiina, and Yutaka Uehara. Tokyo Glow showcases the diversity and specificity of Japanese city pop during the late '70s and '80s. Also features Haruyoshi Yamashina, Sumiko Yamagata, Makoto Iwabuchi, Arakawa Band, Kiyohiko Ozaki, Ken Nishizaki, Jadoes, Midori Hara, Mizuki Koyama, Haruo Chikada & Vibra-Tones, and Mitsuko Horie.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WILL 002LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"The Kyoto-based musician Yusaku Arai is known for his production work in the avant-garde scenes of Japanese hip-hop and R&B. On this solo album, though, he offers more-lengthy, piano-centric meditations that use the techniques of musique concrète. Arai's compositions on the A-side emerged out of a reflection on the corporeal and interwoven relationship between his own body and things he encountered in the world -- the ocean, a flower petal, a plastic sheet, a hand. His intent is to represent a process in which colors gently well up in inside of an object, pass through its entirety -- and eventually permeate into the body itself. The B-side consists mostly of a long composition, which is about an unavoidable surplus that crops up in communication, whether of gestures or of language. This narrative work describes humans as beings torn between enthusiasm and emptiness. The album's artwork is by photographer Azusa Yamaguchi and designer Hejiro Yagi. Mastering by Sean McCann of Recital. An 18x24 inch poster is included."

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: WS 013LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"North Carolina based singer/songwriter Rosali Middleman has spent the last decade using her voice and guitar to construct tunes built upon the spectrum between joy and pain -- deeply personal lyrics, profound vocals, and striking, heady guitar synchronizing as a perfect pair to deliver a very welcome and fresh perspective on folk rock and roll music. On this newest collection of tunes, Variable Happiness, under the moniker Edsel Axle, her voice takes a winter hibernation to showcase the prodigious slow burn thump of her solo electric guitar playing. While this musical pivot may be a risk to some, the worlds of wilderness created within the music are easily navigated with clarity. Recorded directly to a four-track cassette rig in the comfort of her own home -- each chord struck exhales from the gear and onto magnetic tape, finding its true north, and throwing sand on the bonfire before it burns the foundation. First thought/best thought improvisations naturally trickling down and turning puddles into expansive streams of sound. The opener, 'Some Answer' seems to not have any question before it. As if it has always just been. A mode of intrinsic acceptance. Middleman confidently reigns in atonal midrange melodies and lets them rest in the bottom of the ocean. Every new movement coming up for air. Reviving consciousness, and letting go once more. The small combo amp on the recordings sounds like it's being overloaded and exploding into a peace sign, before fading into the next tune. The title track, "Variable Happiness" suggests that serenity is found within acceptance. It begins with a warm, simple, and circular groove. Bridging the giant landmasses of Fleetwood Mac's 'Albatross' and Loren Connors. The light boogie has surgical tremolo dirge doing major brain work and re-wiring . . . 'Come Down From That Tree Now' isn't so much a command as it is a peaceful suggestion. A neon glazed layer of arpeggios sits in the background, while Middleman wails fully in the foreground. An amalgamation that sounds like Windy and Carl records being blown apart by firecrackers in a bucket. Through these six honey-soaked, deeply psychedelic, overdriven ohm-style meditations, Variable Happiness showcases the prodigious left-hand melodies, and ball peen hammer attack of Middleman's right hand. Striking with great patience and humility. A true-blue guitar denizen of a heady state. A new benchmark in solo guitar recordings..." --Ryley Walker"Another beautiful solo-guitar excursion from Rosali Middleman, filled with meditative songs that circle and eddy like leaves on the wind or a mountain stream in springtime. Her guitar playing has a raw, elemental power that is simultaneously soothing and invigorating, hypnotic and transportive." --Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo/Rose City Band)

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: AALP 1600LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"While many of Dennis Brown's later recordings won't be remembered as well as those of his early days, the man that Bob Marley called his favorite reggae singer never really released a disc that wasn't worth hearing. Even during his most turbulent times, Brown brought a caring, spiritual vibe to his music that few others could. I Don't Know is a mid- '90s Clive Jarret/Peter Chemist production that has a more electronic feel to it than Brown's earlier material. Songs such as 'Trod On' and the bubbling 'Give Me the Vibe' serve as good examples of how consistent Brown's music was, regardless of what else what going on his life. Vocalist Onite Boone joins Brown on two tracks ('Should I' and 'Treat Me Bad'). Both work quite well, giving us just a glimpse of what Boone and Brown could do together. Other notable tracks include 'Piece of My Heart,' 'True True,' and 'Fly Away Home.'" --AllMusicFeatures Little Lenny.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BING 201LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Remastered for its 10th Anniversary, the newly cut vinyl edition of Ripely Pine features the bonus track 'Up In The Rafters.' More than anything, Aly Spaltro has 20,000 second-hand DVDs to thank for her first album. Taking the name Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Spaltro became one of the most beloved musicians in Portland. Her live shows were unhinged, as melodies followed an internal logic only apparent to Spaltro herself. She sang and played guitar, and the songs offered a vivid yet brief snapshot of her expansive world. At 23, with years of writing and performing music already under her belt, she ventured to the next milestone -- recording an album. This would be the first time she did so in a professional studio and the first time she shared the process with anyone else. Luckily, she met Nadim Issa at Let 'Em Music in Brooklyn. He was taken enough by her abilities to dedicate nine full months toward the recording of Ripely Pine, and she with his producing abilities to ease comfortably into making him a part of her recording process. She wrote everything -- all the songs, all the arrangements. And the two of them assembled an album that finally fit what existed in Spaltro's mind. Keeping the songs' stark rawness, the record is a pure representation of her sound. Ripely Pine shouts the introduction of a new talent from every groove. These recordings come as close as possible to conveying the intense majesty of her live shows, and, much like those performances, a narrative breathes through the record's progression. The album opens with urgency and anger, settles into reconciliation and reciprocation, and ultimately reaches toward resolution, realizing infatuation leads to a loss of self; instead, embracing one's own strengths is the most powerful thing of all."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BTR 081LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Led by tenor saxophonist and composer Niklas Mündemann, Muito Kaballa are a collective based in Cologne. Originally started as a one-man loop station street show, the project has grown to be known for its eclectic and mesmerizing live show. Acting as the introduction to the musical world and lyrical narratives of the upcoming record "Like A River", the track, leans into the river theme, providing an all-encompassing, flowing journey. Tim von Malotki's percussive bass clarinet lines cut through the meandering wash of Benjamin Schneider's rootsy, highlife-inspired guitars and atmospheric piano flourishes, courtesy of Jan Janzen. Vocalist Nora Beisel floats across the arrangement, backed by emotive horn harmonies whilst reflecting on the change of path at the end of a relationship; a new orientation and course set. "Musically we tried to really engage with the river metaphor. We worked with all these 'water' sounds and effects that kind of produce this ocean vibe. As the song evolves, it also follows along this idea of a river that grows stronger and more dangerous as the current grows." An album focused on transitional moments in life, and separation from ingrained social ideals, Like A River is anchored around the three movements of "Like A River Parts I-III" which act as the record's source, middle and end point. Set to be accompanied by a film to which these movements are the score, it's an achievement of songwriting and collective arrangement, incorporating wide-ranging influences that span Afrofunk, Gnawa, contemporary jazz, and rumba. Whereas their previous albums have mostly linked to afrobeat, and addressed topics like social equality, racial politics and climate change, Like A River is a concept album that takes a more intimate, personal approach. "The album deals with transitioning and separations, taking on ideas like: at age 30 you should definitely have children, a house and a car, or ideas on how to live relationships and love. Separating from these ideas or overcoming them can be challenging..." Tracks such as "Like A River Part II" dip into swirling psychedelia centered around an explorative 12/8 groove, whilst "Carry Me" takes a subtle shift away from the '70s analog sounds favored by the band, combining full bodied synth soundscapes with euphoric horn arrangements. Not content with just its core members, the group also employ the skills of Belgo-Congolese vocalist Reinel Bakolé for "Let Go" and "All This While", further expanding their pool of influence into the world of future soul.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 142LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison's Rythmiques is another iconic release in the hallowed Tele Music catalogue. First appearing in 1973, it features tense funk, blunted jazz and heavy breaks all the way. Considered the rightful sequel to Continental Pop Sound, it's a vital album for producers and DJs. French drummer, percussionist and composer Pierre-Alain Dahan was a key member of the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Mallia et al!) and Jef Gilson Septet whilst his partner here, Mat Camison, was a pioneering synth LORD. The album opens with the stabbing thriller-funk of "Rythmiques N° 4". The dubbier "Rythmiques N° 5" is no less electric and definitely has a spacey air of wonky funk about it. "Rythmiques N° 6" is more percussive-focused with a brilliantly hypnotic opening that really stretches the drama out. "Rythmique N° 7" alternates between fast-paced, skipping drums and slo-mo funk. The dope jazz of "Rythmique N° 8" truly mesmerizes with licks of electric piano, funky bass flourishes and varied percussion. "Rythmique N° 9" has great, sloppy-yet-hard intro drums which sound like something Daft Punk could've pilfered circa Human After All. The A-Side closes with the beautiful, melancholic "Piano + Piano", a reflective jazzy piano track which could easily open a wide-ranging set this autumn and many after it. Opening Side B, "Auto Rythmiques" is a hectic yet compelling funk workout but it's all about the frankly devastating breakbeats on "Rythmiques N° 10 & N° 11" with effortlessly twisted funk bass lines over open drum breaks and enough tension and rhythmic switch-ups to keep your neck-snapping and your mind lifted. Taking leave from the heavy funk break action, the pastoral "Océan Horizon" is perhaps an unfairly overlooked highlight. A gorgeous, softly-aquatic, ambient gem, it's gently percussive with warm, floaty keys decorating the mellow rhythmic bed. The brief "Super Carrousel" is harmless fun-fair-funk, followed by the intriguingly titled "Gay Shopping." To close out this memorable set we're left with "Suspense N° 1" to get us back on course with its unsurprisingly tense mix of urgent stringed instruments that flirt with rhythm and melody yet the longer the track goes on. The audio for Rythmiques has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis. 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 143LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

A Tele Music classic from 1972, Pierre-Alain Dahan's Continental Pop Sound is of those library albums with something for everyone. French drummer, percussionist and composer Pierre-Alain Dahan was a key member of the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou and Sauveur Mallia) and Jef Gilson Septet. Experience the minimalist groove of "Slowrama", a humid masterclass in low-slung, creeping crime funk with weighty breaks and beefy bass complimented by hypnotic wah-wah and warm electric piano. The galloping "Latin Pop Sound" is a percussive, Santana-esque tour de force featuring fantastic guitar shreds over a bassline to die for. "Morning Melody" is a lightweight amble whereas the brief but deliciously psych-rock heavy "Islam Blues" is a must for your mixes when requiring short segue tracks. The A-Side closes out with "Phasing Drums N° 1, 2 & 3", all completely ace. The genuine monster "Pacific Rock" blasts out the gate to usher in Side B, a thrilling and unrelenting pop-rock instrumental that really drives. "Quasimodo Pop" contains great slow-mo funk breaks and scratchy guitars that alternate with pretty heavy riffing to create a compelling base track. "Carmel Beach" is as beautiful as the location it's named after, as insouciant guitars glide over super slo-mo beats and dramatic organ. "Auto Moto Rallye" is a brief driving funk gem, as you might expect, complete with revved up guitars tuned and played to emulate the irresistible sound of growling race cars. The three most famous tracks "Rythmiques 1, 2 & 3" all come complete with breaks. This album is often considered as the "baby brother" to Tele Music's Rythmiques, and this triptych is all the proof you need. The audio for Continental Pop Sound has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis. 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. Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 144LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Pierre-Alain Dahan & Slim Pezin's Neo Rythmiques is a Tele Music library classic from 1976. It's absolutely sensational throughout, all scorching, up-tempo jazzy soul funk that Mr. James Brown himself would've been envious of. This is serious business with breaks for days. French drummer, percussionist and composer Pierre-Alain Dahan was a key member of the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Mallia et al!) and Jef Gilson Septet. With Neo Rhythmiques, he's joined by his eternal guitar colleague Slim Pezin (Voyage, Manu Dibango, Nino Ferrer). Opener "Soul Car" is a swaggering, horn-drenched jazz-funk beast whilst the slick JBs funk of "Happy Penalty" is just plain irresistible. The blazing "Kuzi-Kuza" is again horn-fueled but has a more exotic, Latino feel, all loose grooves and bastard blues with funky organ and shredding guitars. The stomping, proto-disco of "Mercy Boa" is a guitar-sizzled Bohannon-esque hypno-groove for adventurous dance floors the world over. The A side ends with the monumental, stratospheric "Slim Bertha," slo-motion, deep drama funk breaks with jazzy guitar and gleaming percussion. Side B opens with "Country + Country," followed by "Super Airship," a driving fuzz-guitar psych-rock workout of the highest order. The brilliantly titled "Electronic Mutation" is a total highlight, the funk most definitely returning and, indeed, strong in this one with its deep clean breaks (with some particularly ace hi-hats), echoey effects and funky clavs. "Africa Semper" follows, all funky percussion, trippy echo and distorted, psychy guitar licks. To close out the set, "Neo Rythmiques 1 and 2" form a great salvo of top-tier, percussion-heavy synthy-funk-fusion. The audio for Neo Rythmiques 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 147LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Pierre Dutour's infamous Top Fiction is the epitome of a five-tracker. Coming to light in 1979 on Tele Music, its collection of environmental themes are all astounding. They come recommended as tracks you'd choose to elegantly elevate deep selector sets or mixes. Opening with "Captain Parade," it then heads straight to the glistening synths and proud horns of beatless ambient wonder "Mountain Echoes". The sci-fi atmospherics of "Space Fiction" are definitely sampleable whilst the proud horns of "Mountain Trumpet" definitely contain blasts that could be of creative use. "Tambours Parade" is more marching-band funk, only this time the drums go hard and there's a lot to like about this one. The B-side opens with the gorgeous "Deer Forest". It's one of the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. Like something off Brian Bennett's Voyage, it rides dreamily melodic synths, and comes on, as one fan claimed "like something Angelo Badalamenti would have co-written with Final Fantasy composer, Nobuo Uematsu". Be instantly beguiled by the deep eerie nostalgia and pretty delicate piano of "Magic Lake I" and the whistling-synth-augmented "Magic Lake II". The almost-title-track "Pop Fiction" is another hidden gem, containing dreamy, glistening arpeggios that are just begging to be sampled with a heavy knocking beat behind it. The set closes with "Damnation Space", two minutes of spooky Musique concrète. The audio for Top Fiction has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this divisive release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original space-age sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: 9781953691156

FILE UNDER: Misc

"The first book on the art-world legend who installed his ephemeral sculptures on the streets of New York's East Village. Curtis Cuffie (1955-2002) was an artist from Harstville, South Carolina, who found local notoriety in the 1990s for the thrilling and surprising way he adorned the streets of New York's East Village. His on-the-spot sculptures were woven into fences, hung from walls and sprawled along the Bowery and Cooper Square. Making use of whatever he could find to fashion works that were imaginative and real, Cuffie took the street for all it could provide: materials, an audience, a rhythm and a sense of the strange unexpectedness of public life. He was unhoused for stretches of his life, and his sculptures were viewed near to his outdoor quarters. Cuffie's art was often removed by city sanitation, but new work would spring up soon after. Though little of his art survives today, a trove of photographs documenting it keeps him in the present. This publication, the first on Cuffie, seeks to honor the artist and rectify his omission by going backward to recover that which has been left behind. It places Cuffie's own photographs and those of his companion Katy Able alongside pictures that photographers Margaret Morton and Tom Warren took of Cuffie and his art on the streets." 252 pages. 8.00(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.6 (d).

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: BM 010CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Formed in the late 70's, the duo is still grooving at their studio in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Laid Back gained their first international major breakthrough in the '80s with "Sunshine Reggae" and "White Horse." The dualism and originality of the two songs has left a worldwide and everlasting reputation of their music. The third evergreen from their hand was made in 1990 named "Bakerman" altogether with a music video by Lars Von Trier. More recently, the two members has co-founded their own record company, Brother Music, which has released Laid Back singles such as "Cocaine Cool," remixes from Soul Clap, and latest the mini-album Cosyland and the chill out album, Cosmic Vibes. In 2013 they released the double album Uptimistic Music. 2019 was the 40th anniversary and release of the album Healing Feeling. 2023 marks the year of a new 21-track studio album Road To Fame.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: BL 754174LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The spectrum of musical expression has broadened considerably in recent years and it would appear that no extent of sound development has escaped some for of interpretation in music. One of the most basic instruments that seems to be an integral part of any size musical group is the piano, whose eighty-eight keys have produced a limitless variety of sounds, rhythms and harmonies in every conceivable form. The list of piano greats is comprised of masters of this instrument who have entertained and educated music lovers in jazz, blues, pop, rock and the classics. It is rare to discover a pianist who combines all of these directions into a style that is unique, distinctive and totally fresh in approach, but Don Walker is that kind of a talent. A native of Evanston, Illinois, Don graduated from Northwestern University and served his musical apprenticeship with the likes of Nancy Wilson and Young-Holt Unlimited. Early in 1970, Don embarked on his own and formed The Complete Expressions, in itself an indication of what Don Walker is all about. In the relatively short life of this new trio, critics have described it as 'traveling a broad road between commercialism and experimentation,' to which Walker adds, 'We also try to stretch out.' Don is a strong rhythmic player who puts much emphasis on a contemporary soul sound, while displaying an uncanny expertise on fast blue tunes. This debut album contains mostly original songs composed by Walker, plus an imaginative rendition of the Lennon-McCartney classic, 'Dear Prudence.' Whatever your tastes in music happen to be, we predict The Complete Expressions will more than satisfy your appetite for the inventive, new direction in music served up by the exciting sounds of Don Walker."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: LPCT 002LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Jah Thomas meets Scientist In Rock Dub. All titles written by Nkrumah Manley Thomas. 14 dub tracks, featuring the Roots Radics. MIxed by Scientist. Originally released 1996?

 

PRICE: $18.50

CAT #: RAS 3052LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

1989 release. "Tough personal choices, romantic frustrations, and 'Jealousy' are all explored, the latter with the able assistance of Jimmy Cliff. Gussie Clarke again takes the production honors, with the dancehall fired rhythms laid down by Steely & Clevie, abetted by the fabulous Ras Brass and Robbie Lyn's exceptional synth work." --All Music GuideAlso featuring Mutabaruka.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: CMR 007CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Sun Ra's Jazz in Silhouette was enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's 'Core Collection' as an album that 'will someday be recognized as one of the most important post-war jazz records.' Jazz in Silhouette is the quintessential record of Sun Ra's late 1950s Chicago period. Recorded and issued in 1959, it marks a coda for the bandleader's bebop/hardbop stage, as his interstellar traveler persona began to transform the band (and the music). It also charts the future, showcasing the brilliant tenor sax stylings of John Gilmore, and introduces the iconic playing of Arkestra mainstays Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins. Many of the early works on these recordings would remain staples in Arkestra set lists for the rest of Sun Ra's life. This expanded edition includes the complete, contemporaneous "Sound Sun Pleasure," rare stereo mixes, and bonus tracks."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: CMR 007LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. "Sun Ra's Jazz in Silhouette was enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's 'Core Collection' as an album that 'will someday be recognized as one of the most important post-war jazz records.' Jazz in Silhouette is the quintessential record of Sun Ra's late 1950s Chicago period. Recorded and issued in 1959, it marks a coda for the bandleader's bebop/hardbop stage, as his interstellar traveler persona began to transform the band (and the music). It also charts the future, showcasing the brilliant tenor sax stylings of John Gilmore, and introduces the iconic playing of Arkestra mainstays Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins. Many of the early works on these recordings would remain staples in Arkestra set lists for the rest of Sun Ra's life. This expanded edition includes the complete, contemporaneous "Sound Sun Pleasure," rare stereo mixes, and bonus tracks."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DLC 010CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

De la Catessen Records present the original score of the celebrated cinematic feature documentary Franklin by AACTA nominated composer Luke Altmann (Transfusion, Fell, The Leunig Fragments). Franklin (dir. Kasimir Burgess) tells the story of the seven-year campaign to save Tasmania's wild Franklin River from being dammed, through Oliver Cassidy's rafting adventure in the footsteps of his late father -- one of the original activists of the Tasmanian Wilderness Society. Franklin had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2022, and has since screened around the world to wide acclaim. From moments of quiet musical intimacy to sweeping orchestral grandeur, Luke Altmann's original score for Franklin features stunning performances by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Benaud Trio, and Konstantin Shamray. Franklin is the first original soundtrack release by Luke Altmann on De la Catessen records.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: DLC 011LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

De la Catessen Records presents a limited vinyl release of the original score for the 2023 film Transfusion (a Stan. original film) by Luke Altmann (Franklin, The Leunig Fragments, Fell). Leaning into the sense of fragility, grief, and volatility of the film's central characters, Luke Altmann's original score for Transfusion combines compelling performances from ensembles of understated and gorgeously recorded drifting strings, trumpet, ronroco, and broken piano, with the visceral and barely suppressed dread of growling brass and orchestral percussion. Transfusion is the second original soundtrack release by Luke Altmann on De la Catessen records, following his score for the celebrated cinematic feature documentary Franklin (dir. Kasimir Burgess).

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DLC 012CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

With Empyrean Traces, De La Catessen Records focuses on another aspect of Adelaide composer David Kotlowy's career -- his works for trio. It follows the 2021 release of Final Fragments: Piano Music of David Kotlowy, where David Kotlowy's solo piano compositions were performed by composer and scholar Stephen Whittington. The three compositions on Empyrean Traces are brought to life by the Benaud Trio, whose ability to carry the gentle poetics of such work allows for bravura performances: as Luke Altmann of De La Catessen says, "it often felt during these sessions less like we were listening to the Benaud Trio and more like we were scanning for a signal from outer space." Indeed, Kotlowy's compositions share something otherworldly. His compositional ethos is informed by several key influences -- Japanese musical aesthetics; John Cage; Morton Feldman; Ross Bolleter and his ruined pianos -- but while you can hear relationships between Kotlowy's compositions and these forebears, Kotlowy is not beholden to that which has come before, and over several decades, has marked out his own patch of aesthetic territory with unerring clarity. The works on Empyrean Traces span the 1990s to 2020s, with two "earlier" pieces, "Chromatic Traces" and "Under Stars", revised earlier this decade. While significant time has elapsed between their composition, the three pieces on Empyrean Traces share the same "sound world", one where an exterior seeming-fragility masks a resolute interior: these are sturdy, powerful pieces. Kotlowy draws from several compositional tactics -- the use of Cagean time brackets, or breathing as measure, such that this album, in his own words, "traces a transition from outer to inner clock time." There is also a "relaxing of musical austerity" as Empyrean Traces progresses; the spare chill of "Chromatic Traces" acquiesces to the relative richness of the title composition. A gorgeous album of deeply moving music, Empyrean Traces is sure to appeal to fans of composers such as Morton Feldman, Jürg Frey, or T?ru Takemitsu. CD version comes in edition of 300.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: DLC 012LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

LP version. Edition of 300; hand-numbered. With Empyrean Traces, De La Catessen Records focuses on another aspect of Adelaide composer David Kotlowy's career -- his works for trio. It follows the 2021 release of Final Fragments: Piano Music of David Kotlowy, where David Kotlowy's solo piano compositions were performed by composer and scholar Stephen Whittington. The three compositions on Empyrean Traces are brought to life by the Benaud Trio, whose ability to carry the gentle poetics of such work allows for bravura performances: as Luke Altmann of De La Catessen says, "it often felt during these sessions less like we were listening to the Benaud Trio and more like we were scanning for a signal from outer space." Indeed, Kotlowy's compositions share something otherworldly. His compositional ethos is informed by several key influences -- Japanese musical aesthetics; John Cage; Morton Feldman; Ross Bolleter and his ruined pianos -- but while you can hear relationships between Kotlowy's compositions and these forebears, Kotlowy is not beholden to that which has come before, and over several decades, has marked out his own patch of aesthetic territory with unerring clarity. The works on Empyrean Traces span the 1990s to 2020s, with two "earlier" pieces, "Chromatic Traces" and "Under Stars", revised earlier this decade. While significant time has elapsed between their composition, the three pieces on Empyrean Traces share the same "sound world", one where an exterior seeming-fragility masks a resolute interior: these are sturdy, powerful pieces. Kotlowy draws from several compositional tactics -- the use of Cagean time brackets, or breathing as measure, such that this album, in his own words, "traces a transition from outer to inner clock time." There is also a "relaxing of musical austerity" as Empyrean Traces progresses; the spare chill of "Chromatic Traces" acquiesces to the relative richness of the title composition. A gorgeous album of deeply moving music, Empyrean Traces is sure to appeal to fans of composers such as Morton Feldman, Jürg Frey, or T?ru Takemitsu.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DLC 013CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

As co-director of new music organization The Firm, Raymond Chapman Smith has quietly presented over 130 concerts of new music. But his uncomplicated disinterest in recognition or recording means his music is rarely heard beyond the walls of Adelaide's Elder Hall, where The Firm's annual concert series is presented to a regular audience of 50-100 initiates. This is the first album of his work, played by US born Australian-Iranian pianist Amir Farid. As a teenager in the 1970s, Chapman Smith began performing in AZ Music in Sydney with the recently returned Australian assistant to Cardew and Stockhausen, David Ahern, feeding new ideas into the local music scene, and fielding phoned-in performance instructions from La Monte Young for their improvisations at Brett Whiteley's gallery. After moving to Adelaide to study with Richard Meale, through the '80s and '90s Chapman Smith founded and co-helmed loosely Cageian composer-performer collectives. Since 1996 he has co-directed new music organization The Firm, reveling in the poetic aesthetic of 19th Century German romanticism. On Ländler from 2002, Chapman Smith says: "The references, the paying of homage to Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler, Wolf, and Zemlinsky are so obvious as to hardly need comment. They are heard through lenses polished by a later, more reductive aesthetic and a somewhat fortuitous arrival at a kind of diatonic serialism." Of 2003's Nachschriften: "Some of my thoughts while making this music revolved around a passage from a speech which Paul Celan gave in 1958. Celan, of course, was speaking of lyric poetry but I would respectfully paraphrase his words as follows ... 'Music is not timeless. Certainly, it lays claim to infinity, it seeks to reach through time -- through it, not above or beyond it. Music, as a manifestation of language and thus essentially dialogue, can be a message in a bottle, sent out in the -- not always greatly hopeful -- belief that somewhere and sometime it could wash up on land, on heartland perhaps. Music in this sense too is underway: it is a making toward something. Toward what? Toward something standing open, occupiable, perhaps towards an addressable Thou, toward an addressable reality.'"

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: DLC 014LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Superior State is the second Leitmotiv Limbo album released by Port Adelaide's De la Catessen Records, after the 2022 CD Spiritual Disturbance. This time, Leitmotiv Limbo's isolationist studies have been bumped to vinyl, which feels like the perfect format for these twelve miniatures. The project of Adelaide artist Elijah Värttö, Leitmotiv Limbo has, over the past few decades, tracked a history of quietly insistent experimentation, embracing several technologies -- invented instruments; analog filters; drum synth -- to sketch desolate, cavernous structures, sometimes performed in reverberant spaces, such as church halls, which gifts the recordings a ritualistic air. For Superior State, Värttö is more intently focused on rhythms and pulses, resulting in a beautifully sculpted collection of poetic vignettes. You can hear some trace elements, here, of the minimalist techno-not-techno of artists like Pan Sonic, or Studio 1/Freiland, in their reductionist ethos. But also, in the insistence of Värttö's attention to detail, and his careful focus on a delimited number of elements, the twelve pieces on Superior State recall the work of mysterious German outfits Werkbund and Mechthild Von Leutsch, or the solo explorations of artists like Asmus Tietchens, Achim Wollscheid, and Goem. It's intensely evocative music, recalling all kinds of phenomena, both man-made and natural: electricity pulsing through wires; the humming of the central nervous system; the quiet hiss of deserted computer laboratories; the pulsations of plant life; the molecular vibration of atoms. Värttö has tapped into the poetry of the programmatic on Superior State, and he's sharp in his grasp of the significant effect that the incremental shifting of a few simple parameters can have on the overarching structures he's building here. Indeed, that poetry is echoed back in the beautiful liner notes by Adelaide artist Michael Hocking. Alive, flickering with incident, Superior State is energy transmitted, coursing through the collective's veins. Edition of 300; hand-numbered.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: DC 846BK

FILE UNDER: Misc

"After Math retails what becomes of the cast of characters introduced in Art, Mystery, joint and severally pursuing an erotic Rinascimento statuette attributed to Antonio Pollaiuolo, a pursuit that lands them in court. On the way, their collective and singular fates are unfolded and accounted for, the consequences of the truth of matters for them are brought to bear and a kind of rough justice is seen to have been done, as is appropriate in rough trade." "After Math begins where Art, Mystery, the first installment in Mr. Thompson's two-part novel, left off. The chrome trader Perlat Tile has just witnessed the criminal Pablo Palbon attempt to smuggle a small erotic bronze by Pollaiuolo out of Tirana disguised as a funeral urn. The ensuing trial -- described in After Math -- pits the gallerist Ms. Jasmine, who wants to acquire the work legitimately, against the state of Albania, which also claims ownership of it. Written in the impeccable prose that we have come to expect from Mr. Thompson, After Math proves that what happens after a plot is foiled can be just as delightful as the action itself." --Michael Sanchez 132 pages; hardcover; 7.25"x4.25".

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DC 883LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Back from the silence from which P.G. Six always emerges, the new album release Murmurs & Whispers is the first proper P.G. Six album since 2011's Starry Mind. Time passes slowly, as they've been known to say out in the country, and before you know it, there's a bunch of it behind you. After five releases in the first decade of P.G. Six, it may seem a bit of a surprise to have not heard something new in the past twelve years -- but a cursory listen to Murmurs & Whispers will answer why, as the deep acoustic focus of the tracks imply an investment of the type of compassion and understanding that takes time and concentrated effort to conjure. Additionally, Pat Gubler's always got a few pots going at once in his ever-expanding musical universe. He's been active since the mid-90s, first with Memphis Luxure and Tower Recordings, then as P.G. Six, and as a member of Metal Mountains, Wet Tuna, Garcia Peoples and Weeping Bong Band. Additionally, some time was spent making collaborative records with Dan Melchior (in 2019) and Louise Bock (in 2021). Pat's been playing the harp for more years than he's been in bands, but when he realized that he was writing a set of songs centered around harp compositions, he spent some time in the woodshed with his instrument, a late 80s model Triplett Celtic 34 String Harp (which replaced a lovely Paraguayan harp he'd played for years previously). After the previous P.G. albums of electric band arrangements, he was in a place of writing songs with more silence in them. He ended up playing a lot of the parts himself on Murmurs & Whispers, adding guitar, bass, keyboards, recorder and hurdy gurdy, in addition to his harp and vocals. Clark Griffin and Wednesday Knudson, who Pat plays with in Weeping Bong Band, played and sang a bit themselves, and the record was recorded piece by piece in houses around upstate New York by Mike Fellows. Returning to the quiet acoustic sound of the first couple of P.G. Six albums, Parlor Tricks and Porch Favorites (which has seen a much-needed reissue in the past year after too many years OOP) and The Well of Memory, Murmurs & Whispers is more straightforward in expressing its vision of rural celestial wonder. Bucolic and comfortably lived in, Murmurs & Whispers nonetheless projects the transcendent heart of P.G. Six once again..."

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: MTE 065LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock. The long awaited repress of Slight Freedom, acclaimed guitarist & composer Jeff Parker's first solo album & a New York Times' best albums of 2016 selection, is here. Pressed on premium 120-gram audiophile-quality vinyl by RTI from lacquers cut at sterling sound by Steve Fallone, presented in a retro flipback jacket. Second edition of 1,399 copies. What we said in 2016: "Slight Freedom, Jeff Parker's first ever solo record, presents the first opportunity to hear the guitarist in fully self-revealed circumstances. recorded 2013 & '14 in the Hollywood Hills as he relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles, Parker combines the dark tonal palette & percussive attack he's long been known for with real-time processing elements & field recordings, deftly crafting a unique world of solo guitar music -- multilingual, mysterious, alive with extraordinary sonic events, with a sturdy intelligence in charge & a raw homestyle vibe. parker's title composition sets the album's cavernous mood. terse lines & ricocheting loops morph into a gnarly ambient section that resembles Neil Young droning out over a vg+ copy of discreet music. Parker creates a different sort of ambient space in his take on Frank Ocean's 'Super Rich Kids', bending the melody around a bossa nova rhythm into a moodsville tone poem. parker makes an extraordinary long-form statement out of Chad Taylor's 'Mainz', a piece he first recorded with Taylor & Chris Lopes on the album Bright Light In Winter. Twice the length of the trio recording, the multi-layered soliloquy finds parker leaping from the high rung to damn near orchestral heights, pushing his techniques & concepts to the breaking points. It's one of the great solo performances you'll hear from a musician this year. To say 'Lush Life' comes with formidable baggage is an understatement. Parker achieves instant classic status with a rendition that sounds beamed-in from a decommissioned satellite -- burned out, covered in space grit, yet still formally nuanced & beautifully reflective of Strayhorn's world-weary lyrics. twenty years into the game it's a joy for eremite to present work by an artist who's clearly taking his music to the next level." "It's not jazz, it's not ambient, it's not noise; it's something more idiosyncratic and more personal, something only Parker could have come up with. Perhaps this is what Slight Freedom is supposed to mean: Not an anarchic exploding of rules, not the total liberation proposed by free jazz, but a steadier, stealthier path -- dissolving boundaries, softening constraints, and wearing away at the edges of things until the ideas run as freely as water." --Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork

 

PRICE: $43.00

CAT #: MTE 078-79LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Repressed. The next chapter of the Natural Information Society is here. Since Time Is Gravity, credited to Natural Information Society Community Ensemble with Ari Brown, presents a newly expanded manifestation of acclaimed composer & multi-instrumentalist Joshua Abrams nearly 15 year, 7 albums- &-counting flagship ensemble. Joining the core NIS of Abrams (guimbri & bass), Lisa Alvarado (harmonium) Mikel Patrick Avery (drums) & Jason Stein (bass clarinet) are Hamid Drake (percussion), Josh Berman & Ben Lamar Gay (cornets), Nick Mazzarella & Mai Sugimoto (alto saxophones & flute), Kara Bershad (harp) & Chicago living legend of the tenor saxophone Ari Brown. Recorded live to tape at Electrical Audio & The Graham Foundation, cover painting Vibratory Cartography: Nepantla, by Lisa Alvarado."Since first developing Natural Information Society in 2010, Joshua Abrams has been gradually expanding the group's conceptual underpinnings, its musical references & the sheer number of the group's members. Its music is, in a sense, an expansive form of minimalism, based in repeated & overlaid rhythmic patterns, ostinatos & modality. Its roots, its scale & its meaning become clearer in time. If time is gravity, it also allows us to carry more. Having begun as fundamentally a rhythm section with Abrams' guimbri at its core, the version here can stretch to a tentet, including six horns. Abrams has been expanding his minimalism gradually, but he has long understood a key to minimalism's potential: the breadth of its roots in the late 1950s & early 1960s, ranging from the dissatisfaction of young European-stream composers with the limitations of serialism to the simultaneous dissatisfaction of jazz musicians with the dense harmonic vocabulary of bop & hard bop. The former began exploring rhythmic complexity & narrow tonal palates in place of harmonic abstraction (Steve Reich's Drumming, Philip Glass' Music with Changing Parts; perhaps above all Terry Riley's In C & his late '60s all-night organ & loop concerts); the later reduced dense chord changes to scales (signally with Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, but rapidly expanding with John Coltrane's vast project). In the 1950s the LP record opened the world with documentation of Asian & African musics, key influences on both minimalists & jazz musicians. If John Coltrane's soprano saxophone suggested the keening shehnai of Bismillah Khan, the instrument was rapidly taken up by two key minimalists, LaMonte Young & Riley, similarly appreciative of its flexible intonation, the same thing that kept it out of big bands. If the guimbri, the North African hide-covered lute that Abrams plays with NIS, involves a rich tradition of hypnotic healing music associated with the Gnawa people, Abrams' music also touches on other musics as well --other depths, memories & healings, different drones, rhythms & modes. As the group expands on Since Time Is Gravity, he has made certain jazz traditions in the same stream more explicit as well. If there is a mystical & elastic quality involved in the experience of time, both in direction & duration, you will catch it here. The parts for the choir of winds expand on the roles of Abrams' guimbri, Mikel Patrick Avery & Hamid Drake's percussion & Lisa Alvarado's harmonium: at times, the winds are almost looping in the tentet version, each hitting a repeating note in turn, at once drone & distinct inflection on temporal sequence. The brilliance of the work resides in Abrams' compositions, the NIS' intuitive execution & in Ari Brown's singular embodiment of the great tenor saxophone tradition, including the oracular genius of Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, & Yusef Lateef..." --Stuart Broomer, April 2022

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: ESPDISK 5041CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

There are some jazz musicians long known by cognoscenti for a mere handful of recordings: Dupree Bolton, Earl Anderza, Hasaan Ibn-Ali, Alan Shorter, Dewey Johnson. Add saxophonist Mark Reboul to that list. Before the release of this album, his discography consisted of four tracks on three albums on which he was a sideman. On Higher Primates' Environmental Impressions (GM, 1987), he plays sax on two of the percussion-heavy album's five tracks: a fragmentary track, and a sixteen-and-a-half-minute improvisation; he has a percussion cameo (playing waterphone) on Bill Gerhardt and Cotangent's Stained Glass (SteepleChase, 2007); and on Gaelen McKenna's self-released 2004 album Woodbach, a Reboul improvisation is manipulated and looped. ESP-Disk is a label with a history of albums by under-documented musicians (Byron Allen, Lowell Davidson, Marzette Watts, Nedley Elstak) and thus the perfect label to redress the situation. The other musicians in the trio heard here have been more prolific in the recording studio. Piket, daughter of a classical composer and a standards singer, got a degree from the New England Conservatory, studied with pianists Richie Beirach, Stanley Cowell, and Fred Hersch, and was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk BMI Composers Competition. She has a baker's dozen albums as a leader, a smattering of collaborative projects, and work as a sideperson stretching back to a 1995 Lionel Hampton album. Mintz is Piket's husband (they married well after this recording was made). Three years ago, she made a solo piano recording of an entire CD's worth of his compositions. He also has a fascinating bio: already a gigging musician at the age of fifteen, and in his twenties recorded with Lee Konitz Nonet, Perry Robinson, and Gloria Gaynor, among others; during a period living in Los Angeles, he worked with an equally eclectic range of musicians, from Vinny Golia to Mose Allison to the Merv Griffin Show band. The style is free improvisation, but a quieter and more subtle form of free jazz than ESP is famous for. Reboul is a unique player, and that's why ESP considers this an important release that adds to fans' knowledge of the NYC free scene.

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: ESPDISK 5062CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

The most well-informed aficionados of NYC's jazz avant-garde speak of pianist John Blum with reverential respect, yet his discography is shockingly small for someone with a three-decade career: five albums as a leader, four as a sideman. Blum studied piano with seminal avant-gardist Cecil Taylor and ambidextrous master Borah Bergman, and it shows, yet his style at its most intense is more thickly textured than even theirs, and fully individualistic. Blum's left hand recalls James P. Johnson: energy, power, rock-solid rhythm driver of the improvisation's engine. And speaking of engines, some of Jimmy Yancey's locomotive motion is there as well. Blum is actually a very melodic player, but the melodies are short and fast and may not be repeated more than once, so that's not the quality that the average listener might take away from the experience. Nonetheless, in a 20-minute solo improvisation, he creates enough catchy motivic material that a dozen or more songs could be woven from it. Another of Blum's teachers was Milford Graves; they share the sense of music as a journey to a higher understanding and a life-altering and life-enhancing practice. Blum looks more like an athlete than a musician, but then, the way he plays piano is athletic and requires a lot of muscle and stamina. The power of the concert performance on this album (performed collaboratively with video) is a revelation. "Explosive Pianism!" --Nate Chinen, New York Times

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FB 5127LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Black vinyl. "With one foot in the past but their eyes firmly set on the future, El Michels Affair are among the leaders of a resurgent funk & soul movement from New York City that's sweeping both the music community and the charts. Led by saxophonist/organist Leon Michels and producer/engineer Jeff Silverman, El Michels Affair began as a loose collaboration of session musicians (including members of top-selling acts Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, the Budos Band, and Antibalas) that looked to blend some of the vibrant quality of soundtrack records with the recording aesthetic of early reggae, and the rawness of 60's rock -- they called it 'Cinematic Soul.' This delicate balance was evident on their 2005 debut album Sounding Out the City, which earned critical acclaim and acted as the inaugural full-length release for Michels and Silverman's burgeoning label Truth & Soul (also the moniker for the duo as a production team). The buzz generated from the album and a series of moderately successful 7" vinyl singles from Truth & Soul led to an invitation by Toyota's Scion division for El Michels Affair to accompany the rapper Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan for a promotional concert. As avid Wu-Tang fans, not only were the band leaders thrilled with the opportunity, but Michels found that the 'Cinematic Soul' sound was consistent with the moods of RZA's gritty soundscapes on the classic Wu-Tang releases. The concert was such as success, El Michels Affair went on to play several more concerts nationwide backing Raekwon and other members of the Clan, and the shows led to the recording of two smash 7" singles featuring instrumental reinterpretations of the Wu-Tang classic songs 'C.R.E.A.M.' and 'Bring Da Ruckus.' The singles combined to sell an extraordinary amount of over 7,000 units worldwide, and their success led to a contract in 2007 with indie hip hop powerhouse Fat Beats Records to record an entire album of Wu-Tang Clan interpolations entitled Enter the 37th Chamber. Since the contract was inked, a worldwide explosion of retro soul led by Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings has transformed the pop music landscape, and the Truth & Soul production duo have been in strong demand, recording with everyone from breakthrough Grammy-nominated artist Adele to punk rock innovator Iggy Pop. They've been commissioned for official remixes of Amy Winehouse and Dinah Washington (for the popular Verve Remixed series), and produced for Australian multi-platinum acts Jet and Gabriella Cilmi. Despite the eclectic group of clients for the Truth & Soul production company, El Michels Affair continued to build an audience within the hip hop community. A track from Sounding Out The City was sampled for Ghostface Killah's 2007 track 'Shakey Dog Lolita,' and a horn part written and performed by Michels (for Menahan Street Band) was famously lifted for Jay-Z's smash single 'Roc Boys.'"

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: FTR 659LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Recorded in Madison Wisconsin a year after In The River, the latest record from this amazing trio (Troy Schafer, Patrick Best, Mikel Dimmick) breaks a bit with Spiral Joy's drone-dominant tradition. There is a crackling, noise energy curtain surrounding much of the playing here that makes me remember the sound of the Richmond VA trio, Pelt, from whom Spiral Joy Band draw specific inspiration (as well as two members). The listed instruments are bowed gong, gong, bowed bowls, electric guitar, bowed materials amplified and acoustic, mouthpiece and effects, modified zither. So yeah, there is still a patchwork of drones at the heart of Elvehjem, but there is little in the way of uninterrupted flow. The music on this one is a cascade of sound events with a feel almost more in line with the less antic inventions of Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza than anything inside the 'rock' realm. But there has often been a certain rockist element lurking inside Spiral Joy Band's music (which supplanted the overt hayseed elements of their original iteration) and the direction and manner of their clangor here has the weight of rock rather than something more ephemeral. The two sides are presented as discreet pieces -- 'Shore' and 'Shine' -- but they run together seamlessly, both displaying surface pocks and tremors with a pride usually reserved for magic tricks. The drones are often created with a searing metallic edge, and their spiky protuberances brook no guff. If that ain't rock, at least attitudinally, I'll eat your fucking hat. In the meantime, Elvehjem, is a stone gas to listen to. And, by the way, the name is taken from a famous Wisconsin biochemist, and is not meant as a mean commentary on Orlando Bloom's obsession with the Dave Matthews Band. Although that would be warranted as well. Dig in!" --Byron Coley, 2023

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: FTR 712LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"At last, the trade edition of Schiamachy has appeared, following the test-press/tour version by more than a couple of months. The album's title is a term used to describe mock battles between warriors. It's a fair description of the music on this record, although it's safe to say the battle was a friendly one. Michael Zerang is a very well-known percussionist, composer and improviser from Chicago, with an amazing jazz-based discography. He previously appeared on the Illinois Glossalia LP (FTR 285LP, 2017) playing with Spires That in the Sunset Rise. Asheville-based guitarist Tashi Dorji is a generation younger than Zerang, but has been an unstoppable force since he hit the scene in 2009, playing in all manner of rock and improv situations. He has appeared on four other Feeding Tube releases, most often with his free form power duo, Manas. It's also worth mentioning that both musicians are nice guys. But even nice guys can get a thrilling mock battle raging, and Schiamachy is surely one for the books. Recorded at Chicago venue, The Hideout, in August 2016, the music ranges from splotchy plucking in the British plink-plonk tradition to something more akin to sophisticated post-rock noise explorations. I kept expecting passages to emerge styled more in the vein of the free-fusion ecstasies explored by McLaughlin with Tony Williams, or what Bishop, Chasny and Corsano do with Rangda, but Michael and Tashi always opted to keep their battle plans more smudged and confounding. The music is not about edges and momentum, it's about textures and collaging. Zerang stays away from any sort of standard set-up here, choosing instead to play an instrument he calls 'Queequeg's Coffin.' He describes this as 'a large hurdy-gurdy like instrument where four cello strings are bowed simultaneously with a friction wheel that is hand-cranked.' It looks as wild as it sounds, creating vast fields of whizzing and ringing, while the guitar strings and knobs wrench and wobble and throb. The sounds on Schiamacy are all about unexpected interactions and the pleasure of new discoveries. The deeper you let these sounds into your head, the farther they'll transport you. Be not a moldy fig, embrace the unknown." --Byron Coley, 2023

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: FPE 054CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Paper, Not Plastic is the second album of solo taiko recordings by Kioto Aoki, and her first for FPE Records. Fusing the minimal with the maximal, Kioto creates a space where melody is embodied by rhythm, and composition's relation to motif is questioned. As with all of Aoki's practice (she's also a photographer and filmmaker), the medium imparts a veil: you can't see her choreography in this sonic space, but her movements are integral to the way it sounds, broadcasting through stick hits and hollow echo a robust and nuanced practice of being through time. The recordings, rich with detail and nuance, come from Aoki's close collaboration with producer Caleb Willitz, aiming to capture the aliveness of taiko in a room. Engraved here, aliveness is surely what you hear. Big declarations of boom, little punctuations of click, purrs of rumble and roars of motion. Distinctively, irrevocably human, drawn from nature, engaging fully with consciousness, balanced between what life is and what life comes from. A joy to listen to, to be with, and to know. Kioto Aoki is a taiko artist descending from an okiya (geisha house) performing arts family in Tokyo -- called Toyoakimoto -- with roots dating back to the Edo period. Her musical practice maintains a balance of retaining the artistic and aesthetic integrity of traditional Japanese music with a musical flexibility that extends beyond the measures of cultural preservation. Her playing is informed by the Japanese aesthetics of ma, while challenging the common misinterpretation and beliefs of percussion as rhythm, and often uses stoic gestures of sonic textures, abstracted soundscapes and embodied phrasing that incorporates choreography as part of melody."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: GGGR 131LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Originally co-released by Helicopter and Troniks as CDs, Magnetic Stencil 1-3 is a series of albums produced using an expanded ensemble of recorded sound contributions from a large and diverse group over the course of the three volumes. While elements from the individual artists may ebb and flow throughout the releases, the series once again highlights John Wiese's uncanny abilities as an architect of creative sound. Composed and mixed by John Wiese in Cleveland, Ohio throughout 2020, featuring: Aaron Dilloway, James Fella, Hair Stylistics, Aaron Hemphill, C. Lavender, Charmaine Lee, Lasse Marhaug, Katsura Mouri, and C. Spencer Yeh. Magnetic Stencil 2 features Aaron Dilloway, T. Mikawa, Joe Potts, and Robert Turman. Magnetic Stencil 3 features Mitchell Brown, James Fella, Nathan Howdeshell, Tim Kinsella, John Collins McCormick, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Howard Stelzer, Dennis Tyfus, Katie Vonderheide, and C. Spencer Yeh."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: GGGR 132LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Originally co-released by Helicopter and Troniks as CDs, Magnetic Stencil 1-3 is a series of albums produced using an expanded ensemble of recorded sound contributions from a large and diverse group over the course of the three volumes. While elements from the individual artists may ebb and flow throughout the releases, the series once again highlights John Wiese's uncanny abilities as an architect of creative sound. Composed and mixed by John Wiese in Cleveland, Ohio throughout 2020, featuring: Aaron Dilloway, T. Mikawa, Joe Potts, and Robert Turman. Magnetic Stencil 1 features Aaron Dilloway, James Fella, Hair Stylistics, Aaron Hemphill, C. Lavender, Charmaine Lee, Lasse Marhaug, Katsura Mouri, and C. Spencer Yeh. Magnetic Stencil 3 features Mitchell Brown, James Fella, Nathan Howdeshell, Tim Kinsella, John Collins McCormick, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Howard Stelzer, Dennis Tyfus, Katie Vonderheide, and C. Spencer Yeh."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: GGGR 133LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Originally co-released by Helicopter and Troniks as CDs, Magnetic Stencil 1-3 is a series of albums produced using an expanded ensemble of recorded sound contributions from a large and diverse group over the course of the three volumes. While elements from the individual artists may ebb and flow throughout the releases, the series once again highlights John Wiese's uncanny abilities as an architect of creative sound. Composed and mixed by John Wiese in Cleveland, Ohio throughout 2020, featuring: Mitchell Brown, James Fella, Nathan Howdeshell, Tim Kinsella, John Collins McCormick, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Howard Stelzer, Dennis Tyfus, Katie Vonderheide, and C. Spencer Yeh. Magnetic Stencil 1 features Aaron Dilloway, James Fella, Hair Stylistics, Aaron Hemphill, C. Lavender, Charmaine Lee, Lasse Marhaug, Katsura Mouri, and C. Spencer Yeh. Magnetic Stencil 2 features Aaron Dilloway, T. Mikawa, Joe Potts, and Robert Turman."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: VPGS 7076LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. "Cries From The Youth' rounds up ten in-demand 80's roots anthems. Produced by King jammy 'Cries From The Youth' showcases the rising stars of the '80s 'longside '70s elders like Dennis Brown & Junior Murvin. Conscious reggae very much standing the test of time!"

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 168LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Guerssen Records present a reissue of Salem Mass's Witch Burning, originally released in 1971. The only fully-authorized vinyl reissue of Salem Mass in the current market. Ultimate US hard-psychedelic/proto-prog burner. Obscure Sabbath-esque hard-rock band Salem Mass self-released their only album in 1971. Recorded at a beer bar converted studio, Witch Burning consists of seven tracks full of ripping guitar, crazy Moog attacks, heavy keyboards, demented vocals and satanic/occult related lyrics, especially in the mind-blowing, ten-minute long title track. Original artwork. Remastered sound from the original masters. Includes insert with liner notes and rare photos/memorabilia. Hard cardboard sleeve; obi.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: GUESS 210LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Repressed. Top notch hard-rock/proto metal by post-Atomic Rooster and pre-Hard Stuff band Bullet, featuring the explosive guitar and vocals of John Du Cann (The Attack, Andromeda, Atomic Rooster) plus bass player John Gustafson (Quatermass, Roxy Music, Ian Gillan Band), and Paul Hammond (Atomic Rooster) on drums. Their legendary studio recordings from 1970-71, now for the first time on vinyl. Gatefold sleeve with detailed liner notes and photos. RIYL: Hard Stuff, Captain Beyond, Uriah Heep, Dust. "... gritty sounding, blues based power trio built around John Du Cann's unlimited arsenal of crunchy guitar riffs and scorching solos..." --Ryan Sparks (Sea Of Tranquility).

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: HGBS 18005LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Post-war musical history was written in Germany with the MPS label: noble music productions with many international greats come from the Black Forest and are timelessly legendary. Some treasures from the label's archive are released by HGBSBlue on high-quality vinyl. More than 20 top-class jazz musicians met in July 1965 for a jazz workshop at the Ruhr Festival in Recklinghausen and recorded a total of 17 pieces. Nine tracks from the live recording were to be released the same year as the first double LP on the young Villingen jazz label SABA (the forerunner of MPS). Everything was prepared for this, but it never happened. It is not really clear why, because everything was technically ready for release. With Hans Koller, Rolf Kühn, Leo Wright, Benny Bailey, Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Ross, Stuff Smith and others, many leading players of the jazz scene at the time were involved. However, the two music tapes were not pressed onto record and slumbered unheard for many years in the MPS archive in Villingen. In 2018, on the 50th anniversary of the MPS label, this was made up for: the double LP, which was to be released as Junges Forum 65 by SABA, was released by HGBSBlue in a limited edition and is now also available here. The music of the workshop formation is still full of sparkling creativity today, almost 60 years after it was recorded. You can hear first-class jazz on a bebop basis, which was played in Europe at that time by an immensely creative generation of musicians full of commitment. A listening pleasure for every jazz fan on the one hand, but also a wonderful documentation captured on this double LP."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: FL 1016LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"The string of albums Culture recorded during the late '70s contained some of the most reliably solid sets from the tail end of reggae's roots era. These early releases for the production team of Joe Gibbs and Errol 'E.T.' Thompson yielded the group's finest work . . . The typically excellent assembly of session men respond to such material with an appropriately light touch: the exemplary rhythm work of keyboardists Ansel Collins and Earl Lindo and guitarist Willie Lindo is kept under close watch by the great Sly Dunbar. The drummer's playing is effortless as he alternates the makeup of a particular pattern or subtly changes up the rhythm, heading into a chorus. Closer attention to the backing for tracks like 'Behold,' 'Tell Me Where You Get It,' and 'Vacancy' reveals the sort of strength, though subtle, that drives the best roots music." --Nathan Bush, All Music Guide

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: HOS 769LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Hospital Productions announces Trick on double LP. Trick is deeply important to the Hospital history as it was the first time working with the icon Richard Ramirez in 1999. Five tracks spread across each disc, "Only If You Want To Fuck" and "Voyage Of Tempted Flesh." Trick shows Ramirez at his most focused, linear, and darkest. Listeners will be torn between minimalist brittle static and eerie envelope-filter delayed electronics creating a chasm of gravel and a subsequent rising dusty atmosphere. waves of searing feedback crashing right into your brain! Red vinyl with red-eyed hot foil stamp cover. Digital download code included.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: ANGELICA 053CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Born in 1966, Uday Bhawalkar studied Dhrupad for more than 12 years, following the traditional method of transmission from guru to disciple (guru-shishya parampara), under the supervision of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, and in 1987 was awarded the Dagar Swarna Padak prize by the legendary Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar Sahab of Senior Dagar Brothers -- all three of them members of the Dagar Family who have been passing on this music tradition since the 15th century. In addition to performing at the most prestigious classical Indian music festivals since a young age, Uday Bhawalkar has collaborated internationally with artists from different music traditions, amongst whom the choreographer Astad Deboo and the Ensemble Modern of contemporary music. He has also contributed to the soundtrack of films such as Cloud Door by Mani Kaul, Mr & Mrs Iyer by Aparna Sen, Anahat by Amol Palekar, and more. AngelicA invited Uday Bhawalkar to perform in Bologna twice, in 2008 and 2019. Despite a decades-long career his production has been poorly documented on records, and it is now enriched by Raga Yaman, on which he is accompanied by Manik Munde on the pakhavaj (a two-headed horizontal drum) and by Aniruddha Joshi and Chintan Upadhyay on tanpuras. The recording is not of one of his concerts in Bologna (during which he performed the same raga), but of a rendition of the same piece considered particularly significant, which had been privately pressed on CD by Bhawalkar only for personal use in 2006. Raga Yaman is a raga, based on a heptatonic scale, considered one of the most important and fundamental of the Hindustani tradition. It is often the first to be taught to students, but it also offers great opportunities of improvisation, and it is a raga that has been recorded by historic artists such as Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Pran Nath (in the Yaman Kalyan variant), and Uday's master himself Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, on one of his CDs from 1991 in which one of the two accompanist on the tanpura was Uday himself.

 

PRICE: $38.00

CAT #: ITR 286LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Fuzz has abandonment issues. Abandoning expectation. Abandoning reservation, consummation, resignation and trite dictation. Instinct is all there is when it comes to the divination of harsh salvation. Segall, Moothart, and Ubovich are exploring all the blank-ations of what will be, or has always been, Fuzz II. Tried and true methods mixed with tongue-twisting, teeth-shattering, seizure-inducing stabs at the norm. Bathe in the heat wave that is Fuzz, and regret nothing in the time freeze. Necessity is the mother of creation; and devolution stakes its claim in the past as it continues to bind itself to the future. San Francisco, Los Angeles, heaven, hell, lunar fields, subterranean hallucinations, traffic jams, sleepless days, hazy nights, recollection or blind reflection. To translate the auditory from ethereal to saliva-soaked semantics is to shatter a promise as it's made. In the meantime, Ty, Charles, and Chad walk on. It is what it is. Just like everything else."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: JPR 086LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Debut 1969 album by New Orleans funk legends The Meters. Sourced From the original 1969 analog master tapes. Cut by Kevin Gray of Cohearant Audio. Features the hit song 'Cissy Strut.' Limited color vinyl pressing."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: JPR 087LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"1970 seminal second album by The Meters. Featuring the hit track 'Look-Ka Py Py.' Sourced from the original 1970 analog master tapes. Cut by Kevin Gray of Cohearant Audio. Limited color vinyl pressing."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: JPR 088LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Third album from The Meters, originally released in 1970. Features the hits 'Chicken Strut,' 'Hand Clapping Song,' and more. A classic and heavily sampled record. Sourced from the original 1970 analog master tapes. Cut by Kevin Gray of Cohearant Audio. Limited color vinyl pressing."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: LMS 5521768

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Limited restock. LP version. White vinyl. In 1997, after a lengthy hiatus, Echo & The Bunnymen returned to the fore with Evergreen, revealing the brighter side of the band, and standing up with any of their earlier work. The self-produced album was recorded at The Doghouse in Henley-On-Thames with additional strings, horns, and vocal arrangements recorded at Abbey Road. The album saw the band rightfully return to the UK album charts at #8, with three singles ("Nothing Lasts Forever", "I Want to Be There (When You Come)", and "Don't Let It Get You Down") entering the UK top 50. "Nothing Lasts Forever" (with backing vocals and tambourine by Liam Gallagher) has grown to become one of the band's most enduring and well-loved songs -- a UK Top 10 and a fan favorite to this day. To celebrate its 25-year anniversary, London Records releases Evergreen.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: LMS 5521937

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Jimmy Somerville's debut solo album Read My Lips, reissued with rarities and new remixes. Originally released in 1989, the album enjoyed gold sales and three Top 30 hits in the UK, as well as Jimmy's Top 10 cover of Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". Includes new liner notes from journalist and author Paul Burston.Double-CD version (LMS 5521937) includes new and classic remixes, unreleased demos and B-sides and a 24-page booklet. Single-LP, solid blue vinyl version (LMS 5521938) comes in a blue sleeve; includes printed inners. Deluxe, double-LP, crystal clear vinyl version (LMS 5521939) comes in an orange sleeve; includes six bonus new and classic remixes and B-sides; includes printed inner sleeves.2CD (LMS 5521937) version features AMYL, Gerd Janson, Pascal Gabriel, Arpeggius, Claudia Brücken, and William Orbit. Deluxe, double-LP, crystal clear vinyl version (LMS 5521939) features AMYL, William Orbit, June et Jim, Madame Tata, and Pascal Gabriel.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: LMS 5521938

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Solid blue vinyl; includes printed inners. Jimmy Somerville's debut solo album Read My Lips, reissued with rarities and new remixes. Originally released in 1989, the album enjoyed gold sales and three Top 30 hits in the UK, as well as Jimmy's Top 10 cover of Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". Includes new liner notes from journalist and author Paul Burston.

 

PRICE: $43.00

CAT #: LMS 5521939

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Double LP version. Crystal clear vinyl. Orange sleeve; two printed inner sleeves. Jimmy Somerville's debut solo album Read My Lips, reissued with rarities and new remixes. Originally released in 1989, the album enjoyed gold sales and three Top 30 hits in the UK, as well as Jimmy's Top 10 cover of Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". Includes new liner notes from journalist and author Paul Burston. Deluxe, double-LP, crystal clear vinyl version (LMS 5521939) features AMYL, William Orbit, June et Jim, Madame Tata, and Pascal Gabriel.

 

PRICE: $11.50

CAT #: LCD 1001CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock. 1990 release. Centered around the mesmerizing voice of Robert Ashley, presented here is early version (released on LP by Lovely Music in 1979) of "The Park" and "The Backyard", a masterpiece in its simplicity of form and in the purity and intensity of its effect on the listener. These two pieces were later to become the opening and closing segments of the seven part opera for television, Perfect Lives. Personnel: Robert Ashley - voice; "Blue" Gene Tyranny - keyboards; Kris - tablas.

 

PRICE: $11.50

CAT #: LCD 1013CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock; originally released by Lovely Music in 1981. In this fascinating exploration of acoustical phenomena, Alvin Lucier slips from the domain of language to that of music in the course of 40 minutes and 32 repetitions of a simple paragraph of text. In I Am Sitting In A Room, several sentences of recorded speech are simultaneously played back into a room and re-recorded there many times. As the repetitive process continues, those sounds common to the original spoken statement and those implied by the structural dimensions of the room are reinforced. The others are gradually eliminated. The space acts as a filter; the speech is transformed into pure sound. All the recorded segments are spliced together in the order in which they were made and constitute the work. I Am Sitting In A Room was composed in 1970 and was first performed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City that same year. A second version was made in 1972 to accompany the dance, Dune, performed by the Viola Farber Dance Company at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Since that time, numerous versions of this composition have been realized in various ways by other musicians, including a Swedish radio broadcast version. This recording was made by Alvin Lucier on October 29th and 31st, 1980, in the living room of his home in Middletown, CT. The material was recorded on a Nagra tape recorder with an Electro-Voice 635 dynamic microphone and played back on one channel of a Revox A77 tape recorder, Dynaco amplifier, and a KLH Model Six loudspeaker. It consists of thirty-two generations of Alvin Lucier's speech and was made expressly for Lovely Music, Ltd.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: MIG 072CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Since the 1980s, Mario Schönwälder, born in West-Berlin/Germany, has been involved in the production of electronic sounds, first in the environment of Bernd Kistenmacher, and later mainly in duo and triple formations. In 1992 Mario founded his own label Manikin Records, on which he released his albums from then on. Four years earlier, Mario Schönwälder had released Aus einer anderen Zeit..., his first solo work, which was launched in a limited edition and only as a cassette. One year later followed The Eye Of The Chameleon, an album completely in the style of the Berlin School, with a melancholic, partly even somewhat gloomy basic mood. He dedicated the title 'Earthtime' to a deceased friend. The album was released on Bernd Kistenmacher's label Musique Intemporelle, the Berlin electronic musician and label boss described his ever slightly pensive artist as a 'pessimistic optimist' at that time. A nice re-issue with personal words by Mario Schönwälder in the booklet about the making of the album."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: MATERIAL 008LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Dirg Gerner is a lover, a vulnerable observer, and an artist who's managed to create an effective interface with an ever-accelerating world. He may appear mysterious and media-shy; but when it comes to vocalizing, he's a raw, uncut soul-element. Unintentionally off-grid and committed to his personal evolution, he is more of a souldocumentarian than a singer-songwriter. Drop the needle on Simple Man and the jaggedness of modern life dissipates altogether. You're wrapped up in a warm cocoon now -- the type of sound that feels almost tangible, moving in sync with the ebb and flow of the human heart beat. And, when the man begins to sing, he starts dropping jewel after jewel wrapped up in silky, breathy harmonies: wisdom distilled from life, concentrated and served in emotionally charged plain-speak. Features Theo Croker.

 

PRICE: $41.00

CAT #: MMA 003LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A state-of-the-art '80s Yugoslavian new wave reissue. Lubljana-based band new wave archive finally repressed. Videosex was the biggest Yugoslav electronic pop band, formed in Ljubljana in 1982. Their singer Anja Rupel sung on Laibach's 1988 version of the Beatles' "Across the Universe" and their drummer Iztok Turk produced early Laibach records. The release of their eponymous debut album in 1984 and the subsequent major live and TV performances propelled the young band into major stardom. The follow-up was highly anticipated: in March 1985, Videosex released Lacrimae Christi to critical and general acclaim. In comparison with the first album, the production on the Lacrimae Christi was state-of-the-art, as the most modern recording and composing techniques were used. The songs "Sivi dan" ("Gloomy Day") and "Tko je zgazio gospo?u mjesec" ("Who Ran Over Mrs. Moon") became nationwide hits. For fans of early new wave sounds, Bronski Beat, Propaganda, Denis & Denis. 180 gram, gold vinyl.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: MKY 033LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Legendary debut album by Junko Tange, originally issued by Osaka's Vanity Records. Dadaesque recitations and sparse guitar, piano and electronic meanderings combine for a beguiling, hypnotic dreamworld. Officially licensed from the custodians of Yuzuru Agi's Vanity Records archives, this edition has been fully remastered from brand new transfers of the original analog tapes by Stephan Mathieu."

 

PRICE: $37.00

CAT #: PALTO 013LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Woo, the project of brothers Mark and Clive Ives, return to Palto Flats for the reissue of Into The Heart Of Love, originally released on cassette in 1990. Formed in the seventies in South London, the duo developed a cult following over the years, with renewed interest in their catalog through 2010s reissues by labels such as Drag City and Emotional Rescue. Woo's music, encompassing new-age, folk, ambient electronic and jazz idioms, yet transformed into a fully inimitable sound, is the profound result of years of brothers honing and tinkering with their craft from their home studio. Into The Heart Of Love, often heralded by fans as their most complete work -- sees the group expanding their sound over 20 plus tracks, utilizing vocoded clarinets, homespun folk melodies, and lilting electronics, coalescing into a journey traversing through otherworldly soundscapes. Containing touchstone Woo tracks such as 'Make Me Tea,' a duet between Mark Ives and Sue Amor over guitar and clarinet, 'It's Love,' a classically influenced guitar ballad, and 'Hopi,' Woo's astrologically influenced cosmically propulsive opener, which hints at the sonic adventure to ensue. Closing the album is the never before released vocal version of 'It's Love,' a testament to the healing power of love. This edition sees the album released for the first time in its entirety on vinyl, spread over two LPs, as well as a limited cassette reissue, all meticulously remastered by Stephan Mathieu from newly discovered hi-quality DAT masters. The gatefold jacket features new liner notes by Clive Ives, along with photos, drawings and images from the brothers' archives, with cover art inspired by its 1990 cassette release. Often lovingly held in the same regard and referenced knowingly to bands such as the Durutti Column, Cluster, and the Penguin Café Orchestra, Woo surrounds the listener with a transformative warmth. The band describes this album as their most all-encompassing collection of material, and it remains a highlight of their catalog. The brothers continue to record and self-release material from their home in Brighton, England to this day, manifesting new sounds along the way."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: RPUT 040X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Transparent pink vinyl. The sixth album from Californian psych-pop artist. Lionel "Vinyl" Williams is an American multimedia artist based in Los Angeles. Vinyl Williams' music is deeply intertwined with his other media of expression (graphic design, interactive website, and videos) with whom he shapes a consistent immersive new-age-infused psychedelic universe. Vinyl Williams' celestial pop is part of the construction of his own Cosmopolis, an ideal city, where the skyline is drawn by marvelous organic architecture and monumental ancient structures, where while walking on twisted paths, you can hear indistinctly lush vocals, iridescent gauzy keyboard harmonies, and rolling rhythms. Without acknowledging it, you are floating, your soul can ramble, free to imagine. Musically, Cosmopolis is a synthesis of Williams' craze, his contemporary dream-pop production, '60s sunshine pop influences, Brazilian Tropicália hints, jazz chords, and complex arrangement. With this sixth album, Cosmopolis, Vinyl Williams continues to dig deep into his parallel universe, which he has developed with a rare consistency. From chaos emerges harmony and incredible pop songs. For fans of Triptides, Gold Celeste, Toro y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, GUM, Tame Impala, Chris Cohen, Morgan Delt, Dungen, Dumbo Gets Mad, Pond, Maston, Holy Wave, Arthur Verocai, The Free Design, The Association, Once And Future Band...

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: SCAT 087LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia was Guided By Voices' third album, self-released by the band in 1988 in a pressing of 500. While both of the band's earlier albums exhibit strong songwriting and plenty of vision, it is here that the GBV sound really begins to coalesce. While Devil Between My Toes is rife with contrasts, variety, and dark psychedelia, and its follow up Sandbox is a cohesive '60s-influenced affair, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia marries the two approaches to outstanding effect. Unsurprisingly, recording began before Sandbox was even done pressing. These sessions would yield an aborted LP titled Learning To Hunt, but after personnel changes and second thoughts, Robert Pollard shelved most of the tracks, dismissing them as too similar to those on Sandbox. Fair enough, as many of Pollard's more recent songs were simply on another level than previously. Here are the first of the classic Pollard slow-burners, often built on a simple melodic or rhythmic figure that circles itself ever outward, accumulating heft, variation, and inevitability as the song evolves into something unexpected yet inevitable. It's the aural equivalent to watching a butterfly grow out of its cocoon. A few things are unique to this particular LP. Original powerhouse drummer Peyton Eric returns for nearly half the tracks, while engineer and lead guitarist Steve Wilbur shines at his brightest, resulting in some of the most thoroughly rocking GBV songs to ever be cut to lacquer, such as 'Earful o' Wax,' which simply explodes out of the speakers when the solo section begins. On the other end of the spectrum, you get Pollard recording perfect pop gems at home with just voice and guitar, which would become a calling card on later GBV albums. There's simply a tremendous variety of material, all strung together in such a way that the album is all of one piece, a mosaic."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SCAT 087X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Yellow vinyl version. "Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia was Guided By Voices' third album, self-released by the band in 1988 in a pressing of 500. While both of the band's earlier albums exhibit strong songwriting and plenty of vision, it is here that the GBV sound really begins to coalesce. While Devil Between My Toes is rife with contrasts, variety, and dark psychedelia, and its follow up Sandbox is a cohesive '60s-influenced affair, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia marries the two approaches to outstanding effect. Unsurprisingly, recording began before Sandbox was even done pressing. These sessions would yield an aborted LP titled Learning To Hunt, but after personnel changes and second thoughts, Robert Pollard shelved most of the tracks, dismissing them as too similar to those on Sandbox. Fair enough, as many of Pollard's more recent songs were simply on another level than previously. Here are the first of the classic Pollard slow-burners, often built on a simple melodic or rhythmic figure that circles itself ever outward, accumulating heft, variation, and inevitability as the song evolves into something unexpected yet inevitable. It's the aural equivalent to watching a butterfly grow out of its cocoon. A few things are unique to this particular LP. Original powerhouse drummer Peyton Eric returns for nearly half the tracks, while engineer and lead guitarist Steve Wilbur shines at his brightest, resulting in some of the most thoroughly rocking GBV songs to ever be cut to lacquer, such as 'Earful o' Wax,' which simply explodes out of the speakers when the solo section begins. On the other end of the spectrum, you get Pollard recording perfect pop gems at home with just voice and guitar, which would become a calling card on later GBV albums. There's simply a tremendous variety of material, all strung together in such a way that the album is all of one piece, a mosaic."

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: S4R 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Welcome to Soul4Real's second album, a collection of originally unreleased tracks which feature a whole host of soul royalty. First off are two songs from the inimitable Bobby Bland, both of which hail from his prolific period at Duke Records. Sandwiched between two stunning Chicago recordings by Etta James is the later 'I Never Meant To Love Him,' taken from a Philly session she recorded with Bobby Martin. Fontella Bass brings this side to a close with a mysterious Chicago recording of which, to this day, hardly anything is known. Side two transports us to Detroit, when Motown was at the peak of its output. 1966 was not a good year to secure the approval of quality control, as proven in the rejection of this wonderful Velvelettes´ version of 'Your Heart Belongs To Me.' It was in that same year that Ashford and Simpson arrived at Hitsville as both singers and songwriters. Their 'Love Woke Me Up This Morning' was recorded by Brenda Holloway and produced by Norman Whitfield. Despite being overlooked at the time, its appeal was undeniable, and it later resurfaced on albums by Marvin & Tammi, Valerie Simpson, and the Temptations. As an integral member of the Motown family for over 14 years, it is surprising that to date only three songs recorded by Johnny Bristol have surfaced. In collaboration with 'Mickey' Stevenson, 'Tell Me How To Forget A True Love' was completed in May 1964. 'One Lucky Day I Found You' was inexplicably not included in the 'David' project. Ruffin´s later work with Van McCoy is also featured on this album. From almost the start of his career, Marvin Gaye had endeavored to project himself as a great balladeer, and nothing could illustrate this better than his rendition of 'I Wish I Didn't Love You So,' which brings this chapter to a perfect end." --Chris Forrest

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: SUNARK 012LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Gatefold 2LP version."Heartfelt and marbled, this album is documentation of the slow exit (the triumphal entry): moving the camera back 8 stages along the circumference of the circle to the point where the obverse is reverse, in order to celebrate the building of an edifice and then walk away from it in wisdom, gaining freedom from it."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SV 056LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. 2014 release. "Glenn Branca's first full-length album The Ascension is a colossal achievement. After touring much of 1980 with an all-star band featuring four guitarists (Branca, fellow composers Ned Sublette and David Rosenbloom, and future Sonic Youth member Lee Ranaldo) along with Jeffrey Glenn on bass and Stephan Wischerth on drums, Branca took his war-torn group into a studio in Hell's Kitchen to record five incendiary compositions. Originally released in the summer of 1981, The Ascension effectively tears down the genre-ghettos between 20th century avant-garde and ecstatic rock 'n' roll. On 'The Spectacular Commodity,' chiming, shimmering tones unfold into sinister drone-territory à la Tony Conrad, while abrasive guitars and repetitive beats retain the raw primitivism of No Wave. The title track attains a densely packed, larger-than-life sound and (as author Marc Masters says best) 'never stops climbing skyward.' With artist Robert Longo's stark front cover that depicts Branca battling an unidentified man, The Ascension is a must-have record not only for fans of early Swans and Sonic Youth, but also of Steve Reich or Slint's Tweez."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SV 077LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "In the late '70s, The Avengers established themselves as one of the US's preeminent punk bands. Fusing incisive guitar hooks, explosive rhythms and adolescent venom, the group forged some of the most in-your-face songs of the era. Their live shows were legendary, playing up and down the West Coast and even blowing Sex Pistols off the stage at the latter's final performance. As Byron Coley writes in the liner notes, 'Of the best bands of San Francisco's first wave in 1977, The Avengers were by far the coolest and youngest sounding. They roared without irony, as though this were indeed Year Zero (and, for a moment, it was), with history being overwritten by the new. The honesty of their belief was carried by their sound. And it was convincing!' Originally released in 1983, four years after the band's dissolution, The Avengers' self-titled LP is often referred to as 'The Pink Album' for its magenta-hued cover design. Frontwoman Penelope Houston's iconic voice and razor-sharp lyrics resonate on anthems 'We Are The One' and 'The American In Me,' while penetrating ballads like 'Corpus Christi' reveal a truly out-of-body euphony. The Pink Album remains The Avengers' definitive statement -- collecting their classic Dangerhouse EP, sessions recorded with the Pistols' Steve Jones and a half-dozen revelatory demos. While much has been written about The Avengers in the past three decades, rock critic Greil Marcus puts it succinctly, 'The word I always come back to is mystical, and that remains almost theirs alone.'"

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SV 114LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "If The Fall truly is a cult band, then Slates both benefits from and reinforces such shrouded obsessions. In presenting these six particular songs as a 10-inch EP, the inherent and attractive difficulty of The Fall's sound is made physical, framing the urgency of their singles from this period (notably How I Wrote 'Elastic Man' and Lie Dream of a Casino Soul) alongside lengthy rumblings normally restricted to long players. The tumbling and phased 'Middle Mass' begins on an incredible high note, segueing into the snake-charm hypnotism of 'An Older Lover Etc.' 'Slates, Slags, Etc.' is built on stretched VU-inspired riffing, complete with ace feedback bleed that doubtlessly went on long after fade-out. Ultimately, it's the piercing chimes of guitar and marching drum grind of 'Prole Art Threat' that elevates Slates beyond oddity. Truly one of Mark E. Smith's finest, busiest and most enigmatic performances, equally matched by a band at the peak of their powers. LP edition compiles the six tracks from the original EP release, their March 1981 Peel session and an early '80s studio outtake. Liner notes by Brian Turner."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: TW V-LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Over the past decade Sult has created a thrillingly dynamic and visceral sound world, forging a musical unity while also asserting the radically unique languages of its three core members, Guro Skumsnes Moe (contrabass) and Håvard Skaset (acoustic guitar) from Norway along with Jacob Felix Heule (percussion) based in California. Their raw acoustic improvisations crackle with an energy that makes indirect communications reverberate on a cosmic level. Their music evokes natural phenomena; storms, landslides, tectonic frictions, lightning splitting forests of trees. Sult exists on the outer edges of free improvisation and the avant-garde, echoing the multi-layered, sonic intensity of AMM's Crypt era as well as Mauricio Kagel's most physical/textural work and the existential force of Helmut Lachenmann's "instrumental musique concrète". Always I Gnaw is the sharpest realization of Sult's vision to date. Over the course of three pieces the group deploys extended techniques and invents original approaches to their instruments with a joyous fervor. Moe's contrabass brims with primal urgency, sometimes providing ballast and at other times glancing away in unpredictable directions. Skaset's guitar scrapes and snaps like a fire's embers giving way to air, all the while Heul's percussive frictions percolate from a distilled concentration, piercing the sonic maelstrom. The title of the album's closing track, "The Freedom of Others Extends Mine To Infinity" quotes Mikhail Bakunin, the 19th century revolutionary anarchist, and perhaps perfectly encapsulates the uncompromising ethos and spirit that is embodied by Sult's music. The trio's distinct voices both splinter and resonate in sympathy; individual demonstrations of virtuosity become utterly unnecessary. The combination of quick-tempered interactions, noisy brutality and acoustic earthiness results in an album that glows with a healing, free-spirited wonder and an astoundingly unified wholeness. Featuring the photography of Aage Villy Skåret. Presented in three variant tip-on jackets with gloss film laminate finishes, contrasting uncoated paper and metallic spot colors. Includes 27" x 11.5" tri-fold insert printed on both sides. Heavy tip-on jacket with three variant covers, film laminate gloss, contrasting uncoated paper and metallic spot color. Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: LH 030LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Doin' It Right was originally released in 1973 and re-issued by Luv n'Haight in 1999. Considered a sacred gem in the soul and rare groove canon, it would fetch $500 and upward on the collectors' market. Mike James Kirkland's sweet soulful voice floats off the turntable and into the collective consciousness on killer joints like 'Got To Do It Right,' 'Love Insurance,' and 'The Only Change,' plus five other groovy tracks."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: VNT 201LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. "J Dilla is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, having supplied timeless soundbeds for the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, The Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes, Common, De La Soul, The Roots, D'Angelo, Erykah Babu, Madlib, and many more. In 2005, rumors began circulating about an album called Jay Love Japan, a J Dilla solo project inspired by one of Jay Dee's favorite locations to visit on tour. After Dilla's untimely death in early 2006, the album became a lost classic shrouded in mystery, with only unofficial bootlegs and promo versions available. An official CD version was eventually released in 2008, but quickly went out of print. Now, the album is finally receiving the official release it always deserved."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: CDWEIN 023CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Recorded at the historical Kaleidophon Festival in Ulrichsberg (Austria) in 2008, this is the result of the duo meeting between Barre Phillips, one of the most influential bassists in the history of contemporary jazz, and clarinets specialist Giancarlo "Nino" Locatelli one of the most rigorous figures on the Italian creative scene. Dance of the Scorpions consists of four beautiful, dynamic, and well-recorded improvised dialogues between two uncompromising musicians in full power who eventually decided to dedicate the whole album to master improviser Coleman Hawkins.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: CDWEIN 024CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

This live performance, recorded in an ancient church, is based on some of the music conceived over the last few years by saxophone player Francesco Aroni Vigone. The recording location was chosen for its particular acoustics, perfect for a saxophone "solo" and its aptitude for meditation. The performance took place during worship hours, in front of an unusual "audience" in an unusual "liturgy." The pieces are monodic songs that can be traced back mainly to the concept of repetition, but also pay attention to the harmonic overlap provided by the acoustics. Songs that can be associated with different paces and their rhythm. In some cases they are fragments that develop into improvisations as in "Marea" and "Orbita."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: WRJ 002CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock. We Release Jazz (WRWTFWW Records' new sister-label) present the official reissue of criminally overlooked Japanese jazz gem Mellow Dream by Hokkaido pianist wunderkind Ryo Fukui, originally released in 1977. Released in conjunction with the its legendary predecessor 1976's Scenery (WRJ 001CD/LTD-LP). Firmly standing on the foundation he laid down with Scenery, Ryo Fukui continues his exploration of modal, bop, and cool jazz sounds with meticulous grace and absolute mastery. As its title suggests, Mellow Dream ventures into slightly mellower, more soulful, and sometimes more contemplative territories (the Bill Evans-reminiscent "Mellow Dream" and "My Foolish Heart") while still packing the commanding punch Fukui's work is loved for, as heard on the amazingly bombastic "Baron Potato Blues" or the gigantic McCoy Tyner/John Coltrane-influenced "Horizon" which sees each member of the trio -- Satoshi Denpo is on bass and Yoshinori Fukui is on drums -- demonstrating their virtuosity for nine exhilarating minutes. With his sophomore album, Ryo Fukui swings from melancholy to vibrant joy with ease, and reminds you that jazz is best served with a pinch of blues, and displays an immensely rare combination of pure talent, unique personal approach and focused discipline. The man undeniably deserves a spot in the pantheon of all-time great jazz pianists. After releasing the outstanding Scenery and Mellow Dream back-to-back, Ryo Fukui worked on developing his live skills, often performing at Sapporo's Slowboat Jazz Club (which he co-founded with his wife Yasuko Fukui), and even releasing two live albums. He sadly passed away in March 2016, leaving behind a legacy of works that all jazz lovers should explore. Sourced from the original masters. CD comes in digipack.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: WWSCD 076CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Wewantsounds announce the first international reissue of Ayako Shinozaki's Music Now For Harp released in 1974 by Nippon Columbia. The LP was released on the label's cult "Master Sonic" series and features Shinozaki's harp soundscape on works by renowned composer Toru Takemitsu and Katsuhiro Tsubono. The highlight of the album is the spaced-out, ethereal 25-min ambient epic "Heterodyne" featuring cult musician Takehisa Kosugi (Taj Mahal Travellers, Group Ongaku) on electric violin and sound waves. Japanese harpist Ayako Shinozaki first studied in Japan, then at Julliard in New York and, upon her return in Japan in the early 1970s, she launched her yearly "Harp No Koten" recital (the first or which took place in 1972) with the idea of pushing the boundaries of the instrument, delving into the more experimental side of the spectrum and following in the recent steps by Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane to get the instrument out of classical music. The album Music Now For Harp is the fruit of this first recital and is composed of three pieces that were played there. The first piece, "Stanza II" was composed by Toru Takemitsu, one of the most famous contemporary Japanese composers of the 20th century. "Stanza II" was written in 1971 for Swiss harpist Ursula Holliger and is a subtle piece featuring Shinozaki's harp intertwined with tapes of drones, birdcall and street sounds. It's typical of the music composed by Takemitsu at the time and in the Japanese notes, he refers to the music as "a midday scene, a stone shatters the silence, words are exchanged, a bird crosses the sky, casting no shadow." The second piece of the album, "Poem of Lin" was written by the young Japanese composer Katsuhiro Tsubono (who was 25 years old at the time). The piece was composed for harp, bells and voice and is an eerie yet percussive soundscape emphasizing Shinozaki's interplay with percussion and voice. The final piece "Heterodyne" makes up the whole of side two, composed by legendary Japanese musician Takehisa Kosugi. It is an extraordinary piece of music featuring Shinozaki's harp and Kosugi violin dialoguing over Kosugi's added electronic effects. The piece is a deep, spiritual journey mixing the organic feel of the harp and violin with the futuristic touch brought by Kosugi's hypnotic, almost funky sound waves. Newly remastered by Nippon Columbia. Original artwork designed by legendary Japanese graphic designer Kohei Sugiura. Includes two-page insert with new liner notes by Alan Cummings.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: WWSLP 076LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. Wewantsounds announce the first international reissue of Ayako Shinozaki's Music Now For Harp released in 1974 by Nippon Columbia. The LP was released on the label's cult "Master Sonic" series and features Shinozaki's harp soundscape on works by renowned composer Toru Takemitsu and Katsuhiro Tsubono. The highlight of the album is the spaced-out, ethereal 25-min ambient epic "Heterodyne" featuring cult musician Takehisa Kosugi (Taj Mahal Travellers, Group Ongaku) on electric violin and sound waves. Japanese harpist Ayako Shinozaki first studied in Japan, then at Julliard in New York and, upon her return in Japan in the early 1970s, she launched her yearly "Harp No Koten" recital (the first or which took place in 1972) with the idea of pushing the boundaries of the instrument, delving into the more experimental side of the spectrum and following in the recent steps by Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane to get the instrument out of classical music. The album Music Now For Harp is the fruit of this first recital and is composed of three pieces that were played there. The first piece, "Stanza II" was composed by Toru Takemitsu, one of the most famous contemporary Japanese composers of the 20th century. "Stanza II" was written in 1971 for Swiss harpist Ursula Holliger and is a subtle piece featuring Shinozaki's harp intertwined with tapes of drones, birdcall and street sounds. It's typical of the music composed by Takemitsu at the time and in the Japanese notes, he refers to the music as "a midday scene, a stone shatters the silence, words are exchanged, a bird crosses the sky, casting no shadow." The second piece of the album, "Poem of Lin" was written by the young Japanese composer Katsuhiro Tsubono (who was 25 years old at the time). The piece was composed for harp, bells and voice and is an eerie yet percussive soundscape emphasizing Shinozaki's interplay with percussion and voice. The final piece "Heterodyne" makes up the whole of side two, composed by legendary Japanese musician Takehisa Kosugi. It is an extraordinary piece of music featuring Shinozaki's harp and Kosugi violin dialoguing over Kosugi's added electronic effects. The piece is a deep, spiritual journey mixing the organic feel of the harp and violin with the futuristic touch brought by Kosugi's hypnotic, almost funky sound waves. Newly remastered by Nippon Columbia. Original artwork designed by legendary Japanese graphic designer Kohei Sugiura. Includes two-page insert with new liner notes by Alan Cummings.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: WWSLP 078LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Wewantsounds team up with Disco Arabesquo for the reissue of Nagat El Seghira's cult 1980 album Eyoun El Alb. Originally released only on cassette on the Egyptian label Soutelphan, the album has since become a sought-after classic on the Arabic groove scene and this is the first time it is released on vinyl. Consisting of four tracks, the album features two tracks, "Bahlam Meaak" and "Ana Bashaa El Bahr" produced by Hany Shenouda whose group Al Massrieen is a reference to the Arabic funk scene. The long title track "Eyoun el Alb" features a more traditional percussion-heavy orchestra enhancing Nagat's languorous singing and was recorded live while the track "Fakra" brings the best of both world with a syncopated rhythm and arrangements that are slightly more traditional than the Shenouda-produced tracks. When it comes to Arabic Divas, Oum Kalthoum, Fairuz and Warda usually take the lead in the poll list. But in her native Egypt, singer Nagat Al Saghira comes very close to this triumvirate. She rose to fame in the late forties and became an essential part of classic period of Arabic music, interpreting songs by such titans as Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Baligh Hamdy and Kamal Al Taweel. One such song is "Eyoun El Alb" ("Eyes of the Heart") which makes up the whole of Side 1 of the original cassette. Written by Mohamed El Mougy and Abd al-Rahman al-Abdouni, "Eyoun El Alb" is a love song made up of several distinct sections enhancing Nagat's hypnotic singing, accompanied by a percussion-heavy, traditional Egyptian orchestra. Side 2 is the "diggers" groovier side featuring two floaters, "Bahlam Ma'ak" ("I Dream with You") and "Ana Basha El Bahr" ("I Adore the Sea") produced by cult Egyptian musician and producer Hany Shenouda. Both tracks feature an infectious slow-burning groove and incorporate funk influences with fat bass and lines of synth and clavinet that adds a funky tone to Nagat's soft singing. The third track "Fakra" ("Do You Remember") brings the best of both worlds with a syncopated rhythm and arrangements that are slightly more traditional than the Shenouda-produced tracks. The album is now making its vinyl debut on Wewantsounds annotated by Disco Arabesquo and remastered for vinyl by Colorsound Studio in Paris for the joy of Arabic funk and Global beats worldwide. It includes the original cassette artwork plus a two-page color insert featuring liner notes by Disco Arabesquo.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: WH 369CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Outstanding drummer Mike Clark unites with Blue Note trumpeter Eddie Henderson, fellow Headhunter Bill Summers, Skerik, Wayne Horvitz, and Blackjazz Records legendary bassist Henry Franklin for an amazing new release on Wide Hive Records. Kosen Rufu is 10 well-crafted compositions that are drawn together by awesome musicianship and a classic version of Erik Dolphy's 'Hat and Beard.' Mike Clark is one of the most sampled drummers in history. Here he reunites with Bill Summers; both were in many bands together and most notably Herbie Hancock's Thrust and Man Child. Joining the rhythm section is Henry Franklin on standup Bass; known for his work with Hugh Masekela, Stevie Wonder, and his eponymous release on Blackjazz Records. Also in the band are Skerik on saxophone (Galactic) and virtuoso pianist Wayne Horvitz."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: WSR 050CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

In Blood is the 14th album by Hey Colossus and the follow-up to 2020's critically acclaimed Dances/Curses. It was typical of a band so well-known for stellar live performances to release their most successful album at a time when they were unable to back it up on the road. As was the case for many, lockdown changed the band's lives in unexpected ways. Some felt a form of cabin fever at not being able to continue to make music (diverting their energies elsewhere -- founding Wrong Speed Records for starters) whereas others relished the peace and quiet, perhaps questioning whether they wanted to return to the life they had before. Gigs (so long the lifeblood of the band) were booked, postponed, and cancelled. Things began to unravel and perhaps for the first time since the band formed in 2003 it was hard to see how it could continue. A plan was hatched to attempt to re-energize and reassemble the band: they would begin work on a new album. They would approach this as though a Somerset version of The Desert Sessions -- members old and new and guests would contribute as and when time and restrictions allowed. Lyrically, British folk and ghost mythology provided the starting position for the song themes ranging from mutated stories of grief and loss written in the 14th Century ("Perle"), spiritual reawakening by ancient apparitions ("Avalon") to the growth of nature after devastation ("Can't Feel Around Us", "Over Cedar Limb"), a metaphor also for spirit and body renewal and rebirth after trauma. The results sound free of any genre shackles and it suits Hey Colossus. They have taken the expansive anything-goes approach that made Dances/Curses so successful and fine-tuned and shaped it into an eight-song single album that never treads water or fills time. The prominent vocals steer the listener through the music, defining it as opposed to punctuating it (or being buried by it). In Blood positions Hey Colossus somewhere new, outside of perceived contemporaries and in a more rarefied place altogether, alongside "classic" bands like The Cure, Killing Joke, Sonic Youth, Dead Can Dance, or even New Order (or The F-word of course). The band changes but in doing so remains the same. Hey Colossus only sound like Hey Colossus. The album is a calling card for the band in their 20th anniversary year. As odd and challenging as long-term fans would expect or hope for, but somehow more accessible and to the point than ever before.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: WSR 050LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. In Blood is the 14th album by Hey Colossus and the follow-up to 2020's critically acclaimed Dances/Curses. It was typical of a band so well-known for stellar live performances to release their most successful album at a time when they were unable to back it up on the road. As was the case for many, lockdown changed the band's lives in unexpected ways. Some felt a form of cabin fever at not being able to continue to make music (diverting their energies elsewhere -- founding Wrong Speed Records for starters) whereas others relished the peace and quiet, perhaps questioning whether they wanted to return to the life they had before. Gigs (so long the lifeblood of the band) were booked, postponed, and cancelled. Things began to unravel and perhaps for the first time since the band formed in 2003 it was hard to see how it could continue. A plan was hatched to attempt to re-energize and reassemble the band: they would begin work on a new album. They would approach this as though a Somerset version of The Desert Sessions -- members old and new and guests would contribute as and when time and restrictions allowed. Lyrically, British folk and ghost mythology provided the starting position for the song themes ranging from mutated stories of grief and loss written in the 14th Century ("Perle"), spiritual reawakening by ancient apparitions ("Avalon") to the growth of nature after devastation ("Can't Feel Around Us", "Over Cedar Limb"), a metaphor also for spirit and body renewal and rebirth after trauma. The results sound free of any genre shackles and it suits Hey Colossus. They have taken the expansive anything-goes approach that made Dances/Curses so successful and fine-tuned and shaped it into an eight-song single album that never treads water or fills time. The prominent vocals steer the listener through the music, defining it as opposed to punctuating it (or being buried by it). In Blood positions Hey Colossus somewhere new, outside of perceived contemporaries and in a more rarefied place altogether, alongside "classic" bands like The Cure, Killing Joke, Sonic Youth, Dead Can Dance, or even New Order (or The F-word of course). The band changes but in doing so remains the same. Hey Colossus only sound like Hey Colossus. The album is a calling card for the band in their 20th anniversary year. As odd and challenging as long-term fans would expect or hope for, but somehow more accessible and to the point than ever before.

 

PRICE: $21.00

CAT #: SD 7224HLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Stereo reissue on 180-gram vinyl. Originally released in 1972. "Manufactured by Rhino Records. Produced under license from Atlantic Recording Corp." "In 1949, a brief flurry of interest in old-timey country blues resulted in this 15-song session by Blind Willie McTell for the newly formed Atlantic Records. Only two songs, 'Kill It Kid' and 'Broke Down Engine Blues,' were ever issued on a failed single, and the session was forgotten until almost 20 years later. McTell is mostly solo here, vividly captured on acoustic 12-string (his sometime partner Curley Weaver may have been present on some tracks), and in excellent form. The playing and the repertory are representative of McTell as he was at this point in his career, a blues veteran rolling through his paces without skipping a beat and quietly electrifying the listener. Songs include 'Dying Crapshooter's Blues,' 'The Razor Ball,' and 'Ain't I Grand to Live a Christian.'" --Bruce Eder, AllMusic

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: BEWITH 007-7

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

The best twist in music lyric history? On 7" for the first time ever, one of the most important rap records ever. It's Common's masterpiece. One of the best songs in all hip-hop history, "I Used To Love H.E.R." was the first single from Common's eternal 1994 LP, Resurrection. He personifies hip-hop as an ode to the art form he once loved, lamenting how the genre became too commercialized and, due to a mass influx of mainstream rap in the '90s, some of the purity and freshness of the culture was being lost. Common uses a first-person romance narrative to detail the history of hip-hop, resulting in an extended metaphor that's sophisticated, clever, and delivers a moral message that touched millions of people and still absolutely blows minds at the song's conclusion. Almost 30 years later, "I Used To Love H.E.R." remains one the most significant moments in hip-hop: a classic in every sense of the word. On the flip, Be With Records stayed faithful to the track used for the original 12" release. And what a track it is. Destined to be overshadowed by the behemoth on the A-Side, the frenetic neck-snapping jazz-rap "Communism" has it all -- those horns at the start, the lyrical dexterity, the beat. The striking original artwork recreated from the 12" and formatted for 7" sleeve.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: BEWITH 021EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Long Beach legend Scotty Coats links the West Coast eclecticism of Stones Throw to the NYC cool of DFA and Rong to the Balearic gods of DJ Harvey, et al. He personally introduced Be With to Ned Doheny 10 years ago and he was immortalized on Smith & Mudd's last LP. And he's the main man behind the mysteriously titled duo Todd Russell & The Dangerous Coats, alongside Erick "Todd" Coomes (Lettuce founder/bassist). In very real danger of being lost forever, Be With Records have unearthed two of their private recordings and present them as a double A-Side 12", adorned with stunning artwork, courtesy of Arizona artist Frank Gonzales.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: BEWITH 131LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

The Tony Williams Lifetime's Emergency! is a furious, stunning, seminal album. In 1969, it's explosive sound divided critics in both jazz and rock but is now rightly regarded as groundbreaking. A musical statement so bold and irreverent that it was revolutionary. With Emergency!, provocative percussionist Tony Williams unified the most vital sounds of the era and galvanized the creation of jazz fusion. A sprawling double-LP that shattered the boundaries between jazz and rock, it forged fresh frontiers by unleashing dense, courageous and fantastically mysterious music. The group was founded by Tony Williams, a member of Miles Davis's radical 1960s quintet, out of his desire to fuse the influences of modern jazz and rock music. To effectively meld the scorching bop of Coltrane with the raging rock of Hendrix. Like all the very best records, Emergency! takes multiple listens for your brain and body to decipher everything going on, to truly process and appreciate the details that our senses are throwing at us. It's a mesmerizing, rough sound yet the intuitive interplay of all three musicians is super-tight. The tunes are strung out and jamming but retain a tight rhythmic focus. The incendiary title track immediately presents jazz-rock's chaotic birth. After Williams's ominous snare-roll signals the brewing storm, the snarling band blasts its way through the gate in truly breathtaking fashion, fuzzed-up wahed-out guitar riffs vying for prominence with gnarled, insistent organ. Thrillingly, Williams manages to both acrobatically crash over every element of his drum kit while keeping the whole groove undeniably funky. "Beyond Games" is a gloriously volatile freeform, featuring Williams' bugged-out vocals, whilst the 12-minute "Where" is another deep, wild jam. With the buoyant "Vashkar", we begin to experience jazz-rock's many angles; imaginative melodics, taut dynamics and as torrent of searing heat. Perhaps the most economical track on Emergency!, it's the most instant. The laconic "Via the Spectrum Road", a brilliant pop-psych tune, was sampled by Showbiz & AG on their classic debut LP. It oscillates between a tranquil funk groove and strutting improv interludes. The pyrotechnic jam "Spectrum" wakes things up again with pure, molten jazz lava and crazy soloing from all involved. A breathtaking, kaleidoscopic 13-minute cycle through ferocious noise, "Sangria For Three" is a sublimely frenetic detonation of distilled (acid) jazz rock. Closer "Something Spiritual" finishes this jaw-dropping set with a driving, unrelenting heavy guitar and organ freakout, backed high in the mix by Williams's untamed funk before unsettled dissonance rides you out. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BEWITH 137LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Mysteries Of The World is the stunning final studio album from legendary Philly supergroup MFSB. Expertly co-written and produced with the mighty Dexter Wansel, it features the untouchable, sparkling masterpiece Mysteries Of The World. The whole album is truly exquisite; a stylish, classy collection of pure Philly soul and orchestral jazz-funk. MFSB, an acronym for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, was formed by producers Gamble & Huff of Philadelphia International Records. The band's roots can be traced back to the house band at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios, where they played on numerous hit records by artists like The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and The Stylistics. Mysteries Of The World comprises slick jazz-funk grooves, mostly penned by Wansel, who produced a fair chunk of the album in a similar style to his space-funk records. MFSB's smooth sound is retained but it receives a fresh, elegant and jazzy upgrade. While this album is as mellow as the rest of the latter-period MFSB recordings, it never forgets the group's soul music underpinnings. Swaggering, well-timed horn blasts, sweeping strings and a percolating, hard thumping slap-bassline combine to devastating effect on amazing opener "Manhattan Skyline". It's a sexy mid-tempo instrumental which sets us up for the title track, arguably the finest jazz-funk instrumental ever made. Featuring musicianship of the highest caliber, the band play with their trademark tight discipline and the track fuses classical, jazz, and funk. The profound elegance remains in abundance on the slinky, harp-laced "Tell Me Why"; Carla Benson's beautiful voice truly shines on this sophisticated cut. The side closes out in dramatic style with the string-drenched "Metamorphosis," a staccato, Blaxploitation groove workout featuring wah-wah guitar, creeping basslines, rich horn solos, and soulful vocals. The bouncy, irrepressible "Fortune Teller" opens the B side in the bass-heavy orchestral funk style before the beautiful "Old San Juan" glides in, a Balearic-adjacent track with intricate arrangements. Melancholy, guitar-led instrumental "Thank You Miss Scott" is a real highlight, whilst closer "In the Shadow" works an otherworldly synth line into its bossa nova groove. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. Artwork by renowned illustrator Robert Giusti, restored at Be With Records.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 029LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; Bureau B's 2009 reissue. LP version. Originally recorded and released in 1977 on Sky Records, the first collaborative album by Brian Eno and Cluster was the first ambient record produced in Germany, and is considered the seminal, defining work of the genre. Brian Eno was certainly instrumental in creating and popularizing the concept of "ambient music" -- but it was not his invention alone. The German musicians Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius (Cluster) were brothers in spirit. As so often in music, the idea of ambient was in the air -- both Eno and Cluster experimenting with the form in the 1970s, rendering any debate as to who influenced who redundant. What is certain, is that Brian Eno attended a Cluster concert in Hamburg in 1975, strategically positioning himself in the front row. Sure enough, he was invited on stage to jam with the band and, after the show, the participants arranged to meet up again. They did so two years later at the Old Weserhof in Forst, the domicile of the German duo. Eno and Cluster spent three weeks in Conny Plank's studio, resulting in two albums: Cluster & Eno and After The Heat (1978). In the liner notes, Asmus Tietchens (who also plays on the record along with Can's Holger Czukay) writes: "Clearly, all three musicians inspired each other during their three weeks together without any clash of personalities. Nevertheless, some tracks sound more like Cluster, some more like Eno. So it made perfect sense to collect the tracks with a Cluster flavor on Cluster & Eno." The importance of this record can never be overstated, nor can its elegance of diverse forms be matched. From Indian sitar and tamboura, to synth warbles and airy tributes to Western groove, it is a rare glimpse at what happens when masters meet.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 048LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Vinyl release. Dieter Moebius and Conny Plank got to know each other through their work on Cluster's 1971 album and remained close friends until Plank's death in 1987. They made a congenial pair as musicians, as amply demonstrated by their first album as a duo, Rastakraut Pasta, originally released on Sky Records in 1980. On this album, drums, electric guitars and bass are the cornerstones of every track; they provide the framework to which Moebius adds fresh color and life with his synthesizers. Thanks to the technical merits of Plank's studio, the keyboards sound barely distinguishable from one another. No samples -- strictly analog from start to finish. Holger Czukay (Can) plays bass on three pieces and his consummate professionalism sees his virtuosity finely-tuned to the concept of Moebius and Plank. Moebius has a predilection for surrealist cascades of noise, heard throughout the album, grotesque yet playful. An enigmatic form of pop music came into being on this LP, a breakneck, elegant mix of diverse elements: a touch of Krautrock, some avant-garde pop, new German electronica, even sporadic echoes of reggae. 180 gram vinyl LP housed in a printed inner sleeve with full-color photos and notes by Asmus Tietchens.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 314LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 restock; LP version. Bureau B presents a reissue of Bernard Xolotl's fifth album Last Wave, originally released only on cassette in 1982. This is French electronic music from California. He named himself after the Aztec god of lightning and death; his music is influenced by the Berlin school of electronic music. As a teen, Xolotl (b. 1951) was introduced to electronic music through the works of Musique Concrete composers like Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer, although he found the early recordings of Pink Floyd to be more inspirational. During the early 1970s, Xolotl began creating music of his own, working in studios across Europe and the US before settling in California in 1974, where he built his own studio. Between 1978 and 1981, he recorded four solo cassette albums. On Last Wave, Xolotl expanded his musical palette with new instruments such as the Yamaha CS60 and the PPG. Includes previously unissued bonus track.Xolotl on the process of Last Wave: "The first Last Wave I started while still living in San Francisco, a simple and longish piece which could be used as a background for the concerts I was giving with Daniel Kobialka and Richard Horowitz. However, after I moved to the residential suburb of Marin to build up my studio, I kept adding tracks to it so it just became part of my next album. This was going to have more instruments; I got to do everything myself, playing and recording one track at a time. But mixing there was still out of the question; I had to wait for the right opportunity to use a San Francisco studio with the best reverb and acoustics. This took several years in the end and was the last album I didn't mix at home. It was also the last 'analog' album and the 'last' of many other 'things' which made the title very significant in my life."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CT 115LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Originally issued in 1973, Blackboard Jungle Dub is considered a milestone in the history of dub. Tracks include "African Skank" -- based on Junior Byles' "A Place Called Africa" -- and "Dreamland Skank", "Moving Skank" and "Kaya Skank" which are dub versions of Wailers" "Dreamland", "Keep On Moving" and "Kaya".

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CT 805LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Reissue of Ital Dub, originally released in 1975. This is Augustus Pablo's first collaboration with King Tubby.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CT 999LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Tracks: "Militant Man," "Longer Way," "Kung Fu Man," "What Can I Do," "Silver Locks," "Episode 3," "When Notty Came," "Dread Locks," "Johhny Reggae" and "Golden Rocks."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: P 757675HLP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock; 180 gram reissue, originally released in 1964. Featuring Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Butch Warren (bass), Ben Riley (drums) and Thelonious Monk (piano). "It's Monk's Time (1964) contains some of the best -- if not arguably the best -- studio sides that the pianist cut during his final years as a recording musician.... From four sessions in early 1964, It's Monk's Time gathers four quartet and two solo sides, presenting the pinnacle of what these musicians offered stylistically as well as from the standpoint of presentation. There is sense of mischievous playfulness in Monk's nimble keyboard work, especially notable on the beautifully off-kilter unaccompanied opening to 'Lulu's Back in Town,' and the same practically impish quality also drives the solo performance on 'Nice Work if You Can Get It.' Both pop standards are prime examples of the bop pioneer's inimitable approach to arranging, and also provide an uncanny insight to his influences." -- All Music Guide

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: DW 3182LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"When you drop the needle on Vocal Patterns, you are entering a world that is equal parts suave, smooth, cool, nostalgic, and kitsch. With haunting and beautiful vocals, upbeat numbers, and smooth sounds made for a late '60s summer holiday, let this cult classic transport you back to a simpler time. Released in 1970, Vocal Patterns features compositions by Roger Webb and vocal performances by Barbara Moore. This powerhouse duo has their own recognition outside of library music. Roger Webb worked as a musical director alongside the likes of Rex Harrison and Bette Davis and wrote songs for Shirley Bassey and Johnny Mathis. Barbara Moore, composer of the de Wolfe cult classic 'Vocal Shades and Tones,' collaborated with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Dusty Springfield, and Tom Jones."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: DBA 304LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Debby Friday's first two EPs brought together on vinyl for the first time ever, released in celebration of her recent signing to Sub Pop. Hard industrial beats and smooth, erotic vocals bring a unique power to Debby's work, only matched by her confident visual style."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: STEP 011LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. 2023 repress; deluxe Stoughton gatefold packaging. Singles and demos, 1964 to 1967. "Following the amazing success story of Vashti Bunyan's recent re-emergence as an artist after an exile of over 30 years, comes the release of Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind, a comprehensive compilation of early recordings dating from the period prior to Vashti's classic Just Another Diamond Day album which was originally released1970. Titled after Vashti's (Jagger/Richards-penned) debut single which opens the compilation, this double-album represents an attempt to both open out and draw a line under the past, and also to try to set the record straight about the disparity between how Vashti viewed (and still views) herself against the way she has been popularly perceived. Widely construed as a folk singer -- a tag she fundamentally disagrees with - these recordings instead reveal Vashti as a pop singer, however 'fragile' and unique."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 703LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Poke it with a Stick -- the only record by Louisville legends Your Food -- is a sui generis gem of the American underground, now faithfully reissued for the first time by Drag City. Recorded in 1983 by four scarecrows from Kentucky subsisting largely on cheap beer and baked beans, the album is a burbling burgoo of hypnotic rhythm, uncoiling tension, and sharp invective -- a proud bastard of post-punk royalty. In the fall of 1981, the residents of 1069, Louisville's original punk house, began to spy three teenagers lurking outside the decrepit environs. Eventually the teens grew bold enough to approach, and soon two, John Bailey and Wolf Knapp, were learning guitar and bass in the trashed rehearsal space within. 'Their practices seemed interminable at first,' remembers Charles Schultz, 'and then picked up confidence and momentum.' Charles had been the drummer for Louisville's recently defunct Dickbrains. He started playing with John and Wolf. Douglas Maxson, the Dickbrains male singer, was lured back from New York with the promise of beer and cigarettes, and soon Your Food was playing weekly shows at the local Beat Club, mostly for free beer. Financed by a Pell Grant and what little cash the band could scrounge, the album was cut largely live in the studio by a guy who usually recorded church groups, and self-released on the band's own Screaming Whoredog label. The prevailing themes of restlessness and isolation are palpable in songs like opener 'Leave,' where ennui morphs into dark comic fantasy. The punk funk of 'Don't Be' fits perfectly with the downtown NYC groove of bands like ESG and Bush Tetras. Doug's sardonic wit laces each song with trenchant, first-class put-downs. The band became big brothers and bad influences for prepubescent Slint project Languid and Flaccid."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 877LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Following several releases over the past decade of archival Arnold Dreyblatt & The Orchestra of Excited Strings material and collaborations with other ensembles, on labels including Black Truffle, Choice Records, Megafaun and Superior Viaduct, Drag City is excited as well to be able to introduce Resolve, the first release of new Excited Strings music from Arnold Dreyblatt since 2002. Resolve acts in dialogue with the minimalist inspirations of the first Arnold Dreyblatt & The Orchestra of Excited Strings release, 1982s Nodal Excitation -- in effect, looking beneath the hood of several decades of progression, reviewing and renewing the revolutionary intent of their foundation credo. The reference points, then as now, include La Monte Young, Tony Conrad and Phill Niblock, as well as Jim O'Rourke, whose support for Arnold's music in the 1990s sparked new life. Konrad Sprenger, Joachim Schütz and Oren Ambarchi form the current Orchestra of Excited Strings, first initiated in Berlin in 2009. In the case of Resolve, each of the members, as composers, producers, D.J.s, and artists in their own right, brought their own unique angles. Konrad Sprenger (aka Jörg Hiller)'s treatments involved solenoids, sine waves and a computer-controlled multi-channel electric guitar (as well as a relentless style behind the drum kit and overseeing the sound production), while Joachim Schütz's individual conception of electronics and electric guitar and Oren Ambarchi's undeniable innovations with signal path work together with Arnold's Excited Strings bass as magnetic component parts of Resolve. Side one features three potent new compositions demonstrating the Orchestra's unique feel -- incorporating rhythmic accents that act as microbeats within Dreyblatt's microtones, implying shuffling funk and metallic rock at times, yet never deviating from the driving intensity of the harmonic play. Side two is taken up by the piece 'Auditoria,' in which Ambarchi and Sprenger's production methodologies turn the Orchestra inside out, working expansively backwards through harmonic overtones to Dreyblatt's original tempo in a mesmerizing spatial redistribution of the music. The music of Resolve uses a variety of vehicles to find avenues back to the inaugural intent of the Orchestra of Excited Strings. This effort is, in ways both tactile and inadvertent, a timely one. With over 40 years of work as a solo artist, collaborator, composer, educator and bandleader, and with his 70th birthday approaching, Resolve is an important expression for Arnold Dreyblatt. The album title's tendency to mean different things is an indicator of the dynamic qualities of his music with The Orchestra of Excited Strings -- an evolution that continues to produce new dimensions in acoustic sound with every new release."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: ET 942CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

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: $29.00

CAT #: FORLP 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"For all those who relate 'maybe to the wind, because they can feel it, or dirt, because they can touch it. But nothing else.' Like Bobby Cornett (aka Shane), we are all trying to find where we belong. Belong To The Wind marks Forager Records' debut release: a lovingly curated collection of crooning psychedelic folk and soul songs gathered from American 45s of the 1970s. The compilation features 10 songs from 10 different acts, each with an indelible story of love, loss, loneliness, and an unrelenting desire to shed the confines of routine existence. Meet a man named Denny Fast, perched behind a tobacco-stained piano in a smokey Michigan lounge. He's singing of the faded memory of distant hope and better times past. Listen to a portrait of the heartless Texan, told in arrestingly angelic prose by Connie Mims of St. Elmo's Fire. Contemplate with Snuffy, the honest musings of a failed and misunderstood outsider, daring to hope for change. Belong To The Wind aims to shed light on the more opaque cuts of these brooding artists. Many of these songs were recorded at the early stages of a career, at a time when experimenting and searching are pursued with reckless abandon. As a result, these songs are aggressively honest and uncompromising. Many have a distinct sense of the lo-fi DIY variety. Others are polished in production. Some are minimal, tentative and vulnerable. What all of these songs share, is a transportive quality. An uncanny ability to take a captive listener on a search for the soul, and a journey into the bellowing fields of easy reflection. Sit back and enjoy a soft trip through the hazy milieu of a loner's mind."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: GET 51310LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. 'Illmatic, the 1994 studio debut of Nasir 'Nas' Jones, was more than just a critical success for the Queensbridge-based rapper. At a time when East Coast hip-hop was increasingly being taken less seriously than their West Coast counterparts, Illmatic's raw jazz and soul-based production, dire atmosphere and lyrics, coupled with Nas' uncompromising flow was integral in restoring interest in the East Coast as a hotbed of hip-hop artistry. Along with key releases from Wu-Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G., it shifted attention away from the funky, dayglo synth-based G-funk coming out of California and back to the grimy streets of New York. After such an unprecedented debut record, expectations were understandably high for Nas' follow-up. What came next threw critics and fans for a loop, but was no less influential than Illmatic, and would become the most commercially successful album in the entirety of Nas' discography. The 1996 sophomore follow-up was titled It Was Written, and in contrast to the urban bleakness of his debut, had Nas dipping his toes into the world of mafioso rap. Amidst production from heavy hitters like Trackmasters, Dr. Dre, L.E.S., Havoc of Mobb Deep, and Illmatic-collaborator DJ Premier, among others, Nas weaves evocative narratives of gang warfare, downtrodden neighborhoods, drug deals gone awry, and gangsta triumph, against a backdrop of samples from Sam Cooke, Etta James, the Isley Brothers, and even Chuck Mangione. It Was Written was not hard up for top-tier guests either, featuring major guest turns from Lauryn Hill and Joel 'JoJo' Hailey of K-Ci & JoJo. It also introduced the world to The Firm, the brief Nas-led supergroup featuring rappers AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. It even managed to cause some minor controversy in the hip-hop community for its collaboration with West Coast producer Dr. Dre, at a time when the East Coast/West Coast rap feud was reaching a fever pitch, briefly attracting the ire of one Tupac Shakur. Not only was It Was Written received warmly by critics, but became a major commercial success, reaching the top of the Billboard 200 charts, reaching platinum sales status four times, and alongside albums like Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, helped usher in the era of mafioso rap in the mainstream. It rendered chart hits out of singles like the Eurhythmics-mimicking 'Street Dreams', and the Grammy-nominated 'If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)', and proved to be a major influence on artists like Kendrick Lamar, Lupe Fiasco, and many more."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: GET 51319LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. "Up until Raising Hell, the rap juggernaut we know as Run-DMC was still in its building and breaking-down- doors phase. In 1986 that changed, and in a dramatic way. With their third long-player, the group had reached the mountaintop. It was THE record that proved hip-hop wasn't a fad. Raising Hell marked an important and significant new era for the group. Leaving producer Larry Smith for up-and-coming sonic innovator Rick Rubin (still co-produced by Run's brother Russell Simmons), they began to fully transition not only their own sound, but the sound of the entire genre. Less live playing -- with some exceptions -- and a slicker, tighter sonic attack. Musical aesthetics aside, though, at their core they stayed true to the essence of hip-hop: two turntables and a microphone, or two. It's impossible to talk about the album without its worldwide smash, 'Walk This Way,' which hit #4 on the Billboard pop charts and saw the group digging in the rock crates to summon Aerosmith in the flesh, combining Steven Tyler's and Joe Perry's musicianship with the group's own take on the '70s classic. The song's video cemented Run-DMC as legit MTV idols, and both groups rode its wave to new heights. Beyond 'Walk This Way,' the platter is full to the hilt with undeniable classic singles: 'You Be Illin''; 'It's Tricky'; 'Peter Piper' and the fashion-world shifting 'My Adidas.' Each song was new proof that Run-DMC's sound was indeed new, but still familiar, and full of the energy, charisma and innovation that drew fans to their first two LPs. Aside from the singles, the reason the album stands up so well is the fact that there is virtually no filler. 'Proud To Be Black' remains a pioneering and underrated cut when people talk about 'conscious' hip-hop. And to make sure they never lost the streets that gave them their start, 'Hit It Run,' 'Son Of Byford,' 'Is It Live' and 'Perfection' all bring it back to the group's early days in the park. Besides the triple platinum status the album achieved, it was more than just a pop smash. It signaled a new era for rap music, and it was the no-turning- back point for the entire genre. This was the beginning of what we now call the Golden Era, and it still sounds as fresh today as it did three decades ago."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: GGRA 113CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Yasushi Ide, the Japanese street music icon unleashed Cosmic Suite 2 in a revolutionary blend of genres. This groundbreaking album features collaborations with esteemed pioneers including Afrika Bambaataa, Don Letts, Josh Millan, Jeff Mills, DJ Krush, Tony Allen, and more. By transcending the limitations of time, genre, and even mortality, Ide has crafted a truly unique and eclectic street music experience unlike anything seen before. Notably, Ide enlisted the expertise of Grammy-winning sound engineer Steven Stanley to embark on the reconstruction of Cosmic Suite 2 using his renowned dub mix techniques. The outcome of this collaboration is the birth of Dr. Steven Stanley Meets Yasushi Ide - Cosmic Disco Dub, a mesmerizing rendition that showcases the genius of both artists. Hailing from Jamaica, Steven Stanley is a highly regarded sound engineer and producer whose illustrious career spans several decades, primarily in the realms of reggae, dub, and rock music. Having worked with acclaimed acts such as Talking Heads, Black Uhuru, and Tom Tom Club, Stanley has solidified his status as a living legend within the industry. His contributions to Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" and his Grammy-winning work on Black Uhuru's "Anthem" further exemplify his unparalleled expertise. Additionally, Stanley has collaborated with notable artists including Grace Jones and B-52's. In Dr. Steven Stanley Meets Yasushi Ide - Cosmic Disco Dub, Stanley expertly integrates elements from the original Cosmic Suite 2 tracks, employing his unique dubbing techniques to enhance the sonic experience. Through the addition of his signature dubby reverb and other distinctive sound manipulations, Stanley elevates the album to an entirely new dimension. "The Battle Dub" featuring Emilie Chick is transformed into an enchanting disco dub experience, infused with Stanley's horn section effects for a smoky ambience. In the mesmerizing track "Galactic Beats," the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen's powerful drums take center stage. Another standout is the dub version of "LAVA," featuring acclaimed Japanese singer UA. "Outer Space" transcends time and genre with a dream collaboration between the late legendary reggae drummer Style Scott and Japan's turntablist extraordinaire, DJ Krush. "Sumimasen" is a track that exemplifies Stanley's mastery, transforming the piece into a psychedelic and deeply immersive dub journey. "Hear?There?Beyond" is a collaboration between Yasushi Ide, Kan Takagi, the pioneering figure of Japanese hip-hop, and Reck, the bassist from the legendary punk rock band Friction. A timeless dub reconstruction masterpiece. Also features Josué Thomas, Afrika Bambaataa, Emily Capell, Rebel Dread, and Josh Milan.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: GUESS 073CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

B.F. Trike was a power-trio from Indiana who evolved from garage band Hickory Wind. They consisted of Mike McGuyer on guitar, Alan Jones on bass and Bobby Strehl on drums. This is their legendary, unissued at the time studio album from 1971. First released by the Rockadelic label in 1989 and out of print for many years, here's a long overdue official vinyl edition. Psychedelic hard-rock of the highest order with acid-fuzz guitar and melodic vocals. A must for fans of the genre."...a tough Indiana trio who puffed out clouds of hard-psych stug (à la mid-period Blue Cheer)..." --Byron Coley (SPIN)

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 193LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. B.F. Trike was a power-trio from Indiana who evolved from garage band Hickory Wind. They consisted of Mike McGuyer on guitar, Alan Jones on bass and Bobby Strehl on drums. This is their legendary, unissued at the time studio album from 1971. First released by the Rockadelic label in 1989 and out of print for many years, here's a long overdue official vinyl edition. Psychedelic hard-rock of the highest order with acid-fuzz guitar and melodic vocals. A must for fans of the genre."...a tough Indiana trio who puffed out clouds of hard-psych stug (à la mid-period Blue Cheer)..." --Byron Coley (SPIN)

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 225LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Flow was a psychedelic hard-rock power-trio formed in New York by Pete Fine, Monte Farber and Steve Starer. It was the early '70s in NYC, the pre-glam/punk/new wave days, when Flow (who rehearsed next room to a band called Wicked Lester, later known as KISS) decided to start playing music without limits, developing their musical horizons. Their sound was based on hard-rock and heavy-fuzz guitars but adding psych/experimental touches. In 1972 they self-released a private album, The Flow's Greatest Hits, featuring their own songs. This is now one of the mega rarities and holy grails of the first psychedelic era. First officially reissued by the Shadoks label in the early 2000s and out of print for many years, Guerssen presents a new deluxe reissue. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve plus OBI. Includes insert with liner notes and photos.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 227LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Magical UK folk-rock with psychedelic/West Coast influences. It was originally self-released by Mandy Morton in 1978, after the two Spriguns albums for Decca. "Magic Lady" was dedicated to Sandy Denny, who had just passed away that same year. It was available on black vinyl with a few copies (approximately 20) pressed on blue color, and both versions are very hard to find today. Terrific songwriting, superb musicianship and beautiful vocals. Recorded at Spaceward Studios, produced by Mike Kemp in conjunction with Mandy, mastered at Abbey Road and featuring guest appearances by Tim Hart (Steeleye Span) and Graeme Taylor (Gryphon, Albion Band). Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve + OBI; sourced from the original masters; insert with liner notes by Mandy Morton and photos. RIYL: Sandy Denny, Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Trees, Jefferson Airplane... "... one of the best things Mandy Morton did, perhaps the very best... " --Patrick Lundborg (Galactic Ramble) "... one of the most atmospheric releases in British rock-pop of the era. Indeed, this masterpiece is the equal of those electric folk classics from earlier in the decade, like Spirogyra, Fuchsia, Shelagh McDonald and Stone Angel..." --Ben Sumner

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: GUESSG 006EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First ever band-sanctioned reissue of this legendary Pebbles garage-psych 45 from 1967. William Penn Fyve, aka William Penn & His Pals, were a regular presence on the early Bay Area scene, opening for the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and Them. Their line-up included lead singer/organist Gregg Rolie, later of Santana/Journey. In 1966 they recorded their lone single, Swami/Blow My Mind, for the Thunderbird label. The A-side (written by guitar player Mike Shapiro and famous for being included on Pebbles-The Acid Gallery) is early acid-punk with fuzzed-out raga guitars and hilarious lyrics about a guru. The flipside is an energetic garage-punk number with swirling Vox organ and a fuzz rave up á la Yardbirds.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: IMPREC 141LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Limited restock... Pauline Oliveros's The Wanderer is available on LP for the first time since it was originally released in 1984. Cut at Golden and pressed at RTI for maximum fidelity. An utterly essential document of early American minimalism from Pauline Oliveros. The Wanderer is the sister record to Accordion & Voice (IMPREC 140LP). "The Wanderer" is based on a single modal scale (B C# D D# E F# G#) and rhythmic modes based on a meter consisting of ¾ and ?. Part I, "Song", is intended to explore the unique resonant qualities of accordion reeds through long sounds. Subtle variations come about from differences in tuning and air pressure. Part II, "Dance", demonstrates the sharp accenting power of the accordion bellows in a mixture of cross-rhythms characteristic of jigs, reels, batucadas, Bulgars, klezmer forms, Cajun dances, and music of other diverse cultures. The Wanderer was composed in November, 1982 especially for the Springfield Accordion Orchestra, directed by Sam Falcetti. This recording documents The Wanderer's world premiere, as it was performed January 27, 1983 at Marymount Manhattan Theatre. The orchestra consists of twenty accordions, two bass accordions, and five percussionists, with Pauline Oliveros as soloist, Sam Falcetti conducting. "Horse Sings From Cloud", written in 1975, is one of Oliveros' best known works. Like most of her Sonic Meditations, it can be performed vocally and/or instrumentally, solo or in collaboration. A solo version of "Horse Sings From Cloud" has been recorded on Accordion & Voice. An early version of the score reads, "Sustain a tone or sound until any desire to change it disappears. When there is no longer any desire to change the tone or sound, then change it." This time, "Horse Sings From Cloud" is performed in ensemble. Joining Pauline Oliveros on bandoneon are Heloise Gold on Harmonium, Julia Haines on accordion, and Linda Montano on concertina. This quartet version incorporates the microtonal differences in tuning of the selected instruments, creating shimmering reed sounds somewhat similar to the shimmering of a Balinese gamelan.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: FREUD 140CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The March Violets came from Leeds in the early '80s, label-mates of Sisters of Mercy. Constantly at the heights of the UK indie singles charts, the singles were the base for successful compilations in the UK and USA. Signing to a major, they had two songs featured in a John Hughes' movie -- but split up before an album was completed. Twenty-five years later they reconvened, making tours of the UK and USA. A single and video of 'Dandelion King' was issued in 2011. Unfinished business included an album, and Made Glorious was given a release in 2013 via an over-subscribed Pledge Music campaign. Fans got access to a very limited CD and download, but sadly events intervened to stymie the reunion and planned wider and vinyl release, much to the disappointment of their fans. Here at last is the long-awaited 'difficult first album' from The March Violets!"

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: KR 108LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First ever, remastered vinyl version. The core duo plus guest collaborators expands its sonic palette of Rick Brown's elemental percussive patterns and Che Chen's ecstatic modal guitar style to a new musical richness. With some tape releases and their first album Wooden Bag, 75 Dollar Bill quickly introduced themselves as one of the hottest, most unique and essential groups at the heart of NYC's underground -- the following Wood/Metal/Plastic Pattern/Rhythm/Rock (GB 047CD, 2016) made the duo known internationally, and the 2019 double vinyl I Was Real (TW Q-LP) turned out a major success at the critics and audience alike with the #1 spot in The Wire's albums of the year list. Then came the pandemic, and in lack of opportunities to actually perform in public, the core duo of Rick Brown and Che Chen released several Bandcamp only albums in digital format, one of these being Power Failures. Brown's elemental percussive patterns (often simply played on a wooden box) and Che Chen's ecstatic modal guitar style (often under the influence of his studies with Mauritanian guitarist Jeich Ould Chigaly) are at the core of the tracks with guest collaborators like Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan (guitar), Sue Garner (violin), or Steve Maing (saxophone, guitar) expanding the sonic palette to a new musical richness. Trance-inducing psychedelia, "placeless, gripping grooves" (The Guardian), collaged rehearsal and field recordings, mantric percussion, microtonal guitar sounds -- 75 Dollar Bill sound as deeply rooted in traditions as they sound fresh-of-today, a kind of future music from the past. Hard to grasp by words, and impossible to resist! 180 gram vinyl; gatefold; includes download card.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: LR 177LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Leaving Records presents Music For Living Spaces, the debut LP by non-binary Los Angeles-based artist Green-House. Olive Ardizoni helms the project, which made its debut with the charming 2019 EP Six Songs for Invisible Gardens. Music for Living Spaces represents an evolution of its predecessor's minimalist compositions into songs that move with winsome melodies and emotional arcs. Though recorded during a pandemic, the transporting nature of Music For Livings Spaces offers a remedy for dreariness. Music For Living Spaces' first single 'Sunflower Dance' sports a breezy, bucolic vibe. The track is intended to invoke the whimsical image of hamsters happily dancing in a field. Ardizoni brings an intentionality to these playful atmospheres. They state, 'In our culture, we prioritize profound artistic expression through emotions like sadness or aggression, but cuteness, silliness or fun, are the things that we trivialize in our culture. We say that they're childish and it gets invalidated.' The complex and radiant productions on Music for Living Spaces counter this view. Despite its general sunniness, however, Music For Living Spaces does not solely rely on exuberant, colorful moods. 'Royal Fern' is a sophisticated composition of voices calling and responding to each other in rippling waves, while towards the closing of the album Ardizoni's ethereal voice appears for the first time and carries a nuanced, contemplative aura that defies categorization."

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: LR 340LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Originally released in 1969, this album is one of the most significant in Brazilian musical history, spearheading the musical Tropicalia revolution lead by Brazilian legends Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, not to mention Gal Costa and mutant rockers Os Mutantes. Not only were the artists experimenting with the music, they were also making a very strong political statement that spoke out very harshly against the military regime in Brazil at the time. This album helped land Veloso and Gil a brief stint in jail and eventually in political exile in the UK. Includes bonus CD of the album.

 

PRICE: $11.50

CAT #: LCD 2081CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock; 2003 release. Originally released on Lovely Music in 1989. An aural journey from the source of the river, in the high peak area of the Adirondacks, downstream to the Lower Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; Annea Lockwood traces the course of the Hudson through on-site recordings of its flow at 15 separate locations. Annea Lockwood has recorded rivers in many countries to explore the special state of mind and body which the sounds of moving water create when one listens intently to the complex mesh of rhythms and pitches. The listener will find that each stretch of the Hudson has its own sonic texture, formed by the terrain, varying according to the weather, the season and downstream, the human environment whose sounds are intimately woven into the river's sounds.

 

PRICE: $11.50

CAT #: LCD 2082CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock; 1999 release. Two of Annea Lockwood's dramatic works dealing with issues of spiritual wholeness. Duende (1997), about shamanic transformation, is written with and performed by Thomas Buckner. Lockwood selected sounds which reminded her of certain vocal transformations heard in recordings of shamanic ceremonies. In such singing, changes in the voice mirror and also help to bring about changes in the singer's mind and awareness. Within an improvisational framework, Buckner explores the possibility of change of state through such transformations, moving through three stages: preparation, a first flight, and a final flight, in which he moves beyond the self he knows. Thus, Duende is a not a prepared, performed work, but a vehicle for experience. Buckner is partnered by a tape drawn from the sounds of the cuica (an African and South American instrument), a large glass gong and other glass sounds, wind, a Cameroonian rattle, a kea (New Zealand mountain parrot), and a bullroarer. Delta Run (1979-81) is an expression of the thoughts and experiences of a sculptor who talked with Lockwood just over a day before he died in 1979, aged thirty. He knew that he was dying and wanted to communicate his perceptions of death as something "only natural, you know - now is my time", seeing this piece as a form of continuing creativity now that sculpture was out of reach. Interwoven with his voice are wind, water, ambient sounds from the hospice where they talked, and some of the ordinary sounds of daily living, embodying the sense that dying is a part of living, not separate from it, and that in dying we are incorporated back into the elements from which we emanate.

 

PRICE: $32.50

CAT #: LCD 2083CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock; 2008 release. An aural tracing of the Danube, interleaved with the memories and reflections of its people. 59 sites and 13 interviews, from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. Includes large fold-out map, with translations of the interviews. 167 minutes, recorded and mixed by Annea Lockwood.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: MAR 070LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Reissue, originally released in 1981. An essential album for lovers of Brazilian boogie. During the 1970s, Marcos Valle moved to the US, tired of living under the repressive military dictatorship in Brazil. He collaborated with musicians like Leon Ware and Chicago in Los Angeles. Upon returning to Brazil in the 1980s, he recorded Vontade de Rever Você where he explored all the musical influences he had received in the US, particularly boogie, soul, and funk. For this recording, he collaborated with musicians such as Sivuca, Peter Cetera from Chicago, Robson Jorge, and Jose? Roberto Bertrami from Azymuth. LP deluxe edition 180g. Vinyl plus hard cardboard cover, obi, and download card.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: MAR 074LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue for the first time worldwide, originally released in 1981. Grupo Medusa was one of the best instrumental bands in Brazil during the '70s and '80s, blending jazz, African influences, and traditional Brazilian rhythms. Formed by Chico Medori, Claudio Bertrami, Amilson Godoy, and Heraldo do Monte. Gatefold; 180 gram vinyl; hard cardboard cover + obi.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: MAR 075LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue for the first time worldwide, originally released in 1976. Jazz funk masterpiece. For every celebrated record in jazz, soul, and related music, there are probably thousands more with all the genius for which widespread recognition never came or was delayed. In 1976, Dana Kaproff released one of the most wanted jazz-funk albums recorded in Los Angeles. A jazz fusion record for the discerning connoisseur. Tight drums and well-programmed synths. Excellent production and recording. Fans of '70s Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Weather Report, funky library records... heads up. 180 gram vinyl; hard cardboard cover + obi; includes download card.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: MAR 084LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Reissue, originally released in 1983. Leila Pinheiro is a legendary Brazilian singer, songwriter, and pianist. Over her 41-year career, she has released over 20 albums, showcasing her musical versatility and creativity. Her debut album, Leila Pinheiro, included the boogie anthem "Tudo em cima," which featured the participation of renowned musicians such as Tom Jobim, Ivan Lins, Francis Hime, João Donato, and Lincoln Olivetti. In 1970, Leila began her piano studies under the guidance of the legendary Guilherme Coutinho. As part of celebrating the 40th anniversary of this important milestone in Brazilian music, Mad About Records presents a worldwide vinyl reissue for the first time. Gatefold LP deluxe edition 180g. Vinyl plus hard cardboard cover and obi.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: MJC 129002CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1972. Recorded at the legendary Sound Work Shop studio in Rome by the most talented jazz flutist of the Italian Radio Television Orchestra. Featuring psychedelic cinematic jazz masterpieces "Meeting" and "Atom Flowers." The light of Gino Marinacci, the unforgettable talented jazz musician and illustrious citizen of Cittaducale, shines brightly again: his masterpiece Atom Flower's, the album with which he won the Armstrong prize at the 1971 Venice music festival as the best Italian jazzman, has just been reissued.

 

PRICE: $38.00

CAT #: MOV 1912COL-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"This classic album from 1973 saw its creator, Lee 'Scratch' Perry exploring synths and starting to develop his Black Ark sound -- the enigmatic producer was at the time in the process of building his famous studio and honing his ideas about dub as a musical form. The LP opens with the eerie 'Kentucky Skank,' Perry's ode to KFC, complete with frying chicken sounds, spliced between winding tapes, a ghostly trumpet, and futuristic moog synthesizer, overdubbed at London's Chalk Farm studios. U Roy's 'Double Six' and I Roy's 'High Fashion' & 'Hail Stones' illustrate just how strong The Upsetter's deejay material had become, while versions of the Chi-Lites' 'We Are Neighbours', Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man' and a re-working of Al Green's 'Love and Happiness' (retitled 'Jungle Lion') all betray the funky soul influence that was increasingly shaping his work. The backing tracks illustrate the producer at his best; the audio spectrum is fully differentiated while spatial placement an important component -- something it would take years for him to achieve at the Black Ark. Double Seven is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on silver colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $38.00

CAT #: MOV 2474COL-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The pioneer of toasting Ewart Beckford, better known by his stage name U-Roy, is a Jamaican vocalist. He was bursting onto the Jamaican scene in the early 1970s with his typical rapping style of singing (toasting) over the rhythms and beats he created. Suddenly, Jamaica awoke one morning, and U-Roy was everywhere. He released his debut album Version Galore in 1970; it consists of his earliest songs, all recorded for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. Most listeners will especially recognize 'Tide Is High,' originally by the Paragons and it was of course later recorded by Blondie. Version Galore is available as limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on gold colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NA 5123LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress, on double-LP, including the the "Reverb Mix" version. "Issued in 1975, this is the articulation of Zambia's Zamrock ethos. While other albums -- Rikki Ililonga's Zambia, Witch's Lazy Bones!! -- are competitors, it's hard to best this album as it covers each major quadrant of the Zamrock whole: it came from the mines; its musicians were anti-colonial freedom fighters, it envelops Zambian folk music traditions, and it rocks -- hard. Amanaz were serious, and they made a serious stab at an album. They titled their album Africa, according to original band member Keith Kabwe, 'because of how it was shared and how its inhabitants were butchered and enslaved, its resources stolen... all the atrocities slave drivers committed. ' Thus, their 'Kale,' a blues sung in Nyanja, that traced the continent's arc from slavery to Zambia's independence closes the album. Kabwe and rhythm guitarist John Kanyepa have a winsome softness to their vocals, which sit politely aside the feral growl of drummer Watson Baldwin Lungu, bassist Jerry Mausala and bandleader/lead guitarist Isaac Mpofu. Africa's vibe ranges from anxious ('Amanaz') to escapist ('Easy Street') to straight-up pissed-off. On the 'History of Man,' his voice whiskey-burned, his distorted guitar buzzing like swarming hornets, Mpofu indicts his species. There's a darkness to Africa not found on any other Zamrock records, and a melancholy drifts throughout, specifically on Mpofu's more restrained 'Khala My Friend,' which stands as an effective, bleak situation for the Zambian everyman, the average citizen of a struggling, new nation, who might have had relatives in conflict-torn countries on the horizon, who might have been struggling to find his next meal, who might have seen a bleaker future than his president promised. Then there's the clear Velvet Underground-influence on the nostalgic 'Sunday Morning,' which, as Kabwe recalls, was the first song written for the album, back in 1968, when Velvet Undergound and Nico was a new release -- and the underground funk of 'Making the Scene.' The album also tackles traditional Zambian music and early-'60s rock -- punctuated, of course by Kanyepa's wah-wah and Mpofu's fuzz guitars. But every time Amanaz get too deep, too violent, they come back with an accessible song and woo their listener back to the groove. 'Green Apple' is a civil song, featuring Kanyepa's sighing guitar. It is a perfectly arranged album, from the dichotomy of Mpofu's and Kanyepa's lead and rhythm guitars, to the vocal harmonies, to the rhythm section's sense of space and time, which allows Africa's funk to build. Inexplicably, Africa was given two separate mixes and two separate presses: one version is dry, with the vocals and drums mixed loud, the other slathered in reverb, with the vocals and drums disappearing into the mix, and with the guitar solos mixed much louder. We've presented them both here as they each have their appeal: it's up to the listener to pick the one he or she prefers. This is a highpoint of the Zamrock scene and we hope that this can be seen as its definitive reissue."

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: BNOW 2023CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Bholoja, born Mbongiseni Ngubane in 1979 in Hhohho, Kingdom of Eswatini (former Swaziland), is considered to be one of the most relevant figures of the contemporary African music scene. With an infectious sense of humor and optimism, Bholoja's voice has become a mouthpiece for the underprivileged. Singing in Siswati and English, his music, Swazi Soul, blends alternative soul, gospel, jazz, blues, and African traditional rhythms. After the success of his debut album Swazi Soul I, released in 2009, Bholoja became Eswatini's rising symbol of its native rhythms, melodies, and culture. In 2015, he completed Swazi Soul II in South Africa, setting him as one of the few genuine innovators on the Swazi music scene. Since his first gig at House on Fire 2004, Bholoja shared his music at numerous venues including festival performances such as MTN Bushfire, Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, Azgo Festival, and Moshito Festival. His African and European tour with Cameroonian artist Kareyce Fotso in 2010 placed him as an influential symbol of his home country. Appointed a member to the Entertainment Committee in Eswatini by King Mswati III in 2008, he founded the "Bholoja Arts Technology and Educational Foundation" (BATEF) in 2010. His powerful lyrics combined with a striking multi- colored voice has won respect and expanded his music internationally. Also featuring Wally Badarou.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: OSR 094LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Led by explosive guitar player Chris (later Christa) Bond, Thunder and Roses was a power-trio from Philly in the best tradition of Cream or the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This is their sole album, originally released in 1969. A cult psychedelic hard-rock classic, including "White Lace and Strange", famously covered by Nirvana. Thunder and Roses (named after a story from The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology) started to take form when genius 18-years old guitar player Chris Bond and bassist Tom Schaffer met heavy drummer George Emme (previously of The Electric Power House). Rehearsing six days a week the trio gelled quick and soon they were playing memorable shows at venues like Electric Factory and the Trauma. Recorded at Sigma Sound by Joe Tarcia, King of the Black Sunrise was released by United Artists in 1969. Dominated by Bond's outstanding fuzz-wah guitar playing, the album featured seven original songs plus a storming cover of Hendrix's "Red House". Sadly, the record label took a wrong decision when refused to release the killer "White Lace and Strange" as a 45 to promote the album, choosing the mockery "Country Life" instead. After Thunder & Roses split, guitar player and main songwriter Chris Bond had a successful career as producer, songwriter, arranger and session musician, working closely with Daryl Hall & John Oates as well as other top artists. Later in her life, Chris eventually transitioned from male to female and changed her name to Christa. She sadly passed away in 2019.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: PLANAM 028LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 restock. The 20 years-old young David Chesworth experiments with the gigantic Serge synth that occupies half the room of the Latrobe University electronic studio. On the traces of pioneers such as Tristram Cary or Warren Burt, a new avant-garde is blooming in Sidney and Melbourne with bands like Severed Heads, The Makers, The Loop Orchestra, and the like. David Chesworth will soon play a major role by coordinating the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre in Melbourne, by co-founding the cult label Innocent Records and by playing in acts such as Essendon Airport, The Dave And Phil Duo, ? ? ?, as well as conducting a solo career. He would later become one of the leading figures in contemporary sculpture and sound installation in Australia and abroad and a recognized and awarded composer with his The David Chesworth Ensemble. His first solo LP titled 50 Synthesizer Greats! was released in 1979 and recorded in the same period as the LP presented here. While his first LP is a compilation of very short and eclectic tracks, "Five Evolutionary Things 79" and "The Unattended Serge 78" are structured as suites. Drawing skeletons for pop tunes to come, these minimal electronic pieces are at times very experimental but never brutal, reminding of the best moments of Udder Milk Decay's Take a Teat or sharing the apparent naïve melancholia of Harmonia's Musik Von Harmonia. Hints of elegant musique concrète à la François Bayle can be heard, but also out of space blip-beats, as if Pietro Grossi or Erkki Kurenniemi went groovy. This beautiful, unknown gem of ozzy underground is now available for your ears in an edition limited to 300 copies.

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: RS 025EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Peckham MC and DJ Pinty is set to release his debut EP City Limits on Rhythm Section International. Following the recent release of his debut single "Tropical Bleu", a laid-back broken-beat roller produced by friend and collaborator King Krule under his DJ JD Sports alias, Pinty has quickly become the talk of the town. "Nightcrawler" presents a simmering nocturnal dance cut, charged with glowing bursts of deep house and candid lyrics. With deeply personal lyricism and wry humor, "City Limits" adds color to a mostly grey city.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: STAR 363332CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

You will instantly hear that it's Tiger Lou on Rasmus Kellerman vocals, the driven drums of Pontus Levahn and the charismatic typical Tiger Lou electric guitars. Tiger Lou fans, you get what you want!

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: SRWAX 020LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following a string of beautiful digital albums and cassette titles, Stasis Recordings help deliver the first Glo Phase long-player on vinyl. Soft Gems captures Joseph's up-tempo arrangements for fans long pining to see and hear more of his sound presented on wax. Your record collection will immediately thank you.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: AS 7019EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Hailing from North-west UK, singer and producer Joe Yorke is classed as one of the most promising UK reggae artists of his generation. His exceptional and unique falsetto voice paired with his profound and poetic lyrics have caught the attention of some of the best producers and labels and an ever-growing fanbase. Joe has entered the stage with support from reggae/dub legends such as David Rodigan, Don Letts, Dennis Bovell, Nick Manasseh, and Stand High Patrol. His latest single comes via Steppas Records in collaboration with upcoming UK dub producer Yaksha, "Rocking Ship" is a poignant and compassionate commentary on the plight of refugees. Mixed by Alpha Steppa, featuring a heavyweight, stripped-back dub mix for company. A crucial 7" for collectors, home listening and sound systems alike.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: SSR 123CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Doomdelic instrumental space prog rockers L'ira Del Baccano are back with their fourth album on Subsound Records, Cosmic Evoked Potentials. The album release will be preceded by a video for the single "The Strange Dream of My Old Sun". Producer and guitarist Alessandro Santori says about the album: Cosmic Evoked Potentials is a rite of passage, the end of a cycle and already blooming of another. Surely their most instinctive effort so far. The band went back to their roots of live recording, this time instead of a stage they chose an old mansion from late 1700s outside Rome. The atmosphere there was so charming and stimulating that 13 minutes of a 45-minute-long improvisation ended up in the album.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: SVVRCH 043LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Reissue, originally released in 1978. The only album by Althea & Donna, a Jamaican reggae duo active between 1977 and 1979, mostly known for the number one hit "Uptown Top Ranking". "Uptown Top Ranking" was a song by Jamaican teenage singers Althea Forrest and Donna Reid, recorded when they were 17 and 18 years old respectively. Released in 1977, the song comprises the girls ad-libbing to deejay track "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: TAC 019LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Don't Stop is the third album retrospectively released by Ghia. As the subtitle Early Works & Artefacts 1984-1987 implies, it features some of their earliest compositions as well as tracks that were recorded during the same period as their Curaçao Blue LP. A range of genres, including electro, funk, soul, jazz-funk, synth pop, and even rap/hip-hop, all woven together as a cohesive, mostly instrumental work. As a whole, Don't Stop represents Ghia's funkiest and most experimental release to date. Notably, the LP features a rap version of Hermann Hesse's controversial German poem "Armer Teufel am Morgen nach dem Maskenball" (Poor Devil the Morning After the Costume Ball) from 1926, accompanied by a drum machine rhythm and funky guitar. The title track and the thrilling minimal electro-funk tune "3 A.M. at Moëf Gaga" both evoke old-school electro influences. The latter references the Spanish discotheque Moëf Gaga, located on the Balearic coast, which the dynamic duo of Lutz Boberg and Frank Simon frequented during their 1980s holidays. One of the key tracks of the album is "Message From The Other Side", which could easily be noted as one of the nicest European synth-funk instrumental pieces ever. The track is based on a sick synth bass line, sparkled with DX7 chord hits, funky guitar, and a delightful "marimba" solo. The solo was actually played on Boberg's keyboard, using a special sound cartridge. This particular track had to be edited and technically revised by Marian Tone and DJ Scientist as the existing demo version of the song could not be used as is. Listening to the complete album, there is more of Boberg's keyboard wizardry: the trumpet solo on "Jump In The Water" as well as the short but stunning slap bass solo on "Talk Too Much" were both played by on the DX7. However, Don't Stop is not about solos or virtuous playing -- it clearly shows the duo's direction towards more electronic composition and clear song structures. The versions of "September Garden", "When The Rain is Falling", as well as "Talk Too Much" are actually instrumental mixdowns of vocal songs. And again, you get a blissful take of "Close To You", here a version from 1986. Mastered and restored with great care, this is a perfect example of mid 1980s home-recording pleasures, tinged with a youthful spirit and providing a sound that cannot be recaptured anymore nowadays. Includes 30x30 cm insert with credits.

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: THR 050LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; black vinyl. "1998: Tortoise's third studio album TNT is released. In and out of print over the past decade we are happy to finally give everyone what they have been asking for - TNT on vinyl again! Pressed on high quality virgin vinyl, the two LPs are packaged in a deluxe old-style tip-on gatefold jacket fully replicating the original artwork and includes a download coupon for the first time!"

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: TRESOR 137X-EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Just a month after the album release of Neptune's Lair in September 2022 (TRESOR 129X-CD/LP), its companion 12" Hydro Doorways will be second in the series. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of James Stinson and the releases of the Transllusion and Shifted Phases albums. In recognition, the rightsholders, their families, and the label have commissioned Detroit-based contemporary artist Matthew Angelo Harrison to re-conceptualize the covers of Tresor's Drexciya-related catalog. 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: KHZ 1007LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

A broken telephonic call to the future's past, Algae & Tentacles' The Mouth is a Resonant Field combines solo voice, intuitive free improvisation, minimalist endurance, and noisy accident in order to reimagine the sonic palette of American folk song. Through the filter of consumer grade pedal electronics, old songs become sites where new worlds can emerge. Always with an ear toward the vast, oceanic sonic confusion of these unknown spaces, Algae & Tentacles (John Melillo) works in the undersound of traditional song. Melillo works through old chants, ballads, and melancholic work-songs to create a sound that is both old-time and no-time. Imagine song as a resonating field of vocalization extending itself in shards of audibility passed from mouth to ear to text to recording machine, in a pluralized time and space that sings bodies as much as bodies sing it. Thrown out of the orbit of tradition, these songs are not nostalgic places of return but rather sites from which new worlds emerge. Algae & Tentacles is the sound work of John Melillo. It is an umbrella for an eclectic set of sonic outputs that often hover around song, including verse-chorus-verse constructions, digital sound art, sound poetry, and electro-acoustic improvisation. Algae & Tentacle's first album was released by Lightning Records in 2015. Melillo has released collaborative albums with Cecyl Ruehlen (Where Tremble Heart, Unsilent Desert Press, 2022) and Geoff Saba (Dry River, FREAKS, 2017).

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: KHZ 1008LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

The first material object from Idol Ko Si references a life of musical investigation without distinct clarity for the derivation of those references. Yes, the group has devoured sounds from other times and lands, but never once do those influences announce themselves. It is a minimalist result with a maximalist intent. Every group does this to some extent, but Idol Ko Si seems to consciously avoid the "recommended if you like" syndrome. Idol Ko Si has been called an abstracted supergroup -- featuring as it does members of Aframes, Climax Golden Twins, Factums, Dreamsalon, AFCGT, Sublime Frequencies, and Yves SonAce. But supergroups tend to yield competing sounds and here Min Yee, Matthew Ford and Robert Millis congeal into something significantly distinct that is not immediately audible in any of their other projects -- fractured sounds, broken beats, cocaine ambiance... low key, lo-fi and hazy. Sinister has never had a more appropriate companion. A disorientation begins as you get further into the album. The sounds are crisp, but by "'ludes and words" the obfuscated vocals galvanize a confusion that lasts until the album's end. It wouldn't be surprising to learn this creation originated from a part of the psyche that we prefer not to acknowledge, or it may just be a result of present times. It seems these sounds wouldn't be out of place as a soundtrack to the Zone from Tarkovsky's Stalker.

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: KHZ 1009LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Damage Mécanique thrusts the listener into a malfunctioning industrial sci-fi soundscape. Trance-inducing guitars beckon with haunting wails, high-tension wires spin and spit with a crackling hiss. Circular kosmische rhythms and anxiety-drenched beats destroy and rebuild around fractured melodies and noise. The band oxidizes and melts into experimental post-punk and acousmatic environments as hypnotic groove and vertigo copulate in cinematic assemblage. Drawing from elements of film noir, psychedelic exotica, experimental rock, deviant surf and musique concrète, Diminished Men refocus their influences into something entirely unique. Collaged with menacing electricity, the raw materials are broken up and reassembled in their crude private facility. The group has spent more than a decade crafting their style and have established themselves as an integral part of Seattle's underground music scene. Diminished Men are an instrumental group formed by guitarist Steve Schmitt, drummer Dave Abramson (Master Musicians of Bukkake, Climax Golden Twins, Secret Chiefs 3, Spider Trio) and bassist Simon Henneman. Their 2005 first full length Names of the Dead introduced the band's jagged, hard-charging approach and cinema obscura ethos. A bizarre series of cassettes American Volume Swells and their Six O' Clock Baby album revealed a raw and unchecked side of the band through live recordings, improvisations and collage. It was their 2009 Shadow Instrumentals LP on the Sun City Girls label, Abduction Records, that got the band wider recognition for their creative and distinctive sound. Followed by Capnomancy and Vision in Crime, they cemented their status as formidable figures, developing a dedicated audience of audiophiles who found themselves entranced by Diminished Men's high energy live performances.

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: KHZ 1010LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

From the electrical entrance to the fragile departure, Derek Monypeny's Cibola is a continued exploration/distillation of the approach and methodology that Monypeny first introduced on The Hand As Dealt. The 15-string Indian electric banjo known as the shahi baaja again features prominently, and many of the tracks could be called "drone-based." The sound melds something new without the absence of the reference material, but Monypeny also wanted to expand further. Cibola marks the first time he has ever had drums on any of his solo records; his dear friend, the brilliant San Francisco-based percussionist and sound artist Kevin Corcoran, sent him a complete drum track and he played shahi baaja and guitar over it. The result is "Nala Gem," where Monypeny and Corcoran explore quasi-Southeast Asian bell tones, dynamics, and heavy wash. And Monypeny ends the record with "A Tin Tear Drop," where he introduces an electric autoharp, which he plays using mallets to create a multiphonic, glowing Fabrege sound-egg. Monypeny has recorded a companion piece to this record that 2182 has pressed in limited quantities available directly through mail order. Remote Duets is a seven-inch consisting of two open-source percussion tracks performed and recorded by Ted Byrnes in Los Angeles, CA. Derek Monypeny is a Joshua Tree, CA-based guitarist/multiinstrumentalist who has played in the bands ALTO!, Oaxacan, and Sir Richard Bishop's Freak Of Araby Ensemble. Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce, his album of solo oud recordings released in 2011, received international acclaim. He has performed and toured with artists such as Bill Orcutt, Jozef van Wissem, Eva Agulia, Arrington de Dionyso, and many others.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: TW 001LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

This outstanding and limited compilation of Turkish jazz-funk rarities is something to lend an ear to! Bosporus Bridges will is a journey to unknown and peculiar musical landscapes. Featuring Emin F?nd?ko?lu, Mustafa Özkent Ve Orkestras?, Erkut Taçk?n, Fikret K?z?lok, Erkin Koray, Aksu Orkestras?, Ferdi Özbe?en, Erol Pekcan, Okay Temiz, Erol Pekcan Orkestras?, and Durul Gence 10.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: UTR 151BLUE-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Blue vinyl. Me Lost Me, led by Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent, announces a new album, RPG, via Upset The Rhythm. RPG (recorded in Blank Studios with Sam Grant of Pigs x7) is Me Lost Me's fourth outing as a collective. Having transitioned from an ambitious solo project in 2017, Jayne now regularly collaborates with acclaimed North-East jazz musicians Faye MacCalman and John Pope. Me Lost Me delights in experimenting with songwriting and storytelling, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully weave together disparate genres, drawing influence from folk, art pop, noise, ambient and improvised music. Jayne Dent presents RPG as an homage to worldbuilding and the story as an artform, calling back to oral traditions around a campfire, bringing folk music into the present day as she does so. A central thesis of this album is the joy of creation, something which is paid homage to in the album's final track, "Science And Art." Crucially on RPG, Dent expands her songwriting and looks towards the unreal locations of worldbuilding in video games for inspiration. RPG upends the concept of the eternal return -- we may be in the midst of inevitable repetition, but we tell stories whilst awaiting the passage of time. LP version also available on pink vinyl (UTR 151PINK-LP).

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: UTR 151CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Me Lost Me, led by Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent, announces a new album, RPG, via Upset The Rhythm. RPG (recorded in Blank Studios with Sam Grant of Pigs x7) is Me Lost Me's fourth outing as a collective. Having transitioned from an ambitious solo project in 2017, Jayne now regularly collaborates with acclaimed North-East jazz musicians Faye MacCalman and John Pope. Me Lost Me delights in experimenting with songwriting and storytelling, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully weave together disparate genres, drawing influence from folk, art pop, noise, ambient and improvised music. Jayne Dent presents RPG as an homage to worldbuilding and the story as an artform, calling back to oral traditions around a campfire, bringing folk music into the present day as she does so. A central thesis of this album is the joy of creation, something which is paid homage to in the album's final track, "Science And Art." Crucially on RPG, Dent expands her songwriting and looks towards the unreal locations of worldbuilding in video games for inspiration. RPG upends the concept of the eternal return -- we may be in the midst of inevitable repetition, but we tell stories whilst awaiting the passage of time. LP versions available on blue (UTR 151BLUE-LP) and pink vinyl (UTR 151PINK-LP).

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: UTR 151PINK-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Pink vinyl. Me Lost Me, led by Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent, announces a new album, RPG, via Upset The Rhythm. RPG (recorded in Blank Studios with Sam Grant of Pigs x7) is Me Lost Me's fourth outing as a collective. Having transitioned from an ambitious solo project in 2017, Jayne now regularly collaborates with acclaimed North-East jazz musicians Faye MacCalman and John Pope. Me Lost Me delights in experimenting with songwriting and storytelling, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully weave together disparate genres, drawing influence from folk, art pop, noise, ambient and improvised music. Jayne Dent presents RPG as an homage to worldbuilding and the story as an artform, calling back to oral traditions around a campfire, bringing folk music into the present day as she does so. A central thesis of this album is the joy of creation, something which is paid homage to in the album's final track, "Science And Art." Crucially on RPG, Dent expands her songwriting and looks towards the unreal locations of worldbuilding in video games for inspiration. RPG upends the concept of the eternal return -- we may be in the midst of inevitable repetition, but we tell stories whilst awaiting the passage of time. LP version also available on blue vinyl (UTR 151BLUE-LP).

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: VL 900044LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; 2008 release. While 1967's Velvet Underground & Nico was a part of Andy Warhol's global artistic vision, 1968's White Light/White Heat was free of all Warholian influence, so in a way it could be thought of as another debut album. Here the music was left to fester on its own, with no artistic visionary interfering or trying to create a soundtrack for his pop art, and the Velvets filled that void with an album that is an aural subway car full of drunkards, junkies and whores rumbling through the bowels of NYC with a one way ticket to oblivion. Includes 3 bonus tracks.

 

PRICE: $26.50

CAT #: WRWTFWW 039LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 restock. LP version. 350gsm sleeve with selected UV high gloss varnish; WRWTFWW Records announce the release of Irish ambient/minimalist producer Gareth Quinn Redmond's Laistigh den Ghleo, a companion album to Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way (Wave Notation 2) (WRWTFWW 030CD/LP). "Conceptually derived from the work of Japanese minimalist composer Satoshi Ashikawa, I have composed an album which hopes to engage, enrich and reflect the listener's surroundings, an Environmental Music" --Gareth Quinn Redmond. Working with Still Way as a base for inspiration, Gareth Quinn Redmond takes Ashikawa's meditative sound designs to more dramatic and lyrical landscapes, gracefully instilling his personal touch into the master's melodic patterns and presenting six pieces which blend and reflect the modern listener's ever-changing environment. As Midori Takada explains in the liner notes, "Even though Gareth is deeply influenced by Still Way, he looks above, toward the air and the sky. He pays respect to Ashikawa's approach, but adds bold elements from another dimension -- Satoshi Ashikawa aspired to crystallize the sound structure of nature that exists in the environment. Gareth tries to capture what flourishes out of it." Laistigh den Ghleo is released in conjunction with Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way (Wave Notation 2) reissue on WRWTFWW Records. Liner Notes by Midori Takada and Gareth Quinn Redmond. LP version comes in 350gsm sleeve with selected UV high gloss varnish.

 

PRICE: $26.50

CAT #: WRWTFWW 040LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. WRWTFWW Records present the much-anticipated official reissue of Japanese duo Inoyamaland's quintessential ambient/environmental/electronic album Danzindan-Pojidon, produced by Haruomi Hosono and originally released in 1983 on his Yen Records label. Available outside of Japan for the first time, the new age classic comes as a limited LP with liner notes by band member Makoto Inoue. With Danzindan-Pojidon, Yasushi Yamashita and Makoto Inoue created what they describe as "a special place where the kingdom of summer vacation never ended." Playful and magical, it's a sonic landscape defined by tinkling synths, floating minimalist melodies, pastoral excursions, and mythical overtones. The ten-track adventure takes the listener on a joyful audio exploration of unknown but friendly territories, like childhood memories of an imaginary island where everything is vibrantly alive and peaceful. The original recording sessions for the album took place in an apartment filled with Inoyamaland's "favorite things and friends" and the wonders that came out of them were handed to master Harry Hosono who added his undeniable genius touch. And thus Danzindan-Pojidon was born, an absolute must-have, sitting in the pantheon of all-time '80s Japanese ambient greats alongside Midori Takada's Through The Looking Glass (WRWTFWW 018LP/019CD/019LP), Hiroshi Yoshimura's Green, and Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way (WRWTFWW 030CD/LP) -- and holding that mysterious power of "music that makes life a little easier and happier." 350gsm sleeve with selected UV high gloss varnish.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: WRWTFWW 048LTD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

2023 restock; LP version. 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve. WRWTFWW Records announce the release of Kenji Kawai's complete soundtrack to Mamoru Oshii's 1993 superb political thriller science-fiction mecha anime Patlabor 2: The Movie. Includes liner notes by the great Masaaki Hara. A true soundtrack maestro, Kenji Kawai is behind the legendary soundscapes of cult anime and movies such as Ghost in the Shell, Avalon, Ring, Ip Man, and Seven Swords among numerous others. Patlabor 2: The Movie (Original Soundtrack) is one of his most experimental offerings, an outstanding palette of emotion-filled ambient atmospherics and percussion mastery breathing beautifully through Kawai's minimalism meets modern classical approach. His symphony of moods paints a delicate picture of urban isolation, a central theme in the movie, but doesn't hide hints of hope for a joyful future. Patlabor 2: The Movie (Original Soundtrack) is an ideal companion to Kenji Kawai's Ghost In The Shell soundtrack (WRWTFWW 017LP/LTD, 2017).

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: YAZ 1005HLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. 180 gram exact repro reissue of Yazoo's 1968 compilation of rare 78 rpm recordings from Blind Willie McTell. A record that put Yazoo on the map as an essential archival label of roots music. The very best of the magnificent Willie Samuel McTell -- aka Blind Willie aka Hot Shot Willie aka Georgia Bill -- exploring spiritual, ragtime, hillbilly, and above all, the blues.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: VP 4218CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"During the latter half of the seventies very few came close to emulating the success of the productions of Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson. 'The Mighty Two' took the greatest of Kingston's musical and technical innovations and transformed the cutting edge into a commercial proposition that crossed over the rest of the world. Under Heavy Manners was an essential purchase as well as a defining statement on the somber mood of the times in the year that 'Two Sevens Clash' and forty years after its original release, the raw reality of Under Heavy Manner continue to hit home."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: VP 4218LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. "During the latter half of the seventies very few came close to emulating the success of the productions of Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson. 'The Mighty Two' took the greatest of Kingston's musical and technical innovations and transformed the cutting edge into a commercial proposition that crossed over the rest of the world. Under Heavy Manners was an essential purchase as well as a defining statement on the somber mood of the times in the year that 'Two Sevens Clash' and forty years after its original release, the raw reality of Under Heavy Manner continue to hit home."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: AKU 1042CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

New album of the Swiss/Lebanese experimental duo (Raed Yassin and Paed Conca). Praed is a band whose musical oeuvre can be described as a mixture of Arabic popular music, free jazz, and electronics. Since then, the band has frequented numerous international music festivals and toured intensively world-wide, spanning Japan, Europe, and Canada. Through these endeavors, the band has created a large global network with other renowned musicians as musical collaborators. CD version comes in digipack; edition of 300.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: AKU 1042LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Edition of 500. New album of the Swiss/Lebanese experimental duo (Raed Yassin and Paed Conca). Praed is a band whose musical oeuvre can be described as a mixture of Arabic popular music, free jazz, and electronics. Since then, the band has frequented numerous international music festivals and toured intensively world-wide, spanning Japan, Europe, and Canada. Through these endeavors, the band has created a large global network with other renowned musicians as musical collaborators.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: AKU 1044LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Baskot Lel Baltageyya (which, loosely translated, means "Cookies for Thugs"), is a project headed by musician Adham Zidan and poet Anwar Dabbour. On the Egyptian band's debut album, Dabbour's colloquial Arabic lyrics paint visions of a world spinning into chaos, where reality often veers into absurdity. Zidan, who produced the album in addition to writing the music, harnesses the madness with serpentine melodies that mingle and dance over hypnotic grooves like a psychedelic version of ring-around-the-rosie. Zidan plays keyboards and sings in The Invisible Hands alongside Sublime Frequencies/Sun City Girls co-founder, Alan Bishop. He honed his own style of lo-fi folk on Today Is Tomorrow, and is now expanding his horizons even further with Baskot Lel Baltageyya. Over the past decade, he has gained widespread recognition for his work as a musician, producer, recordist, and mixer. Dubbed "Egypt's musical renaissance man" by Scene Noise in 2019, he's lent his keen ear to numerous other projects -- such as Youssra El Hawary's No'oum Nasyeen (2017), Tarkamt's Live at the Necropolis (2018), Maurice Louca's Elephantine (SR 474LP, 2019), Natik Awayez's Manbarani (SF 116LP, 2020), and Nancy Mounir's Nozhet El Nofous (2022) -- and has collaborated with many of the biggest names in the region's independent music scene, including Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, Nadah El Shazly, Raed Yassin, and Sam Shalabi. Baskot Lel Baltageyya started as an audiovisual project, and from the beginning, Zidan has resisted the idea of it being pinned down as any one thing. As he puts it, "You can think of Baskot as a genre of music, a name of a group, or as something to consume." The album serves as an extension of Baskot's phantasmagoric live show. With his voice slathered in vocoders, Dabbour weaves his fragmented rhyme schemes with surreal images, odd characters, pop-culture references and imperative prescriptions for managing everyday life. Astute listeners can find links between the album and the dark absurdist humor that prominently featured in Egyptian popular culture before life became more absurd than the culture. You may perceive similarities to monologuist performances, or to the different shaabi musics of the region, or to old Egyptian TV scores, or to early electronic music, or to western psychedelia. Alternatively, however, you can choose not to want to view everything in relation to things you already know. Bridging the gap between experimentation and pop, Baskot Lel Baltageyya stands as a style, a sound, and an edible entity all its own. Mastered by Heba Kadry. Includes 12" double poster.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: AKU 1045LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

An original instrumental music project led by composer and Oud player, Aly Eissa. Featuring his diverse musical influences, Eissa's compositions create versatile and twisted meditative atmospheres throughout the musical experience. Aly Eissa is a composer and Oud player based in Cairo, Egypt. He was mentored by legendary composer Abdo Dagher and Oud virtuoso, Hazem Shahin. Eissa's style is deeply-rooted in the Egyptian classical and folk traditions, and influenced by various western genres. Since 2012, Eissa has been regularly performing his compositions with an ensemble for live audiences in Cairo, offering a meditative musical experience with a twist. One of Eissa's musical approaches is the experimenting approach through a unique trio formation including the Belgian synthesizer player Jonas Cambien and the Egyptian percussion player, Ayman Mabrouk. In this trio, Eissa is trying to explore a different sound and space in the originally composed Arabic music. Includes CD with bonus tracks.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: ANIMALS 011EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

This four-track EP combines bouncy arps, proggy basslines and FM synthesis that mingle with bubbly SFX, synth risers and field recordings, resulting in a sprightly, atmospheric collection of club tracks for leftfield adjacent dancers.

 

PRICE: $135.00

CAT #: BING 200LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A decade on from the release of Ripely Pine, Lady Lamb's Aly Spaltro has created the definitive five-LP box set to commemorate and expand upon her landmark debut. With the original songs remastered, Ten Years Of Ripely Pine also includes three LPs of newly recorded studio material, produced and arranged by Spaltro and mixed by original co-producer Nadim Issa. It captures the time, mood, art and ambition of Aly Spaltro in her early twenties, who had already accumulated years of playing and self-recording experience before laying down tracks for this giant of a debut record, and the sage wisdom of a decade's experience."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: QR 449CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Quartet Records, in collaboration with Gruppo Sugar, presents the world premiere release of the catchy score by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis for Lando Buzzanca's sex-comedy vehicle, San Pasquale Baylonne Protettore Delle Donne (1976). The film, directed by Luigi Filippo D'Amico, follows petty criminal Giuseppe Cicerchia (Buzzanca) who can't catch a break following separation from his wife, Iolanda. That is, until he moves to the isolated mountain town of Busolone, where the crafty con man finds the recipe for success. The score by the De Angelis brothers is almost a musical sequel to their score for Per La Grazia Ricevuta (1971), a film with which San Pasquale Bayllone has much in common. A folk/pop hybrid approach characterizes the whole score, mixed with the brothers' indisputable gift for melody and lovely, heart-warming tunes. A religiously inspired, folksy waltz serves as the main theme. Mastered by Claudio Fuiano from stereo session master tapes provided by Gruppo Sugar. CD comes in a richly illustrated package featuring liner notes by Gergely Hubai that cover both the film and score.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: QR 457CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Quartet Records, in collaboration with Gruppo Sugar, presents the CD premiere of the delicious Detto Mariano comedy score for the Maurizio Nichetti classic, Ratataplan (1979). The film was written and directed by Maurizio Nichetti, whose specialization was pantomime acting and who also stars in the film. The wordless movie stars Nichetti as Colombo, an engineer who is known for coming up with unusual solutions to problems. In a number of colorful vignettes, you see him invent brilliant contraptions such as a breakfast machine, the secret of eternal life and even a dancing robot. The score composed by Detto Mariano is as colorful as Colombo's inventions. The main theme is a vocal duet, reflecting on the film's optimistic message that even an oddball like the hero can find a mate. Colorful source cues for the flats around Colombo's loft are augmented with great music for the film's memorable set pieces, including a theatrical performance where a cardboard piano comes to life and a couple of infectious disco songs to which the dancing robot can jam. CAM released a 33-minute LP in 1979; for this edition, the program has expanded to offer the complete score. Mastered by Claudio Fuiano from stereo session master tapes provided by Gruppo Sugar. Comes in a richly illustrated package featuring liner notes by Gergely Hubai that discuss both film and score.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BMR 133LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The band is comprised of four badasses of Michigan underground sound: Gretchen Gonzales (Universal Indians, Slumber Party, Terror At The Opera), Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive, ESP Beetles), Joey Mazzola (Detroit Cobras, Sponge, Sugarcoats), and special guest Steve Nistor (Sparks, Ural Thomas, Seedsmen To The World). The instrumental combo has already played in London, the Bay Area (where they accompanied some of Harry Smith's 'Early Abstraction' films), and to packed houses in Detroit. Their debut, Prequel (Birdman) released at the start of 2023, received many fine notices; this album was recorded at the same time and in the same home studio in Birmingham, Michigan. Space Mirror is so good. Each unnamed track flows into the next. It's subtle, often quiet, and beautiful, to be sure. But it's expansive and hard to pin down. Part of the reason is that the Michigan way is all-out. You can't get on the smallest stage here without fully committing. That's why we not only gave you the single best album of the peak rock era (rhymes with 'pun mouse'), but the mind-melding depths of Emeralds (to use two Ann Arbor reference points). This here is an Infinite River, after all: We have the perfectly crafted harmonic noise guitar stylings of Gretchen Gonzales. And the expert drone of Warren Defever on tambura and harmonium. Steve Nistor's percussion veers from imperceptible to all-encompassing. And Mazzola is such an adept stylist that it's easy to mistake his emotive slide guitar work here for a full-on pedal steel. Fans of Barry Walker, Jr. and Henry Flynt will find much to enjoy here. Everyone's seen that panel by now, multiple times, originally printed in late 1986 in the fourth issue of Alan Moore's Watchmen: A blue guy with a dot in his forehead sits on a boulder on the moon looking back at Earth, apparently exhausted. 'I am tired of Earth, these people. I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives,' the original caption states. And now with meme generators you can change it so it's about how you don't want to go to work, or something cool about capitalism, whatever. My setup here is that if that meme could talk (and we're not talking its excellent HBO adaptation), Space Mirror is exactly what the soundtrack would be. It's expansive, exquisitely rendered, and carries with it an unexpected emotional depth." --Mike McGonigal

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: BE 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Black Editions present the first ever vinyl edition of Tokyo Flashback, the legendary 1991 compilation that defined the Tokyo psychedelic movement and first brought it to the outside world. Tokyo Flashback is one of the most iconic compilations in the history of underground music. Originally released by Japan's P.S.F. Records, Tokyo Flashback defined the breathtakingly unique and previously obscured musical movement that had been developing in Japan since the late 1970s. The compilation features some of the earliest released recordings by Keiji Haino, High Rise, Masaki Batoh's Ghost, White Heaven, Fushitsusha, Kousokuya, and Marble Sheep. It captures the excitement and energy of a Tokyo awash in Technicolor and deep blacks; the music echoing krautrock, psychedelic freak-outs, garage, and no wave. At the same time it reveals astonishing, totally idiosyncratic expansions of rock music. In time, Tokyo Flashback expanded to a synonymous nine volume series that, over the following two decades, unveiled Japan's ever evolving soundscapes to the rest of the world. Tokyo Flashback is a defining statement of late 20th century Japanese psychedelic music and an essential primer to the world of P.S.F. All tracks are exclusive, this edition features the first time translation of the original liner notes. Black Editions' deluxe edition is entirely re-mastered and marks the first release of Tokyo Flashback outside of Japan and it's first ever vinyl issue. Also features Verzerk. Newly created artwork and design expanding on the original by Rob Carmichael at SEEN Sudio; Housed in custom printed deluxe Stoughton gatefold jacket and slipcase, including full color printed inner sleeves and inserts with soft touch and spot UV gloss finishes; Remastered and cut by Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound; Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BE 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress! Pitchfork Best New Reissue: 8.4: Black Editions present a reissue of High Rise's II, originally released in 1986. High Rise exploded onto Tokyo's underground music scene with the roar and reckless abandon of a motorcycle accelerating headlong into a dead man's curve. Born from the explosive chemistry of bassist/vocalist Asahito Nanjo and frenetic guitarist Munehiro Narita, the band blazed a wild new stream of psychedelic guitar music. Their second album is a defining document of the band and unquestionably one of the greatest albums to emerge from 20th century underground Japan and beyond. With Nanjo's distorted thunder bass and Narita's wildly narrative lead guitar playing, II is a non-stop tour de force of improvised rock music. Combining elements of garage rock, punk, and no wave, the band pushed all levels fully in-the-red and transcended the limits of rock and psychedelia to create a raw, unique expansion of the music. Black Editions present High Rise's II, newly mixed and mastered by Asahito Nanjo in what the band states is the definitive version of their most quintessential recording. This new edition restores the original vinyl version's textured black and silver artwork. Housed in heavy Stoughton tip-on jacket. Pressed onto high quality vinyl by RTI.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: BFR 027CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"On Silent Future, Chicago atmospheric psych-doom outfit REZN teams up with Mexico City cosmic conceptualists Vinnum Sabbathi for a true union of heavy exploration. Allowing themselves a fluid, open canvas to experiment, members of both bands contribute equally to create an album of lush, hypnotic and frequently megalithic ambience, yielding an utterly cohesive trip into the riff-drenched astral reaches. The fluidity with which REZN and Vinnum Sabbathi collaborate is unlikely, yet inarguable. Strong nuclear forces conjoin sections as alternatingly ethereal as celestial light and dense as a black hole collapse. Ultimately, the endeavor is never limited to being one thing for long, any more than it is limited to being the work of a single band. More than a listening experience, Silent Future's vitality extends beyond the aural. This is the work of two groups pushing themselves further than they've gone before, each answering the other's question of how far they can ultimately go. As heavy as Silent Future gets, as distant as it may range, one cannot regard this righteously thick, molten-tempo journey into the unknown as anything but breathtaking."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: BONER 032LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "In 1992 the Melvins' fascination/adoration/denigration of the mighty KISS rock and roll universe compelled them to excrete out three solo masterworks inspired by the KISS solo LPs. The first in the series is King Buzzo, from the Melvins' giggling guitar grumpus. Four songs of atmospheric clanging and rockin' banging. Also features the many talents, drumming and otherwise, of a famous Grunge superstar, whose name sort of rhymes with New Wave Asshole. The second in the series is Dale Crover, from the Melvins' sleepy drum caveman. Four songs of gloomy heaviness, with Dale doin' the drummin', singin', guitarin', and dancin'. The third in the series is Joe Preston, from the Melvins' electronic beard warlord. Three songs of fuzz bass computer drone temper tantrum. All three 12-inches reissued on vinyl after 100,000 years out of print."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BONF 021LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

For the first time on vinyl, these previously unreleased sessions by the British jazz rock band. Recorded live at the Impulse studios prior to their 1972 debut album on Blackey/Warner. With liner notes by bassist Colin Hodgkinson. Colin Hodgkinson first met Ron Aspery whilst the two were playing in Eric Delaney's Showband. The two began to talk about forming their own band around 1969, and eventually Back Door came to fruition in 1971, with Tony Hicks joining on drums. Hodgkinson made an innovative use of the electric bass, making it a lead instrument. Their unique brand of jazz-rock was a hit at their regular venue: the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, Yorkshire. However, record labels were not keen and the band were repeatedly told "No singer, no contract". But the band's popularity increased in the end when they were asked to play a two-week stint at Ronnie Scott's club in London, opening for Chick Corea. The record companies changed their tune, and after receiving many offers, the trio decided to sign with Warner Brothers. The band even rejected an offer from Richard Branson (who was just starting up Virgin Records at the time).

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BJR 086C-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Yellow pineapple vinyl. Coco María and Bongo Joe reunite for the second edition of Club Coco, featuring a sackful of Latin inspired tracks from international bands and producers. All the songs were selected by Coco María, who in recent years has gone from a promising up-and-comer to an ever-present and influential figure in the music industry, widely known for her tireless work shining a light on contemporary, pan-Latin roots music around the world, through both her live DJs sets and eclectic radio sessions. This compilation brings together several of the most respected and innovative artists on the frontiers of tropical music today. Those who take the energy, melodies and textures of classic Latin music and turn those gems into songs tailor-made for a new generation of music lovers. Simply put, it's a record for those diggers who jump with excitement when they find a vinyl reissue of some Latin star of the past, be it Joe Arroyo, Los Mirlos, or Aniceto Molina and then wonder, "This classic music sounds amazing, but where are the bands that are taking these sounds to new places?" Features Raz Olsher, Los Pirañas, Lola's Dice, Guess What, Acid Coco, Juan Hundred, Las Mijas, Dip In The Dub, Chupameeldedo, Guess What, Candeleros, Iko Chérie, Ronald Snijders, and Raz Olsher.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BJR 086LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Coco María and Bongo Joe reunite for the second edition of Club Coco, featuring a sackful of Latin inspired tracks from international bands and producers. All the songs were selected by Coco María, who in recent years has gone from a promising up-and-comer to an ever-present and influential figure in the music industry, widely known for her tireless work shining a light on contemporary, pan-Latin roots music around the world, through both her live DJs sets and eclectic radio sessions. This compilation brings together several of the most respected and innovative artists on the frontiers of tropical music today. Those who take the energy, melodies and textures of classic Latin music and turn those gems into songs tailor-made for a new generation of music lovers. Simply put, it's a record for those diggers who jump with excitement when they find a vinyl reissue of some Latin star of the past, be it Joe Arroyo, Los Mirlos, or Aniceto Molina and then wonder, "This classic music sounds amazing, but where are the bands that are taking these sounds to new places?" Features Raz Olsher, Los Pirañas, Lola's Dice, Guess What, Acid Coco, Juan Hundred, Las Mijas, Dip In The Dub, Chupameeldedo, Guess What, Candeleros, Iko Chérie, Ronald Snijders, and Raz Olsher.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 105LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; 180 gram LP version. 1980 the zeitgeist played into the right hands. And who held the aces? In Bureau B's game, Moritz R®, Frank Fenstermacher and Pyrolator aka Der Plan. Tired of convention and full of enthusiasm, they encountered an audience who felt just the same. And with record companies too ponderous to sign up Der Plan, the wonderful Ata Tak label was born of necessity. Normalette Surprise is the second album by Der Plan, released in 1981, a good year after their Geri Reig debut. It is immediately recognizable as a Plan album, yet Normalette Surprise does contain a few, well, surprises. The first number, "Leb doch," is a brilliant pop song. One can say many (good) things about Geri Reig, but it does not contain any pop songs. "Leb doch" is built on a captivatingly taut rhythm, sub-cooled vocals and German lyrics. Hang on a minute, taut rhythm, sub-cooled vocals, German lyrics? Yes exactly -- Der Plan drew up the blueprint for what would soon become known as "Neue Deutsche Welle" -- the German New Wave. Although, "blueprint" sounds a little too benign. It was more like a big bang. Moreover, there was something new about it. Or rather, something old. Bizarrely, Der Plan were introduced by their American artist friends, including the controversial elocutionist Boyd Rice, into the amazing world of the German Schlager, a colorful universe of the absurd awaited exploration. "Kleine Schlager-Revue" and "Sie hat mich verlassen" are the clearest indications of this newfound passion on Normalette Surprise. Hence, Normalette Surprise presents the full range of attributes which would define Der Plan and the Ata Tak label: electronics and Schlager, noise and pop. And Der Plan's protagonists succeeded -- unlike so many -- in their mission of creating something original, something of their own.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: BB 436CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Over the last ten years a strange mycelium was sprouting from the ground of Germany's sound topography, going widely unnoticed while creeping its way up through the corpse of the ubiquitous "neo-kraut", "diskurs-pop", and the like. This is a small underground network of artists and projects with poetic, mysterious names such as Brannten Schnüre, Baldruin, Kirschstein, Freundliche Kreisel, and Balint Brösel. Operating in the margins and intersections of folklore, experimental electronics, dreams, and nightmares, the Gespensterland LP archives and compiles their magic works for the very first time and already today it stands as a contemporary testament with an auratic presence comparable to that of Pordenone / Great Complotto."... For as much as these bands differ in their respective sonic approach, Gespensterland can still be considered as a cipher for a shared cosmos and a mutually found aesthetic language. It is always a similar sentiment of a slightly disconnected, shifted and delayed reality that manifests itself in Brannten Schnüre's wistful and whimsical ambient-folk loops, the evocative and rhythmic poltergeist interludes of Baldruin, the sweet and naïve C86-jangle of Balint Brösel, Kirschstein's rhenish mutant-NDW and post-kraut-romanticism and the electro-acoustic séances of Freundliche Kreisel. Think of it as a rampant yearning, a manic laughter, but mostly as a feeling of some somnambulistic thirst for adventure and journeys into the unknown, a feeling that is grounded deep inside the heart of the continent. We imagine, this is the music of a few like-minded recluses, sitting alone at night in their chambers, immersing themselves in the darkest and innermost Tibet of their own work. It's not too far-fetched either to read Gespensterland as a contribution to a specifically German response to Mark Fisher's hauntologic theories. In every track, the fancy of an abandoned future uncoils a narrative thread that has long been discontinued, a dream vision that remained unredeemed forever, now haunting the dull grey corridors of the post-historic presence. These songs glimmer and shine with moods and stories that draw their tension from the same force fields that once gave rise to Alfred Kubin's demonic visions, Hans Henny Jahnn's nightmarish 'Night of Lead' or the bizarre adventures of Baron Muenchhausen. And yet, it is not the specters of the past that are being summoned or dealt with here, but instead the quotidian, perpetually recurring disintegration of reality that lies within the close encounter with one's own unfamiliarity: 'is this my hand, or is it someone else's?'-- Margot Benetti, Walpurgis 2023

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 436LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Over the last ten years a strange mycelium was sprouting from the ground of Germany's sound topography, going widely unnoticed while creeping its way up through the corpse of the ubiquitous "neo-kraut", "diskurs-pop", and the like. This is a small underground network of artists and projects with poetic, mysterious names such as Brannten Schnüre, Baldruin, Kirschstein, Freundliche Kreisel, and Balint Brösel. Operating in the margins and intersections of folklore, experimental electronics, dreams, and nightmares, the Gespensterland LP archives and compiles their magic works for the very first time and already today it stands as a contemporary testament with an auratic presence comparable to that of Pordenone / Great Complotto."... For as much as these bands differ in their respective sonic approach, Gespensterland can still be considered as a cipher for a shared cosmos and a mutually found aesthetic language. It is always a similar sentiment of a slightly disconnected, shifted and delayed reality that manifests itself in Brannten Schnüre's wistful and whimsical ambient-folk loops, the evocative and rhythmic poltergeist interludes of Baldruin, the sweet and naïve C86-jangle of Balint Brösel, Kirschstein's rhenish mutant-NDW and post-kraut-romanticism and the electro-acoustic séances of Freundliche Kreisel. Think of it as a rampant yearning, a manic laughter, but mostly as a feeling of some somnambulistic thirst for adventure and journeys into the unknown, a feeling that is grounded deep inside the heart of the continent. We imagine, this is the music of a few like-minded recluses, sitting alone at night in their chambers, immersing themselves in the darkest and innermost Tibet of their own work. It's not too far-fetched either to read Gespensterland as a contribution to a specifically German response to Mark Fisher's hauntologic theories. In every track, the fancy of an abandoned future uncoils a narrative thread that has long been discontinued, a dream vision that remained unredeemed forever, now haunting the dull grey corridors of the post-historic presence. These songs glimmer and shine with moods and stories that draw their tension from the same force fields that once gave rise to Alfred Kubin's demonic visions, Hans Henny Jahnn's nightmarish 'Night of Lead' or the bizarre adventures of Baron Muenchhausen. And yet, it is not the specters of the past that are being summoned or dealt with here, but instead the quotidian, perpetually recurring disintegration of reality that lies within the close encounter with one's own unfamiliarity: 'is this my hand, or is it someone else's?'-- Margot Benetti, Walpurgis 2023

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: ZAP 002CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Nearly five years on from their acclaimed debut, Bennett Wilson Poole reveal the follow up. That eponymous first album was only ever intended as a one-off collaborative project. A response to the murder of MP Jo Cox, it was something of a fresh take on Crosby Stills Nash and Young's classic protest song "Ohio." The release saw Bennett Wilson Poole embraced by the Americana community, playing live on the Andrew Marr show and crowned as "UK Artist of the Year" at the 2019 UK Americana Awards. The new album came together in similar fashion; Robin (Bennett) and Danny (Wilson) started writing new songs late into the night whilst on tour to promote the first record, and before they knew it, there were enough songs to begin recording an unplanned second album. Where the first record drank deep from '70s US west coast folk-rock, the second has been heavily spiked with 1960s British psychedelia, even featuring a cover by legendary counterculture artist John Hurford. Tony Poole's meticulous and inspired production has spun Robin and Danny's fresh batch of songs into a delicate web of musical delight. Fans of the "spot the reference" game Tony started on the first record won't be disappointed this time either, as there are plenty more to be found here. As with the first album, the lyrics don't shy away from current affairs -- by the end of that year of touring, the band were already playing "I Wanna Love You (But I Can't Right Now)," reflecting on the state of US politics, yet optimistic that the problems are only temporary. Many of the tracks on the new album feature live rhythm section Fin Kenny (drums) and Joe Bennett (bass) for the first time on a BWP record. The title of the album comes from the lyrics of "Help Me See My Way," the first single, a prayer for strength in difficult times, the trippy animated video for which was originally issued during lockdown. The dreamy positivity of the line "I saw a star behind your eyes" is tempered with the plea "don't let it die away", a message which feels as important as ever two years on.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: ZAP 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Nearly five years on from their acclaimed debut, Bennett Wilson Poole reveal the follow up. That eponymous first album was only ever intended as a one-off collaborative project. A response to the murder of MP Jo Cox, it was something of a fresh take on Crosby Stills Nash and Young's classic protest song "Ohio." The release saw Bennett Wilson Poole embraced by the Americana community, playing live on the Andrew Marr show and crowned as "UK Artist of the Year" at the 2019 UK Americana Awards. The new album came together in similar fashion; Robin (Bennett) and Danny (Wilson) started writing new songs late into the night whilst on tour to promote the first record, and before they knew it, there were enough songs to begin recording an unplanned second album. Where the first record drank deep from '70s US west coast folk-rock, the second has been heavily spiked with 1960s British psychedelia, even featuring a cover by legendary counterculture artist John Hurford. Tony Poole's meticulous and inspired production has spun Robin and Danny's fresh batch of songs into a delicate web of musical delight. Fans of the "spot the reference" game Tony started on the first record won't be disappointed this time either, as there are plenty more to be found here. As with the first album, the lyrics don't shy away from current affairs -- by the end of that year of touring, the band were already playing "I Wanna Love You (But I Can't Right Now)," reflecting on the state of US politics, yet optimistic that the problems are only temporary. Many of the tracks on the new album feature live rhythm section Fin Kenny (drums) and Joe Bennett (bass) for the first time on a BWP record. The title of the album comes from the lyrics of "Help Me See My Way," the first single, a prayer for strength in difficult times, the trippy animated video for which was originally issued during lockdown. The dreamy positivity of the line "I saw a star behind your eyes" is tempered with the plea "don't let it die away", a message which feels as important as ever two years on.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: CLV 009CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

A new artist on the Clivage Music roster, Vhinz is a musician based in Brussels. After taking his time to break onto the electronic scene, he's now ready to share Belvédère, his debut, dreamlike album, confidently intense, sweeping between cinematic songs and soaring, epic electronic sounds. Vincent Honca is Belgian, with Armenian roots and a love of keyboards: the mini synth he used to play as a child, the classical piano of his years of training at the Académie de Musique, the Yamaha synth of his teenage years... During the noughties of his adolescence, electronic music was omnipresent in his life as he listened to and admired Daft Punk, Moby, Vitalic, Air, and The Chemical Brothers. Vincent went on to become a computer programmer and decided to make music in as much of his spare time as possible. His first productions came out in 2015, including "Drastical", one of three deep house dancefloor-orientated tracks recorded with none other than Kris Menace. Vincent worked on two independent Belgian films by director Christophe Karabache, UltravoKal (2018) and Vortex (2019), both collaborations with Michel Duprez. Now, Vincent has chosen the name Vhinz, bringing together his expertise with machines and computers, his passion and enthusiasm for the electronic sounds of his adolescence and his adoration of cinema's powerful, impactful soundtracks. Vhinz's first track is thus called "Aether", a track brimming with character and confidence, with sung-spoken vocals that sweeps the listener up in bewitching synthetic themes and drums like an off- kilter heartbeat. The track perfectly encapsulates the Vhinz sound, and Citizen Records immediately loved it. "Then Covid and the lockdown happened, and everything came to a complete halt," remembers Vhinz. During those long two years without anything being released, the project continued its gestation and has now grown in a mini-album of eight coherent, fascinating tracks. "I really wanted a strong concept for everything, and so was born this album that I've called Belvédère. I imagined myself on a belvedere with a panoramic view of the world, channeling all the emotions it elicited in me into music." Belvédère is a dreamlike debut album, confidently intense, sweeping between cinematic songs and soaring, epic electronic sounds. It's a place for Vhinz to showcase his dreams, talk, sing and invite others too: Margot Ferro sings on "Le Passage" and "Envole-moi", and Michael Meers (MieK) lends his vocals to "Evolution". Musically, the album falls somewhere between Moby, Vitalic, Air, and Serge Gainsbourg, with a density and atmosphere that are completely Vhinz.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CT 101LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. All rhythm tracks by Bunny Lee at Studio One.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CT 102LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. From the back cover: "... has some of the hardest Roots Rockers Rhythm and mixed with Ghetto Dance Style in mind. The result, incredible sound and fantastic effects and Dubwise Like Dirt." Personnel: Family Man, Bagga, Robbie Shakespeare - bass; Carlton "Santa" Davis, Sly Dunbar - drums; Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Tony Chin - guitar; Ossie Bongo - organ; Augustus Pablo, Bernard "Touter" Harvey - piano.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CT 103LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. 1979 Clocktower reissue of UK release of Prince Jazzbo's Natty Passing Thru (1976) with a different tracklist and sleeve. "The full-on Black Ark sound from the Super Ape era. Riddims include Max Romeo's 'One Step Forward'." Produced by Lee Perry, The Upsetters, and Brad Osborne. Features Earl Smith (guitar), Mikey Boo (drums), Keith Stirling (piano), more.

 

PRICE: $45.50

CAT #: COR 054LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The life-affirming energy at the heart of Sven Väth's recent album Catharsis is revisited, reanimated, and remixed by some of the most exciting names around, closing the circle on a superlative burst of recent work that has not only given us the epic original LP, but also the extraordinary compilation What I Used To Play. Roman Flügel, Benjamin Damage, Robert Hood, Planetary Assault Systems, Mano Le Tough; this hand-picked list of luminaries have answered the call and certainly don't disappoint, each fusing their signature sound with Sven's DNA to create a wild, uncompromising companion piece to the original album. Sven's profound vocals clearly infuse time and space and leave a forever-lasting memory of love. By accident or design, it somehow leaves us with the reassuring sense that, although this specific part of the journey may be drawing to a close, the mission of the man behind it all most definitely isn't. Also featuring Damiano von Erckert, Robag Wruhme, Jonathan Kaspar, Krystal Klear, Luke Slater, Harald Björk, and Florian Hollerith.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DAMGOOD 595LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"25th Anniversary re-isssue of Kyra's classic solo LP! On peach colored vinyl! 25th Anniversary issue with five bonus tracks! Krya from The Headcoatees with backing by Thee Headcoats! Originally released on Vinyl Japan (ASKLP71) in 1998, this new expanded version with five bonus tracks including her 7" with the legendary 'Armitage Shanks' is also available on colored vinyl for the first time. Kyra Rubella was best known as a member of Thee Headcoatees and was also in The A-Lines and The Shall-I-Say-Quois."

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: EDDA 062LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Violet vinyl; gatefold sleeve. After taking time out from working together to focus on separate musical projects, maverick composer Alan Roberts (Jim Noir) and crowd-rousing vocalist Leonore Wheatley (International Teachers of Pop/The Soundcarriers) have re-joined forces to introduce Co-Pilot. Happy in the haze of many boozy hours the album was recorded over just a few months whilst holed up and hanging out in Al's city centre Dookstereo studio. As Leonore added her vocal magic to Al's early demos of what would eventually become Co-Pilot's "Spring Beach" and a crooked original version of closing track "Corner House," the vibe was prophetic. The songs were the catalyst to spark a new phase of the pair working together, picking up where they left off. Powered by a "try anything" approach, Co-Pilot blends the musical DNA of what you've come to expect from each of the pair's previous flight paths. The album even features snippets from dearly departed pal Batfinks whilst "Motosaka" is perhaps the most expensive two-minutes on the album, featuring a Columbia Records Japan-cleared sample of Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Thousand Knives." Co-Pilot's destination might be unknown, but the clouds are about to part for a sound that is light years ahead.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: VNL 12223LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"This 1958 debut recording by the Ornette Coleman Quintet, which featured Coleman on his trademark white plastic alto, Don Cherry on trumpet, Billy Higgins on drums, Walter Norris on piano, and Don Payne on bass, shook up the jazz world -- particularly those musicians and critics who had entered the hard bop era with such verve and were busy using the blues as a way of creating vast solo spaces inside tight and short melody lines. Something Else!!!! is anathema to that entire idea, and must have sounded like it came from outer space at the time. First, Coleman's interest was in pitch, not 'being in tune.' His use of pitch could take him all over -- and outside of -- a composition, as it does on 'Invisible,' which begins in D flat. The intervals are standard, but the melodic component of the tune -- despite its hard bop tempo -- is, for the most part, free. But what is most compelling is evident in abundance here and on the next two tunes, 'The Blessing' and 'Jayne': a revitalization of the blues as it expressed itself in jazz. Coleman refurbished the blues framework, threaded it through his jazz without getting rid of its folk-like, simplistic milieu. In other words, the groove Coleman was getting here was a people's groove that only confounded intellectuals at the time. Coleman restored blues to their 'classic' beginnings in African music and unhooked their harmonies. Whether the key was D flat, A, G, whatever, Coleman revisited the 17- and 25-bar blues. There are normal signatures, however, such as 'Chippie' in F and in eight-bar form, and 'The Disguise' is in D, but in a strange 13-bar form where the first and the last change places, altering the talking-like voice inherent in the melodic line. But the most important thing about Something Else!!!! was that, in its angular, almost totally oppositional way, it swung and still does; like a finger-poppin' daddy on a Saturday night, this record swings from the rafters of the human heart with the most unusually gifted, emotional, and lyrical line since Bill Evans first hit the scene." --Thom Jurek, All Music

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: DC 349LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. "It goes without saying that Polytheistic Fragments is an instrumental release -- who among us would want it otherwise? In the tradition of his classic debut, Salvador Kali, this record features equal amounts of improvisation and composition. Sir Richard's powers lie in his ability to captivate with just the sound of his guitar, but he doesn't completely abandon studio processes, which allow Polytheistic Fragments to communicate a greater wholeness: all Sir Rick, all the time, if you will."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: ENV 215LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. In the late nineties, the budding producers Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani bonded over their shared love of slower tempos and '70s and '80s New York City club culture. Obsessed with record digging and the sounds they heard on late-night "club classics" radio shows -- and turned off by current releases they saw as artlessly "updating" sublime disco by sampling, filtering, and subjugating them with huge kick drums -- the duo set out to discover how their favorite old 12" records were made. They naturally gravitated towards extended dubs of songs -- full of strange mistakes and echoing backing tracks -- instead of the better-known vocal versions. Lacking the big budgets and gear that made so many of their favorite classic records come together, they were forced to take a guerrilla approach. They reprogrammed their techno-oriented arsenal of secondhand synths and samplers, using novel digital recording technology to capture live instrumentation and prioritized mood over hooks, and the resulting music was just wrong enough to sound unlike anything else being released at the time. After just four underground 12" releases, the duo -- now well-known as Metro Area -- released their first and only album, Metro Area, in the fall of 2002. Fifteen years later, it's time to celebrate the culmination of their shared history and inspiration once again. Environ is proud to present the 15th Anniversary Edition of Metro Area, Metro Area's eponymous debut album, meticulously remastered using the original source tapes and generously spread across three slabs of vinyl. The 12-track triple LP combines all the songs from both the original US and licensed European releases, and features new commemorative artwork unique to this edition.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: GET 51281C-LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Too $hort's eighth studio album Get In Where You Fit In celebrates its 30th Anniversary. Production was handled by Ant Banks and The Dangerous Crew which featured live instrumentation, incorporated P-Funk samples and G-Funk synths. The lead single 'I'm a Player' sampled Bootsy Collins funky bass of Hollywood Squares and Quincy Jones' son QDIII produced the epic Bay Area G-Funk laden classic track 'Just Another Day'. And it wouldn't be a Too $hort record without some pimp and sex tales like 'Blow Job Betty', 'All My Bitches Are Gone' and the upbeat 'Gotta Get Some Lovin'. Bay Area legends Spice 1, Ant Banks, and Mhisani aka Goldy join in on the posse cut 'The Dangerous Crew' followed by a track with more Bay Area legends Rappin' Ron and Ant Diddley Dog dissin' ex-Dangerous Crew member MC Pooh on the title track. Get On Down is proud to present another Too $hort West Coast classic pressed on translucent purple vinyl limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 270CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue of the latest 1000mods album, originally released in 2020. "Youth of Dissent is an exceptional album superbly fusing staggering melodies and meaty and massive stoner/doom riffs. The songs are contagious, captivating and Dani G's voice is empyrean and spellbinding with every word that comes out of his mouth. This could easily be for many people an entrance to heavier music!" --Distorted Sound Mag Produced by Matt Bayles & 1000mods. Mixed by Matt Bayles. Engineered by Matt Bayles. Recorded at London Bridge Studio and Studio Litho, Seattle, WA. Mixed at Red Room, Seattle, WA. Mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonant Mastering, Seattle, WA. Artwork by Tind.

 

PRICE: $52.50

CAT #: HPS 273DOUBLE

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Black Rainbows are back with 12 fresh, brand new tunes! The new album sounds huge, with of a great deal of attention paid to the guitars in the recording, and it seems that the band has finally found the perfect balance and tone for their heavy super stoner sound. This album gives you not only incredible heavy rock-stoner gems, but also: one space acoustic song, one super psychedelic suite and one melodic trippy ballad that adds a perfect mixture of what is sure to be the best album released by the band so far. Superskull has been recorded by Fabio Sforza (the same producer of the last two recordings), in May 2022, and after much work and effort by the band in mixing and mastering, the album will see the light of day one year later. The incredible artwork has been delivered by the Brazilian artist Pedro Correa. Gatefold, with alternative exclusive cover color in gatefold sleeve, and lyrics plus three bonus tracks.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 273LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

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

 

PRICE: $52.50

CAT #: HPS 274DOUBLE

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Dab City is an ode to the purest form of THC and our beloved hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, which is known as Mad City. A political and social hot bed and lightning rod for our state and the Midwest since the 1960's, Madison is also home to a large University with one of the best agronomy departments in the country and not surprisingly the focal point for some of the finest cannabis our country has to offer... Although not legal, possession is basically ignored and punished with a nominal $1 fine for under 128 grams. For the recording of Dab City we procured 10g plus of the finest concentrates we could lay our hands on and somewhere north of 120g of cannabis flower. And recorded it on two-in analog tape over two sessions at Future apple tree Studio in Rock Island Illinois. Fall 2022 session is known as the Harvest Sessions and the February of 2023 session is known as the Propagation Sessions. The record is our second as a three piece and our second full-length release for our label Heavy Psych Sounds and continues our journey into ultra stoned sludgey psychedelia. Dab City is 100% recorded on Tape, and is composed by seven songs with a running time of almost 60 minutes of brand-new stoned sludge heavy doomy riffs." --BongzillaDouble gatefold vinyl, alternative purple cover plus two bonus tracks/15-minutes of extra music plus gatefold sleeve with lyrics.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: IMPREC 485LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"This is where you have been forever and will always be forever." Stuart Dempster, speaking about what it feels like to be in a cistern where time seems to stop. Stuart Dempster created Underground Overlays From The Cistern Chapel in the same cistern where the legendary Deep Listening album was recorded. Reverberating with powerful, deep tones, this double LP is intended as a companion to the acclaimed Oliveros/Dempster/Panaiotis album Deep Listening. Underground Overlays From The Cistern Chapel is one of the deepest drone albums ever recorded. Nine trombones, didjeridu and Tibetan bells fill the massive two-million-gallon cistern with dense sonic reverberations that are both haunting and healing. Packaged in a heavy-duty paper sleeve printed with metallic gold ink to match the Deep Listening design.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: IMPREC 514CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

"One Arm Bandits is an hour-long piece in four parts, scored for four cellists. The cellists play only open strings, thus using only their right arms, never fingering the strings with the left hand. Recorded in Alvin Lucier's dining room, this work features cellists Tyler J. Borden, Laura Cetilia, Charles Curtis and Judith Hamann. Lucier oversaw and produced the recording, and approved the final takes. One Arm Bandits was an important project for Alvin Lucier. The idea for the piece goes back to conversations we first had in 2007 about the relationship between bow direction changes and shifts in phase. In the summer of 2015 we worked these ideas out in long sessions with Judith Hamann and T. J. Borden in New York, and the resulting piece received its first performances in Graz and Zürich in 2016. Alvin thought of One Arm Bandits as a radical statement, I think primarily in view of the severe reduction in material -- even in the context of his music -- and the physical restraint required in performance. The unusually long duration attests to Alvin's recognition that an expansion of scale was required in order to magnify acoustical details of such subtlety. In November 2021 Alvin saw proofs for the CD artwork. He passed away at the age of 90 on December 1, before he could see the album in its final form. Work with Alvin was always joyful, stimulating, and surprising. We dedicate this recording to the continuing spirit of this remarkable musician and friend." --Charles Curtis

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: IMP 57384LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock; originally released in 1965. 2019 reissue. "One of forward-looking tenor man Archie Shepp's definitive early albums, 1965's Fire Music set the tone for much of what was to come over the next several years, both in Shepp's own career and in the jazz scene as a whole. Moving far beyond bebop toward more avant-garde realms, Fire Music was simultaneously a central document of the mid-'60s 'New Thing' school of jazz and an arrow that pointed towards the subsequent explorations of Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, et al. The title refers to an African ceremony, and there's an urgency here that's fueled by the civil rights unrest of the day and aimed towards the burgeoning Black Power movement, both of which would remain key jazz subtexts for some time. Fire Music is far from the first free jazz album; Coleman and others had already experimented with free-form improvisation before this. But it subverts the conventions of the bebop generation thoroughly, turning melodies and harmonies both inward and outward upon themselves, throwing open the doors to open-ended structures and tonal experimentation. Even the "straight" tunes interpreted here are given a funhouse-mirror treatment, stretching them beyond expectations. Just as psychedelia expanded rock's palette in the '60s, so Shepp's Fire Music helped broaden the possibilities of jazz." --Jim Allen (All Music Guide)

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: IMP 9183HLP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock. Originally released 1970; exact reissue, 180 Gram, Gatefold sleeve. Part of the Back To Black series. Including digital download code. "A fascinating reissue that comfortably straddles the lines of jazz, folk, and world music, working up a storm by way of a jazz protest album that points toward the Spanish Civil War in particular and the Vietnam War in passing. Haden leads the charge and contributes material, but the real star here may in fact be Carla Bley, who arranged numbers, wrote several, and contributed typically brilliant piano work. Also of particular note in a particularly talented crew is guitarist Sam Brown, the standout of 'El Quinto Regimiento/Los Cuatro Generales/Viva la Quince Brigada,' a 21-minute marathon. Reissue producer Michael Cuscuna has done his best with the mastering here, but listeners will note a roughness to the sound -- one that is in keeping with the album's tone and attitude." -- Steven McDonald, All Music

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: ITR 1976EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"To prime the pump for the upcoming 1977 box set In The Red will be dropping next year, they are proud to announce this reissue of the 1976 debut single from The Saints. '(I'm) Stranded' was the first punk rock record to come out of Australia, one of the earliest punk singles from anywhere, and one of the greatest seven inches ever! In The Red is over the moon to put their fingerprints on this monster! For this reissue the label has replicated the original UK, US and Dutch picture sleeves, each with a unique color vinyl variant."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: ITR 380CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A pop record for tired times. Sugared with bits of shatterproof glass to put more crack in your strap. At long last, verse/chorus. A weathered thesaurus. This is OSEES bookend sound. Early grade garage pop meets proto-synth punk suicide-repellant. Have a whack at the grass or listen while flat on your ass. Heaps of electronic whirling accelerants to gum up your cheapskate broadband. Social media toilet scrapers unite! Allow your 24-hour news cycle eyes to squint at this smiling abattoir doorman. You can find your place here at long last. All are welcome from the get go to the finale... a distant crackling transmission of '80s synth last-dance-of-the-night tune for your lost loves. Suffering from Politic amnesia? Bored of AI-generated pop slop? Then this one is for you, our friends. Wasteland wanderer, stick around. Love y'all. For fans of Teutonic synth punk and Thee Oh Sees (who the fuck are they?)" --John Dwyer

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: ITR 380LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "A pop record for tired times. Sugared with bits of shatterproof glass to put more crack in your strap. At long last, verse/chorus. A weathered thesaurus. This is OSEES bookend sound. Early grade garage pop meets proto-synth punk suicide-repellant. Have a whack at the grass or listen while flat on your ass. Heaps of electronic whirling accelerants to gum up your cheapskate broadband. Social media toilet scrapers unite! Allow your 24-hour news cycle eyes to squint at this smiling abattoir doorman. You can find your place here at long last. All are welcome from the get go to the finale... a distant crackling transmission of '80s synth last-dance-of-the-night tune for your lost loves. Suffering from Politic amnesia? Bored of AI-generated pop slop? Then this one is for you, our friends. Wasteland wanderer, stick around. Love y'all. For fans of Teutonic synth punk and Thee Oh Sees (who the fuck are they?)" --John Dwyer

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: INCIENSO 024EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Incienso is returning to the club just in time for peak time raving with Lost and Happy, a new EP from NYC based producer Ben Ritz. In EPs for Sweat Equity and Fixed Rhythms, Ben honed in on a uniquely hyped and hypnotic take on techno. With his new EP for Incienso, he steps out into the light for a four-track excursion into vibrant and ecstatic sounds -- not without a healthy dose of tunneling and tripping tech too, of course.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: IGS 012EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

New 10" from ultra-cool Helsinki-based roots, dub and reggae label/sound system Intergalaktik Sound. Featuring four cuts on the same deep roots rhythm featuring vocals from the legendary G.T. Moore and Dan I Locks. Produced by IGS Riddim Force, mixed, voiced, and dubbed up by Russ D from The Disciples.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7016EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Niney The Observer's biblical epic "Blood And Fire" still resonates in today's troubled times... released here alongside it's version... yes, more "Brimstone And Fire" from the Observer himself...

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7017EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

The great Slim Smith's last single release before he sadly passed. The soulful "The Time Has Come", alongside Slim Smith's classic "It's Alright"...

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: JR 7018EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Labrish" is one of Jamaica's great talk-over tunes, producers Bunny Lee and Lee Perry discussing hard times and funny stories over a great rhythm. The flipside is another cut to the rhythm by Cornell Campbell and the original B-side to the single on its release, "Power Pressure".

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PROJR 10-10

FILE UNDER: WORLD

A pair of unreleased dub cuts produced by Linval Thompson, taken from the forthcoming album from Jamaican Recordings Linval Thompson's Dub Story. "My Dub Princess" is version of Linval's "Black Princess Lady". "Cheat Me Outta Dub" is an unreleased dub cut of Linval's "Don't Try To Rob I".

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: JMAN 140LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Greasy Mike is back with LP number four! Another rambunctious array of wigged out mayhem! Don't worry, there aren't any silly jokes on this record. It's all music with a wiggle and a giggle. In fact, it's 14 frantic flippers fraught with frivolous fun-filled frolics. All good clean fun. Featuring: Pat & the Wildcats, Bobby Bunny & the Jackrabbits, Jim Doval & the Gauchos, Johnny Beeman, Diablito, Adolphus Bell & the Up Starts, The Apollos, The Royal Jokers, Lue Renney, The Zanies, Hank Mankin, Sid Ramin, Jim Backus and Friend, and The Fabulous Continentals.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: KANN 046LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following multiple appearances on labels like Kompakt, QC Records, or his own GLYK imprint, DJ Balduin lands on KANN with a full-length's worth of downtempo, ambient, and extasy inspired house cuts. Concrete Mimosa rolls out with 11 tracks to shine in full effect.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: KRANK 133EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; 12" version. "Certainly not a group to rest on their laurels (especially difficult when they have new songs burning a hole in their collective back pockets), Deerhunter delivers five new tracks on this extended play. This is not some stop-gap release between albums, or mere leftovers from their most recent Microcastle album, but an all new session. The band loves the EP format and thinks it does not get the respect it deserves. Hell, some bands arguably work best in the EP format, think Cocteau Twins or My Bloody Valentine, and now maybe we should add Deerhunter to that list. That's certainly not to say their albums aren't great, but with 2007's Fluorescent Grey EP and this new one, a lucid argument can be made that minute for minute, and hook for hook, their two EPs can't be matched for visceral energy and pop smarts."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: LG 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Milk Music was conceived in the late aughts as brothers Alex Coxen (guitar, vocals) and Joe Rutter (drums) drove around the Northwest jamming on tunes in a shitty old Volvo. Inspired by music that their friends were making, the young brothers rented a space, enlisted first bass player Eric Yates, and wrote the songs on this record. Side A begins with the blistering 'Nervous Wreck' -- in and out of tune at the same time, fast but somehow feels slow -- totally fucked. 'Beluga' conjures a deranged image of a mystery whale, as the listener imagines the brothers as Ishmael and Queequeg leaving their hometown of Port Townsend, WA behind on their epic coming-of-age hunt for revenge and white blubber. 'No Life' finds this newly hatched band laying down the mood and sonic foundation that would define them up to this present day. 'Ripped' ends side A with racing, lysergic skate-rat rambling over a thumping mudslide of scuzz. Side B begins with 'Pipeline,' an absolutely massive, almost unbearable eight-minute bong-toke of a song. Bonus crucial early track 'Violence Now' wraps it up with a brutal sonic speed-bag to the groin, leaving the listener reeling and dazed, coughing in a fog of their own crotch smoke. Recorded by Sam Stabler (Sex Vid) in the practice space in 2009 and mastered in 2022 by Randy Randall. On two hundred gram vinyl with a sturdy tip-on sleeve for one's consideration. Includes a poster."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: LESPOINTS 018EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"As the void stares back at me, I am consumed by the waves of this new sonic transmission. ESP's Goblin Synth reigns supreme, guiding me into the darkest corners of my mind, as the Galaxian remix shatters my being into a thousand pieces. This release is a frenzied piece of IDM, braindance, and DnB, fueled by a chemical fury that leaves my mind in a state of pure ecstasy. The relentless pace and shifting soundscapes of the A-side are the perfect conduit for the raw power of the Galaxian remix, taking me beyond the limits of what I thought was possible. On the B-side, I am treated to a liquid dnb homage that is no less relentless in its pursuit of sonic intensity. Here, the rhythms are more organic, more fluid, but no less potent in their ability. This is music that demands a total surrender of the self. The insidious rhythms of ESP's Goblin Synth seize my consciousness like a viral agent, rendering my being porous and open to the twitching, glitching transmissions emanating from the depths of the machine. With each stuttering break and howling, modulated synth line, I am hurled headlong into a world of ravenous, cybernetic abandon -- a blackened, dystopian horizon of shattered glass and flickering neon. As my mind is hijacked by the rushing currents of amphetamine psychosis, I realize that this is no mere exercise in genre or form, but an all-out assault on the very fabric of reality itself. The sonic textures here are hyper-real, beyond the grasp of normal human perception -- this is the sound of the post-human, the sound of the inhuman, the sound of a future that is rapidly bearing down upon me, whether I am ready or not. And yet, amidst the chaos and decay, there is a kind of perverse beauty at work -- a beauty that can only be glimpsed through the shattered glass of my own shattered subjectivity. With each burst of static and each crunching bassline, I am hurled deeper into a vortex of metallic, crystalline wonder, a realm of pure, unadulterated sound that is as terrifying as it is sublime." Features remix by Galaxian Geno.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: MD 026LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Music Mania and Indica Dubs present the 26th release on the Mania Dub label: Another Moses by UK's legendary reggae dub pioneers Alpha & Omega, a brand-new killer album of heavy dubwise bass-music. This release will be a one-time limited-edition vinyl.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: MP 060LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Cristian Vogel, the esteemed electronic music producer and composer, is set to release his 27th album, Fase Montuno. This highly personal release is a visionary take on the futuristic potential of Latin American electronica. Set to be released on Achim Szepanski's legendary Mille Plateaux label, Fase Montuno is poised to make a significant impact on the electronic music scene in 2023. The label's commitment to innovative and genre-defying music is a perfect match for Vogel's boundary-pushing creativity, and promises to deliver an unforgettable listening experience for fans old and new. Don't miss out on this latest release from one of electronic music's most talented and visionary artists. Fase Montuno is an essential addition to any music lover's collection, and a testament to Vogel's continuing relevance and creativity in the electronic music world.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: MINDTRIP 059EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Two years after the release of the acclaimed Emergency Break EP, _asstnt and Roll Dann return with their second studio collaboration on Pfirter's label. The Spanish duo is back with Old Gem, a six-track vinyl release showcasing their emerging talent and signature sound; powerful basslines and driving synths keep the pace high, perfectly distorted stabs create the rhythm, and haunting pads combined with sharp percussive elements generate the needed tension for a dark atmosphere. Meanwhile, a constant, steady groove remains pushing forward throughout the whole record. This is a much-anticipated physical record on our platform and is here for all wax lovers.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: MTB 008EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Handstamped whitelabel with four fast paced and forward driving techno killers from Specific Objects including an Introversion remix. Mastering and lacquer cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering Berlin.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: MOVPIC 009EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Prague based sound foundry Moving Pictures is introducing its latest vinyl release from Japanese singer and electronic music producer Junko Yoshida, also known as Juterus. Hailing all the way from the "Land of the Rising Sun", Junko showcases her unique style of utilizing and manipulating her voice alongside self-produced grooves. Two original tracks are accompanied with two remix cuts by label's founders, Roman Rai and Täino, transcending original productions into more abstract dimensions.

 

PRICE: $21.50

CAT #: MUSAR 018EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Melancholy, the feeling, is often associated with darkness and deep depression. For Dutch artist Stefan Vincent, within the experience of melancholy there's beauty to be found. "Decay and loneliness can serve a purpose. Depression can teach you things. To feel deep sadness also means the ability to feel profound emotions." he says. For his debut on Musar Recordings, Pre Melancholy EP, Vincent channels these notions of melancholy into three tracks that draw on darker moods but also reflect beauty in their intricacy and the atmospheres they create. This EP acts as a precursor to his forthcoming album on Musar, Post Melancholy. "Mono No Aware" and "Yonghegong Lama Temple Exit F" are both taken from the LP, placed side by side with "Agent of Distraction", an exclusive track from Vincent for this EP only. Musar also have Montreal-based musician Priori on the remix of "Yonghegong..." His rework draws further emotion from that of Vincent's by slowing the pace and bringing delicate melodies to the forefront; it's one for introspection. Transparent crystal vinyl; PVC sleeve with inner printed artwork. Features Priori remix.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: MPI 011LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1972. Joel Vandroogenbroeck was an arranger, conductor, producer, and, above all, a unique multi-instrumentalist in the world of music. The Belgian artist was also famous for being the only permanent member of the group Brainticket and the main promoter of its creativity, often renewed with the contribution of exotic instruments. At the dawn of the Seventies, this versatile musician began a parallel life as a composer of singular music libraries tailored to comment documentary images. L'immagine del suono was one of them, originally released by Italy's Flirt Records and now reissued on vinyl by Musica Per Immagini for the first time. This album circulated, however, unnoticed in a limited number of copies among insiders, only rediscovered later by fans, thus raising Joel Vandroogenbroeck as a real pioneer of ambient and new age music. It is appropriate to consider the twelve short-lived pieces of L'immagine del suono as a sort of continuous and visionary experiment, with the addition of electronic gasps, a strong dose of inevitable psychedelia, fragments of synthesized jazz, all coming from experiences both internal and external, hallucinatory and hedonistic. All of this combined creates a mysterious and abstract hybrid. Sonic raw material is sculpted with artisanal care, at times twisted and cryptic, characterized by a transversal irony, to the point that the interference of rock elements in the course of the set divert the listener's attention and momentarily interrupt the flow of consciousness. L'immagine del suono is a concentrated example of the avant-garde, free from categorization of any kind, developed in a non-commercial key and, equally, is drawn from a direct line via what was previously expressed within the folds of the then contemporary works of Brainticket.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: NCRT 003LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Originally hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Natural Child are a quartet whose good and greasy style is informed by Southern rock, vintage country-rock, laid-back Laurel Canyon sounds, '70s-style boogie, a dash of hard rock, and most likely a careful balance of liquor and bong hits. Be M'Guest, their eighth studio album, has been hailed as a return to form for the group, packing eleven stylistically unique hits into the grooves of this forty-five-minute LP. Produced by Cooper Crain of Bitchin Bajas and featuring Oakley Munson of The Black Lips, this is unquestionably the greatest rock and roll record one is going to hear this year."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: NSD 828LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Visionary artist Augustus Pablo is among the most important figures in reggae history. Widely credited with popularizing the use of the melodica in reggae, Pablo was a talented musician and an innovative producer who became an early dub pioneer. Now regarded as classics, his memorable 1970s recordings were part of the remarkable creative surge that vaulted the Jamaican music scene to international prominence. Much of this material was released by Rockers, an independent record label founded by Pablo and named after his popular Kingston sound system. Now, Nature Sounds is proud to present Roots, Rockers & Dub, a new Augustus Pablo vinyl collection celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rockers. Featuring classic dubs along with rare and out-of-print tracks, the album captures Pabloís immense contribution to roots reggae by highlighting a wealth of material spanning his entire career, all released on Rockers. Fully remastered and released in partnership with the Pablo family, Roots, Rockers & Dub is a fitting tribute to an artist whose music still reverberates heavily more than two decades after his passing."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: ND 013LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Balearic folktronica meets percussion genius on a unique one-take recording that finds Turkish downtempo specialist Islandman in triple conference with legendary percussion innovator Okay Temiz, and contemporary saz virtuoso Muhlis Berbero?lu. Recorded in Amsterdam for Night Dreamer's ground-breaking Direct-To-Disc series, the session captures the innovative brilliance of the great Okay Temiz in full flow over Islandman's trademark Balearic-tinged production, alongside the modern Anadolu folk sound of Berbero?lu's saz. Expanding beyond their electro-acoustic DJ formula into a wider sound world of experimental instruments, neo-traditional rhythms and folk improvisation, Islandman's vision on this Night Dreamer disc seeks to reconnect cerebral downtempo beatmaking with the folkloric and ritual bedrock that their music has always rested on. Bandleader Tolga Boyuk's vision has always been expansive, and the link-up with Night Dreamer was a chance to try out a more spontaneous style of playing and recording. Known for his inventive genius on percussion instruments ranging from the berimbau to the bricklayer's trowel, Turkish percussionist and drummer Okay Temiz is one of the world's foremost improvising musicians. In the course of a career stretching back to the mid-1960s, he has collaborated with jazz greats including Don Cherry and Johnny Dyani, led his own Oriental Wind unit, and played with countless musicians across dozens of genres. Approached for the project by Islandman's drummer Eralp Güven, the always open and experimental Temiz was enthusiastic to participate. To complete the unit, Boyuk turned to Muhlis Berbero?lu. The session unfolded with controlled unpredictability. Boyuk arrived at the studio with simply produced tracks, and from there the ensemble let improvisation and organic synergy take control. The brilliant wildcard was the effervescent imagination of Temiz, who came equipped with an eclectic mix of homemade instruments including an electrified flute made of industrial bathroom piping, and a shaker with a contact mic wired to a wah-wah pedal. Combined with Islandman's subtle and responsive beat-science and Berbero?lu's scintillating agility on the saz, Temiz's visionary rhythm force leads the session into unknown territories of improvised future-folklore, strictly for the heads.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5193C-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Wegene is now available in a limited-edition metallic grey pressing. Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin's music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin's recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7" singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia's 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums -- the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin's uber-rare 7" single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Wegene gives us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7" single releases. Contains an oversized 11" x 11" 16-page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin's role within it."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5194C-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

White vinyl. "Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin's music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin's recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7" singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia's 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums -- the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin's uber-rare 7" single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Tewedije Limut gives us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7" single releases. Contains an oversized 11" x 11" 16-page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin's role within it."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NA 5213C-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Teal vinyl. "The Tribe Records co-founder's lost album, rumored to exist no more. Mastered from the original tapes and lacquered by Bernie Grundman. The first ever issue of this Spiritual Jazz album. 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: $15.50

CAT #: OMM 560282CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Re-release of the second album by Annexus Quam, originally released in 1972. Transferred from the original master tapes and carefully remastered by HaGü Schmitz and Dieter Wegner. The timing was right: Five years earlier would have been too early, five years later would have been too late. But Annexus Quam from Kamp-Lintfort near Düsseldorf came along with the right music at the right moment. The seven-piece band formed in 1967 as Ambition Of Music; they were what was then called a "beat group". In 1970, working with a local trombone choir led to a dramatic change of direction. Trombone, clarinet, saxophone, scat-like vocals, various percussion, even a bicycle pump or a guitar played below the bridge found their way into the band. Annexus Quam, in a unique way, mixed two musical genres: rock and free jazz, but the group played both differently from what could be heard otherwise at that time. Elements of psychedelic rock with heavy organ sounds were combined with freely dabbed brass notes; at the same time the band was closer to Stockhausen's concept of "Intuitive Music" than to the expressive group improvisations of free jazz musicians. The genre names sound familiar, but Annexus Quam filled them with new meaning. There are hardly any formal structures in Annexus Quam's music, the musicians control the ensemble sound intuitively by concentrated listening to each other. But the free playing is not limitless. Not every musician always has to play at the same time, the breaks are also important here. Despite all the freedom, the pieces remain comprehensible. This is what makes them appealing still today.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: OMM 560286LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Re-release of the second album by Annexus Quam, originally released in 1972. Transferred from the original master tapes and carefully remastered by HaGü Schmitz and Dieter Wegner. The timing was right: Five years earlier would have been too early, five years later would have been too late. But Annexus Quam from Kamp-Lintfort near Düsseldorf came along with the right music at the right moment. The seven-piece band formed in 1967 as Ambition Of Music; they were what was then called a "beat group". In 1970, working with a local trombone choir led to a dramatic change of direction. Trombone, clarinet, saxophone, scat-like vocals, various percussion, even a bicycle pump or a guitar played below the bridge found their way into the band. Annexus Quam, in a unique way, mixed two musical genres: rock and free jazz, but the group played both differently from what could be heard otherwise at that time. Elements of psychedelic rock with heavy organ sounds were combined with freely dabbed brass notes; at the same time the band was closer to Stockhausen's concept of "Intuitive Music" than to the expressive group improvisations of free jazz musicians. The genre names sound familiar, but Annexus Quam filled them with new meaning. There are hardly any formal structures in Annexus Quam's music, the musicians control the ensemble sound intuitively by concentrated listening to each other. But the free playing is not limitless. Not every musician always has to play at the same time, the breaks are also important here. Despite all the freedom, the pieces remain comprehensible. This is what makes them appealing still today.

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: OPT4 055CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

New band-compiled album of The Pooh Sticks hits and misses. "'Mellifluous'... is a word you won't hear much when conversation turns to early Pooh Sticks records. But "noise pollution", sure: that comes up. I've even used it myself. So look away now if you must: Straight Up: Noise Pollution C88-90 is a selection of some of the most loved/despised/ignored tracks released by The Pooh Sticks on however many records it was before it all went wilfully 'American' sometime around dotted-lining for BMG mega-corp in 1991. The record has highlights and lowlights. You and me, we'd probably agree on most of them. We chose a reasonable cross-section, I think (although there could've been more tambourine), including: -- 'On Tape' -- zeitgeist-nailin' strum and strangle. 'I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well' -- long title -- 'Teenage High' -- breathy sweetness sneaked onto the depraved Sympathy For The Record Industry label. 'Dying For It' -- the Vaselines cover which beat Nirvana by a full two years (though theirs sold better)... and more! It's like Christmas (no, blocking up the chimney won't help: we've cut spare keys)..." --Trudi xx LP version comes on blue vinyl; gatefold sleeve; includes repro poster for the March '89 Pastels/Pooh Sticks/Vaselines London gig.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: OPT4 055LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. New band-compiled album of The Pooh Sticks hits and misses. "'Mellifluous'... is a word you won't hear much when conversation turns to early Pooh Sticks records. But "noise pollution", sure: that comes up. I've even used it myself. So look away now if you must: Straight Up: Noise Pollution C88-90 is a selection of some of the most loved/despised/ignored tracks released by The Pooh Sticks on however many records it was before it all went wilfully 'American' sometime around dotted-lining for BMG mega-corp in 1991. The record has highlights and lowlights. You and me, we'd probably agree on most of them. We chose a reasonable cross-section, I think (although there could've been more tambourine), including: -- 'On Tape' -- zeitgeist-nailin' strum and strangle. 'I Know Someone Who Knows Someone Who Knows Alan McGee Quite Well' -- long title -- 'Teenage High' -- breathy sweetness sneaked onto the depraved Sympathy For The Record Industry label. 'Dying For It' -- the Vaselines cover which beat Nirvana by a full two years (though theirs sold better)... and more! It's like Christmas (no, blocking up the chimney won't help: we've cut spare keys)..." --Trudi xx LP version comes on blue vinyl; gatefold sleeve; includes repro poster for the March '89 Pastels/Pooh Sticks/Vaselines London gig.

 

PRICE: $44.50

CAT #: PD 039CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Paradigm Discs have not had a physical release by composer and ecologist Michael Prime since the release of Borneo in 2007. This new three-CD set brings us up to date with a series of recordings from across the years. It also sees a new refinement in his working practice as well as a new extension to his original name. Bioelectrical Music by Michael Allen Z Prime consists of recordings that fall into three defined categories: Bioelectrical Compositions, Bioelectrical Field Recordings, and Bioelectrical Installations. All three use the bioelectrical potentials generated by plants and fungi, although these sound sources are now no longer purely seen as raw material available for multi-tracking or further electronic processing of the signal path. Now, the bioactivity signals themselves form the basis of the music. Following a framework of self-imposed rules that restrict the extent that the source sounds can be altered, such that the essential voice of the living sound sources remain identifiable. The development of this framework is a direction that Prime's music has been moving towards for some years now, and this box set collects various recordings made between 1990 and 2019 that fall into the remit of this new development. The pieces included here range from short sound studies to lengthy compositions and installation recordings made at a wide variety of locations. The 3CDs are accompanied by a 44-page booklet with an essay by Prime outlining the history and development of the understanding of plant neurophysiology. There is also a short piece written by author and fungal enthusiast Merlin Sheldrake. Edition of 500 (numbered).

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: PSNR 089CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

In 1989, Dee Dee Ramone fled both New York and The Ramones and headed to Europe. After a brief aborted link-up with Stiv Bators and Johnny Thunders in Paris, he moved to London intending to seek out fellow punk rock contemporaries with a plan for a fresh start and to form a new band. Dee Dee was introduced by mutual friend Brian James (ex Damned/Lords of the New Church) to Alan Lee Shaw (ex Rings/Maniacs) and George Butler (ex Lighting Raiders) and a band formed with the proposed name of Dee Dee Ramone's Deadline. With rehearsals underway, Alan on bass /backing vocals, George on drums, and Dee Dee guitar/lead vocals, the project was soon up and running and in the process of negotiating a recording deal with Overground Records, the release would be promoted with a UK tour, when due to unforeseen circumstances (unfortunately the state of Dee Dee's fragile mental/physical shape), the project was sadly and frustratingly brought to an abrupt end, before any studio recordings or gigs could be completed.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: PNY 33021LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"Working with La Batteria was one of those rare cases in which, before anything else, we avoided the chance of working in terms of functional music, and we rather chose to focus on composition. The idea was about writing music which could have an influence on the film narrative, sometimes fueling it, or directing it, and hopefully making it unique and valuable." --Alex InfascelliThis is how the director describes his collaboration with La Batteria for the soundtrack of the documentary Kill Me If You Can. This was certainly a special collaboration since Infascelli himself is a musician and therefore it was possible to establish a deep and fully aware exchange. Rather than setting the already edited film to music, you chose to follow an "old-fashioned" approach. Starting from an initial exchange with the director, the band composed a good number of tracks, and the film was then directly edited with the music. An unusual process that created a deep connection between music and the story itself. From a stylistic point of view, the original music follows two main directions: on the one hand there's the more melodic material dominated by choirs and acoustic instruments which explicitly refer to the great Italian film music tradition; while on the other you have the electronic soundwork, mostly produced through the use of analog synthesizers. As always, the group made use of a wide and eclectic range of instruments, and also involved two guest musicians: vocalist Davide Savarese and cellist Kyung Mi Lee. The music, produced by La Batteria, was recorded and mixed by Paolo Pecorelli at Studiosette (Rome), and was mastered by Danilo Silvestri. In addition to the twelve unreleased tracks, the soundtrack also includes two tracks ("Lightless", "Crepuscular") from La Batteria's album Notes in the Dark (Deneb/Flipper 2020).

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: PLE 65408EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The year is 1989. Techno's second generation has begun to permeate the globe leading a young Carl Craig to a tiny village in the countryside of Belgium. It is here, undistracted and determined to break out, that Craig encounters one of the country's only drum machines, an Alesis controlled midi-808. In a single session he composes and mixes a handful of records that are still to this day regarded as some of his most raw and explosive contributions to the fabric of electronic music history. Carl revisits this fateful chapter through the lens of a famed cut from his Psyche alias From Beyond, with a "C2 2023 Mix" and remixes from Seth Troxler, Ataxia and Admn, out July 14 on Planet E Communications. The Psyche alias, known for early Transmat releases like Crack\down and Elements, embodied a stripped back, less sample-based yin attitude to the yang of Carl's more aggressive 69 and sampleforward BFC and Paperclip People identities. From Beyond, first released in 1990 via the Crackdown 12" on Transmat, offers an eerie glimpse into the simplistic production that came through Carl's mastery of the 808 and the sonic value of restricting himself to this movement defining tool. This new From Beyond package sees Carl lift and bend the original in his "C2 2023 Mix" alongside a package of remixes from artists near to the hearts of Detroit and the Planet E fold. Seth Troxler brings a subdued acid tinge to the package, while label regular Ataxia pays homage to the source material with a renewed percussive energy, followed by a soulful rework by Admn.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: PLE 65409EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Revered house mainstay Junior Sanchez makes his debut on Carl Craig's renowned Planet E Communications imprint today with the digital release of his latest EP Art O Fact out now with a 12" to come this July. Hailing from New Jersey, Sanchez remains a pioneering force in house music for over three decades and a close ally of Craig's. Art O Fact is an exemplar of the energized rhythm and infectious groove that has become synonymous with Sanchez's work and genre defining productions. The package seamlessly connects scenes and eras, paying homage to the soulful sonic atmosphere of Detroit, Junior Sanchez's says: "Art O Fact -- was created purely and simply out of creative inspiration. I walked into the studio one morning not really knowing what to do, so I let my inspiration guide me and my inspiration really was Detroit. I thought about that city, what it meant to me and what techno really meant to my heart. I have loved so many records by Carl Craig, DJ ROLANDO, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins, so the result is something really beautiful and organic, and the fact that it's coming out on Carl Craig's Planet E imprint is such an honor." In addition to the original mix, the Art O Fact EP features a bouncy "Luv4Detroit" Dub, energized edit, and melodic reprise.

 

PRICE: $43.00

CAT #: POTOMAK 957051

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; gatefold vinyl reissue of Einstürzende Neubauten's Silence Is Sexy, originally released in 2000. This vinyl double album contains the track "Pelikanol," first available as a bonus track with the 2000 release of the album and now for the first time available on vinyl. Silence Is Sexy finally receives a long-awaited reissue on the band's own label Potomak. The element of surprise was and continues to be routine for Einstürzende Neubauten. On Silence Is Sexy they masterfully celebrate the unexpected in the exploration of silence. It is a wonderful album in the classical Neubauten sense; lyrical and melancholy. It's a musical coming-of-age from metal-defying scrap iron sound to constructed melodiousness, with a familiar rhythmic undertow -- playful, arrogant, poetic, subversive, dandified and mature. From its first release in 2000 (marking the 20-year existence of the band) to date, it has doubtlessly remained the group's most complex work and the most fascinating in its evolution. It shows the Neubauten universe from both a known, emotionally moving side, as well as one that is deliberately constructive. It clearly breathes the inimitably rough Neubauten handwriting, while Blixa's voice cuts through intellectual and cryptic texts. It is carried by metal sounds, from which individual instruments can almost no longer be extracted -- and by silence. Ultimately, nearly inaudible tones or laughter in the right place can seem more destructive than the most enduring rage. This is an album that won't be ignored; a unique appearance in the history of German rock music. 180 gram audiophile pressing.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: REPOSE 121LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The second album from Finnish experimental band featuring members of the legendary Circle. Mahti are a Finnish four-piece group presenting a unique mixture of ambient-rock, electronic music and traditional Finnish-Karelian music. Lengthy semi-improvisational pieces are built on top of complex, hypnotic grooves which are layered with opaque guitars and strangely soothing noise elements. In the heart of it all there's kantele, an ancient Finnish string instrument played by Hannu Saha, who has studied Finnish folk music in theory and practice for nearly five decades. The other players are Jussi Lehtisalo and Tomi Leppänen, who also form the rhythmic core of avant-rock group Circle, and psychiatrist Teemu Elo. Strange dreams guaranteed! Limited edition transparent purple marble LP. Housed in a stunning full-color sleeve with polylined inner bag and download code.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: SC 055CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The final U.S. show, a triumphant and blistering bookend to the storied career of one of the most influential bands in rock music, featuring a unique and expansive eighty-five minute set list that spans Sonic Youth's nearly three decade catalog. Mixed from multitrack by longtime live engineer Aaron Mullan and mastered and cut by Carl Saff."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SC 055LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. "The final U.S. show, a triumphant and blistering bookend to the storied career of one of the most influential bands in rock music, featuring a unique and expansive eighty-five minute set list that spans Sonic Youth's nearly three decade catalog. Mixed from multitrack by longtime live engineer Aaron Mullan and mastered and cut by Carl Saff."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: SC 055X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Color vinyl. "The final U.S. show, a triumphant and blistering bookend to the storied career of one of the most influential bands in rock music, featuring a unique and expansive eighty-five minute set list that spans Sonic Youth's nearly three decade catalog. Mixed from multitrack by longtime live engineer Aaron Mullan and mastered and cut by Carl Saff."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: SAB 104LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"'Hark! DIY sleaze-rock henchpersons, ascend from your cellars and rejoice... Midwestern anti-folk hero Christopher Alan Durham (The Bibs, All Gone Recs) arrives on high horse in full-length mode with a band of merry menaces in tow. Following a string of cassette and 7" releases for labels like Spacecase and Soft Abuse (whom are also responsible for the gift in hand), Kicks Or Macabre is CAD's first LP outing under his own name, and we're all the better for it. Recorded in and around modern-day Detroit, the record certainly has that street-walking cheetah energy that one might expect from a protagonist presumably raised on the teet-to-mouth diet of Destroy All Monsters youtube vids, vending machine snacks, trucker speed 'n' malt liquor laced with the ever present back-and-fore ground pollins of our patron Jim Shepards, Pussy Galores, Gibson Bros and countless other unscrewed basement saints who shook, rattled and rolled before us... but wait, there's so much more. Durham and his trusty Peacetime Consumers (ex-Quilt Boy/Roachclip cohorts) conjure up a thicker-than-usual, borderline soulful junk sick blooze that slinks and swaggers like a lean-drunk Flamin' Groovies or Gulcher/Richie-era KV if you traded his happy-go-lucky, confidently carefree dopiness for the frantic urgency of a paranoid loner whose slumlord is putting the screws to him, and look... there ain't enough grass left in that bag to even pack a bat... But the band plays on, and if Durham's long-running development as a mainstay in the American sub-underground proves to hit its peak with Kicks, we should consider ourselves lucky to have ever had such good seats in this, the theater of his own strange little lower-middle-class tragedy songs, often reflecting less on the overarching and impossibly big / bad times than they do on the smaller, more understandable, more feelable good ones. Even luckier for us, he may have only just begun.' --Ryan Davis, 2023"

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: SQMX 002EP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Almost all the trains I do are steam engines from the 1900s." Like the lyricism of surfing and the grace of baseball, the romance of trains is an integral part in Raymond Pettibon's imagination. "TO-DAY" is a wild roller coaster ride on the "A" Train with Pettibon's favorite writers John Ruskin and Charles Manson. Pettibon at his best with terrific sound collage by Oliver Augst.

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: MVD 11602CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Best live recording from Roky's 'comeback' era of 2005-2008 with The Explosives. Recorded at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City, NY on April 15, 2007. This is a complete, unedited recording of a fiery performance representative of what Roky and Explosives were doing in the 2005-2008 'comeback' years. Excellent song selections and killer performance from top to bottom. Roky is in great voice and the band is in full force. The ONLY official release from this time period."

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: AO 077R-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Reissue, originally released in 1992. Alpha & Omega (Greensleeves, A&O Records), the groundbreaking pioneers of UK dub, emerged in the 1980s and have amassed an impressive catalog of over 40 studio albums. Their influential presence signifies the very essence of soundsystem culture and the global migration of bass music from its Jamaican roots to the UK and beyond. After more than three decades, Steppas Records has finally unveiled the highly anticipated A&O classic LP reissue series. The latest addition to this remarkable collection is none other than Almighty Jah, a cherished and elusive gem originally released in 1992 and currently commanding exorbitant prices, if obtainable at all. Meticulously re-mastered with utmost care, this exceptional album, featuring the incomparable Dub Judah, is presented in its original sleeve adorned with the iconic A&O artwork. Almighty Jah holds a revered status as one of the definitive UK dub albums and stands as a true testament to musical history.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: ASCD 016-17CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Alpha Steppa and Awa Fall's debut full length collaborative album, What a Joy. This outstanding 12 vocal and 12 dub double album couples Alpha Steppa's signature future-dub sound with the powerful, versatile and soulful voice of Awa Fall. Both artists are known to promote a conscious message, this album confronts socio-political and environmental issues; from the climate crisis, the refugee crisis, to race, gender and inequality. The album also speaks of love, with an ambiguity open to romance, self-love and divine love. This is truly an album for lovers of dub, reggae, soundsystem culture and music for the soul, what a joy. Awa Fall is a rising reggae star, born to a Senegalese father and Italian mother, she started writing, recording and performing at the age of 14. Today, she has toured the world, featured on national television, performed for the UN, FOA Women's Committee and at major reggae festivals. Awa has shared the stage with major reggae artists such as Alborosie, Africa Unite, and has worked with some of the most respected producers and singers in dub, reggae and beyond including; Alpha Steppa, Mad Professor, General Levy, M1 (Dead Prez), Gaudi, Murray Man, Kumar, Charlart58, and Vibronics. Alpha Steppa (Steppas Records/Dub Dynasty) has been surrounded by soundsystem culture from a young age. As the son and nephew of respected UK dub pioneers Alpha & Omega (Greensleeves) his dubbed out style draws upon the sounds of his musical heritage, filtered through an exploration of reggae, dub, hip hop, lo-fi, sound design, traditional and electronic music. Alpha Steppa has toured the world, produced numerous critically acclaimed albums and most notably developed a dynamic community around his unique sound and conscious message.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: ASLP 016-17LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Double LP version. Alpha Steppa and Awa Fall's debut full length collaborative album, What a Joy. This outstanding 12 vocal and 12 dub double album couples Alpha Steppa's signature future-dub sound with the powerful, versatile and soulful voice of Awa Fall. Both artists are known to promote a conscious message, this album confronts socio-political and environmental issues; from the climate crisis, the refugee crisis, to race, gender and inequality. The album also speaks of love, with an ambiguity open to romance, self-love and divine love. This is truly an album for lovers of dub, reggae, soundsystem culture and music for the soul, what a joy. Awa Fall is a rising reggae star, born to a Senegalese father and Italian mother, she started writing, recording and performing at the age of 14. Today, she has toured the world, featured on national television, performed for the UN, FOA Women's Committee and at major reggae festivals. Awa has shared the stage with major reggae artists such as Alborosie, Africa Unite, and has worked with some of the most respected producers and singers in dub, reggae and beyond including; Alpha Steppa, Mad Professor, General Levy, M1 (Dead Prez), Gaudi, Murray Man, Kumar, Charlart58, and Vibronics. Alpha Steppa (Steppas Records/Dub Dynasty) has been surrounded by soundsystem culture from a young age. As the son and nephew of respected UK dub pioneers Alpha & Omega (Greensleeves) his dubbed out style draws upon the sounds of his musical heritage, filtered through an exploration of reggae, dub, hip hop, lo-fi, sound design, traditional and electronic music. Alpha Steppa has toured the world, produced numerous critically acclaimed albums and most notably developed a dynamic community around his unique sound and conscious message.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SUBOST 009LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

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: $43.00

CAT #: SUBOST 010LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

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: $26.00

CAT #: SSR 123LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Doomdelic instrumental space prog rockers L'ira Del Baccano are back with their fourth album on Subsound Records, Cosmic Evoked Potentials. The album release will be preceded by a video for the single "The Strange Dream of My Old Sun". Producer and guitarist Alessandro Santori says about the album: Cosmic Evoked Potentials is a rite of passage, the end of a cycle and already blooming of another. Surely their most instinctive effort so far. The band went back to their roots of live recording, this time instead of a stage they chose an old mansion from late 1700s outside Rome. The atmosphere there was so charming and stimulating that 13 minutes of a 45-minute-long improvisation ended up in the album.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SSR 123LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Color vinyl. Doomdelic instrumental space prog rockers L'ira Del Baccano are back with their fourth album on Subsound Records, Cosmic Evoked Potentials. The album release will be preceded by a video for the single "The Strange Dream of My Old Sun". Producer and guitarist Alessandro Santori says about the album: Cosmic Evoked Potentials is a rite of passage, the end of a cycle and already blooming of another. Surely their most instinctive effort so far. The band went back to their roots of live recording, this time instead of a stage they chose an old mansion from late 1700s outside Rome. The atmosphere there was so charming and stimulating that 13 minutes of a 45-minute-long improvisation ended up in the album.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SV 164LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 repress. "'It's been nearly five decades since Joe McPhee assembled a group of musicians to perform the weekend concerts that would become Nation Time, his second LP. It was December 1970, thirty-one-year-old McPhee was inspired by Amiri Baraka's poem 'It's Nation Time,' and the students at Vassar College didn't know what hit them. 'What time is it?' shouted the bandleader. 'C'mon, you can do better than that. What time is it?!' The music on Nation Time came out of the fertile, but little-known creative jazz scene in Poughkeepsie, New York, McPhee's home base. Two bands were deployed, one with a funky free foundation featuring guitar and organ, the other consisting of a more standard jazz formation with two drummers and the brilliant Mike Kull at the piano. Across the concert and the next afternoon's audience-less recording session, the band was ignited by McPhee's passion and his gorgeous post-Coltrane / post-Pharoah tenor. On 'Shakey Jake,' they hit a James Brown groove filtered through Archie Shepp, while the sidelong title track is as searching and poignant today as it was during its heyday. Originally released in 1971 on CjR, an imprint started expressly to document McPhee's music, Nation Time has a sense of urgency and inspiration. Additional material from those December days would later appear on Black Magic Man, Hat Hut's first release. In fact, the first four records on this seminal Swiss label all featured McPhee. Nation Time was largely unknown a quarter century or so later, when it was first issued on CD through Atavistic's Unheard Music Series. On Corbett vs. Dempsey, we reissued the album along with all known tapes leading up to and around it as a deluxe box set, but the standalone LP has long remained incredibly rare. Now is the time for a new generation of freaks to lose their shit when settling into the cushy beat of 'Shakey Jake' and answer McPhee's call with the only appropriate response: It's NATION TIME.' --John Corbett."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 198LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2023 repress; LP version. "La Monte Young was born in Bern, Idaho in 1935. He began his music studies in Los Angeles and later Berkeley, California before relocating to New York City in 1960, where he became a primary influence on Minimalism, the Fluxus movement and performance art through his legendary compositions of extended time durations and the development of just intonation and rational number based tuning systems. With wife and collaborator, artist Marian Zazeela, they would formulate the composite sound environments of the Dream House, which continues to this day. Seeing reissue for the first time since its initial 1969 release, Young and Zazeela's first full-length album is often referred to as The Black Record due to Zazeela's stunning cover design, complete with Young's original liner notes in magnificent calligraphy. Side one was recorded in 1969 (on the date and time indicated by the title) at the gallery of Heiner Friedrich in Munich, where Young and Zazeela premiered their Dream House sound and light installation. Featuring Young and Zazeela's voices against a sine wave drone, the recording is a section of the longer composition "Map of 49's Dream the Two Systems of Eleven Sets of Galactic Intervals Ornamental Lightyears Tracery" (begun in 1966 as a sub-section of the even larger work The Tortoise, His Dreams and Journeys, which was begun in 1964 with Young's group The Theatre of Eternal Music). According to Young, the raga-like melodic phrases of his voice were heavily influenced by his future teacher, the Hindustani singer Pandit Pran Nath. Side two, recorded in Young and Zazeela's NYC studio in 1964, is a section of the longer composition Studies in the Bowed Disc. This composition is an extended, highly abstract noise piece for bowed gong (gifted by sculptor Robert Morris). The liner notes state that the live performance can be heard at 33 and 1/3 RPM, but may also be played at any constant slower speed down to 8 and 1/3 RPM for turntables with this capacity." "La Monte Young is the daddy of us all." --Brian Eno

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: LSD 69021LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Freaked out lo-fi psychedelic noise recordings from 1972 and 1980 by the mythical Japanese psych rockers Les Rallizes Dénudés, including the 23-minute "Guitar Jam" filling the complete A-side, a sort of Stooges riff with Ramones-like drumming ending up in a total feedback noise orgy. Recorded on Sept. 9, 1980. Side B starts with the droning 18-minute track "A Tale Of Love," from the same 1980 Mars Studio sessions recorded three days before "Guitar Jam" and ends with a six-minute version of the classic "Field Of Artificial Flowers," recorded in 1972 during the Oz Days studio sessions.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: TB 556LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Party Milk is the duo of Mark Robinson and Trevor Kampmann. They have been recording together for almost two decades and this new album contains 35 songs of pop experimentalism on one single vinyl LP. Mark Robinson was a founding member of the bands Unrest, Air Miami, Flin Flon, Grenadine, Cotton Candy, and more. He founded the seminal Teenbeat indie label while in high school in 1984 in Washington, DC. They have released music by bands such as Versus, Gastr Del Sol, The Feminine Complex, Stereolab, Luna, Tuscadero, and countless others. Trevor Kampmann began making music under the name See Saw in the 1990s on the Simple Machines label, and has since recorded over 12 albums under the name hollAnd. He has worked on countless recordings for bands such as Explosions in the Sky, Cat Power, The Rondelles, and Flin Flon (whose song 'Floods' became the theme for CNN's Anderson Cooper 360). Kampmann has collaborated with photographer Mark Borthwick and has produced music for avant-garde fashion designers Martin Margiela and Zero by Maria Cornejo. In 2011, they released an anonymous LP under the name Fang Wizard called Pure Hex."

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: WIRE 475

FILE UNDER: Misc

"On the cover: an 18-page special on Don and Moki Cherry's organic music family. Inside: The Pitch, Feng Jiangzhou, Aho Ssan, Powerplant, Janneke van der Putten, Global Ear: São Paulo, The Inner Sleeve: Suzanne Ciani, Epiphanies: John Butcher, Unlimited Editions: Pakapi Records, Unofficial Channels: Ethio-Pain, Nyege Nyege Tapes, Gérard Grisey, DDR tape underground, experimental music during Brexit and the pandemic, Disruptive Frequencies, Tomorrow Festival, and much more."

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: THRILL 050V-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Limited-edition 2023 reissue of TNT now available in a clear with black and blue double-LP. Tortoise's third full-length release, TNT, was written and recorded during a 10-month interval in 1997. This longer-than-usual writing/production schedule was purposefully undertaken by the group in the hopes of crafting an expansive, diverse, yet thematically coherent offering. TNT builds upon the spare, instrumental framework of the group's first, self-titled album, and the extended edits, melodic adventures, and klangfarben of the subsequent full-length release, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Further to this, Tortoise's interest in the possibilities offered by the remixing of tracks was realized within the actual production of TNT; individual elements, sections, or sometimes whole compositions mutate within the album's shifting framework. These techniques were suitably realized thanks in part to the use of non-linear digital recording and editing methods, the first example of such work for the group."

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: TPCDRFT 4502EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Topic Drift Music reissue a 7" from Miami band James Knight & The Butlers, originally released on Cat.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: TOYT 137EP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

New record by Gome with fat remixes by Mike Dunn and Telephones. "Television" features David Bay.

 

PRICE: $36.50

CAT #: TRILPFR 012LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Tricatel release the reissue of Helena Noguerra's Azul, released in 2001. First time on vinyl. Noguerra on the "Inspired by Barthes, who wrote that the resistance would probably be one day in the affirmation of happiness, I wanted to write a happy record, so happy that it would be a provocation. So, I wanted to sing about love in the naive and poetic language that Portuguese is for me. It is the language of secrecy and modesty, of sensuality and eroticism. So, we recorded Azul in the offices/studios of Tricatel in four days. With the Recyclers (Steve Arguëlles, Benoit Delbecq, Christophe Minck), we created these versions on the spot and on ADAT tape for a budget of thirty thousand francs. It is, until now, my album which travelled the most, and which found the most aficionados. This reissue for the first time on vinyl, almost 23 years later, fills me with joy." Printed inner sleeve containing vintage studio photos.

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: UTR 157EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Water Machine is an office romance between Hando Morice (they/them), Flore de Hoog (she/her), Jimmy Gage (he/him) and Goda Ilgauskait? (she/her). An unassuming supergroup formed out of Glasgow institutions including Goth GF, Passion Pusher, Brenda, and Soursob, their sound careens between punk, country and alt-rock underpinned by the unique quality they call "Raw Liquid Power." Following last year's self-titled demo tape on Gold Mold Records, and fresh off of shows with the likes of Holiday Ghosts, The Cool Greenhouse and The Orielles, as well as a rollicking Viagra Boys afterparty, the four-piece will release their highly-anticipated first studio effort Raw Liquid Power on Upset The Rhythm on August 4th. The EP opens with a menacing, modulating synth melody. Gage's guitar enters with a mighty bend before breaking into the chugging rhythm of "Water Machine Pt. 2." "Stilettos" marches on indignantly with a spiky riff punctuated by Ilgauskait?'s cowbells. Staccato talk-singing tells a playful tale of stray cats following you home, but belies a darker subtext as the breakdown gives way to paranoid duelling guitars evoking The Fire Engines. The anti-anthem "At the Drive In" skewers joyless DIY crowds, reminiscent of much-missed Glasgow punks Breakfast Muff. Water Machine's irrepressible sincerity can't help but shine through in the final moments though, as jibes about "late night trade potential" give way to plaintive vocal harmonies. Morice tears public transport a new one on closer "Bussy," a First Bus diss track bemoaning precarious employment amidst crumbling infrastructure. "That's why I'm not on time!" they roar over de Hoog's frantic, pounding bass, bringing the record to a skidding, screeching halt.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: VIA 006LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Originally in 1999 on CD by Third Eye Music. The second part of the famous collaboration between two UK based electronic pioneers: John Bolloten aka The Rootsman and Bryn Jones aka Muslimgauze. For this album the original The Rootsman material from his albums Into The Light and 52 Days to Timbuktu was remixed and deconstructed by Muslimgauze. As always with Bryn Jones, all material is inspired by Arab culture. You hear distorted dub rhythms, sawn-off loops, traditional music, male and female voices and then distorted rhythms again. Closing your eyes, you can find yourself in the middle of an Eastern city, walk along its noisy streets, admire the ancient architecture. This noise can tell amazing stories. First vinyl edition.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: VL 900358LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress of Vinyl Lovers' 2008 expanded reissue; originally released in 1980. Two 180-gram LPs in deluxe gatefold sleeve. Released in 1980 as the follow-up to their 1979 debut, Three Imaginary Boys, and featuring a new line-up that included Simon Gallup and Matthieu Hartley, this is the album that gave the band their first hit ("A Forest"), and also began to solidify the brooding atmospheric sound that would soon make these grandfathers of goth international pop icons. This reissue includes 15 bonus tracks.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: WHP 1470LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Max Roach, the father of modern jazz drumming, caught in action in Paris, France in 1964. This is one of the few live documents in his 1960s dense activity. Here Roach is at the head of a strong quintet featuring the deep voice of Mrs. Abbey Lincoln and tenor sax giant Clifford Jordan. Starting from an almost all standard repertoire (including gems like Duke Jordan's "Jordu" and Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady") Roach along with Eddie Khan and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson drive the music with their solid hard swinging pulse. Recorded in Paris, January 18, 1964.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: WHP 1471LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

A brilliant live document from the great pianist and composer Horace Silver as leader of a mind-blowing quintet featuring the two-horn frontline of Bennie Maupin (tenor sax) and Randy Brecker (trumpet), plus John Wiliams (bass), and the young and already powerful Billy Cobham (drums). Recorded in Paris at the famous Salle Pleyel in the turbulent year of 1968, this is a highly dynamic hard-bop set based on extended versions of three well known Silver's compositions. Recorded at Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, November 4, 1968.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: WNCL 044EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

WNCL Recordings is back with a series of two-track 10" vinyl battle weapons for your record box. Skin Teeth makes a welcome return to the Cassette Library with his first full release -- two hard as hell tracks that are guaranteed to rock the bells.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: YVJ 008CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2022 repress. First released in 1984 by Vivian Jackson aka Yabby You. Nine original dub songs. Yabby You, who has died of a stroke aged 63, was one of Jamaican music's most individual figures. Known as the "Jesus Dread" because he wore dreadlocks but adhered to the Christian faith rather than the conventional beliefs of Rastafari, he produced a series of sublime devotional recordings from the mid-1970s onwards. The apocalyptic spiritualism of his lyrics, the superb musicianship of his backing band, and the uncommon arrangement of his material, kept his output among the most compelling roots reggae releases ever issued. He was taken to church from an early age. As recounted in Randall Grass's book Great Spirits, he was fascinated by the Bible and decided that the best way to understand its words was to directly experience them. Choosing to emulate Jesus, he left home at the age of 12 to discuss religious doctrine with the learned men of the land. This led him to various Rasta communities on the periphery of the west Kingston ghettos, while he earned a living at a metal foundry in the Waterhouse district.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: YAZ 1005CLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress, color vinyl version. Reissue of Yazoo's 1968 compilation of rare 78 rpm recordings from Blind Willie McTell. A record that put Yazoo on the map as an essential archival label of roots music. The very best of the magnificent Willie Samuel McTell -- aka Blind Willie aka Hot Shot Willie aka Georgia Bill -- exploring spiritual, ragtime, hillbilly, and above all, the blues.

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: YAZ 1080C-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"These recordings, dating between 1927 and 1929, are a unique body of work: work songs, minstrel numbers, rags, and what we now define as the blues, all offered in an unpretentious form that would have been every bit as compelling had Henry Thomas cut them this way 40 years later. Songs such as 'Arkansas,' 'Fox and the Hounds' (featuring the reed pipes that Thomas also excelled at playing), and 'Little Red Caboose' represent a brand of upbeat dance music associated with late-19th century entertainment, a tradition already largely lost or becoming lost when Thomas cut these numbers. Yet Thomas, who was already in his 50s when he recorded these tracks, sings and plays them with a beguiling ease and honesty, not to mention a dexterity on the guitar that makes him sound every bit as vital and urgent as Big Bill Broonzy or any of the other up-and-coming blues legends just starting out at the time these sides were laid down. The blues numbers, including 'Shanty Blues,' 'Woodhouse Blues,' 'Honey, Won't You Allow Me One More Chance?,' and 'Bull Doze Blues' are compelling in their own right -- they display musical and lyrical virtuosity and, in the latter two cases, offer a chance to hear the sources for classic works by Bob Dylan and Canned Heat, respectively. Luckily for historians, Henry Thomas recorded for Vocalion and not for one of the truly lost labels like Paramount, and all 23 surviving sides of his work sound very good on this CD." --Bruce Eder, AllMusic

 

PRICE: $21.00

CAT #: ACTLP 9969LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Ghana has an ancient tradition of story-telling, so the continuance of this great heritage can take many forms, and not just ones that involve the voice or words. Peter Somuah spins tales which come from his instrument: as a young trumpet-player, he embarked on a fascinating search for his identity between the highlife music of his native country, Miles Davis -- his idol -- and the cosmopolitan musical language of Holland, the country which is now his home. He tells that story in Letter to the Universe. With his new album, Peter Somuah has ventured further out into the musical cosmos as a travelling storyteller. His new compositions reflect the stages of his young life: his Ghanaian past, the work of his jazz idols and the lively 'Afropean' scene of his new home in the Benelux. In the pulsating and frenzied 'Mission On Earth,' one can read an unmistakable dedication to Miles Davis's Bitches Brew phase, and also an echo of the layered architecture of today's cosmic jazz as played by the likes of Kamasi Washington. That track is also a perfect demonstration of quite how tight and organic the interplay with his band is. Somuah's work, however, is by no means a male-only affair: right from the prologue, he assigns an important role to slam poet Lisette Ma Neza, who has her roots in Rwanda. Somuah's music also deals with this Afro-African existence in a way that reaches out for answers. This is trumpet-playing that has nothing to do with showing-off and virtuosity. Rather, he creates a flow in an eloquent narrative, and yet there is also, very clearly, plenty of the joy of playing & danceability here. There are also colors and hallmarks from Ghanaian music be found on this journey, the fusion of boisterous Fra Fra music from the north of Ghana with jazz, or in highlife borrowings, notably in the appearance of Ghanaian veteran Gyedu-Bley Ambolley. What Somuah has done is to bring his own new & unheard stories to the cosmopolitan jazz of the 21st century."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: AKENAT 003LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Limited 2023 repress. During the '60s and early '70s, Singapore had one of most vibrant and interesting music scenes in Asia and even the world, and this compilation presents undeniable proof of it. Focusing exclusively on the female presence on the scene (be it as solo singers, backed by other bands or as band leaders), Singapore Nuggets. The Ladies presents such and amazing collection of songs many will be shocked by the sheer genius of this ladies. Ranging from naive pop to fuzzed-out garage (and more!) all within the confines of Pop Yeh-Yeh, the fresh, colorful, local sound of '60s Singapore, in which western influences and Chinese, Arabic, and Indian sounds were mixed by locals to create a wonderfully idiosyncratic style. A must! Features Chew Yan And The Stylers, Lim Ling & Silvertones, Grace Lee And The Stylers, Violet Tang & Saints, Rita Chao & Quests, Sakura, Naomi & The Boys, Linda Yong And The Silvertones, Patrina with Maurice Patton & Melodians, Liu Hui Yun, Evey Lyn & The Siglap Five, Teresa Khoo & Her Five Notes, Doris Ang & The Sandboys, and Shang Guan Su Shen.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: ATL 1377HLP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 repress. 180 gram exact repro reissue, manufactured by Rhino. Originally released in 1962. Featuring Roland Kirk (flute, siren, tenor sax, manzello & strich), Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Jimmy Knepper (trombone), Doug Watkins (bass) and Dannie Richmond (drums). "This album represents the first time in his protean career that Mingus has recorded an entire set on which he plays only piano. This is also the first album on which Mingus sings."

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: BEC 5543434

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Because Music present a reissue of JJ Cale's Guitar Man, originally released in 1996. Guitar Man is the 12th studio album by JJ Cale. Personnel: JJ Cale - vocals, guitar; Christine Lakeland - guitar, vocals on "Death In The Wilderness"; James Cruce - drums on "Death In The Wilderness". CD version comes in a jewel case; includes six-page roll booklet."25 years after his first album, Naturally (1971), JJ Cale created Guitar Man, an album made up of hypnotic grooves forged out of elegantly simple components. The album is largely a solo affair, with only scattered additional accompaniment, such as on the incredible opening tune, 'Death in the Wilderness.' Otherwise, Cale plays every instrument, adding particularly strong guitar work to the mix." --All Music

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BB 009LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Green vinyl pressing. Received an 8.8 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork. Blackball Records presents the 20th anniversary edition of Jawbreaker's Bivouac. Originally released in 1992, this groundbreaking album has been remastered by John Golden from the original tapes, and the increased sampling rate boosts some of the bottom end and mid-range. The vinyl version is available for the first time in years; the CD and download versions include the songs from the Chesterfield King 12-inch as well as two bonus tracks from the original studio session. The reissue also features restored original artwork, and all formats include additional band photos from the time of recording. 'Shield Your Eyes,' 'Parabola,' 'Chesterfield King' and 'Bivouac' remained set list staples throughout Jawbreaker's run. The album wound up on a lot of fanzine top ten lists and Rolling Stone listed it as one of the 'Ten Most Influential Emo Albums of All Time.'"

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: BORNBAD 161CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

France, early sixties: the Mouvement de l'École moderne is in full bloom. Relying on the experiments and writings of its founder, the educationist Célestin Freinet, this consortium of teachers is about to give empirical evidence proving that another approach to music in school can be fruitful. With its pragmatic, anti-authoritarian tack, the method that Freinet was already developing in the 1920s held children in respect, giving them confidence and autonomy. Freinet very soon started to put his principles into practice, experimenting in person a series of innovating techniques that would become emblematic: removing the rostrum, reorganizing the classroom, encouraging cooperation, developing activities such as school printing or inter-school correspondence... As the wish to encourage free expression was central in the Freinet philosophy, arts and crafts were given more importance at school; in this regard, singing and music had a part to play, just as much as writing or drawing. While classrooms filled with a joyful jumble of sound-making objects (springs, bottles and basins, dismantled piano frames, drums, bamboos and the first DIY electronics), singular forms of music started ringing out: wild improvising, delicate a-cappella singing, clanks and dissonant string hammerings, basic experiments with magnetic tapes, evanescent folk songs... Between 1962 and 1982, recordings collected from schools everywhere around France were compiled on dozens of vinyl records. Mostly destined to teachers and friends supporting or gravitating around the Mouvement, these short-format records documented the evolution of practices and approaches: catchy headings such as "Musique libre" (free music), "Recherches sur la voix" (vocal experiments), "Musiques concrètes" (concrete music), "Musiques électroniques" (electronic music) or "Musiques d'ailleurs" (music from elsewhere) are particularly telling. And the music that could be heard on these groundbreaking records was the work of pupils from small towns in Lot-et-Garonne, Oise, and Alpes Maritime -- not exactly the archetypal privileged children benefitting from an upper-class economic and cultural background... Rather, children from rural schools with a single classroom, and sometimes, atypical or struggling children oriented towards the so-called "classes de perfectionnement." Liner notes in English and French. CD version includes 28-page booklet.Features: Frederic Chanu, Paul et Jean Paul avec Tambour, Classe de perfectionnement, C.E.G de Douvres la Delivrande, Nadine Perron, Enfants de 9 à 1à ans, Olivier, Dédé avec Gaby à l'Ariel, Sandrine Lanoux et Pascal Panizut, FP1 à l'école normale de St Germain en Laye, Anne Krikorian et Andrea Debret, Lionel Tasquier, Genevieve Marty, Gerard, Marc, et Roger 9 ans, Isabelle et Christain, Dominique Colas, Bernard, Une équipe de jeunes enfants, Jean, Patrice, Hervé, Jean-Paul, Monique, Club de danse de l'école, and Enfant inconnu.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: BORNBAD 161LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Includes 20-page booklet. France, early sixties: the Mouvement de l'École moderne is in full bloom. Relying on the experiments and writings of its founder, the educationist Célestin Freinet, this consortium of teachers is about to give empirical evidence proving that another approach to music in school can be fruitful. With its pragmatic, anti-authoritarian tack, the method that Freinet was already developing in the 1920s held children in respect, giving them confidence and autonomy. Freinet very soon started to put his principles into practice, experimenting in person a series of innovating techniques that would become emblematic: removing the rostrum, reorganizing the classroom, encouraging cooperation, developing activities such as school printing or inter-school correspondence... As the wish to encourage free expression was central in the Freinet philosophy, arts and crafts were given more importance at school; in this regard, singing and music had a part to play, just as much as writing or drawing. While classrooms filled with a joyful jumble of sound-making objects (springs, bottles and basins, dismantled piano frames, drums, bamboos and the first DIY electronics), singular forms of music started ringing out: wild improvising, delicate a-cappella singing, clanks and dissonant string hammerings, basic experiments with magnetic tapes, evanescent folk songs... Between 1962 and 1982, recordings collected from schools everywhere around France were compiled on dozens of vinyl records. Mostly destined to teachers and friends supporting or gravitating around the Mouvement, these short-format records documented the evolution of practices and approaches: catchy headings such as "Musique libre" (free music), "Recherches sur la voix" (vocal experiments), "Musiques concrètes" (concrete music), "Musiques électroniques" (electronic music) or "Musiques d'ailleurs" (music from elsewhere) are particularly telling. And the music that could be heard on these groundbreaking records was the work of pupils from small towns in Lot-et-Garonne, Oise, and Alpes Maritime -- not exactly the archetypal privileged children benefitting from an upper-class economic and cultural background... Rather, children from rural schools with a single classroom, and sometimes, atypical or struggling children oriented towards the so-called "classes de perfectionnement." Liner notes in English and French.Features: Frederic Chanu, Paul et Jean Paul avec Tambour, Classe de perfectionnement, C.E.G de Douvres la Delivrande, Nadine Perron, Enfants de 9 à 1à ans, Olivier, Dédé avec Gaby à l'Ariel, Sandrine Lanoux et Pascal Panizut, FP1 à l'école normale de St Germain en Laye, Anne Krikorian et Andrea Debret, Lionel Tasquier, Genevieve Marty, Gerard, Marc, et Roger 9 ans, Isabelle et Christain, Dominique Colas, Bernard, Une équipe de jeunes enfants, Jean, Patrice, Hervé, Jean-Paul, Monique, Club de danse de l'école, and Enfant inconnu.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BYG 304LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 repress; Fourth volume in the BYG Actuel series; gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl. "A great recording session for the French BYG Actuel label dated August 12, 1969. Tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp met up with members of the Chicago avant-garde school including Art Ensemble Of Chicago members Lester Bowie, Roscoe Mitchell and Malachi Favors. Featuring also Dave Burrell, Sunny Murray, Philly Joe Jones, Art Taylor, Clifford Thornton, Earl Freeman among the others."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: CLV 009LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. A new artist on the Clivage Music roster, Vhinz is a musician based in Brussels. After taking his time to break onto the electronic scene, he's now ready to share Belvédère, his debut, dreamlike album, confidently intense, sweeping between cinematic songs and soaring, epic electronic sounds. Vincent Honca is Belgian, with Armenian roots and a love of keyboards: the mini synth he used to play as a child, the classical piano of his years of training at the Académie de Musique, the Yamaha synth of his teenage years... During the noughties of his adolescence, electronic music was omnipresent in his life as he listened to and admired Daft Punk, Moby, Vitalic, Air, and The Chemical Brothers. Vincent went on to become a computer programmer and decided to make music in as much of his spare time as possible. His first productions came out in 2015, including "Drastical", one of three deep house dancefloor-orientated tracks recorded with none other than Kris Menace. Vincent worked on two independent Belgian films by director Christophe Karabache, UltravoKal (2018) and Vortex (2019), both collaborations with Michel Duprez. Now, Vincent has chosen the name Vhinz, bringing together his expertise with machines and computers, his passion and enthusiasm for the electronic sounds of his adolescence and his adoration of cinema's powerful, impactful soundtracks. Vhinz's first track is thus called "Aether", a track brimming with character and confidence, with sung-spoken vocals that sweeps the listener up in bewitching synthetic themes and drums like an off- kilter heartbeat. The track perfectly encapsulates the Vhinz sound, and Citizen Records immediately loved it. "Then Covid and the lockdown happened, and everything came to a complete halt," remembers Vhinz. During those long two years without anything being released, the project continued its gestation and has now grown in a mini-album of eight coherent, fascinating tracks. "I really wanted a strong concept for everything, and so was born this album that I've called Belvédère. I imagined myself on a belvedere with a panoramic view of the world, channeling all the emotions it elicited in me into music." Belvédère is a dreamlike debut album, confidently intense, sweeping between cinematic songs and soaring, epic electronic sounds. It's a place for Vhinz to showcase his dreams, talk, sing and invite others too: Margot Ferro sings on "Le Passage" and "Envole-moi", and Michael Meers (MieK) lends his vocals to "Evolution". Musically, the album falls somewhere between Moby, Vitalic, Air, and Serge Gainsbourg, with a density and atmosphere that are completely Vhinz.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: COSMR 020LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

A serious obscure object of desire! Amazing collection that gathers some of the rarest Persian 45s. Such an eclectic mix of styles, from garage rock to cool Persian beat, exotic rock and roll, and astonishing prog/psych numbers. Featuring female drummer and singer Zangoleah with some killer garage/rockin' tracks, obscure bands like Takkhalha doing a fab cover of the Stones "Play With Fire" and an amazing take on the Persian traditional song "Mastom, Mastom," Golden Ring-styled beat by Big Boys, exotic Persian beat by Saeed and Tigers, terrific garage-beat by Ojubeha and the two sides of the Kambiz 45, probably the major discovery from Iran in recent years and one of the few, if not the only truly Persian prog/psych 45s ever recorded. Also features Kambiz.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: NRT 007EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"In 1978, as The Residents' star ascended, Ralph Records excavated the group's 1974 X Is For Xtra tapes and reprocessed them, eager for a new release to satisfy the growing market for product. Whether or not The Residents themselves were involved in this process remains the subject of debate (spoiler: they weren't. Probably), but the end result, Not Available, was, and still is, a masterpiece. Along the way, Ralph produced a shortened, work in progress 'demo' of their efforts to present to The Residents (who ignored it). Previously unreleased, that 1978 version is heard here for the first time, just as it rolled off the tapes."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DE 310LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Dark Entries and Papi Juice Records team up for No Jack Swing, the solo electronic debut of multi-hype man Brontez Purnell. The Southern-raised, Oakland-based musician and writer has centered his queerness and Blackness in projects Gravy Train and Younger Lovers as well as in his award-winning books 100 Boyfriends and Since I Laid My Burden Down. On No Jack Swing, Purnell gives us a love letter to the most beloved (and secularized) of drum patterns -- that is, the electronic 808 'Amen Break'. Beginning recording in 2020, Purnell conceived of No Jack Swing as an audio zine of found sound materials: chain letters of instrumentals recorded in bedrooms, poems from boys in France, found gospel tapes from his childhood family Baptist Choir, and the sound of records skipping on his bedroom turntable. No Jack Swing is as much a homage to no wave and New Jack Swing as it is an answering to the gods of indie, electroclash, disco, and gospel. Amidst all this background noise, the unexpected occurs: all the niche pretensions collapse to a singularity -- the sound of high pop! No Jack Swing was produced by Nightfeelings. Each copy of includes a lyric sheet with a photo of Brontez."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DD 007LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Limited restock. The Voices of Creation are a community-based choir led by vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and mainstay of the Los Angeles scene Jimetta Rose. Made up of a multigenerational group of mainly non-professional singers backed by some of the city's finest musicians, their music marries hip strains of gospel with layers of jazz, soul and funk. While aspects of their music might recall Kamasi Washington, The Staple Singers or Sly Stone, Jimetta's unique vision has resulted in new spiritually-charged forms of music whose whole-hearted embrace of love, joy and peace act as sonic healing balms for the soul. For Jimetta -- whose resume includes collaborations with Miguel Atwood Ferguson, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Angel Bat Dawid -- the very act of creation was part of a healing process. Among those accepted into the ever-evolving collective, which was begun initially as a community choir, were the likes of Sly Stone's daughter Novena Carmel, better known as a radio DJ for KCRW's flagship breakfast show. Jimetta's upbringing in the Pentecostal church, where she was a youth choir director, fed into her otherwise intuitive teachings of her songs and arrangements to the inexperienced members with help from the group's seasoned organ player/co-musical director Jack Maeby. Produced by Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Seu Jorge) and his wife Samantha Caldato the results show the incredible sense of togetherness and communal spirit that the group had built up over time in the rehearsal sessions. The six tracks of their debut album, a mixture of originals and rearranged covers, are performed in a wide-eyed mix of styles that reflect Jimetta's vision for borderless music. The group's propensity for warm and buoyant sonics finds representation on album opener "Let The Sunshine In," a sparkling rework of the Sons and Daughters of Lite's deep jazz classic. Their version finds the group's dynamic group harmonies offset with Allakoi Peete's nimble Afro-percussive touches and plenty of soul-drenched keys courtesy of pianist Quran Shaheed and organ player Jack Maeby. A similarly uplifting take on Rahsaan Roland Kirk's choral jazz classic "Spirits Up Above follows," with Maeby's groove-laden organ lines inspiring some gorgeous group harmonies as well as prime solo turns from the likes of Kellye Hawkins, Zavier Wise, Tamara Blue, and Khalila Gardner. Another Sons and Daughters of Lite cover follows as Jimetta leads the choir in the groove-drenched ode to self-affirmation "Operation Feed Yourself." Written as a series of mantras for everyday living, the Jimetta-penned composition "How Good It Is" harnesses the full transformative power of music to generate a stirring and joyful ode to positivity. Jimetta's talent for re-imagining songs in her own light is highlighted in "Answer The Call," her vivid re-telling of Funkadelic's Cosmic Slop. The album finishes with the standout original gospel number "Ain't Life Grand".

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 023LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Wanda Jackson is a true pioneer of American popular music. One of the first women in history to record country and western music, as well as rock n' roll, and a brief romantic liaison with Elvis. This collection reminds of the greatness of her peak years at Capitol Records. From the mournful twists of "Sinful Heart," to the hard-rocking thrills of "Let's Have A Party" and "Riot In Cell Block Number Nine," Wanda Jackson attacks the material in her distinctive way, with a wry glance at innocence left somewhere behind. Clear vinyl; numbered.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 028LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1961. Best known for his pioneering work in be-bop, drummer Max Roach was a hugely important figure who worked with countless jazz greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Thelonious Monk. We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite was created with then-wife Abbie Lincoln, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, the Nigerian percussionist Olatunji, and lyricist Oscar Brown Jr to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the unique landmark an intense, musically challenging masterwork of social relevance that was far ahead of its time. Clear vinyl; numbered.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 033LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1965.Collecting recordings made between 1953 and 1956, Miles Davis Plays For Lovers is a look at the more sensitive and sensual side of the great trumpeter, focusing on his sultry and smoky late night ballads. Mostly featuring his legendary mid-50s quintet of Coltrane, Garland, Chambers, and Jones, this collection highlights that group's ability to slow things down to a soulful, brilliant simmer. Classic jazz ballads that swing, perfect for late nights with a lover at your side. Clear vinyl; numbered.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 034LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1958. A pioneer of bebop, Max Roach went on to work on many other styles of music and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history having worked with such musicians as Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, and more. A seminal set, stretching out towards the directions Max would explore fully on the Candid, Impulse!, and Fantasy labels in the '60s. Group members include Booker Little on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor, Ray Draper on tuba, and Art Davis on bass -- and the lack of a piano makes for a very exciting sound. Clear vinyl; numbered.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 052LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1961. The West Indian-born alto saxophonist Joe Harriott was one of the most convincing boppers outside of the USA, though by the end of the 1950s he was exploring freer musical pastures, and the quintet with which he undertook the exploration was an outgrowth of the hard bop band with which he'd made a name on the British scene. Often in the past the group's music, in which trumpet and flugelhorn player Shake Keane figured alongside Harriott in the front line, has been compared with that of the early Ornette Coleman quartets, but here it's far more interactive, a fact borne out most obviously by the lack of soloists. Here on Free Form is where the rhythm of that indigenously West Indian form is extraordinarily maintained in the midst of characteristic group exchanges. Clear vinyl; numbered.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: DGTRM 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Merrritonians is a French combo exploring rocksteady and Jamaican music, the old-fashioned way. For their eponym debut album, Don Cavalli offered them three songs. "A Lonely One" is the opening title and a cover version of French singer Pomme. Rocksteady still captivates the souls and makes the hearts of those who listen to it capsize. A timeless, warm music and the mother of many musical trends, largely inspired by this Jamaican treasure, this rocksteady memorial is a way of paying tribute to and thanking all the musicians, singers and sound engineers who, in such a short period of time, have recorded an impressive number of tracks! Half a century later, rocksteady is still very present in the collective memory but is rarely played live. With this in mind, The Merritonians propose to replay some of the hits from these prolific years. The Paragons, Hopton Lewis, Derrick Harriott, The Gaylads and many others will be there.... Rocksteady revival!

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DC 586LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. "Shade Themes from Kairos is a new iteration of the dream for all the guitar freaks out there, bringing together a couple of singular players together, just to see what happens. In this case, the players were old friends and collaborators Oren Ambarchi and Stephen O'Malley, playing in a space engineered and co-populated by Randall Dunn. From the top, Shade Themes from Kairos is resonant as a collective inquest in sound, with all the players deeply immersed within the panorama they are creating. 'That Space Between' blows in from a distance, rolling rhythmically, with synthetic percussion chattering, before it settles into a stately pace, as the guitars wind ethereal around the procession. Under the beat lies always space, and as the cadential clusters drift off, metal chimes and keys sputter and dig deep and clean through the abyss." Housed in a gatefold sleeve.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EFFICIENT 034LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Spurred on by emergent footage of a recent live performance, Efficient Space delves deeper into the world of Spanish shoegaze outfit Bélver Yin, now solely helmed by founding member Pedro L. Ortega. An intimate collection of new recordings, Para Mi Madre is a parting gift to his mother, fulfilling a promise made in her final days. Bélver Yin's story begins at the turn of the '90s, blooming from a fixation with British ethereal alt-pop (Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons, The Cure, et al.) Utilizing guitar, bass, and drum machine rhythms to record the cathartic 1991 debut Luz Bel (EFFICIENT 016LP), their quintessentially Mediterranean angle on slow, reverb and echo-laden atmospherics found a home on fleeting label Noisex Music. Despite radio play and concerts around Spain, lack of distribution led to the album being largely overlooked, until Efficient Space's faithful reissue in 2020. With this newfound interest stoking Ortega's fire, the wealth and strength of Para Mi Madre's expressive impulses will woo fans and newcomers alike. Patiently moving from pastel hues, sepia-tones and Balearic nostalgia, its crystallized instrumentals give a knowing nod to the wide-eyed possibilities of youthful summers as much as they do world-weary respite. Not wallowing in gloom, the deeply personal and spirit-stirring memorandum documents Ortega coming to terms with the loss of his greatest champion.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: FATA 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Accidentally blinded at adolescence, the Portland-based Bob Desper released just one record -- in 1974, and limited to a 500-copy pressing on a local Christian imprint -- before fading into the woodwork, leaving only this tiny morsel of music behind for anyone to find and follow back to its source. New Sounds is a classic lost record, though whether it counts as a lost classic is pretty relative, considering that even folk heavy hitters Nick Drake or Bert Jansch were once tagged as totally obscure by all but the most ardent followers of the form. New Sounds isn't the sort of record that would appeal to casual toe-dippers, anyway. Rather, it's the kind of recording, like Gary Higgins' similarly recently unearthed Red Hash, pretty much designed to be lost and rediscovered decades later.

 

PRICE: $25.50

CAT #: FTR 732LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

With the death in 2020 of long-standing occasional third member Peter Stapleton (percussion/electronics), A Handful of Dust has regrouped as the core duo of Alastair Galbraith (violin, guitar, cello, piano, drums) and Bruce Russell (guitar, electronics). This new set of live-to-four-track recordings from January 2022 is the first album to be wholly recorded "in the studio" since 1995's Towards a Soundtrack to the "Anabase" of St-John Perse. Committed to tape at the Rugby Hotel in Dunedin, the four-track recordings were played back in the room where they were made and recorded again, this time to Android telephone, to make a digital mono master which you hear on this record. Unadorned, brutal and sonically austere, this new set captures the "wild Mercury sound" for which this long-standing unit is rightly feted among cognoscenti of the Antipodean New Thing. Three pieces that will pop your third eye in seconds flat. Astral travel for now people. "Duck and Sally" continue their unplanned career in the extreme abuse of the rock n' roll tool kit. Drowned phoenician sailors bob disconcertingly to the surface while the captain's tower rocks to a sustained monomachy 'twixt Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, brought back from the grave for that specific purpose. Don't be shy -- please jump out of your window. You know you gotta trust us, when you need a friend...

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: GET 51457LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress, purple vinyl. "Well before Shuggie Otis cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he'd performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. In spite of all this, widespread mainstream success eluded Shuggie for much of his career. His most famous release to date is his 1974 album Inspiration/Information, which would experience new resurgent life in the 2000s. Those willing to dig a little deeper however, would discover hidden gold in his earlier releases, especially in the album directly before Inspiration/Information, his sophomore 1971 release Freedom Flight. As with his debut, Freedom Flight was produced by Shuggie's father Johnny Otis, and built upon the distinct sounds of his debut album: lush, baroque, string section arrangements, paired with hard funk rhythms, and funky blues melodies, with the majority of the instruments once again performed by Shuggie himself. The album also features backing from premium session greats like George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar, and the track 'Strawberry Letter 23' which became a monster hit for The Brothers Johnson three years later. Freedom Flight is a treasure of deft, technical skill, and virtuosic composition."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: GET 52724LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress, clear vinyl. "'We are the planters of the weeds or roses in our garden. Take the plunge within yourself to find The Main Ingredient.' So reads CL Smooth's album dedication in the liners to Pete Rock & CL's underrated, soulful and deeply grooving sophomore album. For fans, it was bittersweet, as it would be their last as a duo. By 1994, Pete and CL were darlings of both fans and critics, still on a high after 1992's Mecca & The Soul Brother and the album's emotional smash single 'They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).' Two years later, they had grown even more as men and artists. Gone was some of the righteous striving of their earlier work, replaced by mature -- yet still righteous -- wisdom. And a lot more love as well, bringing a larger female constituency into their fanbase. They were adults now, reveling in the plateau they had reached. The duo's '90s swan song is a powerful double album that still resonates with Golden Era hip-hop fans: 16 cuts deep and full of intelligence, fire and warmth. Beats-per-minute-wise, the album mostly clocks at a comfortable strutting pace, bolstered by Pete Rock's pioneering use of filtered basslines and a recently-hatched obsession with Rhodes piano. The new tracks filled speakers and headphones with soul, as CL continued to assert his lyrical prowess all throughout."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: GET 52734LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. "After the smash success of Deee-Lite's debut record World Clique, and their now-iconic dance club hit 'Groove Is In The Heart', anticipation was high for a follow-up from the New York-based dance music trio of vocalist Miss Lady Kier, and producers DJ Towa Tei and Super DJ Dmitri. For their sophomore record Infinity Within, Deee-Lite opted to venture in a different direction of sorts. The club-embracing disco-funk sounds and groovy vibes of World Clique were ever-present, but while that record contained themes of global togetherness, Infinity Within took a more socially aware route, with politically charged themes of environmentalism, (to show their bona fide-se, Infinity Within was one of the first titles to be issued in an ecologically friendly eco-pak) sexual liberation, voting rights, and critique of the judicial system. Taking major inspiration from the ancient Chinese divination text I Ching, Miss Lady Kier would later explain that Infinity Within was a natural progression for the group, not a departure. Elaborating in an interview with Reflex Magazine, she remarked: 'The reason why we titled this new album Infinity Within -- to balance out World Clique's idea of looking outward and thinking about unity -- is if you look outward, you should look inward to see what you're doing as an individual. Because people seem to be so passive -- I'd like to see people turn their TV sets off and start protesting.' Infinity Within was not the overwhelming commercial success that World Clique was, but its tracks shined on the Billboard Dance Club charts, with its lead single 'Runaway' reaching #1 on the chart, bolstered by a Gus Van Sant-directed music video. The record also featured a slew of top-tier collaborators, including Parliament veterans Bernie Worrell, Maceo Parker and Bootsy Collins (Returning from their appearances on World Clique) as well as Bootsy's brother Catfish Collins, legendary house DJ Statoshi Tomiie, and rap verses from Michael Franti, Jamal-Ski, and a pre-'Tennessee' Arrested Development. Even though critical reaction at the time was cooler than their debut, over the years Infinity Within has been considered an underrated gem of '90s dance, a classic of early club and house music, and a remarkable follow-up for Deee-Lite."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: GGGR 091LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2018 release. "Gilgongo Records is pleased to announce Continuous Hole, a collaborative album by Drew Daniel and John Wiese. The fruit of over ten years of home recordings in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Baltimore, Continuous Hole melds improvisation and musique concrète composition into a uniquely sweaty document of labor-intensive rhythm. A finger puzzle of reconciled opposites: lockstep structure and constant flux. Many of the tracks reflect the unique blending of the disparate backgrounds of its creators: on 'Abhorred Shears,' 'Sleek Disorder' and 'Cosmic Joke' the relentlessly variable source material is relegated to precisely timed gated forms and patterns. Without using any sampling or MIDI sequencing, the rhythmic cuts evoke the tempo/BPM of footwork, juke or gabber, but they are constructed entirely from volcanic, gnarled abstraction, and eschew typical genre elements. 'Progress Bar' goes from frantic cuts to weightless slo-mo freefall and back to frenzy. Moving from mayhem to menace, 'Surprise' concludes the album with ominous flutters of a pedal steel guitar and the sound of a dog's toenails scraping a stone floor. In the final milliseconds of the song, the dog leaps for the listener's throat. Raw yet precise, it's a dynamic conclusion to an album of strong contrasts from two American artists discovering common ground in the joy of frenzied cutting. A prolific recording artist and visual artist with an extensive discography under his own name, and with grindcore stalwarts Sissy Spacek, John Wiese is currently based in Cleveland. One half of the electronic band Matmos and all of The Soft Pink Truth, Drew Daniel is based in Baltimore."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: GGGR 123LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Cheryl E. Leonard builds and plays electroacoustic instruments made out of natural materials such as bones, driftwood, shells, seaweed, feathers, and stones. Jon Leidecker (aka 'Wobbly') responds to the sounds of her creations with synthesized animal voices driven by machine listening. The inaugural collaboration of these two veterans of the San Francisco Bay Area electronic music scene can be heard on the album Multiple Park, a collection of works assembled from both studio and outdoor performances, radio broadcasts and field recordings, as well as outright hallucinations -- an album which evokes an abstract yet literal world that exists in the space between city life and utter wilderness. Material for the album's centerpiece was recorded in three California parks, ranging from deeply urban to abandoned to entirely wild. The result is one 'Multiple Park,' filled with noises simultaneously abstract yet bound to the physical events that generated them. Riding a line between a secret history of electronic music that aspires to birdsong, and those dedicated to the preservation of vanishing biophonies, Multiple Park is a visceral meditation on the sounds of 'the outdoors,' and how those sounds are changed and framed by our technologically accelerating lives. Cheryl E. Leonard has been composing and improvising with materials from the natural world since the late 1990s. Her performance and recorded history includes many collaborations -- notably with Euphotic (Tom Djll & Bryan Day), Thomas Carnacki, Big City Orchestra, and Phillip Greenlief. Jon Leidecker has been creating experimental work since 1987: both solo and in collaboration (People Like Us, Matmos), as a member of Negativland since 2011, a current producer of Over The Edge on KPFA, as well as contributing electronics to the current incarnation of the Thurston Moore Group."

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: GODREC 068LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Blumenstück for piano was composed in 1984 as a sound meditation for private use and it celebrates the beauty of the piano sound through tenderness and slowness. All the sounds of the work derived from a word list that lists 168 flower names. All the letters in these names were assigned to notes on the keyboard according to a fixed system. Each sound has to be played softly and as long as possible. After the attack, all sounds should fade away into silence..." --Hubert Steins

 

PRICE: $40.00

CAT #: GODREC 070LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

This new Laibach album, through a new/fresh interpretation, examines the conflict-ridden genesis of the band's formation in the industrial town of Trbovlje in 1980 and questions the band's aesthetic, sonic, and ideological roots from the distance of time. Includes 16-page booklet.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: GRGAWS 002LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Yasushi Ide, the Japanese street music icon unleashed Cosmic Suite 2 in a revolutionary blend of genres. This groundbreaking album features collaborations with esteemed pioneers including Afrika Bambaataa, Don Letts, Josh Millan, Jeff Mills, DJ Krush, Tony Allen, and more. By transcending the limitations of time, genre, and even mortality, Ide has crafted a truly unique and eclectic street music experience unlike anything seen before. Notably, Ide enlisted the expertise of Grammy-winning sound engineer Steven Stanley to embark on the reconstruction of Cosmic Suite 2 using his renowned dub mix techniques. The outcome of this collaboration is the birth of Dr. Steven Stanley Meets Yasushi Ide - Cosmic Disco Dub, a mesmerizing rendition that showcases the genius of both artists. Hailing from Jamaica, Steven Stanley is a highly regarded sound engineer and producer whose illustrious career spans several decades, primarily in the realms of reggae, dub, and rock music. Having worked with acclaimed acts such as Talking Heads, Black Uhuru, and Tom Tom Club, Stanley has solidified his status as a living legend within the industry. His contributions to Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" and his Grammy-winning work on Black Uhuru's "Anthem" further exemplify his unparalleled expertise. Additionally, Stanley has collaborated with notable artists including Grace Jones and B-52's. In Dr. Steven Stanley Meets Yasushi Ide - Cosmic Disco Dub, Stanley expertly integrates elements from the original Cosmic Suite 2 tracks, employing his unique dubbing techniques to enhance the sonic experience. Through the addition of his signature dubby reverb and other distinctive sound manipulations, Stanley elevates the album to an entirely new dimension. "The Battle Dub" featuring Emilie Chick is transformed into an enchanting disco dub experience, infused with Stanley's horn section effects for a smoky ambience. In the mesmerizing track "Galactic Beats," the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen's powerful drums take center stage. Another standout is the dub version of "LAVA," featuring acclaimed Japanese singer UA. "Outer Space" transcends time and genre with a dream collaboration between the late legendary reggae drummer Style Scott and Japan's turntablist extraordinaire, DJ Krush. "Sumimasen" is a track that exemplifies Stanley's mastery, transforming the piece into a psychedelic and deeply immersive dub journey. "Hear?There?Beyond" is a collaboration between Yasushi Ide, Kan Takagi, the pioneering figure of Japanese hip-hop, and Reck, the bassist from the legendary punk rock band Friction. A timeless dub reconstruction masterpiece. Also features Josué Thomas, Afrika Bambaataa, Emily Capell, Rebel Dread, and Josh Milan.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: VPGS 7076CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Cries From The Youth' rounds up ten in-demand 80's roots anthems. Produced by King jammy 'Cries From The Youth' showcases the rising stars of the '80s 'longside '70s elders like Dennis Brown & Junior Murvin. Conscious reggae very much standing the test of time!"

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: VPGS 7090CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"From his secret dub laboratory, Alborosie, 'The Dub Mechanic' reaches deep inside the echo chamber to unleash another crucial heavyweight dub testament. Deep & heavy -- this is dub from the roots! CD release collects up two Alborosie dub testaments on one value packed dub master."

 

PRICE: $21.00

CAT #: VPGS 7091LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"From his secret dub laboratory, Alborosie, 'The Dub Mechanic' reaches deep inside the echo chamber to unleash another crucial heavyweight dub testament. Deep & heavy -- this is dub from the roots!"

 

PRICE: $21.00

CAT #: VPGS 7092LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"From his secret dub laboratory, Alborosie, 'The Dub Mechanic' reaches deep inside the echo chamber to unleash another crucial heavyweight dub testament. Deep & heavy -- this is dub from the roots!"

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: VPGS 7101LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Classic late '80s digi-roots set from the legendary Wailing Souls produced by King Jammy. Stormy Night takes its place in a long line of classic Wailing Souls albums for Greensleeves stretching from the '81s 'Fire House Rock' to the recent Alborosie produced 'Back A Yard'. Includes the hit single 'Dog Bite'. Re-mastered and re-sequenced with new cover art."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: VPGS 7102LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Classic late '80s digi-roots set from the legendary Cultural Roots produced by King Jammy. Follow up album to the best-selling Greensleeves album Hell A Go Pop. Includes the hit singles 'Running Back To Me' and 'Distant Lover'. Remastered with new cover art."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SUBURBIA 032LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Complete 12 song demo recording from 1985 by Seattle's own pop punk/grunge pioneers, The Fastbacks. Recorded in Seattle on a 4-track cassette Portastudio with the classic Lulu-Kim-Kurt line-up with Richard Stuverud (of War Babies and Three Fish fame on drums). Remastered by Kurt Bloch in 2021 and unreleased as a whole in any format until today. White vinyl.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HONEY 083LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1963. Flutist Prince Lasha and alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons were one of the great teams in the "New Thing" era. Recorded in New York in May 1963 these early studio sessions feature great contributions from trumpeter Don Cherry and tenor sax giant Clifford Jordan, plus the rhythm section of Orville Harrison and Bill Wood on bass, Charles Moffett on drums, and producer Fred Lyman on flugelhorn. This is a great snapshot of the NYC music scene in the '60s, when a bunch of young, creative, uncompromising musicians invaded the city and began to change the rules of jazz.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: HC 076CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Since his introduction in the '60s, he has lit stages on fire, whether it be with The Rickers Orchestra or with The Melo-Togo Orchestra (taking home second place for the first National Festival of Tologese Music). His first seven-inch vinyl, Wait For Me, is a holy grail for diggers all around the world. It was such a hit that Togolese music is and will forever be stamped by Roger Damawuzan. He was principal in introducing Gazo, Akpesse, and Kamou rhythms to modern day soul music. In Avépozo -- a few kilometers from the capital, Lomé. Though Tropicana Hotel has been closed for years, the many European tourists who were lucky enough to visit have not forgotten the nights that Roger Damawuzan set ablaze throughout the years. Indeed, in their collective memory is nostalgic of his flaming spirit and the rawness of his rigorous funk. He is timeless: since 1987, the Tropicana is no longer but Damawuzan roars on. In response to requests from his studio and his label, "Tropicana Sounds", which, during '80s, was responsible for releasing his work, Damawuzan also gave his expertise and was a major influence on the evolution of hip-hop and Tologese electro. Relentless and unstoppable, Roger Damawuzan is now making a comeback with Seda. Afro, soul, funk, Vaudou. This album may be described, but it cannot be explained. Only through listening to this disk at a high volume will one completely understand, at its full scope, Roger Damawuzan's emotions, his complaints, his cries, and all his evisceration when he takes the mic. Such a force of nature, Roger Damawuzan could have been supported by only one group. Led by Peter Solo, the members of the Vaudou Game and Lomé's most talented musicians are at Damawuzan's disposal for this album. The bass thunders in his honor, the brass escorts his arrival through the drums' rhythmatic steps, and the guitars riff so perfectly to serve as the ideal bedrock. Such a force of nature, this album could have been only captured, if not mastered, by one studio. Such mission was accomplished by the legendary studio OTODI (Office Togolese of Disks) by utilizing solely analog equipment to translate and to breath all of Damawuzan's soul into this album. In Mina, Roger Damawuzan's native tongue, Seda means "listen". And this is neither advice nor a suggestion -- it's an order! Seda!

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: HC 076LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Since his introduction in the '60s, he has lit stages on fire, whether it be with The Rickers Orchestra or with The Melo-Togo Orchestra (taking home second place for the first National Festival of Tologese Music). His first seven-inch vinyl, Wait For Me, is a holy grail for diggers all around the world. It was such a hit that Togolese music is and will forever be stamped by Roger Damawuzan. He was principal in introducing Gazo, Akpesse, and Kamou rhythms to modern day soul music. In Avépozo -- a few kilometers from the capital, Lomé. Though Tropicana Hotel has been closed for years, the many European tourists who were lucky enough to visit have not forgotten the nights that Roger Damawuzan set ablaze throughout the years. Indeed, in their collective memory is nostalgic of his flaming spirit and the rawness of his rigorous funk. He is timeless: since 1987, the Tropicana is no longer but Damawuzan roars on. In response to requests from his studio and his label, "Tropicana Sounds", which, during '80s, was responsible for releasing his work, Damawuzan also gave his expertise and was a major influence on the evolution of hip-hop and Tologese electro. Relentless and unstoppable, Roger Damawuzan is now making a comeback with Seda. Afro, soul, funk, Vaudou. This album may be described, but it cannot be explained. Only through listening to this disk at a high volume will one completely understand, at its full scope, Roger Damawuzan's emotions, his complaints, his cries, and all his evisceration when he takes the mic. Such a force of nature, Roger Damawuzan could have been supported by only one group. Led by Peter Solo, the members of the Vaudou Game and Lomé's most talented musicians are at Damawuzan's disposal for this album. The bass thunders in his honor, the brass escorts his arrival through the drums' rhythmatic steps, and the guitars riff so perfectly to serve as the ideal bedrock. Such a force of nature, this album could have been only captured, if not mastered, by one studio. Such mission was accomplished by the legendary studio OTODI (Office Togolese of Disks) by utilizing solely analog equipment to translate and to breath all of Damawuzan's soul into this album. In Mina, Roger Damawuzan's native tongue, Seda means "listen". And this is neither advice nor a suggestion -- it's an order! Seda!

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HC 077EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Tribute to the soul brother of Benin with rare Afro-funk and digital soul songs from the Maestro. Following the tremendous Dans le Tchink System reissue album, Hot Casa wanted to celebrate the legacy of one the greatest singers from Cotonou. Owhaaou...! is an original four-track 12 inch vinyl taken from the extremely obscure, futuristic and now expensive record Metamorphose released in 1985 and recorded on 24 analog tracks channel with an incredible backing band such as Hilaire Penda on bass and Daniel Bentho from Poly Rythmo de Cotonou to name a few. The B-side is a DJ-friendly edit of the dance floor burner "Zemidjan" recorded in 1991. A composition to pay tribute to the taxi moto of Cotonou. The last track "Mi Tchinker" is a typical Stanislas Tohon hit with a mix of Tchink rhythm, soul and funky melodies. The famous soul singer from Cotonou started his musical career at this age of 9, played with the greatest such as Gnonnas Pedro and recorded almost 35 albums. Influenced by the traditional "Tchingoume" music, he invented his own rhythm called "Tchink Système", a mix of soul and Beninese traditional rhythm. Sang in Fon, his native language from Benin, this EP is a soulful call for peace, respect, and unity in Africa, a real definition of Afro-soul music! Remastered by The Carvery (UK), officially licensed and strictly limited to 1000 copies.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: HC 078EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Reissue of one of the ultimate Soukous banger! Originally recorded in 1992 in Paris, Eki Bis is a party classic. The chorus became a common expression all over the world helped by the hypnotic guitars of the maestros Diblo Dibala and Rigo Star and a smashing up-tempo electro-acoustic drum beat. Le Cobra de Sundama is a famous singer from Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) who composed more than 12 albums backed by great band such as Empire Bakuba, and was considered to have a voice like Kofi Olomide or Papa Wemba, mixing Lingala and French street expressions. After many concerts and tours all over the continent, he finally settled in Angola. The B-side features a DJ/radio edit with the addition of few electro synths. Produced in Paris by the great producer Jacky Toto and now officially licensed. Remastered by The Carvery and pressed on limited 500 copies.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: IALP 005HLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; 180 gram exact repro reissue of their 2nd album, originally released in 1967. "The Elevators' second album, Easter Everywhere showed the band's progression light years away from their first one but a year earlier. Indeed, they had transmuted beyond their Lightnin' Hopkins'n'Hooker heated acid blues; delving further inward to the cosmic eye, mind and beyond. Easter Everywhere is an album that exhibits group chemistry at its ultimate unification. The Elevators had already arrived at a place where they had the songs, lyrics AND feel to animate both into a consciousness-delving manner, but now they took their explorations even further out and beyond the crust, the mantle and the white-hot core of the psychedelic experience into a place where existence can be seen as an eternal dance: a play between time and space, of push and pull (it's hard to describe without using the language it demands, but here goes) of the whole exchange of thingy-inny to thingy-outty and all that implies?of the spaces between yourself and your existence, as the rollicking rhythm that is life steams full on ahead into the future. A broader expanse was never mapped out by a rock'n'roll band of its time." -- The Seth Man/HEAD HERITAGE.

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: JPR 092LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Most of us likely missed Mudhoney's Five Dollar Bob's Mock Cooter Stew when it first cratered here on Earth in late 1993, but we can ALL learn from our previous mistakes RIGHT NOW! Out of print in any physical format for 30 years, here is their reprise mini-LP for all to devour in real-time and roll in its naked glory. Initially recorded by the band as an offering for their fans to devour while they were between full-length albums, the majority of Five Dollar was recorded in one short, inspired burst on August 1, 1993, between the hours of 9:30 and 10:15 PM (with friend and fastback Kur(d)t Bloch egging them on from the production booth). They smashed this out in just 45 minutes. It might be the band at their most 'Stooge-esque' since there is no flowery imagery; nothing to misinterpret; just in-your-face blunt despair (in that department, Black Flag's Damaged LP comes to mind, especially in Mudhoney's gleefully punishing highlight: 'No Song III'). Within two seconds of any of these songs hitting your mind (maybe even within one second), you knew it could only be Mudhoney. You can instantly recognize it, because they truly own it/you/the universe."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JPR 102LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Moustache could have only happened in Portland, Oregon. This young group of music lovers, trying to recreate that dangerous feeling that they got the first time they stuck their heads through the doors of that all ages punk rock show. You can't fake this music. They were smart and had a plan. But Portland thought they were taking the piss. And the squares didn't understand. This wasn't a goddamn joke! If Moustache would have come out of New York or Chicago, they would have been welcomed like royalty. But unfortunately for them, Moustache could have only happened in Portland, Oregon." --Jerry A (Poison Idea)

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: JPR 103LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Only whispered about by collectors, Sidewalk's sole LP from 1976 was privately issued in a 100-copy run that sellers currently ask towards $10,000 for. Working directly with members of the band, Jackpot Records has lovingly restored the original master tapes to bring this record to private press fans for the first time. Sidewalk's sound existed somewhere between Steely Dan's relentless jazz-prog shredding, the outdoor festival chug of Chicago and the technical prowess of YES if they backed up a lost '70s AOR songwriter. At the height of FM Radio rock, Sidewalk combined high-level chops with innovative chord progressions and advanced studio production to create a serious contender in the Cal-Jam festival era. But they tragically disbanded after pressing up this sole LP as the only document of their existence. This LP is pressed on high-quality vinyl and includes original artwork with liner notes written by Doane Perry of Jethro Tull."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: KOO 008LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Together with Photons (KOO 002LP, 2005), Lightwaves completes the investigation of the electro archetype, documenting the Neosurrationalist bridge between art and science, that began with a dialogue in a Kreuzberg bar involving Giovanni De Donà, Paololuca Barbieri of Alterazioni Video, and physics researcher Markus Gühr, now professor and lead of the Experimental Quantum Physics group at Potsdam University in Berlin. The dissemination given by the current interpretations made by various artists, reveal the possibility of radical vibrant electro made without synthesizers, in spite of Kraftwerk's tradition. To play directly with neon lights instead of singing them, and to amplify even the invisible infrared of a remote control without fearing a T.V.O.D -- television overdose --, it's meant entering definitively into the new normality of the bruit, the rauschen, the shum, the záy?n, the new "Arte dei rumori" of the electromagnetic noise of the new millennium, revealing both the inaudible of light frequencies and also the invisible through its raw sound and potential for irreverent, chromatically-limited pulsations. The first pocket-sized Chinese solar panels are turned into photomicrophones, and with an inexpensive set-up made of different light bulbs, neon, remote controls, LEDs, and a dimmer, we experienced the zeitgeist by closing a cycle that involved popular culture and contemporary art. Lightwaves was on tour for some years from No Art Gallery and Mediateca Santa Teresa in Milan to MoMa PS1 and Location One in New York, MoCa and Duolun Museum in Shanghai, Ikra club in Moscow, then in other locations as Kunstlerhaus in Stuttgart, Link in Bologna, Flowers in Catania, Acusmatiq 2.0 in Ancona, Mayr 3 in Milano again, and Breakout music festival featuring Steve Piccolo in Genova in 2009.