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Forced Exposure New Releases for the Week of 10/3/2022

New music is due from Frank Bretschneider & Giorgio Li Calzi, Elle Shimada, and Sam Prekop, while old music is due from Artur Zmijewski, Second Woman, and Tenniscoats.

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NEW RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF 10/03/2022
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A SUNKEN MALL (GERMANY)
ASM 004LP
 
PRICE: $27.00
CAT #: ASM 004LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
CARTER, J. Speak, You Also LP
When we can no longer move forward or look outward, some reflect and seek truth in themselves -- some sharing, through the language of music, what might be impossible to say through words. Amidst the budding tempest of 2020, Jeremiah Carter, hailing originally from Tennessee, found himself embroiled in a near suffocating air of uncertainty and anxious tension, mainly brought upon by the first spikes in a soon-to-be worldwide pandemic. Only having recently relocated to the bustling city of New York, an unprecedented series of events took shape over the following months, isolating and dismaying the citizens around the globe in the process. It was during this time that Jeremiah turned his attention to music, discharging the emotional turmoil surrounding him, into a substantial wealth of newly composed work. Beginning with the album Rejoice, which was completed in the wake of 2020 and released on A Sunken Mall that same year, two more albums took shape in a quasi-self-induced creative tremor, one that soon materialized a wealth of work, forming a triptych of three unique albums, produced within the span of only six months. Finally, presented here is the second stage of the final triptych; Speak, You Also, dedicated to Paul Celan and giving us further insight into the heart of a beloved southerner, who amidst being tangled in the mesh of crisis, passion and communication, gave rise to a momentous yet equally timeless neoclassical body of work. Embossed 350g reversed cardboard sleeve; includes insert.
AFFIN LTD (UK)
AFFIN 055LTD-EP
 
PRICE: $21.50
CAT #: AFFIN 055LTD-EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
FUKO, TOKI Narration 12"
With Narration, Toki Fuko returns to Affin after a long break. The EP contains four stylistically diverse tracks (some of them overlong), which are captivating in their perfection and document the musical versatility of the musician, who skillfully moves between dubby, hypnotic, in-depth techno here. An extremely worthy successor and a grandiose further development of the Astatine EP from 2020.
AGOGO RECORDS (GERMANY)
AR 139CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: AR 139CD
FILE UNDER: WORLD
AMBOLLEY, GYEDU-BLAY Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and High Life Jazz CD
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is revered as the Simigwahene in Ghana, the king of Simigwa-highlife. Because of his deep, soulful, and funky highlife sound, he is also sometimes referred to as the "James Brown of Ghana". And not without reason. His blend of highlife, funk, jazz, soul, and proto-rap was and is still exhilarating. He learned music from outstanding artists like Sammy Larteh and Ebo Taylor, with whom he played in the Uhuru Dance Band. Together they founded the Apagya Show Band in 1974. Now, after more than 40 years active in music and his numerous albums, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a living legend, too. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley exploded on the music scene in 1973 with a jazzy, funky, and soulful highlife sound he called "Simigwa-Do". Building his own Simigwa style and leaving traces around the world, today the versatile, irrepressible and highly revered singer, composer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and "musical-life-force" has more than 30 music albums to his credit. On his new album Gyedu-Blay Ambolley And Hi-Life Jazz you can hear his versions of some classic jazz tunes like "Round Midnite", "Love Supreme", "Footprints", and "All Blues" as well as some new compositions by the Simigwa-man himself. For fans of: Ebo Taylor, Orlando Julius, Dele Sosimi, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock.
AR 139LP
 
PRICE: $28.50
CAT #: AR 139LP
FILE UNDER: WORLD
AMBOLLEY, GYEDU-BLAY Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and High Life Jazz 2LP
Double LP version. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is revered as the Simigwahene in Ghana, the king of Simigwa-highlife. Because of his deep, soulful, and funky highlife sound, he is also sometimes referred to as the "James Brown of Ghana". And not without reason. His blend of highlife, funk, jazz, soul, and proto-rap was and is still exhilarating. He learned music from outstanding artists like Sammy Larteh and Ebo Taylor, with whom he played in the Uhuru Dance Band. Together they founded the Apagya Show Band in 1974. Now, after more than 40 years active in music and his numerous albums, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a living legend, too. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley exploded on the music scene in 1973 with a jazzy, funky, and soulful highlife sound he called "Simigwa-Do". Building his own Simigwa style and leaving traces around the world, today the versatile, irrepressible and highly revered singer, composer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and "musical-life-force" has more than 30 music albums to his credit. On his new album Gyedu-Blay Ambolley And Hi-Life Jazz you can hear his versions of some classic jazz tunes like "Round Midnite", "Love Supreme", "Footprints", and "All Blues" as well as some new compositions by the Simigwa-man himself. For fans of: Ebo Taylor, Orlando Julius, Dele Sosimi, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock.
AR 149CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: AR 149CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
BLACK JESUS EXPERIENCE Good Evening Black Buddha CD
Good Evening Black Buddha is Black Jesus eXperience's seventh studio album. Inspired by the land we live on and the connection to all that have gone before and will follow, inspired by the multicultural power of our community, inspired by the paradox of the story of the Black Buddha. From the perversity of the pandemic and its imposition of separation comes Good Evening Black Buddha, celebrating togetherness. Darkness is light. At the heart of Black Jesus eXperience's inspiration is Ethiopian/Australian singer Enushu Taye. Enushu's openness and poetic insight, delivered with unique beauty in her own Amharic tongue, lie at the core of Good Evening Black Buddha and all that Black Jesus eXperience (BJX) do. MC Mista Monk (Liam Monkhouse) complements and contrasts with rhymes and flow born of Africa and outback Australia. BJX are joined by their great friends, powerhouse singer Vida-Sunshyne, and crystalline new voice Gracie Sinclair. The songs on Good Evening Black Buddha rove from the lightness of touch of a trio to BJX's full fourteen piece polyrhythmic, polymetric, polytonal Ethiofunk juggernaut with six-piece horn arrangements. Soloists include living national treasure Bob Sedergreen on keyboards, Peter Harper on saxophone, Ian Dixon on trumpet, Zac Lister on guitar, Larry Crestani on guitar and his own invention "kraartar", over the deep grooves of Richard Rose on bass, James Davies on kit, and Kahan Harper on percussion. Black Jesus eXperience is also proud to be joined by conga player Louis Poblete, kraar and masinko virtuoso Endalkachew Yenehun, proud Kuku Nyunkal man and master yiki yiki (dijeridu) player Sean Ryan.
ARBITRARY (DENMARK)
ARBITRARY 013LP
 
PRICE: $34.00
CAT #: ARBITRARY 013LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
SCOTT, RICHARD Delirious Cartographies LP
LP version. White vinyl. Red cardboard folder, foil embossed; includes six prints and download code with a 17-minute digital bonus track; edition of 300. Arbitrary presents Delirious Cartographies by composer, improviser, and synthesist Richard Scott. "These compositions capture aspects of my personal sonic experience of specific times and places. Extending beyond my usual work with analog synthesizer, these pieces open the doors and windows to the outside world, incorporating field and live recordings made in various locations and situations. Rather than intending any clear sense of narrative, these are molecular dialogues between elements and geographies which do not necessarily share organic points of connection, other than my own incomplete experience and memory of them." The final piece "6 Graphic Etudes" (included as digital prints) is intended as a set of visual/sonic sketches, each of which describes a discrete kind of movement or texture. These may have a variety of uses; as musical exercises, as scores, combined as parts of scores, or simply as stand-alone visual propositions/artworks. The pieces were composed between 2017 and 2021 at Sound Anatomy, Berlin, Spektrum Berlin, EMS Stockholm, NOVARS, University of Manchester University, Boliqueime, Portugal and the Electronic Music Studios University of Huddersfield. As well as various microphones, hydrophones and recorders, the instruments used on this recording are mostly analog and modular synthesizers: Hordijk Modular, Serge Modular, EMS Synthi A, various Eurorack modules, Buchla Thunder midi controller, Oberheim Xpander, Clavia Nord Micro Modular, CataRT and maxMSP, Rob Hordijk Blippoo box. On "Thunder, actually bicycles..." Axel Do?rner plays a Holton Firebird trumpet with additional live-sampling via maxMSP and a controller interface developed by Sukandar Kartadinata. Written and produced by Richard Scott. Drawings by Richard Scott. Graphic design by Mads Emil Nielsen. Mastered and cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. Part of the Danish imprint's Framework editions. Includes six printed drawings as well as a text by Scott.
ASTRAL INDUSTRIES (UK)
AI 029LP
 
PRICE: $39.50
CAT #: AI 029LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
SON OF CHI & CLARA BREA The Wetland Remixes 2LP
Son of Chi returns to Astral Industries, alongside Spanish artist Clara Brea, for the collaborative release of AI-29. A product of fate, chance experiments, but most of all, sensitive artistry -- The Wetland Remixes exists as a confluence of two kindred musical spirits, a wayfaring epic that draws together a rich archive of ecological field recordings, live instrumentation, and higher inspirations. Ahead of Hanyo's concert at Calma (Madrid) at the end of 2019, the curators organized a special dinner and arranged the meeting of Clara and Hanyo. As Hanyo recalls, "It was like stereochemistry. There was an instant match and understanding, and basically we decided in a split second to exchange recordings and to collaborate on future live and studio experiments." The auspicious meeting of the two ignited a remote exchange of materials and ideas, as the world descended into a series of pandemic-related lockdowns. The first of said recordings included the stems of Clara's Wetland Project -- a site-specific audiovisual project originally produced for Eufonic Festival (Spain), using field recordings from the Ebro Delta nature reserve (one of the most threatened regions of climate change on the Iberian Peninsula). From this initial impetus, Hanyo began working on the first sketches of the album back in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Just like their meeting in Madrid, the project developed naturally and spontaneously with extraordinary ease. Later, Hanyo started adding field recordings from the Magic Cave and Wetlands of the "Kallikatsou" (Patmos, Greece) as well as organic and acoustic overdubs, featuring bass, drums, percussion, guitars, oud, piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer, flutes, bells, and mouth harp. In the distance, the sound of birds peek through the effervescent wash of the wetland soundscapes. The pass of running water flows deeper into a land full of secrets never told. On the strike of dusk, the silhouettes of shapely trunks and foliage melt slowly into the impenetrable darkness. As darkness passes, light emerges, with exquisite moments of tranquility that seemingly emerge from nothingness. Beneath the shimmering veneer of textures, wildlife, and melodies, one may hear the deeper references of The Wetland Remixes. With credit to Clara's input, for Hanyo the album process became a kind of refuge, and ultimately inspired the return to the core of abstract sound -- what the Sufis call "Saut-i Sarmad." Such references allude to the spiritual quality embedded in the music -- the autonomous process of self-expression, the great mystery. Deep, luscious mind trips as per the classic Chi sound, The Wetland Remixes beautifully correlates the interconnecting dots of geography, ecology, and mythology's forgotten lore.
BASIN ROCK (UK)
BR 014CD
 
PRICE: $12.50
CAT #: BR 014CD
FILE UNDER: ROCK
TUTTLE, ANDREW Fleeting Adventure CD
Andrew Tuttle's Fleeting Adventure is a musical adventure through a reimagined journey from the Australian ambient producer and banjo player. Golden plucks of banjo, gauzy electronics and cosmic guitar shimmer into gloriously expansive melodies that conjure peace and space, comfort and wonder. A deepening sense of life, love, health, loss, and luck shaped the outlines of Tuttle's fifth, and most collaborative album to date. Following a surprising exhilaration and exhaustion from the hitherto most innocuous of moments in mid-2020 -- a half-hour drive to collect an online order, the furthest distance he'd traveled in months; Tuttle commenced working on new musical ideas loosely based around navigating the aftermaths and interregnums of a restless era. Thinking of musician friends and peers around the world -- each confined to their own immediate surroundings -- Tuttle's generative and collaborative musical practice became a silvery through-line, connecting American innovators Steve Gunn, Chuck Johnson, Luke Schneider, and Michael A. Muller (Balmorhea), to French/Swedish violinist Aurelie Ferriere and Spanish guitarist Conrado Isasa, back to Australian friends such as Voltfruit (aka Flora Wong and Luke Cuerel) and Darren Cross (Gerling) -- among many others -- each fitting seamlessly into Tuttle's vibrant musical world. Whilst previously a feature of Tuttle's music, the exploration of space and texture found within Fleeting Adventure feels particularly vast and generous. The involvement of Chuck Johnson and Lawrence English mixing and mastering the album respectively, as with their work on Tuttle's previous and breakthrough album Alexandra (RMSG 022CD, 2020), inspired Andrew to develop songs that are as serene and patient as he's ever sounded. Stripping elements back, the idea of pulling the songs apart somewhat, was just as important as adding the work of Andrew's collaborators. The road to Fleeting Adventure has been both long and short, but it sits as a tender and perhaps even vital reflection of an era in progress, in retrospect and in anticipation. A poignant contemplation on the many bonds that make up our lives from friends and family to the myriad places we inhabit and pass through along the way. The idea that an adventure doesn't necessarily have to be a grand statement Andrew Tuttle has gathered up a number of his contemporaries and crafted something quietly spectacular, a new beginning to familiar habits.
BR 014LP
 
PRICE: $27.00
CAT #: BR 014LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
TUTTLE, ANDREW Fleeting Adventure LP
LP version. Andrew Tuttle's Fleeting Adventure is a musical adventure through a reimagined journey from the Australian ambient producer and banjo player. Golden plucks of banjo, gauzy electronics and cosmic guitar shimmer into gloriously expansive melodies that conjure peace and space, comfort and wonder. A deepening sense of life, love, health, loss, and luck shaped the outlines of Tuttle's fifth, and most collaborative album to date. Following a surprising exhilaration and exhaustion from the hitherto most innocuous of moments in mid-2020 -- a half-hour drive to collect an online order, the furthest distance he'd traveled in months; Tuttle commenced working on new musical ideas loosely based around navigating the aftermaths and interregnums of a restless era. Thinking of musician friends and peers around the world -- each confined to their own immediate surroundings -- Tuttle's generative and collaborative musical practice became a silvery through-line, connecting American innovators Steve Gunn, Chuck Johnson, Luke Schneider, and Michael A. Muller (Balmorhea), to French/Swedish violinist Aurelie Ferriere and Spanish guitarist Conrado Isasa, back to Australian friends such as Voltfruit (aka Flora Wong and Luke Cuerel) and Darren Cross (Gerling) -- among many others -- each fitting seamlessly into Tuttle's vibrant musical world. Whilst previously a feature of Tuttle's music, the exploration of space and texture found within Fleeting Adventure feels particularly vast and generous. The involvement of Chuck Johnson and Lawrence English mixing and mastering the album respectively, as with their work on Tuttle's previous and breakthrough album Alexandra (RMSG 022CD, 2020), inspired Andrew to develop songs that are as serene and patient as he's ever sounded. Stripping elements back, the idea of pulling the songs apart somewhat, was just as important as adding the work of Andrew's collaborators. The road to Fleeting Adventure has been both long and short, but it sits as a tender and perhaps even vital reflection of an era in progress, in retrospect and in anticipation. A poignant contemplation on the many bonds that make up our lives from friends and family to the myriad places we inhabit and pass through along the way. The idea that an adventure doesn't necessarily have to be a grand statement Andrew Tuttle has gathered up a number of his contemporaries and crafted something quietly spectacular, a new beginning to familiar habits.
BATOV RECORDS (UK)
BTR 065LP
 
PRICE: $20.50
CAT #: BTR 065LP
FILE UNDER: WORLD
SABABA 5 Sababa 5 LP
Sababa 5 finally delivers their long-promised, and self-titled album of original instrumentals, built around the band's distinct mix of Middle Eastern psych, funk, and disco groove. Sababa 5's knack for intricate grooves and catchy melodies have led to a series of acclaimed singles, from fresh takes on classic melodies to vocal collaborations, championed by the BBC's Gilles Peterson, Cerys Mathews, and Gideon Coe in the UK, and Radio Nova and FIP, in France, whilst they gradually found their own contemporary sound, creating original music together that could stand up on its own across a whole album. Across these eight songs, the group blends the Afro disco, reggae, jazz, funk, and a plethora of Middle Eastern traditions, whilst traveling time and space, drawing a musical, cultural and geographical line from Somalia to Iran, via Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt and Turkey, from the late '70s and early '80s to today. Thus, Sababa 5 creates a unique psychedelic groove that builds on the approach that the likes of the Daptones have taken to working independently, writing, producing, and recording original music, with their own modern take on '70s soul and funk. Standouts include "Malca" (a girl's name that means "queen"). Built around broken synth lines, a languid East Africa meets Anadolu psych groove and vintage organ licks, the instrumental peaks a transformative chord change, shooting it into the stratosphere. The carnivalesque "Lizarb" ("Brazil" backwards), raises the tempo and temperature. The piece kicks off with a guitar-led call-and-response before a synth-led melody lifts everything to another level. Topped off before the end by a beautiful wah-wah meets psychedelic Mizrahi style guitar solo over a pulsating drum and groove line, demanding a physical response. "Habedil" ("the idiot" in Hebrew), is named for the innocent, child-like synths that lead off towards the start, whilst the bass and guitar riff repetitively, crafting an irresistible groove before dovetailing into an epic disco synth vamp. With this, their debut, self-titled album, Sababa 5 is ready to take a seat among the most exciting and original instrumental-based groups across the globe, with an exciting and distinct approach to groove, sound, and melody. For fans of: Surprise Chef, Sven Wunder, Yin Yin, The Soul Surfers, ATA Records.
BONFIRE RECORDS (ITALY)
BONF 015LP
 
PRICE: $34.00
CAT #: BONF 015LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
JULIAN'S TREATMENT A Time Before This LP
Reissue, originally released in 1970. 1970, the year prog rock broke! A Time Before This was the sole album of British cultish band Julian's Treatment. Fronted by sci-fi author/keyboards player Julian Jay Savarin the band became an extra-cult because of their lyrics and arrangements extravaganza. Savarin -- who later embraced a solo career -- was born in Dominica and moved to Britain in the early sixties. He started rehearsing with John Dover (bass), Del Watkins (guitar), Jack Drummond (drums), and Australian born Cathy Pruden (vocals). In June '70, the label Youngblood released their first album A Time Before This. Based after a survivalist concept the album still stands as an original artefact of the time, still maintaining a sort of baroque feel. Leader Savarin keyboards maybe all over the place (with that sort of proto-hard church organ feel), but a virtuoso rhythm section and the vocal performance of Cathy Pruden (imagine a crossing line between Julie Driscoll and Grace Slick) makes the record feel embraceable overall. Fully licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.
BORN BAD RECORDS (FRANCE)
BORNBAD 152LP
 
PRICE: $19.00
CAT #: BORNBAD 152LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
RUTH Polaroid/Roman/Photo LP
2022 repress; LP version. Includes 12-page booklet and download code. Born Bad Records present a reissue of Ruth's Polaroïd/Roman/Photo, originally released in 1985. Thierry Müller, who initiated the Ruth project, is not at his first try when the album Polaroïd/Roman/Photo, including the eponymous track, is released in 1985. His older brother Patrick along with one of their cousins make his musical education and he quickly becomes familiar with contemporary and experimental music. He starts quite early to tinker sounds on old tape recorders by himself but it is in 1977 that Thierry launches with some friends his first group, Arcane, while studying at the School of Applied Arts. Alongside Arcane, Thierry is already working solo on his Ilitch project/concept, an experimental and innovative work, whose first album Periodik Mindtrouble was released in 1978. The album brings Thierry recognition and success in the very elitist circles of experimental and underground music. Ilitch's musical bias was too narrow for Thierry's ceaseless experimental curiosity, parallel to these activities, he therefore develops a punk project called Ruth Ellyeri with the author, actress and photographer Murielle Huster. The title is an anagram of Thierry Müller (the complete name is Ruth M. Ellyeri). At the end of 1978, he meets Philippe Doray at the Oxigene office. Doray is another big name of French experimental music. Thierry moves to his home near Rouen, a remote farmhouse with a music studio made of odds and ends. They work on their respective creations but meet from time to time on experimentations in common, including Crash (a tribute to JG Ballard). As early as 1982, a first version of the track "Polaroïd/Roman/Photo" is out under the name of the project Ruth. Philippe is quite amused by the idea of working on a more pop project and offers to write the text. Thierry works on other tracks for the future LP and asks some friends to write other texts: Edouard Nono, visual artist, writes the lyrics of "Mots", Frédérique Lapierre those of "Misty Mouse" and "Tu M'ennuies". It is her voice you hear on these two tracks and on the first version of Polaroïd/Roman/Photo. Later, Thierry settles down in the Anagramme recording studio to carry out acoustic sound recordings. But when the sessions are over, the two musicians are not too happy with the results of Polaroïd/Roman/Photo: according to them, they lack "flamboyance". They decide then to record a new female voice with a professional singer and the sound engineer Patrick Chevalot offers to mix the track in the Synthesis studio "so that it blows out".
BUREAU B (GERMANY)
BB 030LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: BB 030LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
ENO/MOEBIUS/ROEDELIUS After The Heat LP
2022 repress of Bureau B's 2009 reissue. LP version. Originally released in 1978 on Sky Records, After The Heat was the second collaborative release by Brian Eno with Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster). Produced once again by Conny Plank, After The Heat is a suite of micro-managed organic and electronic instrumentation that features recited and sung vocals by Eno on 3 tracks. As Asmus Tietchens writes in the liner notes: "Cluster & Eno can, with the benefit of hindsight and without overstating its case, be seen as the first ambient album to have been produced in Germany. The second LP, After The Heat, is, however, a completely different story. Whilst Cluster & Eno bears the hallmark of a Cluster composition guided by Eno's ambient concept, After The Heat is more of an Eno album bearing stylistic characteristics of Cluster music." Sweet, slow-moving and airy, with a modern classical/prog appeal.
CENTERING RECORDS
CENT 1030CD
 
PRICE: $18.00
CAT #: CENT 1030CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
PARKER, WILLIAM Universal Tonality 2CD
"William Parker's Universal Tonality is an epic archival recording which brings the titular concept to full, vibrant life. An exquisite example of this system in practice, it features a truly once-in-a-lifetime assembly of creative music luminaries and legends, including Billy Bang, Grachan Moncur III, Jerome Cooper, Dave Burrell, Jin Hi Kim, Joe Morris, Miya Masaoka, Daniel Carter, Rob Brown, Jason Kao Hwang, Gerald Cleaver. Clocking in at nearly two hours and featuring six extended pieces flowing across two discs, Universal Tonality documents a performance that took place at Roulette, NYC in December 2002. Parker invited 16 musicians of various ages, cultures and musical backgrounds to join him in an experiment of 'breathing together.' While he provided a score (wonderfully illustrated pages from same are included in the package), all were advised that there need not be adherence to it. Parker's hope with this approach is that each musician will trust their own instincts -- and those of the musicians around them -- enough to let the sound find its shape in real time. That constant current of inspiration, and open, receptive communication, was present at Roulette that night, and it's on full display on this magical recording. Whether embodying a roof-raising big band, or an intimate cross-cultural chamber ensemble, the collective heard here always displays an impressive coherence and sensitivity. When discussing or writing on his Universal Tonality concept as a whole (as on the enclosed, extensive liner notes), Parker can sound like he's outlining a life philosophy. It is both telling and fitting that author Cisco Bradley chose to title his 2021 biography of William Parker after this concept. The results of this one-night-only communion can now take their place among Parker's many landmark works spanning the past three decades, including previously released Universal Tonality-driven pieces like Double Sunrise Over Neptune, and Red Giraffe with Dreadlocks (released on the box set For Those Who Are, Still)."
CLUE RECORDS (UK)
CLUE 109EP
 
PRICE: $15.50
CAT #: CLUE 109EP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
WEDDING PRESENT, THE We All Came From The Sea/Summer 7"
A new project from The Wedding Present. A new 7" single every month throughout 2022. 24 songs sees David Gedge writing with legendary Sleeper guitarist Jon Stewart for the first time, and a more perfect union could not have been predicted. The ninth 7" features "We All Came From The Sea" and "Summer".
CONCENTRIC CIRCLES
CNTRC 005EP
 
PRICE: $24.00
CAT #: CNTRC 005EP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
YHDESSA Along The Simple Line 12"
Concentric Records present this special edition EP by the Berlin-based duo Yhdessa -- composed of Dutch-Italian composer and poly-instrumentalist Grand River and Sardinian electronic music experimentalist, Enrica Falqui. Entitled Along The Simple Line, the five-track EP is a unique sonic journey that merges in pure form the distinct worlds of the two composers, exposing a warm and delicate essence. Perfectly punctuated, and in a pace of its own, the album gently and precisely unfolds through touching musical spaces, dramatic textures, entrancing rhythms and unexpected vocal lines, revealing a wonderful depth. The collaborative project was conceptualized in 2017 while the duo shared a music studio and were living as a couple in Berlin. Their first piece, released in 2018 on the label One Instrument Records, was named after the Vermona E-Piano and is composed entirely using the analog synthesizer that was built in 1978. Following this came their lingering soundscape "Waldorf Micro Q" featured on the record One Instrument Volume 01 as well as an impelling remix of "Dunes" by Jiska Huizing and Rudi Valdersnes. Aime?e Portioli is a Berlin-based Dutch-Italian composer and sound designer who records and performs as Grand River. Enrica Falqui is a Sardinian music producer and DJ currently based in Berlin. Aime?e and Enrica's musical union through Yhdessa, is one of color and warmth. It expresses an experimental electro-ambient side of the two composers, to form a style that is meditative, other-worldly and at times introspective. Although, the two are now, no longer romantically engaged, they maintain a passionate friendship to match this profound musical partnership. Transparent purple vinyl; includes printed inner; 45rpm.
CONSPIRACY INTERNATIONAL (UK)
CTIDELIA 2022CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: CTIDELIA 2022CD
FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK
TUTTI, COSEY FANNI Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes CD
Cosey Fanni Tutti has announced details of a new album, Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes, her original soundtrack recordings for Caroline Catz's acclaimed film about Derbyshire. In 2018, Cosey Fanni Tutti was commissioned to write the soundtrack to director and actor Caroline Catz's acclaimed, intimate portrayal of the composer, musician, and sonic experimentalist, Delia Derbyshire (1937-2001). Best known for her groundbreaking work on the 1963 Doctor Who theme tune, Derbyshire was instrumental in giving easy access to and rewiring a nation's attitudes towards electronic music. Working within the often-stifling confines of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, her experimentalism -- which saw her manipulating magnetic tape, found sounds and electronics -- is only now being given full credit for the immeasurable impact it has had on the way we hear the world. The new album includes the audio explorations and experiments that lead Cosey Fanni Tutti to the final soundtrack for Catz's film. From the four-minute long "Cornet Lament" to the humorous "Snuff Chorus" (which references an addiction that Derbyshire had for snuff), the album is a journey through both Delia and Cosey's practise -- Fanni Tutti spent time researching Derbyshire's archives (both musical and the more personal ephemera of her life) to create an audio world for Catz's depiction of the artist to inhabit. Fanni Tutti explains, "The compositions are inspired by my research of the Delia Derbyshire audio archive, Delia's original compositional notes and techniques which in combination with my admiration and love of Delia's work provided a way to integrate her style and approach to music with my own. An alliance of our sensibilities." The new album follows the release of Cosey Fanni Tutti's new book, RE-SISTERS: The Lives and Recordings of Delia Derbyshire, Margery Kempe and Cosey Fanni Tutti. The music was composed, performed and produced by Cosey Fanni Tutti in Twickenham Studio 3, London and Studio 47 in Norfork, with vocals by Cosey Fanni Tutti and Caroline Catz, alongside the voice of Delia Derbyshire.Musician, artist, and author Cosey Fanni Tutti has continually challenged boundaries and conventions for four decades. As a founding member of the hugely influential avant-garde band Throbbing Gristle, as one half of electronic pioneers Chris and Cosey, and as an artist channeling her experience in pornographic modelling and striptease, her work on the margins has come to reshape the mainstream. Her first solo album, Time To Tell (1983) was followed by 2019's Tutti and her debut book, Art Sex Music, was published in 2017.
COSMIC ROCK (ITALY)
COSMR 009LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: COSMR 009LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
COLONEL BAGSHOT Oh! What a Lovely War LP
Reissue, originally released in 1971. What a striking title, now more than ever! Originally released on Chess subsidiary Cadet Concept, Oh! What A Lovely War is the sole album of the psych rock band from Liverpool. The five-piece produced an intense series of 7-inches between 1969 and 1973, creating more than a cult following. Their album became literally a case when DJ Shadow covered their supreme hit "Six Day War" (now renamed "Six Days on the Californian" on the producer's second album, The Private Press), causing a prompt resurgence. Now it's your time to dig deeper into this unsophisticated gem.
DAILY RECORDS (SPAIN)
DAILY 021VS-LP
 
PRICE: $20.50
CAT #: DAILY 021VS-LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
MENACE G.L.C (R.I.P.) LP
Vinyl LP reissue of this great compilation featuring 11 singalong street punk anthems by the legendary UK first wave punk band, Menace. It features all the tracks issued in their first five 7-inches, all of them recorded between 1977 and 1980. Lyric insert also features previously unpublished gig and studio photos from the era. A must for collectors.
DELL'ORSO RECORDS (UK)
EDDA 052LP
 
PRICE: $27.00
CAT #: EDDA 052LP
FILE UNDER: HIPHOP
REE-VO All Welcome On Planet Ree-Vo LP/7"
LP version. Black vinyl LP with 7" of remixes of "Spacebox" by NØISE and Batbirds, gatefold sleeve. All Welcome on Planet Ree-Vo could only really have been made in one city steeped as it is in Bristol's decades of less conventional hip-hop and bass music. Tweaked and fine-tuned during the summer of 2020 the record punches with a mix of red eyed paranoia to a playful future funk. The album was all recorded, produced and mixed by Andy Spaceland at Christchurch Studios, Bristol (home of Mezzanine era Massive Attack) with all vocals written and performed by T. Relly. During 2021 the first two singles from the LP were released. The first was the juggernaut that is "Groove With It". T. Relly growling out polemic against the relentless cacophony spun by Andy, the brutality of the bass and horns is temporarily smoothed with Relly's soulful, swaggering placation of "Turn your speakers on/ Till ya speakers blown baby/ If you're feeling strong baby/ We can keep it going baby". This was followed in April by the 12" release of "Combat" featuring a thumping remix by Surgeon and an extended electro remix by Ree-Vo themselves. "Spacebox" which will be the last single to be released in time with the album is their hookiest, a party throwing chorus spinning tipsy visitors around the intergalactic control booth of mission control. "Lift off, blast off, shirt off, dance off! Naked in the dancehall SPACE BOX!" is the beamed mantra, Relly transmitting to all occupants of the galaxy. "We wanted to make a hedonistic and colorful dancehall track, a bold response to the suppressive circumstances of the last two years."
DRAG CITY
DC 566LP
 
PRICE: $19.00
CAT #: DC 566LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
ISHIBASHI, EIKO Imitation of Life LP
2022 restock. "Drag City presents the first domestic release of any kind from the Japanese singer-songwriter Eiko Ishibashi -- and the first vinyl release of any kind on this already accomplished performer. And what a release! Imitation of Life isn't just another pop record from another part of the world -- it's got a sci-fi theme and is produced by none other than Drag City's old friend, Jim O'Rourke. With an understanding of band dynamics developed through her many live shows and recordings, Eiko's delicate, precise compositions are arranged with a dramatic-yet-humorous prog-pop sound. Eiko plays piano, vibraphone, and flute as well as nylon-string guitar, a first for her, on Imitation of Life. The flowing backgrounds she has conceived for her light, sweet melodies are captured by O'Rourke with a lively sense of play, which matches Eiko's lyric concept. The lyrics in this album embody a science fiction story which brings the album to a challenging new level. The variety of sounds, the impact of lyrics and her imagination keeps expanding, and in the latter stages of the album, the songs achieve a shattering impact."
DC 853LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: DC 853LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
AMBARCHI, OREN Shebang LP
LP version. "Extended guitar hero Oren Ambarchi returns with Shebang, the latest in the series of intricately detailed long-form rhythmic workouts that includes Quixotism (2014) and Hubris (2016). Like those records, Shebang features an international all-star cast of musical luminaries, their contributions recorded individually in locations from Sweden to Japan yet threaded together so convincingly (by Ambarchi in collaboration with Konrad Sprenger) that it's hard to believe they weren't breathing the same studio air. Expanding on the techniques used on Simian Angel (2019), we can never be entirely sure who is responsible for what we hear, as Ambarchi's guitar is used to trigger everything from bass lines to driving piano riffs. Picking up from the staccato guitar patterns that ran through Hubris, Shebang's single 35-minute track begins with a precisely interwoven lattice of chiming guitar figures, expanding Hubris' monolithic pulse into a joyous, hyper-rhythmic melodicism that calls up points of reference as disparate as Albert Marcoeur, early Pat Metheny Group, and Henry Kaiser's It's A Wonderful Life. Building from isolated single notes into densely layered poly-rhythms, the muted guitar tones are joined by subtle touches of shimmering Leslie cabinet tones and guitar synth. Simmering down and funneling into a single note, the guitar stew is soon thickened by Joe Talia's propulsive ride cymbal, which blossoms into a beautifully flowing yet rigorously snapped-to fusion funk, whose ever-shifting details skitter across the kit -- think '70s heavyweights like Jack DeJohnette or Jon Christensen. An unexpected entry of guttural bass clarinet licks from Sam Dunscombe begins the series of instrumental features that pepper the remainder of the piece. Soon we hear from the legendary British pedal steel player B.J. Cole (hopefully known to some listeners from his outer-limits singer-songwriter masterpiece The New Hovering Dog or, failing that, 'Tiny Dancer'), whose languorous yet uneasy lines float in and out of a shifting rhythmic foundation supported by a single note bass groove, cut through with aleatoric synth articulations. Though single-mindedly occupying its rhythmic space throughout, Shebang's dense ensemble sound is carefully composed while drawing on the free flow of improvisation, with individual voices momentarily coming to the fore and subtle changes in harmony and texture. Perhaps the most surprising of these shifts occurs around half-way through when the smoke of a buzzing synth crescendo from Jim O'Rourke clears to reveal something like a piano trio, with Ambarchi's guitar-triggered piano patterns providing restless accompaniment to flowing melodic lines from Chris Abrahams of The Necks, while Johan Berthling's double bass and Talia's drums fill out the bottom end. Before long, things take another left turn as Julia Reidy's rapidly picked 12-string guitar lines take center stage, with O'Rourke's monumental synth clouds hovering in the distance. The ensemble surges through a slow series of harmonic changes before the whole shebang dissolves into a delirious synthetic mirage. Bridging minimalism, contemporary electronics, and classic ECM stylings, and bringing together a cast of preternaturally talented contributors, Shebang is unmistakably the work of Oren Ambarchi: obsessively detailed, relentlessly rhythmic, unabashedly celebratory."
ELEVE (UK)
ELEVE 008EP
 
PRICE: $22.50
CAT #: ELEVE 008EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
ETRIGRAMM Maelstromz03221 12"
After five years of silence and profound changes in the label, the eight release sees the light these days. The uncanny producer Etrigramm gives examples of his underrated talent on this four-track vinyl. Slow dubby techno gems where he explores the darkness and his taste for '90s projects like Download, Richard H. Kirk's Trafficante, Lassigue Benthaus, and other experiments with an industrial aftertaste. If there were clubs in Mordor, this is what they would sound like.
ESP-DISK
ESPDISK 4069CD
 
PRICE: $39.50
CAT #: ESPDISK 4069CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
SANDERS, PHAROAH In the Beginning 1963-64 4CD
The only available Pharoah Sanders on ESP-Disk currently. R.I.P. This four-CD set documents the first recordings of the iconic tenor saxophonist, prior to his well-known association with John Coltrane. Beginning with two previously unreleased sessions with Ornette Coleman alumni Don Cherry and Paul Bley, followed by Pharoah's debut date as a leader for ESP-Disk', and concluding with the first issue ever of the complete December 30 and 31, 1964, concerts with Sun Ra at Judson Hall, Sanders's only known recordings with the Arkestra. The set also includes rare recorded interviews with Sanders, Cherry, Bley, and Ra by project producer Michael D. Anderson. Personnel: Don Cherry, Paul Bley, Sun Ra, David Izenzon, Paul Motian, Jane Getz, Marshall Allen, Alan Silva, Ronnie Boykins, and many more!
FAITICHE (GERMANY)
FAITICHE 028LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: FAITICHE 028LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
POIRIER, ROMEO Living Room LP
Living Room is the third solo album by Roméo Poirier and, following his much-praised Hotel Nota (2020), his debut for Faitiche. The French musician and producer transforms the layering of different times into a free-flowing pulse that sounds both nostalgic and mysteriously ahistorical. Poirier takes music seriously as a time-based art -- not just in the sense of duration, but also in the way time is refracted into autobiographical experience, historical dimensions, and stages of evolution. By immersing and reflecting himself in these different layers, he creates a succession of new balances between various tempos, iterations and developments. Poirier's music emerges from a continual questioning and reformulation of his own oeuvre and thus of his own past, drawing on an ever-expanding archive of self-recorded loops. "I always resample myself, using fragments of a track to make a new one, as an ongoing process," he explains: "The sound is evolving with me in parallel and the loops carry in their DNA all transformational stages, filled with previous tracks, sedimented." Originally a drummer, Poirier connects his various sources almost without a clearly identifiable beat. He prefers an organic pulse, mutable like the human sense of time and its fluidity. The aquatic feel of certain tracks on Living Room is no coincidence: among other devices, he uses a waterproof loudspeaker and a hydrophone to play back and rerecord tracks in the bathtub. Drawing on a sample collection assembled by his father, also a musician, the human voice enters Poirier's music for the first time. But it remains free of overly unambiguous signifiers. Besides its link to time, the fascinating thing about music is that it has meaning without needing to be decoded. Living Room goes back to the private but universal origin of human experience: "I liked the idea that a possible quest for a musician could be echoing the first encounter we had with language, in a prenatal state: its prosody, melody and tones, without being cluttered with meaning." Includes download code.
FEEDING TUBE RECORDS
FTR 624LP
 
PRICE: $32.50
CAT #: FTR 624LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
COLLIN, JON Water & Rock Music Volumes 5-6 LP
"Another wonderful album by this Swedish-based guitarist/carpenter. This is the fourth (and I believe final, at least for now) addition to Collin's series of site-based outdoor recordings. The first three (FTR 399LP, FTR 418LP, and FTR 534LP) were stellar examples of Jon's finger-thinking, and this one is as well. He seems to have embraced a romantic form of melodicism over the course of these albums, contrasting with some of the harsher blues evocations he's explored recently. And as much as I enjoy everything Jon plays, there is something very special and satisfying about his more overt beauty-motion. There are four compact pieces on the first side. These have a certain hint of John Renbourn's attack, but with a more harmonically scrambled bent and a soupçon of the quiet, wordless vocalizing Collin has added to other tunes in the Water & Rock sequence. As has been noted, these share a bit of conceptual similarity to Loren Connors's earliest solo works, but Jon manages to remove the violence that seemed to animate Loren for a while. Perhaps one distinction is the setting for the recordings themselves -- near the water, outdoors in the sunlight of Stockholm, rather than in a freezing, abandoned warehouse in New Haven -- but I do not want to infer that either of these artists is unable to transcend physical realities in quest of sonic truth. Still, it's a question I might ask them both. There's some slide work in evidence here, but it's balanced by plenty of finger picking. And each of the four pieces on side one (all entitled "Nothing") has a distinct approach to sustained tones, some of which evoke memories of Fahey for me. The long piece on the flip is called "The Stream of the Consciousness (Prelude)," and it's lovely through-and-through. Melodies are slowly unbound and savored before they gradually mutate into new aural visions or gentle, exploratory splendor. The only thing missing is your own big fat head! Hop to!" --Byron Coley, 2022
HEADS ON FIRE INDUSTRIES (UK)
HOF 1201MB-LP
 
PRICE: $30.50
CAT #: HOF 1201MB-LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
WHITE HILLS The Revenge of Heads on Fire (Midnight Black Vinyl) 2LP
Double LP version. Midnight black vinyl. "Pure psychotropic madness. A screaming head on fire penetrated my chest, jolting me from the universal plane back to earth." Guitarist/singer/sonic alchemist Dave W's vivid fever dream ignited The Revenge of Heads on Fire, White Hills' latest release, which harnesses the energy of ferocious, hedonistic rock with blissful passages of dark ambience. Exploring themes of mortality, transformation and rebirth, the band reveals a spiritual depth unparalleled in previous works. The roar of fire, swirling of oceans and hallucinogenic visions can be heard throughout the 75-minute journey. From the intrepid prelude "The Instrumental Head" to the closing punk blaze of "Eternity", the album ebbs-and-flows, smoldering and seething in the middle with the 21-minute mammoth opus "Don't Be Afraid". The Revenge of Heads on Fire consummates Dave W's prototype for the 2007 release on Rocket Recordings, Heads on Fire, later picked up by Thrill Jockey. Six rediscovered songs accompany re-mixed versions of the original material, fulfilling the master arch of the pyre lit long ago. Recorded during the band's tumultuous early years, the music vibrates with the energy and volatility of a sonic boom. The album will be released on Heads on Fire Industries. "'Don't Be Afraid' alone makes this an essential listen for fans of contemporary psychedelia." --AllMusic
HOF 1201SASB-LP
 
PRICE: $33.00
CAT #: HOF 1201SASB-LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
WHITE HILLS The Revenge of Heads on Fire (Psyche Swirl Vinyl) 2LP
Double LP version. Psyche swirl vinyl. "Pure psychotropic madness. A screaming head on fire penetrated my chest, jolting me from the universal plane back to earth." Guitarist/singer/sonic alchemist Dave W's vivid fever dream ignited The Revenge of Heads on Fire, White Hills' latest release, which harnesses the energy of ferocious, hedonistic rock with blissful passages of dark ambience. Exploring themes of mortality, transformation and rebirth, the band reveals a spiritual depth unparalleled in previous works. The roar of fire, swirling of oceans and hallucinogenic visions can be heard throughout the 75-minute journey. From the intrepid prelude "The Instrumental Head" to the closing punk blaze of "Eternity", the album ebbs-and-flows, smoldering and seething in the middle with the 21-minute mammoth opus "Don't Be Afraid". The Revenge of Heads on Fire consummates Dave W's prototype for the 2007 release on Rocket Recordings, Heads on Fire, later picked up by Thrill Jockey. Six rediscovered songs accompany re-mixed versions of the original material, fulfilling the master arch of the pyre lit long ago. Recorded during the band's tumultuous early years, the music vibrates with the energy and volatility of a sonic boom. The album will be released on Heads on Fire Industries. "'Don't Be Afraid' alone makes this an essential listen for fans of contemporary psychedelia." --AllMusic
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS (ITALY)
HPS 242ULTRA-LP
 
PRICE: $43.50
CAT #: HPS 242ULTRA-LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
NEBULA Heavy Psych (Blue/White/Black Vinyl) LP
LP version. Blue/white/black vinyl. Heavy Psych is Nebula's fifth album, originally released in 2009."Album opener 'Pulse' is the quick, necessary burn of waste paper at the very tip of the joint; in itself, wholly unremarkable, but nonetheless enthralling purely on the basis that it leads the way to much, much better things. Phased guitarscapes, and hollow, echoing vocals, swirling in misshapen musical clouds that breeze through 'The Dagger' and just as that first real hit of Morocco's finest clamps onto your grey matter, 'Aphrodite' kicks in. Dirty, sleazy and sexual, Eddie Glass' whiskey soaked and strained voice oozes between caterwauling guitars and incessant, bludgeoning kick drums -- the part of the joint you savour the most; the reward and further promise combining in a moment of sheer perfection." --The Quietus
HPS 243ULTRA-LP
 
PRICE: $43.50
CAT #: HPS 243ULTRA-LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
NEBULA Transmission From Mothership Earth (Blue/Red/Black Vinyl) LP
LP version. Blue/red/black striped vinyl. Desert psychedelic fuzzsters Nebula are back with Transmissions From Mothership Earth. Eight tracks of pure fuzzness recorded by bass player Tom Davies and produced together with the mastermind Eddie Glass in the Mojave Desert. It's the classic Nebula sound: walls of guitars, riffs that come from outer space, melodic vocals matched with desert grooves... you couldn't ask for more. The band spent the last six months in the studio alone recording and mixing this new psychedelic stoner rock gem! Artwork by Robin Gnista.
HEY SUBURBIA (ITALY)
SUBURBIA 030LP
 
PRICE: $22.50
CAT #: SUBURBIA 030LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
SEMPREFRESKI Ci Vediamo All'Inferno LP
Reissue, originally released in 2001. Long overdue first reissue for one of the cult records of the second wave of Italian '90s punk rock, Ci Vediamo All'Inferno is the second full-length by Semprefreski, Palermo, Sicily pioneers. Originally out on the Gonna Puke label in the year 2001 and now available on vinyl for the first time in 21 years. Frantic, out-of-control, hyper-fast punk rock in mother tongue Italian revealing a piece of local punk rock history. Pink vinyl.
HONEST JON'S RECORDS (UK)
HJP 014EP
 
PRICE: $15.50
CAT #: HJP 014EP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
STATON, CANDI Pepe Bradock Mixes 12"
2022 restock, now in generic stamped sleeve. Pepe Bradock mixes Candi Station. Featuring a house remix of "Do Your Duty," a hard funk version of "Evidence" as well as a house edit.
HJP 053EP
 
PRICE: $18.00
CAT #: HJP 053EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
SHACKLETON Fireworks/Undeadman 2x12"
2022 restock. Two brilliant Shackleton tracks with remixes by T++ and Baron Mordant. On "Fireworks," the mood is malevolent with synth shrapnel crisscrossing a stately, choral progression. T++'s remix enacts a rhythmic necromancy, its brittle, emaciated breakbeats shunting forward ravenously. "Undeadman" raises "Deadman." Midi signals from the original were sent to synths; sounds and effects were recorded separately and rearranged. Mordant Music re-fashions it into an epic of bad-trip kosmische. Designed by Will Bankhead, the sleeve layers different Zeke Clough artworks, in spot UV varnish.
HJP 085EP
 
PRICE: $15.50
CAT #: HJP 085EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
DJ SOTOFETT & MAIMOUNA HAUGEN C'est L'aventure 10"
2022 restock. Precious, timely, moody reflections on migrating from Côte d'Ivoire to Moss, in Norway, over ruff breakbeat funk supplied by the nimble bass-playing of Maimouna's old man (from Kambo Super Sound), and the expert conga and kit-drumming of Stliletti-Ana (from Jesse, in Helsinki). Even in their delirium, b-boys and girls will savor traces of the Incredible Bongo Band, in the chorus. Over the eight minutes, and going deeper on the flip, the mix lifts off into a cosmic steppers dub, featuring Gilb-r alongside Sotofett on keyboards, with no let up for the dancefloor in energy and vibes.
HJR 206LP
 
PRICE: $22.00
CAT #: HJR 206LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
BAILEY & JAMIE MUIR, DEREK Dart Drug LP
2022 restock. Honest Jon's Records present a reissue of Jamie Muir and Derek Bailey's 1981 duo album, Dart Drug, originally released on Bailey's Incus label. Percussionist Jamie Muir was a member of King Crimson during the recording of Larks' Tongues In Aspic, in 1973. Staying less than a year with Robert Fripp, the Scot had already cut his teeth with another master guitarist, Derek Bailey, as part of the Music Improvisation Company, along with Evan Parker, Hugh Davies and Christine Jeffrey. There's no shortage of great percussionists in the brief history of free improvised music but on the strength of Dart Drug alone Jamie Muir deserves among them. Unlike for example Han Bennink and John Stevens, though, you can't hear echoes of any particular jazz drummer in Muir's playing, even if he has expressed appreciation for Milford Graves. What on earth did Muir's kit consist of? Some instruments are clearly identifiable (bells, gongs, chimes, woodblocks), while others could be anything. Old suitcases thwacked with rolled up newspapers? Tin cans and hubcaps inside a washing machine? Who cares? It sounds terrific, but if you're the kind of person who faints at the sound of nails scraping a blackboard, you might want to nip out and put the kettle on towards the end of the title track. Dart Drug is consistently thrilling, and often amusing, but it's certainly not easy listening. In music we talk about playing with other musicians, whereas in sport you play against another opponent (or with your team against another team). Why not play against in music, too? That's often precisely what happens in improvised music, and Bailey was particularly good at it. How can a humble acoustic guitar hope to compete with Muir in full flight? Sometimes Bailey's content to sit on those open strings, teasing out yet another exquisite Webernian constellation of ringing harmonics and wait for the dust to settle in Muir's junkyard, but elsewhere he sets off into uncharted territory himself. "The way to discover the undiscovered in performing terms is to immediately reject all situations as you identify them (the cloud of unknowing) which is to give music a future," Bailey evidently concurred with this spoken statement by Muir, including it in his book Improvisation (1980). Derek Bailey is no longer with us, of course, and Muir gave up performing music back in 1989; all the more reason for seeking out this magnificent, wild album.
HJR 207LP
 
PRICE: $31.00
CAT #: HJR 207LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
BAILEY & CYRO BAPTISTA, DEREK Cyro 2LP
2022 restock; Honest Jon's Records present a reissue of Derek Bailey and Cyro Baptista's Cyro, originally released on Incus in 1988. When Cyro Baptista moved to New York in 1980 from his home city of São Paulo, he brought with him an arsenal of percussion instruments, including the cuica (friction drum), surdo (the booming bass drum associated with samba), berimbau (single-string bow with resonating gourd), and cabasas galore, in the next few years deploying them most notably in numerous ensembles curated by John Zorn, who helped set up this studio session in 1982. As you might expect from someone whose infectious grooves have graced the work of Herbie Hancock, Astrud Gilberto, and Cassandra Wilson, Baptista expertly fires off cunning polyrhythms, even traces of thumping samba, with restless fluency. Bailey, the wily old fox, skirts and eschews the bait, which is quickly conjured away and newly fashioned. The guitarist homes in on the delicious squeaks of the cuica and the twanging drones of the berimbau with truly awesome tonal precision. You could sing along if you wanted, after a caipirinha or two. And he gets almost as many different sounds from his instrument as Baptista can from his kit -- check out the stratospheric plings and string-length fret-sweeps of "Tonto", which sound more like a prepared piano than an acoustic guitar. Wonders abound, from the berimbau/bent-string exchanges that open "Quanto Tempo" to the delightful collision of howling cuica and spiky bebop on "Polvo", and the spare, preposterous Webernian samba of "Improvisation 3". These days, "improvisation" often appears without its customary qualifier "free". If there were ever a case to be made for its reinstatement, this album is the best supporting evidence. Freedom means you're free to get into the groove, free not to, free to play with each other, free to play against each other. Sometimes frustrating, even scary, but more often than not in the hands of these two great masters it's hilarious, exhilarating and utterly irresistible.
HONEY PIE RECORDS (ITALY)
HONEY 061LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: HONEY 061LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
ALEGRE ALL-STARS, THE The Alegre All Stars LP
Reissue, originally released in 1961. Born from a studio jam organized by Al Santiago in 1961, The Alegre All Stars was inspired by the famous late '50s Cuban jam sessions. Originally published by Alegre Records, a New York City based label specialized in Latin music, this album stands as a legendary release in the field. This is like an open door on a wild Nuyorican party including food, drinks, and an ongoing selection of highly infectious Latin grooves to dance to.
HONEY 062LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: HONEY 062LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
TJADER FEATURING MONGO SANTAMARIA, CAL Latino Con Cal Tjader LP
Reissue, originally released in 1962. Here we have the esteemed vibraphonist Cal Tjader leading five different all-star combos featuring among others Latin-groove masters Willie Bobo on drums and conga player Mongo Santamaria. A feast of rhythm based on torrid versions of classic tunes like "Night in Tunisia" and a definitive version of Santamaria's "Afro Blue", This is Latin jazz at its best.
HONEY 063LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: HONEY 063LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
MCDUFF, JACK Goodnight, It's Time To Go LP
Reissue, recorded in 1961 and released on Prestige Records in the same year. Brother Jack McDuff's fourth studio effort and the first featuring his regular partners Harold Vick on tenor saxophone, Grant Green on guitar, and Joe Dukes on drums. Vick and Green would soon become two prominent figures in soul jazz while McDuff stands as one of the key organ players in the genre. An absolute soul-jazz gem.
HUBRO (NORWAY)
HUBRO 2558CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: HUBRO 2558CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
1982 Chromola CD
2017 release. Trio of Nils Økland, Sigbjørn Apeland, and Øyvind Skarbø -- apart from the unusual instrumentation of violin or Hardanger fiddle, harmonium and drums, is the empathy displayed by the group as a whole; the hyper-sensitivity with which each individual member appears to respond to the contributions of the others in the pursuit of a collective goal, however obscure or unknowable that goal might be. Such extreme alertness to subtle changes of mood and nuance, and to the evolving sound-world of each, totally improvised, performance is rare in music of any type. 1982 have made it their signature. And because 1982 have so singularly created their own identity and sound, they can do anything they like. Normal conventions of style and genre, format, and duration cease to matter: it is all 1982 music, anchored in the strong personalities of the three players and their respect for the primacy of the group as an entity in itself. Thus, they can record as a trio -- as on the group's first two albums, 1982 (2009) and Pintura (HUBRO 2510CD/3510LP, 2011) -- or with guests, as in the acclaimed 1982 + BJ Cole (HUBRO 2522CD/3522LP, 2012), and the collaboration with composer Stian Omenås and a quintet of wind players for A/B (HUBRO 2532CD/3532LP, 2014). There was also the unique "message in a bottle" intervention of "The Bottlemail Project", begun in 2011, whereby 15 copies of a new recording were "distributed" via USB sticks enclosed in bottles and released into the open sea from Bergen and various worldwide locations. The new album, Chromola, as well as marking the group's tenth anniversary, represents a return to the essential identity of the trio playing alone, without guests. Recorded at Sandviken church in Bergen on the day following an evening concert, the album uses material from both occasions, engineered once again by Davide Bertolini, who worked on the band's four previous recordings. As an album it is remarkable for many things, but perhaps most notably for the role of Sigbjorn Apeland, who plays pipe organ on all but one of the seven tracks rather than harmonium, which features only in the closing, seventh, piece.
HUBRO 2596CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: HUBRO 2596CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
SKYDIVE TRIO Sun Sparkle CD
2018 release. SkyDive Trio: Thomas T Dahl (guitar), Mats Eilertsen (bass), Olavi Louhivuori (drums). SkyDive Trio's second album Sun Sparkle -- which arrives three years after its acclaimed predecessor, Sun Moee (HUBRO 2537CD/3537LP, 2015) -- presents the listener with an intriguing set of paradoxes. A power trio who uses full throttle only very sparingly, the band can appear to play loud music quietly, and quiet music, loud, countering jazz subtlety with rock attack. They also partner the relatively clean and melodic sound of Thomas T. Dahl's guitar with the mountainous riffs and deep, seismic explosions of Mats Eilertsen's bass, rather as if Pat Metheny was being accompanied by Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order. The great Finnish drummer Olavi Louhivuori somehow bridges the aesthetic gap, alternating crunching four-square rhythms with delicately shimmering percussive strokes.
HUBRO 2607CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: HUBRO 2607CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
LUMEN DRONES Umbra CD
The appearance of the second album by Lumen Drones, Umbra, carries the status of a major event. Coming fully five years after the group's startling, self-titled debut recording -- released, in late 2015, on ECM Records -- the long-awaited follow-up marks a significant leap forward. No less experimental than its predecessor, and certainly no less "electric", yet in many ways a deeper and more profound expression of the trio's interests, Umbra is probably some sort of masterpiece. Over nine tracks varying from two to six minutes in length, Nils Økland (fiddles), Per Steinar Lie (guitars) and Ørjan Haaland (drums) create a completely convincing musical world where the conventional boundaries separating different styles seem to disappear. Exactly what type of music this might be, and where it might come from, ceases to matter once one is engaged in the act of listening. Each tune has a distinct identity of its own, and imprints itself on the mind very easily, as does the aesthetic unity of the album as a whole. Indeed, Umbra proves compulsively listenable at whatever level you choose, and repays close attention and repeated exposure. It also takes us far beyond the initial, shock-effect response to the first album, and the perceived incongruity of a musician schooled in folk and classical music collaborating with members of an experimental rock band, the guitarist and drummer from the influential post-rock band The Low Frequency in Stereo. On Umbra, everything fits perfectly. While a convenient image for Lumen Drones could be that of a lone voice (Økland's Hardanger fiddle) crying out in the forest, where it's menaced by the jagged shapes of malevolent trees (Per Steinar Lie's buzzsaw guitar and Ørjan Haaland's rumbling drums), the truth is much less clear-cut. Økland's "voice" can be as wild and as frenzied as either of his bandmates, while they are as capable as Økland of great delicacy and restraint.
HUBRO 2616CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: HUBRO 2616CD
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
STORLOKKEN, STALE The Haze of Sleeplessness CD
2019 release. Retro-futurist cinematic synth-fest from Supersilent keyboardist and composer, Ståle Storløkken. Just as radio drama is said to provide the best pictures, so some music can make for a perfect film soundtrack without the need for a film to exist at all. The Haze of Sleeplessness is a case in point: as the album starts to play, the listener's imagination kicks in and does the rest, supplying the necessary plot, character and setting until a full-scale narrative unspools behind one's eyes. A suite of seven movements whose common musical material is continuously recycled into new shapes and sounds, while recurring leitmotifs create a connecting thread of continuity, The Haze of Sleeplessness operates on several levels simultaneously. Most obviously, perhaps, it's an unapologetic synth-fest; a love poem to old-school electronica and analog sound whose squelches, bleeps and blurts can't help but recall the heroic era of Wendy Carlos, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. It's also a remarkably original and successful attempt at using by now antique instruments to form a true orchestral palette, building a symphony of sound through combining monophonic sources and their new digital variants into a densely populated audio landscape that is captured with astonishing sonic fidelity. The super-saturated surface of the music fairly crackles with raw electricity, as if the over-amped distortion was about to short-circuit itself, with a wobbly jack plug connection flickering dangerously before finally cutting out. That many of these sounds and their treatment can't help but suggest the retro-futurist setting of a dystopian sci-fi thriller might make the cinematic analogy inevitable, but it doesn't lessen the music's power or cheapen its effect.
HUBRO 3558LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: HUBRO 3558LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
1982 Chromola LP
LP version. 2017 release. Trio of Nils Økland, Sigbjørn Apeland, and Øyvind Skarbø -- apart from the unusual instrumentation of violin or Hardanger fiddle, harmonium and drums, is the empathy displayed by the group as a whole; the hyper-sensitivity with which each individual member appears to respond to the contributions of the others in the pursuit of a collective goal, however obscure or unknowable that goal might be. Such extreme alertness to subtle changes of mood and nuance, and to the evolving sound-world of each, totally improvised, performance is rare in music of any type. 1982 have made it their signature. And because 1982 have so singularly created their own identity and sound, they can do anything they like. Normal conventions of style and genre, format, and duration cease to matter: it is all 1982 music, anchored in the strong personalities of the three players and their respect for the primacy of the group as an entity in itself. Thus, they can record as a trio -- as on the group's first two albums, 1982 (2009) and Pintura (HUBRO 2510CD/3510LP, 2011) -- or with guests, as in the acclaimed 1982 + BJ Cole (HUBRO 2522CD/3522LP, 2012), and the collaboration with composer Stian Omenås and a quintet of wind players for A/B (HUBRO 2532CD/3532LP, 2014). There was also the unique "message in a bottle" intervention of "The Bottlemail Project", begun in 2011, whereby 15 copies of a new recording were "distributed" via USB sticks enclosed in bottles and released into the open sea from Bergen and various worldwide locations. The new album, Chromola, as well as marking the group's tenth anniversary, represents a return to the essential identity of the trio playing alone, without guests. Recorded at Sandviken church in Bergen on the day following an evening concert, the album uses material from both occasions, engineered once again by Davide Bertolini, who worked on the band's four previous recordings. As an album it is remarkable for many things, but perhaps most notably for the role of Sigbjorn Apeland, who plays pipe organ on all but one of the seven tracks rather than harmonium, which features only in the closing, seventh, piece.
HUBRO 3616LP
 
PRICE: $24.00
CAT #: HUBRO 3616LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
STORLOKKEN, STALE The Haze of Sleeplessness LP
LP version. 2019 release. Retro-futurist cinematic synth-fest from Supersilent keyboardist and composer, Ståle Storløkken. Just as radio drama is said to provide the best pictures, so some music can make for a perfect film soundtrack without the need for a film to exist at all. The Haze of Sleeplessness is a case in point: as the album starts to play, the listener's imagination kicks in and does the rest, supplying the necessary plot, character and setting until a full-scale narrative unspools behind one's eyes. A suite of seven movements whose common musical material is continuously recycled into new shapes and sounds, while recurring leitmotifs create a connecting thread of continuity, The Haze of Sleeplessness operates on several levels simultaneously. Most obviously, perhaps, it's an unapologetic synth-fest; a love poem to old-school electronica and analog sound whose squelches, bleeps and blurts can't help but recall the heroic era of Wendy Carlos, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. It's also a remarkably original and successful attempt at using by now antique instruments to form a true orchestral palette, building a symphony of sound through combining monophonic sources and their new digital variants into a densely populated audio landscape that is captured with astonishing sonic fidelity. The super-saturated surface of the music fairly crackles with raw electricity, as if the over-amped distortion was about to short-circuit itself, with a wobbly jack plug connection flickering dangerously before finally cutting out. That many of these sounds and their treatment can't help but suggest the retro-futurist setting of a dystopian sci-fi thriller might make the cinematic analogy inevitable, but it doesn't lessen the music's power or cheapen its effect.
HUBRO 3646LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: HUBRO 3646LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
URHEIM AND JORGEN TRAEEN, STEIN Krympende Klode LP
Krympende Klode is a new collaboration between two internationally recognized musicians from Bergen, Norway: music producer Jørgen Træen, who has worked with talents such as Susanne Sundfør, Thea Hjelmeland and Jazkamer, and the unique and eternally inventive guitarist Stein Urheim, whose releases include six albums on the Hubro label. On this album they present their personal collections of synthesizers and string instruments from all over the world, and let the space between the electronic and the analog shrink to fit between the grooves of an LP. Krympende Klode invites you into an imaginative and playful electro acoustic universe. This is music that is overwhelming, moving and consistent, all at the same time. In a rich tapestry of sound you can hear influences ranging from Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire to Harry Partch and the Norwegian Bjørn Fongaard, among others Krympende Klode is a kaleidoscope of sound, reflecting many of the two musicians' interests. "As a starting point we wanted to pay tribute to the pioneers of electronic music," says Urheim, "but also to combine the sounds of the modular synths with a variety of string instruments from near and far." Urheim has released six extremely personal and highly treasured albums whose musical basis is formed of guitars and string instruments from all over the world, blues, folk music, world music and a stylistically confident approach to original soundscapes. He also provided vital musical contributions to Erlend Apneseth's critically acclaimed album Fragmentarium (2020). Træen contributed as a musician on Øyvind Torvund's The Exotica Album (2019), which won a Norwegian Grammy, and has also played a decisive role as a producer, mixer and studio technician for a long list of releases in the label's catalogue. Hubro founder Andreas Meland describes him as follows: "Jørgen is simply a superb artist, who has a unique way of raising all the productions he is involved in to a higher level."
HUBRO 3650LP
 
PRICE: $27.50
CAT #: HUBRO 3650LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
WALLUMROD, CHRISTIAN Speaksome LP
LP version. Pianist and composer Christian Wallumrød releases a sequel to the album Pianokammer from 2015 (HUBRO 2542CD/3542LP). The album is a deep dive into Wallumrød's interpretation of solo piano, sometimes with a sophisticated and distinct electronic environment. Text by Ivar Grydeland: "For as long as I can remember, Christian Wallumrød's piano touch has done something to me. We met early. The peculiar and surprising, but still somewhat self-evident, melodic twists. Not to mention the far above average well -- weighted ornaments. He manages to create completely unique universes, either with his own ensemble or alone. In recent years, he has also returned to electronics and he treats them with a gentle rawness. There has always been something historical to the music of Christian Wallumrød. And something futuristic. I listen to Speaksome and I feel carried both to the past and the future. I have no idea where I am or when I am. I am flung forwards and backwards. Speaksome is subtle and playful, and the measures are full of power. Maybe because they are few, but rich in nuances... The music is so unmistakable. Nevertheless, Christian Wallumrød manages to invent new mutations and new music just before we think we have heard it all before. The album has an intimate soundscape that suits the music. We stay close, although both 'Treeline' and 'Zitternpappel' take us beyond. He's right over here. And what he shows us is episodic and liberatingly unresolved. Part of me travels to Berlin, Laurel Canyon, Mississippi, Hallingdal, Leipzig and Vienna. But first and foremost I am here, by his piano stool at Hovseter in Oslo. Or else he's here. In my living room. Anyway, I can hear the strings breathing, the electronics breezing."
IMPORTANT RECORDS
IMPREC 474LP
 
PRICE: $25.50
CAT #: IMPREC 474LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two LP
Limited 2022 restock. Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two contains a new deep-pocket groove disco version of fan favorite "Pink Lady Lemonade". Side two is a slick kosmiche-electro-disco number that unfurls over a period of 20 minutes and is periodically punctuated by Makoto Kawabata's unruly soloing. Recorded at Acid Mothers Temple, June 2016-March 2017; produced and mixed by Kawabata Makoto. Personnel: Cotton Casino - voice, astral mama; Kawabata Makoto - guitar, fretless bass, bouzouki, organ, rhythm machine, electronics, tapes, speed guru; Higashi Hiroshi - synthesizer, noodle king;?Mitsuko?Tabata - guitar, guitar-synthesizer, voice, kisses and hugs; Satoshima Nani -drums, another dimension; S/T "Wolf" - bass, tapes, space and time.
INSTITUTE FOR DANISH SOUND ARCHAEOLOGY (DENMARK)
IDL 001LP
 
PRICE: $34.00
CAT #: IDL 001LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
VIKTOR, KNUD Ambiances / Images 2LP
2017 release. Institute For Danish Sound Archaeology present a reissue that documents Knud Viktor's only two releases on record -- Images and Ambiances -- both released in 1972 on the French label L'Oiseau Musicien. These records have long been out of print and are hereby made available again, gathering the two separate albums on this double-release. The utmost care has gone into creating a reproduction that is as faithful as possible to the original works. These have been transferred from the original analog master tapes and have not been remastered to any other extent than to prepare them for the vinyl reproduction. Thus, Knud Viktor's pieces appear with the same degree of tape hiss, hum, and other "artifacts" related to his aesthetics, compositional process, and tools. Knud Viktor (1924-2013, born in Copenhagen) was a Danish recordist and sound artist. Viktor was a pioneer of phonography and sound ecology. Formerly a painter but also a photographer and a film maker, Viktor wanted to picture the landscape by capturing the impact of the intense light and sounds upon animals. He spent most of his life trying to capture the tiny sound of animals and the sound of erosion on the rocks of Régalon (Lubéron, France) where he lived for almost 40 years. Viktor considered the rural landscape of Lubéron as an open territory with its own idiosyncratic acoustic signature. Viktor's methodology of work involved long periods of deep listening before placing his microphones at the right point of ear. Knud on his process: "I don't pretend to make music, even if what I hear in nature is produced by forces that seek harmony. I see what I do as a continuation of the painting, surveying sounds that organizes sonic intensities most unattendedly, contrastingly, modulated, and dissonant. I try to create an enhanced sensation via the sounds, the air, the light, the wind, the rain, the rocks, the vegetation, the smells of Lubéron." Transfer from analog master tapes by Jean C. Roché.
IDL 005LP
 
PRICE: $23.50
CAT #: IDL 005LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
VA Danish Tape Amateurs 1959-1976 LP
2018 release. This release presents a selection of sound experiments made by Danish tape amateurs during the period of 1959-1976. The pieces included on the record are all contributions, which have been submitted to Danish tape amateur contests, but none of the works have been released before. The compilation represents a fragment of a previously overlooked and forgotten piece of Danish sound and music history, where people experimented with the tape recorder in their spare time, creating sound collages and electronic music. Features Jesper Hendze, Mads-Erik Michaelsen, Ole Steen Petersen, Benny Jensen, Kaj Ellermann Christensen, Carsten Elbro, Arne Juul Jacobsen, Peter Henriksen & Carsten Elbro, Anders Møller, Poul Otto Udsen, Holger Sindbæk, and Arne Juul Jacobsen. Includes extensive essay by composer Jonas Olesen.
IDL 008LP
 
PRICE: $34.00
CAT #: IDL 008LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
NORGARD, PER Expanding Space 2LP
2018 release. Reissue, originally released in 1987. This release presents a major electronic work by the Danish composer Per Nørgård (b. 1932). The music was originally issued in 1987 on a double cassette tape by Fønix Musik. Instruments: Jupiter 8 Synthesizer, BX-800 8 channel stereo mixer, Roland MC-500, Hindsberg grand piano.Here follows Per Nørgård's own notes about the work (1985): "Expanding Space (1985): Electronic music in three parts, for synthesizer (Roland Jupiter 8), piano and field recordings. These electronic pieces touches the meditative element of music, but more in a non-rhythmic (or free rhythmic) than a pulsating, minimalistic way. The music is often 'streaming' and the association to water is obvious, especially in Najads. Sometimes a sound recording of water (from Santa Cruz by the Pacific Ocean) is integrated, but most of the time different kinds of 'water music' and 'water sounds' are composed and recorded by me, via different electronic and acoustic instruments in my own studio. The idea is a music that could give a meditative experience, but also a music that could be used as 'ambient' or 'background music', without the disturbing elements -- like in muzak and elevator music -- of small discreet themes calling for your attention, but doing nothing with it..."
IDL 011LP
 
PRICE: $23.50
CAT #: IDL 011LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
VIKTOR, KNUD Les Ephemeres LP
2019 release. The lost masterpiece Les Éphémères by the self-labeled "sound painter" Knud Viktor (1924-2013). First ever release, 40 years after it was conceived. Viktor's pioneering work -- his "Images Sonores" -- are composed of field recordings of insects, animals, and his surroundings. A finished master tape and even a complete cover layout for Les Éphémères was found in Viktor's archives after he passed away in 2013. The phenomenal piece was originally commissioned by the French radio station France Musique in 1977. The twenty short "sound images" of Les Éphémères were originally broadcast as vignettes in-between other radio programs. From the middle of the 1970s Viktor began composing almost exclusively for four channels. He invented his own intuitive quadraphonic mixer -- the Tetramix -- to realize his spatial visions for his Image VI -- The Lubéron Symphony, and from then on worked with quadraphonic sound, thus making the release of his works difficult. Les Éphémères is close in time and also holds close ties to The Lubéron Symphony, which Viktor considered his magnum opus. Perhaps most strikingly is the shift in the way he uses the recordings of insects, birds and animals in both The Lubéron Symphony and Les Éphémères: Often untreated and clearly recognizable, the field recordings leave the inherent melody and rhythm of the animal sounds to sing for themselves, layering recordings to create simple and elegant sound images. In two of the twenty pieces Viktor's own voice blends with the animals, as he recites two poems. One about the singing vineyard populated by musical crickets, the other painting an autumn picture with wine bubbling in the barrels as we hear the wine flies humming. Viktor's work emanates with a tremendous love and fascination with his companion species and the landscape and geology that surrounded him. His works are devoted to depicting the life on the mountain where he lived for fifty years. Hearing how the ecology of the landscape changed as commercial farming and pesticides took effect, a larger perspective in his work became clear to him: "As it turns out, my work has actually set many things in motion; it touches upon something universal that I feel I have a duty to convey to others. A duty that I feel as a citizen of the earth. Not as a human citizen, but as a citizen of the earth. It may sound pretentious, but this is a question of generations to come."
IDL 012EP
 
PRICE: $12.50
CAT #: IDL 012EP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
VIKTOR, KNUD Le Petit Duc 7"
"Le Petit Duc" (The Little Scops Owl) is a sound work by Danish artist Knud Viktor, made between 1978 and 1983. Viktor was classically trained as a painter at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in the 1950s. In 1961 he moved to France to live and work, but was overwhelmed by the sounds of the wildlife in Provence, and instead of painting began listening to and recording his surroundings. With these recordings, he composed what he called sound images -- images sonores -- and throughout the rest of his career, sound was his main medium. "Le Petit Duc" is primarily composed of recordings Viktor made of an owl's nest in the spring and summer of 1978. Narrated by Viktor himself and put together from recordings throughout a whole nesting season, "Le Petit Duc" tells the story of an owl family. The piece speaks to children and adults alike. Knud Viktor originally made the piece to fit on a 7" record, but it has not been released before. The booklet includes Danish and English translations of Knud Viktor's original spoken text in French, and it is illustrated with a series of Viktor's own photographs of the owls. The download includes a dubbed version in Danish by Mei Bao.
IDL 015LP
 
PRICE: $23.50
CAT #: IDL 015LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
LORENTZEN, BENT Electronic Music LP
2019 release. Reissue, originally released in 1987. Bent Lorentzen is widely considered one of the key figures and pioneers of early Danish electronic music and he was one of a few classically trained composers seeking out the possibilities of the new technology in the 1960s. Lorentzen composed a fairly large number of electronic works, -- mainly in the '60s and '70s. Furthermore, he developed a significant educational practice in and around electronic music, conducted workshops, taught at courses, and published articles in both national and international journals, while also producing several educational records on electronic music. Electronic Music was originally released in 1987 as a retrospective album, collecting three of Bent Lorentzen's electronic works from the '70s. The three works clearly demonstrate Lorentzen's close familiarity with his equipment and his great technical proficiency regarding the creation and manipulation of all sorts of electronic and recorded acoustic sounds -- typically in the form of speed changes, reversed sounds, and reverb and filter effects. The music is often quite dramatic with distinct narratives and multiple dynamic layers of sound, but still with a clear sense of disposition and restraint, possibly stemming from Lorentzen's experience with classical instrumentation, and orchestration. "The Bottomless Pit" (originally Afgrundens brønd) on side A was composed as the musical score for a ballet by the Norwegian dance company Høvik Ballett, commissioned by NOMUS (Nordic Music Commitee) and staged at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter in Oslo during the Nordic Music Days festival in 1972. The piece was originally composed for four channels, but mixed down to stereo for the 1987 release. Side B's "Visions" (originally Visione) and "Cloud-Drift" (originally NUBES) were also both composed as four-channel works. The back of the original LP-sleeve contains small prints of graphic notations accompanying the two compositions, here reproduced in enlarged versions for better readability. The music on the record has been carefully remastered for this reissue. "The Bottomless Pit" and "Visions" are new stereo mixes made from four-channel versions obtained from Gunner Møller Pedersen's private archive. These versions had much more clarity, detail, and depth than other masters we were able to find. The mix from four channels to stereo has been done with careful regard to how the stereo versions appear on the original record. "Cloud-Drift" was not to be found in its four-channel version, but comes from the master tape for the 1987 release from OH Musik / Point Records. This piece appears a bit rougher and with less detail in the higher frequencies, but it is the exact same version, as the one on the original release from 1987.
IDL 017LP
 
PRICE: $32.00
CAT #: IDL 017LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
CHRISTIANSEN, HENNING Peter der Grosse / Gudbrandsdal 2LP
2020 release. Two of Henning Christiansen's tape works from the 1980s, Peter der Große op. 174 (1986) and Gudbrandsdal op. 178 (1987), are now released for the first time by the Institute for Danish Sound Archaeology. Originally composed for different contexts -- "Peter der Große" as the score for a German radio feature and "Gudbrandsdal" for a performance in collaboration with Joseph Beuys and later Bjørn Nørgaard -- the two works stand out in Christansen's extensive and many-faceted oeuvre by employing almost entirely electronic sounds. "Peter der Große" involves electronic instruments like synthesizer and a crackle box, while "Gudbrandsdal" employs a more minimal approach and aesthetics through the heavy use of echo effects and manipulation of the tape speed. Both of the tape works carry a heavy atmospheric tone and are set in a largely electronic sound world. Two absolutely enthralling and immersive pieces of tape music, now available for the first time.
IDL 019LP
 
PRICE: $32.00
CAT #: IDL 019LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
LINIEN II Linien II 1948-49 LP
Linien II 1948-49 presents the earliest known Danish works of sound art. Five works from 1948-49 created by the visual artists Richard Winther (1926-2007), Hans "Bamse" Kragh-Jacobsen (1913-92), Niels Macholm (1915-1997), Ib Geertsen (1919-2009) and Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (1919-1982), all of whom were part of the artist group Linien II. The story of Linien II's sound experiments is a story about how a handful of young, idealistic, self-aggrandizing and silly Danish artist dandies in 1948 by a detour invented their own concrete sound art, almost exactly at the same time as radio technician and composer Pierre Schaeffer worked on developing his musique concréte in Paris -- and even presented their concrete sound works to the public at an exhibition in Copenhagen before Schaeffer's first and landmark musique concréte work "Cinq études de bruits" was premiered on French radio. The release presents five experimental sound works that in different ways represent the artists' attempts at finding new solutions to a set of formal aesthetic concerns in relation to concrete art by transposing them into the medium of sound. It is a story that hasn't been told before, as the works until now have only existed in two sets of copies on the original fragile lacquer records, both of which have been locked deep inside museum archives. Now the historical sound works can finally be heard when the Institute for Danish Sound Archeology are releasing them on LP almost 75 years after their recording. Accompanying the release, a comprehensive art historical text knits together the story about the creation and context of the experimental sound works. The release is made in collaboration with SMK National Gallery of Denmark, Museum Jorn, and with the support and invaluable help of the heirs of the artists. "This isn't music; it is painters making noise paintings" --Richard Winther "One ought to be able to make a line that is free of the canvas, standing straight in the air . . . one ought to be able to do that with sounds" --Gunnar Aagaard Andersen
IXOR STIX
IX 007LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: IX 007LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
CASUAL DOTS, THE Sanguine Truth LP
"The Casual Dots are a trio formed in Washington, DC in 2002, featuring Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Quixotic, Autoclave) on vocals and guitar, Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill, Frumpies) on guitar and backing vocals, and Steve Dore (Snoozers, Deep Lust) on drums. The band's minimalist off-kilter pop sound is shaped by Billotte and Wilcox's slashing and interweaving guitar parts, Billotte's iconic tough-but-sweet vocals, and driven by Dore's propulsive 60s-style beats. The band is excited to announce the release of Sanguine Truth, their second ten-song full-length album, on Christina Billotte's Ixorstix Records and produced by Fugazi's Guy Picciotto. These songs were composed and recorded between 2004 and 2019, at Inner Ear Studios with Don Zientara and at Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn with Eli Crews. Spread out between three of the western world's largest cities, the band members would regroup periodically to add a song here and there. Although the songs were written over a long span of time about various events and themes over the years, many of the album's songs appear particularly relevant to recent times. For example, the lyrics for 'Frequency of Fear' were written and recorded in January of 2016, when there was not more than an inkling of the political insanity that would be realized over the next several years. The instrumental '17 Year-Old Locust' was written in 2004, the year of the same locusts that spawned 2021's Brood X. Then, 'Palindrome' is a reminiscence of a friend who decided to depart this world too soon, a situation that seems to be more prevalent than ever in this day and age. This is on clear vinyl."
X 006LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: X 006LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
CASUAL DOTS, THE The Casual Dots LP
"The Casual Dots are a trio formed in Washington, DC in 2002, featuring Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Quixotic, Autoclave) on vocals and guitar, Kathi Wilcox (Bikini Kill, Frumpies) on guitar and backing vocals, and Steve Dore (Snoozers, Deep Lust) on drums. The band's minimalist off-kilter pop sound is shaped by Billotte and Wilcox's slashing and interweaving guitar parts, Billotte's iconic tough-but-sweet vocals, and driven by Dore's propulsive 60s-style beats. The Casual Dots announce the reissue of their self-titled ten-song debut album. Recorded in 2003 at Inner Ear Studios with Don Zientara and Guy Picciotto, the album is at once of its time and timeless. It features standout tracks 'Clocks,' 'Hooded,' and 'She's The Real Thing,' as well as covers of songs by Etta James and LaVern Baker. Originally a CD-only release on Kill Rock Stars and long out-of-print, the album is now being reissued here for the first time on vinyl (white vinyl that is!) on Ixor Stix Records."
KOO EDITIONS (ITALY)
KOO 006LP
 
PRICE: $37.50
CAT #: KOO 006LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
PHI, ALI Elemaun LP
The electronic audiovisual project, inspired by ritual and regional music from the Iranian plateau The term "elemaun" (loanword from French) is equivalent to the English word element, commonly used in mathematical terms of the surface integral in Persian. The components and smaller surfaces that are selected to study the whole surface are called "elemaun." Such elements can contract in size to a considerable degree to estimate the limit value of the intended surface. The set consists of six compositions of digital and analog synthesizers, field recorded samples, ambient soundscapes, and synthesized drum machines referencing different cultures, music, and narratives and the same approach has been taken for computer-generated motion pictures and real-time edited video footage. The tunes are sampled as abstract, minimal, and repetitive motifs from different cultures of Baluch, Azeri, Southern Iranian Arabs, Khorasan, etc. After the Linz Ars Electronica premiere in 2016 it was presented in Poland, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Germany and finally in Canada in 2019, where the artist is based.
LES DISQUES BONGO JOE (SWITZERLAND)
BJR 081LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: BJR 081LP
FILE UNDER: WORLD
BKO Djine Bora LP
LP version. In response to the current political and ecological turmoil, the famous Malian quintet BKO appeals to the magical spirit of the djinn with Djine Bora (the appearance of the genie). An explosive and mystical third album, embodied by a music of resistance, the fruit of their unique experimentation with Mandingo music and their extraordinary history. The three letters B.K.O. are the code for Bamako airport. It is in the Malian capital that the group has been rehearsing since 2012. In the same year that Mali declared a state of emergency, no one could have imagined that these musicians would be responsible for three albums and over 450 concerts in 25 different countries. BKO fights, does not fail, unifies and looks like no one else. In this album, the band delivers an abrasive music where tradition is tinged with rock, polyphonies, distortions and shrill breaks. They invoke ancestral spiritualities by marrying for the first time in Mali two diametrically opposed traditions. In the course of the ten tracks of Djine Bora, BKO propels the traditions within a powerful and hybrid universe, just like Bamako. In this bewitching atmosphere, crackling concrete and ritual ceremonies meet. The group has released one of its most accomplished albums, tinged with trance, enigmatic melodies (the Peulh prayer of "Ntiaro") and unifying messages ("Maya", "Bamako", "Toumaro").
LIFE GOES ON RECORDS (ITALY)
LIFE 026LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: LIFE 026LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
EAST East LP
Reissue, originally released in 1972. Possibly one of the most fascinating psychedelic albums that came out of Japan in the early seventies. Published in 1972 on Capitol Records' eastern brand, the album was then fully licensed to both the UK and American market due to his fascinating and lysergic moments. The opener "Beautiful Morning" soon became a classic on its own, showing the western influences of the band all along the spirit of the rising sun counterculture. A revolutionary effort in the end, coming from a different perspective and giving birth to a faint psych/folk/blues scenario.
LIFE 027LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: LIFE 027LP
FILE UNDER: WORLD
SHANKAR, ANANDA Ananda Shankar and his Music LP
Reissue, originally released in 1975. A rare groove classic finally back in print. Opener "Streets Of Calcutta" has been covered several times (most recently by Japanese wizards Kikagaku Moyo) and is still regarded as an east/west hybrid manifesto. Ananda Shankar (December 11, 1942 - March 26, 1999) was an Indian musician, singer, and composer best known for fusing Western and Eastern musical styles. He was married to dancer and choreographer Tanusree Shankar. In the late 1960s, Shankar travelled to Los Angeles, where he played with many contemporary musicians including Jimi Hendrix. There he was signed to Reprise Records and released his first album, Ananda Shankar, in 1970, with original Indian classical material alongside sitar-based cover versions of popular hits, The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and The Doors' "Light My Fire". Returning to India in the early 1970s, Shankar continued to experiment musically and in 1975 released his most critically acclaimed album, Ananda Shankar And his Music, a jazz-funk mix of Eastern sitar, Western rock guitar, tabla, mridangam, drums, and Moog synthesizers.
LONDON RECORDS (FRANCE)
LMS 5521727
 
PRICE: $42.00
CAT #: LMS 5521727
FILE UNDER: ROCK
SHAKESPEARS SISTER Hormonally Yours (30th Anniversary) (White Vinyl) LP
LP version. White vinyl. Gatefold with printed inner sleeve and new sleeve notes; includes download code. London Records celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Shakespears Sister's seminal album Hormonally Yours, originally released in 1992. A double platinum and top 3 UK album, Hormonally Yours secured Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit a place in British pop history, spawning the single "Stay" -- which spent a staggering eight consecutive weeks at the top of the UK charts -- and winning the duo an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection. Hormonally Yours also features singles "Goodbye Cruel World" and "I Don't Care", tackles friendships gone wrong on "My Sixteenth Apology", powerful, dangerous attraction on "Emotional Thing" and documents a friend's coming out on "Are We In Love Yet?" Fan favorite "The Trouble With Andre", the full-throttle glam-blues of "Catwoman", and "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)", the album's glorious finale: an exhalation; a glorious, earth-shuddering moment that recalls the epic melancholy of David Bowie's "Five Years" and The Beatles' "A Day In The Life". Shakespears Sisters second album, Hormonally Yours, provided the perfect encapsulation of Shakespears Sisters' musical ying and yang; a deftly delivered balance of pop melody with a spikey alternative darkness. Remastered. New sleeve notes.
LMS 5521728
 
PRICE: $46.50
CAT #: LMS 5521728
FILE UNDER: ROCK
SHAKESPEARS SISTER Hormonally Yours (30th Anniversary) (Splatter Vinyl) LP
LP version. Black and white splatter vinyl. Gatefold with printed inner sleeve and new sleeve notes; includes download code. London Records celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Shakespears Sister's seminal album Hormonally Yours, originally released in 1992. A double platinum and top 3 UK album, Hormonally Yours secured Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit a place in British pop history, spawning the single "Stay" -- which spent a staggering eight consecutive weeks at the top of the UK charts -- and winning the duo an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection. Hormonally Yours also features singles "Goodbye Cruel World" and "I Don't Care", tackles friendships gone wrong on "My Sixteenth Apology", powerful, dangerous attraction on "Emotional Thing" and documents a friend's coming out on "Are We In Love Yet?" Fan favorite "The Trouble With Andre", the full-throttle glam-blues of "Catwoman", and "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)", the album's glorious finale: an exhalation; a glorious, earth-shuddering moment that recalls the epic melancholy of David Bowie's "Five Years" and The Beatles' "A Day In The Life". Shakespears Sisters second album, Hormonally Yours, provided the perfect encapsulation of Shakespears Sisters' musical ying and yang; a deftly delivered balance of pop melody with a spikey alternative darkness. Remastered. New sleeve notes.
M-PLANT
MPM 041EP
 
PRICE: $13.50
CAT #: MPM 041EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
HOOD, ROBERT Toxin 12 12"
Originally released in 1992 on M-Plant subsidiary label Hardwax as one of Robert Hood's Underground Resistance alias: The Vision. Now 25 years later is resurfaces remastered by Thomas Heckman on transparent smokey vinyl. The vinyl is cut the same way as the original release with the A side running inside out.
MPM 042EP
 
PRICE: $13.50
CAT #: MPM 042EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
FLOORPLAN Shop/Learn 12"
Originally released on M-Plant subsidiary label, Duet in 2002. 20 years later sees these hypnotic grooves remastered by Thomas Heckman for a highly demanded re-release.
MPM 043EP
 
PRICE: $15.50
CAT #: MPM 043EP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
HOOD, ROBERT Technatural EP 12"
Next up on M-Plant's Perpetual Masters series of remastered classics from the label's vaults, is Robert Hood's Technatural EP. Originally released in 2000 it showcases the unique sound that is synonymous with Hood: simple but effective minimalism for the dancefloor. From the haunting melodies of "Outlast", or hypnotic sounds of "Pattern St." to the pace and energy of "Teflon" (which was included on Nighttime World Vol 2) this four-tracker is essential for anyone considering themselves a techno fan. Remastered by Thomas Heckmann.
MONKEYTOWN (GERMANY)
MONKEY 122DLXLP
 
PRICE: $27.00
CAT #: MONKEY 122DLXLP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
MODERAT MORE D4TA (180 Gram Vinyl Deluxe Edition) LP
On tour in the US now! LP version. 180 gram vinyl deluxe edition. For bands, a "hiatus" is usually just a polite way of announcing a break-up, but sometimes, a hiatus is just that -- a hiatus. Back in 2017, when Moderat announced that they'd be taking an extended break following a final concert in their hometown of Berlin, many assumed that the group was basically calling it quits. After all, they'd already completed a celebrated trilogy of albums, repeatedly broken into the pop charts and performed all around the globe (including Mainstage sets at some of the world's biggest festivals including Coachella, Roskilde, Rock Werchter, Glastonbury, Primavera, Sónar. and many many more) -- what else was left for the German trio to accomplish? Moderat, however, always knew that they'd find their way back to one another. MORE D4TA, the group's fourth album, arrives more than six years after its predecessor (2016's III), yet its contents are quintessentially Moderat. Although the trio's hiatus was absolutely real -- exhausted after years of touring, Apparat (aka Sascha Ring) and Modeselektor (aka Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary) spent two years away from one another, focusing instead on their own respective projects -- once they decided to resume working together, the music (eventually) started flowing again. MORE D4TA is an album that wrestles with feelings of isolation and information overload -- issues that have become particularly pronounced. Many of its lyrics are rooted in Ring's frequent trips to Berlin's Gemäldegalerie museum (often with his infant daughter in tow), where he'd seek refuge in the great paintings of the past while worrying about the future.
MORR MUSIC (GERMANY)
MORR 186CD
 
PRICE: $16.00
CAT #: MORR 186CD
FILE UNDER: ROCK
TENNISCOATS Tan-Tan Therapy CD
Japanese indie-pop duo Tenniscoats recorded Papa's Ear in 2012 (MORR 184CD/LP) and Tan-Tan Therapy in 2007, two albums made with musical and production help from Swedish post-rock/folk trio Tape. Originally released on Häpna, they are beautiful documents of the exploratory music made by a close-knit collective of musicians. Released during a prolific phase of collaboration for Tenniscoats -- during the late '00s and early '10s, they would also collaborate with Jad Fair, The Pastels, Secai, and Pastacas -- they have, however, never been available on vinyl. In collaboration with Alien Transistor, Morr Music is now reissuing these albums with bonus material. Filled with graceful pop songs, autumnal folk tunes, and gentle yet risk-taking improvisations, Tan-Tan Therapy was the first Tenniscoats album to be released in Europe, after a run of albums on Japanese labels, and Live Wanderus (2005) on Australian imprint Chapter Music. It was also the first recorded evidence of their collaboration with the three members of Tape and that group's extended musical family. It opens with one of Tenniscoats' signature songs, the pop fantasia of "Baibaba Bimba", with Tenniscoats singer Saya repeating a light-headed incantation over joyous brass. The essence of Tenniscoats is contained in "Baibaba Bimba": uplifting melody and playful musicianship, tinged with distant echoes of winsome melancholy. From there, Tan-Tan Therapy explores many hues of lustrous blue. "Oetu to kanki no Namoriuta (Given Song of Sob and Joy)" is an aquatic arbor, the musicians' gentle performances growing together like vines and seaweed as Saya's voice swims through the waterway. "Umbarepa!" is full of play and pleasure, sparkling with glockenspiel as snare drum tattoos push the song ever-forward. "Abi and Travel" floats past, a lovely instrumental built from shifting layers of synthesizer and pianet; "Good B.", an extra track originally only available on the Japanese edition of Tan-Tan Therapy, is added to this reissue, and follows a similar thread, its humming pump and Hammond organs swirling under beautiful vocals from Saya and guest performer Kazumi Nikaido. It's a conversational, tender and, at times, fragile music that can only be created out of mutual trust and kindness. There's an element here, too, of feeling out the possibilities of what this creative meeting can achieve, something reflected in the loose-limbs sprawl of "Marui Hifo (Everyone)", which echoes the seaside drift of Bristol post-rock group Crescent, and the following "One Swan Swim", a dreamsong redolent of Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom (1974). LP version marks the first time this release has appeared on vinyl; includes printed inner sleeves, obi, and download code.
MORR 186LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: MORR 186LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
TENNISCOATS Tan-Tan Therapy LP
LP version. Includes printed inner sleeve, obi, and download code. Japanese indie-pop duo Tenniscoats recorded Papa's Ear in 2012 (MORR 184CD/LP) and Tan-Tan Therapy in 2007, two albums made with musical and production help from Swedish post-rock/folk trio Tape. Originally released on Häpna, they are beautiful documents of the exploratory music made by a close-knit collective of musicians. Released during a prolific phase of collaboration for Tenniscoats -- during the late '00s and early '10s, they would also collaborate with Jad Fair, The Pastels, Secai, and Pastacas -- they have, however, never been available on vinyl. In collaboration with Alien Transistor, Morr Music is now reissuing these albums with bonus material. Filled with graceful pop songs, autumnal folk tunes, and gentle yet risk-taking improvisations, Tan-Tan Therapy was the first Tenniscoats album to be released in Europe, after a run of albums on Japanese labels, and Live Wanderus (2005) on Australian imprint Chapter Music. It was also the first recorded evidence of their collaboration with the three members of Tape and that group's extended musical family. It opens with one of Tenniscoats' signature songs, the pop fantasia of "Baibaba Bimba", with Tenniscoats singer Saya repeating a light-headed incantation over joyous brass. The essence of Tenniscoats is contained in "Baibaba Bimba": uplifting melody and playful musicianship, tinged with distant echoes of winsome melancholy. From there, Tan-Tan Therapy explores many hues of lustrous blue. "Oetu to kanki no Namoriuta (Given Song of Sob and Joy)" is an aquatic arbor, the musicians' gentle performances growing together like vines and seaweed as Saya's voice swims through the waterway. "Umbarepa!" is full of play and pleasure, sparkling with glockenspiel as snare drum tattoos push the song ever-forward. "Abi and Travel" floats past, a lovely instrumental built from shifting layers of synthesizer and pianet; "Good B.", an extra track originally only available on the Japanese edition of Tan-Tan Therapy, is added to this reissue, and follows a similar thread, its humming pump and Hammond organs swirling under beautiful vocals from Saya and guest performer Kazumi Nikaido. It's a conversational, tender and, at times, fragile music that can only be created out of mutual trust and kindness. There's an element here, too, of feeling out the possibilities of what this creative meeting can achieve, something reflected in the loose-limbs sprawl of "Marui Hifo (Everyone)", which echoes the seaside drift of Bristol post-rock group Crescent, and the following "One Swan Swim", a dreamsong redolent of Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom (1974).
MUNSTER RECORDS (SPAIN)
MR 364LP
 
PRICE: $25.50
CAT #: MR 364LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY, THE Launch Pad Favorites 2LP
2022 restock. Munster Records present Launch Pad Favorites, an anthology of the brilliant and unique five-decade career of The Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Unhinged whooping, hooting and hollering rock'n'roll genius of the kind that helps you get through life. Featuring his best known songs plus rarities, this is the first ever vinyl compilation of The Ledge's work from 1968 to the present day. "When it comes to pop music, artistic originality always seems to be in chronically short supply, but for avant-sick noise phenomena the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, it's an endlessly available resource. Since his unforgettable 1968 introduction with 'Paralyzed', the Cowboy's unhinged whoop and screech, hit & run brand of bugle limned cacophony has not only astonished, it has also reached into the pop mainstream, from his early appearance on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) to David Bowies's 2002 cover of 'I Took A Trip (On A Gemini Spaceship)'. Working with a longtime band of accompanists that include Dead Kennedy's bassist Klaus Flouride, trio'd with Joey Myers on drums and Jay Rosen on guitar, The Ledge continues to rocket through his own musical galaxy." -- Jonny Whiteside. "One day I turned on the radio, and heard this wild and unhinged voice blasting through the airwaves. It stopped me in my tracks. The singer was telling me that he was standing in a trashcan thinking about me, and from that moment on my life would never be the same. I found that every song Ledge sang delivered the same amount of happiness I felt upon that first discovery, and it is my belief that a person cannot fight a smile if they will just let him into their heart." -- DJ "Shyboy" Tim Lind, KMSU Radio, 89.7 FM, Mankato, Minnesota. "First hearing, then seeing in performance, then meeting, then playing with and over the years getting to know and be friends with 'The Ledge' has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. His sense of humor is funnier than I think even he knows. His abandon on stage is equaled by none. He can be ornery, but in his heart is one of the most open people I've ever met once he lets you in. This collection of his best known songs as well as some rarities is a must have for any collector of strange and funny, and in its way profoundly immediate music." -- Klaus Flouride (Dead Kennedys).
MUSIC ON VINYL: AT THE MOVIES
MOVATM 345C-LP
 
PRICE: $37.00
CAT #: MOVATM 345C-LP
FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK
DE ROUBAIX, FRANCOIS Du Jazz A L'electro 1965-1975 (Yellow Vinyl) LP
"Composer Francois de Roubaix was born in 1939. He didn't receive any formal musical education, but he became interested in jazz from the age of 15. His professional musical career only spanned ten years, from 1965-1975. During that period he composed for commercials, TV series, shorts, and about 30 feature-length films. The most striking aspect of Francois de Roubaix's music is its versatility: on one hand, it's his ability to create simple, memorable tunes; on another hand, it's his bolder experiments with different timbres and recording techniques. He freely combined folkloric and electronic instruments, embracing the advent of the first synthesizers and rhythm boxes. Being a multi-instrumentalist gave him a high degree of artistic freedom, as he spent long hours at his home studio overdubbing various parts of his scores until he would reach the desired result. Du Jazz a L'Electro 1965-1975 is a brand new compilation album consisting of compositions by Francois de Roubaix. It includes previously unreleased and hard to find compositions from tv-series like Les Survivants and Tarif De Nuit. This compilation also includes compositions for commercials of Cointreau, Muratti and Fiat Coupe. Du Jazz a L'Electro 1965-1975 is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on solid yellow colored vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve with liner notes and background stories about the compositions."
OPTIC NERVE (UK)
OPT4 050LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: OPT4 050LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
RELIGIOUS OVERDOSE Strung Out On Heavens High 1980-1982 LP
Compilation of singles recorded for Glass Records. Religious Overdose formed in 1979 and alongside the likes of PIL, Joy Division and Bauhaus helped forge the sound that became to be known as post-punk. In just two years their experimental songs were pushing boundaries. From the hypnotizing drum machine led debut "25 Minutes" and the krautrock influenced "I Said Go" to the synth infused new wave of "Blow The Back Off" and their final single. The sprawling seven-minute "The Girl With The Disappearing Head". This is a celebration of the much underrated and important Religious Overdose. Formed in Barby (near Rugby) in 1979, original vocalist left, Alex Novak joined in 1980, producing three singles for Glass Records. Initially used a rhythm generator then replaced by drummer Pete Brownjohn. Played with Wheres Lisse, Fall, Eyeless In Gaza, Trance, Mystery Guests, Bauhaus, Dance Chapter, Ski Patrol, English Subtitles, Attrition, Theatre Of Hate... the last gig was in Northampton 1982, recorded and released as a tape by Adventures In Reality label and fanzine from Coventry. Yellow vinyl with orange and black splatter; includes printed inner sleeve with posters and postcards.
OXMOSE (FRANCE)
OXE 005LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: OXE 005LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
MEANZA, BOB Quandary LP
Quandary is a work of electronic music that wants to balance between opposites -- nature and technology, human agency and artificial thinking, ritual and machinery. That's how quandaries emerge, as an impossible choice between two extremes. But music isn't binary thinking and allows the exploration of obscure connections. Underground, a growing mycelium intersects and communicates with a fiber optic backbone: on the surface, the curtains open, and the quandary may begin to dissolve. Produced in Berlin between 2019 and 2021, the album originates from open jams, which were then deconstructed through heavy editing -- and finally recomposed, sometimes challenging the original spirit. Bob Meanza's oblique approach to music production encompasses the creative textures of guitarist Alex Baboian, and is enriched by the vocal appearances of Bianca Guitton. A small orchestra of three that already implies roots in Germany, Italy, USA, Armenia, and France -- each musician carrying him/herself the "quandary" of having at least two homes. But again, this unexpected network can bring precious fruits to the surface. 180 gram vinyl.
RAVE UP RECORDS (ITALY)
EPS 019LP
 
PRICE: $19.00
CAT #: EPS 019LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
DANGEROUS GIRLS Present: Recordings 1978-1982 LP
Recently rediscovered Birmingham art punk recorded in 1978-1982. An all-male combo, despite the name the Dangerous Girls, released their first single in 1979, Dangerous Girls/I Don't Want To Eat (With The Family) and started touring the UK offering use of the PA, lights and equipment to local bands who wish to play. Their second single, the Taaga EP released in the same year on the Happy Face label, reached number one in the last indie charts of the '70s. Reminiscent of early-era Gang Of Four, Minimum Joy, Slits, Wire, and all things post-punk or as John Peel himself defined them, "spasm rock". After a BBC session and a couple more singles, the Demolition Girls unfortunately broke up right while recording an album. This compilation is brought to life by the punk archivists at Rave Up Records and contains their full 1978-1982 production.
RIOT SEASON (UK)
REPOSE 111LP
 
PRICE: $39.50
CAT #: REPOSE 111LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Myth Of The Love Electrique 2LP
Sun yellow vinyl; gatefold sleeve. Continuing the "first time on vinyl" purge of the Acid Mothers Temple archives. Here's the band's classic 2006 album finally available on double vinyl for the first time. Myth Of The Love Electrique is another scorcher from these ridiculously prolific psych masters. This album is notable for being the debut of their newest band member: Kitagawa Hao. Kitagawa's presence doesn't dominate the recording by any means, but her contributions nicely complement the swirling chaos the group generates. Acid Mothers Temple always manages to find a breath of fresh air at the most opportune times, and this is no exception. While remaining a tight unit, bringing Kitagawa into the fold adds another dimension to their chaotic sprawl without having to sacrifice any of their strengths on this incendiary album.
REPOSE 112LP
 
PRICE: $28.50
CAT #: REPOSE 112LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
SHIT AND SHINE Ladybird LP
Reissue, originally released in 2005. First time available on vinyl for 15 years. New sleeve artwork with photos by Steve Gullick and pressed on dirty white vinyl. Ladybird... one perfect heavy as fuck hypnotic riff played over and over and over and over across two sides of an LP. Back when Shit And Shine formed, the idea was basically to sound like their heroes Drunks With Guns and Strangulated Beatoffs, using that same basic formula. A big dumb ass catchy riff played over and over until the joke gets old... then keep going. Recorded live at Southern Studios, London (fun fact: the same room where Bauhaus recorded "Bela Lugosi's Dead") in 2004 with just two basses, a snare drum, a huge cardboard box and a tiny toy Casio SA-1 keyboard (using the "airplane" sound hitting the same key over and over for 41 minutes). Some still say it's the best thing Shit And Shine has ever done. No argument there. Originally released on CD, and super limited vinyl. This was Shit And Shine's second release and it sold out quick. Remastered and beefed the hell up by Craig Clouse at Shit And Shine Ranch, 2022. Don't sleep on it. Edition of 300.
RUFFNATION ENTERTAINMENT
RN 1018LP
 
PRICE: $33.00
CAT #: RN 1018LP
FILE UNDER: HIPHOP
RZA Bobby Digital vs. RZA LP
"Back in 1998, RZA had already cemented his status as Wu-Tang Clan's man behind the boards, producing the entirety of the group's respective solo albums. But when it came to his own breakout moment, the producer opted to introduce the world to Bobby Digital, a cartoonishly hedonistic mad-rapping alter-ego and grew so fond of the character that he released another album under the moniker before finally delivering 2003's Birth of a Prince as the RZA. Now it seems Bobby Digital is back in the picture and potentially set square up with his host. On Friday, RZA announced a new album, RZA vs. Bobby Digital, with the release of the hard-hitting new single, 'Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater.' According to a press release, production on the album is handled by DJ Scratch. 'Giving Scratch the reins as a producer and me taking the reins as an MC, that's what frees me up creatively and lets me play more with lyrical gags and lyrical flows because I don't have to be focused on everything,' the producer noted in a statement. The new single marks the second Bobby Digital drop of the year, following 'Pugilism,' which was slated to be featured on the long-rumored project, The Cure, but seems to be a part of another upcoming collection of songs under the moniker titled Digital Potions.
RN 1023LP
 
PRICE: $38.00
CAT #: RN 1023LP
FILE UNDER: HIPHOP
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT For the FKN Love 2LP
"The multi-platinum, double Grammy Award winning group Arrested Development, delivers For the FKN Love a true hip-hop tour de force, once again Executively Produced by charismatic veteran frontman Speech and British production maestro, Configa. Significantly, it marks the first time that AD have worked with equally legendary collaborators, making this their biggest release ever. Big Daddy Kane, The Sugar Hill Gang, Masta Ace, Freddie Foxxx, Monie Love, Kxng Crooked, G. Love, Tony Momrelle (Incognito), Dee-1 plus Fatman Scoop all feature! Legends of this caliber rarely do features and yet have graced this album For the FKN Love! AD has always been dedicated to supporting up-and-coming talent, and this trend continues with the likes of Twan Mack, Dell-P, Lish, Ke'Andra, 4ize, Twisted Royalty, Cleveland P Jones, MRK SX & Jahah all adding weight to proceedings.When it comes to boombap and classic rap, few artists come close to Arrested Development. The two-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group was the first hip-hop group to ever receive the Grammy for 'Best New Artist,' while also receiving one for 'Best Rap Single.' Showing the widespread appeal of Arrested Development, its track 'Tennessee' was later named by the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as one of the 'Top 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll,' while the group was recognized at the Black Music Honors Awards in September 2019. Meanwhile, 1993's Unplugged album was not only Gold-certified by the RIAA, but proved influential as one of the first hip-hop performances from the MTV institution. 'Vibe' is the latest single from Arrested Development, as featuring Big Daddy Kane, Cleveland P Jones and Tasha LaRae. Part of the new studio album For the FKN Love, 'Vibe' was produced by British Production and boombap specialist Configa. Other contributors to For the FKN Love include The Sugar Hill Gang, Masta Ace, Freddie Foxxx, Monie Love, Kxng Crooked, G-Love & Special Sauce's G-Love, Incognito's Tony Momrelle, Dee-1 and Fatman Scoop. Configa had previously worked with Arrested Development on 2020's acclaimed 16-track studio album Don't Fight Your Demons."
SDBAN ULTRA (BELGIUM)
SDBANU 027CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: SDBANU 027CD
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
LUCID LUCIA Ever-Changing Light CD
Following the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut EP in 2021, Antwerp's Lucid Lucia release their debut album Ever-Changing Light via the groove-obsessed Belgian tastemaker label, Sdban Ultra. Searching to unwrap the mystery that is a human life, across nine tracks of jazz and space funk-infused grooves, Lucid Lucia look to the sound of Herbie's Head Hunters and Miles's acid funk of the mid-70s for inspiration. Ever-Changing Light is a mind-expanding celebration centered on freedom and rhythm. Free-spirited saxes, futuristic-sounding keys, monstrous bass lines and shifting drum beats unite, resulting in an uplifting and joyous celebration of jazz, funk, and groove. From the loose, laidback stylings of "Mumpsimus" and the jazz-funk odyssey that is "Pigeons" to the sonic wonders of "Reminiscence" and urgent flow of "Quanked", Lucid Lucia is a marvelous journey of luminous sounds and vibrant rhythms. Elsewhere, the warped aesthetics of "Oneironauts" and improv "Pukti part 1" showcase a tight rhythm section, inventive horns, funky keys and guitar while the spiritual magnum opus "Voor Pieter A." is a magical example of the virtuosity of Lucid Lucia. Born from the ashes of fusion outfit BRZZVLL, Lucid Lucia were founded by saxophonist Vincent Brijs, a household name in Antwerp and the Belgian jazz scene. Former winners of the Jong Jazztalent Gent, BRZZVLL released their debut album Days of Thunder, Days of Grace in 2008 and would go on to release five more albums including teaming up with Trinidad-born poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph on the 2014 critically acclaimed album Engines and with hip-hop MC, writer, and producer Amir Sulaiman on the 2016 album First Let's Dance. The 2017 album Waiho (SDBANU 005CD/LP), the band's first instrumental album and final album received glowing praise. To the present day and Lucid Lucia marks a brighter, clearer sound for the sextet. Consisting of Vincent Brijs: (saxophones, EWI), Bart Borremans (saxophones), Stijn Cools (drums), Dries Laheye (bass), Dries Verhulst (guitar), Jan Willems (keys), and James Williams (drums, percussion), they have honed their skills performing with numerous artists from home and around the world including Ursula Rucker, Joseph Bowie (Defunkt), Amir Sulaiman, Anthony Joseph, Zena Edwards, Ayanna Witter Johnson, Baloji, Mo & Grazz, Kain the Poet (The Last Poets), Marie Daulne, Dizzy Madjeku, Ida Nielsen, and many others.
SEDIMENTAL
SED 068CD
 
PRICE: $15.00
CAT #: SED 068CD
FILE UNDER: ROCK
LOVELIGHT SISTERS, THE A Day for Fainting Fairies CD+DVD
From the creative well of upper Franklin County in the Pioneer Valley of Western, MA springs the Lovelights Sisters, a lovingly crafted children's TV program featuring five magical sisters: Chella, Viola, Novella, Elda, and Dot as they prepare for a Ladies Club tea party. Debuted in 2019 the program is a swirling feast of eye candy packed with song, incidental music and everything else in between. Charming, idiosyncratic, and irresistible for all ages. CD is the complete soundtrack of eighteen tracks featuring Big Blood, Jeremy Pisani, Ruth Garbus, Leaf Peepers, Liz Tonne, Feathers, Wendy Eisenberg, and many more. Also features Shannon Ketch, Kevin Smith, Omeed Goodarzi, Beverly Ketch, Dose Lonely Boys, The Highland Circle Old Time Players, Annabell Cole, Gordon Spencer-Blaetz, Jason Martin Animal Power System, Helen Rush, and Sam Gas Can. DVD features the full first episode plus bonus films. DVD is NTSC format, region free.
SODA GONG
SODA 010LP
 
PRICE: $24.00
CAT #: SODA 010LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
GOMES, MARK Alphane Moods LP
Australia-based musician Mark Gomes presents the debut full-length under his own name for Soda Gong. Alphane Moods finds Gomes employing strategies that will be familiar to listeners of his work as Blue Chemise -- elegiac, loop-based modes of composition and a predilection for concise etude forms -- that manifest here with a strikingly different scope and intent, shifting from expressive abstraction into more conceptual terrain. Over the course of fourteen widescreen tracks, he navigates the gap between nostalgic and futurist sensibilities, concocting elusive, romantic, and sanguine settings that feel both plucked from the past and beamed in from a time still to come. Gomes describes his approach on the record as a "practice of 'constructed ambience', deploying sounds and track titles with pop-psychological associations of escape." The result is a vivid, cinematic album that splits the difference between the worldbuilding retrofuturism of the best vaporwave music and the shadowy, homespun tape vignettes for which Gomes has become well known. Written and produced by Mark Gomes. Master and cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering. Artwork by Alex McCullough. Includes download code; edition of 500.
SONIC CATHEDRAL (UK)
SCR 230CD
 
PRICE: $14.50
CAT #: SCR 230CD
FILE UNDER: ROCK
PETERS, MARK Red Sunset Dreams CD
Mark Peters releases a second solo album Red Sunset Dreams on Sonic Cathedral. The follow-up to his hugely acclaimed debut Innerland (SCR 094CD/LP, 2018), which was one of Rough Trade's albums of the year when it came out in 2018, it features a number of guest musicians, including former One Dove singer and songwriter Dot Allison and pedal steel legend BJ Cole. Like its predecessor, Red Sunset Dreams is an album about an imaginary landscape. Whereas Innerland was an introspective psycho-geographic trip inspired by Mark's move back to his hometown of Wigan and the memories it stirred up, Red Sunset Dreams looks outwards, across the Atlantic to the United States of America, but very much through a UK prism; a representation of the subconscious Americana that's buried deep in our collective psyches. The result is an incredibly evocative trip through the landscapes of old Western movies, exploring their links with the North West of England while touching on wider themes such as isolation, freedom and dementia. Sonically, it builds on the palette of the previous record with instrumentation equally inspired by the ascendant ambient Americana movement and classic country-rock. As a result it ends up somewhere between Acetone's peerless I Guess I Would, Diamond Head-era Phil Manzanera and the dusty instrumentals on the second disc of David Sylvian's 1986 classic Gone To Earth. Mark has spent the four years since Innerland recording and releasing Destiny Waiving, his third collaboration with Ulrich Schnauss, and recently followed up 2020's new Engineers recordings (the ambient perambulations of Pictobug) with a reissue series of the band's much sought -after early albums. He has recently put a brand-new band together and will be playing a series of live shows following the release of Red Sunset Dreams.
SOWING RECORDS (ITALY)
SOW 028LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: SOW 028LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
ABDUL-MALIK, AHMED The Eastern Moods of Ahmed Abdul-Malik LP
Reissue, originally released in 1963. Besides playing with the likes of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, and Randy Weston, bassist and oud player Abdul Malik is mostly remembered as one of the first to explore how elements of Middle Eastern and North African music can integrate with jazz idioms. Originally released on Prestige Records, this is his fifth studio effort featuring Bilal Abdurrahman (alto saxophone, clarinet, Korean reed flute, percussion) and William Henry Allen (bass, percussion). A peculiar combination of different instruments and sounds for a step into the Eastern side of jazz. Limited clear vinyl edition.
SOW 030LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: SOW 030LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
LATEEF, YUSEF Lateef at Cranbrook LP
Reissue, originally released in 1958. Lateef at Cranbrook (also reissued as Yusef Lateef) is a live album by multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef recorded in 1958 at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and originally released on the Argo label. Saxophonist, flautist, oboist, and all-round reeds maestro Yusef Lateef was a renowned cross-pollinator of Eastern modes with the more traditional harmonic repertoire of American jazz. During the course of his covetable career, he worked side-by-side with Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis among others. Limited clear vinyl edition.
SOW 031LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: SOW 031LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
NELSON WITH ERIC DOLPHY, OLIVER Straight Ahead LP
Reissue, originally released in 1961 by Prestige/New Jazz label. Straight Ahead marks the last Eric Dolphy's appearance within a series of fortunate collaborations with saxophonist Oliver Nelson. This is a great modern jazz album taking shape from a quintet studio session (all first takes) engineered and supervised by master Rudy Van Gelder and featuring Oliver Nelson (alto and tenor saxes, clarinet), Eric Dolphy (alto sax, bass clarinet, flute), Richard Wyands (piano), George Duvivier (double bass), and Roy Haynes on drums. A serious bunch of jazz stylists all caught in fine form and concentration. Needless to add that the Nelson-Dolphy sax tandem shines throughout the whole album while Duvivier and Haynes inject their angular yet hard swinging groove. The track list consists of five Nelson's originals plus Milt Jackson's "Ralph's New Blues". Limited clear vinyl edition.
SOW 033LP
 
PRICE: $26.00
CAT #: SOW 033LP
FILE UNDER: JAZZ
MINGUS, CHARLES East Coasting LP
Reissue, originally recorded and released in 1957. One of Charles Mingus's lesser-known sessions. Here the master was at the head of an awesome band including some of his regular sidemen. Features Jimmy Knepper (trombone), Shafi Hadi (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone), and Dannie Richmond (drums), along with nothing but Bill Evans on piano. This is dense, lyrical, and very stimulating music deeply rooted in the bop tradition yet with an open ear to other sound territories. Limited clear vinyl edition.
SPECTRUM SPOOLS
SP 042LP
 
PRICE: $29.00
CAT #: SP 042LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
SECOND WOMAN Second Woman 2LP
2022 repress. Second Woman is a collaborative project featuring Turk Dietrich of Belong and Joshua Eustis of the renowned Telefon Tel Aviv. As one would imagine, Second Woman is a nonpareil debut of futuristic electronic music fusing the coveted genetics of the duos' respective previous endeavors into an alluring new enigma of ASMR-inducing kaleidoscopic dub. Second Woman is a fully realized entity, a well-crafted sound world, and a refreshing shared effort that is inspiring in its purity and painstaking in its design. The opening "100407jd7" wastes no time exhibiting mastery in both sound and structure, contorting the frequency spectrum into a psychoactive mirage with its mutating tectonics and vaporous tone clouds. Cuts like "200601je6" and "700358bc5" are bar-raising examples of veteran craftsmanship and vision, refining and reengineering the blueprints of their early works to create an original and dynamic album. The deliberation and control over every particle is obsessive, but the end results of each individual track unfold with an organic temperament unparalleled in a grid-locked world of DAW-shaped musics and rat's-nest modular aleatory. Words fail where essential sonics are concerned, and this vital new creation speaks for itself.
SPITTLE RECORDS (ITALY)
SPITTLE 2000LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: SPITTLE 2000LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
VA 391 Selezione 1 LP
You've been waiting for it, and finally here it is! A natural compendium to the 391 series, with a strong selection straight to vinyl. Spittle CDs series 391 is filling a void screaming out for revenge. Not hard-to-find material, but properly unreleased songs and compositions locked for several decades in some virtual memory lane. A proper distillate from the ongoing series, which showed the hidden roots of the Italian new-wave (with all the possible links to art-rock, goth, post-punk, and industrial). Creativity has never been lacking and sometimes complete with a burst of originality, what lacked was a good promotion and a more accessible way to the underground market. Features The Gam Ones, VCO, Next, Reverie, Shaming Borsalino, Xif, Centro Uh !, Catene Della Cresima, and Celery Price.
STRANGETOWN RECORDS (UK)
STR 057LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: STR 057LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
JONES, PIXY Bits n Bobs LP
El Goodo guitarist and songwriter Pixy Jones releases his debut album entitled Bits n Bobs via Strangetown Records. After four albums with El Goodo, Welsh psych scene stalwart Pixy Jones has himself compiled a truly remarkable collection of tracks that fluctuate from '60s harmony-rich psych pop, to alt-country with ringing tremelo guitar. The swaggering "I'm Not There" is the first single to be taken from Bits n Bobs. Pixy had this to say about the release: "The album was originally intended as a solo project under the pseudonym of Wallace Russell. I recorded it alongside the recording of Zombie (STR 048CD/LP, 2020) whenever I could get in the studio. There are some really old songs that have always been overlooked for El Goodo albums for one reason or another, a few new ones which I wrote specifically for this, and a couple that would have probably ended up on the intended double album version of Zombie if we'd kept going with the double album idea. I've since ditched the Wallace Russell name and gone back to Pixy Jones as I figured there's no need to have a pseudonym if nobody knows who you are in the first place. Even though I dropped the name I've kept the walrus mask for now as it is more photogenic than my actual face. I had no recording budget so I had to fund it by quitting smoking and saving the money up to pay for studio time. It took, I think, two and a half years to record, which is by far the quickest I've ever recorded an album. Originally, I wanted it to just be a quickly recorded slap dash and get it out sort of thing but I had a year and a half during Covid to think about it a bit more and ended up taking more care to get it done properly. It was just me there so I played most of it myself apart from Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) who played brass and woodwind on one song and Rhodri Brooks (AhGeeBe) plays some pedal steel on a couple. Elliott and Canny from El Goodo played drums and bass on 'Wind Street' during the Zombie recording sessions. The album was recorded and mixed in Aerial Studios with Tim Lewis (Thighpaulsandra), a couple of songs were finished in the house during the lockdowns."
STUDENTS OF DECAY
SOD 129LP
 
PRICE: $24.00
CAT #: SOD 129LP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
HARMSWORTH, ANGELO Singe LP
Singe is the new record by Angelo Harmsworth, a musician who hails from the American Southwest and is operating now out of Berlin. Harmsworth's work deals resolutely in extremes, but this music is not concerned with presenting binary or dichotomous relationships so much as it is with reconciling disparate sensibilities and sounds. Layers of meticulously edited and sculpted tones swirl around one another, creating kaleidoscopic patterns and hallucinated choral motifs that seem to thrive on amplitude or the position of the listener's head. There is a visceral physicality to this music that aligns it with some of the core tenets of harsh noise, even while its tonal and timbral choices recall those of ambient music. This record follows excellent releases on enmossed/Psychic Liberation, Angoisse, Opal Tapes, Vaknar, and Harmsworth's own Lime Lodge imprint and may be the high-water mark of his published output thus far. There is drama and implied narrative in these seven compositions that seethes and hums as if reveling in a sort of violent gracefulness. Includes download code; edition of 300.
SURVIVAL RESEARCH (AUSTRALIA)
SVVRCH 055LP
 
PRICE: $22.50
CAT #: SVVRCH 055LP
FILE UNDER: ROCK
MANSON FAMILY, THE The Manson Family Sings The Songs Of Charles Manson LP
Repressed; recorded at the infamous Spahn Ranch in 1970, while their leader Charles Manson was facing trial for the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, The Manson Family Sings is a highly disconcerting listen. Beneath the harmonic brilliance and folksy innocence of these campfire-styled recordings are the hallmarks of Manson's twisted worldview, rendering a dystopian edge to what is otherwise compelling singalongs. Squeaky Frome, Brenda Gold, Gypsy Share and Sandra Blue all feature, with Clem Grogan fronting the beast, the end result being some of the freakiest and troubling songs you are ever likely to encounter.
TAL (GERMANY)
TAL 027CD
 
PRICE: $15.50
CAT #: TAL 027CD
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
PREKOP, SAM The Sparrow CD
"'Is it too Sam Prekop?', Sam Prekop asked me in an email conversation in which he delivered his wonderful illustrations which would become the front cover artwork. No, it is not too Sam Prekop at all. His drawings as well as the freeform music on this album are subtly different from anything else he has produced in his solo career. Regardless of the style he is working in, Sam Prekop's music is always imbued with a sense of wide-eyed discovery and unpredictable exploration. On The Sparrow, Sam Prekop expands his electronic cosmos with a remarkable expression of timeless simplicity and coherent execution. It's deceptively simple music that feels accessible without abandoning the experimental legacy of the modular hardware system which serves, besides a polyphonic Prophet 5 synthesizer, as the center piece of this production. The side long title track 'The Sparrow' opens this album with unpredictable synth dissonances and broken step sequenced patterns. 'Palm' brings the set to a close with its irregular fragility while 'Fall is Farewell' is built around a yearning brassy fanfare which resembles the noir romance theme of Michael Smalls soundtrack for the 1971 film Klute. The sparkling essence of 'Step and Stair' seems a suitable space for unforgotten summer holidays of our childhood. On his first solo release for Düsseldorf's label TAL, electronic experimentalist Sam Prekop offers his most captivating yet stripped-down modular music. All compositions on The Sparrow were gradually developed piece by piece. Best known for his jazz-leaning tropicalismo with The Sea And Cake, a key part of the Chicago scene with the likes of Tortoise or Chicago Underground Duo, he has in recent years established himself as a modular synthesist, building his instrument meticulously to create a unique system that allows him to create highly individual music through mechanical patterns, repetitions and chance. In this context his widely acclaimed community forming public tutorials on fb should be noted as well. The Sparrow is an exciting new chapter in his development as a constant creative influence." --Stefan Schneider, Düsseldorf August 2022 CD version comes in an edition of 500.
TAL 027LP
 
PRICE: $25.00
CAT #: TAL 027LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
PREKOP, SAM The Sparrow LP
LP version. Includes printed inner sleeve; includes download code; edition of 700. "'Is it too Sam Prekop?', Sam Prekop asked me in an email conversation in which he delivered his wonderful illustrations which would become the front cover artwork. No, it is not too Sam Prekop at all. His drawings as well as the freeform music on this album are subtly different from anything else he has produced in his solo career. Regardless of the style he is working in, Sam Prekop's music is always imbued with a sense of wide-eyed discovery and unpredictable exploration. On The Sparrow, Sam Prekop expands his electronic cosmos with a remarkable expression of timeless simplicity and coherent execution. It's deceptively simple music that feels accessible without abandoning the experimental legacy of the modular hardware system which serves, besides a polyphonic Prophet 5 synthesizer, as the center piece of this production. The side long title track 'The Sparrow' opens this album with unpredictable synth dissonances and broken step sequenced patterns. 'Palm' brings the set to a close with its irregular fragility while 'Fall is Farewell' is built around a yearning brassy fanfare which resembles the noir romance theme of Michael Smalls soundtrack for the 1971 film Klute. The sparkling essence of 'Step and Stair' seems a suitable space for unforgotten summer holidays of our childhood. On his first solo release for Düsseldorf's label TAL, electronic experimentalist Sam Prekop offers his most captivating yet stripped-down modular music. All compositions on The Sparrow were gradually developed piece by piece. Best known for his jazz-leaning tropicalismo with The Sea And Cake, a key part of the Chicago scene with the likes of Tortoise or Chicago Underground Duo, he has in recent years established himself as a modular synthesist, building his instrument meticulously to create a unique system that allows him to create highly individual music through mechanical patterns, repetitions and chance. In this context his widely acclaimed community forming public tutorials on fb should be noted as well. The Sparrow is an exciting new chapter in his development as a constant creative influence." --Stefan Schneider, Düsseldorf August 2022
THE JAZZ DIARIES
TJD 021LP
 
PRICE: $22.50
CAT #: TJD 021LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
SHIMADA, ELLE Home Location LP
For Tokyo-born Melbourne-based artist Elle Shimada, the concept of home is ever changing. In fact, it's the current which flows through her debut album, Home ? Location. Home ? Location, out on seminal label The Jazz Diaries, is the product of several years of tinkering, culminating in a wholly unique project. "Home is multiple, complex, shapeless. [...] Home is in music, a space to share it with you', Shimada sings on the album opener. Lithe and loose, marrying incisive political commentary with deep introspection, Home ? Location certifies that Shimada is Australia's next bright talent. Across eight dizzying tracks which flow from lean, skittish skeletal beats upon which Shimada's climbs to agile blends of house, bass and candied keys, the album nestles in the subconscious long after the first listen. For fans of: Liv.E, Keiyaa, Demaemae, Flying Lotus, Knxwledge, NxWorries, Miguel-Atwood Ferguson, Mndsgn.
TOCHNIT ALEPH (GERMANY)
TA 099CD
 
PRICE: $16.00
CAT #: TA 099CD
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
ZMIJEWSKI, ARTUR Singing Lesson CD
First published as a vinyl LP in 2011 (Tochnit Aleph) this extraordinary work by Polish conceptual artist Artur ?mijewski is available on CD. Eight-panel digipak; edition of 300.From the liner notes: "In 2001, Artur ?mijewski created the first part of the project 'Singing Lesson' in the Augsburg Evangelical Holy Trinity church in Warsaw. Accompanied by an organ a choir of 'deaf-mute' children sang the 'Kyrie' from the 'Polish Mass' by Jan Maklakiewicz (1899-1954). Among the cacophony of sounds uttered by them you can hear the words of the confession of faith: 'In this holy place, in this holiest place, our voice rises to you and erupts as the sea roars from the deep abyss. O Christ, hear us! O Christ, listen to us!' The second part of the project ('Deaf Bach') was realized in 2002 in St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, in which Johann Sebastian Bach for many years was a cantor and where he was buried. 'Deaf-mute' or severely hearing-impaired children sang Bach's cantata 'Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben' (Heart and Lips and Deed and Life)."Violetta Sajkiewicz: "Along with admiration for the efforts of the deaf we feel an uneasiness caused by our deeply hidden aversion towards that which -- like cripplehood -- was removed from our consciousness: fear of ourselves, which is an inner mold of repulsion projected onto outside phenomena. ?mijewski's works convince us that neither suffering nor different kinds of physical dysfunction or social norms are able to kill the joy of life. The children singing Bach every so often snort with laughter as if they were trying to accustom themselves to the situation in which they found themselves, thus making it 'normal'. They whoop it up, forgetting the fact that the lesson in which they participate is beyond the social role ascribed to them, that it is an anomaly, a freaky idea. It is also a musical hybrid, a mix of the sounds uttered by the deaf children and the voice of a professional singer, a negation of all the rules, a mixture of the evenly-tempered baroque system and elements of modal and atonal music."
TA 169CD
 
PRICE: $18.00
CAT #: TA 169CD
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
MUEHL, OTTO Musik 1982-90 CD
76 minutes collection of recordings made at the Friedrichshof commune between 1982 and 1990. Performed by Otto Muehl and members of the commune. Includes actionist group-music, improvised conceptual pieces, and bar pianist songs. Full-color, six-panel digipak; edition of 300.
TA 170CD
 
PRICE: $23.50
CAT #: TA 170CD
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
SELTEN GEHORTE MUSIK Sehr Selten Gehorte Tanzmusik 2CD
Previously unpublished performance of the internationally renowned dance band Selten Gehörte Musik (on this occasion: Christian Attersee, Gerhard Rühm, Oswald Wiener) at the closing event of the "Literanover" Festival at the Kunstmuseum, Hannover, on November 16th, 1980. Close to two hours of very rarely heard dance music, indeed. Double CD; six-panel digipak; edition of 350.
TRESOR (GERMANY)
TRESOR 129X-CD
 
PRICE: $13.50
CAT #: TRESOR 129X-CD
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
DREXCIYA Neptune's Lair (2022 Reissue) CD
Tresor Records announce forthcoming special editions of the entire catalog of Drexciya and related projects. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of James Stinson and the releases of the Transllusion and Shifted Phases albums. In recognition, the rights holders, 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. The series starts with Neptune's Lair, first released in 1999, with the Hydro Doorways single arriving shortly after. These records, individually and as a catalog, represent some of the most crucial moments in the Tresor label history, with the sound and mythic world of Drexciya undoubtedly inspiring generations. Detroit's Drexciya, with their close ties to Underground Resistance, emerged in 1991. With an encoded agenda and socio-political mission aimed at the world, a new page of Drexciya's grand history was written entitled Neptune's Lair. Drexciya is the sound of originality embodying all the musical styles and history that Detroit the city has seen and been part of. Drexciya is music for change that defies categorization; traditionally armed with freestyle electro, techno, funk, and jazz while covering an entire spectrum of moods. While words won't do Neptune's Lair proper justice, rootsy Kraftwerkian techno, gives way to G-style electro, while jazzy freestyle funk evolves alongside classic 4/4 club sound. Although the roots run deep, Neptune's Lair heralded an important new chapter in the musical connections between Detroit's finest and Tresor. Double LP version comes on 180 gram vinyl; silver pantone, UV spot varnish.
TRESOR 129X-LP
 
PRICE: $35.50
CAT #: TRESOR 129X-LP
FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC
DREXCIYA Neptune's Lair (2022 Reissue) 2LP
Double LP version. Silver pantone, UV spot varnish. 180 gram vinyl. Tresor Records announce forthcoming special editions of the entire catalog of Drexciya and related projects. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of James Stinson and the releases of the Transllusion and Shifted Phases albums. In recognition, the rights holders, 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. The series starts with Neptune's Lair, first released in 1999, with the Hydro Doorways single arriving shortly after. These records, individually and as a catalog, represent some of the most crucial moments in the Tresor label history, with the sound and mythic world of Drexciya undoubtedly inspiring generations. Detroit's Drexciya, with their close ties to Underground Resistance, emerged in 1991. With an encoded agenda and socio-political mission aimed at the world, a new page of Drexciya's grand history was written entitled Neptune's Lair. Drexciya is the sound of originality embodying all the musical styles and history that Detroit the city has seen and been part of. Drexciya is music for change that defies categorization; traditionally armed with freestyle electro, techno, funk, and jazz while covering an entire spectrum of moods. While words won't do Neptune's Lair proper justice, rootsy Kraftwerkian techno, gives way to G-style electro, while jazzy freestyle funk evolves alongside classic 4/4 club sound. Although the roots run deep, Neptune's Lair heralded an important new chapter in the musical connections between Detroit's finest and Tresor.
UMOR REX (MEXICO)
UR 139EP
 
PRICE: $22.50
CAT #: UR 139EP
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
BRETSCHNEIDER & GIORGIO LI CALZI, FRANK Zero Mambo 12"
Umor Rex presents a new collaboration between two great exponents of contemporary music who have been part of the electronic and experimental avant-garde for the last three decades. On the one hand, there is Berlin-based musician, composer, and video artist Frank Bretschneider, recognized for precise sound placement, complex, interwoven rhythm structures, and his minimal, flowing approach. On the other hand, Giorgio Li Calzi, the Italian trumpeter, composer, producer, and performing director based in Turin, whose work is known for electronic/effects improvisation combined with the trumpet. The creation process of Zero Mambo started when Giorgio and Frank met in Chamois, the Italian Alps, in 2018. A year later, Bretschneider sent to a few drafts in the form of audio files, loops, and sequences, and Li Calzi used this material quasi as a framework to create new compositions on it. At that time, in the pandemic, with the unprecedented intervention in lives and rituals, the situation led to ideal conditions to reflect and produce music, a snapshot of the weird times. Li Calzi and Bretschneider offer in Zero Mambo a fascinating album between electronic and jazz. It is clear that it is elegant, clean, and minimal, but we have to say, Zero Mambo is also exuberant and cheerful. A fantastic Berlin-Turin music connection. 45rpm; die-cut sleeve; includes download code; edition of 300.
UR 140CS
 
PRICE: $13.50
CAT #: UR 140CS
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
FILIPOVICH, LINA BFHC Cassette
On her second album (first one on Umor Rex), the Minsk born/Paris based artist Lina Filipovich continues her experiments on deconstruction and re-appropriation of classical pieces. BFHC includes seven electronic interpretations of the works of Baroque composers such as Bach, Handel, Frescobaldi, Carleton, and Couperin. Inspired by memories of her experience of interpreting Bach's pieces in early childhood, Filipovich explores the desire to push the limits of performing classical music in the traditional way. Her baroque compositions are manipulated, modified, transformed into loops, cut, slowed down and recycled like any content could be, becoming a raw material for new compositions accompanied by electronic sequences, rhythms and basslines. Through the recycling, sampling and reassembly, Lina creates new listening experiences. And if BFHC can be interpreted as a tribute to baroque music, it can also be understood as a call to action to the work of contemporary artists like Oval, and to all the boom of clicks and cuts at the beginning of this millennium. Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri. Artwork by Daniel Castrejón. Edition of 100.
UR 141CS
 
PRICE: $13.50
CAT #: UR 141CS
FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL
CONCEPCION HUERTA Harmonies from Betelgeuse Cassette
Mexican sound artist Concepción Huerta is also a skilled photographer and video artist, and all of these aptitudes come together in the kinematic elements of her musical thesis. Her narrative seems to be an uninterrupted communication with movement as an axis: it pauses and falls with cadence at some moments; it agitates in disturbance at some others. But one movement perpetually crosses the other, even if sometimes imperceptibly. Her sound work evokes displacements similar to what we could understand as a force of zero gravity. Taking this criterion as a backbone of her most recent work, the idea behind Harmonies from Betelgeuse focuses on the transmission of electricity between body and machine, between the organic and the inorganic. -- Strong loads of sound pulses move away from Earth's gravity through tape-manipulation. Betelgeuse is a star that belongs to the Orion constellation, but, since it has been expelled from its stellar association, it is considered a fugitive -- An exile. Harmonies from Betelgeuse is composed of eight pieces built as a whole, accompanying and destroying each other like theatrical parts of a cosmic tragedy. A beautiful analogy about impending extinction and exile. Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri. Photos by Mateo Barbuzzi. Design by Daniel Castrejón. Edition of 100.
ZEL ZELE (TURKEY)
ZEL 007LP
 
PRICE: $24.00
CAT #: ZEL 007LP
FILE UNDER: WORLD
VERONIK Anomala LP
Anómala by Peruvian Theremin player and guitarist Veronik is a haunting theremin album where the instrument becomes a melodic voice. It's a gentle experimentation that floats beautifully on femme psychedelic rock waters, captivating with its cinematic and moody soundscapes. Previously self-released in Peru in 2017, Zel Zele present Anómala's deserved re-release featuring four additional tracks and it's first-ever vinyl issue, advancing Anomala to another dimension. For fans of: Lydia Kavina, Clara Rockmore, Vanishing Twin, Laurence Vanay, Carolina Eyck.
new releases are also viewable at https://www.forcedexposure.com/new/newindx.html




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