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Search results for "willi"

Artist Album Format Label & Cat. Number Year Price (incl. 19% VAT)  
BAILEY, THOMAS BEY WILLIAM La Production Interdite MC Elevator Bath eeaoa049 2018 €10.00
BASINSKI, WILLIAM Shortwavemusic CD 2062.0701 2007 €16.00
The River do-CD 2062.0702 2008 €24.00
Vivian & Ondine CD 2062.0902 2009 €16.00
A Red Score in Tile CD 2°62 1301 2013 €16.00
Variations: a Movement in Chrome Primitive do-CD 2°62 1302 2013 €24.50
Cascade CD 2062 2015 €14.50
A Shadow in Time LP Temporary Residence Lim. TRR278LP 2017 €25.00
A Shadow in Time CD 2062 - 2062.1701 2017 €14.00
On Time out of Time CD Temporary Residence Lim. TRR311 2019 €14.00
On Time out of Time LP Temporary Residence Lim. TRR311 2019 €25.00
Lamentations CD Temporary Residence TRR343 2020 €14.50
Lamentations (black vinyl) do-LP Temporary Residence TRR343 2020 €29.50
92982 CD 2062 0901 2016 €16.00
Melancholia (opaque red orange vinyl) LP Temporary Residence Limited TRR236 2023 €29.50
  The Disintegration Loops IV CD Temporary Residence Limited TRR226 2014 €15.00
BASINSKI, WILLIAM & LAWRENCE ENGLISH Selva Oscura LP Temporary Residence Limited TRR312 2018 €21.00
  Selva Oscura CD Temporary Residence Ltd. TRR312 2018 €14.00
BASINSKI, WILLIAM & RICHARD CHARTIER Divertissement LP Important Records IMPREC417 2015 €25.50
  Aurora Liminalis CD Line Line_060 2013 €14.50
BASINSKI, WILLIAM / ANDREAS MARTIN / CHRISTOPH HEEMANN Cloes do-7inch Robot Records 29 2003 €16.50
BURROUGHS, WILLIAM S. Thee Films 1950s - 1960s DVD Cherry Red Records crdvd146 2007 €19.50
The Instrument of Control CD Archivio Letterario 0604WB 2006 €14.00
Three allusive Tracks from Break Through in a Grey Room 7inch Sub Rosa SR266 2009 €11.00
Häxan: Witchcraft through the Ages CD Sotpackan sp0067 2014 €13.00
Call me Burroughs LP Superior Viaduct SV094 2016 €24.00
Curse Go Back LP Paradigm PD 031LP 2016 €22.00
Let me hang you LP Khannibalism KK003 / Ernest Jenning Record Co. EJRC122 2016 €23.00
A Man Within (Documentation) DVD Good Movies/Neue Visionen 2012 €10.00
Ali's Smile LP Paradigm Discs PD 36 2021 €26.00
Nothing Here Now but the Recordings LP DAIS Records DAIS 065 2023 €25.00
Break Throuigh in Grey Room LP DAIS Records DAIS197LPC 2023 €25.00
  Break Through in Grey Room LP DAIS Records DAIS197LPC 2023 €25.00
BURROUGHS, WILLIAM S. & BRION GYSIN same LP Cold Spring CSR293LP 2021 €28.00
DAFELDECKER, WERNER & VALERIO TRICOLI Williams Mix extended CD Quakebasket QB28 2014 €12.00
FREIWILLIGE SELBSTKONTROLLE (F.S.K.) Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle / Teilnehmende Beobachtung LP A-Musik A41 2021 €20.00
GNOME & SPYBEY At Willie's Place CD Tourette Records 017 2010 €10.00
KONKETE ANTI WULST Unsichtbare Zwillinge CD-R Attenuation Circuit ACLE 1009 2014 €7.00
MENCHE, DANIEL / WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS Raised Coils of the Giant Serpent of Eternity / I Heard only the Eternal Storm LP Sige Records SIGE028LP 2014 €21.50
MODELBAU / GERALD FIEBIG & WILLIAM ROSSI same MC Grubenwehr Freiburg GFAC1003 / Attenuation Circuit 2023 €8.50
SMOOTH QUALITY EXCREMENT My name is William Wayne CD-R Discorporeality Recordings 2006 €10.00
WILLIAMS, EMMETT Poems 1950-2003 pic-LP Edition RZ 9002 2004 €18.00

"willi" entries in albums descriptions

Artist Album Format Description Year Price (incl. 19% VAT)  
400 LONELY THINGS Mother Moon CD surprising release on Cold Spring: after a long forgotten LP many years ago (2003),this is the first wider available CD for this US project, centered around a place called "Banning Mill" in Georgia, an art collective cultural house for outsiders and freaks in the backwoods of the American South 1970*s - 1990's >= nine pieces full of beautiful nostalgic ambience and magic loops, with a long story behind, produced by WILLIAM BASINSKI 2023 €15.00
A.G. (AGHIS GIANNOULIS) LONEA : MM - MMVIII / MMXII - MMXVI do-LP this interesting Greek artist created 25 deeply melancholic, sunken piano-dronescapes, slow and repetitive, the perfect soundtrack for his video films... comparable to: ROBERT HAIGH, WILLIAM BASINSKI, ELODIE, etc.. - comes in a luxurious gatefold cover with mounted 4 page 12" x 12" booklet and diverse postcards and inlays 2019 €25.00
ADORAN Children of Mars CD a mixture of dark drone / doom ambient and post-rock, and it really works... drifty percussion tunes are hidden behind a big wall of doomy bass guitar drones, "super hypnotic and super heavy" [Aquarius Rec.]!! ADORAN is the project of DORIAN WILLIAMSON (NORTHUMBRIA) and AIDAN BAKER (NADJA, etc.) who plays percussion (!) and this is their second album... highly recommended if you like it dark, guitarish and droney... 2015 €12.00
  same CD ADORAN is the project of DORIAN WILLIAMSON (NORTHUMBRIA) and AIDAN BAKER (NADJA, etc.) who plays percussion here (!), this is their debut album..."the tracks of this album explore Aidan's and Dorian's sludgy doom-side in a whole different way: atmospheric as ever, yet heavily relying on rhythmic patterns. Aidan's drums sound bone-crushing, and are really the pulse of ADORAN's music.." 2013 €12.00
ALVA NOTO FEAT. MARTIN L. GORE & W. BASINSKI Subterraneans 12inch (45rpm) amazing 45rpm 12" => a cover version of DAVID BOWIE's song (recorded 1975, the closing song to the album "Low" from 1977) as a tribute to the people "behind the wall" in East-Berlin, now feat. WILLIAM BASINSKI (saxophone) and MARTIN L: GORE (DEPECHE MODE) on vocals on a beautiful ambient piece ! The B-side holds the instrumental version.. 2022 €18.00
BELLUCCI, ANDREA / MATTEO UGGERI The Soundtrack of your Secrets CD the first collaboration by A. BELLUCCI (RED SECTOR A, work with DEISON etc.) and MATTEO UGGERI is a highly emotional affair, various piano harmonies merge with field recordings, electronic beats, instrumental sounds & samples, and poetry... full of warm melancholy and yeaning... "a work that penetrates inside the soul of anyone willing to let go. Unreservedly, without any limits. Until we are naked... looking inside ourselves. Deep inside." - 15 x 15 cm trifold sleeve 2022 €13.00
BIONULOR same CD-R promising new Polish experimental ambience project; all tracks are derived from short samples & fragments from "musical waste" (100% recycling); the result on this debut album is a very poetic & introspective ambience resembling WILLIAM BASINSKIs works; comes in oversized cardboard-cover 2009 €8.50
CELER Discourses of the Withered CD re-mastered re-issue of CELERs very first "fabric-pressed" album from 2008 (with recordings from 2006) - slow repetitive & flowing melancholia waves & washes, WILLIAM BASINSKI meets old ULTRA MILKMAIDS or ULTRASOUND, wonderfully emotive.... lim. 500 2012 €14.00
DEAD RAVEN CHOIR Jean Genet's Lonesome Rhino 7 really sick doomed & distortened noise, incl. two insane cover-versions of HANK WILLIAMS & KAZUKI TOMOKAWA songs; lim. 300, black & red splatter vinyl 2010 €8.50
DREAD (LUSTMORD) In Dub CD DREAD is the new project of BRIAN WILLIAMS aka LUSTMORD - combining dark orchestral ambient with slow dubby rhythms, using also voice-material, acoustic drums and e-guitar this is quite a different approach and sound than on the LUSTMORD-remix projects; "breathtaking, dark, unshiftable and solid, this is the kind of dread where you're not sure where the evil force lurks.." 2017 €13.50
E/I MAGAZINE MUSIC ELECTRONIC AND OTHERWISE - Issue Seven (Summer 2006) mag articles on JOHN DUNCAN, TROUM, MUSLIMGAUZE, CHRISTOPHER WILLITS, RADBOUD MENS, INFRACTION, RUNE GRAMMOFON, 'ellipsis' by COLIN NEWMAN, 150+ reviews... great full colour mag from the US 2006 €8.00
EX.ORDER The Place of Dead Roads CD named after a novel of WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS, this is a collection of rare and unreleased tracks from 1999-2010 (mainly from deleted compilations), showing EX.ORDER's capability to create powerful dystopian apocalyptic industrial that never looses the tension or collapses into pure noise... pulsing analogue synths, whirring sounds, eerie noises, distorted speeches and quotes: excellent material by the "Alter Ego" of INADE 2017 €13.00
IVERSON AND WALTERS First Collection LP ambient/folk collector's item from 1984, JON IVERSON + TOM WALTERS on 12-string guitar, mandolin, analog synths=> "bright, weightless, diverse compositions where electronic experiments mix with ethnic rhythms, sweeping through inspired folk reminiscent of the work of WILLIAM ACKERMAN, JOHN FAHEY, MASTER WILBURN BURCHETTE... to homemade pastoral space folk exuding sophisticated, pale, lunar sonic moods that somehow might remind of the work of ROEDELIUS from the early 80s.." re-mastered + bonus material ! 2022 €23.00
LEWIS, KLARA Ingrid LP (one-sided) one side-long piece that evolves from a silent cello loop into something multi-layered and noisy, with great effect... "It's almost like a voice or chant, shifting pointedly from a whisper into a scream before singing peacefully into the light... At times, "Ingrid" reminds of William Basinski's looping melancholy or S. Reich's controlled and innovative phase experiments, while at others, it recalls the chaotic Scandinavian physicality of black metal." 2020 €19.00
LUSTMORD & KARIN PARK Alter (lim. col. vinyl) do-LP "ALTER is a ritual of our times." - BRIAN WILLIAMS working together with 'nordic Pop diva' KARIN PARK - extremely ethereal and abysmal, but also beautiful and harmonic... most far away dronings collide with mournful, at times polyphonic vocalizations and choirs...- rare edition: lim. 150 copies on clear gold and silver; gatefold cover 2021 €35.00
Alter CD BRIAN WILLIAMS working together with 'nordic Pop diva' KARIN PARK - extremely ethereal and abysmal, but also beautiful and harmonic... most far away dronings collide with mournful, at times polyphonic vocalizations and choirs... "..it is a fascinating study of light and shade that delves deep into vast uncharted darkness." 2021 €14.00
  Alter (black vinyl) do-LP "ALTER is a ritual of our times." => BRIAN WILLIAMS working together with the Swedish singer KARIN PARK : extremely ethereal and abysmal, but also beautiful and harmonic... most far away dronings collide with mournful, at times polyphonic vocalizations and choirs...- standard black vinyl edition, luxurious gatefold cover w. silver foil print 2021 €28.00
MAGNETICA ARS LAB / MAURIZIO BIANCHI LoopKlängeNoise CD the result of a very special collaboration project concept, inspired by the theories of W. KANDINSKY about the contamination between visual art and music (every track has a second title relating to a Kandinsky picture): 13 tracks with lots of guest musicians involved, lim. 300 / incl. 16 page DVD sized booklet with info & photos of industrial mining areas in Sardinia, + quotes relating to JOHN CAGE, WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS, KLAUS SCHULZE, JEAN BAUDRILLARD, LUIGI RUSSOLO, etc.. 2013 €12.00
MARCHETTI, LIONEL Mue (la demeure brillante) mCD back in stock one of the remarkable releases in the nice Metamkine "Cinema pour l'oreille" mini-CD series; this 21 min long electro-acoustic piece in 7 parts uses extreme poetry/vocals (with texts by french writer WILLIAM PELLIER)and eruptive cut-up/fragmented/processed instrumental and electronic sounds, forming something bewildering beyond all typical genres... special priced now ! 1993 €5.00
NOZAKI, TOMONARI The Fall of Icarus mCDR drone-ambient newcomer from Japan inspired with this work by the myth of Icarus, using reel-to-reel tape 'destruction' techniques and other analogue experiments, creating a harmonic but powerful ambience somewhere between WILLIAM BASINSKI and TIM HECKER maybe... to discover 2014 €5.00
NURSE WITH WOUND The Sylvie and Babs High-Thigh Companion pic-LP limited re-issue of this classic NWW album from 1985 (originally entitled "The S & B Hi-Fi Companion") feat. the "MURRAY FONTANA ORCHESTRA" with DAVID JACKMAN, E. KA-SPEL, JOHN BALANCE, ROBERT HAIGH, WILLIAM BENNETT....- comes with new artwork from Babs Santini! - "Sylvie and Babs is one of the most memorable, playful, and fascinating albums in the NWW oeuvre." [Antony D'Amico] - 2021 €33.00
The Ladies Home Tickler (And Other Exotic Devices) do-LP expanded edition of "The Ladies Home Tickler", originally the bonus LP of the 'Psilotripitaka' box (1990), feat. historical recordings with WILLIAM BENNETT and JIM THIRLWELL (1980) - now enriched with diverse rare bonus tracks or different versions: "Classic tape cut-ups, radio sludge, surrealism, and abstract chaos." - Gatefold Cover, RED vinyl with black splatters, art insert, new artwork by BABS SANTINI - lim. 500 2022 €39.50
  The Sylvie And Babs Hi-Fi Companion (expanded re-issue) do-CD re-press of the expanded re-issue of this classic NWW album from 1985 (originally LP on L.A.Y.L.A.H.) feat. the "MURRAY FONTANA ORCHESTRA" with DAVID JACKMAN, E. KA-SPEL, JOHN BALANCE, ROBERT HAIGH, WILLIAM BENNETT, etc. - re-mastered by DENIS BLACKHAM & with new 12 page booklet and bonus CD with outtakes, unreleased material and remixes from IRR.APP(ext.) and ANDREW LILES; 6 panel digipak matt laminated 2023 €20.00
RANALDO, LEE Ambient Loop for Vancouver CD re-issue of this 2006 release, showing the avantgardish and droning side of the ex SONIC YOUTH guitarist; this one-tracker of about 54 min. feat. ALAN LICHT on guitar, CHRISTIAN MARCLAY on turntables and WILLIAM HOOKER on drums, it has a lovely nostalgic flair and low-fi beauty... lim. 400 2015 €16.00
RAPOON What do you suppose? (the Alien Question) do-CD re-issue of deleted album from 1999 inspired by a theory about the presence of aliens by WILLIAM COOPER, now with a completely new & so far unpublished bonus album "The Project Book" which is based on the same source recordings as "What do you suppose" but uses (almost) no vocal material at all, sounding completely different... lim. 500 2015 €16.50
SAUNDERS, BRYAN LEWIS Near Death Experience CD re-issue of the LP from 2010, now with 7 bonus tracks from rare CD-Rs or completely unreleased=> spoken-word art and sound poetry with various artists supplying the sounds, such as JOHN DUNCAN, MARCELO AGUIRRE, JOACHIM MONTESSUIS, etc.. "The bastard son of William S. Burroughs, Antonin Artaud and Crispin Glover. Hilarious, awful, heartbreaking and brutally honest, his Stand Up Tragedy is some of the best shit I’ve heard in a decade" [LYDIA LUNCH] - lim. 300 with 20 page booklet feat. all lyrics 2018 €13.00
SCOTT, SIMON (SIMON SCOTT) Insomni CD fourth album by British sound artist SIMON SCOTT (once the drummer in SLOWDIVE, but he works also for films, exhibitions and dance productions) creating beautiful organic atmospherics, between the very abstract and more harmonic (acoustic guitar) passages, involving environmental & field recordings.. "Highly recommended for fans of Rafael Anton Irisarri, William Basinski, Lawrence English and Christian Fennesz." [Headphone Commute] 2015 €15.00
SELAXON LUTBERG Simboli Accidentali LP third full album by this ultra spheric melancholiac from Italy, these nostalgia drones are made from effected guitar, organ and self-made loops, creates a wonderful mellow & sad atmosphere ... reminds on LABRADFORD, STARS OF THE LID, WILLIAM BASINSKI.... lim. vinyl version 2013 €20.00
SORRY FOR LAUGHING See It Alone CD incredible project with three of our all time artists involved: WILLIAM SHARP ( BIOTA), MARTYN BATES (EYELESS IN GAZA) and EDWARD KA-SPEL (LEGENDARY PINK DOTS), plus more guest musicians - on 12 tracks they create minimal melancholic "folk" songs based on synth piano & organ, accordeon, violin, with some nice experimental sound effects and tricks, and often vocals.. - "This album is a gift that moves for its simplicity and intimacy" [LOOP] 2021 €15.00
SPECIAL INTERESTS (MAG) No. 11 mag the noise & industrial mag. from Finland, feat articles & interviews with CONTRASTATE, SALAKAPAKKA SOUND SYSTEM, CIRCLE OF SHIT, AGENCEMENT, BACTERIA FIELD, WORTH, TORBA, BIZARRE UPROAR, plus review pages for example by WILLI STASCH (ex CTHULHU, now AUSSAAT label); 40 pages DIN A4, b/w 2019 €9.00
SUDDEN INFANT Holes of Glory MC a dark & experimental 'sexually explicit' industrial soundtrack inspired by WILLIAM FRIEDKINs film "Crusing" (1980), retelling the story of a serial-killer in New York City's homosexual / SM scene of the 70's... ; lim. 100, C-60, professional cover & duplication with MP3 download card 2014 €9.00
TEXT OF LIGHT Text of Light 3 x CD-Box lim metal-box with imbossing. TEXT OF LIGHT is LEE RANALDO & ALAN LICHT, WILLIAM HOOKER, CHRISTIAN MARCLAY, TIM BARNES, ULRICH KRIEGER, DJ OLIVE, ... 2006 €34.00
THALASSA Bonds of Prosperity LP stunning first release of a new project formed by the never sleeping AARON TURNER (HYDRA HEAD, ISIS, LOTUS EATERS, MAMIFFER, etc.) with WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, spreading highly contemplative and elemental acoustic drone muzak on 4 LP sides, creating subtle resonances, ethereal sirenes, noise dissolvements..." The ocean, blood, rain, sand, the desert, heat, fog -- all of these elemental / environmental forces are at play in the heavily sedimental drones and crumbled noise " lim. 300 2017 €27.50
THE FLOATING WORLD The Wood beyond the World CD project around AMANDA VOTTA inspired by Buddhist philosophy and a novel from WILLIAM MORRIS, emanating much more brighter & 'positive' psychedelic vibrations & atmospheres (as usual known for Cyclic Law acts), using lots of flute sounds and other instrumental sources like guitar, bells, piano... everything floats and is ephemeral forever.. 2013 €13.00
V.A. (VARIOUS ARTISTS) (COMPILATIONS) Ein Prosit zur letzten Tide do-CDR A compilation collected by the Hoerbar in Hamburg and usually only available at the club, exlusive material by : ASMUS TIETCHENS, HYPH, GRADIENT COMMUNICATION, EVAPORI, AUDIBLE PAIN, TBC, JETZMANN, TOTSTELLEN, WILLI W, Y-TON-G, SONATA REC, etc. 2004 €12.00
Musics in the Margin Vol.1 CD digipack & 12p. booklet, compilation with most obscure "outsider art" -music: DANIEL JOHNSTON, WESLEY WILLIS, KONSTANTIN RAUDIVE, etc.. 2007 €13.00
  Fluxus Anthology : A Collection of Music and Sound LP a collection of various incredible soundworks 1956-1989 that could be labelled as part of the Fluxus movement, by: JOSEPH BEUYS, JOHN CAGE, LA MONTE YOUNG, NAM JUNE PAIK, PHILIP CORNER, YOKO ONO, EMMETT WILLIAMS, MILAN KNIZAK, WOLF VOSTELL, etc.. first released as LP in 1989, comes with replica of the original sleeve design featuring excerpts from various Fluxus writings 2017 €28.00
WINER, LESLIE When I hit you, you'll feel it do-LP known mainly for the maybe first ever Trip-Hop album "Witch", recorded already in 1989, LESLIE WINER was working as the first androgyn super-model in NYC before, WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS was her friend, BJÖRK BOY GEORGE and GRACE JONES admired her... - this anthology collects three decades of her groundbreaking musical work and poetry, a new interview, collabs and unreleased tracks, plus 24 page booklet; comes w. gatefold cover and OBI 2021 €39.50
X-NAVI:ET Brain Overloaded CD the solo project of RAFAL IWANSKI from HATI - first full album, dedicated to WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS - very versatile ambient noise tracks, using all kinds of analog & digital sources, field recordings and acoustic objects, very different from HATI ! Lim. 444 copies / special oversized cover 2012 €12.00
ACCELERA DECK Ski mCD-R One beautiful digitalized guitar-track with nice effects, soft and melodic! “Since 1997 Chris Jeely (who is the man behind Accelera Deck) has utilized the guitar in a variety of settings, draping it over nimble breakbreats, or twisted in with IDM. Sometimes dropping all beats and picking up the acoustic guitar and (gasp!) singing. With the release of 2003’s album “Ipsissima Vox” and the lengthy ep “Sunstrings” in 2004, Chris focused on the extremes of guitar noise. Huge walls of sound, piercing digital feedback and general disregard for the eardrums of those in attendance at any of his shows became the norm. Accelera Deck was a complete live experience, and had most venue soundpersons nervously holding there breath, waiting for a speaker to blow. Chris just smiled and asked them to turn it up just a bit more! But now with this release Chris returns with a melodic directness, and extends the song “Ski” (which will appear in a different form on “Pop Polling”) into a decaying piece of delicate beauty. A very simple and effective guitar line slowly overlaps with other melodic fragments, all the sounds begin echoing, stuttering, and slowly fading from sight. An ephemeral piece that is comparable to the work of William Basinski, or Brian Eno for the digital age. Chris, when asked about this music, replied “I personally do not know how to ski, but I might like to learn how one day.” 2005 €5.00
AGUIRRE, MARCELO Contes d'Etonnement LP Voices, percussion, drums, and rather spooky electronic processing. A minimal structure onto which uncanny atmospheres become kind of interwoven. A sort of heterophony, in the manner of Japanese Gagaku or Indonesian Gamelan. An intriguing inversion seems to unfold, when the drum set takes the lead in the composition's development. We could even say the drums court the shadow of a melody, whilst the voice delivers a litany, enhancing atmospheres that are, to my ears, less sinister than they are elegiac: the longing for a primitive age, a meaningful world now lost and irrecoverable in its healthful entirety. This invocation works by way of an overlapping of sounds, always finding their source in the percussion set and in the vocal intonations. It becomes apparent that time is the very question here, a time that is intangible and yet ‘absolute’ (if I may incur in this oxymoron), giving up any stringent historical temporality in favor of a sort of sedimentation in geological layers. Just listen to "Malaria C", a post-industrial landscape in the style of Lustmørd that brings to mind images of a universe in stasis, forever frozen in an ancient phase, while the voice underlines this ominous scenery, and the sound of tiny bells towards the end conjures a unique form of consolation as an ephemeral corollary. In "Krakatoa", an extensive and vast sense of time lingers morosely in aural repetition, varying only slightly in intensity before the layered singing voices invoke an unlikely fulfillment. Those unmistakable chants may also resound in "Only A Mother", sort of a psalmody framed by a vehement and rhythmic acceleration which emphasizes how exacting and unavoidable is time's call. Yet elusive, ungraspable time, resists being dissected into discrete and symmetrical units, escaping the prison of human perception; the drums go on and on, scanning their disparate metrics in an integral, unrestrained use of every component in the drum kit. 'I will follow the Time' could be guessed within "In Eternal Life". It is the only song which foregoes the drums. However, gongs recorded by close-miking bring to mind and ears the rumble of a synthesizer, coalescing with a jeremiad sung in a somber dialect that is cryptic, never discernible as intelligible language. The voice is merely another instrument, overlapping in disparate layers and warping polyphonic textures as its frequencies collide and clash, one against each other. While a voice recites an eerie mass, an incantation from another world, then punctuated by chants which resound like undulating drones. It is difficult not to acknowledge the overall effect of some healthy dispossession, of a deliberate shedding of fineries, aimed at reducing everything to minimal expression. It is as if Marcelo Aguirre turns a cold shoulder to the weight of tradition and to the classification of musical experience with definite labels and overwrought categorization, as if he wanted to go beyond any accepted distinction of rhythm and melody, prose and poetry, or noise and harmony. Is his an appeal which knows of no precedent, a longing for an unheard form of music? A music able to transcend time and place while not relinquishing its human and historical fate? I cannot help taking note of a certain kinship that this musical inquiry of Aguirre's crisscrosses the time-honored obsession with Time, held by European philosophers from the late XIXth and early XXth Century. For instance, William James and his brother Henry's 'stream of consciousness', the 'durée' of Henri Bergson, and the transcendental subjectivity understood as an absolute by Edmund Husserl. What Aguirre may share with this company is the search for a language adept to communicate the indefinable, the flow of a temporality that does not allow itself to be captured in any given moment, instead it is music at the service of a primordial intuition. Therefore recovering an original order, harmonizing in a fullness of sense the flow of sounds. An attitude which positions itself at the antipodes of some developments in current electronic music, with its disassembling of the sound reality into beats (or bits and bytes), and an everlasting reiteration of artificial rhythmic structures, always monotonous and symmetrical even in their angularity. It is in this context of predominant musical tendencies nowadays, which blesses in a paradoxical marriage the once hostile fields of pop and experimentation, that these 'Contes d'Étonnement' reinvent a fresh appeal to the liberal imagination; a force as ancient (and eternal?) as the human species is. [from the inlay, text by NORBERTO CAMBIASSO] https://marceloaguirre.bandcamp.com/releases 2018 €17.00
AHTI, MARJA & JUDITH HAMANN A coincidence is perfect, intimate attunement LP After their distinguished duet ‘Portals’ for Cafe Oto\'s Takuroku label, ‘A coincidence is perfect, intimate attunement’ is a wonderful sophomore collaborative work pieced together over two years of changing seasons, ideas, moods, and feelings. The release is formed from a shifting field of sound correspondence that pivots on moments of coincidence, of a tuning in. What are we opening ourselves to when we tune in to sound? How can one be truly open to a sound? How can the activity of recording move beyond notions of capture and release into more generative frames? Rather than a tool purposed for preservation or ‘conservation’ of memory, of time and place, can recording sound instead form new vibrant or vibratory spaces of attunement? ‘A Coincidence..’ is an LP length composition of multiple interlocking parts, created through exchange, alignment, unpredictability: the title borrowed from poet Fanny Howe falling right into place, a flock of birds in flight, pitches matched and moved across different geographies and temporal frames. Marja & Judith have created an intuitive, lyrical longform piece that considers the idea of attunement itself as, in some sense, the smallest form of measure or denominator connecting their respective practices: across field recording, just intonation, electronic sonorities and instrumental bodies. ‘A coincidence..’ reflects a sense of a willingness to tune in to impulses given, or gifted to the other, a position that embraces an intimate synchronicity. Judith Hamann: cello, voice, field recordings, synthesizer, organ Marja Ahti: field recordings, synthesizers, organs, piano Recordings & correspondances between 2020-2022. Mixed by Marja Ahti & Judith Hamann. Mastered and cut by Anne Taegert at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin, 2022. Title quotation from Night Philosophy by Fanny Howe, Divided Publishing, 2020. Photogrpahy by Joshua Bonnetta. Thanks to Nino Bulling, Niko-Matti Ahti and leo. The work was supported by Kone Foundation, Akademie Schloss Solitude and NEUSTART KULTUR. Second Editions 011 / LP / Edition of 300 / November 25 2022 https://marjaahti.bandcamp.com/album/a-coincidence-is-perfect-intimate-attunement 2022 €24.50
AKATOMBO False Positives CD + DVD-R "Is it or isn’t it? Have I or haven’t I? Aaah, the joys of a false positive. Hence the title for this, the 3rd full-length album from Hiroshima-based, ex-pat Scotsman, Paul Thomsen Kirk’s AKATOMBO audio/visual extravaganza. Dark and brooding – or – mellifluously uplifting ? “False Positives” carries on the recurrent, underlying theme of urban & cultural alienation in a media-connected, (controlled?), Japanese metropolitan environment, previously presented on the critically acclaimed AKATOMBO albums, “Trace Elements” (SWIM ~ Records) & “Unconfirmed Reports” (Hand-Held Recordings). From skimming the surface, to trawling the dank underbelly: the daily minutiae of life in a large, concrete/glass/steel Japanese metropolis is duly presented in all its garish hues and faded glories. Accessing all areas, and hopefully dispelling some Japanese urban myths along the way, “False Positives”, allows you, the willfully willing participant, the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself completely in a thoroughly enticing, mesmeric, 360-degree sonic adventure." [label info] 2012 €13.00
ALLETT, JACK The Object isn't there LP With The Object Isn't There, UK guitar player and producer Jack Allett has made a deeply personal masterpiece based around cyclical guitar parts and electronic percussion. Playing like a half-remembered fever dream with an aesthetic that is ragged, hypnotic, and spacey, its two side-long pieces touch on minimalism, kraut-infused dub, and euphoric dancefloor optimism. As comfortable being played after Manuel Göttsching's album E2-E4 (MGART 424CD) as right before a Terekke lo-fi house anthem, it is laced with the melancholy of an early morning post-rave comedown. Yet for all the references and name-checking, it's a record that is hard to compare to anything else, past or present. This record is about - insofar as instrumental music need be about anything - hallucinations. The title The Object Isn't There serves as a concise definition, derived from the quote "A hallucination is a strictly sensational form of consciousness, as good and true a sensation as if there were a real object there. The object happens to be not there, that is all." (William James, The Principles Of Psychology, 1890) Having experienced constant tinnitus -- a form of auditory hallucination -- for the last 13 years, Jack has long questioned the distinction of something experienced as being either there or not-there. Even if, strictly speaking, a hallucination is something that's not there, if the reality of how it affects day-to-day existence is undeniable then to any extent that matters, it is there. But The Object Isn't There is no tale of woe, nor simply a response to this one condition, and tinnitus need not be considered only as distressing or distracting. Allett sees it merely as one example of many things in life that cross this uncertain terrain. Allett explains: "There are obvious parallels here with the notion of active listening. There is room for emotion too, particularly an overwhelming, all-consuming emotion. Essentially the music here is concerned with being overwhelmed by a sensation, never really being sure to what extent you are conjuring it up yourself, to what extent it exists independently of you, but ultimately deciding that it doesn't much matter; the sensation itself was undeniable." The Object Isn't There was written, recorded, and mixed in Camberwell and Camden, London, UK (2012-2016). Artwork by Graham Lambkin; Design by Jeroen Wille. Mastered by Jack Allett. Edition of 300. 2017 €18.00
ARC Arkhangelsk CD Bei ARC werden die typischen BAKERschen Grundelemente (endlos lange Gitarren-Loops / Delays mit vielen Mikrodetails, die jedoch klar strukturiert sind) mit zum Teil kraftvoller Perkussion und elektronischen Effekten umhüllt....psychedelisch, improvisiert, dronig, eigenwillig.. Anklänge an TARENTEL und andere Post-Rock & Ambient-Guitar-Drone Projekte... "Four sixteen and seventeen minute tracks, the first a glistening glimmering long form metallic shimmer, laced with rainfall like percussion, skittery snares, long stretches of glitched out electronics, muted barely there rhythms. The second starts off like a less jazzy Necks, lots of space, softly strummed guitars, strange scattered percussion, soft swarms of electronic FX, backwards swoops, processed cymbal sizzle, subtly ominous and haunting, eventually the drums explode and the pound out a reverb drenched rhythm, while the guitars grow thicker and slightly more propulsive, eventually blissing out and fading out completely. The final two tracks are quite similar, beginning as deep soft shimmers and building in intensity until they become these reverb heavy tribal free jams, thick with droned out shimmers, and layers of fuzzy gauzy ambience, sort of like the Swans meets the Necks, or a blissed out Einstuerzende. Not the sort of stuff we're used to from Baker, but definitely cool, and certainly a bit more challenging than much of his more soothing blissed out drone / dirge output. If you dug the other one, you'll for sure dig this, and if you're looking for something a bit abstract, a bit jazzy, a bit krauty and a bit drone-y, then this could well fit the bill. Packaged in a striking sepia tone 6 panel digipack style sleeve, and again, we have very few copies, so when we sell out, please be patient while we try to get more." [Aquarius Records review] www.epidemie.cz 2008 €13.50
ART BEARS The World as it is Today CD „Die dritte und bis heute letzte Platte des "post-Canterbury"-Trios kreiert eine unheimliche Welt, in der alle Elemente einmalig und unvergeßlich klingen: die kompromißlose Gesellschafts- und Systemkritik in den Texten, die eigenwillige Kombination aus schneidenden Gitarren, Geigen, Piano und Mellotron, dazu die dramatische Stimme von Dagmar Krause und die perkussiven, das Schlagzeug-Spektrum erweiternden Klänge von Chris Cutler."Visionen der Apokalypse" wäre ein zutreffender Titel für diese kleinen Horrorszenarios, dabei geht es ja nur um den zur Zeit der Aufnahmen relativ zahmen Kapitalismus. Was würden die "Art Bears" bloß heute textlich zu diesem Thema bringen? Musikalisch am eindrucksvollsten ist diese ausgeprägte Tendenz zur Weltuntergangstimmung auf "DEMOCRACY" gediehen. Ganz hübsch verdreht wird es nochmal auf "ALBION, AWAKE!" (schon allein die Songtitel sprechen für sich, manchmal sogar demogerecht in Großbuchstaben), was als atonale, gesangslose Soundcollage das Album abschließt.“ [Siggy Zielinski / Babyblaue Seiten] New digipak version, of the third Art Bears album, originally released 1980. "If you thought Henry Cow was a pretty political band to start with, you may be even more taken aback by the Art Bears, which was put together following Henry Cow's demise by former Cows Chris Cutler (percussion), Fred Frith (guitar, violin), and Dagmar Krause (voice). On The World as it is Today and its predecessor, Winter Songs, the Art Bears move away from the long-form art rock of Henry Cow and get much, much more politically explicit: song titles like 'The Song of the Dignity of Labour Under Capital' and 'The Song of Investment Capital Overseas' almost sound like Monty Python gags today, but if any humor was intended it was clearly meant to be mordant. Frankly, the lyrics are so overwrought and portentous that it's hard to take them seriously. But the music is something else again. Cutler and Frith are natural collaborators; Cutler's drumming always rides a very fine line between the scattershot and the funky, while Frith bounces his horror-show guitar noise and carnival piano off of Cutler's grooves with manic abandon and fearsome inventiveness. And Krause's singing is just as inventive; she whoops, croons and screams her way through the density of Cutler's lyrics without a hesitation or misstep. Easy listening it isn't, but it's sure worth hearing. Frith fans, in particular, should consider this album a must-own." [label info] 2004 €14.00
BAD ALCHEMY No. 109 (März 2021) mag BA 109 (03/2021) enthält: Neues von Attenuation Circuit, Auf Abwegen, Nicholas Bussmann, Hans Castrup, Crónica, Cuneiform, Euphorium, Evil Rabbit, Satoko Fujii, Gruenrekorder, Alfred 23 Harth, Hubro, Intakt, Lenka Lente, Leo, Mamka, Moonjune, Public Eyesore / Eh?, ReR Megacorp, Relative Pitch, Udo Schindler, Sub Rosa, Klaus Treuheit, Unsounds, Wide Ear, Philip Zoubek; Protestsong 20: William Loveday Intention - Bob Vylan - Sleaford Mods - Billy Nomates; Essay: Feminité, Felinité, Solidarité: Schuiten & Peeters - Joann Sfar - François Bourgeon... 88 Seiten, keine Werbung 2021 €4.00
BAKER, AIDAN & TIM HECKER Fantasma Parastasie CD Die beiden ungekrönten Könige des kanadischen Drone-Ambients in Kollaboration! Trotz ihres sehr unterschiedlichen Backgrounds (der eine v.a. analog mit Gitarre arbeitend aus der Jazz & Impro-Szene stammend, der andere mit rein elektronischem Hintergrund eher aus Techno & Noise-Gefilden) treffen sie sich in einer fast undefinierbaren "Mitte", wobei unklar bleibt wer wessen Material bearbeitet hat oder ob es zu real-time Zusammenspielen kam. Frei flottierende Gitarren-Drones, teils ultra-sperrig verfremdet, teils subtil & beruhigend, dann wieder ausserweltlich und überbordend. Sehr variantenreich und ausufernd. Ungewöhnlich auch die Indexierung auf der CD: Die 7 Stücke verteilen sich auf ganze 66 Indexe! "Fantasma Parastasie sees the pairing of Aidan Baker, of the ambient doom band Nadja, and Tim Hecker, two of Canada's brightest musicians in the world of abstract electronic music. Tim Hecker has been enjoying the rewards of a stellar career and discography, devoid of filler, due to his incredibly high quality control. His full-length Harmony In Ultra Violet was viewed as a major release in the genre of experimental electronic music. Aidan Baker, on the other hand, works under very different circumstances, releasing material both as a solo artist and as a member of the duo Nadja. His prolificacy is on par with that of Merzbow and the late Muslimgauze. Thankfully, Aidan Baker is one of those musicians with the ability to record and write new music quickly and without sacrificing the quality of his art. Anyone familiar with both Aidan Baker and Tim Hecker is more than likely familiar with Alien8 Recordings as the two musicians have collectively released seven records for our label thus far. While Baker has collaborated with the likes of John Duncan, Black Boned Angel and Fear Falls Burning, among others, this marks the first collaboration to be released by Hecker. This release, divided in eight movements, blends together to form a fluid example of a collaboration that works. Unlike one of those collaborations where artists throw some sound files back and forth via the internet, this release is the fruit of various real-time recording and mixing sessions the two artists worked on in Tim Hecker's Montreal studio. The pieces on the record blend seamlessly into one another, creating a deeper listening experience, as is the case on a number of Tim Hecker's solo outings. While Baker and Hecker share a penchant for creating a powerful blend of ambient noise, Fantasma Parastasie finds the more dissonant elements tempered by an emphasis on ambience and even occasional melody. This release is available on CD in a digipak packaging." [label info] "... But somehow, the sounds on Fantasma Parastasie manage to transcend, allowing glimpses of familiar sounds, hints of each artist's own work, but woven into a whole that is unto itself, a gloriously abstract swirl of sound, longform landscapes of bliss and blur, of buzz and even roar, extended movements, in which the various elements drift and shimmer, overlap and intertwine, melodies and songcraft meet texture and soundscapery, guitars unfurl tangled melodies one second, bleary eyed chordal blurs the next, harmonics glisten and hover amidst deep soft swells, distortion and buzz build into fierce walls of blown out psychedelia, the sounds crumbling and decaying before our ears, threatening to collapse, and in this fragile state lies the beauty of those sounds, effulgent, incandescent, but at the same time, blackening, beginning some unnamable process of inevitable decay. And eventually it does decay, those thick roiling sounds dissipate, leaving something soft and shimmery, glistening on a bed of shed buzz and crumbled crush, floating heavenward, its notes and melodies catching the sunlight, and offering up prismatic reflections. The strange thing about this record is that each song is separated into super short pieces, eleven in most cases, each part between 15 and 45 seconds (it's obviously much more noticeable on the cd). We tried listening to it on shuffle, presuming that was perhaps the intention, and while it still sounds cool, it was a bit too and took too much away from the overall effect. Instead, the various parts, played in order, slip seamlessly into one another, so much so that if you weren't watching the tracks tick by on player, you wouldn't even notice. The two work amazingly well together, bits of guitar, fragments of riffs, looped and repeated, swathed in thick smears of digital crunch, of buzzing rumble, much of the record sounds like a heavier William Basinski, as if the two were experimenting with they own Disintegration Loops. A few of the tracks are quite tranquil, abstract and minimal, but for the most part, Baker and Hecker seem more interested in distressed sounds, in distortion, in pushing the limits, composing in the red, needles pegged, but taking what in other hands could be harsh and abrasive, and crafting those sounds into something simultaneously soft and dreamlike. Even the various movements, drift smoothly into one another the entire record almost like a single piece, expansive and varied and sprawling, epic and majestic, but inward looking, introspective, melancholy, imbuing the crumbling crunch and blown out minimalism, with emotion, with distinctive mood, at once dark and mysterious, but also strangely hopeful. The album closer and title track, is the only one not split up into movements, and is easily the most abstract, the most minimal, a stretch of lugubrious low end, so soft, so weightless, a hushed musical murmur, no distortion, no buzz, just a simple swell and sway, drifting fading, and finally disappearing. Absolutely breathtaking."" [Aquarius Records review] www.alien8recordings.com 2008 €13.00
BARDOSENETICCUBE + NOISES OF RUSSIA New Orthodox Line CD Rauhe, trancige Dronescapes mit sakralem Touch & intensiv ansteigendem Spannungsbogen zum Ende hin. Vielleicht lässt sich dieses feine Album der beiden in St. Petersburg beheimateten Projekte so mit einem Satz charakterisieren. Letztere sind zuletzt durch eine Reihe von ekstatisch-rituellen Konzerten aufgefallen, die sie in Russland und im angrenzenden skandinavischen Raum gaben... "New Orthodox Line brings together two of the most notable Russian post-industrial / experimental groups: Bardoseneticcube and Noises of Russia. This unique collaboration stirs the best of both artists to surface, and results in an extremely powerful and intense emotional experience. The opus travels from sacral soundscapes of orthodox choirs and church bells to a more punishing end of the sonic spectrum provided by pounding rhythms and howling feedback. Here, the opposites unite with passion and compliment each other for the sake of the greater good, the synergetic New Orthodox Line. Bardoseneticcube, having released dozens of albums on various labels worldwide, has gained recognition in the international experimental / electronic scene. Bardoseneticcube self-describes their music as “surrealism”, using A. Breton’s description: "pure psychic automatism willing to express the real functioning of the reflection either orally or written, or in any other form. Dictation of mind without any control from the intellect, outside of any aesthetic of moral considerations". More info » bsc.radionoise.ru Noises of Russia is a highly active Russian experimental music act, with practically countless live performances and a number of albums and videos under their belt. This four member group uses styles and imagery from dark ambient to drone, all the while never forgetting traditional noise music. Their unique mixture of influences, along with their extremely powerful use of vocals, create an unforgettable experience in modern music. More info » www.noises.ru " [label notes] "... a joint venture between two of Russia's interesting projects from the Noise-related scene. Noises Of Russia is a quartet known for its high activity of live performances plus a large number of albums and videos released. The other project is called Bardosenetticcube also being in the forefront on the Russian scene. This album titled "New orthodox line" is a strange beast even in the noise scene with the inclusion of sacral soundscapes consisting of church bells and orthodox choirs swirling in the storm of abrasive noise drones. Consisting of one lengthy track of 47 minutes the expression is impressive with a nice emotional approach to sonic aggression. Intense." [NM, Vital weekly] www.someplaceelse.net 2007 €12.00
BARTC Insubstantial as Ghosts CD BArTc is London based experimental electronic audio visual artist Jason Barton, with his nom de plume comprising the symbols for three chemical elements - Boron (B), Argon (Ar) and Technetium (Tc) - while also giving nods to both Hungarian composer Béla Bartók and his own surname. 'Insubstantial As Ghosts' is Barton’s debut album and contains fourteen highly atmospheric soundscapes. Taking the title from a William Gibson novel that was also used in a citation about Sleeping Sickness (‘they neither conveyed nor felt the feeling of life; they were as insubstantial as ghosts, and as passive as zombies’), he comments that “I have always loved the phrase as for me it perfectly describes minimalist, other worldly dark ambience.” Initially inspired by instrumental electronic records in his father’s record collection by titans such as Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre, Barton soon gravitated towards underground ‘industrial’ icons such as Coil, Einstürzende Neubauten, Chris & Cosey and Skinny Puppy, as well as digging deeper into the work of early German electronicists such as Cluster, Musique concrète pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, plus the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Citing sound recordist (and Cabaret Voltaire co-founder) Chris Watson as another influence, adding that “I have always loved environmental sounds and often carry a field recorder on my travels which I use to create texture in my pieces.” Further explaining his modus operandi, Barton explains: “I build layers to create something abstract yet strangely beautiful, mixing source material, organic and experimental sounds plus field recordings that are heavily distorted with various effects. For me, creating music is a form of meditation, and to lose oneself in an improvisation is a wonderful experience. I just need to remember to hit record!” Having collected synthesisers and made music (both alone and with friends) for several years, Barton subsequently started the project Less Than One to create accompanying videos that he began posting on Instagram. Initially solely for his own work, he soon earned plaudits from a worldwide community of electronic artists that in turn has led to commissions from the likes of Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini. Much of ‘Insubstantial As Ghosts’ was recorded in January 2021 while the UK was in lockdown. “I participated in an annual Instagram music making challenge, where artists post a short piece of music every day using the hashtag #jamuary2021. Recording my contributions at the same time every evening (22:23), I amassed many minutes of music and ideas. Some of these were expanded to become tracks for the album or inspired further recordings through the dark winter nights.” ICR's Colin Potter heard some of Barton’s work and agreed on a releasel. He has handpicked several of the pieces included on ‘Insubstantial As Ghosts’ and also mastered the album. https://icrdistribution.bandcamp.com/album/insubstantial-as-ghosts 2021 €13.00
BATES, MARTYN Fireworks & Jewels / The Colour of Amber CD "Fireworks & Jewels is the 3rd solo album in as many years from Eyeless In Gaza’s Martyn Bates – being a collection of mostly voice/guitar pieces with a focus on the SONG – words and music stripped to core elements. Working with these elements, Elizabeth S. and Alan Trench introduce subtle colours to the body of these performances – with Trench adding particularly deft applications of electronics & tape treatments – creating a whole other supporting soundworld for the seeming fragility of Bates’ apparently often elusively private world of words & music. As Bates’ states, for him, the whole process of music-making is cathartic. On this occasion the resulting songs address some elusive and mercurial ideas and concepts. According to Bates: “ … I wanted to put across … the way that during heightened moments in everyday life – within those moments where there are “fireworks & jewels” as you might say – there’s always a spark or a thought there that flashes the colour amber – an elusive, tantalising light that you know is eternal, and forever, and yet … it’s somehow, always, always held out of reach … .” The appropriate watchwords here might well be, perhaps, Process & Effect, Illusion & Reality, or feasibly, in keeping with the album’s title, Shadow & Substance. Fireworks & Jewels / The Colour of Amber was completed July 2015 and recorded at Bridge House Studios, on the Greek isle of Evia – the atmosphere of whose current social and political situation of doubt and uncertainty could perhaps be said to have had a noticeable influence upon the brooding & unsettled spirit at work throughout this album." [label info] www.eyelessingaza.com/mb.html#1 "Looking back to the year of twenty-fifteen, my audio intake was considerably pepped up by the appearance of the "Mythic Language"/"Egg Box Mask" triple c.d. set. So much so that this retrospective from British post punk/art pop duo Eyeless in Gaza was made number one with a bullet by yours truly on the Terrascope yearly poll. So now, only a matter of months later, the Becker/Bates family tree (pictured as an ancient yew in an English country churchyard of course...), has sprouted an extra limb with the emergence of "Fireworks..."; Martyn Bates' sixteenth (!) solo outing (on almost as many labels, I might add). To discover that was certainly a surprise (thank you Discogs!), as I simply had no idea he was that prolific! This beautifully artworked/six-panelled disc (his third in as many years...), finds Martyn joined by Alan Trench ('tronix/sundry percussives/field recordings/kitchen sink) and the mysteriously named banjo player and backing vocalist Elizabeth S. It's a baker's dozen of dream pop constructs in which a slight sense of unease might be detected which, according to the accompanying cribsheet, could be due to the fact that the recording took place on the Greek isle of Evia, during Greece's economic/political upheaval(s). Things mostly focus on Martyn's acoustic guitar work and vocalese and emphasise a concept of pure songcraft, where certain emotional states are laid bare for all to experience. Introspective soul transmissions, if you will, that come nuanced by a number of impressionistic backdops that thankfully, don't overpower the proceedings one jot. Whichever way you huffle the pack there's always seems to be something of genuine worth. Take for example an adaption of a Walter de la Mare poem "Embers, Starry Tapers"; a vision of otherworldliness, which largely comprises of solo vox humana and layered, lighter than air vocal atmospherics. Then there's the finger-cramping banjo exercises underpinning "Belong" and "The Fall", a personal favourite in which a rhythm bed of stately piano lines is deftly overturned by what appears to be a splurge of sustained feedback/sheet metal that has the signature of Master William Reid; late of the J.A.M.C. imprinted upon it. Excellent. Copies are available through the Eyeless website (see above) and also through the auspices of Rough Trade, i-tunes (who they?) and Amazon. Order early to avoid disappointment... accept no imitations etc etc... "[Steve Pescott, Terrascope UK] 2015 €13.00
BEAUCHAMP, PAUL Needs Must when the Devil drives CD After the critically acclaimed "Pondfire" (Boring Machines, 2015) and "Grey Mornings" (Boring Machines, 2017), Paul Beauchamp has taken a new direction with his third album, "Needs Must When the Devil Drives". With this work, a single track lasting a little over half an hour comprising several movements, Beauchamp has moved away from the use of acoustic instruments as sound sources and has instead followed the mantra of Brian Eno of "the recording studio is an instrument in itself". Included in this new direction of using solely synthesized and sampled sounds sources, Beauchamp has also begun to explore new territory by using elementary beats and percussion while still remaining connected to his minimal roots through his dedication to drones and ambient. "Needs Must When the Devil Drives" marks a turning point in Beauchamp's solo career as a natural evolution in his unique approach to research and sound design as a creative tool. store.silentes.it/catalogue/standa2135.htm "Needs Must When the Devil Drives: Drittes Soloalbum von Paul Beauchamp Paul Beauchamp, der neben seiner Arbeit mit Combos wie Blind Cave Salamander und Almaghest! bereits zwei Alben im Alleingang produziert und über Boring Machines heraus gebracht hatte, veröffentlicht in Kürze seinen dritten Longplayer “Needs Must When the Devil Drives”. Das aus einem rund halbstündigen Track bestehende Album teilt mit seinen Vorgängern die ambiente Soundscape-Struktur. Neu ist Beauchamps momentane Abkehr von teilweise akustischen Klangquellen und seine Konzentration auf Elektronik. Ein weiteres Novum ist der Einbezug rhythmischer Elemente. Beauchamp, dessen Name entgegen der verbreiteten Gewohnheit nicht in der französischen Phonetik ausgesprochen wird, stammt aus dem Südosten der USA und zog vor Jahren nach Turin, wo er schnell Kontakte zur rührigen lokalen Musikszene knüpfte. Mittlerweile zählt er zu den renommiertesten Vertretern elektroakustischer Musik. Das Album erscheint auf zweihundert CDs bei Bare Teeth Records und Standa, dem Zwilling von Silentes Distribution." [African Paper] 2021 €12.00
BIANCHI, MAURIZIO (M.B.) YNOHPMYS (special ed.) CD "This Italian electronics maestro seems to be still going strong after around 30 years with his latest release. Opener 'Ortini' is like the hazey recollection of a long train journey being put through an analogue filter bank. 'The Inflammatory Sesor' has a kind of feeling of nostalgia or distant memory that recalls William Basinski or The Caretaker. 'Oigada' sounds like two decomposing tape loops slightly out of sync creating a disorientating phasing effect. There are some very absorbing sounds here to get lost in. One for a late night in near darkness. Recommended." [Norman Records] 2010 €20.00
  YNOHPMYS CD "This Italian electronics maestro seems to be still going strong after around 30 years with his latest release. Opener 'Ortini' is like the hazey recollection of a long train journey being put through an analogue filter bank. 'The Inflammatory Sesor' has a kind of feeling of nostalgia or distant memory that recalls William Basinski or The Caretaker. 'Oigada' sounds like two decomposing tape loops slightly out of sync creating a disorientating phasing effect. There are some very absorbing sounds here to get lost in. One for a late night in near darkness. Recommended." [Norman Records] www.touretterecords.com 2010 €13.00
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA Stanchenzza CD "Bifurcated Cithara Orcin otherwise known as Big City Orchestra is a SF based group that has been around since the days or yore. Getting their start in the late 70′s with tape cassettes. Here we have a genuine audio CD release. The real deal my friends. This is no snake oil sales pitch. Enclosed you will find 6 tracks of mystifying delights, sea shanties and cosmic drones. Come one come all!" [label info] www.obfuscatedrecords.com "Big City Orchestra (here billed – why not? – as Bifurcated Cithara Orcin) is the ever-morphing sonic entity out of San Francisco that's been lecherously fondling the hometaper scene for decades. Like anyone who's ever bought anything from a DIY label, I've encountered their distinct brand of odd in the past, most recently on a tiny 2009 tape release, 'Ymiz,' put out by the now-defunct Agharta label out of Lithuania. One thing I especially dig is their fervently inclusive message: their list of former members encompasses an extensive smörgåsbord of varied soundsmiths, and they have a well-documented willingness to issue their releases on small, otherwise unestablished labels (in addition to several linchpin imprints of the 80s/90s tape-trading scene). The joy of each BCO record stems from its utter unpredictability; never content to settle for mere noise, they skitter eagerly from hand-sewn sound collages to tape loop diversions to wispy miasmas of droning miscellany. 'Stanchenzza' is more of the same from the reliable troupe, this time scraped down to a mere quintet. Expansive "Dirt Road to Cliff" and "Klangend" busy themselves with forlorn, droning textures, both of them paralyzing in their glowing impressions of infinity. They steal the show somewhat, but the second half of the album has its share of pleasures, too: the flimsy rhythmics on "Opium" are a welcome textural diversion, while relative shortie "Pixied" has its foundation in loops and found sounds, much in line with the aesthetic propagated on dusty old tapes in the mid-eighties. On 'Stanchenzza,' as always, BCO stirs their unique playfulness into each abstract composition. The final product is a treat." [MT/Vital Weekly] 2013 €14.00
BIONULOR Sacred Mushroom Chant CD "Inspired by the work of such artists as Aube and William Basinski, Bionulor again rakes the past, looking like an alchemist for the most appropriate material for their work. "Sacred Mushroom Chant" is a record created solely on the basis of treatment of the human voice without additional sounds or instruments. Each of the five tracks is based on a separate part of the sound source. Then the base is: an archival record of shamanic chant associated with the ceremony of taking hallucinogenic mushrooms, a Japanese traditional song extracted from a collection of old vinyl records, Neil Armstrong's walking on the lunar surface famous phrase, a fragment of an interview with Marcel Duchamp telling about his first ready-made, and finally the voice of the artist himself denouncing the sentence attributed to Hassan ibn Sabbah (“Nothing is true”). Over 50 minutes of pure experimental music (mix of minimal, ambient and even noisy sounds) created on the basis of author's creative method called the "100% sound recycling." You will be really impressed when you realize that those tracks were crafted only with scraps of samples. Cover art by Monika Machnik, mastered by Peter Andersson. Comes in 4-panel digipack." [label info] www.wrotycz.com 2011 €12.50
BLACK SUN PRODUCTIONS Chemism CD "Black Sun Productions' new album consists of 14 tracks of tribal electronica and it stands as the most rhythmic output to date coming from Massimo & Pierce and their fellow Children of the Black Sun. The wooden sound of the marimba in combination with flutes and drums merging with very European sounding violins will reveal to the listener a new and pleasantly suprising attitude in musick-making of this collective of sound artists. The mutating precision of Pierce’s electronics is here counterpointed by Massimo's sonorous, deep vocals. Eschewing the melancholy of the double disc The Impossibility of Silence, BSP seems to have moved with CHEMISM into an electronic semi-operatic mode. Some of the album's tracks were written and performed in collaboration with draZen and Bahntier. CHEMISM features Val Denham and Ariot Fleischmann on additional vocals, Roman Hollenstein on drums and Roberto Budelo on violins. Dedicated to William S. Burroughs on the 10th anniversary since his death, CHEMISM is possibly the most original sonic statement of Black Sun Productions and it consacrates Massimo & Pierce as a truly eclectic duo of performers and producers. Coming into a 6panels digipack fully illustrated by Jacopo Camagni and Marco Felicioni of Studio Dronio." [press release] 2007 €13.00
BROWN, CHRIS Talking Drum CD 27 Sound-Snaps von traditioneller Ethno-Musik und field recordings verschiedenster Lände – CUBA, BALI, TÜRKEI, PHILIPPINEN, KANADA, werden hier verbunden mit live-Aufnahmen einer Computernetzwerk–Installation zur Generierung polyrhythmischer Klänge...klingt etwas arg konstruiert, aber das Ergebnis ist sehr vital, ungewöhnlich und vielseitig ... “Binaural motion recordings composed as a dialogue of distances. Live recordings of music for electronic network music ensemble juxtaposed with location recordings of traditional music and environmental soundscapes. Made in Bali, the Philippines, Turkey, Europe, Cuba and America 1991-99. This compilation/composition documents nearly a decade of work that began with the recording of dense sonic environments, both 'natural' and urban. Talking Drum is an interactive installation made with four networked laptop computers programmed to explore cyclical polyrhythms in large acoustic spaces. While the performance of the entire system is synchronized by one computer, each computer station generates independent results using genetic-programming algorithms which are affected by acoustic musicians' performances. Each station in the space “grows” its own rhythmic response to the situation, like similar plants growing differently in adjustment to their locations in an environment. The musicians improvise with the rhythms, interacting with the response of the computers they play next to, and the whole is a quartet of these human-machine duets. This recording compiles moments from these performances, and the recordings that inspired their creation, into one continuous piece. Electronic music is normally thought of as a medium emphasizing unlimited access to timbre - I think this is often over-emphasized, and that, at its best, it changes our experience of space. The traditional African talking drums are played held under the arms so that their laces can be squeezed to change the pitch of the drum-head as rhythms are played. The changing pitches and rhythms imitate patterns of the tonal languages of West Africa, and can be used like musical telephony to communicate over long distances. This recording follows this design, creating conversations between different places, environments, people, rituals, and parties on a global scale. Chris Brown (b. 1953), composer, pianist, and electronic musician, creates music for acoustic instruments with interactive electronics, for computer networks, and for improvising ensembles. Born and raised in Chicago, he moved to California to study electronic music with Gordon Mumma and composition with William Brooks at Univ. of California/Santa Cruz, and with David Rosenboom at Mills College. He was active early in his career as an inventor and builder of electroacoustic instruments; he has also performed widely as an improvisor and pianist with such groups as Room; and the Glenn Spearman Double Trio. In 1986 he co-founded the pioneering computer network music ensemble The Hub. He is also known for his recorded performances of music by Henry Cowell, Luc Ferrari, and John Zorn. He has received commissions from the Berkeley Symphony, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, the Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio, the Gerbode Foundation, the Phonos Foundation and the Creative Work Fund. His recent music includes the poly-rhythm installation “Talking Drum”, the “Inventions” series for computers and interactive performers, and the radio performance “Transmissions” series, with composer Guillermo Galindo. His 1992 epic electroacoustic work “Lava”, for brass, percussion, and electronics is also available on Tzadik. He teaches Composition and Electronic Music at Mills College in Oakland, where he is Co-Director of the Center for Contemporary Music (CCM)” [press release] 2005 €13.00
BRUME & TBC House Unwillently CD-R CDR-Version der vergriffenen LP !! Finally out, the CDR version of the sold out LP !! “This Lp is a collaboration between Brume, aka Christian Renou and Tbc, aka Thomas Beck. I have sent musical material to Brume and he has made five typical Brume tracks out of it. I think I don`t have to introduce him, because over 70 Releases speak his own language.This is the second lp for him and me too. On " House Unwillity" you find all this: a complex texture of soundstructure using drones and enviromental soundscapes from Tbc and abrutlly cuts, "primitiv" percussion and the usual absuse of traditional instruments from the musical talents of Brume. The enviromental recordings was made in a old house near the habour in Hamburg. This house is a part in spectulating with money around this area in Hamburg to get a new architectonic face of happy capitalism. It`s near the wellknow "Hafenstraße", a squat with places for concerts, bars, food on a low profit d.i.y. culture.” [label info on original LP release] 2005 €8.00
BURT, WARREN The Animation of Lists and the Archytan Transpositions do-CD Kompositionen für mikrotonale Stimmgabeln: einzelne glockenklare absolut „reine“ Töne, eine meditative & äussert minimale Atmosphäre ausstrahlend, erinnert an Arbeiten von CHRISTINA KUBISCH. To discover. “There are any number of ways to hear Warren Burt's music for tuning forks; as many ways as there are listeners, probably. The most immediate one is simply to revel in its beauty and enjoy the music as sound. Or, to be more accurate, as clouds of sound; sonic colors that momentarily hover here and there, as they move slowly across the musical horizon. Of course, Warren Burt's music may also be heard as the mature work of a major experimental composer, one secure in his craft, and still filled with a sense of sonic adventure. An explorer in sound. A composer willing to experiment with multiple versions of the same piece, not to mention one who allows chance to determine the precise placement of the composite pitches of his three individually composed lines. For the more technically minded, these songs, for ultimately that's what they become on repeated hearing, can also be recognized as microtonal music. This is music that uses pitches smaller than a half-step; music that explores the sounds between the keys of the piano‹in this case, from 19 to 53 pitches to the octave, instead of the usual twelve. And even though most people rarely think of tuning in general, much less of microtonal tunings, it is an idea that has always been around. In the twentieth century this search for alternative tunings can be traced from Harry Partch and Lou Harrison in the first half of the century, through La Monte Young and Ben Johnston in the latter half, to Glenn Branca, Kyle Gann, and Michael Harrison today. The power of music, according to all of these composers, is, first and foremost, inherent in the tuning. So it should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Warren Burt's music to learn that he, too, is a card-carrying member of this group. Warren is, after all, a composer who not only innately hears, but also cares greatly, about such minute differences in pitch. In his music, these differences matter on a fundamental level. But what are these sonic differences? And what is a listener supposed to hear? Ben Johnston once described the shift in experience from listening to music played in equal temperament to hearing a microtonal performance as the sudden fine-tuning of an out-of-focus TV. Ben also once said that equal temperament could sound like varying shades of grey. Others, in less subtle terms, have described hearing microtonal music as the difference between seeing a Technicolor movie, and watching one in black-and-white. For the average listener‹once they realize that the enjoyment of microtonal music is about the tinting and the shading of the sound, and doesn't require superhuman hearing‹what they begin to notice first are the new colors and the spaciousness of the sound. But what do I hear in Warren's music that attracts me so? I listen to the combinations of tones, each aggregate of which‹because the tuning is acoustically pure and non-tempered‹sounds clearer and more colorful, with unique personalities, and, sometimes, more of an edge. In this tuning, the chance-determined pairings of the composed lines always ring true, with even the dissonances vibrating cleanly, free of acoustic distraction, and with no sonic clutter to muddy up the sound. And within this microtonal world, sounds combine without losing their individuality, as the music slowly reveals its pitch and rhythm in slow, unhurried, chance-determined clouds of sound. In Warren Burt's hands, these tuning forks become some strange new instrument, complete with its own exotic tuning system, singing its songs somewhere on the verge of memory.” [label description] 2006 €15.00
BUTZMANN / KAPIELSKI WAR PUR WAR LP "Komponist, Hörspielautor und Performancekünstler Frieder Butzmann begann bereits Ende der 1960er Jahre im Bereich experimenteller Musik zu forschen. Butzmann wird zu den Pionieren des deutschen Industrial und als Teil der Genialen Dilettanten Bewegung gezählt. Neben zahlreichen Soloveröffentlichungen kollaborierte Butzmann auch immer wieder mit anderen Künstlern wie Genesis P-Orridge, Blixa Bargeld oder Santrra Oxyd. Mit Autor und Künstler Thomas Kapielski arbeitete Frieder Butzmann seit den frühen 1980er Jahren zusammen. Die gemeinsamen Kompositionen sind zumeist minimalistische Stücke, durchsetzt von Alltagsgeräuschen und Sprachversatzstücken. So zu hören auf ihrem Album "WAR PUR WAR", das 1987 auf Zensor erstveröffentlicht wurde und mit seiner einwilligen Mischung aus verschrobenem Electro-Pop und skurrilen Klangcollagen ein gänzlich einzigartiges Werk ist und über die Jahre zu einer gesuchten Rarität wurde. Ergänzt um zwei Bonustracks, liebevoll remastert, mit aufgearbeitetem Artwork und versehen mit unveröffentlichten Fotos und Linernotes von Frieder Butzmann, erscheint "WAR PUR WAR" nun als Neuauflage auf LP und CD bei Bureau B. Composer, radio dramatist and performance artist Frieder Butzmann began exploring experimental music in the late 1960s. One of the pioneers of German industrial music and a member of the Geniale Dilettanten movement, Butzmann has collaborated with artists such as Genesis P-Orridge, Blixa Bargeld, and Santrra Oxyd, as well as releasing numerous solo works. Frieder Butzmann joined forces with author and artist Thomas Kapielski in the early 1980s. Most of their compositions are minimalist tracks interspersed with everyday noises and fragments of speech, as can be heard on their WAR PUR WAR album, first released on Zensor in 1987. This utterly unique work is an idiosyncratic mix of eccentric electro-pop and bizarre sonic collages and has gone on to become a sought-after collector’s item. Now lovingly remastered, with refreshed artwork and two bonus tracks, WAR PUR WAR is being reissued on LP and CD on Bureau B, complete with previously unpublished photos and liner notes by Frieder Butzmann." https://butzmannkapielski.bandcamp.com/album/war-pur-war 2020 €20.50
  WAR PUR WAR CD Komponist, Hörspielautor und Performancekünstler Frieder Butzmann begann bereits Ende der 1960er Jahre im Bereich experimenteller Musik zu forschen. Butzmann wird zu den Pionieren des deutschen Industrial und als Teil der Genialen Dilettanten Bewegung gezählt. Neben zahlreichen Soloveröffentlichungen kollaborierte Butzmann auch immer wieder mit anderen Künstlern wie Genesis P-Orridge, Blixa Bargeld oder Santrra Oxyd. Mit Autor und Künstler Thomas Kapielski arbeitete Frieder Butzmann seit den frühen 1980er Jahren zusammen. Die gemeinsamen Kompositionen sind zumeist minimalistische Stücke, durchsetzt von Alltagsgeräuschen und Sprachversatzstücken. So zu hören auf ihrem Album "WAR PUR WAR", das 1987 auf Zensor erstveröffentlicht wurde und mit seiner einwilligen Mischung aus verschrobenem Electro-Pop und skurrilen Klangcollagen ein gänzlich einzigartiges Werk ist und über die Jahre zu einer gesuchten Rarität wurde. Ergänzt um zwei Bonustracks, liebevoll remastert, mit aufgearbeitetem Artwork und versehen mit unveröffentlichten Fotos und Linernotes von Frieder Butzmann, erscheint "WAR PUR WAR" nun als Neuauflage auf LP und CD bei Bureau B. https://butzmannkapielski.bandcamp.com/album/war-pur-war 2020 €16.00
B°TONG (B*TONG / B-TONG/ BTONG) Ov ELF and HAARP CD-R & object "ACL 1003: Limited edition of 50 in hand-painted unique packaging AC 1003: Unlimited edition in plastic sleeve A concept album by Swiss dark ambient/drone industrial legend B°tong which uses the conspiracy theory on the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research project (HAARP) as its basis while simultaneously infusing it with subtle and highly sophisticated artistic irony. Deep electronic drones invoking the echo of enormous rooms and sound collages oscillating between the crackle of polar snow and echo location devices pinging through secret command bases combine to form a soundtrack of subliminally brooding horror while sometimes allowing for surprising lighter moments. These lighter moments include the almost meditative, tonal marimba sound in “Pagan Field Trip” (track 6), which is however replaced by “Stars Right Be Wrong” (track 7) taking the listener straight back into the dark with reverberating whispers and bat-like delay screeches. This album is “cinema for the ears” without the cliché, because reading the liner notes about HAARP, an attempt by the US Navy to turn the aurora borealis in a giant antenna for broadcasting in the ELF (Extremely Low Frequencies), conjures up images from a conspiracy/horror thriller on the subject, which makes it possible to listen to this album as a sort of radio drama (almost) without words. After the respective oeuvres of film composers Graeme Revell (formerly of SPK) and Brian Williams (Lustmord), this album is further testimony to the common ground between good industrial and atmospheric soundtracks." [label info] www.wix.com/attenuationcircuit/attenuation-circuit "The Attenuation Circuit label started out with the release of music by Emerge, and now expands to other artists, and the first one is B*tong, the Swiss artist who has already produced a fine body of atmospheric and ambient music. This new one is more or less a concept album about the conspiracy theory 'on the High Frequency Active Auroral Research project', which, according to Wiki, is 'its purpose is to analyze the ionosphere and investigate the potential for developing ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance purposes', set up by the US government, so you know for a fact there is a hidden agenda (not me). This sort of conspiracy theory/lunacy about such matters fits the music really of B*Tong, who is known to use radio signals, sound effects and electronics to create chilly, eerie, atmospheric music. Sometimes there are voice bits, whispering, not singing, adding a radioplay like texture to the music, which is otherwise quite inspired by the work of Lustmord: lots of reverb, but used in an effective way and not over the top. Excellent work." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2011 €11.00
  Un_b°tong mCDR-box "B°tong’s second release on Attenuation Circuit is, as the title suggests, quite atypical for the dark ambient soundscapes the Swedish-Swiss artist is best known for. In six rather short tracks, B°tong explores the sonic possibilities of digital audio manipulation of several sound sources, mainly recorded voices used as sources of pure sound, not linguistic information. The results feel somewhat like an unlikely combination of lowercase electronica and Mille Plateaux-style cuts’n’glitches and updated audio poetry in the tradition of William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and Henri Chopin. “Un_B°tong” opens up a new direction in the artist’s work while remaining true to the spirit of experimentation with non-musical sounds that has been informing cutting edge music for about a century now, including the original practitioners of “industrial” music that have been inspiring B°tong’s work. Those with ears tuned to today’s rather limited definition of the genre as “dark” music of some sort or other may find the intellectual playfulness of B°tong’s approach on this release too lighthearted, even humorous, considering titles like “Colourful, Comfortable, Weatherproof” or the tongue-in-cheek combination of biblical quotes about the devil with the “subliminal” message “B°tong isst heimlich” (“B°tong eats secretly”) almost hidden in the cover copy. For those interested in truly contemporary audio experiments, however, this crisp little outing has a lot to offer within the space of its 18 minutes." [label info] www.wix.com/attenuationcircuit/attenuation-circuit 2011 €6.50
CAMBERWELL NOW All's well CD Endlich wieder erhältlich, die CD mit dem Gesamt-Material der THIS HEAT-Nachfolgeband! "1982 lössten sich This Heat auf, bzw. verwandelten sich in Camberwell Now. Gareth Williams hatte die Gruppe verlassen und sich nach Indien aufgemacht, um neue künstlerische Herausvorderungen zu suchen (er starb im Dezember 2001). Bullen und Hayward hielten This Heat danach noch eine Weile am Leben, zeitweilig unterstützt von dem Bassisten Trefor Goronwy. Doch irgendwann stieg auch Bullen, der sich ein eigenes Tonstudio aufgebaut hatte, aus. Damit war das Projekt This Heat beendet. Hayward und Goronwy machten allerdings gleich weiter. Zusammen mit dem Klangkonstrukteur Stephen Richards hoben sie Camberwell Now aus der Taufe, benannt nach dem Wohnort der Gruppe (und auch dem ehemaligen von This Heat), dem Londoner Vorort Camberwell. Camberwell Now haben zwei EPs ("Meridian" von 1984 und "Greenfingers", 1987) und eine LP ("The Ghost Trade", 1986) eingespielt. Alle drei Alben wurden 1992 zur CD "All's Well" zusammengefasst, die beim schweizer RecRec-Label erschienen ist. Zusätzlich wurde noch ein Stück daraufgepackt, welches vorher nur auf einem Kassettensampler veröffentlicht worden war ("Daddy Needs A Throne"). "All's Well" bietet somit das komplette Œuvre der Band. Die Musik von Camberwell Now unterscheidet sich recht deutlich von den Klängen von This Heat, obwohl es gewisse Gemeinsamkeiten gibt. Bizarr und schräg ist die Musik immer noch, der gequälte Gesang von Hayward hat sich auch nicht allzu sehr verändert und auch sein virtuoses Schlagzeugspiel ist sofort wiederzuerkennen. Gab es auf den This Heat-Alben aber rohe Klangexperimente und kaputte Songs zu hören, ist die Musik von Camberwell Now melodischer und musikalischer geworden. Experimentelles Tonschweben, industriellen Krach und bizarre Tonkollagen sucht man hier fast vergebens. Sehr virtuos musizieren Bass und Schlagzeug miteinander, treiben die Musik bestimmt und energiegeladen voran, angereichert mit diversen Sounds und Geräuschen vom Tonband und verschiedenen Keyboards, gelegentlichen Einlagen an der Gitarre und dem sehr eigenen Gesang Haywards. Auf den Stücken von "Greenfingers" gibt es zusätzlich noch Saxophon, Flöte und Viola von Maria Lamburn zu hören. Das Ergebnis sind sehr intensive, meist sehr rhythmische, etwas klaustrophobisch wirkende, schräge Rocksongs, neo-canterbury-artige Artrocker, mit Postpunk-Flair und einer unterkühlten, fast depressiven, stellenweise sehr hektischen Atmosphäre. Reichlich seltsam, rhythmisch und schwebend zugleich, kalt, aber sehr direkt ist diese Musik. Heutzutage würde man diese Klänge wohl in die Postrock-Schublade stecken. Wer This Heat schätzt, insbesondere Haywards Gesang, oder auch die Solo-Scheiben von Robert Wyatt (es gibt da gewisse atmosphärische und stimmliche Ähnlichkeiten), der sollte versuchen sich "All's Well" zu besorgen." [Achim Breiling / Babyblaue Seiten] "After the demise of This Heat, Charles Hayward continued to work with Trefor Goronwy, bassist from the last manifestation of the group, the two of them joining forces with Steve Rickard who, for the new band, designed the cassette switchboard a kind of proto-sampler - but thats not the half of it (Steves article fully explaining the device is reprinted in the new, expanded booklet that comes with the CD). Musically, Camberwell both followed and departed from the style of This Heat. Formally and gesturally there are common elements, but there is far greater transparency and the sound palette is quite different: the music is more placed than grown, as the slow accumulation and evolution of material in This Heat gives way to a more immediate and orderly development of the material in Camberwell Now. The songs - nostalgic, scary, quietly desperate - peer into the future to find harbour but confront only fragments of ruin. Debris and disturbance eat away at the root and corrode each shiny surface (this is mostly the musical work of the cassette switchboard). The juxtaposition of powerful, virtuosic playing and the eerie, often unidentifiable keenings, chords and constant motion of the cassettes is one of the things that make Camberwell Now so expressive of its time - when the whole social and political fabric of a no-longer-great Britain was unravelling. This definitive edition collects the entire released output of the group together (two EPs and an LP) newly re-mastered by the band and repackaged with full notes, lyrics, additional photographs and artwork." [label info] www.rermegacorp.com 2006 €14.00
CHALK, ANDREW / RALF WEHOWSKY / ERIC LANZILLOTTA Yang-Tul CD "A legendary sound collaboration formed of two lengthy pieces. The first track features Andrew Chalk (Mirror, Ora, Ferial Confine) gently reworking the sound materials of Ralf Wehowsky (P16.D4). A hypnotic, slowly-evolving drone with waves of mysterious sounds, static and glitches. The second piece, on the other hand, finds Ralf Wehowsky composing a frenzied journey into otherworldly realms using sound material from Andrew Chalk and Eric Lanzillotta (Eye Music). These pieces reflect a sound unique from the work of any of the three individual participants, but clearly related. Subtle, but full of detail for the willing listener. Originally issued as limited coloured vinyl only on Lanzillotta's label Anomalous Records in 1998. Cover painting by Andrew Chalk. Remastered for CD from the original master recordings. Digipak." [label info] 2016 €12.00
CHORA(S)SAN TIME-COURT MIRAGE (=CATHERINE CHRISTER HENNIX) Blues Alif Lam Mim do-LP Having already unearthed three collections of archival ‘70s recordings by Catherine Christer Hennix, Blank Forms continues their annual illumination of the visionary Swedish composer’s music by turning to more recent work with this first-time vinyl edition of Hennix’s “Blues Alif Lam Mim in the Mode of Rag Infinity/Rag Cosmosis,” a 2014 piece first released as a CD in 2016 (Important Records). The double album captures the April 22, 2014 premiere of Hennix’s composition by by the Chora(s)san Time-Court Mirage, her expanded just intonation ensemble, featuring a brass section of Amir ElSaffar, Paul Schwingenschlögl, Hilary Jeffery, Elena Kakaliagou, and Robin Hayward; live electronics by Stefan Tiedje and Marcus Pal; and voice by Amirtha Kidambi, Imam Ahmet Muhsin Tüzer, and Hennix herself. Intended to reveal the blues’ origins in the eastern musical traditions of raga and makam, “Blues Alif Lam Mim in the Mode of Rag Infinity/Rag Cosmosis” has its roots in Hennix’s 2013 realization of an “Illuminatory Sound Environment,” a concept developed in 1978 by anti-artist Henry Flynt on the basis of Hennix’s own “The Electric Harpsichord.” As Hennix explains in Other Matters, Blank Forms’ 2019 collection of her writings: “Rag Infinity/Rag Cosmosis presents fragments of ‘raga-like’ frequency constellations following distinct cycles and permuting their order, creating a simultaneity of ‘multi-universes.’ When two such ‘universes’ come in proximity of each other and begin unfolding simultaneously along distinct cycles, there is a kaleidoscopic exfoliation of frequencies as one universe is becoming two, but not separated—the effect of cosmosis is entrained, binding two or more frequency universes into proximity where their modal properties interact and blend, creating in the process entirely new microtonal constellations in an omnidirectional simultaneous cosmic order with phenomenologically ‘transfinite’ Poincaré cycles (cyclic returns to initial conditions).” As with Hennix’s best work, the organic unfolding of this quivering drone belies a precision that opens onto the infinitesimal. Upon its mesmerizing ebb and flow, the vocalists incant a devotional poem written in Arabic by Hennix and featuring quotations from the Quran. Also reproduced on the album’s gatefold jacket, Hennix’s reduction of the sacred text to its most elegant formulation invites the contemplator to bring their inner knowledge to the composition for use as a prompt for meditation. Yet the piece offers depth to even the most secular listener willing to immerse themselves in music brimming with such serene intensity. Catherine Christer Hennix (b. 1948) started her creative life playing drums with her older brother Peter, growing up in Sweden where she heard jazz luminaries, such as John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor perform from 1960 to 1967. Directly after high school, Hennix went to work at Stockholm’s pioneering Elektronmusikstudion (EMS), where she developed early tape music, incorporating computer generated speech done at the Royal Technological University (KTH), where she was an undergraduate student. After traveling to New York In 1968, she met artists Dick Higgins and Alison Knowles who invited her to stay at the Something Else Press Town House where she had the opportunity to meet, among others, composers John Cage, James Tenney, and Phil Corner. During the following years she developed fruitful collaborative relationships with many composers in the burgeoning American avant-garde, including, most significantly, Henry Flynt and La Monte Young. Young introduced Hennix to Hindustani raga master Pandit Pran Nath and she would later study intensively under him as his first European disciple. While Hennix continued to make music performing alongside Arthur Russell, Marc Johnson, Henry Flynt, and Arthur Rhames, she also served as a professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at SUNY New Paltz and as a visiting Professor of Logic (at Marvin Minsky’s invitation) at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. In recent years Hennix has led the just-intonation ensemble the Chora(s)san Time-Court Mirage, which has featured musicians Amelia Cuni, Amirtha Kidambi, Chiyoku Szlavnics, Hilary Jeffrey, Amir El-Saffar, Benjamin Duboc and Rozemarie Heggen. She currently resides in Istanbul, Turkey pursuing studies in classical Arabic and Turkish makam. https://blankformseditions.bandcamp.com/album/blues-alif-lam-mim 2021 €37.50
CHORD Flora CD "Neuer Drone-Monolith bestehend aus Kyle Benjamin (guitarist for Chicago´s Unfortunaut), Jason Hoffman (a.k.a. darkwave composer Anatole), Trevor de Brauw (of Chicago instrumentalists Pelican) und Phil Dole (of über-dronists X-Bax). Folgende Herangehensweise: Es gibt einen Chord und jeder der hier Teilnehmenden spielt davon eine einzelne Note - Monotonie in seiner reinsten Form. Da brummen die Boxen, glühen die Kabel, vibrieren die Eingeweide, vorausgesetzt, selbstredend, natürlich, wo denkste hin, ´maximum volume yields maximum result´. Ein ´sonic titan´ zwischen Lotus Eaters und Growing." [Flight 13] "Evanston, IL. - CHORD was formed at Dr. Wax, a once thriving record store (now sadly closed, but immortalized as the title inspiration for prolific casio-rocker Wesley Willis’s 2000 full length) that was an appealing gathering place for musicians and music aficionados alike. Amid endless musings about the finer points of texture, tone, and Jimmy Eat World’s rousing single “The Middle”, Kyle Benjamin (guitarist for Chicago's Unfortunaut), Jason Hoffman (a.k.a. darkwave composer Anatole), Trevor de Brauw (of Chicago instrumentalists Pelican) and Phil Dole (of über-dronists X-Bax) devised an outline for CHORD that lived for many months in the realm of conversation. With a shared appreciation for the works of Tony Conrad, and Glen Branca the group formulated a collective vision: exploit and explore the sonic depth of a single chord. CHORD performances consist of each player being assigned one note from a pre-selected chord. They are then expected to consider all ranges of flexibility concerning octave, rhythm, playing style and effect treatments. The overall effect CHORD generates is that of a single note being rendered into an unsolvable riddle – a harmonic Gordian knot that creates an almost pastoral feel of being blinded by the sun. The rejection of melody and structure in favor of sweeping and epic tones inspires a sense of rousing apprehension. Shrouded in the individual tunings of each player the pieces never become diluted, instead finding resolution in collective dissonance and consonance. To be in the presence of chord achieved is transcendent. CHORD first performed during February 2004 at Evanston's Nevin's Live, stunning a sold out crowd who had gathered on a combination of word of mouth and their appreciation for the other folk-rock acts on the bill. A few select shows followed including coveted opening slots for Jakob, Savage Republic, Growing, and The Austerity Program, as well as a headlining appearance in Brooklyn at a benefit for The American Red Cross. CHORD released its debut recording FLORA on Neurot Recordings in spring 2009." [label info] "...It's all quite dramatic and epic, quite beautiful, stately at certain moments, almost chaotic and crumbling at others, anyone into Conrad, Cale, Maclise, Flynt and especially Branca and Chatham will definitely dig this. As well as guitardrone freaks who count Fear Falls Burning, RST, Seconds In Formaldehyde, Elm, Continuum and the like among their favorites." [Aquarius Records review] www.neurotrecordings.com 2009 €14.00
CHRYSAKIS, THANOS ELYTRA CD New insect music release by Greek sound artist Thanos Chrysakis About ΕΛΥΤΡΑ Everyone has heard the marvelous sound of crickets in the summer especially in the countryside. The sound is produced by raising and scraping against each of their protective fore-wings the elytra. Their burrow act as a resonator bringing at times a transcendent quality to the place. The music in this album with myriads of sounds, regular and irregular pulses, unfolds a similar transforming quality. Thanos Chrysakis About Thanos Chrysakis Thanos Chrysakis is a Greek composer, musician, producer and sound-artist. He is best known for his work in electronic and contemporary music, free improvisation, and electro-acoustic music. With several albums to his name his work has appeared in festivals and events in many countries. His music was among the selected works at the International Competition de Musique et d'Art Sonore Electroacoustiques de Bourges 2005, in the category oeuvre d'art sonore électroacoustique, while received an honorary mention in 2006 at the 7th International Electroacoustic Competition Musica Viva in Lisbon (the jury was constituted by Morton Subotnick (USA), François Bayle (France), and Miguel Azguime (Portugal). He operates the Aural Terrains record label since 2007 where he has released part of his work until now, alongside releases by Kim Cascone, Franscisco López, Tomas Phillips, Dan Warburton, Szilárd Mezei, Michael Edwards, Wade Matthews, Dganit Elyakim, Edith Alonso, Christian Skjødt, Luis Tabuenca, Christian Kobi, Jeff Gburek, Steve Noble, and Milo Fine. He has written music for musicians of the Hyperion Ensemble, the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, the Konus Saxophone Quartett, and the Shadanga Duo among others. Close collaborations with Tim Hodgkinson, Vincent Royer, Chris Cundy, Yoni Silver, Lori Freedman, Jason Alder, William Lang, Wilfrido Terrazas, Philippe Brunet, Wade Matthews, Ernesto Rodrigues, Abdul Moimême, Zsolt Sőrés, Ove Volquartz to name but a few. https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/track/tortoise-pilgrimage "Insekten üben seit langem eine (nicht nur) klangliche Faszination aus: Man denke an die vielen Filme, in denen das Zirpen der Zikaden fast schon ein alternativer Soundtrack ist oder an die symbolische Bedeutung der Geräusche der Grillen in einem Stück wie Sam Shephards „True West“. Eine Reihe von Musikern wurden vom Klangpotenzial der Insekten angezogen: 1986 veröffnetlichte Graeme Revell „The Insect Musicians“, sein Versuch einer auf dem Geräusch von Insekten basierenden “micro-musique” (gerade ist das Album auf Old Europa Cafe neu herausgebracht worden), jüngst erschien noch ein Album namens “The Life Of Insects” von der in Berlin lebenden Peruanerin Ale Hop. Der 1971 in Athen geborene Thanos Chrysakis hat zahlreiche Alben veröffentlicht und betreibt das Label Aural Terrains, “a creative space for exploratory contemporary music in its different manifestations”, auf dem er u.a. Alben von Francisco López, Tomas Phillips oder Michael Edwards veröffentlicht hat. Auf “ΕΛΥΤΡ” basieren die Stücke auf dem Klang von Grillen, der für Chrysakis fast eine “transcendent qualitiy” hat. Das das Album eröffnende 8-minütige „Alabaster Tide“ ist eine dichte Klangfläche, die anfangs in ihrer rabiaten Unruhe durchaus an einige der perkussiven Arbeiten von Z’EV denken lässst. Hier fühlt man sich, als befinde man sich geradewegs inmitten zahlloser Insekten. Das Unruhige wird aber im Verlaufe des Stücks zurückgefahren, schließlich hört man ein paar hochfrequentere Passagen und Knirschen. „Coral Aether“ knüpft mit seinem Knistern und Flüstern daran an. „Tortoise Pilgrimage“ besteht aus flirrenden und sirrenden kristallinen Sounds, die gar nicht so weit von einigen Aufnahmen Asmus Tietchens entfernt sind, dann plötzlich meint man, ein Windspiel erklinge. Eine größere Reduktion hört man auf „Tranquil Edge“ mit seinem Knistern, das den Eindruck erweckt, als ob kleine Zweige brechen würden. Dann gibt es „Delphic Maxims“ mit fast schon wasserartigen Sounds oder das Rascheln bei „Pierian Roses, das sich im weiteren Verlauf verdichtet. Schließlich endet das Album mit „ A Shadow’s Dream“ mit erratischen perkussiven Momenten, und dann plötzlich – unerwartet – etwas, das wie ein Piano klingt. Auch ohne die Faszination, die vielleicht vom Ausgangsmaterial ausgeht, ist das ein sehr starkes Album." [MG / African Paper] 2020 €13.00
  Manifold Vista CD listen: https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/album/manifold-vista About Manifold Vista Manifold Vista is the new album by composer/producer Thanos Chrysakis. Rarely can something so meticulously assembled together sound so fluid. A distinct, disciplined sense for composition emerges from each of these works, displaying formal integrity while at the same time, they are also effervescent, forceful, fiercely idiosyncratic and beautifully shaped and transformed. The album discloses an expanded and detailed vista of sound’s interiority forming a strangely pleasurable, not to mention engaging, experience. Thanos Chrysakis is a Greek composer, musician, producer and sound-artist. He is best known for his work in electronic and contemporary music, free improvisation, and electro-acoustic music. With several albums to his name his work has appeared in festivals and events in numerous countries, including CYNETart Festival, Festspielhaus Hellerau - Dresden, Artus Contemporary Arts Studio – Budapest, CRUCE Gallery – Madrid, Fylkingen – Stockholm, Relative (Cross) Hearings festival – Budapest, Festival Futura – Crest - Drôme, FACT Centre – Liverpool, Association Ryoanji – Ahun - Creuse, The Center for Advanced Musical Studies at Chosen Vale — Hanover - New Hampshire, Areté Gallery — Brooklyn - New York, UC San Diego – California - San Diego, Berner Münster – Bern, Fabbrica del Vapore – Milan, Grünewaldsalen – Svensk Musikvår — Stockholm, Splendor – Amsterdam, Logos Foundation – Ghent, Palacio de Bellas Artes – Mexico City, Műcsarnok Kunsthalle – Budapest, Spektrum – Berlin, Susikirtimai X – Vilnius, Festival del Bosque GERMINAL – Mexico City, ДОМ – Moscow, Oosterkerk – Amsterdam, KLANG ! – Montpellier, Nádor Terem – Budapest, Utzon Centre – Aalborg, Center for New Music – San Francisco, Västerås Konstmuseum – Västerås, Störung festival – Barcelona, BMIC Cutting Edge concert series at The Warehouse – London. His music was among the selected works at the International Competition de Musique et d'Art Sonore Electroacoustiques de Bourges 2005, in the category oeuvre d'art sonore électroacoustique, while received an honorary mention in 2006 at the 7th International Electroacoustic Competition Musica Viva in Lisbon (the jury was constituted by Morton Subotnick (USA), François Bayle (France), and Miguel Azguime (Portugal). He operates the Aural Terrains record label since 2007 where he has released part of his work until now, alongside releases by Kim Cascone, Franscisco López, Tomas Phillips, Dan Warburton, Szilárd Mezei, Michael Edwards, Wade Matthews, Dganit Elyakim, Edith Alonso, Luis Tabuenca, Jeff Gburek, Philippe Petit, Steve Noble, Milo Fine and David Ryan among others. He has written music for musicians of the Hyperion Ensemble, the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, the Hermes Ensemble, Nemø Ensemble, the Konus Saxophone Quartett, and the Shadanga Duo among others. Close collaborations with Tim Hodgkinson, Vincent Royer, Chris Cundy, Yoni Silver, Lori Freedman, Jason Alder, Julie Kjaer, Henriette Jensen, William Lang, Wilfrido Terrazas, Philippe Brunet, Wade Matthews, Ernesto Rodrigues, Abdul Moimême, Ove Volquartz to name but a few. https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/album/manifold-vista 2023 €13.00
CINDYTALK In this World CD Nach "Camouflage Heart" von 1984 verschwanden CINDYTALK für vier Jahre in der Versenkung, die sie allerdings damit verbrachten, das epische Nachfolgewerk "In This World" zu schreiben und aufzunehmen. "In This World" erschien als zwei separate Vinyl LPs, die beide "In This World" betitelt, aber mit verschiedenem Cover Artwork ausgestattet waren. Die Neuauflage erscheint als Doppel-Vinyl oder einfache CD. "In This World" is a noble venture. It's every inaccessible racket you could imagine but creeps gently in on the delectable title instrumental before kicking you in the navel with a hybrid broth of Motorslug, Swans, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, and generally alienating cacophonies." [Chris Roberts (Melody Maker)] " So the rumor goes that Gordon Sharp was invited to join Duran Duran after Sharp dissolved his Edinburgh glam-punk band The Freeze in the late '70s. He turned them down. Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie also put out the request for Sharp to join the Cocteau Twins. After a brief stint accompanying the Cocteau Twins for a Peel Session in 1982 and a guest spot on This Mortal Coil's It'll End In Tears, he opted for his own project -- the obscure, yet majestic Cindytalk. In This World is an opus in every sense of the word. Originally, In This World came out in 1988 as two separate albums under the same name, each with slightly different artwork. One album, a masterpiece of abject post-punk that in all honesty is the closest parallel to Swans' Children Of God; the other, a delicate ambient construct of melancholy piano scarred with surface noice prognosticating pretty much everything that Type Records has released (e.g Machinefabriek, Jasper TX, etc.). It's very good thing that both of these albums have been repackaged into one self-contained object, as the only half of In This World that seemed to be floating around was the piano-laced ambient one. As good as that half is, you need the grit and dirge of its companion album to complete Cindytalk's ideas of grand dualities: heaven / hell, pleasure / pain, holiness / transgression, etc. While billed by Sharp as the 'disgusting' part of the In This World diptych, the first half begins with a lovely tonefloat of scratched violin drones and painterly piano notes. Yet, with the crushing rhythm and noise attack of "Janey's Love," Sharp does not disappoint with his disgusting tag. This is a monstrous industrial dirge with huge monotone slabs of distortion and atonal drones counterpointing Sharp's soaring falsetto. The punk poet Kathy Acker supplies a brief spoken word interlude as the coda to this incendiary number. Immediately hereafter, Cindytalk continue their turgid rhythmic marches with an angular distorted rhythm, slippery bassline mired in audio rust, and twin guitars spitting acid, fire, and brimstone on such tracks as "Gift Of A Knife" and "Circle Of Shit." As the first half of the album progresses, the songs steadily disintegrate as rhythm, song structure, and noise all collapse into a blur of smeared grey that is eerily reflective of William Basinski's Disintegration Loops. The piano which opened In This World becomes the dominant sound in Cindytalk's soundscapes, also marking the delineation between the two halves of In This World. Yes, this is the beautiful side of Cindytalk, coated in ash, snow, bruises, and rust. Gordon Sharp's piano playing comes from Brian Eno's Thursday Afternoon, which in turn came from Erik Satie; and that impressionist sentiment continues forward amidst subterranean drones and field recordings of barren spaces. Sharp's voice is mostly absent from these tracks, although the eponymous finale to the album showcases one of Sharp's most emotive croons. They really don't make albums like this any more, with such attention to detail and dynamics between rage and beauty. Fortunately, both of these records were concise enough that they could both fit onto one CD; and if you've not had the opportunity to hear Cindytalk, please do not let this album and its predecessor Camouflage Heart pass you by!" [Aquarius Records review] 2007 €14.00
  A Life is Everywhere LP " 'A Life Is Everywhere' is an ecstatic mix of rhythm, noise, drone, texture and melody. Simultaneously heartfelt and not for the faint hearted. Within their self contained world Cindytalk continue the unique trajectory that has purveyed their career starting in 1982. This instalment further explores the fearsome terrain that was initiated with previous Editions Mego releases such as 'The Crackle of my Soul' and 'Hold Everything Dear'. Throughout the 6 tracks on offer the standard fair of music is run through serious level processes leaving, taking rhythm and sound to extreme limits whilst always retaining trace elements of their core. Ringing bells are interrupted by artefacts from shredded sound matter, euphoric chords are swamped by chopped rhythms which succumb to an endless storm of electronic bliss. Utopia has never been so bold. The unique positioning of Cindytalk's output over a 30+year period is a testament to the will to explore. Unfettered by trend, taste and desire. This is unadulterated expression, a future music for those willing to confront the future as a viable option." [label info] www.editionsmego.com 2013 €16.50
CLADE, Klavierstücke CD-R "san francisco, march 2012: the scottish delegation arrives on the sun-drenched american west coast. studio is rented, microphones selected, supplies procured. 7 days later they emerge, blinded by the light. oakland, december 2013: over the course of 7 more days some 12 hours of raw materials are in turns cajoled, caressed, genetically modified and burnt beyond recognition, at long last distilled into the 12 pieces we present you with here. as these recordings utilise piano, organ and keyboard as the most salient sound sources they will no doubt remind some listeners of last year’s ‘vietnamese piano’ release. in point of fact the present recordings were completed some months prior to the session in hanoi that produced clade 2.5, but while that release was effectively entirely improvised the ‘klavierstücke’ have undergone a much more rigorous process of composition, editing and post-production. at once delicate, haunting, and cinematic, the result is the most mature and rewarding clade release to date. file next to: deaf center, stars of the lid, jonathan coleclough, AMM, harold budd with a migrane with apologies to k.s. " [label info] cladistic.bandcamp.com/album/klavierst-cke "More mysterious music by Clade, whose bandcamp these days says they are from Edinburgh these days - although maybe they always were? The cover and CD print look like a nice modern classical recordings rip-off and we find here twelve pieces, called 'Klavierstück' (piano piece, in case you were wondering), of which the last four are four parts of 'Klavierstück IX'. The first four pieces are dedicated to Harold Budd, the second four to David Jackman, and the last four to Otto Totland. Apparently recorded over a seven-day period in March 2012, and a further seven in Oakland in December 2013. The first seven to record the piano sources, the next seven to 'cajole, caresse and genetically modify' them. Not unlike their previous, 'Vietnamese Piano', this is a further exploration of the world of quiet music; highly atmospheric and sparse. The treatments are kept to an interesting minimum, or perhaps they are done to such an extent that we no longer recognize them as treatments; maybe the treatments are kept more natural? Like being played in a large and natural reverb becomes part of it? All of these things you could wonder about while listening to this music. But better is to sit back and enjoy. I am not sure if the three dedications are reflected in the music, even when I know Jackman's best and Totland's music not much, but it seems to me that all twelve are along similar lines. Much reverb suggests much atmosphere, and it works very well. Sometimes it sounds like a William Basinski piece, but then trimmed down a lot in length and there is quite an amount of variation in these pieces also which makes this a most enjoyable album. An excellent album in fact of some imaginative ambient music." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2014 €13.00
COIL Love's Secret Domain (GOLD) 3 x LP In 1991 Coil released the third of their early classic full-length albums "Love's Secret Domain", seemingly casting aside the gloom and funereal beauty of its predecessors in favour of a painstakingly multi-layered hallucinogenic electronic beast, which unlike some of their fellow ex-industrial contemporaries' releases of the time wasn't an attempt at easy accessibility or (the-gods-forbid) danceability, but a vibrating psychedelic masterpiece unrivalled in their discography and still a landmark album. To mark its 30 year anniversary Infinite Fog are beyond proud to present an expanded, fully remastered re-release of this fan favourite available for the first time ever in its entirety on vinyl with 10 rare and mostly unreleased tracks and alternative versions from the period added as a bonus to a luxurious 3LP/2CD set. Love's Secret Domain contains among its many highlights the Lynchian William Blake tribute of its title track and the intoxicating single "Windowpane", original versions of the later Coil live staple "Teenage Lightning" and the majestically warped classicisms of "Chaostrophy". Marc Almond guests on the typhonian "Titan Arch" and This Heat's Charles Hayward provides some amazing drum stylings. This album is Coil pushing their sound ideas and probably their sanity to their very limits. Beyond the iconic Steven Stapleton cover art here reproduced in unseen definition the doors of perception still open wide for both long-term Coil aficionados and new-comers to this supremely innovative release to explore unknown depths. The long-overdue re-release illustrates how far ahead of the curve Coil were with the sounds on this album, which still sounds as fresh and mind-blowing as it did back in the early 90s. https://infinitefog.bandcamp.com/album/loves-secret-domain-30th-anniversary-edition 2021 €49.50
Love's Secret Domain do-CD In 1991 Coil released the third of their early classic full-length albums "Love's Secret Domain", seemingly casting aside the gloom and funereal beauty of its predecessors in favour of a painstakingly multi-layered hallucinogenic electronic beast, which unlike some of their fellow ex-industrial contemporaries' releases of the time wasn't an attempt at easy accessibility or (the-gods-forbid) danceability, but a vibrating psychedelic masterpiece unrivalled in their discography and still a landmark album. To mark its 30 year anniversary Infinite Fog are beyond proud to present an expanded, fully remastered re-release of this fan favourite available for the first time ever in its entirety on vinyl with 10 rare and mostly unreleased tracks and alternative versions from the period added as a bonus to a luxurious 3LP/2CD set. Love's Secret Domain contains among its many highlights the Lynchian William Blake tribute of its title track and the intoxicating single "Windowpane", original versions of the later Coil live staple "Teenage Lightning" and the majestically warped classicisms of "Chaostrophy". Marc Almond guests on the typhonian "Titan Arch" and This Heat's Charles Hayward provides some amazing drum stylings. This album is Coil pushing their sound ideas and probably their sanity to their very limits. Beyond the iconic Steven Stapleton cover art here reproduced in unseen definition the doors of perception still open wide for both long-term Coil aficionados and new-comers to this supremely innovative release to explore unknown depths. The long-overdue re-release illustrates how far ahead of the curve Coil were with the sounds on this album, which still sounds as fresh and mind-blowing as it did back in the early 90s. https://infinitefog.bandcamp.com/album/loves-secret-domain-30th-anniversary-edition 2021 €24.00
  Moon's Milk (in four phases) (lim. clear vinyl) 3 x LP BOX First compiled as a double CD in 2002, Moon’s Milk (In Four Phases) is a suite of four EPs that Coil released seasonally via their in-house Eskaton imprint across 1998. The line-up for these sessions were John Balance, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, Drew McDowall, and William Breeze. Recorded primarily at their home studio in Chiswick, London on the eve of a permanent relocation to the small seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, the collection has long loomed as a pivotal and pinnacle work in the group's discography, but has never been officially reissued, or repressed on vinyl. Time has only ripened its tapestry of regal strangeness. Arranged sequentially in tribute to the equinoxes and solstices, Moon's Milk captures Coil at a revelatory crossroads, leaning deeper into improvisation, spontaneity, and sound design. "Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull" initiates the proceedings on Spring Equinox, a two-part netherworld organ séance woven from vocal drones, cathedral keys, seasick strings, and opiated undertow. From there, Summer Solstice skews lighter but no less incantational, with Balance embracing his voice-as-instrument across lucid dream torch songs ("Bee Stings"), purgatorial spoken word ("Glowworms/Waveforms"), sultry chamber pieces ("Summer Substructures"), and falsetto ravings ("A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz)"). Autumn Equinox exudes more of a pensive and twilit mood, from the Rose McDowall-sung folk ballad "Rosa Decidua" ("I hear your voice sing near to me / I've put away the poisoned chalice (for now) / And lie down amongst the flowerbeds") to hall-of-lords hallucination "The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant” to the liminal string-plucked classic "Amethyst Deceivers," featuring excellent alien guitar by Breeze layered with Balance’s oft-quoted couplet: "Pay your respects to the vultures / For they are your future." The album’s final chapter, Winter Solstice, is its most swooning, remote, and ceremonial. Opener "A White Rainbow" stirs strings, layered choral vocals, and shivering rhythm into an imploding burial hymn. "North" oscillates bleakly, a ghost in the machine murmuring opaque prophecy ("This black dog has no owner / This black dog has no odour"), while "Magnetic North" is its inverse, a guided meditation of gently flickering software and surreal chakra poetics ("Red rose filling the skull / Yellow cube in the lower pelvis / Silver moon crescent below the navel"). The suite fades to grey with a traditional English carol ("Christmas Is Now Drawing Near"), rendered like an executioner's song by Rose McDowall’s doomed, beautiful voice. The Dais box set includes the entirety of the rare Moon's Milk Bonus Disc CD-R / 2019 Threshold Archives Copal CD, which includes three collaborations with Thighpaulsandra. This material is as rich and intoxicating as the previous four phases, ranging from electro-acoustic singing bowl rituals ("Copal") to dissonant electronic recitations of visionary Angus MacLise poetry ("The Coppice Meat") to ominous classical melancholia ("Bankside"). Once again, Coil confirm the vastness of their confounding, infinite alchemy, explored and refined across decades of experimentation – both sonic and bodily. From post-industrial to post-everything, theirs is an art untethered, in the wilds of its own design. https://www.daisrecords.com/products/coil-moons-milk-in-four-phases 2024 €65.00
CONTROL Transgression CD " 'transgression' represents control's second appearance on ant-zen after the highly regarded 'the resistance' release in 2012. on this album thomas garrison remains loyal to his significant, unique approach of power electronics and death industrial, ready and willing to penetrate the open listener's mind and body. the eight album tracks convey drastic, mesmeric atmospheres carried by the perfect balance between harsh sonic outbursts and accentuated subbass pulses. sharp noise layers are accompanied by seething dark ambiance, subliminal rhythms and the distinctive, arcane vocals control is well-known for. while listening to 'transgression' you will find yourself captured inside an inescapable web of varied moods and feelings which can only be intensified by the experience of a control live performance. do not miss!" https://ant-zen.bandcamp.com/album/transgression 2013 €8.00
COPH NIA / MINDSPAWN Erotomechaniks II CD raubbau is delighted to present this transatlantic collaboration, sequel to the enormously well-received, yet regrettably rare first part of 2005. “erotomechaniks II” is a dark ambient delicacy in seven parts, all very concise tracks with a defined structure, never getting lost in sound as such. the overall subject matter is perfectly specified by the title: the meeting of machinery with eroticism, of precision with yearning, of industrial with human sounds. it was after his occult pop masterpiece “lashtal lace” in 2014 that mikael aldén aka coph nia felt a certain creative drain, so obviously he turned away from the song structures and emotional range of said album and sought to return to what is his own roots as well as his shared history of dark ambient industrial with us-based artist mindspawn: gene williams is a recognized multifaceted visual and musical artist, as much a seasoned producer (active since around 1980) as he is obscure. the combination of these two creative minds makes for the special tension of their collaborative work. “erotomechaniks I” was one of those albums that were received with rave reviews and enormous enthusiasm, but never found the wide audience it might have deserved due to the limited nature of its release. now, with a definite resurgence of interest in that particular style, it’s the perfect time for erotomechaniks II. it’s from the very first hum of “hive mechanics” that the listener feels a fragile comfort, an inescapable enchantment to the otherworld, before the antagonistic metal scrapes set in – and from there the trademark dualism of the album perseveres: the continued clash of the carnal with the constructed. erotomechaniks II is perfectly balanced, with the industrial sounds never pushing towards overt aggression, and the human sounds - like the subtle moans in “lust transformer” - never diverting the abstract nature of the album. all of the tracks clock in around the sevenminute- mark and build an intriguing suspense; that, combined with the sublime sound design, makes erotomechaniks II a prime choice for the dark ambient massive. www.raubbau.org 2016 €13.00
DEATH & BEAUTY FOUNDATION same CD Noch bevor 1984 die ersten Aufnahmen von THE HAFLER TRIO das Licht der Welt erblickten, war H30-Mastermind ANDREW MC. KENZIE mit VAL DENHAM aktiv, einem britischen Transvestiten & frühen Industrial-Aktivisten der als Maler(?) & Artworker für TG, PSYCHIC TV, MARC ALMOND oder CYCLOBE tätig war. Die insgesamt 21 Stücke, die mit "Darlington Tapes" betititelt wurden sind hier nun erstmals auf einer CD zu hören - äusserst eigenwillige experimentelle "Songs" mit kruden Stimmverfremdungen und elektronischen Sounds, wie sie - etwas eleganter - z.T. auch auf die erste H30 LP "Bang! An Open Letter" oder die krasseren sprachbasierten NURSE WITH WOUND-Alben gepasst hätten. Auch über 20 Jahre später ist das noch absolut unzugängliche Anti-Musik, die sich nicht mit klassischen Maßstäben "bewerten" lässt, da es kaum Vergleichsmöglichkeiten gibt. "... present the legendary "Darlington Tapes"recorded in 1982. At last, the sound of Val Denham and Andrew M. McKenzie's long awaited avant garde masterpiece for the bewildered is available after 26 years. Remastered, frightening and beautiful. The strangest album ever recorded. You have been warned." [label info] " The Death & Beauty Foundation is an odd footnote in the history of The Hafler Trio. It's a project that began sometime in the early '80s presumably in and/or around Newcastle, UK featuring a young Andrew McKenzie (who later went on to found The Hafler Trio) and Val Denham, a visual artist who has some history with Psychic TV, Marc Almond, and Cyclobe. Only a couple of compilation tracks of the Death & Beauty Foundation had appeared on Touch cassette compilations, and a tape-only release emerged in 1986; but beyond that, the story to the Death & Beauty Foundation is pretty mysterious. This CD represents the complete 'Darlington Tapes' which the two began in 1982. Instead of the media-savvy collages and psychoacoustic investigations which The Hafler Trio mastered throughout the '80s, the Death & Beauty Foundation penned songs, really weird and fractured songs; but these are nonetheless tunes. A curious falsetto (which we're presuming to belong to Denham) floats in flanging tremolo haze above odd, Spartan electronics, sounding somewhat like "In Heaven" from the Eraserhead soundtrack, but ever more evasive and purposefully meandering. In line with primitive BBC Radiophonic tricknology meets Cabaret Voltaire cut- up methods, tape manipulations guide the bulk of the arrangements to that fluttering voice, with Shadow Ring like splutter across guitar and tin-can percussion on a few tracks. Some of the electronic sounds seem to have reappeared on the h3o album Sea Org; but those recognizable instances are few and far between in this confusing album." [Aquarius Records review] www.somnimage.com 2008 €16.00
DEAUX, CHARLIE (WITH LUSTMORD) Zoetrope DVD Endlich gibt es zu einem Film-Soundtrack auch mal den entsprechenden Film! ZOETROPE ist ein Industrial-Film par excellence, basierend auf KAFKA’s „In der Strafkolonie“ sieht man schwarz-weisse & sich überlagernde visionäre Traum-Bilder von kalten Maschinen & Räderwerken, Gefängnis, Strafe, psychischer Tortur, Wahnsinn & Katharsis, die perfekt mit den monumentalen noise ambient-Klängen von LUSTMORD und der Stimme des Schicksals-Richters interagieren. Ein kurzer (ca. 15 Min.), aber intensivst bannender Film der in das Zentrum der Ur-Angst blickt. "Zoetrope is a haunting and explosively surreal film set in an apocalyptic, decaying world. Based on Franz Kafka's In the Penal Colony, a man is imprisoned for an unnamed crime and tortured by a nameless sadistic bureaucrat. As the chilling nightmare unfolds, the prisoner peels away the layers of his own metaphysical existence, inching ever closer to his inescapable fate. Hatched from the fertile imagination of Director Charlie Deaux (System of a Down, Mortiis), Zoetrope's richly complex visuals and dark atmosphere cast a spell of fear and terror far beyond its tightly edited 20-minute length. Deaux's obsessive attention to detail is reflected in every shot of this relentlessly paced rollercoaster ride. It's easy to wonder if he's the bastard son of Lars von Trier, or a lost cousin of the Brothers Quay. The music and sound design for Zoetrope were composed by Lustmord, and compliment the harrowing visuals perfectly. Lustmord, aka Brian Williams, is well known for his film work (Underworld, The Crow, Basketball Diaries, and more) as well as his own releases." NTSC format, Region Free. 16:9 Format.” [press release] www.soleilmoon.com 2005 €13.00
DRAPE An Idea and its Map LP "Drape is an ambient duo comprised of Ryan Gracey and Spencer Williams. They have been crafting soundscapes since 2004. Their debut, 'dream words' (Gears of Sand) saw a limited CDR release in 2009. It was well received and garnered comparisons to Stars of the Lid, early 70's Tangerine Dream as well as late 80's space ambient. Their follow-up was an interesting pairing on cassette - a split w/ experimental artist Odd Nosdam. 'An Idea And Its Map' marks a refined leap forward in Drape's sound. While less space music, there is certainly more expansion. It is a smudged and blended orchestra of drones on the opener 'Solo in High Dreary' and those drones are split apart in slow-motion - eventually revealing a single guitar tone. Moments of sublime resonance as on 'The Visible The Untrue' anchored by piano, and notes that float, seemingly carried in on a breeze. All is not as it seems with an undercurrent of ground swelling, oscillating air - somewhere in the distance there is a storm assembling. Ebb and flow between light and dark - silver lined black clouds converge on the B side opener 'fanfare for lake flies'. The strings, guitar, siren calls are assembled and plastered to one another. A thick blanket of overwhelming beautiful cacophony results. The album's close is as much filtered white noise as it is heavenly chords. The dual slow-motion treated guitar present thoroughout 'An Idea...' diverges between pools of dissonant feedback, howls of wind, and melodic drones. 'An Idea...' is a study in contrasts - and Drape find effective employment of the disparity as well as the combination of the reticent and the reserved turbulence. There is an atmosphere of tension, in a sense with resplendent tones enveloping a barely concealed fury just under the surface. Edition of 400 copies. Black vinyl, 180 Gram pressing. Gatefold sleeve + OBI strip. Purchase of LP will include a download code of the album (FLAC, MP3, etc. - your choice). After a tumultuous pathway to being pressed on vinyl, be it natural phenomena, pressing issues, manufacturer issues, broken plates, and so on - Infraction is relieved to present finally the first vinyl full-length LP by Drape." [label info] www.infractionrecords.com "Graduating from extended synthesizer jams of their earlier output to symphonic, string-based ambience, the duo of Drape provide a soundtrack for frigid early mornings and star-laden late nights. The seven tracks that comprise "An Idea and Its Map" glisten and glide over slow arcs of swelling strings and luxurious textures that bring to mind the oft-referenced figureheads of the genre, Stars of the Lid. Drape, in both structure and execution, clearly aim for this comparison. Yet they do it better than most and while they can't approximate Stars of the Lid's natural emotion and grasp of melody, Drape smartly overlay their drones with guitar distortion and amplifier feedback to give the surroundings a patina of worn textures. The end result illuminates "An Idea and Its Map" with both a vulnerable and hard-edged feel and is all the better for it." [Ryan Potts, Experimedia] "Its been a while since I last from Drape, the duo of Ryan Gracey and Spencer Williams - see Vital Weekly 722 - but I believe they didn't release much beyond that point, other than a split cassette with Odd Nosdam. With this release we return to the more introspective ambience which we also encountered with Eluder. Yet there are differences also. Whereas Eluder is certainly grey towards black, Drape is more grey towards white. It would seem to me that all of this music is created with guitars, and it's not difficult to see a strong influence from Stars Of The Lid. The long form, sustaining guitars, cascading slowly, like majestic waves, rolling ashore, has a strong orchestral to it. Ringing string music, on an endless, perpetual slow motion roller coaster. If that is at all possible. Its been a while since we last heard something from Stars Of The Lid, and for all I know they might no longer exist, but Drape, on this particular record, would win easily the chance of successor to their throne. A fine example, textbook drone music. Forty years of mood music pass by, from the German cosmos, Eno's living room and a bit of neo-classical music - Arvo for my part. Highly refined journey on the wings of musical history." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2012 €25.00
DRUMM, KEVIN Trouble CD "Recorded Winter 2013-2014 at Frostbite, Chicago, IL. Mastered by Russell Haswell. 'Trouble' is the brand new dispatch from the assorted output of Kevin Drumm and sits as one of the quietest in his entire catalogue. A single continuous 54 minute excursion into the netherworld of the audio spectrum, 'Trouble' is neither ambient nor drone but a more complex investigation into the deep recesses of sound. One which discreetly works itself into the mind of a listener willing to invest in the path laid out in this extremely subtle, beautiful and exceptional release." [label info] www.editionsmego.com "Kevin Drumm has been known to wield an iron fist on his recordings—records like Sheer Hellish Miasma, Impish Tyrant, and Electronic Harassment are titled that way for a reason—but Trouble may punish you in different, and sneakier, ways. This is the quietest record I've heard since Bernhard Günter and Francisco Lopez's hushed microsound works from the turn of the millennium. It is so quiet that you'll need to turn the volume up very, very loud to hear it well, or indeed, at all. In my case, that involves several steps—one volume control on the laptop, one on the audio interface, and one on the DJ mixer that it all runs through on the way to a pair of studio monitors—as well as closing the window in order to shield Drumm's filament-like drones from the rumble of traffic outside. Suffice to say, this is an album that requires some effort, and part of that effort might involve just sitting still. I thought I might get some multi-tasking done—file maintenance, email cleanup, general absent-minded mousing around—while I sat and zoned out to a first run-through of what might be the Chicago noise musician's most ethereal recording since 2009's Imperial Horizon. But I had forgotten about the computer's default alert sounds, and when I went to delete a document, I was startled by the noise that suddenly tore through my speakers—a sound like boots crunching through snow, almost painfully loud. The sound, of course, came not from Drumm's Worse than Burning Offal studios, but from a lab in Cupertino. But it was tempting to imagine that moment of sonic violence as a part of the piece, in a way. Kevin Drumm wants your full attention, and he has mastered Trouble in such a way to practically guarantee it. Another, perhaps better, option is just to leave the album on in the background at a natural, almost inaudible volume, and let it sink in like incense. That's the same line of thinking behind Imperial Horizon's lone, hour-long track "Just Lay Down and Forget It", presumably. I can think of few passive listens that might be less taxing than this shimmering, 54-minute piece, divided into two halves and separated by a minute or two of actual, total silence. As far as wallpaper music goes, Brian Eno's Music for Airports scans as a clash of gaudy op-art prints compared to Drumm's almost invisible layer of atmosphere. Still, per the title, Drumm's disappearing act amounts to a kind of uneasy listening, even at an almost imperceptible volume. This is the sound of fingertips slowly tracing crystal rims; of whale song heard from the opposite end of the ocean; of ghost trains braking in the dead of night. It is the sound of mountains slumping and mist settling. Its deathless peal is a dead ringer for the music of the spheres—all that friction, all that reverb, nothing but shivering frequencies, from here to the ends of the known universe. It's the ghostly microwaves of cosmic background radiation. Despite Drumm's noisy reputation, his music can be overwhelmingly sensual even at its loudest. Sheer Hellish Miasma's "Hitting the Pavement", for instance, is a full-body rubdown of distortion—part airplane engine, part power sander, yet still, above all, a welcoming embrace. And that goes a thousand-fold for the sublime Trouble, an album that invites you to dive into its clutches with the promise of never hitting bottom. The noise floor is a very, very long way down." [Philip Sherburne/Pitchfork] 2014 €14.00
DUPLANT, BRUNO Nox CD The sound piece Nox (in addition to reflecting the traditional nocturnal effluvia specific to the title) is based on the multiple meanings and interpretations that can be made of the incomplete form of the dactylic hexameter and palindrome In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni. This Latin phrase, pictorial and poetic, most often attributed to Virgil, refers to the moths that circle around the candle before burning themselves, and which means: “We go around in circles in the night and we are devoured by fire “. It is also, much closer to us, a French film directed by Guy Debord in 1978. The film (lasting 95 min) describes the consumer society and capitalist alienation, applying to highlight the condition of modern slaves. Today even more this Latin expression takes on a new meaning with the phenomena of ultra-liberalism and major climate crisis. Man, like moths, burns his wings on the fires he himself lit and continues to maintain despite warnings and threats. Are we witnessing the end of the Anthropocene, of the consumer society and capitalist alienation described by Guy Debord? ~ La pièce sonore Nox (outre le fait de refléter les traditionnelles effluves nocturnes propre au titre), repose sur les sens et interprétations multiples que l’on peut faire de la forme incomplète de l’hexamètre dactylique et palindrome In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni . Cette locution latine, imagée et poétique, le plus souvent attribuée à Virgile, fait référence aux papillons de nuit qui tournent autour de la chandelle avant de s’y brûler, et qui signifie : « Nous tournons en rond dans la nuit et nous sommes dévorés par le feu ». C’est aussi, beaucoup plus près de nous, un film français réalisé par Guy Debord en 1978. Le film (d’une durée de 95 min) décrit la société de consommation et d’aliénation capitaliste, s’appliquant à mettre en évidence la condition d’esclaves modernes. Aujourd’hui encore plus cette expression latine prend un sens nouveau avec les phénomènes d’ultra-libéralisme et de crise climatique majeure. L’Homme, tels les papillons de nuit, se brûle les ailes sur les feux qu’il a lui même allumé et qu’il continue a entretenir malgré les avertissements et les menaces. Assistons-nous à la fin de l’anthropocène, de la société de consommation et d’aliénation capitaliste décrite par Guy Debord ? (Bruno Duplant, May 2022) Release Date : June 20, 2022 Duration : 40:00 Format : glass mastered CD/digital Track : nox Regular Edition : 165 hand-numbered copies Packaged in clear vinyl sleeve with folded insert + additional art card on 350gr satin paper. Cover design, card & treatments by Daniel Crokaert Based almost exclusively on photos by Bruno Duplant and some additional textures from Unfathomless' archive "It seems as if no week passes by without a new release by Bruno Duplant, the French composer of whom I never seem to know much about. Releases for Unfathomless deal with field recordings, and this one is no different, except, perhaps, for the fact that many of these field recordings are made in one place. Duplant recorded his material in Waziers, Berlin and London, without being very specific about the exact locations. That too is sometimes different on this label. And lastly, Duplant uses some instruments here. I believe to hear a piano and some instrument played with a bow; that might strings or a cymbal. The title refers to "the multiple meanings and interpretations that can be made of the incomplete form of the dactylic hexameter and palindrome In girum imus nocte ecce et consumimur igni. This Latin phrase, pictorial and poetic, most often attributed to Virgil, refers to the moths that circle around the candle before burning themselves, and which means: “We go around in circles in the night and we are devoured by fire". I am not that smart. More explanations on the Bandcamp page. Maybe the piece is indeed a palindrome. At least when I opened it in an audio editor it gave that impression. As with some of other recent works, Duplant seems to be layering a lot of sounds that may not have many relations with each other and then finds a dialogue among them. By slowly fading up and down particular sounds, he creates a very rich sound world. I am not sure to what extent this is to be understood as random in the John Cage-sense, or if the composer willingly allows sounds to be louder or quieter in the mix. There are some massive, drone-like rocks, very detailled small field recordings, the occasional piano tone, the bow across the cymbal/violin, crackles and it all works very well. 'Nox' lasts exactly forty minutes, but I am sure this could be twice as long and still be interesting. I know this, because I had it on repeat and didn't notice the change over that much and it wasn't until much longer that I realized it started again. The overall tone of the piece is quite moody and atmospheric, but I guess such is the nature of densely layered field recordings. High quality work, as usual." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2022 €14.00
EARTH Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light CD "Earth recently unveiled a beautiful collection of early recordings ("A Bureaucratic Desire for Extra Capsular Extraction") to which many agree marked the band as pioneers of a new sound that has continued to metamorphose ever since. True that with each brand new studio album, they evolve, and it is this willingness to experiment with different sounds and different musicians that has enabled Earth to remain consistently interesting and undoubtedly always unique. Following the Extra Capsular reissues, Earth's next offering is a brand new studio album, "Angels Of Darkness, Demons of Light 1", a fine testament to the fact that they have come a long way since 1989. Drawing on inspiration from both British Folk-Rock bands the Pentangle and Fairport Convention and the North African Tuareg band Tinariwen, the new material, while still "heavy" is much more fluid and melodically oriented, less dense and more textured and nuanced. It contains greater improvisatory interplay between the musicians. On one hand the new album acknowledges previous recordings, sonically it cultivates the jazz infused Americana presented on The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull and as a further nod to the past, Earth returned to Avast studios to work with producer Stuart Hallerman (Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Built To Spill, and Earth2!) again. On the other hand, there have been some significant changes which have given birth to yet another new sound, the main change being the line up and so joining Dylan and Adrienne on the album is cellist Lori Goldston (Nirvana, David Byrne, Black Cat Orchestra, Laura Veirs) and Karl Blau (K Records, Laura Veirs, Microphones) on electric bass. The touring band will feature Dylan Carlson, Adreinne Davies, Lori Goldston, and Angelina Baldoz on bass. Songs "Father Midnight" and Hell's Winter" definitely retain some of their former glory on the Bees Made Honey... whilst the cello, though subtle at times, adds a more haunting tone to songs "Old Black" and "Descent to the Zenith" which are so powerful that they have the ability to move one to tears. It is the album's closer and title track which is the boldest step in a new direction for Earth, utilizing the complimentary tones of cello, electric bass and Dylan's guitar, leaving the notes to hang contemplatively in the air before Adrienne's drum beats finally emerge. The repetition throughout the song is seemingly simplistic, though as we all know by now, there is absolutely nothing simple about holding a note or beat for as long as Earth do. There are many breaths of fresh air in this new record, many hopeful tones and drones as well as more eerie ones. One thing is for sure, this incarnation of Earth excels all expectations." [label info] www.southernlord.com 2011 €15.00
EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN Grundstück LP + DVD Die Einstürzenden Neubauten entdeckten Töne jenseits der Schmerzgrenze, die Schönheit der Dissonanz und eine Ästhetik des Schrottplatzes. Mit anderen Worten: Blixa Bargeld & Co. haben die musikalische Landschaft so nachhaltig geprägt wie kaum eine andere deutsche Band. Seit fast vier Dekaden reißen sie bestehende Soundgrenzen ein, um nach der Maxime "Nur was nicht ist, ist möglich" immer wieder neue Klangräume zu schaffen. Seinem unstillbaren Forscherdrang folgend, hat sich das Berliner Musikerkollektiv seit dem ersten Auftritt am 1. April 1980 im Berliner Club Moon als radikale, unberechenbare und eigenwillige Avantgarde-Formationen etabliert, die mit lärmgeladenem Anti-Pop bis heute globale Hörgewohnheiten prägt. Mit "Grundstück" wird eine Rarität von 2005 im regulären Handel veröffentlicht. Damals gab die Gruppe das Album als streng limitierte Kleinstauflage nur an eingetragene Band-Supporter aus, jetzt kann "Grundstück" offiziell als CD und LP erworben werden. Den Tonträgern liegt jeweils eine DVD mit bislang unveröffentlichten Filmaufnahmen sowie ein umfangreiches Booklet bei. "Grundstück" gilt als Bindeglied von "Perpetuum Mobile" (2004) und "Alles wieder offen" (2007). Es handelt sich um ein bewusst im unfertigen Zustand konserviertes Interimswerk, das den laufenden Entwicklungsprozess zwischen zwei Alben festhielt. 2018 €31.00
ELECTRIC SEWER AGE Moon's Milk (in four phases) (lim. clear vinyl) 3 x LP BOX About "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)" First compiled as a double CD in 2002, Moon’s Milk (In Four Phases) is a suite of four EPs that Coil released seasonally via their in-house Eskaton imprint across 1998. The line-up for these sessions were John Balance, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, Drew McDowall, and William Breeze. Recorded primarily at their home studio in Chiswick, London on the eve of a permanent relocation to the small seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare, the collection has long loomed as a pivotal and pinnacle work in the group's discography, but has never been officially reissued, or repressed on vinyl. Time has only ripened its tapestry of regal strangeness. Arranged sequentially in tribute to the equinoxes and solstices, Moon's Milk captures Coil at a revelatory crossroads, leaning deeper into improvisation, spontaneity, and sound design. "Moon's Milk or Under an Unquiet Skull" initiates the proceedings on Spring Equinox, a two-part netherworld organ séance woven from vocal drones, cathedral keys, seasick strings, and opiated undertow. From there, Summer Solstice skews lighter but no less incantational, with Balance embracing his voice-as-instrument across lucid dream torch songs ("Bee Stings"), purgatorial spoken word ("Glowworms/Waveforms"), sultry chamber pieces ("Summer Substructures"), and falsetto ravings ("A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz)"). Autumn Equinox exudes more of a pensive and twilit mood, from the Rose McDowall-sung folk ballad "Rosa Decidua" ("I hear your voice sing near to me / I've put away the poisoned chalice (for now) / And lie down amongst the flowerbeds") to hall-of-lords hallucination "The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant” to the liminal string-plucked classic "Amethyst Deceivers," featuring excellent alien guitar by Breeze layered with Balance’s oft-quoted couplet: "Pay your respects to the vultures / For they are your future." The album’s final chapter, Winter Solstice, is its most swooning, remote, and ceremonial. Opener "A White Rainbow" stirs strings, layered choral vocals, and shivering rhythm into an imploding burial hymn. "North" oscillates bleakly, a ghost in the machine murmuring opaque prophecy ("This black dog has no owner / This black dog has no odour"), while "Magnetic North" is its inverse, a guided meditation of gently flickering software and surreal chakra poetics ("Red rose filling the skull / Yellow cube in the lower pelvis / Silver moon crescent below the navel"). The suite fades to grey with a traditional English carol ("Christmas Is Now Drawing Near"), rendered like an executioner's song by Rose McDowall’s doomed, beautiful voice. The Dais box set includes the entirety of the rare Moon's Milk Bonus Disc CD-R / 2019 Threshold Archives Copal CD, which includes three collaborations with Thighpaulsandra. This material is as rich and intoxicating as the previous four phases, ranging from electro-acoustic singing bowl rituals ("Copal") to dissonant electronic recitations of visionary Angus MacLise poetry ("The Coppice Meat") to ominous classical melancholia ("Bankside"). Once again, Coil confirm the vastness of their confounding, infinite alchemy, explored and refined across decades of experimentation – both sonic and bodily. From post-industrial to post-everything, theirs is an art untethered, in the wilds of its own desig 2024 €63.50
ELIZABETH S. Gather Love CD Elizabeth S., long time contributor/performer with duo Eyeless In Gaza is about to release her first solo album. Happy in the past to remain on the sidelines with her collaborations she is now ready to reveal some of her story. These songs are her personal journey through many stormy years and the development of this work was many years in the making. All the songs were written, performed and produced by her with the only additional contributions being made by Martyn Bates and Alan Trench. In a recent review (www.bigbeautifulnoise.com) Lee Henderson wrote that her work extends from an almost mournful reminiscence to ethereal portraits and symbolic aural illustrations. Elizabeth S. has an approach that combines electronic treatments while having a tight grasp on her early British folk beginnings: this in-depth collection is a beacon on dark and intensely stormy years and yet it still offers a warm invitation to inspire hope and goodness to the human race. Consisting of twelve tracks of such an intimate autobiographical diary this body of work leaves the listener with no doubt that we have been allowed into a very private space inhabited by most of us at some point in our lives - with Elizabeth’s music gently moving from the tender to the abstract, all the while staying firmly rooted within a range of sparse musical arrangements. Elizabeth S. has been likened to a curious hybrid of Dolly Collins, June Tabor, Laurie Anderson and Kate Westbrook – but, it is truly difficult to label her music, and this is a task that we leave to the listener. Full tracklist: 1. Misborn 2. Will Your Love 3. The Carer 4. The Carter Girl 5. Weathered Life 6. Measured Greed 7. The Hill 8. The Long Farewell 9. Wanderlove 10. Gather Love 11. No Rain 12. To. https://www.klanggalerie.com/gg384 "Warum Elizabeth S., langjährige Mitwirkende bei der Band Eyeless in Gaza, erst nach Jahrzehnten ein Album im Alleingang produziert hat, ist nicht weiter bekannt. Schon die ersten beiden Tracks ihres vor kurzem erschienenen Debüts “Gather Love” geben jedoch bereits eine Vorstellung von der enorm aufwühlenden Emotionalität, die sich in unterschiedlichen Facetten durch das ganze Werk zieht. Ein solches Album braucht nicht nur eine Weile, um fertig gestellt zu werden, sondern noch mehr Zeit, um überhaupt als Idee heranzureifen. Ein solches Album ist, so will es die Redensart, keine leichte Geburt, und so beginnt “Gather Love” wie ein Donnerschlag mit dem heftigen “Misborn”, bei dem die Sängerin inmitten einer lärmenden Karambolage aus Drums, Noiserockgitarren und anderen Instrumenten beschwörende Verse anstimmt, während kleine Melodiefragmente auch hier bereits die Sanftheit ahnen lassen, die im weiteren Verlauf immer deutlicher in den Vordergrund treten wird. Alles dreht sich um den titelgebenden Begriff, und es scheint, als wollten Gesang und Lärm durch eine unsichtbare Wand dringen. Hinter der verbirgt sich vielleicht die gelöste, sehnsuchtsvolle Trauer, in die das darauffolgende “Will Your Love” getaucht ist – dieser vielleicht eingängigste Song des Albums, dessen eindringliches Gitarrenspiel und feuriger Gesang die Energie des Folkrevivals der 70er channelt, stellt die Frage nach einer Liebe, die den Tod überdauert. Alles in diesem Stück scheint dem Schmerz abgerungen und ist dabei frei von jeder lieblichen Romantik. Die zwölf Stücke, in denen die oftmals verschwimmenden Klänge von Gitarre, Piano, Melodica, dezenter Elektronik und Streichern den Sound prägen, drehen sich immer wieder um Themen des Verlusts und des Vermissens und strahlen dabei eine große Zärtlichkeit aus, die mehr als alles andere die Wertschätzung des Verlorenen deutlich macht. Der Journalist Lee Henderson, der einiges über die persönlichen Hintergründe des Albums weiß, erwähnt den Bezug einiger der Songs auf die Familie der Sängerin. So enthält das verweht dröhnende “The Carter Girl” eine Tape-Aufnahme, die Elizabeth als Kind von ihrer Mutter, einer Opernsängerin, machte, die später an Alzheimer erkrankte. Andere Songs wie das so entrückte wie exaltierte “Weathered Life” erzählen in ihren Texten von den Herausforderungen, mit denen der Sängerin nahestehende Personen leben und kämpfen mussten. Was die Opulenz der Stücke betrifft, die in ihrem unklaren Ort zwischen dunklen Folkballaden und abstrakteren Soundscapes immer wieder auch an Elizabeths Stammband erinnern, könnte “Gather Love” durchaus das Werk einer Band sein. Und doch bleibt stets der Eindruck einer persönlichen, autobiografischen Stimme, wie sie nur in wirklichen Soloarbeiten sprechen kann – ganz gleich, ob die Sängerin sich dabei wie in dem schleppenden, fast an No Wave erinnernden “No Rain” oder im gemächlich rauschenden “The Long Farewell” eher zurücknimmt und den Instrumenten den vorderen Platz überlässt, oder ob sie auch gesanglich wie in “The Hill” oder dem monumentalen “Measured Greed” alle Barrieren durchbricht und sich in fast wahnhafter Ekstatik Ausdruck verschafft. Zu den gemächlicheren Stücken zählt auch das Mason Williams-Cover “Wanderlove”, bei dem mit Alan Trench (Temple Music, 12 Thousand Days u.v.a.) und Ehemann Martyn Bates auch Gäste mit Drones und begleitendem Gesang zu Wort kommen. In das sanfte Dröhnen mischt sich etwas unruhig drängendes, das sich durch die emotionale Grund-DNA des ganzen Albums zieht, eine sich heftig aufbäumende Eruption, die gleichermaßen rastlos und konzentriert, magisch und kathartisch ist. Erst im kurzen Abspann von “To” glätten sich die Wogen – wie auf der letzten, versöhnlichen Seite einer autobiografischen Erzählung. Zweifelsohne ein mehr als gelungenes Debüt." [U.S./African Paper] 2022 €15.00
ENSEMBLE PEARL same CD "Cosmic heavy amplified rock drops and ripples, auras radiate and expand into cloudforms, through which lightning bolts. Tides rise, the moons wax upon a place somewhere between Link Wray, Hex-era Earth and early Tangerine Dream. The echoes return, leaving a trail that blows and drifts, creating a separate piece. The metal of coils is the metal of the earth, the air... the meteoric and primal elements found in space. ENSEMBLE PEARL reaches through the clouds and atmospheres and brings it all back down to the ground, to forge further creations for woman and man. This music production is inspired by rock from the classic era (’50s through ‘70s) and acousmatic contemporary composition alike. Ensemble Pearl are ATSUO, WILLIAM HERZOG, MICHIO KURIHARA and STEPHEN O’MALLEY. Their debut album also features the elemental forces of EYVIND KANG and TIMBA HARRIS. These players have all moved air and earth in many other projects and can create monolith and river alike on their own—but for Ensemble Pearl they give and take, knowing and understanding each other’s strengths and lack of weakness. Rather than blast sheets of air-filling sound, their contributions float the space with positive and negative dynamics. There are no borders being patrolled, allowing Ensemble Pearl to move from place to place unhindered. Over the course of six sides of music (and four sides of vinyl) they ride the jet stream as the world revolves slowly below, static almost, shimmering imperceptibly, mostly water. In and amongst the sprays of foam, there’s a wash of twin-lead psych-proggery, a raft of tribal-beat sun worship, a passing rumble of neck-stretching, some delicate noiseblowing, a bit of float-and-drone and finally, a majestic drift into the deep waters of dub atmosphere. From these heavy vibration masters, with their ear-shattering antecedents, these are new horizons, first dreamed of, then visited and played upon." [label info] www.dragcity.com 2013 €15.50
FEAR DROP No. 18 (Les Pistes Sauvages) mag & CD #18 Les Pistes Sauvages – Le chant des eaux, de la forêt, de la nuit Articles in aquis : william basinski, l.m. riek, jana winderen, troum, yannick dauby, thierry weyd in silva : o yuki conjugate, marc namblard, cédric peyronnet in nocte : the cure – seventeen second, coil – musick to play in the dark, michael begg, maninkari, william basinski, bass communion, the [law-rah] collective , b.l. boysen CD 13 titres Coil :Zoviet*France: O Yuki Conjugate Kodak Strophes (Martyn Bates) Marc Namblard Lawrence English Maninkari Francisco López Michael Begg Steven Wilson Toy Bizarre Yannick Dauby Jana Winderen & Thierry Weyd www.feardrop.net/?page_id=9 2020 €12.50
FELDMAN, MORTON Piano Three Hands (etc) CD Tracklist: Piano Three Hands, Intermission 5, Vertical Thoughts 2, Extensions 3, Four Instruments, Intermission 5, Piano Piece 1956 A + B, Intersection 3, Instruments 1 Piano Three Hands (M. Feldman + J. Tilbury) Intermission 5 (M. Feldman) Vertical Thoughts 2 (C. Cardew, J. Négyesy) Extensions 3 (M. Feldman) Four Instruments (Cantilena Chamber Players) Intermission 5 (D. Tudor) Piano Piece 1956 A + B (D. Tudor) Intersection 3 (D. Tudor) Instruments 1 (E. Blum, N. Post, G. List, J. Williams, J. Kubera) 1994 €17.50
FELIX KUBIN II: Music for Film and Theatre LP YouTube Trailers: youtu.be/i5AEq3FMOwM youtu.be/n7dTsVsQpbA Here's the long awaited 2nd volume of soundtrack works by German Pop and Avantgarde Futurist Felix Kubin on the Dekorder label, following 2008's "Music for Theatre and Radio Play". Some of Kubin's most adventurous and far-reaching music stems from his commissioned works for films, theatre and radio plays. Freed from conventional song formats and genre stereotypes he effortlessly combines Musique Concrète noises, splashes of haunted virtual orchestras, Gameboy music minuets and voice collage interspersed with tons of suspense and gloomy industrial atmospheres. "Music for Film and Theatre" compiles 11 tracks from Polish director Robert Florczak's "Makbet Remix" (based on William Shakespeare's "Macbeth"), a waltz from Schorsch Kamerun's "Des Kaisers neue Kleider" (by Hans Christian Andersen) and the complete soundtrack (including the actual sound design) for Anke Feuchtenberger's animation short "Somnambule". Felix Kubin is a renowned composer and producer of radio plays based in Hamburg. In recent years he has released futuristic Pop Music on the legendary Zick Zack label, weirdo Big Band Jazz with Mitch & Mitch as well as the more experimental ode to the compact cassette "Chromdioxidgedächtnis". Over the past 10 years he has composed several major works for modern classical ensembles: "Echohaus" with ensemble Intégrales (released on Dekorder) "Falling Still" for Ensemble Resonanz and a boys' choir, premiered this year at Hamburg's Laiszhalle Symphony Hall and "Lunatyk" for Miłosz Pękala. His radio play "Orphée Mécanique" was awarded "Radio Play of the Year" in 2012 and "Best Audio Book 2014". Kubin's first recordings date back to his teenage years in the early 1980's (reissued in 2012 on the Minimal Wave label), followed by his electroacoustic noise duo Klangkrieg and the dada-communist Liedertafel Margot Honecker. https://dekorder.bandcamp.com/album/ii-music-for-film-and-theatre 2016 €16.00
FOVEA HEX Here is where we used to sing CD "Fovea Hex are one of the mostintriguing phenomena in contemporary music. Despite the seemingly wilful nonchalance that has kept them under the radar so far (only 3 ep releases in 5 years, a mere fistful of appearances in France, Spain, Italy and Ireland, and their preference for elliptical, minimal design) the group have nevertheless developed an enviable cult status both in Europe and the United States, have performed at the personal invitation of David Lynch in the gardens of the Cartier Foundation in Paris and have attracted the free and willing participation of a genre and generation hopping rollcall of A-list luminaries including Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Carter Burwell, Donal Lunny, and Steven Wilson, as well as a who's who of the electronic avant-garde including Roger Doyle, the Hafler Trio, Colin Potter and Michael Begg. Clodagh Simonds, the group's reclusive leader (if they can be called a group, and indeed, if she can be called a leader) has recently emerged to announce the eagerlyanticipated first full-length album from Fovea Hex, Here Is Where We Used To Sing, which will be released on CD and digital formats on April 18th 2011. The album comrises 8 beautifully crafted songs and 3 short instrumentals that build on the fusion of formal composition, cutting edge ambient sound art, incomparable song writing skill, and Simonds's emotionally rich and evocative vocals ("A voice that one could happily drown in for hours" remarked Pitchfork) that made their ep trilogy, Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent, so extraordinary. These "songs that don't go where you think" are immediately seductive, inhabiting a curiously elusive, many-layered otherworld. They manage to sound both powerful and delicate, sophisticated and elemental, resonating with an understated emotional intensity so rare these days that it comes slightly as a shock. The balancing act is fragile, and nothing is quite what it seems, yet the group themselves are unlikely to explain their methods or reasons. That task falls to fans and friends such as Matmos's Drew Daniels: "The starlit nocturnes of Fovea Hex bind electronics, drones and voices into song spells. Their intimacy and raw emotional power feel centuries old, but the experimental sound design can be shockingly modern. There is an intense focus to this music ¬ no clutter, no cliches ¬ which is both ravishing and rare" Simonds has gathered about her a now familiar troupe of collaborators for this album. A core ensemble of Simonds (vocals, keyboards, harmonium, psaltery, lyre, kalimba), Laura Sheeran (vocals, saw), Cora Venus Lunny (violin, viola), Michael Begg (electronics, keyboards) and Colin Potter (electronics) are variously joined, replaced, augmented and superimposed by visitations from Brian Eno, Julia Kent (of Antony and the Johnsons), John Contreras, Kate Ellis, members of Italy's Larsen, and, in keeping with the mystery that seems to veil the heart of the enterprise, further "friends who would prefer to remain nameless." True to their oblique nature, they even manage to credit an abstract contribution to the 10,000 year project; The Long Now Foundation (http://longnow.org/) "Three Beams", a limited edition bonus disk of 3 extended remixes allows full and free rein to the palette of ambient / experimental electronica at Fovea Hex's disposal. Works by Colin Potter, Michael Begg and William Basinski perfectly counterpoint the highly crafted songs on the album with generously proportioned and sonically mesmerizing soundscapes. One has to wonder how Simonds really feels now that the appearance of this singular album seems likely to tear apart forever the fabric of anonymity in which this extraordinary ensemble has until now been concealed." [label info] "Certainly a project covered in mystery, Fovea Hex. In the last five years, they released three CD-EPs, all on Die Stadt, all with bonus remix CDs. A mystery in as far that we obviously know who is behind it. Clodagh Simonds is the 'leader' of the pack. She sings, plays piano, harmonium, keyboards, kalimba and lyre. Around her she has gathered a whole bunch of musicians, such as Michael Begg, Kate Ellis, Cora Venus Lunny, Brian Eno and Colin Potter. They add such instruments as cello, violin, treated bells, sonics and starry keyboards. If you thought that Fovea Hex would have moved on after their last EP, you're wrong. They still operate in that very same field of ambient music and folk tunes. The voice of Simonds is as heavenly as before and the music as sparse and to the point as before. Very fragile music, maybe even a pathetic (although I like to stress I hardly mean this in a negative way), highly emotional. Even without paying attention to the lyrics, one can easily feel the high emotional level which is used here. I can imagine that playing this music when depressed is not going to help to lift that depression. Or perhaps it does. Very sad and yet very beautiful music." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2011 €13.00
FRITH, FRED The Happy End Problem CD "The Happy End Problem beinhaltet zwei Tanztheaterkompositionen, die Fred Frith im neuen Jahrtausend für Amanda Miller und ihre Pretty Ugly Dance Company komponiert hat. Uraufgeführt wurden die Stücke im Stadttheater Freiburg, im May 2003 ("The Happy End Problem") bzw. im April 2004 ("Imitation" - die Tracks 1-9). Recht akustisch wirkt „Imitation“, welches von Streichinstrumenten, Gitarre, Piano und etwas Perkussion bestimmt wird. Dazu kommen sehr verhaltene elektronische Sounds und Klangspielereien von Patrice Scanlon. Für Frithsche Verhältnisse ist "Imitation" erstaunlich melodisch und zahm ausgefallen. Fast elegisch und sentimental, sehr klassisch-kammermusikikalisch und entspannt kommen hier die Klänge aus den Boxen. Einzig die Pianolinen entwickeln ab und zu eine gewisse betriebsame Hektik. Ansonsten schreitet die Musik getragen, sehr schlicht, fast karg dahin. Recht prominent in der Musik steht Carla Kihlstedts Violine, die häufig die Melodieführung übernimmt. Das lange Titelstück ist dagegen etwas anders gestrickt. Deutliche elektronischer in der Ausrichtung, angereichert mit einigen Tonbandeinspielungen verschiedener Naturgeräusche, wirkt die Komposition fremdartiger und komplexer, wie ein großformatiges Klanggemälde, welches im zweiten Teil kurzzeitig zu einem recht wirren, schrägen und minimalistischen Elektro-RIO- Kammerrockdurcheinander gerät. Trotzdem ist die Nummer vielleicht das elektronischste Stück, welches ich von Frith kenne. "The Happy End Problem" ist ein weiteres Beispiel für die Vielseitigkeit des ehemaligen Gitarristen von Henry Cow. Wer die Musik von Frith schätzt, wird mit diesem Album sicher keinen Fehlkauf tun!" [Achim Breiling / Babyblaue Seiten] "A new recording, and instantly a Fred classic. Two, related, small-ensemble works for 6 and 7 musicians respectively - mostly strings of one sort or another, with percussion, flute and clarinet occasionally, and electronics. Fred, violinist Carla Kilsteht and percussionist Willie Wynant play throughout, providing continuity across the pieces as the music constantly unfolds into new textures and dialects. Melody, harmony and rhythm are omnipresent, though not always obviously colluding, and the music moves with constant assurance, never hesitating and never marking time. There are some affinities with Nicola Kodjbashias luminous Solitary Walker (which it predates) in its use of minimal instrumentation to maximum effect, popular materials, exquisite articulation and a kind of modest transcendence. The necessity and simplicity of these pieces conceals a catalogue of experimental techniques and novel ideas; there are those whod have squeezed a score of albums from this material. A gem. Buy it. Carla Kilsteht shines throughout." [label description] www.rermegacorp.com 2006 €14.00
Field Days (The Amanda Loops) CD 14 pieces originally written for dance and other practical situations, here reassigned and reconstructed for choreographer Amanda Miller and the Nederland Dans Theater. These are loop-based, textural, mood pieces, and invocations of spaces and landscapes, with some fine steel guitar playing. Mostly this is Fred multi-instrumenting, with pianist Daan Vanderwalle, percussionist Willie Wynant, the Arte Sax quartet and Lotte Anker, the Arditti Quartet, Kiku Day, occasional shakuhachi, and violinist/nykelharpist Karla Kihlstedt. Hit from the show: Desert Sundown. www.rermegacorp.com 2015 €14.00
Crossing Borders (Volume 2 Of The Fred Records Story, 2001-2020) 9 x CD BOX "Second of a three-box collection by one of the most innovative guitarists and composers of his generation, containing 8 ReR CDs, a bonus Fred title and a fat historic booklet with artwork, photographs, extensive notes & other comments by Fred, all packed into in a sturdy box -- and at a budget price. Box 2 contains: Live in Japan, Speechless, Prints, Step Across the Border (film score), Impur 2 (large ensemble), Art of Memory II (with John Zorn), Skeleton Crew (double CD with Zeena Parkins and Tom Cora). Plus, bonus CD Helter Skelter (remastered). Cover photo: Heike Liss Biographical: Recipient of Italy's Demetrio Stratos Prize for his life's work in experimental music & Professor Emeritus at the legendary epicenter of American experimental music, Mills College in Oakland, California, Fred still teaches in the improvisation master's program at the Musik Akademie in Basel and as visiting faculty in the Universidad Austral in Valdivia, Chile, where he has been collaborating on the creation of a new School of Music and Sound Art. Also appearing: Guigou Chenevier, Margot Mathieu, Ferdinand Richard, Jo Thirion, Tina Curran, Roger Kent Parsons, Asha & Storm, George Cartwright, Hans Bruniusson, Mars Williams, Steve Buchanan, Bill Laswell, Fred Maher, Bernd "Uimsch' Lehmann, Dave Kerman, Mike Johnson, Sebastian Gramms, Alexandra Schulz, Sheena Dupuis, Tom Cora, Zeena Parkins, Bob Ostertag, John Zorn, Daihachi Oguchi, Jean Derome, Rene Lussier, Kevin Norton, Eino Haapala, Marc Hollander, Lars Holl mer, Tim Hodgkinson, Iva Bittov. Pavel Fajt, Eitetsu Hayashi, Haco, Rabi, Lu, Katrin, Dave Newhouse, Laurent Frick, Pascal Pariaud, Joel Jorda, Laurent Vichard, Samuel Chagnard, Stephane Lambert, Philippe Madile, Serge Sana, Claire Mollard, Stephane Grosjean, Cyril Cambon, Stephen Tissot, Guillaume Quemener, Ghilem Lacroux, Bader Gharzouli, Gilles Laval, Jean-Michel Quoisse, Denis Mariotte, Claude Monteil, Edmond Hosdikian, Fred Giuliani, Kiwi, Nadine Laporte, Richard Peter et al." https://fredfrith.bandcamp.com/album/crossing-borders-vol-2-of-the-fred-records-story-2001-2020 2021 €66.00
  Stepping Out (Volume 3 Of The Fred Records Story, 2001-2020) 9 x CD BOX "Third of a three box collection by one of the most innovative guitarists and composers of his generation, containing eight ReR CDs, a bonus Fred title and a fat historic booklet with artwork, photographs, extensive notes and other comments by Fred, all packed into in a sturdy box -- and at a budget price. Box three contains: Technology of Tears, Propaganda, Allies, Accidental, The Previous Evening, Happy End Problem, Nowhere, Sideshow, Field Days. Plus, bonus CD Inimitable (previously unreleased). Biographical: Recipient of Italy's Demetrio Stratos Prize for his life's work in experimental music and Professor Emeritus at the legendary epicenter of American experimental music, Mills College in Oakland, California, Fred still teaches in the improvisation master's program at the Musik Akademie in Basel and as visiting faculty in the Universidad Austral in Valdivia, Chile, where he has been collaborating on the creation of a new School of Music and Sound Art. Also appearing: Tenko, John Zorn, Christian Marclay, Jim Staley, Joey Baron, George Cartwright, Tom Cora, Christian Kaya, Claudio Puntin, Heike Liss, Bernd Settelmeyer, Bernd Weber, Kikutsubo Day, Carla Kihlstedt, Theresa Wong, William Winant, Patrice Scanlon, Gail Brand, Fred Giuliani & Hande Erdem Cover photo: Heike Liss. 'Fred Frith makes music that incorporates transformative, disruptive, revolutionary wisdom while constantly expanding his range of sonic subversion' --lsole che Parlono." https://fredfrith.bandcamp.com/album/stepping-out-vol-3-of-the-fred-records-story-2001-2020 2021 €66.00
GARLAND, PETER String Quartets CD "This CD presents the premiere recordings of two spirited and enticing quartets that draw on the composer's well-traveled ear and great sense of personal vision. Both works move with a unique sense of grace and a sincerity of expression that is purely Garlandesque -- marked by a sometimes lively dancing, a sometimes alluring stasis and an often sauntering gait that allow musical ideas to seem to appear intuitively and develop subconsciously. Performed and recorded beautifully by members of the renowned British new music ensemble Apartment House, which has for the past 15 years championed the music of such composers as Christian Wolf, John Cage, Cornelius Cardew, Philip Corner and many other experimental and avant-garde composers at major festivals throughout Europe. Peter Garland is a composer, world traveler, musicologist, writer and former publisher (Soundings Press). He studied music composition with Harold Budd and James Tenney at Cal Arts and maintained long friendships with Lou Harrison, Conlon Nancarrow, Paul Bowles and Dane Rudhyar. Since the early '70s, Garland's own music has been marked by a return to a 'radical consonance' and a simplification of formal structure influenced by Cage, Harrison, early minimalism and a great variety of world musics. His unique and highly engaging music has been performed around the world by such noted performers as pianists Aki Takahashi and Herbert Henck, percussionist William Winant, accordionist Guy Klucesvek and the Kronos Quartet and released on the Tzadik, New Albion, Cold Blue, Mode, Avant, Toshiba-EMI/Angel and other labels." [label info] www.coldbluemusic.com 2009 €14.00
GEINS'T NAIT & L. PETITGAND Je vous dis CD "Geins't Naït is a project initiated in 1986 with a first album released by Thierry Merigout (drummer with Kas Product on their 1981 tour) and Vincent Hachet, who quickly stepped back from this project to work on his film-maker career. The L'or'n Cät album's release in 1987 marked the arrival of Laurent Petitgand, a singer-songwriter recognized for his composing work for (the late French singer) Bashung and original soundtracks for film directors such as Wim Wenders (including Tokyo-Ga, 1985, Wings of Desire, 1986, and the future The Salt of the Earth, scheduled in 2014), Paul Auster (The Inner Life of Martin Frost), as well as ballet music for Angelin Preljocaj (Liqueurs de Chair, Amer America). Bases are thus set down. While Geins't Naït offers rough pieces of music as an extension of its punk attitude which deeply moved the Berlin scene years ago, Laurent Petitgand is busy refining them and creating some musicality within the post-industrial collages, adding guitars, piano or any classical instrument. In 1993, following the release of C/O Lisa on the Permis de Construire label, noise gave way to a silence that lasted 20 years. Coming from nowhere, Si j'avais su, j'aurais rien dit, a particularly tormented album which, against all odds, revived the project in 2011. An album which showed an increasing alchemy between the two musicians whose different routes, this common project aside, seem to fit perfectly well now. Now, and more than ever, the duo's approach is based on an in-depth field. To sharpen the sounds, give them some kind of balance, a density and a mark. More than anything else, to make sure that music is a langage, an experience in the deeper meaning of the term. In its form, the collaboration between Geins't Naït and Laurent Petitgand echoes the adventurous musics from the eighties and is the French counterpoint to experimental british scenes (Coil, Current 93, Test Dept) and german scenes (Einstürzende Neubauten, Sprung Aus Den Wolken), so much so that this new work is difficult to label in its totality, entering ambient or industrial fields, as well as minimalist or repetitive music. Je vous dis is obvious in its ability for listeners to give life to the smallest element which is part of it, would it be a sample, a piano melody, or even the amazing work on voices, which, as well as instrumentation, assume a central part in the tracks balance. Melancholic, with a retained violence, sometimes even with a fearsome violence, Je vous dis surprises and captivates in its way to subtly catch the listener, thanks to a disturbing nocturnal mood, but also to an unsettling humanity. But this record is far from being an hermetical work : it's quite the opposite. Difficulty is not to get in this world, however particular or deviant it is, but to get out. More than just music, Je vous dis is a visceral obsession about detail, a sound sculpture with changing forms and various aspects, an unsleeping creature with inscrutable soul. As soon as one believes to have understood it, the next listening brings the listener back into doubt and questions. As in a situationist movie for which that album would be a perfect soundtrack, each complete immersion offers its lot of news interpretations and details, with were unkown until now but are definitively obvious in the end. A real masterpiece for the mind : complex, poetic and sophisticated, even in its darkest moments." [label info] www.icidailleurs.com "Years and years ago I worked in a space, which also functioned as a record store, and before, that I was a volunteer at another record-store/mail-order. In both 'stores' I saw the name Geins't Naït, but for whatever reason I no longer recall, I never played any of their records or CDs that we sold. Maybe it was because there was so much other great stuff to play? Let's keep it at that. So up until this CD I never heard their music properly, but in my defense, they didn't have any new release since 1993. The name Laurent Petitgand (not to be confused with Dominique Petitgand) I never heard before, despite the fact that he did soundtracks for Wim Wenders and Paul Auster as well as being a singer-songwriter. In 2011 he and Geins't Naït worked together for the first time and now there is a new album. But for me this is maybe a first introduction all around. And I am quite surprised. The label makes references to Coil, Current 93, Neubauten, none of which are really particular favorites with me, but in these hands it works out differently and actually quite well. There is quite some drama in this music, through the use of samples, melancholic piano bits and the dark voice of Petitgand. Geins't Naït provide a rather minimal set of music - not as in 'empty', but as in 'repetitions', which makes rather odd pop music. Petitgand's voice is most of the time heavily transformed (vocoder perhaps?), which makes that a rather darker atmosphere hangs over these pieces. It bumps and collides but that I think is the beauty of this music, it's rather unusual atmosphere. Tacky and clichéd it seems at times but it works out quite fine. Maybe because there are some cliché's in here, but also some more unusual aspects, that it all makes up for something strange and estranged. A most enjoyable album, I thought. A fine introduction indeed." [FdW/Vital Weekly] "Das Duo mit dem exotisch klingenden Namen Geins’t Naït entstand irgendwann im Dunstkreis der legendären Coldwaver von Kas Product und existiert nun bereits seit fast dreißig Jahren, bei denen allerdings eine lange Pause mitgerechnet wird. Hierzulande überwiegend frankophilen Kennern ein Begriff, ist die Band auf der anderen Rheinseite kein Geheimtipp mit ihrem eigenwilligen Stil an der Schnittstelle von Punk- und Industrial-Einflüssen, Songs und Soundscapes sowie technoiden und klassischen Arrangements. Der Sänger und Komponist Laurent Petitgand arbeitet auf “Je vous dis” zum zweitenmal mit GN zusammen und bringt klassische, v.a. akustische Elemente ein. Das Label zieht Vergleiche zu den Neubauten, Coil und Test Dept., was natürlich eine respektable Messlatte darstellt. Wollte man in dem ausgesprochen welchselseitigen Album so etwas wie einen roten Faden benennen, so ließe der sich eher noch in einer immer leicht aufgekratzten Wehmut finden, als im Sound, der leicht retrolasigen Akustikklängen ebenso Raum gibt wie hallunterlegter, leicht housiger Elektronik, bei der ich tatsächlich an Coil-Werke wie “Love’s Secret Domain” denken musste. Viele Songs wecken filmische Assoziationen und versprühen einen nostalgischen und oft auch ein wenig naiven Charme. In den Passagen vor dem Einsetzen zum Teil vertrackter Rhythmen lockern reichliche zitathaft integrierte Klangbrocken den Wohlklang auf und versetzen die Szenerie an einen nur schwer zu ortenden Schauplatz, den Petitgand mit seinen mantraartigen Stimmbeiträgen, die teilweise wie versoffenes Bellen klingen, dominiert. Oft entfalten sich mehrere musikalische Erzählstränge simultan, und selbst da, wo es schlicht auf die Schönheit der Unordnung hinausläuft, entsteht nie der Eindruck, dass es um bloßes Muckertum geht." [U.S./African Paper] africanpaper.com/2015/03/28/geinst-nait-laurent-petitgand-je-vous-dis/ 2014 €13.00
GIFFONI, CARLOS Eternal Noise CD Vier Stücke mit hyper-minimalen Analog-Drones, zwischen rauh-knarzigen Texturen und sanften Wellen a la ELEH. "Carlos Giffoni knows no mercy. Of all the noise terrorists on the loose today, Giffoni causes the most upheaval. We know he specialises in brutal and invincible noise collages, but there is so much more to it than that. There is always a glimmer of hope that shines through the dense clouds of noise. His noise lives, broods and swings. His latest album for Bottrop-Boy is a true revelation in this respect, not just for the listener, but also for the artist himself. After all, the Venezuelan artist, who is based in New York, has conceded that this is a new style for him. With Eternal Noise Carlos Giffoni enters the holiest of holies, his noise nirvana. Even though Giffoni’s earlier works already sounded impressively organic, with Eternal Noise he is heading for new heights. His customary thick layers of noise sound more subtle than ever before. The four-part suite maintains physical impact, but all faces are turned to heaven, towards eternity. Rather than a noise exercise that sounds like a wrestling match in the dirt, this recording represents ascension towards the sun and open heavens. At times you will find yourself almost drowning in the feedback splashing against you, at other times you will find yourself breathlessly captivated by the peregrinations, whirls and swells of sinus tones. Giffoni is genuinely inspired by the avant-garde music of the 20th century and the results are miraculous. How Giffoni creates his compositions is of no importance. This is all about their effect on your mood, the spectacle of your ravished soul. You find yourself asking how it is possible that such loud and intense music can be so tranquil and meditative at the same time. Eternal Noise reconfirms Giffoni’s status as the uncrowned king of contemporary noise. Bottrop-Boy is proud to release this key work in Giffoni’s oeuvre." [label info] ".... The eternal is the easier word to parse. Giffoni here deals exclusively with shape-shifting drones, mostly around the lower partials of the overtone series. Each of the four tracks doesn’t evolve so much as amorphously change emphasis at a geologic or tectonic pace, almost a history of the Earth heard from the inside or the sound of individual molecules vibrating, a kind of nano-counterpoint. Even where there is a pulse within the drone, it serves not as a driving teleological force but rather as a mere marker of the passing time, alluding to the stasis of the most ambient of krautrock tracks. On top of that, Giffoni seems to be evoking a kind of throat singing where the vocal chords have been replaced by charged wires that crackle, buzz, and distort as they vibrate. Each overtone has its own individual color of noise, so the composite is like the gradual color shifts of oil on water or of a dissolving Gobstopper. Were those flavors of noise not so harsh around the edges, this album could almost be meditative. It is fitting that the liner notes are mostly pictures of Japanese temples, since their serenity is clearly behind almost every sound here, even the harsh ones. And when each track cuts off suddenly, it feels as if you're being unwillingly wrested back into reality." [Dan Rucchia / Dusted Mag] www.bottrop-boy.com 2008 €12.50
GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPOROR! [GYBE] G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! LP + 10inch 180g LP + 10" im Gatefold mit Thermographie, bedruckten Innenhüllen und Download Coupon. GY!BE kehrt mit einem weiteren Soundtrack für unsere Zeit zurück, wie ihn nur dieses unnachahmliche und ehrwürdige Ensemble schmieden kann. Das neue Album besteht aus zwei fesselnden, 20-minütigen, LP-Seiten füllenden Epen aus lärmgetränktem Breitwand-Post-Rock, während die beiden begleitenden 6-minütigen Stücke der 10" die Band aus Kanada in ihrer verheerendsten, eindringlichsten und elegischsten Form zeigen. Unerbittliches Tuckern blüht auf, während einige der hochfliegenden, brennenden Melodien der Band inmitten von Geigen- und Basskontrapunkt abprallen und zusammenlaufen. Field Recordings und aufgewühlte, halb-improvisierte Passagen umrahmen diese inbrünstigen Epen. Ergreifende Atmosphären, geräuschhafte Orchestrierung, Drone, hypnotische Swingtime-Crescendos, unaufhaltsam geschichtete Türme aus verzerrtem Klargesang: STATE'S END verkörpert jede geliebte Facette der Band. Fünfundzwanzig Jahre später ist dieses neue Album so vital, mitreißend, zeitgemäß und unerbittlich wie jedes andere in der geschichtsträchtigen Diskographie von Godspeed You! Black Emperor. So wie STATE'S END die ganze Bandbreite der klanglichen Trademarks von Godspeed vereint, so umspannt auch das Album-Artwork die gesamte visuelle Geschichte der Band: die körnige, monochromatische Fotografie der letzten Veröffentlichungen findet ihren Weg auf die Innenhüllen, während das Klappcover auf die ikonischen Grafiken früherer Klassiker wie Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada und Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven zurückgreift. STATE'S END ist mit Illustrationen von William Schmiechen versehen, wobei die Taijitu-Blumen auf der Vorderseite und die Tränengaskanister auf der Rückseite des Covers in erhabener, thermografischer, schwarzer Tinte auf dem Doppelvinyl-Albumcover abgebildet sind. Das leuchtende Kreuz von Godspeeds Debütalbum F#A#INFINITY taucht auch auf der Innenseite des Klappdeckels wieder auf, als wiederkehrende Hommage an das elektrifizierte Hügelkreuz in der Heimatstadt der Band in Montreal. STATE'S END wurde im Oktober 2020 in Montreal im Homebase-Studio der Gruppe, Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango, von Jace Lasek aufgenommen und abgemischt, dem altgedienten und preisgekrönten Indie-Produzenten (und Mitbegründer von The Besnard Lakes), der mit Godspeed bei dieser Aufnahme zum ersten Mal zusammenarbeitet. Danke fürs Zuhören. UNSERE SEITE MUSS GEWINNEN. (R.I.P. D.H.) [ENG] audiophile 180gLP + 10" in gatefold jacket with thermography, colour flood interior, artworked inners, DL card. GYBE returns with another soundtrack for our times, like only this inimitable and venerable ensemble can forge. As the heretical impudence of the anarcho-punk title implies, Godspeed harnesses some particularly raw power, spittle and grit across two riveting 20-minute side-length trajectories of noise-drenched widescreen post-rock: inexorable chug blossoms into blown-out twang, as some of the band's most soaring, searing melodies ricochet and converge amidst violin and bassline counterpoint. Field recordings and roiling semi-improvised passages frame these fervent epics, and two shorter self-contained 6-minute pieces find the band at its most devastatingly beautiful, haunting and elegiac. Poignant atmospherics, noisedrenched orchestration, drone, hypnotic swingtime crescendos, inexorably-layered towers of distorted clarion sound: STATE'S END encapsulates every beloved facet of the band. Twenty-five years on, this new album is as vital, stirring, timely and implacable as any in Godspeed You! Black Emperor's storied discography. Just as STATE'S END summons the gamut of Godspeed's constituent sonic trademarks, so the album artwork spans the entirety of the band's visual history: the grainy monochromatic photography of recent releases finds its way onto the inner sleeves, while the gatefold cover art harkens back to the iconic graphics of earlier classic records like Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. STATE'S END features illustrations by William Schmiechen, with the front cover taijitu flowers and back cover tear gas canisters rendered in raised thermographic black ink on the double-vinyl album jacket. The illuminated cross from Godspeed's debut F#A#8 also makes a reappearance on the inside gatefold drawing, in recurrent homage to the electrified hilltop landmark crucifix of the band's Montreal hometown. STATE'S END was recorded and mixed in Montreal in October 2020 at the group's homebase studio Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango by Jace Lasek, the veteran awardwinning indie producer (and co-founder of The Besnard Lakes) who works with Godspeed for the first time on this recording. Thanks for listening. OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN. (R.I.P. D.H.) 2021 €27.50
  G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! CD GY!BE kehrt mit einem weiteren Soundtrack für unsere Zeit zurück, wie ihn nur dieses unnachahmliche und ehrwürdige Ensemble schmieden kann. Das neue Album besteht aus zwei fesselnden, 20-minütigen, LP-Seiten füllenden Epen aus lärmgetränktem Breitwand-Post-Rock, während die beiden begleitenden 6-minütigen Stücke der 10" die Band aus Kanada in ihrer verheerendsten, eindringlichsten und elegischsten Form zeigen. Unerbittliches Tuckern blüht auf, während einige der hochfliegenden, brennenden Melodien der Band inmitten von Geigen- und Basskontrapunkt abprallen und zusammenlaufen. Field Recordings und aufgewühlte, halb-improvisierte Passagen umrahmen diese inbrünstigen Epen. Ergreifende Atmosphären, geräuschhafte Orchestrierung, Drone, hypnotische Swingtime-Crescendos, unaufhaltsam geschichtete Türme aus verzerrtem Klargesang: STATE'S END verkörpert jede geliebte Facette der Band. Fünfundzwanzig Jahre später ist dieses neue Album so vital, mitreißend, zeitgemäß und unerbittlich wie jedes andere in der geschichtsträchtigen Diskographie von Godspeed You! Black Emperor. So wie STATE'S END die ganze Bandbreite der klanglichen Trademarks von Godspeed vereint, so umspannt auch das Album-Artwork die gesamte visuelle Geschichte der Band: die körnige, monochromatische Fotografie der letzten Veröffentlichungen findet ihren Weg auf die Innenhüllen, während das Klappcover auf die ikonischen Grafiken früherer Klassiker wie Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada und Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven zurückgreift. STATE'S END ist mit Illustrationen von William Schmiechen versehen, wobei die Taijitu-Blumen auf der Vorderseite und die Tränengaskanister auf der Rückseite des Covers in erhabener, thermografischer, schwarzer Tinte auf dem Doppelvinyl-Albumcover abgebildet sind. Das leuchtende Kreuz von Godspeeds Debütalbum F#A#INFINITY taucht auch auf der Innenseite des Klappdeckels wieder auf, als wiederkehrende Hommage an das elektrifizierte Hügelkreuz in der Heimatstadt der Band in Montreal. STATE'S END wurde im Oktober 2020 in Montreal im Homebase-Studio der Gruppe, Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango, von Jace Lasek aufgenommen und abgemischt, dem altgedienten und preisgekrönten Indie-Produzenten (und Mitbegründer von The Besnard Lakes), der mit Godspeed bei dieser Aufnahme zum ersten Mal zusammenarbeitet. Danke fürs Zuhören. UNSERE SEITE MUSS GEWINNEN. (R.I.P. D.H.) [ENG] GYBE returns with another soundtrack for our times, like only this inimitable and venerable ensemble can forge. As the heretical impudence of the anarcho-punk title implies, Godspeed harnesses some particularly raw power, spittle and grit across two riveting 20-minute side-length trajectories of noise-drenched widescreen post-rock: inexorable chug blossoms into blown-out twang, as some of the band's most soaring, searing melodies ricochet and converge amidst violin and bassline counterpoint. Field recordings and roiling semi-improvised passages frame these fervent epics, and two shorter self-contained 6-minute pieces find the band at its most devastatingly beautiful, haunting and elegiac. Poignant atmospherics, noisedrenched orchestration, drone, hypnotic swingtime crescendos, inexorably-layered towers of distorted clarion sound: STATE'S END encapsulates every beloved facet of the band. Twenty-five years on, this new album is as vital, stirring, timely and implacable as any in Godspeed You! Black Emperor's storied discography. Just as STATE'S END summons the gamut of Godspeed's constituent sonic trademarks, so the album artwork spans the entirety of the band's visual history: the grainy monochromatic photography of recent releases finds its way onto the inner sleeves, while the gatefold cover art harkens back to the iconic graphics of earlier classic records like Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. STATE'S END features illustrations by William Schmiechen, with the front cover taijitu flowers and back cover tear gas canisters rendered in raised thermographic black ink on the double-vinyl album jacket. The illuminated cross from Godspeed's debut F#A#8 also makes a reappearance on the inside gatefold drawing, in recurrent homage to the electrified hilltop landmark crucifix of the band's Montreal hometown. STATE'S END was recorded and mixed in Montreal in October 2020 at the group's homebase studio Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango by Jace Lasek, the veteran awardwinning indie producer (and co-founder of The Besnard Lakes) who works with Godspeed for the first time on this recording. Thanks for listening. OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN. (R.I.P. D.H.) 2021 €14.50
GUS COMA Color him coma do-CD "The first CD in this set is a reissue of an obscure cassette release from 1983 that was originally released in a small edition on the London based, It’s War Boys label. This C60 consisted of 2 distinct halves. Side 1 was formed around several mixes of an experimental track, constructed from a room-sized 24 track loop. A version of this track first appeared on the LP Flagellation by The Just Measurers (who were C. D. Greyt, Yakkö Banovic and Narki Brillans). Side 2 is a collage of mostly unused (and some remixed), excerpts from what became the title track of the Milk From Cheltenham LP, Triptych of Poisoners. This LP track consisted of a tape collage of the live mixdown of 17 cassette recordings of locked record grooves, simultaneously, with stray radio and an infernal matchbox. The full Milk LP is now available on CD via Alga Marghen. Both these LPs were also originally It’s War Boys projects. As with other releases by these guys nobody worked under the same name twice, but if you are familiar with their soundworld then there will be no mystery, only astonishment. Nearly all the session material here was engineered by Chris Grey, best known for his work with The Homosexuals. No production master was ever found for CD1, so one of the actual cassette edition had to be used in its place. However, whilst looking through the archive for the master tape, an alternative version of the tape was found, which although it followed a similar blueprint to CD1 it also contained some very different music, some primitive disco drum programming, and a somewhat more sophisticated sound quality. It was difficult to choose which version to release, so both versions appear here, but at the generous price of a single CD. Each CD also contains an additional much longer bonus track at the end that was originally intended as working material for the unfinished Milk From Cheltenham LP 2. The guest musicians on this CD set are many and varied, but it’s all put together by Gus Coma, Lepke B’s dwarfish cousin, who renounced show-biz to work as a Heavy Goods Vehicle driver. All in, the material here is the strangest and most experimental music to come from the It’s War Boys scene. Expect gigantic tape loop symphonies, sundry plunderphonics, lo- fi Sparks and the voice of JFK, a William Burroughs interview (on one track), and a worn out teach yourself English tape. Color Him Coma!" [label info] www.stalk.net/paradigm 2011 €15.00
HANSEN, LARS LUNDEHAVE Terminal Velocity LP "Lars Lundehave Hansen has for many years distinguished himself as one of the most visionary Danish sound artists. Not least, he has been a key name on the Danish scene of noise and drone as part of Noisejihad and as part of the duo Wäldchengarten. He has also distinguished himself through a series of solo releases and sound-installations, both in Denmark and internationally.This time "Terminal Velocity" shows his excellent ability to build a sonic space which is both dreamy yet physical. Work on the album took place at the legendary EMS / Elektronmusikstudion in Stockholm and resulted in no less than 21 vignettes that are included on the vinyl record. "During my stay I tried to rethink the ways to reate atmospheric ambient and tried to incorporate this genre into a classic pop rock format, which, if anything, can be said to be in stark contrast to elongated ambient. The result is a series of electronic drones that without sacrificing the formal structures such as lead-in, motif, ascension/descension and climax, will be conducted in 3 minutes or less. The songs hold melodic scales, the noise is in tune and some of it can even be considered a kind of compositional style exercises disguised as music." Over the years, the musical work of Lars Lundehave Hansen has focused on challenging compositions and an exploration of the spaces between tone and noise running parallel to music in the usual sense. It may be a peculiar niche but has until now been extremely rewarding in terms of recognition, awards and prices at home and abroad, including the Danish Arts Foundation and Honorary Mention in 'Digital Music and Arts' category at Ars Electronica in 2011. Lars Lundehave Hansen has performed worldwide, from Brazil, Japan and China to India and all across Europe. Recent Danish performance was as supporting act to the legendary William Basinski in front of a sold-out hall at Jazzhouse." [credits] www.larslundehavehansen.dk www.larslundehavehansen.dk 2016 €18.00
HEMATIC SUNSETS Aroma Club Adieu 5 LP + 12inch "Final release by Asmus Tietchens’ death lounge project Hematic Sunsets Farewell greetings by Michael Rother, Felix Kubin, Heinz Funk, Okko Bekker and more The Hematic Sunsets shut down the Aroma Club with a final release. The album “Aroma Club Adieu” features 12 exquisite pieces of death lounge electronic pop performed on electronic organs and entertainment devices of various kinds. Under the moniker Hematic Sunsets, legendary avantgarde composer Asmus Tietchens has explored his love of the Darth Vader organ sound – a cheesy, spooky, deranged but still catchy form of electronic pop. The body of work of Hematic Sunsets stands out as unique, displaced and in a sexy way out of fashion. As a bonus to the final album of the project artist friends of Asmus Tietchens have composed short hommages and farewell greetings that are included here in the form of a single sided 12” on white vinyl. Among those saluting are such illustrious musicians as Heinz Funk, Felix Kubin and Michael Rother." [label info] https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/album/aroma-club-adieu "And so it ends for the Aroma Club, adieu, so long and farewell. The fifth album by Hematic Sunsets, with such illustrious members as Hans Tim Cessteu, Assistent Meuch, Titus Mascheens, Suse Mittach sen and Asmus Tietchens. Or if you are clever, just Asmus Tietchens since all the other names are anagrams. Hematic Sunsets, check the anagram, is Tietchens' love for cheesy electronic music, which resulted in five LPs and two Christmas songs. The organ plays an important and I would think one of those organs that people had in the '70s. Well, my cousin had one, complete with a ton of ditto cheesy rhythms and chords and a big speaker below; the easy two-finger method of play. I seem to remember my cousin was pretty apt at it. I'd love to have one. Tietchens loves the sound of such organs as well as other machines that produce similar cheesy stuff. In the early days of his record releasing career, Tietchens did four albums for Sky Records, which had a more poppy electronic streak, and later he decided he enjoyed doing that stuff resulting in the fictitious Aroma Club, which, no doubt, in Tietchens mind was a place where you could drink coffee and smoke your cigarette. In the corner there would be such an organ and someone playing his take on lounge music, But, this is Tietchens, a man with quotes of Cioran on most of his record (replaced by Klopstock on Hematic Sunsets releases), so this Aroma Club is not necessarily full of colour and on second thought the lounge music is not so cheesy and lounge-like at all. It comes with a strange hook, a dark undercurrent, and on this fifth album it all seems a bit darker than before, maybe the dark times we experience and with all clubs closed (well, here in The Netherlands at least). This is, however, still great dark lounge music, with those minimal rhythms, and melodies, ranging from lightweight to almost industrial, showing the veracity of the music. Excellent album, once again. As a bonus, there is a one-sided LP which gives space to friends of Tietchens to say goodbye and bow their heads to the Aroma Club. There is Okko Bekker (owner of the studio in which Tietchens works), Felix Kubin, Michael Rother (early Kraftwerk member, and of Neu and Harmonia), Jetzmann, Heinz Funk, Ebinger, Chestnut Ameis, Maik Willing & Der Botox Lucas Chor and Unknown Singing Objects, who all have their take on Hematic Sunsets; spacious guitars, obviously, for Rother and Kubin with some fun pop song madness, or the super slick jazzy flutes of Ebinger. Maik Willing & Der Botox Lucas Chor tops it all with a schlager (look that up for yourself) going out of control. This is all a fitting tribute to the fun side of Tietchens. It could very well that you think it's stupid, but I think it is great fun." [FdW/Vital Weekly] "Auch wenn fast jede Veröffentlichung Asmus Tietchens von einem Cioran-Zitat begleitet und geziert wird, so hat sich schon immer auch Humor im Werk des Hamburgers gezeigt, was sich u.a. teilweise in der Titelgebung seiner Tracks widerspiegelte, jedoch war dieser Humor nie so dominant wie auf seinem „death lounge project “ Hematic Sunsets (auf dem seine anagrammatischen Mitspieler Achim Stutessen, Assistent Meusch, Hans Tim Cessteu, Mischa Suttense und Tussi Schemante heißen), auf dem Tietchens seiner Liebe zum – wie es in der Pressemitteilung heißt – „Darth Vader organ sound“ frönt; Attribute wie „cheesy, spooky, deranged but still catchy“ zeigen das Spannungsfeld, in dem sich diese Musik situieren lässt. Das erste Album erschien 1998, diese finale Veröffentlichung, auf der jetzt „Adieu“ gesagt wird, besteht aus einer LP mit neuen Kompositionen und einem weiteren, einseitig bespielten Album, auf dem Weggefährten „Tschüss“ sagen, da es sich „Ausgeduftet“ hat, wie es bei Jetztmann heißt. Die Hematic Sunsets-LP ist voller kurioser und zum Teil natürlich durchaus „catchy“ Tracks: Da gibt es die skurril-zerhäckselte Stimme auf „Zum Geleit“, das in TOPY-Diktion betitelte „Thee Church Ov Aroma“ mit seltsamen Stimmen und unheinlichen Flächen, das fast schon zu düster für dieses Album ist. Auf „Ungesungene Tanzrückstände“ hört man monotone hochrfrequente Loops. Es gibt das großartig betitelte „Stuhlwasser“ mit Billigorgel oder die seltsamen Kirmesstimmen bei „Der im Keller“. „Liebelei“ mit cheesy Streichern und Gesang hätte den einen oder anderen Partykeller in den 70ern beschallen können. Auf „Schrittbinder“ hört man kuriose Schellen, „Fiasko“ wäre in einem Paralleluniversum vielleicht ein Soundtrack zu einer Krimiserie gewesen, zu einer Zeit, als es nur zwei Fernsehprogramme gab. Interessanterweise hätte man ein Stück wie „Dem Morgen graut“ durchaus auch auf einer reinen Tietchens-Veröffentlichung der letzten Jahre finden können. Das lapidar betitelte „Das war’s dann“ schließt die erste LP ab. Chestnut Ameis eröffnet das zweite Album mit der seltsamen Kirmesmusik von „Speckpumpe“. Otto Bekkers lässt den Hörenden bei „Peyote-Melodie“ zu Bontempiorgel schunkeln, Unknown Singing Objects, die bisher ein paar Singles veröffentlicht haben, steuern eine seltsame Ballade voll “Blut” und “Knochenmark” bei. Auf “Phantomschmerz” ist Felix Kubin mit Retroscifi Lounge zu hören. Sehr schön ist “Martellato” des 2013 verstorbenen Heinz Funk. Jetztmann „endet lo-fi mit dementen Vocals. Im beiliegenden Blatt wird die Geschichte des Aroma Clubs augenzwinkernd dargelegt. Höhepunke waren etwa „Mikadotanz-Abende“, „Kriechkeller-Parties“ und „Hodenbaden unter der fachkundigen Observanz von Dr. Kurt Euler“ – ob die Liedertafel Margot Honecker dabei Lieder schmetterte, bleibt unerwähnt." [MG / African Paper] 2020 €32.00
HOGAN, ANNI Kickabye do-CD "Von ihren frühen Tagen als Batcave DJane bis zu ihren Kollaborationen mit MARC ALMOND (MARC AND THE MAMBA, WILLING SINNERS, LA MAGIA) ist ANNI HOGAN eins der wahren Genies der Alternative Szene. Als Komponistin, Songwriterin, Produzentin, DJane und Promoterin half sie dabei, dem Sound der 80s eine Form zu verleihen. Ihre musikalische Karriere erstreckt sich über drei Jahrzehnte, in denen sich die großen Namen nur so am Wegesrand sammeln. Als DJane spielte sie mit SOFT CELL, THE THE, EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, TEST DEPT, JAPAN, NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS, ADRIAN SHERWOOD; als Pianistin und Keyboarderin hat sie live und im Studio mit SOFT CELL, SIMON FISHER TURNER, NICK CAVE, PAUL WELLER, BARRY ADAMSON, LYDIA LUNCH, ZEKE MANYIKA, SEX GANG CHILDREN, YELLO, CAGED BABY und natürlich MARC ALMOND gearbeitet. Ihr Solodebüt ,Kickabye" erscheint hier in ausgeweiteter Version erstmals als CD und wartet mit einigen Alternative Größen auf: NICK CAVE auf 'Vixo' (exklusiv!)), MARC ALMOND auf 'Burning Boats', FOETUS, BUDGIE (SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES) und GINI BALL. Auf der CD trifft die eigentliche ,Kickabye" EP (produziert von Jim ,FOETUS" Thirwell) auf zehn weitere Songs aus der gleichen Zeit. Mit neuen und exklusiven Versionen von MARC ALMOND Tracks. www.myspace.com/annihogan" [label info/Cargo] "From her early days as a legendary Batcave DJ, through her work wth Marc Almond (Marc And The Mambas, Willing Sinners, La Magia), Anni Hogan is one of the true geniuses of the alternative scene. A composer, songwriter, arranger, producer, promoter and DJ, she helped to shape the sound of the 80s. In a musical career spanning three decades she has worked with many successful artists in a variety of capacities. As a DJ she performed with artists including: Soft Cell, The The, Einstürzende Neubauten, Test Dept, Japan, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Adrian Sherwood. On Piano and Keyboards she has performed live and in studios all over the world with artists including: Soft Cell, Simon Fisher Turner, Nick Cave, Paul Weller, Barry Adamson, Lydia Lunch, Zeke Manyika, Sex Gang Children, Yello, Caged Baby and of course Marc Almond. Cold Spring is proud to present her debut release expanded and brought to the public for the first time on CD. "Kickabye" features some of the leading lights of the alternative scene: NICK CAVE on 'Vixo' (exclusive to this release), MARC ALMOND on 'Burning Boats', FOETUS, BUDGIE (Siouxsie And The Banshees) and GINI BALL amongst others. The first CD is the original "Kickabye" EP (produced by Jim "Foetus" Thirwell), plus 10 extra tracks from the same period. The second CD is also tracks from the same period. 'Blue Nabou' features YELLO. Production by BARRY ADAMSON on 'Hopes And Fears', 'Wasting Time', 'Senseless', 'A Place To Belong', 'Everything We Do', 'Self', 'The Story So Far' and 'Each Day'. This digitally remastered work contains new and exclusive versions of 'The Frost Comes Tomorrow' (originally released on "The Stars We Are" by Marc Almond), 'The Hustler' (originally released on "Mother Fist" by Marc Almond), 'Blood Tide' (originally released on "Violent Silence" by Marc Almond), 'Margaret' (originally released on "Untitled" by Marc And The Mambas)." [label info] www.coldspring.co.uk 2009 €16.50
IIBIIS ROOGE same LP Iibiis Rooge is the new superastral duo team bringing together the mysterious High Wolf (Not Not Fun Records, Winged Sun) with the seminal talents of Mr. Neil Campbell, better known these days as Astral Social Club (Fat Cat, VHF, Qbico, Important, Textile, Bottrop-Boy and countless other labels around the globe) and (ex-) member of Vibracathedral Orchestra, A-Band, and other obscure/legendary outfits. The new self-titled LP is the debut album of the band (don’t call it "project") combining modern psychedelic High Wolf jams with the fucked up yet refined electronics and techno-infused beat choppery of the Astral Social Club – the result being a lot more then you might have expected from the two, transcending their combined talents into a multicoloured supernova. The strength of the album is an unexpected pop sensibility and airiness, while still being tighter and more consolidated than their regular solo outfits. Even the noisier elements are embedded in loose song structures with a carnivalesque air dominating the whole atmosphere. While the duo’s solo outings are often camouflaging any melodies in oodles of electronic noises or lo-fi psych jams and hiss this is a fairly different affair with simple melodic textures always dominating the four tracks. The defibration of structures is still apparent but the music is constantly pulling itself together again. Where the Astral Social Club is sometimes willingly losing himself in electronic soundscapes and the High Wolf’s short & sketchy songs are rarely fully formulated by nature, all the positive aspects of their respective works are combined and complemented in Iibiis Rooge. These gentlemen are the perfect match. A visible proof that (musical) online dating can be a highly prosperous activity https://dekorder.bandcamp.com/album/iibiis-rooge 2010 €15.00
ILLUSION OF SAFETY Fin de Siecle CD "Long overdue re-issue of this long out of print LP on Korm Plastics (kp 5495), and perhaps its fits the format of CD even better. Illusion Of Safety is Dan Burke, here with Kurt Greisch. Since 1983 Illusion Of Safety has been the ongoing project of Daniel Burke, working alone and with various collaborators. They have released over 20 CDs on labels such as Complacency, Die Stadt, Experimedia, Odd Size, Silent, Soleilmoon, Staalplaat, Tesco, and Waystyx, and played over three hundred concerts in Europe and North America. IOS' work has been called ambient, post-industrial, electro-acoustic, noise, sound collage, improvisation, and power electronics, but they are unwilling to limit their work to any given style or method. The sonic character and affective substance of the music will often shift abruptly within each recording and live performance. 'Fin de Siecle' was part of the 'ambient series' of Korm Plastics and has some highly subtle music to offer, based on field recordings and quiet electronics. Part One and Part Three, the original sides of the LP, were recorded for a tour in 1995 and edited to release on vinyl. The CD version has an extended 'prologue' and 'epilogue' as bonus tracks, making the total CD 66 minutes long." [label info] www.kormplastics.nl "Behind the legendary project Illusion Of Safety, you find the two sound artists, Daniel Burke and Kurt Griesch. The two main pieces of present album "Fin de siecle", was created for an American tour back in 1995. Due to the time-limit of the vinyl-media which was the original release format, the pieces were cut and revised to fit the time-span of the vinyl. Now sixteen years later, the two pieces have returned from the historical archives to be presented on this re-issue on Dutch label Korm Plastics. The twosome has for this particular occasion composed two smaller pieces - an epilogue and prologue for the original album. After the abrasive "Epilogue"-piece, we move into first piece of the original "Fin de siecle"-release, simply titled "Part one". A 22-minutes running piece of ambient tranquility built on repetitive sound-drones until the closing moment where the piece culminates in a harsh grande finale. Second piece of the original vinyl is a lengthy work combining field recordings and trippy sound drones - a subtle piece of an almost inaudible character. Stepping to the last piece of the album, the "Prologue"-track is another recent created work for this re-issue. As was the case with the epilogue, this is a piece of a more upfront nature with long-stretched monotonous tone that because of its repetitive nature create a nice hypnotic atmosphere stretched over the 22 minutes run-time." [NM/Vital Weekly] 2011 €10.00
JECK, PHILIP & CHRIS WATSON Oxmardyke CD With thanks to Mary Prestidge, who writes: "At the end of January 2022, Philip was taken to A&E at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital suffering from severe back pain and was admitted for investigations. In the hospital ward, with some strong pain relief, he could more comfortably rest, mostly horizontally. During the day he could be angled slightly toward a sitting position. Over the following days, aiming to make sense of his current predicament, Philip regained a tiny level of normality. With his laptop in place, he tapped into familiar territory and, when finding the most favorable times, listened to and worked with the sound files that Chris Watson had sent him. During these brief, intense spells Philip gave all to his ear and heart to guide and shape the music forming at his fingertips. Oxmardyke is the album which resulted from this collaboration." Chris Watson (August 2022): "Philip's laugh was infectious. Our conversations would usually begin with exchanges around the enthusiasm we had for each other's work and the respect we shared for other Touch artists. However, as we were most likely to have met over drinks at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms in Liverpool the evening would gradually dissolve into convivial disarray. What did emerge from these soirées over recent years was a desire to find ways and means for us to collaborate at a place where our ideas converged. In 2017, I was recording along the north bank of the Humber estuary and one morning driving back from Faxfleet I was stopped at the Oxmardyke rail crossing. The gates were down. After setting up a microphone array by the tracks for a passing freight train the signalman shouted an invitation to climb up into the gate box to make some more recordings. Over the following weeks I made several return trips to Oxmardyke and gathered a broad palette of recordings. I discussed the sounds, stories and history of the site with Philip after a show and we were both excited by the potential of making a work together. Philip was drawn to the ancient history of the area from 6th century Anglo-Saxon times to the Knights Templar and how the sounds, rhythms and textures from those periods may still inhabit the contemporary landscape. My thoughts took inspiration from 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens and the painting 'Rain, Steam and Speed' by Joseph Mallord William Turner. We agreed to share ideas and exchange tracks. Oxmardyke gate box has now passed into history. I hope my contributions may frame Philip's exceptional work." Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering; Photography by Chris Watson; Cover design: Jon Wozencroft. https://philipjeck.bandcamp.com/album/oxmardyke 2023 €17.00
JOBIN, FRANCE Death Is Perfection, Everything Else Is Relative LP "The last two years have seen me maintaining an association with an unusual bedfellow, death. The loss of Mika Vainio, as well as three members of my own family, has had a profound effect on me and spurred a lengthy reflection on life, death, and everything in between. Parallelly, while studying the philosophy of science, I came across shadow photons: 
“Tangible photons are the ones we can see or detect with instruments whereas shadow photons are intangible (invisible) detectable only indirectly through the interference effects on the tangible photons. There is no intrinsic difference between tangible and shadow photons: each photon is tangible in one universe and intangible in all the other parallel universes. They travel at the speed of light, bounce off mirrors, are refracted by lenses, and are stopped by opaque barriers or filters of the wrong colour. Yet, they do not trigger even the most sensitive detectors. The only thing in the universe that a shadow photon can be observed to affect is the tangible photon that it accompanies. This is the phenomenon of interference. Shadow photons would go entirely unnoticed, were it not for this phenomenon and the strange pattern of shadows by which we observe it. Thus the existence of a seething, prodigiously complicated hidden world of shadow photons has been inferred.”* 
I have drawn a parallel between shadow photons and death. The interference phenomena, parallel universes, and how shadow photons affect tangible photons they accompany, offer, in my opinion, similarities, an unknown universe which is death and how we, remaining tangible human beings, are affected. This quest has led me to be more willing to accept chaos in my life and to conclude that Death is perfection, everything else is relative. 
 *The fabric of reality, David Deutsch, Penguin Press 1997. All sounds recorded at various locations in Europe, South America and at EMS, Stockholm using the Buchla 200 modular synthesizer. soar, all sounds recorded with Klara Lewis in Montreal 2018 https://francejobin.bandcamp.com/album/death-is-perfection-everything-else-is-relative #################################### "Subsequent to a series of personal losses, France Jobin – Montreal’s minimalist composer of deserved renown – was forced to come to terms with something that haunts the existence of countless beings. As pathetic as this usually appears (courtesy of the average human’s shallowness), she attempted a rational collocation of chaos in her life, at the same time recognizing death as the ultimate symbol of a not better specified “perfection”. The introductory notes quote an excerpt from David Deutsch’s book The Fabric Of Reality, grounded on the theory of phantom photons. Now, when it comes to photons this writer’s cynical experience translates as follows: interesting stuff on paper, yet inevitably destined to become, in most cases, food for pseudo-intellectual exhibition of the self (though I’m convinced that Jobin doesn’t belong to that category). After all, everyone is entitled to clutching at the straws of unearthly conjectures to put a measure of order in their own mind. Particularly when the grim reaper comes around waving us hello under various guises, which – in this day and age – happens quite frequently, including the cerebral demise of selected wannabe “authorities” dabbling in issues beyond their reach. Fortunately, besides any cognitive necessity Jobin is an expert sound assembler. The music she created for this album derives entirely from a Buchla 200 analog synthesizer, except for a shorter and less assuaging track – “Soar” – made with Klara Lewis and exclusively available in the digital version. The longer pieces “Inertia” and “P”, however, represent everything that needs to be (un)told. There’s an answer to every question, there’s calmness behind any anxious doubt if only one delves in the right combination of frequencies. Jobin concocted textural trails that stay with the listener unobtrusively, typically projecting one or two suspended chords. The result amalgamates perfectly with our environment when played at moderate volume. Still, the apparent stasis is perturbed by the very pulsation that it contains. We detect imperceptible subsurface discolorations, brief dissipations of energy across the harmonic flawlessness, a few dynamic weaknesses and slight distortions in an otherwise rather narcotic flux. It’s sorrow-inducing, brain-quietening, and profoundly individual." [Touching Extremes] 2020 €19.50
JOHANNSSON, JOHANN Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) CD Lakeshore Records presents Jóhann Jóhannsson’s final work, his original score to the film Mandy. Jóhannsson’s manager, Tim Husom, remembers Jóhann and how the project came about: “My friend and client Jóhann Jóhannsson passed away on February 9, 2018. The last music he created before his death was the score to Mandy. We were working on it right up until the film was delivered to Sundance in early January, 2018. Back in August of 2016 we received a call from Daniel Noah at SpectreVision about this crazy new horror film they were starting that starred Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roach, and directed by Panos Cosmatos. Jóhann had just finished his score for Denis Villeneuve’s film, Arrival, when the Mandy mood boards were sent over to us. They were unbelievably cool and scary. Our interest was hooked immediately. Jóhann’s first email response to me about the project was ‘Seriously, his (Panos) Beyond The Black Rainbow film is a masterpiece! I love it. And the way he uses music.’ To Jóhann, the idea of working on Mandy with Panos and SpectreVision was bringing some much needed balance to his score career and a perfect next step.” The film score was co-produced by Jóhannsson and Randall Dunn (produced Sunn O)))) and features Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley on guitar. The album was assembled posthumously in March 2018 with the help of co-producers Pepijn Caudron (Kreng) and Yair Glotman. The film, directed by Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow) and starring Nicolas Cage, is released by RLJ Entertainment. The film was produced by SpectreVision, XYZ Films, and Umedia with support from Legion M. Mandy is set in the primal wilderness of 1983 where Red Miller, a broken and haunted man hunts an unhinged religious sect who slaughtered the love of his life. In the liner notes Cosmatos states: “Jóhann went above and beyond, and I suspect to the limits of his sanity, to make the music for this movie. His words and his actions made him more than a great collaborator, they made him like a brother to me. I’m sad our time together was so brief but I’m very proud of what he accomplished on Mandy and I believe he was too.” The Jóhann Jóhannsson Foundation was created by his family and agent Kevin Korn in memory of Jóhannsson to foster and enhance appreciation, education and achievement in the areas of composition, music, and art around the world through educational outreach, a composer scholarship foundation, an annual composer gala event, and international festivals. www.thejohannjohannssonfoundation.org MUSIC BY JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON SCORE PRODUCED BY: JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON AND RANDALL DUNN ALBUM PRODUCED BY: PEPIJN CAUDRON (KRENG) YAIR ELAZAR GLOTMAN ADDITIONAL MUSIC: PEPIJN CAUDRON YAIR ELAZAR GLOTMAN ÚLFUR ELDJÁRN MUSICAL SOUND DESIGN: YAIR ELAZAR GLOTMAN SAM SLATER PROGRAMMING, ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, ELECTRIC GUITAR AND DEMO PRODUCER: KJARTAN HÓLM 6 STRING BASS, FRETLESS BASS, SOPRANO ELECTRIC 12 STRING GUITAR, ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC GUITARS: SKÚLI SVERRISON SYNTHESIZER PROGRAMMING, SOUND DESIGN, ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS: ÚLFUR ELDJÁRN ALPHORN: MARTIN GRABER GUITAR: STEPHEN O’MALLEY GUITAR: WILL HAYES DRUMS: MATT CHAMBERLAIN SYNTHESIZER, PROGRAMMING AND SOUND DESIGN: TIMM MASON PROGRAMMING: WOUTER RENTEMA RECORDED AT NTOV STUDIOS, BERLIN / Q-ROOM, BOLZANO, ITALY / BONELLO STUDIOS, BERLIN PUBLISHED BY NTOV MUSIC, ADMINISTERED BY MUTE SONG COMPOSER MANAGEMENT: TIM HUSOM at REDBIRD MUSIC JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON APPEARS COURTESY OF DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON EXECUTIVE ALBUM PRODUCERS FOR LAKESHORE RECORDS: SKIP WILLIAMSON AND BRIAN MCNELIS DIRECTOR OF A&R ERIC CRAIG A&R / ART DIRECTOR & DESIGN JOHN BERGIN COVER ILLUSTRATION CHRISTOPHER SHY “MANDY” LOGO DESIGN CHRISTOPHE SZPAJDEL MASTERED BY FRANCESCO DONADELLO - CALYX MASTERING SPECIAL THANKS LYNN HOBENSACK DON SMITH TONY GILES 2018 €16.00
JOHN 3:16 Visions of the Hereafter - Visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory CD "Philippe Gerber/JOHN 3:16 has played more than 500 shows in the UK and Europe with the London based band Heat From a DeadStar (2004 to 2009). HFADS was the first non-US act to sign a record deal with the Boston-based label Ace of Hearts Records (owned by Rick Harte, producer of Mission of Burma, Lyres, The Infliktors, etc). The trio released its first album ‘Seven Rays of The Sun’ in 2008. This album has been described as “abrasive, catchy, post-Wire post-punk” and “a Burma-esque adrenalin rush of banging drums, rumble bass and slashing guitars” (Big Take Over Magazine, USA). JOHN 3:16 was started in 2007, as a studio-only project but after HFADS disbanded in 2010, JOHN 3:16 became the official live act of Philippe Gerber. The 5-track EP ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ (2011) was critically acclaimed and presented the JOHN 3:16’s newly musical direction “synthesizing many different styles and genres such as those designed as psychedelic-electronic analog circuit no-wave, industrial, ambient, shoegaze, pop, trip-hop...” (Terapija Webzine, Croatia). ‘Visions of the Hereafter - Visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory’ is the first full length of JOHN 3:16 and is to be released via Alrealon Musique on October 22, 2012. The nine tracks were recorded at the Alrealon Studio/Laboratory(76). Carolyn O’Neill (Director of the Logan Square New Music Ensemble) co-wrote the track ‘Abyss of Hell/Clouds of Fire’ and William Schaff (Okkervil River, Songs: Ohia, Godspeed You! Black Emperor...) designed the original artwork." [label inofo] www.alrealonmusique.com 2012 €13.00
KAMMERFLIMMER KOLLEKTIEF There are Actions which we have neglected and which never cease to call us LP "Every song written or improvised has an inside song which lives in the shadows, in-between the sounds and silences and behind the words, pulsating, waiting to be reborn as a new song." William Parker, I Plan To Stay A Believer (liner notes) After 20 years of Kammerflimmer Kollektief, with 10 albums thus far, the time has come to take a trip. The Karlsruhe combo guide us through seven stations in an unfathomable Terra Incognita, where a listening space emerges at the intersection of improvisation and composition, a space where certitude slips out of reach, jouncing incessantly between precision and freedom, oscillating furiously between cut-up and palimpsest – and, just when we think we may have pinned it down, disappears altogether. This album entitled "There are actions which we have neglected and which never cease to call us." is one for the fearless: wordlessly conjuring up enchanted places in the richest of tones, simultaneously confronting us with magic which captivates us and the excruciating realisation that we may never be released from its spell. Mirror images come into view, images of ourselves: driven away, tormented by feelings of guilt, frozen in powerlessness – even when we believe we are still moving. There is always a mountain of things missed, calling out to us! The wetlands of the Upper Rhine Plain ("In my heart there's a place called swampland!"). Cuernavaca in the Mexican highlands. A Southern Californian stretch of Pacific coast. The Baltic Coast in Mecklenburg. A bunch of haunted places – all scenes of melancholy within us, between longing and memory, repeatedly searching for acts of liberation. This may not be the record to set us free. But it offers us a soundtrack for our melancholic state. One thing is clear when it comes to the Kammerflimmer Kollektief. Regardless of any interpretive traps snapping shut, or the conceptual penetration of apparently pre-conceptual musical factuality: here is something which cannot be voiced: avant-garde, improvisation, psychedelia, whichever labels are stuck on the Karlsruhe collective, they all feel patently unsatisfactory. Like all music, their music can neither be narrowed down to concepts nor fixed semantically. It cannot be organised as language, with a sound or image corresponding to specific points observed by sender and recipient alike, yet it is no more pre-conceptual in the sense of: first come the conditions of music, then one learns to discuss them. The Karlsruhe artists practise other-conceptuality. This is cata-language. Music from who the fuck knows where. These carefully unconsidered atheist jam supplications lead us into the darkest corners of our souls. Out of the night and into the night. The bass of Johannes Frisch creaks and hums, evolving into barely discernible undergrowth with a life of its own, yet still becoming the foundation of everything – a basso continuo, constantly leading into nothingness. Heike Aumüller's harmonium recognizes its original calling as aerophone and is elementally: wind. A wind which has so much to tell us: about the good and true sides of life, but even more about what tortures us, leaves us restless. Comforter and painful wound in one. Thomas Weber's whirring guitars and gadgets drag us into a wondrously reverberating space of special effects – protection is not all this underbrush may grant us. Amidst all the excitement which awaits us on this short, yet infinite journey, it is worth remembering: as the shaman hangs out his magic roots to dry in the morning as preparation for the ritual ecstasy of the evening, so the Kollektief follow an everyday principle in their own ritual. In short: Be not afeard! www.bureau-b.com/kammerflimmer_kollektief.php 2018 €20.00
KENT, JULIA Temporal (lim. white vinyl) LP + CD Temporal is a meditation on the transitory and fragile nature of existence. Much of the music that comprises the album was originally written to accompany theatre and dance productions. “The initial inspiration was more external than internal, in that many of these pieces began as a response to a text or a choreographic concept,” Julia explains, “but they all seemed to be coming from the same emotional world and it made sense to weave them together into a record.” After the threat of violent release on previous album Asperities, Temporal’s relationship to the physical world manifests itself in a more organic, human sound. The electronic manipulations are subtler, with Julia sampling voices from a theatre production and processing them into unrecognisable textures: ghosts of the source material. “I included the processed voices to acknowledge the genesis of the music and also because I wanted to incorporate vocals in a way that turned voice into texture, and blurred the lines between sonic elements.” https://music.juliakent.com/album/temporal "Canadian cellist, Julia Kent, is back with a new album for Leaf, a gloomy, dark, delicious journey of texture, cinematic ambience and modern classical timbre. I've witnessed Julia play before, with her shoes off working the loop pedals, all dressed in black, as she appears to be in all of her press photos, her hair dark around the sombre face, an arm tattoo, sharp focus on the music. I dive into the description of this artist because I feel her being bleeding in and onto all her works, a natural extension of her mind, expressed in sound throughout time. Is Temporal a hint at our very own existence? Is there a fear or an acceptance thereof? Perhaps a little bit of both as you traverse the dissonance and tension, so well restrained within this composition. The rhythmic plucking of the string counts down the clock from an unknown number. The many-layered cello notes (and tones) create a blanket of unease, but find comfort in their warming. A bass begins to pulse. An organ walks the scale. We are acknowledging "Imbalance" and its ongoing presence in our lives. Too much a leaning to the left, too much a resuming to the right, we tend to float throughout this storm, like a lone lost and tiny buoy. The clouds subside and music perseveres, and then, perhaps, we're not alone, surrounded by others in this "Floating City", where pizzicato notes dance lightly with the piano. This cinematic tendency of the sound appears due to the pieces having been originally written for the theatre and dance productions, repackaged now in album form, for our delight and pleasure. When I perform live with dance and theatre, it makes me enormously aware of the fragility of our physical world. Dancers and actors, anyone whose instrument is their body, have nothing to protect them from the rules of gravity and time. They are so strong, but they’re subject to those demands in a more extreme way because of the physicality of what they’re doing. Onstage, I have an instrument to mediate for me, but they are bare. When I work with dancers, especially, I feel as though there can be an incredible energy exchange. They create a sort of weather system on the stage. -Julia Kent This "weather" is indeed transforming through the album, as you can gather from my words (which I've convoked before digging out the quote above). Even with the delayed echoes of the strings, which practically compose the metre of the album, the album feels organic and inherent, with Kent's emotions permeating through and through. Those willing to connect with Julia on yet another level will find themselves immersed in all she has to say. Recommended for fans of Hildur Guðnadóttir [who seems to be consumed by soundtracks these days -- did you see Chernobyl?], Christina Vantzou, Zoë Keating, Danny Norbury, Greg Haines, and Poppy Ackroyd. A favourite on Leaf which calls for your attention." [Headphone Commute] 2019 €22.50
KINKELAAR, FREEK WONDERSOUND. Discovering weird, wild and wonderful music BOOK Wondersound discovering weird, wild and wonderful music a book by Freek Kinkelaar hard cover, 282 pages For over thirty years, Freek Kinkelaar has been writing about music for publications such as Vital Weekly and renowned international magazine Record Collector Magazine. He has contributed liner notes for releases by labels such as Cherry Red, and also writes essays on music. Wondrous music. This book, Wondersound, is about being amazed, challenged, bedazzled and caressed by music. It documents Kinkelaar's discovery of obscure vinyl, cassettes, artist records and vanity pressings covering avant-garde, noise, ambient, lounge and experimental music. The book's quire presents nearly 50 examples of exuberant vinyl and cassette packaging. Featuring an introduction written by Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots, Wondersound offers a dozen articles on, amongst others, noise music, Brainticket, The Gerogerigegege, Gary Wilson, Japanese erotic music, Rozz Williams, Vagina Dentata Organ and labels such as Come Organisation and Industrial Records. Over 80 columns cover artists as diverse as The International Sex Opera Band, SPK, Su Tissue, Pierre Schaeffer, Derek Jarman, La Monte Young, Princess Tinymeat, Zoviet France and Robbie the Werewolf! Added are an interview, liner notes and essays on why not to read lyric sheets and how Kinkelaar not only met a member of The Residents but, in the end, became one! With an aim to inspire and entertain, Freek Kinkelaar writes with a wicked sense of humour, a keen eye for Anorakian detail and a genuine love for music. Known for his own musical endeavours under various guises such as Beequeen (with Frans de Waard), Brunnen and a plethora of other names, Kinkelaar has been collecting weird, wild and wonderful music since 1980. This book is an essential read for those with an open mind towards the beautiful strangeness of sound. Wondersound. Design by Alfred Boland BLACK AND WHITE The book's quire of 50 images is printed in black and white. The book's front and back cover are printed in colour and the book's content is identical to the colour-printed version. The black and white version does not come with any of the additional extra's of the colour version. image: http://kormplastics.nl/wondersound.html 2021 €20.00
KLANK same CD "Two years in the making, aufabwegen presents the first ever studio album of Bremen-based MusikAktionsEnsemble KLANK. Co-produced by Radio Bremen’s contemporary music department and featuring singer Friederike Menz on various tracks, KLANK left its accustomed territory of energetic yet intimate performative stage action to enter the fine historic recording arena of Sendesaal Bremen. For this release the four members of KLANK focused on acoustic spaces and auditive situations recording hours and hours of material. While the opener RÅE N presents an almost architectural approach to the dense microtonal logics of noise and drone the three piece set of CONTAMINECHNO is a neat and surprising exploration of radioplayeske atmospheres and contemporary electronic music alike. The mono-ridden Der PRODUKTIVE KONSUMENT links the bobostertaglike assembling of ensembles at the computer with thoughts about various fields of consumerist homerecording while DIE MECHANISCHE CD for a moment neglects the data sound carriers and storage systems usually are used for, perceiving CDs, MDs and the like as sonic objects with their own musical quality. Closed by a brief passage through possible constellations within an improvising quartet, ÄÇEX, the release is, after all, linked to KLANK’s musical – live – practice. Additional information: www.klank.cc/cd/ On KLANK (the Artist): KLANK is a music/performance ensemble based in Bremen, Germany. Founded by improvisers Reinhart Hammerschmidt and Hainer Wörmann, sound-performer Tim Schomacker and composer / instrumentalist Christoph Ogiermann in 2008, KLANK’s sonic universe combines various musical experiences, influences and approaches.
 KLANK soon found common ground in both, the complex and dense logic of the interaction in playing improvised music and in researching the musical potential of various materials from everyday life. Be it kitchen utensils, office equipment, children’s toys or tools from whatever workplace – KLANK is able and willing to declare almost everything a musical instrument to expand the range of its sonic creations.
KLANK immediately realized that its music doesn’t just sound – but that it “looks like”, also. So the quartet started to focus on performative and site-specific concepts, establishing a unique brand of Klang-Aktionen (music- or sound-based performances) involving the use of body, voice, video and various theatrical elements. Improvisations and conceptual pieces for quartet remaining the core of KLANK-Arbeit, the ensemble conceived and produced a series of music/theater-pieces and performances for larger ensembles. Collaborating with visual artists like painter/video artist Dina Koper or filmmaker Jan van Hasselt KLANK presented performance pieces like ANUNDFUERSICH (2011) and films like UND BEFREIEN SIE VON WAS (2012). December 2013 will see a tour d’allemagne with french saxophonist Bertrand Denzler as the third installment of the bilateral THE FRENCH KONNEKTION program, an ongoing collaboration with Institut français de Brême." [label info] www.aufabwegen.de 2013 €13.00
KODJABASHIA, NIKOLA Explosion of a Memory CD "Performed by the Macedonian Symphony Orchestra with Balkan electro legend Kiril Dzajkovski, Chris Cutler (percussion), Nikola Kodjbashia (prepared piano), Patric Driver and Valere Novarina (readers). Text fragments are by Heiner Muller and Valere Novarina. A four-dimensional explosion in which stretches of Baroque, folk themes and Byzantine liturgy exist contemporaneously with modern and post-modern materials - much as strata emerge where tectonic plates fold one time over another – settling eventually into long, beautiful, tonal stretches, lighter than air, that drift and attenuate to reveal, dreamily, the old simplicities. Immersive, timeless and unmistakably new, this music respects but definitively breaks with existing schools to explore instead its own geographically unique influences and contradictions. ‘Explosion of a Memory’ is a homage to my literary heroes: James Joyce, Heiner Muller, Valere Novarina, William Gibson, Euripides and Colin Teevan; it’s also a deeply personal epic about the complex relationship between childhood myths, history and perpetual homecoming’. NK NIKOLA KODJABASHIA is one of the Balkan’s most respected and award winning composers. Born into a musical family in Skopje in 1970, he pursued his compositional studies with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Anatol Vieru, György Kurtág, and Rolf Gehlhaar. In the UK, he has scored and conducted music for numerous plays, including Sir Peter Hall’s Bacchae at the National Theatre, Walter Meieryohann’s Internationally acclaimed Kafka’s Monkey at London’s Young Vic, Wedding Day of the Cromagnons for the Soho Theatre, Helter Skelter/Land of the Dead and Monsier Ibrahim and the flowers of the Qu’ran for the Bush Theatre, and Jonathan Kent’s award winning Hecuba at the Donmar warehouse, Covent Garden. He is responsible for the music and sound-design for various BBC TV documentaries and his film compositions include Damianovski’s Dance with Me and Green Pages (Chicago Film Festival Award, UK première at Glastonbury Film stage, 2007). His earlier ReR release, ‘Reveries of the Solitary Walker’ was hailed by John Walters in The Guardian as “…probably the best record of the year”." [full label press release] www.rermegacorp.com 2010 €13.00
KOLLAPS Until the Day I die CD "Until The Day I Die" is the third album from Australian post-industrial outfit KOLLAPS. "Until The Day I Die" is a merciless and visceral assault on the senses and continues the trajectory of the band's idiosyncratic approach in their creation of sound. The album showcases an uncompromising force of harsh post-industrial music narrated by overarching themes of condemnation and redemption; of violence, romanticism, sexuality, and addiction. Much of the creation and lyrical conceptualisation of the record has been stylised and presented using William S. Burroughs' cut-up method. A wide variety of metals and raw materials were used in the creation of the album including metal grates, a rusted hoist, cement cylinders, field recordings, hammering of various decrepit objects, broken amplifiers, an exposed reverb tank, various synthesizers, and the infamous metal coil; a crudely self-constructed artifice that has become iconic in its use across KOLLAPS' triptych of releases and lengthy touring history in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. "Until The Day I Die" has had a tectonic shift in production methods compared to its predecessors and was entirely written, recorded, and mixed internally the self-constructed ILoveHeroin Studios built above a sculpture museum in Lugano, Switzerland. All instrumentation was handled by Wade Black except for bass guitar by Andrea Collaro recorded at Hangar 121 in Lenate Pozzollo, Italy on all tracks except "D-IX" and "I Believe In The Closed Fist," handled by Black, and additional sound design and percussion by Giorgio Salmoiraghi. The album was mastered by James Plotkin and completed with cover artwork by Nullvoid (Thomas Ekelund | Trepaneringsritualen). CD in 6-panel digipak || LP with full colour matt-laminate sleeve and printed inner lyric sleeve. Written, recorded and mixed by Wade Black Bass guitar by Andrea Collaro except “D-IX”, and “… Closed Fist” Additional sound design and percussion by Giorgio Salmoiraghi Mastered by James Plotkin Recorded and mixed at ILoveHeroin Studios in Lugano, Switzerland Bass recorded at Hangar 121 in Lonate Pozzollo, Italy and engineered collectively by Kollaps. Artwork: Nullvoid (Thomas Ekelund) ######################################### "Sometimes I go to a concert with minimal expectations. Once I decided to go to an unknown name, I didn't bother to investigate further; I just saw and be surprised. A few years ago, I decided to go to Kollaps, which I thought would be an Einsturende Neubauten-inspired thing, seeing they took the title of their first LP as a band name. I learned that they were from Australia and they used metal, synthesisers, maybe a bass and a singer. Oh, and a stack of amplifiers. I was pleasantly surprised that night. It was much louder than I anticipated (for no good reason). The group clearly found inspiration in SPK and Neubauten, but with a manic singer, screaming, shouting, pointing the microphone towards the amplifiers, generating feedback. There was great control among the various players, and I think they played songs and some mind-numbing barrage of noise. Back home, I shamefully admit, I didn't follow up on this concert, checking their work online. So, 'Until The Day I Die' is my first encounter with this group with studio recordings. I still enjoy what I hear and find some interesting musical nuances here. It is not a festival of feedback. Not that I expected this to be. There are quite a few of that, obviously, sitting next to banging on objects, screaming, but also a satire (I should think) of neo-folk in the title track. Complete with guitar and sad vocals, but drenched in reverb, leaning towards feedback. Some orchestral samples, mangled field recordings, and the military bang on the drums. Top-heavy music and filled with furious aggression. Not the dulcet tones of summer, but the sounds of a society collapsing in misery. I love it." [FdW / Vital Weekly] 2022 €13.00
KONRAD KRAFT Nifbin Circle (coloured) LP Nifbin Circle is the fourth release by Detlef Funder, aka Konrad Kraft, on the Cologne label Aufabwegen. Sounds generated with two apps on the iPad, provided the basic structures and the sound space. The strangely enraptured textures created in this way, with a subtle percussive touch, were partly combined with supporting beats in the course of further processing. Thus, after more than 30 years, tracks with rudimentary melodies and rhythms were created again. Biography - Konrad Kraft (aka Detlef Funder) 1980, First tape productions in the field of Experimental/Industrial under the moniker Konrad Kraft. 1983, Assemblage of own first studio to realize tape recordings 1985 – 1994, Founding and managing Düsseldorf record store and label SDV-Tonträger. Expanding the studio to 16 track facility; recording, production and release of various internationally renowned projects like Konrad Kraft & Dino Oon, Mynox Layh, TUU, Paul Schütze etc. 1992 – 1999, Various Voice-over productionen for german TV (arte, ZDF, ARD etc.) 1992 – 2006, Numerous productions iin the area of Techno/Trance for different labels, internationally booked DJ and live act 1999 – 2007, Founding and managing of 4CN-Studios Bochum for audio productionsa and mastering 2011, Konrad Kraft CD Temorary Audiosculptures And Artifacts released on Cologne based label aufabwegen 2016, Founding of „Paraschall“ label and studio for mastering and sound design. Quadrat 12“ Vinyl released on aufabwegen 2016, Collaboration with Kai Angermann and formation of the duo Angermann/Kraft (prior Elektrofrühstück) and publication of CD Algorithm on Paraschall/Düsseldorf 2018, Reissue of Konrad Kraft Arctica tape on CD and LP via TAL, Düsseldorf 2019, OVAL 12“ Vinyl released on aufabwegen 2021, OBTAAL 2X12“ Vinyl Para002, Paraschall Records. Lim ed. of 250 copies with handmade cover. 2023, Nifbin Circle 12“ Vinyl, aatp09 is published by aufabwegen 2023, Stumm, Detlef Funder und Bernd Sevens, TAL Music (forthcoming) 2011- ongoing, selected live appearance at international festivals and venues, such as A/B Brüssels - Bel., Meakusma Festival - Bel., Image Movement – Berlin, Stadtgarten Cologne, Salon Des Amateurs – Düsseldorf, Weltkunstzimmer – Düsseldorf, BlackBox - Münster and more. https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/album/nifbin-circle "Nach „Oval“ erscheint auf Auf Abwegen mit „Nifbin Circle“ das neue Album von Konrad Kraft und das insgesamt vierte auf dem kleinen Kölner Label. Kraft, bürgerlich Detlef Funder, dessen Pseudonym auf Conrad Schnitzler und Kraftwerk verweist, beschreibt die Stücke als „tracks with rudimentary melodies and rhythms“, resultierend aus der Arbeit mit „two apps on the iPad, [which] provided the basic structures and the sound space“. Tatsächlich ist schon direkt der Opener „Flabdragon Level 3“ ein verspielt klingendes Stück, das fast schon an ein Depeche Mode -Instrumental aus den frühen 80ern, so in etwa zur Zeit von „A Broken Frame“, klingt, das man vielleicht in einer alternativen Realität als B-Seite einer Single verwendet hätte. B-Seite nicht verstanden als etwas (nur) Sekundäres, sondern im Sinne von weniger kommerziell, aber eventuell spannender als die A-Seite. Es gibt ein tolles Zusammenspiel von perkussiven Momenten und leicht melancholischen Melodien. Das darauf folgende Titelstück mit bassartigen Sounds scheint aus vielen Schichten und Ebenen zu bestehen. „Fanznel Re“ ist mit Knistern und melodischen Flächen etwas reduzierter und erzeugt eine leicht dunkel-melancholische Atmosphäre. „Imrobial Connected“ besticht durch pulsierende flächige Sounds und pochende Rhythmik „Ilsimits II“ lässt kurzzeitig an Coils „Paranoid Inlay“ denken. Auf acht Stücken kreiert Kraft eine ganz eigene wie eigenwillige Form von abstraktem Elektropop, dessen oben zitierte „rudimentären Melodien“, an denen er sich laut Selbstauskunft erstmalig seit 30 Jahren versuchte, überzeugen." (MG) "There is a great interplay of percussive moments and slightly melancholic melodies... crackling and melodic pads create a slightly dark-melancholic atmosphere... Kraft creates a very unique and idiosyncratic form of abstract electro-pop, whose "rudimentary melodies" are convincing." (African Paper). 2023 €23.00
KONTAKT DER JÜNGLINGE - 1 CD Nr. 3 der Reihe (inzwischen bei MINUS 1 angelangt) wurde aufgenommen im Lagerhaus zu Bremen am 28.April 2001. “Part three of the ongoing 'live only' collaborations between Thomas Köner & Asmus Tietchens, this is not to be confused with their CD '1' (DS34) which was also recorded at the 'Lagerhaus' in Bremen back in 1999. They played their second concert here on the 28. April 2001 and again it shows their mutual talent of building a sound landscape of striking depths that if the listener is willing will draw him in further and further with every new listen. The CD comes in a bookprinted cover in an edition of 1000 copies” [press release]. “Claustrophic music, but one that surely fascinating to hear. Comparing Tietchens' music to submarines has been done before (or rather, to his alter ego, which wasn't his alter ego, Werkbund), but this surely comes close.” [Vital Weekly] label-website: www.diestadtmusik.de 2002 €14.00
KRENG Works for Abattoir Ferme 2007-2011 4 x LP BOX Ten-year anniversary edition of Kreng's massive Works for Abattoir Férme 2007-2011 four LPs worth of slow, skin-crawling cinematic ambience made for the Belgian theater group Abattoir Fermé. It could hardly be a better time to again dive deep into Kreng and Abattoir Fermé's disturbingly beautiful underground worlds. Through eighth full-length vinyl sides you are transported through the most terrifying, shadow-filled, downright bizarre moments of the subconscious. What could be the sound of your darkest dreams or most surreal fantasies gradually unfolds throughout the three-and-a-half-hour duration. Exactly this is what Abattoir Fermé specializes in, and Pepijn Caudron's scores perfectly reflect and accompanies both this theatricality as well as your own fears and desires in a masterful way. Each extended side is crafted from an arsenal of samples, disintegrating vinyl and corroded tape, and Pepijn Caudron manipulates these sounds in a way that belies the sources. Rather than allow the sounds to emerge, they stay trapped beneath swathes of noise, tape delay, and oppressive bass giving you a composition that emerges like a cross between William Basinski, Jerry Goldsmith (circa Alien), and Henryk Górecki. Works for Abattoir Fermé is not for the faint of heart, but for the rest, it might be just what the doctor ordered... 2022 repress; four LPs with original artwork inside 350g slipcase with silver tone print; includes download code; edition of 300. https://kreng.bandcamp.com/album/works-for-abattoir-ferm-2007-2011 2022 €65.00
KTL IV do-12 Japanische Luxus-Vinyl-Edition des vierten KTL-Studio-Albums, Gatefold-Cover mit Bonus-Single & bedruckten Innenhüllen.. "... Aller Dienste und Fesseln ledig, entfaltet sich da etwas zu voller Pracht und Größe, dass dem ähnelt, das Yeats einst in einer Vision gen Bethlehem schlumpen sah. Etwas prosaischer gesagt, lässt O‘Malley urige Bassriffs grollen und Gitarren sich durch jeden Widerstand fräsen, während Rehberg Synthie- & Orgelsound ballt, wie - ohne Pathos lässt sich das nicht beschreiben - wie Goyas Koloss seine Faust. Als ob er den ganzen Kongo darin zerquetschen wollte und damit den letzten schwarzen Blutstropfen aus dem Herz der Finsternis. Die Wucht und Düsternis, die hier sich vorüber wälzt, lässt sich mit Namen wie Fushitsusha, Nadja oder SunnO))) nur so ungefähr andeuten. Der Auftakt ‚Paraug‘ ist erst noch ein ominöses Rumoren, Rauschen und melodiöses Riffen, bei ‚Paratrooper‘ setzt sich das knurrige Biest dann ganz langsam in Bewegung, mit schwerem Tritt, den der Boris-Drummer Atsuo wie mit Taikotrommel als dumpfes Trauermarschbumbumbum schlägt, und ein Chor machtloser Engel stöhnt dazu ein ewig langgezogenes Oooooooooooo. Diese gut 21 Min. sind ein Prachtstück an erhabener Erschütterung der Sinne, in der Wirkung vergleichbar mit Guapos Aztekenkult. Im schnellen Marathontrott hetzt dann ‚Wicked Way‘ dahin wie ein barfüßiger Unglücksbote, denn jetzt folgt mit ‚Benbbet‘ eine weitere Viertelstunde von infamer Poesie, die erst noch liebkost, was sie zerstören wird, und dann Tritt für Tritt, nun fast schon mutwillig, einen knirschenden Tanz der Vernichtung übt. ‚Eternal Winter‘ überzieht die Spuren auf Shivas Tanzboden mit Eiskristallen, bis ‚Eternal Trouble‘ mit aufsteigenden elektronischen Molekülketten, einzelnen dunklen, monoton aushallenden Gitarrentönen und gedongtem Gong (erneut Atsuo) beharrlich Indizien der Unverwüstlichkeit liefert - der Trouble geht weiter. Produziert hat diese Dystopie übrigens Rehbergs einstiger FennO‘Berg-Partner, der unverwüstliche Jim O‘Rourke." [Bad Alchemy] "Recorded and mixed at Studio GOK Sound, Tokyo, September 2008. Mastered at Pietthapraxis, Köln, October 2008. Stephen O'Malley: guitar. Peter Rehberg: computer & synthetizer. Atsuo: drums on 2 and gong on 6. Produced by Jim O'Rourke. Special Edition double 12 in gatefold tip on sleeve, with obi, mounted 7, and printed innersleeves. Japanese pressing, cut at 45 rpm." [label info] www.inoxia-rec.com 2009 €49.00
LABRADFORD Mi Media Naranja CD Ihr viertes Album von 1997, instrumentale, einsame, melancholische Wüsten-Psychedelik. "With their fourth album, Labradford have once again broadened and varied their sound, while maintaining their distinctive identity. Mi Media Naranja adds a string section, Fender Rhodes electric piano and slide guitar to the trio's sound bank. It is the most cinematic of Labradford's recordings to date. The music alternately stretches, ripples or lofts its way past the listener as if it was coming off a screen and not through speakers. The sounds here are reminiscent of John Barry, Bill Evans and most of all, Labradford." [label info] “....It's downright cinematic. There's simply no doubt about it. And yet, it's infinitely more interesting than anything John Williams ever wrote. Labradford have invented the musical equivilent of the mysteriously abandoned small town. Old signs hang loosely from their creaky hinges, most of the windows have been smashed out and the wind seems to blow harder than normal. It brings you down in a comforting way, like you've just stumbled across an old picture of a four-year-old you and your since deceased mother. More accurately, Naranja's like traveling the dusty backroads of Athens, Georgia and finding Michael Stipe and Vic Chesnutt laying dead in the dirt. Initially, you're shocked and horrified. Then you realize you're gonna be on MTV News. Luckily, Labradford seem content to let you tag along on their tragic magic carpet ride through seven untitled tracks of middle- of- nowhere lonliness accentuated by the reverb of twangy guitars and pianos. Just don't talk.“[Ryan Schreiber, Pitchforkmedia] “.....Labradford moves into the desert, with this soundtrack for driving down dirt highways and through abandoned towns with the word "gulch" in their name. "Mi..." is a beautiful record that is much more pleasant to listen to than their previous efforts. The cold, experimental touches the trio worked into their music are still there, but subdued and downplayed.” [Opuszine] 1997 €14.00
LOPEZ, FRANCISCO Wilderness Studio 2005-2019 do-CD francisco lópez - WILDERNESS STUDIO 2005-2019 / On-site Composition in the Wild Over the past fifteen years, with the assistance and companionship of some friends, small groups of artists and members of the local communities, I have been directing two consecutive incarnations of an annual residency/workshop at Mamori Lake in the Brazilian Amazon (‘Mamori Sound Project’, 2005-2011) and Mmabolela Reserve in the South African savanna (‘Sonic Mmabolela’, 2013-2019), for composers, audio artists, sound designers and other creative individuals from all over the world. Its focus has been on creative approaches to the work with environmental sound matter, through both recordings and profound listening, by means of an extensive –and I would say iconoclastic– exploration of natural sound environments in those contrasting locations of rainforest and savanna. In a number of different ways –theoretical, practical and experiential– I have been trying to bring in a vigorous questioning of canonical conceptions of so-called ‘field recordings’, a realm of audio creation that has manifested a significant expansion over the past few years but that, in my opinion, has failed to overcome representational clichés and obsolete creative rules. As I see , the main aim of this experience is neither technical nor conceptual, but rather transformative, from both artistic and personal perspectives. At a personal level, these ‘sonic years’ in the Amazon rainforest and the African savanna (two types of environments I had experienced as a biologist many years earlier in Brazil and Senegal) have had a very profound effect on my experience and conception of sound as both a prodigious phenomenological conduit and an ontological entity in its own right, along with –not subservient to– the other creatures of the rainforest and the savanna. This transcendental transformation has had fundamental outcomes for me, such as what I call ‘field listening’ (a post-media non-representational practice of profound listening in the field) and ‘sonogenic composition’ (a creative approach in which sound itself suggests and leads the compositional decisions, structure and nature). Among many other strategies, in this residency/workshop I proposed the participants to create audio pieces while still in the natural environment, and I did myself a few of those as well over the years. The classic super-analytical procedure of listening through all the many hours of recordings before creating anything might not necessarily be the best one, particularly now that the possible amount of recorded time is so vast. There is also an element of immediacy and immersion in the actual environment that I am convinced has a significant and very positive effect in what we can create under those conditions. This ‘on-site composition in the wild’ naturally brings forth challenging, heuristic and fruitful frameworks of audio creation in the form of spontaneity, incomplete knowledge, non-exhaustive observation, emotional probing of materials, un-systematic decisions, persistent presence of the sonic environment, immediate juxtaposition of listened and recorded ‘reality’, and so forth. This double album compilation presents the on-site composition pieces I created with my portable minimal ‘wilderness studio’ during all the past years of this residency/workshop in the Brazilian Amazon and the South African savanna. ------------------------------------------------------------ ‘Mamori Sound Project’ at Mamori Lake and ‘Sonic Mmabolela’ at Mmabolela Reserve have materialized as independent projects with virtually no funding, which have been made possible –more often than not against significant odds and through some quite remarkable adventures– by the collective effort of a small group of incredibly dedicated friends, as well as all the international participants: [120; from Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UK, USA] Wilderness Studio 2005-2011: BRAZILIAN AMAZON My sincere gratitude goes to Asier Gogortza, Jorge Llorella, Nacho Martí, and Martín Azúa (of Mamori ArtLab); Slavek Kwi, Jerson and Katia Vieira da Silva, and the entire Mamori Lake community. Participants in ‘Mamori Sound Project’, 2005-2011: Aernoudt Jacobs, Alex Massana, Anders K. Landstrand, Andrea Williams, Annie Mahtani, Artur Matamoros, Barbara Ellison, Bernat Cuní, Brice Jeannin, Camilla Hannan, Cécile Martin, Cédric Maridet, Christopher Fleeger, Ciara Moore, Constantine Katsiris, Damien Perollaz, Daniel Blinkhorn, David Drury, David M. Michael, Dionisio Alfaro, Dominik t’Jolle, Els Viaene, Eric Miller, Farahnaz Hatam, Hilary Mullaney, Jaime Rojas, James Webb, Karl Lemieux, Kim Foscato, Laurent Wermenlinger, Lawrence English, Leah Barclay, Lindenberg Munroe, Linn Halvorsrød, Luca Forcucci, Ludger Kisters, Marc Behrens, Marcelo Nakata, Marta López-Briones, Mathias Janssens, Matt Shoemaker, Michael Trommer, Mikel Nieto, Nicholas McConaghy, Nimalan Yoganathan, Olof Dreijer, Perri Lynch, Rebecca English, Ruben García, Sam Hamilton, Sam Ripault, Samuel E. Dunscombe, Scott Konzelmann,Simon Whetham, Slavek Kwi, Stefano Tedesco, Suzanne Wehmer, Thanassis Kaproulias,Thelmo Cristovam, Todd Shalom,Tom Lane, Tulipa Ruiz, Vanessa Michelis, Victoria Soanes. Wilderness Studio 2013-2019: SOUTH AFRICAN SAVANNA My sincere gratitude goes to Mark and Lesley Berry (owners of Mmabolela Estates), James Webb, Barbara Ellison, Neil Lowe, Paulo Ghiglione, Mabig Frans Meela, Bolpetse William Mosima, Madikana Johannes Malobela, Maria Mokgadi Mosima ‘Khani’, Tamaries Lettah Tebodi, Malebogo Queen Molele, and the entire staff community at Mmabolela Estates. Participants in ‘Sonic Mmabolela’, 2013-2019: Aernoudt Jacobs, Alex Davies, Alexandra Spence, Andy Martin, Angélica Castelló, Barbara Ellison, Bethan Parkes, Brigitte Hart, Brydon Bolton, Cara Stacey, Cédric Maridet, Christina Kubish, Christopher Fleeger, Clinton Watkins, Craig Wells, Daan Hendriks, Daniel Lea, Dave Phillips, David M. Michael, Dimitrios Bakas, Dmitry Gelfand, Eric Mattson, Ernesto Coba, Evelina Domnitch, George Vlad Cancea, Gregory Kramer, Hanan Benammar, Hannah Gilmour, Harm Roché van Tiddens, Herbert Baioco Vasconcelos, Iddo Aharony, Jean-Baptiste Masson, Jeremy Hegge, Jesús de la Peña, Josten Myburgh, Jun Mizumachi, Kate Carr, Kim Foscato, Ksersti G. Andvig, Luca Forcucci, Lucille Calmel, Luke Pearson, Matthew Aidekman, Michael Clemow, Michał Jacaszek, Mike Vernusky, Niketa Sheth, Peter Terner, Robert Kellough, Robert Schwartz, Robyn Farah, Ruben García, Sara Retallick, Scott Konzelmann, Slavek Kwi, Steve Ashby, Steve Norton, Stijn Demeulenaere, Thomas Voyce, Thóranna Björnsdóttir, Tim Bruniges, Tristan Horton, Ulf A. S. Holbrook, Vicki Hallett, Yvonne Freckmann. ------------------------------------------------------------ First released on 2xCD ('nowhere') in September 2020 - Edition 300 copies. (c) francisco lópez 2005-2020 – www.franciscolopez.net https://franciscolopez.bandcamp.com/album/wilderness-studio-2005-2019-brazilian-amazon-south-african-savanna-on-site-composition-in-the-wild 2020 €19.50
LOPEZ, JAY-DEA The Australian Gothic CD "Long before the fact of Australia was ever confirmed by explorers and cartographers it had already been imagined as a grotesque space, a land peopled by monsters. The idea of its existence was disputed, was even heretical for a time, and with the advent of the transportation of convicts its darkness seemed confirmed. The Antipodes was a world of reversals, the dark subconscious of Britain. It was, for all intents and purposes, Gothic par excellence, the dungeon of the world. Gerry Turcotte (Australian Gothic. University of Wollongong.1998). The Australian Gothic : a creative genre emphasising the terrors of isolation in this post-colonial land. The Australian Gothic exposes a tormented communal psyche weighted by dark secrets. Australia, a country colonised in 1788 by unwilling convicts and prison guards. For these unfortunates Australia was a nightmarish location, its foreign terrain provoked feelings of fear and alienation. Gone was the British gothic landscape of moors and heaths. In its place were dangerous animals, deserts, bush-fires, floods and droughts. The comfortability of the known European landscape was replaced by this new unstable setting. Integral to the colonisers’ sense of dislocation and dread was the Australian soundscape. Reading journals and novels from this era it is evident that the aural dimensions of the Australian landscape were strongly perceived in gothic terms of enclosure and entrapment. The vastness of the deserts unsettled the first colonisers who remarked upon its deathlike silence, while in the forests the mass of unfamiliar sounds induced intense feelings of fear and disorientation. This sparked feelings of loathing towards the newly colonised space, including the Aboriginal people. In the Australian Gothic tradition the landscape sounded alive, it surrounded and entrapped with suffocating force. Growing up in a region where Aboriginal artifacts from the pre-colonial era could readily be found under shallow soil the bloody layers of history have always sat uncomfortably with me. We live on stolen land, a place where immoral and bloody actions happened in the recent past. We have a sense of un-belonging to this country. It is part of the Australian Gothic experience. With this in mind I collected field recordings in my local valley of Main Arm, a place like much of Australia, partly suburban, partly open for farming. I wanted to create a composition that featured field recordings, both modified and unmodified, of sounds from local farms. Could we imagine ourselves in the past, a time when the steady expansion of farms into traditional Aboriginal land was a primary source of frontier conflict? Listening to the composition I hope a sense of unease and dread is provoked through its combination of sounds. Yet somewhere underneath its layers there is the suggestion of beauty, of what could have been. Listen and be transported into the fabric of Australia’s Gothic experience. (Jay-Dea Lopez, May 2015)" [website info] www.unfathomless.net 2015 €14.00
LUSTMORD [O T H E R] CD Das zehnte Studioalbum »Other« der Elektronik-/Industrial-Musikpioniere Lustmord wurde 2008 veröffentlicht und ist bis heute das einzige Lustmord-Album mit Gitarren, gespielt von Adam Jones (Tool), King Buzzo (The Melvins) und Aaron Turner (Isis). Das Album erschien ursprünglich auf dem unabhängigen Plattenlabel Hydra Head Records, das von Isis-Frontmann Aaron Turner gegründet wurde und früher Bands wie Converge, Pelican, Jesu, Sun O))) oder Boris beherbergte. Wie ein Journalist es damals formulierte, ist »Other« ein "düsteres Beispiel für einen vollendeten Künstler, der genau innerhalb der Parameter arbeitet, die er sich im Laufe der Jahre selbst gesetzt hat." Dieses Album zeigt Lustmord von seiner charakteristischsten Seite, und das eisige, unheilvolle Gitarrenspiel von Jones, Turner und Ozborne fügt sich perfekt in die tiefen Klanglandschaften ein, die diese beängstigende und doch inspirierende Reise ausmachen. Tatsächlich sind die Songs so kraftvoll, dass es Williams dazu bewegte, zwei Ambient-Remix-Versionen und eine Dub-Remix-EP zu erstellen, die die Klänge dieses Albums so weit wie möglich erforschen. Im Jahr 2022 arbeitet Lustmord für The Others (Lustmord Deconstructed) mit Künstlern wie Godflesh, Mono und Zola Jesus, um nur einige zu nennen, an Neuinterpretationen der »Other«-Songs zusammen, die ebenfalls jetzt erhältlich sind. Reissued in all its incarnations plus re-interpreted: Electronic/Industrial music pioneer LUSTMORDs tenth studio album [ O T H E R ], originally released in 2008 and to date the only LUSTMORD album with guitars on it, performed by Adam Jones (TOOL), King Buzzo (THE MELVINS) and Aaron Turner (ISIS). [ O T H E R ] originally came out on independent record label Hydra Head Records, founded by ISIS frontman Aaron Turner and former home of bands such as CONVERGE, PELICAN, JESU, SUN O))) or BORIS. As one journalist put it at the time, [ O T H E R ] is a "grim example of a consummate artist who is working frmly within the parameters that he has laid out for himself over the years." This album shows Lustmord at his most characteristic, and the icy, ominous guitar playing of Jones, Turner and Ozborne resonates perfectly within the deep soundscapes that make up this frightening yet inspiring journey. As a matter of fact, the material on [ O T H E R ] is so powerful that it moved Williams to create two ambient remix versions of it, and one dub remix EP exploring the sounds of this record to the greatest extend of his ability. In 2022, and also available now, LUSTMORD further collaborates with artist such as GODFLESH, MONO and ZOLA JESUS, to name but a few, for THE OTHERS (LUSTMORD DECONSTRUCTED) on re-interpretations on [ O T H E R ] tracks. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, and went on to work with THROBBING GRISTLE members Chris & Cosey as well as appearing on early albums by CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Additionally he created several video game soundtracks, television scores and solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists as varied as THE MELVINS, CLOCK DVA, JARBOE, John Balance of COIL, Paul Haslinger (TANGERINE DREAM), PUSCIFER, Wes Borland and more, including Grammy Award-winners TOOL on their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum. To this day, Lustmord is actively recording and releasing music, his latest release being the collaborative album Alter with Karin Park of A°RABROT, and he is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre. [press release] 2022 €16.00
[Beyond] CD Reissued! Electronic music pioneer LUSTMORD released an album titled [OTHER] in 2008, to date the only LUSTMORD album with guitars on it, performed by Adam Jones (TOOL), King Buzzo (MELVINS) and Aaron Turner (ISIS). The albums The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond, both released in 2009, are extensions of the ideas explored in [OTHER] and are taken from the same recording sessions, but with the guitars removed and the essence of [OTHER] distilled and reduced.[OTHER] was a journey with friends, while The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond take the concept and listener further, deeper, in-between and beyond. While is some ways [OTHER] is as close to a "rock" album as Lustmord will ever make, The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond are pure Lustmord, a sound that many others imitate but can never equal. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, and went on to work with THROBBING GRISTLE members Chris & Cosey as well as appearing on early albums by CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Additionally he created several video game soundtracks, television scores and solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists as varied as THE MELVINS, CLOCK DVA, JARBOE, John Balance of COIL, Paul Haslinger (TANGERINE DREAM), PUSCIFER, Wes Borland and more, including Grammy Award-winners TOOL on their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum. To this day, Lustmord is actively recording and releasing music, his latest release being the collaborative album Alter with Karin Park of A°RABROT, and he is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/beyond 2022 €15.00
Beyond do-LP Reissued! Electronic music pioneer LUSTMORD released an album titled [OTHER] in 2008, to date the only LUSTMORD album with guitars on it, performed by Adam Jones (TOOL), King Buzzo (MELVINS) and Aaron Turner (ISIS). The albums The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond, both released in 2009, are extensions of the ideas explored in [OTHER] and are taken from the same recording sessions, but with the guitars removed and the essence of [OTHER] distilled and reduced.[OTHER] was a journey with friends, while The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond take the concept and listener further, deeper, in-between and beyond. While is some ways [OTHER] is as close to a "rock" album as Lustmord will ever make, The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond are pure Lustmord, a sound that many others imitate but can never equal. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, and went on to work with THROBBING GRISTLE members Chris & Cosey as well as appearing on early albums by CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Additionally he created several video game soundtracks, television scores and solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists as varied as THE MELVINS, CLOCK DVA, JARBOE, John Balance of COIL, Paul Haslinger (TANGERINE DREAM), PUSCIFER, Wes Borland and more, including Grammy Award-winners TOOL on their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum. To this day, Lustmord is actively recording and releasing music, his latest release being the collaborative album Alter with Karin Park of A°RABROT, and he is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/beyond 2022 €32.00
[The Dark Places of the Earth] do-LP Reissued! Electronic music pioneer LUSTMORD released an album titled [OTHER] in 2008, to date the only LUSTMORD album with guitars on it, performed by Adam Jones (TOOL), King Buzzo (MELVINS) and Aaron Turner (ISIS). The albums The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond, both released in 2009, areextensions of the ideas explored in [OTHER] and are taken from the same recording sessions, but with the guitars removed and the essence of [OTHER] distilled and reduced.[OTHER] was a journey with friends, whileThe Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond take the concept and listener further, deeper, in-between and beyond. While is some ways [OTHER] is as close to a "rock" album as Lustmord will ever make, The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond are pure Lustmord, a sound that many others imitate but can never equal. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, and went on to work with THROBBING GRISTLE members Chris & Cosey as well as appearing on early albums by CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Additionally he created several video game soundtracks, television scores and solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists as varied as THE MELVINS, CLOCK DVA, JARBOE, John Balance of COIL, Paul Haslinger (TANGERINE DREAM), PUSCIFER, Wes Borland and more, including Grammy Award-winners TOOL on their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum. To this day, Lustmord is actively recording and releasing music, his latest release being the collaborative album Alter with Karin Park of A°RABROT, and he is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-places-of-the-earth 2022 €32.00
[O T H E R] do-LP Reissued in all its incarnations plus re-interpreted: Electronic/Industrial music pioneer LUSTMORDs tenth studio album [ O T H E R ], originally released in 2008 and to date the only LUSTMORD album with guitars on it, performed by Adam Jones (TOOL), King Buzzo (THE MELVINS) and Aaron Turner (ISIS). [ O T H E R ] originally came out on independent record label Hydra Head Records, founded by ISIS frontman Aaron Turner and former home of bands such as CONVERGE, PELICAN, JESU, SUN O))) or BORIS. As one journalist put it at the time, [ O T H E R ] is a "grim example of a consummate artist who is working frmly within the parameters that he has laid out for himself over the years." This album shows Lustmord at his most characteristic, and the icy, ominous guitar playing of Jones, Turner and Ozborne resonates perfectly within the deep soundscapes that make up this frightening yet inspiring journey. As a matter of fact, the material on [ O T H E R ] is so powerful that it moved Williams to create two ambient remix versions of it, and one dub remix EP exploring the sounds of this record to the greatest extend of his ability. In 2022, and also available now, LUSTMORD further collaborates with artist such as GODFLESH, MONO and ZOLA JESUS, to name but a few, for THE OTHERS (LUSTMORD DECONSTRUCTED) on re-interpretations on [ O T H E R ] tracks. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, and went on to work with THROBBING GRISTLE members Chris & Cosey as well as appearing on early albums by CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Additionally he created several video game soundtracks, television scores and solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists as varied as THE MELVINS, CLOCK DVA, JARBOE, John Balance of COIL, Paul Haslinger (TANGERINE DREAM), PUSCIFER, Wes Borland and more, including Grammy Award-winners TOOL on their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum. To this day, Lustmord is actively recording and releasing music, his latest release being the collaborative album Alter with Karin Park of A°RABROT, and he is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/o-t-h-e-r 2022 €32.00
[Dark Places of the Earth] CD Reissued! Electronic music pioneer LUSTMORD released an album titled [OTHER] in 2008, to date the only LUSTMORD album with guitars on it, performed by Adam Jones (TOOL), King Buzzo (MELVINS) and Aaron Turner (ISIS). The albums The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond, both released in 2009, areextensions of the ideas explored in [OTHER] and are taken from the same recording sessions, but with the guitars removed and the essence of [OTHER] distilled and reduced.[OTHER] was a journey with friends, whileThe Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond take the concept and listener further, deeper, in-between and beyond. While is some ways [OTHER] is as close to a "rock" album as Lustmord will ever make, The Dark Places of the Earth and Beyond are pure Lustmord, a sound that many others imitate but can never equal. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era, and went on to work with THROBBING GRISTLE members Chris & Cosey as well as appearing on early albums by CURRENT 93, NURSE WITH WOUND and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld and Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Additionally he created several video game soundtracks, television scores and solo albums, as well as collaborating with artists as varied as THE MELVINS, CLOCK DVA, JARBOE, John Balance of COIL, Paul Haslinger (TANGERINE DREAM), PUSCIFER, Wes Borland and more, including Grammy Award-winners TOOL on their much acclaimed effort Fear Inoculum. To this day, Lustmord is actively recording and releasing music, his latest release being the collaborative album Alter with Karin Park of A°RABROT, and he is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/the-dark-places-of-the-earth 2022 €15.00
Much Unseen is also here (col. vinyl) do-LP Der Dark-Ambient-Pionier, die stygische Drone-Legende und das fast schon mythische Wesen LUSTMORD durchstößt mit "Much Unseen Is Also Here" einmal mehr den Schleier - die neueste Solo-Veröffentlichung des Künstlers in einer beeindruckenden, 40-jährigen kreativen Karriere an der Spitze der Industrial-Musik. Auf Drängen von Cosey Fanni Tutti und Chris Carter von Throbbing Gristle, Musik zu machen, die seine unverwechselbare Aura einfängt, übernahm Brian Williams 1980 Lustmord und begann mit Sounds zu arbeiten, weil die Musik, die er hören wollte, einfach nicht existierte. Lustmord veröffentlichte 1989 sein drittes Album "Heresy", das zu einem Meilenstein in der Industrial-Szene wurde und heute allgemein als Ursprung des Dark-Ambient-Genres gilt. 35 Jahre später führt Much Unseen Is Also Here" das Vermächtnis von Heresy" fort und knüpft an dessen fesselnden Erzählbogen an. "Much Unseen Is Also Here" besteht aus drei verschiedenen Teilen und ist dazu gedacht, in einer einzigen, ununterbrochenen Durchgang angehört zu werden; es entführt den Hörer in eine kompromisslose Parallelwelt, die nur in der Musik existiert, bevor es ihn am Ende für immer verändert wieder hinauswirft. Lustmord, der seit 1994 in L.A. lebt, hat auch als Komponist und Sounddesigner an der Musik für ikonische Film- und Fernsehproduktionen mitgewirkt, darunter "The Crow", "Strange Days", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Underworld" und in jüngerer Zeit die FX-Serien "Fear The Walking Dead" und "First Reformed"von "Taxi Driver"-Autor Paul Schrader aus dem Jahr 2017. Immer noch entschlossen, die Grenzen von Sound, Genre und Medien zu erweitern, hat Lustmord auch zu den Soundlandschaften von Videospielen wie Assassin's Creed, League of Legends und, passenderweise, dem von H.R. Geiger inspirierten Survival-Horror-Spiel Scorn von 2022 beigetragen. Other Woes Are Yet To Come Edition (single colored (pink) vinyl, ltd to 220 copies ww) 2024 €37.50
  Much Unseen is also here CD Der Dark-Ambient-Pionier, die stygische Drone-Legende und das fast schon mythische Wesen LUSTMORD durchstößt mit "Much Unseen Is Also Here" einmal mehr den Schleier - die neueste Solo-Veröffentlichung des Künstlers in einer beeindruckenden, 40-jährigen kreativen Karriere an der Spitze der Industrial-Musik. Auf Drängen von Cosey Fanni Tutti und Chris Carter von Throbbing Gristle, Musik zu machen, die seine unverwechselbare Aura einfängt, übernahm Brian Williams 1980 Lustmord und begann mit Sounds zu arbeiten, weil die Musik, die er hören wollte, einfach nicht existierte. Lustmord veröffentlichte 1989 sein drittes Album "Heresy", das zu einem Meilenstein in der Industrial-Szene wurde und heute allgemein als Ursprung des Dark-Ambient-Genres gilt. 35 Jahre später führt Much Unseen Is Also Here" das Vermächtnis von Heresy" fort und knüpft an dessen fesselnden Erzählbogen an. "Much Unseen Is Also Here" besteht aus drei verschiedenen Teilen und ist dazu gedacht, in einer einzigen, ununterbrochenen Durchgang angehört zu werden; es entführt den Hörer in eine kompromisslose Parallelwelt, die nur in der Musik existiert, bevor es ihn am Ende für immer verändert wieder hinauswirft. Lustmord, der seit 1994 in L.A. lebt, hat auch als Komponist und Sounddesigner an der Musik für ikonische Film- und Fernsehproduktionen mitgewirkt, darunter "The Crow", "Strange Days", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "Underworld" und in jüngerer Zeit die FX-Serien "Fear The Walking Dead" und "First Reformed"von "Taxi Driver"-Autor Paul Schrader aus dem Jahr 2017. Immer noch entschlossen, die Grenzen von Sound, Genre und Medien zu erweitern, hat Lustmord auch zu den Soundlandschaften von Videospielen wie Assassin's Creed, League of Legends und, passenderweise, dem von H.R. Geiger inspirierten Survival-Horror-Spiel Scorn von 2022 beigetragen. 2024 €16.00
LUSTMORD & VARIOUS ARTISTS The Others (LUSTMORD deconstructed) do-CD Over 13 years after the release of [ O T H E R ] , Pelagic Records has gathered 16 bands and solo artists to record their own unique takes on tracks from the Other-sessions. The result is an album that is more than a compilation, and more than the sum of its parts; covering a wide range of musical niches and directions, but sharing the same underlying mood and vibe defined by Lustmord's timeless soundscapes: from the ambient solo performances provided by IHSAHN, ENSLAVED or JONAS RENKSE to the subdued voice of ZOLA JESUS woven into Lustmord's sombre fabric to the industrial carnage that is GODFLESH's version of 'Ashen'. What demonstrates the profound influence of Lustmord on this contemporary music underground showcased here is that artists from disparate ends of the sonic spectrum all feel inspired to explore the essence of his idiosyncratic sounds within their own realm: experimental electronica icons ULVER excel on a stunning, hazy rendition of ‘Godeater’, while Japanese post-rock act MONO deliver a crushing version of ‘Er Eb Os’, and THE OCEAN take us on a cathartically heavy mindtrip back to our 'Primal [State of Being]'. In the end, each of these 16 artists delivers an interpretation that pays the deepest respect to this pivotal artist, while also standing out as a new track of its own. As Williams himself often puts it in interviews: “Copying someone you like with the right equipment isn’t going to be the least bit interesting. What matters is that you have good ideas and interesting things to say.” The Others (Lustmord Deconstructed) is not only a tribute and an excellent entry points into the discography of the founding father of dark ambient. It is also a celebration of the most accomplished visionaries in the underground music scene of today, and a manifestation of what binds them together—an undeniable devotion to attitude over ability and the courage to remain in the shadows and be The Other. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/the-others-lustmord-deconstructed 2022 €20.00
  The Others (LUSTMORD deconstructed) 3 x LP Over 13 years after the release of [ O T H E R ] , Pelagic Records has gathered 16 bands and solo artists to record their own unique takes on tracks from the Other-sessions. The result is an album that is more than a compilation, and more than the sum of its parts; covering a wide range of musical niches and directions, but sharing the same underlying mood and vibe defined by Lustmord's timeless soundscapes: from the ambient solo performances provided by IHSAHN, ENSLAVED or JONAS RENKSE to the subdued voice of ZOLA JESUS woven into Lustmord's sombre fabric to the industrial carnage that is GODFLESH's version of 'Ashen'. What demonstrates the profound influence of Lustmord on this contemporary music underground showcased here is that artists from disparate ends of the sonic spectrum all feel inspired to explore the essence of his idiosyncratic sounds within their own realm: experimental electronica icons ULVER excel on a stunning, hazy rendition of ‘Godeater’, while Japanese post-rock act MONO deliver a crushing version of ‘Er Eb Os’, and THE OCEAN take us on a cathartically heavy mindtrip back to our 'Primal [State of Being]'. In the end, each of these 16 artists delivers an interpretation that pays the deepest respect to this pivotal artist, while also standing out as a new track of its own. As Williams himself often puts it in interviews: “Copying someone you like with the right equipment isn’t going to be the least bit interesting. What matters is that you have good ideas and interesting things to say.” The Others (Lustmord Deconstructed) is not only a tribute and an excellent entry points into the discography of the founding father of dark ambient. It is also a celebration of the most accomplished visionaries in the underground music scene of today, and a manifestation of what binds them together—an undeniable devotion to attitude over ability and the courage to remain in the shadows and be The Other. https://lustmord.bandcamp.com/album/the-others-lustmord-deconstructed 2022 €52.00
M.B. (MAURIZIO BIANCHI) Weltanschauung LP "At the beginning of 1981 Maurizio Bianchi sent some demo tapes to the Come Organisation in England; after that, they extracted and blended together the sounds to get the final work. The title « Under The Victory Banner », an anachronistic and detrimental track for the rest of the album has been replaced by the title of the same set « Plutoniumetrio » edited in 1982 by the Come Organisation for the compilation « Für Ilse Koch », which fits much better with the other tracks. The Come Organisation was a record label founded in London in 1979 by William Bennett, initially as a vehicle for his group Come, and later to specialise in extreme electronic or controversial music, in particular for his subsequent group Whitehouse, but also for other groups including Maurizio Bianchi, Nurse with wound or Charles Manson. When Whitehouse went on hiatus at the end of 1985, Come Organisation was dissolved." [label info] www.rotorelief.com Weltanschauung was first released by William Bennett's Come Organisation in 1982, with Bennett changing MB's nom de plume to Leibstandarte SS MB. These recordings have long been controversial, given that one of the tracks overlayed Third Reich speeches on top of Bianchi's wall of noise, although both Bennett and Bianchi denied responsibility for having done so. Bianchi's frigid electronic orchestrations drip with sinister echoes of bone-chilling vibrations, throbbing rhythms, deranged anti-melodies, and horrifying atmospheres. For this reissue on Rotorelief, Bianchi has replaced the offending track from the Come Organisation original with the thoroughly grim track "Plutometrio" recorded during the same sessions, sans the Nazi speechifying. Such additions were unnecessary in the first place (whoever was to blame), and Weltanschauung is much better off without them. (Aquarius Rec.) 2013 €23.00
MACHINEFABRIEK Daas CD "The tracks on "Daas" have been carefully picked to form a provoking, haunting journey. What the tracks have in common is a sense of nostalgic graininess. As with the music of Philip Jeck, The Caretaker or William Basinski, these tracks are full of degrading melodies and dusty ambience. 'Daas' is the previously unreleased opening track of the album, and features contributions by the great Richard Skelton. 'Flotter', 'Koploop' and 'Grom' were previously available on small run self released EPs, while 'Onkruid' was a track previously released on 'A Room Forever', as an expensive and extremely limited 12" boxset. All are now brought to a wider audience. Presented in a matt laminate digipak." [label info] "Next album comes from a project that also saw the daylight in 2004 just like aforementioned from Fire In The Head, though this is one of the few things in common between those two projects. Expressively we move right to the opposite side of the sound spectre here. Machinefabriek is a Dutch project from the Rotterdam-based sound artist Rutger Zuydervelt. The composer began his sonic explorations as a young boy taking lessons in piano and guitar but after that he went to the Art Academy of Arnhem, probably giving him the artistic and abstract approach to composing. Machinefabriek's music combines elements of ambient, modern classical, drone, noise and field recordings. His latest album titled "Daas" is an excellent piece of experimental ambient. There is a trend in the ambient world to combine the sound of ambience with modern classical, but in many cases the two styles do not melt and therefore doesn't float as one whole. Machinefabriek manage to integrate the acoustic elements into the digital spheres with a hauntingly beautiful end-result. Everyone interested in ambient music should keep an eye on this one." [NM/Vital Weekly] 2010 €12.00
MAGICICADA Everyone is Everyone CD Klasse Debut eines neuen US-Projekts: MAGICICIDA steht für eigenwillige und variantenreiche „intelligente“ Experimentalmusik jenseits jeder Schublade, da gibt es höchst sphärische und hallumtoste Stücke die aus einem ganzen Arsenal an verschiedensten Soundquellen basieren, seltsame folkartige Ethno-Gesänge und Handgespieltes, Loops & andere Endlos-Effekte, manchmal steigert sich das in harsh noise – Bereiche rein, alles sehr druckvoll & abenteuerlich. TIP für Explorer ! “Magicicada is the musical life of Atlanta musician/sound designer/photographer, Christopher White. “Everyone is Everyone” is an organic, experimental work that blends traditional, as well as folk and eastern, instruments with found objects, samplers and field recordings to create a work that varies from delicate, cinematic soundscapes to harsh electronic environments. The instrumentation includes (but is not limited to): pump organ, voice, contact mics on faulty electrical lines, melodica, toys, iron balls rolling on wooden floors, accordion, cellophane, air cans, tape decks for the blind, guitar, shruti box, MARTA (Atlanta’s public transit), synths, oven door (percussion,) cellos, zurna, paper, frogs in the backyard, and the remains of Hurricane Denis shaking the roof. The Arigato-Pak style covers are beautifully printed by Stumptown Printers on (peacepunk approved!) 100% recycled , Environment 120# cover.” [label info] "As many people as possible should experience his single-mindedly self-willed experimental-ambient sounds." - laut.de (Germany) "Everyone is Everyone" is variegated, brisk and well crafted, a teapot of deviated psychedelia, rancid electronica and sounds coming from forgotten offshoots of Ed Wood's "Plan 9 from outer space", all of the above floating in a broth of Biota and Zoviet France with exhausted batteries. White lets us share some of his fun - and the drones of "Cause" are blood-icing in their beauty." - Touching Extremes (Italy) "With an organic approach to creation, these eastern and folk influenced experimental works rival some of the strangest electronic ambient out there - from drifting soundscapes to meditative trances."-Just Add Noise “....Every track on the CD is noted with long lists of recording notes, and if you read them, they give the impression of someone who is also frantically moving about. Not caring about how or why, this is best described as 'outsider' music. It moves along lines of improvised music, eastern and western folk music, lo-fi singer songwriter stuff and minimalist patterns on the cello, but never going to be anything close to being accessible: there is a strong element of experimental music to it, but at the same time things remain highly listenable. Again, great stuff.” [FdW / Vital Weekly] www.publicguilt.com 2005 €13.00
MALANGA, GERARD Up from the Archives CD "GERARD MALANGA: HIS LEGACY New York poet, photograph, performer with the Velvet Underground, Gerard Malanga, was Andy Warhol's close friend and his first assistant in the golden age of the 60' Factory (paintings: Red Jackie, Brillo Box, Mao, Flowers... all the films - including Sleep, Empire, Chelsea Girls... - the Velvet Underground era...). What we present here is really his unique legacy. FROM WARHOL TO BURROUGHS... First hand documents from the personal archives of Malanga - it contains rare documents with voices of Andy Warhol, Allen Ginsberg, the American poet Gregory Corso, Jack Kérouac, Willard Maas ... Some come from unknown documents recorded by Malanga himself during the shooting of Warhol 's films... Other great document: Gerard Malanga, poetry reading at Leo Castelli Gallery, l964... for the first exhibition of Warhol's famous "Flowers" All begin with a conversation between William Burroughs and Malanga, about "dreams"... UNPUBLISHED MUSIC FOR GERARD This record also contains unpublished music by Angus MacLise (... Velvet Underground before Velvet Underground and La Monte Young Orchestra with John Cale and Tony Conrad) and new pieces by Iggy Pop and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth). It ends with Gerard and dj Olive, live at the 'Cooler' of New York, last year... the loop is looped." [label info] www.subrosa.net 2000 €13.00
MARCHETTI, LIONEL Chasser (1ère étude naturelle) MC Lionel Marchetti (1967) is a notable French electroacoustic improviser and musique concrète composer, visual-sound artist, a writer and a poet. Self-taught at first, he later studied musique concrète with Xavier Garcia. Lionel Marchetti is a pioneer improviser, using various electronic instruments, analog systems with modified speakers, REVOX reel-to-reel recorder etc. He has collaborated with musicians like Jérôme Noetinger, Xavier Garcia, Xavier Charles, Seijiro Murayama, Emmanuel Holterbach, and Yan Jun, as well as with Japanese musician and dancer Yôko Higashi. Through the years, he shaped a very unique personal music idiom, documenting a broad-spectrum of ideas, ranging from powerful sonic attacks to narrative “ambient” music. Chasser (2012) contains his “first natural study” Volet in three parts. Most of the sounds used for Chasser, was recorded in mountains via a k7 tape recorder and recomposed to his personal studio in France, as well as CFMI Lyon, GMVL of Lyon and the INA-GRM studios of Paris (1991/1999). His sound palette is an eclectic mix of the most diverse materials. Natural landscape recordings that are used as the main sound source, manipulated and mixed with electronic sounds, piano tunes and poetry. Lionel Marchetti manage to approache his music as a source of images, recreating an artificial sound environment, a world within world. The piano fragments are from 5 studies for nothing, composed and performed by Olivier Capparos (recordings at CFMI Lyon / 1995) and are freely arranged by Lionel Marchetti. Voice presence: Hélène Bettencourt, Adèle Marchetti, Frédéric Malenfer, Proteus Morganii, William Pellier, Kenneth White and Bruno Roche. The fragments of the texts of the sonorous poet Morganii Proteus – Prey is my voice – are interpreted by himself (sound recordings inthe factories of Uriage-Vercors in 1993) The fragments of Kenneth White’s poems – Limits and margins – are read by the author (recordings at a conference by Lionel Marchetti in 1995. Tracklist Side A 1. Premier mouvement – 12’27’’ 2. Second mouvement – 8’26’’ Side B 3. Troisième mouvement – 23’37’’ “Chasser” is released as a limited number of 80 red coloured cassettes. Cover photo by Bruno Roche (1993) Design by Moras Marios lionelmarchetti.bandcamp.com https://www.moremars.org/store/products/lionel-marchetti/ 2018 €9.00
MARSEN JULES Golden CD "Den Sommer begrüßt das Genesungswerk friedlich mit diesem Album von Marsen Jules. Auf GOLDEN treffen sich Gitarre, Piano und Elektronik zu einer harmonischen ménage à trois. Gelegentlich unterstützt von Ziehharmonika, Flöte und Geige finden sie sich nach einer Winterwanderung vor dem Kamin ein. Leise knisternd entzündet sich ein Feuer und vertreibt die Kälte aus unseren Gehörgängen. Akustikgitarre und Piano zeichnen die melodischen Linien, während sich die Elektronik einfühlend der Klangfarbe des Interieurs annimmt. GOLDEN ist wahrlich ein treffender Titel , funkeln und glimmen doch bei allen sieben Stücken die Klänge, ohne ihre Hörer je zu blenden. Sehr intim, sehr nah, zugleich klar und transparent taucht die Schönheit der Instrumente den Sommer in ein neues Licht." [label info] Electronica-Ambience reminding at times of newer ULTRA MILKMAIDS or a more poppy WILLIAM BASINSKI... "Close followers of these pages will already be intimately familiar with the work of Marsen Jules, responsible as he is for two of the loveliest albums we've had the pleasure of stocking these last few years. His debut album "Herbstlaub" strolled into an autumnal tundra of layered strings and neo-classical arrangements that best brought to mind the work of Arvo Part, attaining both critical and commercial acclaim from all quarters of the music scene. His dense follow-up "Les Fleurs" approached similar terrain but with a more colourful sound-pallette, creating an aural bloom of dense orchestral reductions that kept the minimal composure intact despite the rays of aural sunlight allowed to seep into Jules' unique, inspiring studio. This long awaited new album "Golden" takes little time in declaring its place as a worthy successor to both its predecessors - it's a breathtaking collection of pieces that begin from the same neo-classical starting point and unfurl in different directions, taking in acoustic guitar, barely audible electronic pulses, dense orchestral reductions and heavy filtering along the way. You'd find it difficult to get past the album's incredible opening track "Birkengefluster" without finding yourself incredibly moved by what's in front of you - another shimmering weave of elongated midnight strings and subliminal melodies consorting to force you to abandon all resistance in the face of its relentless beauty. By the time second track "Wharend" wheezes into life with its prepared piano passages and other-worldly washes of sound, you'll be unable to acknowledge anything else in your surroundings bar the music. Marsen Jules is just one of those rare artists who manages to achieve so much with such limited material at his disposal - it's both the simplicity and timeless quality of the 7 long tracks here that make "Golden" not only one of the most beautiful albums you'll hear this summer, but also one that you'll find hard to let go of come autumn. Sublime music - essential listening.'' [Boomkat] www.genesungswerk.de 2007 €10.00
MASTER MUSICIANS OF JOUJOUKA (JAJOUKA) Apocalypse Across the Sky do-LP "Available on vinyl for the very first time: the 1992 album „Apocalypse Across The Sky“ by the legendary MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA. Produced by BILL LASWELL, remastered for vinyl by HELMUT ERLER at D&M Berlin and according to Songlines one of the essential recordings of the ensemble. No matter if you consider the MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA a “4,000 year-old rock‘n‘roll band” (WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS) or even „6,000 years old“ (ORNETTE COLEMAN) – without doubt, the music of the ensemble in all its incarnations over the centuries is deeply rooted in Sufi mysticism, paganism and the cult of the goat-god Boujeloud. According to a myth, many centuries ago Boujeloud appeared to a shepherd called Attar, an ancestor of today‘s ensemble leader BACHIR ATTAR, and till today every year at the end of Ramadan a fire in honour of the goat-god is ignited. This pagan root aside, the music performed in several hour long rituals on traditional instruments like tebel and tariyya (drums), ghaita (a woodwind instrument), lira (flute) and gimbri (stringed instrument) reveals hypnotic, trance-inducing qualities and is considered to have magical and healing properties. In the 1950s, BRION GYSIN along with PAUL BOWLES were among the first westerners to witness such a ceremony, and it was GYSIN who invited the MASTER MUSICINS OF JAJOUKA to play in his restaurant in Tanger, and who later (in 1967) brought BRIAN JONES to the small village of Jajouka where the ROLLING STONES guitarist recorded the ensemble for what became the first „world music album” and that raised interest in the MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA in the western world. Since those days, a wide number of creative minds like WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS, ORNETTE COLEMAN, MARC RIBOT, FLEA, TALVIN SINGH or the ROLLING STONES have worked with THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA who are now performing regularly outside Morocco. In 1991, iconic producer BILL LASWELL also embarked on a trip to the small village of just 800 inhabitants in the Rif mountains to record the group for his AXIOM label - „Apocalypse Across The Sky“ is, unlike other LASWELL projects that bring together different cultures and genres, a pure document of the ensemble, raw and unpolished but exquisitely recorded, and ranks according to the world music magazine Songlines among the essential recordings of the legendary MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA and is now available on vinyl for the very first time! Musicians Bachir Attar (Leader) - Ghaita, Gimbri, Lira, Vocals Mohamed Bacari - Ghaita, Gimbri, Lira, Vocals Ali Nachat - Ghaita, Gimbri, Lira, Vocals Larbi Lalli Attar - Ghaita, Lira, Tarija, Vocals Mohammed El Hammadi – Ghaita, Gimbri, Tebel, Vocals Ali Mojdoubl - Ghaita, Liria, Tarija, Vocals Tahir Bokzar - Ghaita, Violin, Lira, Vocals Abdellah Sandaoui Attar - Ghaita, Lira, Tarija, Vocals Abdellah Attar - Ghaita, Tebel, Vocals Lahesen Brital - Violin, Tarija, Vocals Abdeslam Bokzar - Tarija, Vocals Abdellah Shirioui - Tarija, Vocals Mokhtar Jaghdal - Tebel, Vocals Mostapha Attar - Tebel, Vocals Abmed EI Himdi - Tebel, Vocals Abdellah Bokzar - Tebel, Vocals Womens Group Rahama Attar - Bendir, Vocals Menana Attar - Tarija, Vocals Rahama Attar - Tarija, vocals Hadoush Attar - Tarija, Vocals Rahama Attar - Tarija, Vocals Yamna Attar - Tarija, Vocals Produced by Bill Laswell Recorded at Jajouka in the foothills of the Rif Mountains of Morocco on november 8, 9 and 10, 1991 Coordination and production assistance in Morocco: Nicky Skopelitis Assistance in Tangier and Jajouka: Cheerie Nutting Engineered by Oz Fritz Assistant engineer: Carl Glanville Mixed at The Hit Factory, New York Remastered for vinyl by Helmut Erler at D&M, Berlin https://zehra.bandcamp.com/album/apocalypse-across-the-sky 2020 €27.00
MONOCUBE Substratum CD "Monocube’s new album since 2016’s “The Rituals”, a suite of wide landscapes painted in modular synth and stringed instruments. A spellbinding new album for Cyclic Law and Malignant Records, employing eight long-form pieces for the most expansive solo release by Monocube to date. Taking into account its haunting and elegiac quality - the result of no less than two years assiduous work it is elevated to the another level, presenting an analog purification of Monocube’s overtones. Purposefully evoking the feelings which are usually avoided in more scholastic examples of dark and drone music, Monocube voices the soul, while improvising on modular synth and stringed instruments, intimates a transcendental quality and approaches to the shape and density, delicacy and relation to transient and everlasting subjects, reaching the depth that was not present before. The outcome is considered as a reflection of non-verbal communication: from the flowing blossoms of Sehnsucht to the palsied depth of Prima Materia to the stirring crescendo of Luft and through the burned-out distortions of Visiones V to the 10 minute+ misty-eyed panorama of The Opposite Of Nadir following the helical torques and instilled eschatological atmosphere of Opaque, tempting the longing souls to the valerian vortex of Action In Distans and consummating with ultra-wide Limen. An alchemy of mysterious spirit. The mixed media artwork employs analog techniques, as cameraless photography and illustrations, which spawn silhouettes and haunting figures, recurring entropic motifs, a transition into worlds within worlds, coaxed out of gelatine silver prints. Enchanting, often deeply mysterious and disquieted is the visual part of Substratum created by sukkeret.og.pepper studio in Berlin." https://monocube.bandcamp.com/album/substratum ############################################## Neben seiner Teilnahme an der Kollaboration mit Anemone Tube und Jarl zum Jahreszeitenzyklus von Pieter Brueghel dem Älteren hat der ukrainische Ambientmusiker Andrzej Gladuszewski alias Monocube dieses Jahr gleich noch einen Nachfolger des vor drei Jahren erschienenen Debütalbums “The Rituals” herausgebracht. Atmosphärisch intensiver und kompositorisch ausgereifter wirkt das unter punktueller Unterstützung von Antti Litmanen (Arktau Eos) und Frederic Arbour (Visions) entstandene “Substratum” schon auf den ersten Eindruck, und doch knüpft das Werk stilistisch deutlich an seinen Vorgänger an, dessen Opener “Visiones” gleich in einem neuen Track fortgesetzt wird. Modulare Synthies und an ausgesuchten Stellen einmontierte Klänge verschiedener Saiteninstrumente bilden das Fundament der acht dröhnenden Klangflächen, deren düster-harmonische Schwere zum passiven Träumen verführen kann und so ein Grund sein mag, die unterschwellige Dynamik dieser Musik erst nach und nach mitzubekommen. Doch auch nachdem man sich an die Stimmung der Musik akklimatisiert hat, bleibt diese in ihrem Wesen diffus. Wer auf die Macht der Worte vertraut, kann durch die Tracktitel zumindest etwas Orientierung in den abstrakten Klanglandschaften bekommen. Von der Sehnsucht erzählen sie, die sich unter verhalltem Rauschen und plötzlich losbrechenden Noisebrocken etwas Schmerzhaftes offenbart und nach Veränderung schreit. Vom Element Luft und der Prima Materia, der aristotelischen Urmatierie, aus der alles Irdische hervorgegangen ist, künden sie, und lassen so einen kosmogonischen Hintergrund erahnen. Noch erhabener wirken so die Echos von angedeuteten Choralgesängen, ebenso die melodischen Synthietupfer, die irgendwann in akustische Klagelaute übergehen und an Orpheus in der Unterwelt denken lassen. Am Ende steht mit dem Limen die Schwelle, die die Grenze zum Zustand der Vollendung markiert. Letztlich drehen sich all diese Dinge um ein Schöpferisches, um eine Welt, die im Entstehen begriffen ist und die Musik, dem Titel entsprechend, zum Substrat macht. Die oft langsame und subtile Veränderlichkeit von Klangfarben, Harmonien und dezenten Rhythmen schärfen die Wahrnehmung und lassen die Abfolge von beunruhigendem Vibrieren, entspanntem kosmischen Bimmeln, fast schrillen bläserartigen Sounds und all den anderen Gegensätzen, ohne die laut William Blake kein Vorwärtsdrang möglich ist, noch deutlicher auf dem dunklen Nährboden aufscheinen. [U.S./African Paper] 2019 €13.00
MOORE, STEPHAN To build a field CD "Stephan Moore is a composer, audio artist, and sound designer in New York City. He has graduated from from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Western Michigan University, and Interlochen Arts Academy. His creative work centers around the collection and use of real-world sound, the creation and perception of sonic environments, and technological manifestations of improvisation and interactivity. Recent performances and installation artworks make use of a large multi-channel array of his hemispherical speakers. He performs regularly as half of the electronic duo Evidence, and with a variety of musicians, live-video artists, and dancers. He has created custom music software for a number of composers and artists, and has taught courses in sound art and electronic music at Maryland Institute College of Art, Peabody Conservatory, Massachusetts College of Art, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Simon's Rock College of Bard. He is currently the Sound Supervisor of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company." [general info about the artist / Deep Listening site] Stephan Moore has spent the last five years touring with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as a core member of their live band, alongside such notables as Christian Wolff, Takehisa Kosugi, David Behrman, John King, and William Winant. At the same time, he has been collaborating with a number of younger choreographers to create sound scores for their performance works. To Build A Field collects the best of these pieces, drawn from six of his commissions by four very different choreographers. The CD's title refers to Moore's view of his role in these collaborations: designing and executing sonic structures that define the emotional and rhythmic topography of time. Each track negotiates a balance between acoustic sound sources and electronics, live performance and studio composition, and human vs. algorithmic control of sound materials. Time is continually bent into new shapes, challenging the listener, and his collaborators, to think beyond the easy comforts of a regular tempo, and confront rhythm as texture instead of a reliable grid. "Brooklyn-based sound artist Stephan Moore's recent musical work centers around the collection and use of real-world sound, the creation and perception of sonic environments, and technological manifestations of improvisation and interactivity. He develops his own performance software and builds point-source loudspeakers for use in his performances and sound installation work. His current ongoing collaborations include the Xenolinguistics performance project with visionary video artist Diana Reed Slattery, projects with choreographers Yanira Castro and Kimberly Young and performance artist Kyle DeCamp, sound design for the Nerve Tank theater collective, and the performing/recording duo Evidence with sound artist Scott Smallwood. He curates a concert series at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio called Experiments in the Studio, and co-curates an annual month-long Floating Points festival of performances and sound installations at the ISSUE Project Room in Brooklyn, pairing the permanent sixteen-channel installation of his Hemisphere speakers there with diverse artists. Moore has been commissioned to create sound installations and performances for a number of dance companies and site-specific venues. He has been awarded residencies by Hunter College, the Experimental Television Center and Wave Farm for his work in music and new technology. His performance and exhibition credits include Tonic (NYC), Axiom Gallery (Boston), Zeitgeist Gallery (Boston), Deep Listening Space (Kingston, NY), ffmup (Princeton, NJ), Massachusetts College of Art (Boston), Yale University, Princeton University, The Tank (NYC), Roulette (NYC), the Music and Alternative and X-Disciplinary Approaches in Sound Festival (Sheffield, UK), Sound Practice (Dartington, UK), Music Without Walls? (Leister, UK), Disjecta (Portland, Oregon), Warehouse 23 (Boston), Issue Project Room (Brooklyn), The Chocolate Factory (Queens), ACM/Siggraph, International Conference on Musical Perception and Cognition, International Computer Music Conference, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, the Acoustical Society of America's semiannual meetings, American Theater in Higher Education's annual conference, International Society for Electronic Arts, World Forum for Acoustic Ecology, and the Burning Man Festival, among many others. As an improviser and musician, he has appeared on stage with John Paul Jones, Pauline Oliveros, Alex Waterman, Keith Rowe, Michael Haleta, MV Carbon, Andrea Parkins, Zach Layton, Troy Pohl, Curtis Bahn, David Linton, Mikel Rouse, Maria Chavez, Newton Armstrong, Seth Cluett, Ikue Mori, Kenta Nagai, Larry Polansky, Jesse Stiles and Joan La Barbara, among others." [label info] www.deeplistening.org www.deeplistening.org 2010 €14.00
MURCOF The Versailles Sessions do-LP "Vom Barock zur Elektronik: Wassermusik des mexikanischen Elektronikers: Seinen Titel verdankt das Album dem Ort, wo alljährlich "Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes" stattfindet: das Sound-, Licht- und Wasser-Festival im wohl berühmtesten Schloss der Welt, dem Château de Versailles bei Paris. Der mexikanische Elektroniker Fernando Corona alias Murcof hat für den großen Fontänenabend im Jardin de Roi extra eine Suite geschrieben, "The Versailles Sessions" dokumentiert das Ereignis. Die sechs Kompositionen für das Projekt stammen alle aus dem 17. Jahrhundert (u. a. von Jean-Baptiste Lully, François Couperin) und wurden für das Projekt von Barockmusikern auf Originalinstrumenten eingespielt. Was wie eine Verabschiedung von elektronischer Musik klingt, ist in Wahrheit eine Fortführung von Techniken, die Corona über die Jahre entwickelt hat: die Verarbeitung bestehenden Materials - nur, dass dies jetzt aus dem 17. Jahrhundert stammt. "The Versailles Sessions" sollen dennoch nicht als Nachfolger des Albums "Cosmos" (2007) gesehen werden, eher als Zwischenprojekt zum 2009er-Werk "Océano". Das Album erscheint auf CD sowie als Doppel-LP in limitierter Edition." [label info / Indigo] "In the summer of 2007, Fernando Corona completed a site-specific commission for Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes, an annual festival of sound, light and water at Château de Versailles in France. A suite of music was composed specifically for the grand evening fountain display in the Jardin du Roi. The Versailles Sessions is an aural document of the event, to be released this winter on specially priced CD and limited edition double vinyl. The six compositions prepared for the project derive entirely from recordings of 17th century baroque instruments (including harpsichord, viola da gamba, flute and violin) and a mezzo soprano. GetSound, who commissioned the project, hired musicians specialized in baroque music in Paris. “We recorded pieces by Lully, Couperin and others,” says Corona of the sessions. “They were played traditionally, but we also experimented quite a bit with the music and instruments. It was a great learning experience - the musicians were amazing - very open minded and willing to have fun.” The recording process may appear to be a departure for an artist known primarily as an electronic musician, but in fact it’s a continuation of techniques Corona has perfected over a number of years. “It’s more or less done in the same fashion as my previous work: processing of previously recorded acoustic material. The only difference is the actual source material being so specific to 17th century baroque music and instruments. And since the recordings are the starting point of the composition process it naturally took me to a different place.” Corona’s initial interpretations of the source material didn’t quite go according to plan. “When we did a rehearsal about two weeks before the actual opening, it was pouring with rain so I wasn’t able to make the necessary tests. But being there and seeing the space and the installations (big disco balls and video projections on water fountains), I realised I was going in the wrong direction musically. “The location demanded a different approach: more openness, more time for the sounds to develop and for them to resonate in that big space, so I went back home and during those remaining two weeks I reworked the whole commission into what it is now. “The recordings I used as source material are very rich and cover a wide range of timbres, so I had lots of options as to how to approach the music making process.” The Versailles Sessions should not be considered as the successor to 2007’s monumental Cosmos, rather as a special project while we await Murcof’s next album proper." [label info] www.theleaflabel.com 2008 €18.50
  The Versailles Sessions CD "Vom Barock zur Elektronik: Wassermusik des mexikanischen Elektronikers: Seinen Titel verdankt das Album dem Ort, wo alljährlich "Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes" stattfindet: das Sound-, Licht- und Wasser-Festival im wohl berühmtesten Schloss der Welt, dem Château de Versailles bei Paris. Der mexikanische Elektroniker Fernando Corona alias Murcof hat für den großen Fontänenabend im Jardin de Roi extra eine Suite geschrieben, "The Versailles Sessions" dokumentiert das Ereignis. Die sechs Kompositionen für das Projekt stammen alle aus dem 17. Jahrhundert (u. a. von Jean-Baptiste Lully, François Couperin) und wurden für das Projekt von Barockmusikern auf Originalinstrumenten eingespielt. Was wie eine Verabschiedung von elektronischer Musik klingt, ist in Wahrheit eine Fortführung von Techniken, die Corona über die Jahre entwickelt hat: die Verarbeitung bestehenden Materials - nur, dass dies jetzt aus dem 17. Jahrhundert stammt. "The Versailles Sessions" sollen dennoch nicht als Nachfolger des Albums "Cosmos" (2007) gesehen werden, eher als Zwischenprojekt zum 2009er-Werk "Océano". Das Album erscheint auf CD sowie als Doppel-LP in limitierter Edition." [label info / Indigo] "In the summer of 2007, Fernando Corona completed a site-specific commission for Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes, an annual festival of sound, light and water at Château de Versailles in France. A suite of music was composed specifically for the grand evening fountain display in the Jardin du Roi. The Versailles Sessions is an aural document of the event, to be released this winter on specially priced CD and limited edition double vinyl. The six compositions prepared for the project derive entirely from recordings of 17th century baroque instruments (including harpsichord, viola da gamba, flute and violin) and a mezzo soprano. GetSound, who commissioned the project, hired musicians specialized in baroque music in Paris. “We recorded pieces by Lully, Couperin and others,” says Corona of the sessions. “They were played traditionally, but we also experimented quite a bit with the music and instruments. It was a great learning experience - the musicians were amazing - very open minded and willing to have fun.” The recording process may appear to be a departure for an artist known primarily as an electronic musician, but in fact it’s a continuation of techniques Corona has perfected over a number of years. “It’s more or less done in the same fashion as my previous work: processing of previously recorded acoustic material. The only difference is the actual source material being so specific to 17th century baroque music and instruments. And since the recordings are the starting point of the composition process it naturally took me to a different place.” Corona’s initial interpretations of the source material didn’t quite go according to plan. “When we did a rehearsal about two weeks before the actual opening, it was pouring with rain so I wasn’t able to make the necessary tests. But being there and seeing the space and the installations (big disco balls and video projections on water fountains), I realised I was going in the wrong direction musically. “The location demanded a different approach: more openness, more time for the sounds to develop and for them to resonate in that big space, so I went back home and during those remaining two weeks I reworked the whole commission into what it is now. “The recordings I used as source material are very rich and cover a wide range of timbres, so I had lots of options as to how to approach the music making process.” The Versailles Sessions should not be considered as the successor to 2007’s monumental Cosmos, rather as a special project while we await Murcof’s next album proper." [label info] www.theleaflabel.com 2008 €12.00
MURMURISTS I cannot tell you where I am until I love you CD "Two years in the making, I Cannot Tell You Where I am Until I Love You is the first release on Alrealon by Anthony Donovan. Combining spoken word with scenes culled from an involved admix of musique concrete, electro-acoustic and industrial, the album takes the listener through a complex series of dissociated communications, where attempts at congress and connection are stymied by language itself, with all signs failing to signify. An alienated love story of sorts is voiced by protagonists Bryan Lewis Saunders, Michael Holloway, Pixyblink, Jaan Patterson and Jo Pearson; each being asked, during the initial creative process, to perform their characterisations in isolation, with no inkling of the final project. In similar fashion, Donovan invited improvisers like Stephen Flinn, Antonio de Braga, Zafer Aracagok and Adrian Beentjes to react to certain concepts, instructions and suggestions. The results of these experiments were added to Donovan's own material, and worked into a single album-length, thematic composition. Donovan is an artist, musician, composer, improviser and writer based in England. He works solo, either as Murmurists or under his own name, and is associated with projects such as Destroyevsky, Ou_pi Golgotha.undead, Ampersand, the.clinamen and Spidey Agutter. An ardent collaborator, he has worked with the likes of John Zorn, Jochen Arbeit, Geoff Leigh, PAS, Steve Beresford and Damo Suzuki. Donovan co-curates the respected labels Classwar Karaoke and suRRism-Phonoethics with Jaan Patterson. His interests are all either obscure or opaque, but morally authentic. credits released September 2, 2013 Composition, libretto and artwork by Anthony Donovan Individual performances improvised by individual performers Voices: Bryan Lewis Saunders as Nibiru Haemosex, willing to relocate; Pixyblink as Soprano Gory (mid 30s, factual size); Michael Holloway as Ornette, East Mids (44) seeks similar; Jo Pearson as slavejaynie; Jaan Patterson as Breathing Steven; Zafer Aracagok as Yo-Yo o.n.o. and Ed Coyle as Ovum Anon (convincing) previously here as Fibonacci ALH84001 / Musicians: Adrian Beentjes, Antonio de Braga, Anthony Donovan, Stephen Evans, Stephen Flinn, Jack Martin, Neil Packer and Noel Taylor Recorded in England, America, Germany, Turkey and Canada during 2007 – 2011 Mastered by Zafer Aracagok Dedicated, with love and thanks, to Annie Dee" [label info] www.alrealonmusique.com 2013 €13.00
MY HOME, SINKING King of Corns do-LP If writing is a concentrated form of thinking then the most concentrated writing probably ends in some kind of reflection on dying. This is what we eventually confront if we think long enough and hard enough.” – Don DeLillo My Home, Sinking is one of the many sound projects fronted by Venetian Enrico Coniglio, whose latest album King of Corns blends live instrumentation with field recordings and strange vocals to create a neo-classical work wherein the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. Like Baudelaire’s great book of poems, The Flowers of Evil, King of Corns seems to allude to the interplay between life and death as twin sides of the same coin. The beautiful, haunting sleeve art features the unsmiling bust of a porcelain woman with black eyes from whose neck emerges a full bouquet of roses. Frequently the album is beautiful on its own terms. Consider the opening track, “Bird’s Eye” which features an Eno-esque piano walking over cinematic strings and a lazy harmonica. The piece sounds like an orchestra tuning up before a concert, a call to adventure for the rest of the album. Perhaps more fittingly, it reminds of latter day Talk Talk with tensile strings, errant notes, silent interludes, slow motion piano. Further beauty exists in “Animating Old Postcards,” which is built around a minstrel’s guitar and the ethereal voice of Finnish artist Violeta Päivänkakkara and feels like a springtime return, a much-needed break in the clouds, a patch of blue after heavy storms. With that said, the album’s title track is undeniably terrifying. Led by the quivering, indecipherable falsetto of Jessica Constable and a fearsome piano arpeggio, “King of Corns” sounds something like a witch’s curse or an oracle warning of things to come. The last track on the album, “Full Blank (No Stars)” is a dark aria and again features Ms. Constable, who is not so much singing here as reciting musically, as if in an opera. Clearly, Coniglio’s King of Corns is a marked change in direction from the warm sounds of the last MHS album, Sleet. More sound art, the new work is riddled with anxiety, hesitation, fear. It’s hard to imagine listening to this in polite company or before going to bed. But ultimately the album is successful in that the work demands the listener engage directly with it to form her own interpretation of the material, and in this collaboration she becomes implicit in its creation, a kind of co-author of each track. Often King of Corns sounds like a descent into madness, a journey through the forest of the dead to the darkest parts of the self. But where there is death there is opportunity for life, for new beginnings. KoC proves that Coniglio is a Romantic in the true sense of the word: one who believes that death and darkness and dreams give us secret access to the divine and help us reconnect with the life-giving principle, or what the Greeks called “Psyche” - the soul. -Daniel Williams credits released September 16, 2017 Enrico Coniglio : guitar, melodica, harmonica, horn, electric organ, synthesizer, psalter, tapes & vinyls, found objects, field recordings & programming Elisa Marzorati : piano Piergabriele Mancuso : viola Chantal Acda : vocals and lyrics "I Can't Help It (But This is The End)" Jessica Constable : vocals and lyrics "King of Corns" & "Full Blank (No Stars)" Peter Paul Gallo : vibraphone on "Love Scene" & "I Can't Help It (But This is The End)" James Murray : organ, vocals, loops on "Along the Pipeline"; electronics on "Full Blank (No Stars)" Violeta Paivankakkara : vocals and lyrics, glockenspiel and effect on "Animating Old Postcards (Aikaa Ei Ole Olemassa)" All tracks written, arranged and produced by Enrico Coniglio Design, Calligraphy, Hand Drawn Typography by Chris Bigg Illustrations by James Heginbottom https://infraction.bandcamp.com/album/king-of-corns 2017 €28.00
  King of Corns CD If writing is a concentrated form of thinking then the most concentrated writing probably ends in some kind of reflection on dying. This is what we eventually confront if we think long enough and hard enough.” – Don DeLillo My Home, Sinking is one of the many sound projects fronted by Venetian Enrico Coniglio, whose latest album King of Corns blends live instrumentation with field recordings and strange vocals to create a neo-classical work wherein the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. Like Baudelaire’s great book of poems, The Flowers of Evil, King of Corns seems to allude to the interplay between life and death as twin sides of the same coin. The beautiful, haunting sleeve art features the unsmiling bust of a porcelain woman with black eyes from whose neck emerges a full bouquet of roses. Frequently the album is beautiful on its own terms. Consider the opening track, “Bird’s Eye” which features an Eno-esque piano walking over cinematic strings and a lazy harmonica. The piece sounds like an orchestra tuning up before a concert, a call to adventure for the rest of the album. Perhaps more fittingly, it reminds of latter day Talk Talk with tensile strings, errant notes, silent interludes, slow motion piano. Further beauty exists in “Animating Old Postcards,” which is built around a minstrel’s guitar and the ethereal voice of Finnish artist Violeta Päivänkakkara and feels like a springtime return, a much-needed break in the clouds, a patch of blue after heavy storms. With that said, the album’s title track is undeniably terrifying. Led by the quivering, indecipherable falsetto of Jessica Constable and a fearsome piano arpeggio, “King of Corns” sounds something like a witch’s curse or an oracle warning of things to come. The last track on the album, “Full Blank (No Stars)” is a dark aria and again features Ms. Constable, who is not so much singing here as reciting musically, as if in an opera. Clearly, Coniglio’s King of Corns is a marked change in direction from the warm sounds of the last MHS album, Sleet. More sound art, the new work is riddled with anxiety, hesitation, fear. It’s hard to imagine listening to this in polite company or before going to bed. But ultimately the album is successful in that the work demands the listener engage directly with it to form her own interpretation of the material, and in this collaboration she becomes implicit in its creation, a kind of co-author of each track. Often King of Corns sounds like a descent into madness, a journey through the forest of the dead to the darkest parts of the self. But where there is death there is opportunity for life, for new beginnings. KoC proves that Coniglio is a Romantic in the true sense of the word: one who believes that death and darkness and dreams give us secret access to the divine and help us reconnect with the life-giving principle, or what the Greeks called “Psyche” - the soul. -Daniel Williams Enrico Coniglio : guitar, melodica, harmonica, horn, electric organ, synthesizer, psalter, tapes & vinyls, found objects, field recordings & programming Elisa Marzorati : piano Piergabriele Mancuso : viola Chantal Acda : vocals and lyrics "I Can't Help It (But This is The End)" Jessica Constable : vocals and lyrics "King of Corns" & "Full Blank (No Stars)" Peter Paul Gallo : vibraphone on "Love Scene" & "I Can't Help It (But This is The End)" James Murray : organ, vocals, loops on "Along the Pipeline"; electronics on "Full Blank (No Stars)" Violeta Paivankakkara : vocals and lyrics, glockenspiel and effect on "Animating Old Postcards (Aikaa Ei Ole Olemassa)" All tracks written, arranged and produced by Enrico Coniglio Design, Calligraphy, Hand Drawn Typography by Chris Bigg Illustrations by James Heginbottom https://infraction.bandcamp.com/album/king-of-corns 2017 €14.00
NADJA & TROUM Dominium Visurgis CD "TRANSGREDIENT RECORDS TR-07 RELEASE DATE : 15. May 2010 8-PANEL DIGIPACK w. METALLIC COPPER PRINT FORMAT: FULL-LENGTH CD PLAYTIME: 49:30 min FILED UNDER: DRONE NADJA & TROUM "Dominium Visurgis" This is something you could call a "dreamlike liaison". When the Canadian "avant metal / drone doom"-duo NADJA (who name TROUM as one of their early influences) and the German post-industrial / experimental drone pioneers TROUM (years ago active as MAEROR TRI who are still discovered by many drone-fans these days) combine their exceptional styles, they form something even vaster as usually known from them. These three long collaboration tracks were recorded as a result of a spontaneous improvisation in April 2008 "live in the studio" near the Weser-river in Bremen, Germany, and suck you in with their powerful & emotional drone melancholy that works in many micro-& macrocosmic ways, using electric & acoustic guitars, bass, accordeon, drum-machine & voice." [label info / press release] "In dieser ersten Zusammenarbeit von Troum (Baraka[H] + Glit[s]ch) aus Deutschland und Nadja (Leah Buckareff + Aidan Baker) aus Kanada schaffen beide Bands etwas, dass vielen derartigen Kollaborationen eben nicht gelingt: den eigenen Stil beizubehalten und gleichzeitig offen zu sein, zentrale Elemente des musikalischen Partners gleichberechtigt einzubinden und eine echte Mischung entstehen zu lassen. Sei es aus dem Wissen darum, dass dies nur in einer direkten Konfrontation geht, sei es aus anderen Gründen und allein der glückliche Zufall hat es bewirkt, Troum und Nadja haben mit „Dominium Visurgis“ keine e-mail Zusammenarbeit auf CD gebannt, sondern sich tatsächlich im Studio getroffen und die vorliegenden drei Stücke in enger Zusammenarbeit komponiert und aufgenommen. Denn nur die dann entstehende derartig intensive Interaktion (und eigentlich: die daraus resultierende gegenseitige Inspiration) lässt eine Atmosphäre entstehen, die noch über die eigentliche Musik hinauszustrahlen scheint, den Wirkungskreis der Musik erweitert. Bei aller Qualität, die die VÖs beider Bands sonst haben, „Dominium Visurgis“ ist etwas besonderes. [Hellmut Neidhardt aka "N", Unruhr] "...Ein dröhnender, träumender Urozean, ein Fluss ohne Ufer, brandet, brodelnd und pfeifend, an Urgestade, die erst noch im Werden sind. Das Pfeifen lässt einen für einen Moment das Schreien von Phantommöven über der summenden, wogenden, atmenden Panthalassa halluzinieren. Der ‚atmende‘ Blasebalg erklingt nun auch als webendes Akkordeon neben klingelnden Gitarren. Die beiden Duos sind komplett zu einem Quartett verschmolzen. Man starrt gebannt auf, ach was, durch seine Schuhe hindurch beinahe bis zum Nabel der Welt." [R. Dittmann, Bad Alchemy] "To some these two names represent the absolute top of the drone music, and who am I to disagree? Troum, the follow-up to Maeror Tri and Nadja, the duo of Leah Buckareff and Aidan Baker, have both presented themselves through a line of releases, displaying the finer sense of drone music, through the use of guitars, accordeon, voice, rhythm machine effects and such like. In April 2008 they did a spontaneous improvisation in the Troum studio, which now is released on CD. This is indeed the top of their scene: guitars are set to play drones, through the use of e-bows, through lots of sound effects, loop stations and all such like. They do the usual slow built up towards a mighty crescendo, fly through air, and then land safely through a long decrescendo. Headspace music. Perhaps not the kind of music for a sunny day like it is today, but more for grey, rainy days. They are mood musicians and one has to be open to these particular dark moods, but if you open up then they are more than willing to transport you through these dark woods. An excellent work, hardly to believe one of some afternoon improvisation." [FdW/Vital Weekly] "... On albums like this, one again realizes just how many shades Troum’s self-repeating, subtly changing structures contain. When joined to parts provided by other talented artists, they shine with incredible power and enchantment, which one has to admire, totally captivated. This is precisely what happens on Dominium Visurgis." [Jiituomas, kuolleenmusiikinyhdistys.net] 2010 €12.00
NECKS, THE The Necks Box 8 x CD BOX "Formed in Australia the late 1980s by Chris Abrahams, Tony Buck and Lloyd Swanton, the NECKS have been hailed as "one of the greatest bands in the world" by the New York Times. The Guardian said: “Entirely new and entirely now...They produce a post-jazz, post-rock, post-everything sonic experience that has few parallels or rivals." And Critic Richard Williams wrote in his book Blue Moment: "I think the new music I would find it hardest to do without, fifty years after Kind of Blue, is that produced by The Necks”. 8 of their best CDS are now in this sturdy box, at a very interesting price: CONTENTS Hanging Gardens Drive By Aether The Boys Chemist Townsville Silverwater Mindset." [label info] www.rermegacorp.com "Die unvergleichlichen THE NECKS mit einer tollen und hochwertigen Werkschau in Form einer 8-CD Box. THE NECKS haben etwas geschafft, was nur wenigen Künstlern gelingt: einen singulären Stil zu kreieren, dabei eine ganz unverkennbare eigene Handschrift entwickelt und doch mit jedem neuen Album nicht einfach bewährte Rezepturen neu aufgekocht, sondern durch feinfühlige Neujustierung der Parameter neue Nuancen offenbart. Dies lässt sich wirklich auf alle Alben der Band übertragen. CHRIS ABRAHAMS (Piano), TONY BUCK (Drums) und LLOYD SWANTON (Bass) sind bereits seit 1989 als Band aktiv und veröffentlichten 16 Alben. Weit über die Grenzen ihrer australischen Heimat ist die Band bekannt. Nun erscheint eine kleine Werkschau mit acht Alben der Band in einer hochwertigen Box. Inhalt: „Silverwater“ (2009), „Townsville“ (2007), „Chemist“ (2006), „The Boys“ (1998), „Drive By“ (2003), „Aether“ (2001), „Hanging Gardens“ (1999) und „Mindset“ (2011)." [Broken Silence] "Wow, if you DON'T have all these Necks cds, and you might not 'cuz some have been hard to find lately, then this box set is Christmas come early. Treat yourself! Eight of the aQ-beloved Australian minimal trance drone-jazz masters' ReR releases, circa 1999-2011, together in a handsome box. This hefty cube contains Silverwater, Townsville, Chemist, Drive By, The Boys, Aether, Hanging Gardens, and Mindset - each of which has received rave reviews on our list over the years (three of which were Records Of The Week, though all easily could have been). If we pasted in our reviews of all of them here, this review would be waaaay too long. So we'd just suggest if you're curious, please look 'em up on our site. Basically, though, it's a great chance for anybody who has slept on The Necks to get a big dose of some of the best, most original and hypnotic instrumental 'jazz' music ever. Of course, they have other releases you should get too - we'd love a box set of their earlier stuff, and even this set is missing some Necks releases that came out during that 1999-2011 time span. Still, more than enough music here to keep you entranced for a long time..." (Aquarius Rec) 2015 €60.00
NOCTURNAL EMISSIONS Stoneface LP Accumulation and assembly in the Derbyshire Dales in the Caroline K studios. Digital mastery achieved in Silver Octopus studios Buxton, Derbyshire, England, 29th July 1989. Mastering : Paul Lavigne March 2023 Layout : Pole Ka Dedicated to the new active listener. https://fernsrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/stoneface Nigel Ayers’ most accessible emission? The glut of his ‘band’s prolific history has generally been a full-scale assault upon the senses, via either dingy slabs of noise or near-pretty industrial musique concrete. Stoneface operates on many levels, a set of gruelling, scraping, yet strangely attractive organic sounds that reveal numerously coloured layers with successive listens. Recorded in 1988, these sonic morsels play with near-baroque tendencies, devolved factory rhythms, spiritual solemnity and lucid minimalism, sometimes gripping, sometimes forgettable, but never uninvolving. And, as has been the case with the recent wealth of Emissions releases, it’s best to observe Stoneface’s sacred experiments in one complete sitting, where Ayers can effectively work his art on you with your complete, undivided and willing immersion. Darren Bergstein I/E "The 1980s were particularly fruitful for The Nocturnal Emissions, later dropping 'the'. Starting in the early second wave of industrial music, they quickly began experimenting with different styles. Electronic pop, for lack of a better or the industrial electro breakbeats of 'Viral Shedding' (a personal favourite of mine) and then, for a somewhat more extended period, coming ambient soundscapes with the residue of industrial cling clang. Around this time, 1986, the group, now effectively a solo project of Nigel Ayers (and in 2023 still going strong), the interest in magick, stone circles, techno–shamanism, neo-paganism, animism and Fortean research (I am quoting Wiki here) was added to the situationist interests. 'Stoneface' is from 1989, when the style was developed at its best, and the Emissions did some of their best work in this direction (along with 'Spiritflesh' and 'Invocation Of The Beast Gods'). However, it's all a bit in the no-longer-distant past. I wish I could say I play all of these records once a year; I don't, although 'Viral Shedding' is on my phone, so those tracks I hear on every random play the thing is on. As I played these nine pieces, I realized that what attracted me at the time and still does is the relatively straightforward approach to technology. I remember seeing Nocturnal Emissions a couple of times in those years. If I'm not mistaken, there were a couple of those early sampling devices, the Casio SK1 or SK5, with a 1,2 (or so) second memory, but when played through a bunch of stomp boxes, you could do a lot with relatively easy sounds. I always suspected Ayers to have altered his machines, but I am unsure. His sound palette includes animal sounds, kitchen utensils, voices, and whatever makes noise. I guess Ayers had access to some decent multi-track machine, and using many tracks gives these lo-fi samples some great depth. There are some great drones, some rusty percussion, some good use of reverb and excellent quality around here. Some phase shifting (play similar loops with minor intervals, so they never overlap in the same way) is used to significant effect here so that most of the time, you have no idea you hear only short loops. Yet, there is always movement, thanks to those very same loops being brief and to the point. An excellent record that has aged quite well and is a fine reminder to play some of the old ones again. Time is what I want, more time! [FdW / Vital Weekly] 2023 €21.00
NOETINGER, JEROME AND ANTHONY PATERAS A Sunset for Walter LP "Penultimate Press present A Sunset for Walter, the first duo release from long-time collaborators Jérôme Noetinger and Anthony Pateras. “Having worked together in a number of different collaborative contexts over the years, the pair used Pateras’ 2018 residency at Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart as an opportunity to develop a major durational work for Steinway piano and multiple Revox tape machines. Presenting four excerpts from a three-hour concert, the LP’s opening moments immediately establish its distinctive sound-world: an austere sequence of octaves slowly sounded by the piano gradually develops into passages of fragmentary lyricism as Noetinger’s tape manipulations dilate the sonic space with rumbling sub-bass, distant echoes, and hints of uncanny backmasking. A Sunset for Walter was conceived as a loose tribute to the piano works of Walter Marchetti, particularly the slowed-down subaquatic expanse of Nel Mari Del Sud. As Marchetti described his own work, A Sunset for Walter is ‘music without beginning, or end, or development’, where the lack of obvious structural divisions creates something like an endless present. But where the monochrome surface of Marchetti’s work — in its willingness to descend, in his own words to the ‘pits of aesthetic poverty’ — often approaches total stasis, A Sunset for Walter is calmly immovable in its overall texture but perpetually changing in detail, as the performers respond intuitively to each other, their instruments, and the environment. Noetinger’s tape manipulations range from nearly imperceptible shadowing of the live piano to anarchic bursts of rewinding tape, floating wisps of feedback, and dreamlike concrète interjections of children’s voices and splashing water. Pateras’ piano performance moves from single pitches left hanging over a backdrop of silence to almost Messiaen-esque sequences of complex chords and arpeggios, all sounded within a temporal framework that seems to follow internal rhythms of breath and bodily movements. Caught in this hall of mirrors, the listener is often unable to distinguish the live piano from its tape-manipulated reflection. Like the sunset of the title, here outlines blur into a crepuscular haze, as fleeting effects of light and shade catch our attention just as they disappear." [Francis Plagne] https://soundcloud.com/quockenzocker/jerome-noetinger-and-anthony-pateras-19h39-19h46 https://penultimatepress.bandcamp.com/album/j-r-me-noetinger-and-anthony-pateras-a-sunset-for-walter-lp 2019 €21.00
OPENING PERFORMANCE ORCHESTRA / BILL LASWELL / IGGY POP / W.S.BURROUGHS The Acid Lands LP The Acid Lands, created by the Prague-based Opening Performance Orchestra, was first heard in public in 2014 at the Movement-Sound-Space festival in Ostrava, to mark the centenary of William S. Burroughs's birth. The piece was performed live by Opening Performance Orchestra and their guests, the theremin player Martina Potucková, and the poet, musician and performer Pavel Z as the narrator. The studio version of The Acid Lands was made in late 2019/early 2020 in collaboration with Bill Laswell and Iggy Pop, who undertook the role of the narrator. The piece, which pays tribute to William S. Burroughs, features fragments from the novels The Western Lands and Junkie. In addition to the title composition, The Acid Lands, the record contains Bill Laswell's instrumental remix, as well as the collective piece Naming Seven Souls, featuring samples of William S. Burroughs reading his own work." https://billlaswell2.bandcamp.com/album/the-acid-lands 2020 €18.00
ORSI, FABIO Osci LP Italienischer Newcomer auf SMALL VOICES mit einer von Nostalgie und Melancholie durchdrungenen Drone/Ambient-Produktion, field recordings und traditionelles Folk-Material wird z.T. loopig verwebt mit Gitarren- & Synth-Klängen, 3 nostalgische Postkarten runden das verträumt-nostalgische Bild ab... für Atmo-Melancholiker. “SmallVoices is happy to present a new Italian promising artist: Fabio Orsi. 'Osci' is a two long tracks album (remixed by Gianluca Becuzzi/Kinetix) of ambient drone music, field recordings and experimental melancholic soundcapes... Using processed folk music parts (taken during folkloristic festivals, typical of the Apulian folk tradition), Fabio creates a dreaming atmosphere crossing between balls and bellows, silence and spirituality, everyday life: at home, in a church, in the countryside, at the small-town feast. All these sounds mixed and processed through digital machines: an encounter between modernism and tradition. Image a sort of mixture between Alio Die's ambient works, William Basinski's melancholia, Phil Niblock's experimentalism. Fabio Orsi plays: guitars, samples, field recordings, laptop. The black heavy weight vinyl was packaged in an elegant sleeve and including 3 postcards.” [label info] “Osci is a deep hole into the ground of the loved/hated traditional music. It is a snatch with the past, watching it from unusual perspective, with deforming lens under coloured lights. Osci never meets "Art", it is something like a hack. As the sickle relates about the man, but it's completely unconcerned with their destiny. He speaks the speech of crickets and ants. Time no exist. Telephone are not used to ring and the bees are assembling a "flying saucers" with the elements of an old washing machine. Telephone doesn't know how to ring and voices are gliding in to the dark from mouths full of soil and cheap beer, talking about obscene love proposals. Under the Sun we reverse a big stone and the name of a girl crawls out, into the grass. Someone picks up it from the ground, and put it on the neck as an amulet. Violin's strings clasp the heart in an August night. Flames itching the flesh with pain. Finally our body shows infinite chances. Inside and outside. Every single pore is a hole. Inside is outside. A blink. We would like to shake the skin from bodies, jumping in the fire. A blink. Then we leave by car, disappearing on dusty roads. Sentenced to a slow craziness. All the rumours pushing under the scab. Where the streets are swelling as the veins and the buildings are collapsing, we plant a microphone, cold as a needle.” [liner notes] 2006 €15.00
  Late Afternoon Tapes CD-R recorded, edited and mastered in my studio, Litoranea salentina, March 2022 fabioorsi.bandcamp.com cover collage by Robert Kerber “Für gewöhnlich versuchte er, einen winzigen Augenblick in der Zeit festzuhalten, aber manchmal fand er Vergnügen daran, kleine Geschichten zu erzählen” robertkerberart.wordpress.com With this album, the labels attenuation circuit, run by EMERGE, and Grubenwehr Freiburg, run by Grodock, launch a new series of co-releases, marked by their catalogue code with the label 'initials' ACGF, but especially by their over-sized artwork in the format of a 7'' vinyl single sleeve. The aim is to give artists a broader exposure across the various networks of the two labels. Fabio Orsi, who divides his time between Berlin and his native Southern Italy, makes ambient music in the best possible sense of the term. Not in the sense that it is music that just textures the air as some kind of acoustic wallpaper or furniture and doesn't actually deserve attentive listening. But rather music that attunes itself to the slow changes in atmospheres, light and weather conditions, the ambience in the sense of the (natural) world that surrounds and in many ways (still) defines us. “Late Afternoon Tapes” with its slowly meandering guitar-based textures will not only appeal to fans of guitarists like Robert Fripp or Christian Fennesz, but also – and the “Tapes” in the title may be a conscious hint at that – to anyone who enjoyed William Basinski's “Disintegration Loops”. When it's late afternoon, the light fades into an eventual darkness. This is music to go gentle into that good night, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas, or at least Fabio Orsi's music “makes time pass a little less painfully” (Anne Clark). File under: ambient "Last week, I wrote about the Silentes label and Fabio Orsi, these are very active people. Here we have a CDR release. It marks the beginning of a collaboration between Attenuation Circuit and Grubenwehr Freiburg. As I commit these words to the screen, it is not yet late afternoon, but the idea behind the music is evident. Daylight fades, the day ends, and there is a soundtrack for that. 'Thursday Afternoon' from Brian Eno is such an appt title in this respect. Orsi's recent music is all about synthesizers, sequences and arpeggio. I am not sure if that is the case with this new release. Maybe he returned to his guitar and loops? Or perhaps it is a combination of both? I suspect the latter to be the case here. These five pieces sound not unlike Eno or Fripp, solo or together, and are something of a departure for Orsi; or a sidestep. The music is slow, with minimal changes. A few notes are hanging in the air thick of cloudy drones. The result is fuzzy and hazy music. I enjoyed this very much, but I guess Orsi can't do much wrong in my book. For me, this is not the soundtrack of the end of the day, but rather the start of the day, my favourite moment to play ambient music. In that sense, this is music for every day, all times of the day, depending on what the listener chooses." [FdW /Vital Weekly] 2022 €8.50
OVRO Horizontal / Vertical (SOLD OUT) 7inch "OVRO has already been called "the wondergirl of Finnish experimental music" and with this, her first ever vinyl-release, she really proves this! On HORIZONTAL / VERTICAL deep waving droning noises are set against vortexing echoes & swirling digital effects, derived from what could be instrumental sources or object recordings, moving the willing listener into a surrealistic subconscious dimension. Especially on the second side the contrasting conrete material can fill your imagination with "something" that "happens", so captivating & condensed! This music spreads like an unconscious aural travelogue in different spatial directions (horizontal & vertical). What makes OVRO so special is her capability to create very "cinematographic" and "narrative" drone-atmospheres or landscapes, with great care for even tiniest details. OVRO is also a part of the SOME PLACE ELSE-association, together with NIKO SKORPIO. Filed under: Subsconscious Travel-Drones more info: www.someplaceelse.net/artists/?id=ovro WHITE VINYL. HANDMADE COVERS PASTED UP WITH NEWSPAPER-SHEETS & FILMSTRIPS" [label info] www.dronerecords.de "Auch OVRO, die mit Horizontal / Vertical (DR-93, white vinyl, red labels) erstmals auf Vinyl zu hören ist, bekennt sich zu einem ‚Anderswo‘, das als Label Some Place Else eine Adresse in Venäjänkangas hat, in den Hinterwäldern von Turku. Dort hat die junge Finnin Musik veröffentlicht - Malice in Underland (2003), Gegendurchgangenzeit (2005), Mosaick the Serpent / Vipera Aurea (2006) und Revisited (2008) und weiteres als Hæretici 7o74, einem Duo mit Niko Skorpio - , die jedem, der sie hörte, in die Zwielichtzone zwischen Tag, Traum und Alptraum entrückte und Geheimnisse zuflüsterte, wie sie Dichter als Krikelkrakel einer anderen Macht zu Papier bringen. Schon das Video zu ‚Equation Impossible‘ macht eine Faszination durch Stummfilmhorror und Schwarzweißfilme von Polanski deutlich. Hier suggiert ein aufgeklebter Filmstreifen auf den handgefertigten EP-Hüllen eine cineastische Qualität der ominösen Klänge, die ins Bewusstsein einsickern wie nichts Gutes. Eine grummelnde Basswelle, wischende, fast krächzende und kaskadierende Loops, die rückwärts und linksherum gegen das Gebot der Zeit verstoßen. ‚Undergrounded‘ und ‚Elevatored‘ steht auf den Auslaufrillen. Man steckt in einem Untergeschoss fest, und das leise Klopfen und Scharren vor der Tür lässt einen zittern, dass sie nicht aufgeht. Oder ist es nur der eigene Puls im Ohr, und schon zittert der furchtsamen Nachtwache in der Hirn-Morgue sprichwörtlich ‚jedes Blatt‘?" [Bad Alchemy] 2008 €7.00  
P-ORRIDGE, GENESIS & THE HAFLER TRIO Dream Less Suite do-LP Genesis P-Orridge and The Hafler Trio: do these 2 legends still need any introduction? Genesis P-Orridge was the founding person of COUM Transmissions in 1969, Throbbing Gristle in 1975, Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth and Psychic TV in 1981. Andrew McKenzie started The Hafler Trio (together with Cabaret Voltaire’s Chris Watson) in 1982 and since then released all his work under this moniker and collaborated with William S. Burroughs, Autechre, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Nurse With Wound and Jónsi from Sigur Rós, to name a few. And he constructed the first kit Dreamachine in 1989 together with Brion Gysin. The impact and influence of these pioneers of the industrial underground,visionary thinkers and open minds, anti heroes of the misfits and the outcasts is hard to underestimate. On ‘Dream Less Suite’, the first new album by The Hafler Trio since 2016, Andrew McKenzie unearths, resurrects and completed recordings he made through the years with Genesis P-Orridge. This 2LP features soundtracks to unfinished films, live performances and the real versions of tracks you know and love, released for the very first time and mastered from the original reelto reel tapes. Expect the unexpected and be prepared for the unprepared. Subliminal soul music for the very faint-hearted. Demented disco for insecure insomniacs. Asymmetric acid for hoovering hipsters. Immersive polka for naughty night nurses. Soothing sounds for crying babies. Liberating latin for lesbians on xtc. Transcending tribalism for jogging junkies. Frenetic freakbeat for nihilistic numerologists. Jiving jazz for tyrannic transgenders. Hypnotic exotica for corrupt gymnastics. Indescribable sounds for angry journalists. Endless entertainment for everyone and the rest of the family. All f#cks given 2.0. Masters at work. 2023 €29.50
PACIFIC 231 & BARDOSENETICCUBE The Traditions of Changes CD "PACIFIC 231 is the brainchild of French multimedia artist Pierre Jolivet, currently residing in Dublin, Ireland. While Pacific 231 has its roots in the 1980’s industrial noise underground, Pierre Jolivet has since then consistently sought out and found new sounds and new compositional themes, venturing into unfamiliar aesthetics but always maintaining the rare quality of a steady evolutionary path. BARDOSENETICCUBE was formed by Russian artist Igor Potsukaylo in 1998. In his work, surrealism is key: “pure psychic automatism willing to express the real functioning of the reflection orally, written or in any other form. Dictation of mind without any control from the intellect, outside of any aesthetic of moral considerations.” (André Breton) One of Russia’s leading experimental drone acts, Bardoseneticcube has a quite extensive discography, having released on labels such as Drone Records, Aquarellist and Monochrome Vision. This collaborative composition consists of 6 movements, leading the listener through a utopian sonic maelstrom in a modern re-interpretation of some sections of ‘New Atlantis’ (Francis Bacon, 1624-27). Psychedelica, field recordings and abstract electronics create a ‘New Language’ with a slippering affect from quietness and by dint of colliding utter chaos. NOTE: Preferably listened to in total for coherence and surreal storytelling projection. Limited to 300 copies Packaged in a 6-panel A5 folder with soft-touch finishing and UV spot varnish." [label info] www.silkentofu.org "Wenn zwei Musiker einen völlig konträren Ansatz verfolgen, kann eine Kollaboration zu ungewöhnlichen Ergebnissen führen oder grandios scheitern. Nur eines ist sie niemals: vorhersehbar. Igor Potsukaylo alias Bardoseneticcube ist nach eigener Einschätzung der geborene Surrealist, der sich von seinen Ideen und Assoziationen eher treiben lässt, vergleichbar einem Schreiber der ecriture automatique, der seiner Feder und den Worten freien Lauf lässt. Pierre Jolivet alias Pacific 231 ist Komponist, der dem Soundmaterial begegnet wie ein Bildhauer seinem Steinblock, wenn er schon längst die Idee des künftigen Werks vor Augen hat. Einer fürs kreative Chaos also und ein anderer, um ebendies in eine verdauliche Form zu bringen. „The Traditions of Changes“ beginnt mit diesem reizvollen Knack- und Frickelsound, die auch der versierteste Noisefan zunächst an einen Defekt denken lässt, zumal das erste der vier Stücke auch noch sehr leise anklingt und Hochfrequentes enthält. Interessant, wie ein dünner Hochtöner diesem minimalistichen Szenario Struktur gibt. Bis zum Ende des ausgiebigen Auftaktes und zum Übergang in etwas heterogeneres Material, wäre der unkonzentrierte Gelegenheitshörer längst in Tiefschlaf verfallen, denn es braucht einen gewissen Grad an Involviertheit, um in den chaotisch vor sich hin mäandernden Soundfetzen aller Coleur, die sich in alle Richtungen im Raum verteilen und gelegentlich in menschliches Geschnatter münden, die durchaus vorhandenen Kompositionsmuster zu erkennen. Im Verlauf erweist sich das auf zahlreichen Feldaufnahmen basierende Soundpanorama allerdings als ausgesprochen vielschichtig und reich an Überraschungen und Variationen. Laut Eigenangabe ist „The Traditions of Changes“ von einem Klassiker der utopischen Literatur, nämlich Francis Bacons „New Atlantis“ inspiriert und von der Idee, eine neue Sprache zu erfinden. Nun ist die Idee, die verbale Sprache durch Sound zu ersetzen, nicht neu und hat die Menschen immer wieder beflügelt. Was die beiden Musiker hier absolvieren ist jedoch weniger eine solche Sprache selbst, als der Versuch eine solche zu entwickeln – ein work in progress mit einem noch offenen Ende, dass durch surreale Komik und originelle Soundideen überzeugt." [Uwe Schneider / African Paper] africanpaper.com/2015/05/16/pacific-231-bardoseneticcube-the-traditions-of-changes/ "It seems that Pacific 231 has been around forever, but maybe there was a hiatus for some time. I remember Pierre Jolivet from France, but living in Dublin for quite some time now, as an active participant in the eighties underground cassette scene, and on lots of compilations with his own, not always unique brand of industrial noise, but back in Vital Weekly 888 I got the updated Pacific 231 sound, which I enjoyed very much: minimal electronics, psychedelic and intense. Here he has a collaboration with Igor Potsukaylo, who works as Bardoseneticcube, a name we have seen before a few times; he is a man of atmospherics, drones and the louder edges (outer edges?) of ambient. Jolivet supplied the 'field recordings and analog structures', while Potsukaylo takes credit for 'electronic construction'. Francis Bacon’s “New Atlantis” inspires the music, or as they call 'an utopian sonic maelstrom'; a maelstrom it surely is. No sound effects have been spared in this work. Everything and everyone, or every possible level, there seems to be something happening. You get distracted, follow the loops, but then on a different level something else seem to be happening. A lot of it stays in the same place, yet a lot of it seems to be moving all the time. Yes, that is confusing, but then such is the nature of this music: very confusing, but pleasant at the same time. Music that is one large head trip for you, providing of course you are open to such buzzing activities. I can easily imagine or even agree if someone would say: but, look; now this is all way too much. If you don't let this in, you might easily be annoyed by the mass attack of sound. So, open your mind, and flow the waves, the ever-cascading waves of this massive music, then you'll be in for onehellofa trip to the backside of the moon. That, or maybe a rollercoaster to New Atlantis." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2014 €12.00
PENNY RIMBAUD'S L'ACADEMIE DES VANITES (CRASS) Yes Sir, the Truth of Revolution CD "CRASS WAS THEN - THIS IS NOW. WAKE UP TO IT CRASS' album, 'Yes, Sir, I Will', was possibly the most angry and hard hitting attack on the political/military/industrial complex ever consigned to vinyl. Written by Penny Rimbaud in 1982 at the height of the Falklands conflict, it seethes with righteous indignation over what he saw as a pointless but vicious exercise in vote catching by a government whose popularity was severely on the wane. So powerful was this critique that it led to threats of prosecution by that very same government, threats which were typically used by CRASS to further their attacks on it and its tyrannical leader, Margaret Thatcher. Over thirty years later, in 2014, Rimbaud was asked to participate in the Rebellion Festival, a yearly punk gathering held in Blackpool, UK. Realising that the opening date of the festival closely coincided with that of the euphemistically named 'Great War', Rimbaud and the festival organisers agreed that as an appropriate response they should open the event with a performance of 'Yes, Sir, I Will'. In preparing for this performance, Rimbaud began to question the relevance of some of the content of 'Yes, Sir'. It seemed to him that much of it was pertinent only to the time in which it was written, a time when a genuine social uprising had appeared to be a very real possibility (one that was violently and conclusively squashed during the miners' strike of 1984). But times change and there was, he now felt, an element of aggression within the work which veiled its essential message of love and peace; it was a passion that could all too easily be mistaken for blind anger. With this in mind, and inspired by John Lennon's 'All You Need is Love', he set about rewriting 'Yes, Sir' from what he describes as a more Taoist viewpoint. Through replacing screams of anguish with laments of love, he was largely able to satisfy his wish to change 'Yes, Sir' into an expression of compassion, that being the hugely demanding realm of love in its unconditional form. For the Rebellion performance of the now retitled 'Yes, Sir, the Truth of Revolution', Rimbaud was joined by CRASS' lead vocalist Eve Libertine plus a group of leading musicians from the London jazz scene with whom they'd worked extensively in the past. Named 'L'Académie des Vanités', the band consisted of Eve Libertine/vocals, Penny Rimbaud/vocals, Louise Elliott/sax, Kate Shortt/cello, Jennifer Maidman/guitar, Phil Robson/guitar, Thad Kelly/bass and Gene Calderazzo/drums. The live recording of that show, presented here, captures all the tense excitement created by presenting a primarily punk audience with complex poetics of love, accompanied by equally demanding freeform, improvised jazz. However, as had generally been the case with CRASS' output, wild, willing and worrisome, it would be wise to expect the unexpected. Equally, through its progressive and colourful imagery, the vibrant packaging designed by Gee Vaucher shows a refusal to harp back to the illusory golden past of punk dreams and conceits. 'We are poets, armed with the cobblestones of love, unconditional, uncompromising, beyond need of proof.' However, if proof is needed, it will most surely be found in the content of this radical, imaginative release." [label info] www.coldspring.co.uk 2016 €12.00
PETIT, PHILIPPE Henry: The Iron Man CD "One lost lemonish night sleepwalking on a lost country road I dreamt that Shinya Tsukamoto was working on a blurred remake of "Eraserhead", and I was to soundtrack the grotesque mutation of Henry into an "Iron Man". I decided to manipulate and take advantage of the vinyl material to fondle crackles and released noises, to process textures and their resonances into vertiginous travellings of sound ; conjuring up flashes of disturbing black & white grainy sounds, behind-the-scenes close-ups, rapid nightmarish stop-motion effects. I embarked on a visceral musical voyage, an intricate and imaginative soundtrack gathering both organic and sonic elements and giving life to a noisy magma where unexpected clicks stumbled over interferences, where digital accidents happened and drones and acoustic resonances filled the spaces in time. The music sprang on me and got caught in my eye. A few years ago BiP_HOp had started a series called "Reciprocess", thus to celebrate 10 years since the inception of the label + my 25 years of activism/DJing I composed a 70+ minute soundtrack, cut it into pieces which were sent to friends to add their spices to. The Wire magazine liked the idea and agreed to give it away with their issue # 301, in March 2009. AIDAN BAKER & Philippe Petit CHAPTER 24 & Philippe Petit COSEY FANNI TUTTI & Philippe Petit SIMON FISHER TURNER & Philippe Petit KLANGWART & Philippe Petit DOUGLAS BENFORD & Philippe Petit MARKOVO & Philippe Petit BELA EMERSON (feat. vocals from RANDALL FRAZIER) & Philippe Petit KUMO & Philippe Petit EUGENE S. ROBINSON & Philippe Petit SEVERIN 24 (feat. vocals from KATHY COMPTON) & Philippe Petit JASON FORREST & Philippe Petit LYDIA LUNCH & Philippe Petit JEAN-HERVÃ� PERON (art-Errorist/Faust) & Philippe Petit STRINGS OF CONSCIOUSNESS (Hervé Vincenti & Philippe Petit) SYBARITE & Philippe Petit JESU & Philippe Petit dDAMAGE & Philippe Petit Born in Marseille, South of France, where I started Djing, animating radio shows and editing zines in the 80s. In the 90s I contributed articles (under the pseudonym Candy Apple Grey and Filth Simpson ) for such magazines as Ruta 66 (Spain), Merlin’s Music Box (Greece), Maximum R&R (USA), What Wave, Cryptic Tymes (Canada), and French-written Taktik, Rage, Rocksound, Best, 491, Abus Dangereux, and many many more that no one will remember of… In those days, I had some fun and interviews w/ such bands as Nirvana, Fugazi, L7, Neurosis, Fuzztones, Babes In Toyland, Mudhoney, Pixies, Cynics, Dum Dum Boys, Alice Donut, Brood, Grotus, Fleshtones, Buzzcocks, Nick Cave, Sting Rays, Poison Idea, Jon Spencer, Soft Machine, Lydia Lunch, No Means No, Godflesh, Steve Albini, Gallon Drunk, Melvins, New Bomb Turks, and many other “noisy-rock” luminaries. In 1991, I started Kinetic Vibes Music, a Garage Punk zine and label releasing music by: Willie Loco Alexander, Pleasure Fuckers, Dead Moon, Bevis Frond, Lust-o-Rama, Ultra 5, Overcoat, Cryptones, Devil Dogs, La Secta, Dirteez, Tommyknockers and some other… Still available the mythical compilation “Electric Carnival” gathering 23 bands from 10 countries. In 1993 I founded the experimental label Pandemonium Rdz. Working with the likes of Guapo, Zeni Geva, Ground Zero, Condense, Cows, Headcleaner, Drive Blind, Double Nelson, Alboth!, Melt Banana, God Is My Co-Pilot, Samiam, Burning Heads, Cerberus Shoal, Flying Luttenbachers, Unsane, Bästard, Kepone, Ron Anderson, Ruins, Hint, Andy's Car Crash, Spaceheads… That is well documented there and many releases are still in print: www.pandemoniumrecords.com 41 records later, I needed to rejuvenate and started a new label: BiP_HOp was physically born in 2000 and will document avant electro for the century to come... A webzine, a radio show, organizing live events, and above all a label documenting the state of electronic art and sound design, unconventional sound adventures, modern ambient, contemporary alliances between acoustica vs. digitalia... Musics challenging the ears and the mind. www.bip-hop.com In 2000 Philippe Petit became Dj/ip@bip-hop.com chosing to use my e-mail address to keep contact with the listeners… Under this moniker I have been invited to play festivals and some of the best venues in Europe, Northern america, and even recently Mexico. According to me a DJ is not only an instrument for dancing but as a living musical library I should also take the audience to a new cultural trip / discovery. I want to entertain listeners and to open new "doors of perception", to create a virtual world to enable them to forget about their own existence for a short while. Sometimes I feel an urge not to be solo onstage which led me to start the duo Ear_Thrillerz. ; the now defunct group Deviationists ; and most actively these days the international collective : Strings Of Consciousness. www.stringsofconsciousness.info Today I still animate a radio show for Radio Grenouille which is the biggest non-commercial local radio www.grenouille888.org/dyn/ I still write in Noise Magazine. A bi-monthly mag, printing 25 000 which can be found in newstand all around France and is the best one dealing with Rock, indie rock, metal, post rock, punk, stoner doom, industrial, experimental, prog, Noisy music. Also a website (3000-3500 unique visitors/day) http://www.noisemag.net/ " [label info] www.blrrecords.com 2009 €10.00
PETRELS Haeligewielle LP "Haeligewielle is the debut solo record of Oliver Barrett of Bleeding Heart Narrative. It is a swirling cataract of a record, a deluge of beautiful noise and crushing melody, which ebbs and flows beneath the surface. Utilizing bowed strings, bent electronics, found percussion and occasional vocals, the record unfolds over seven tracks and fifty minutes, from the portentous drone of the opening ‘After Francis Danby’ and shimmering ‘Silt’ through the work-song-like ‘Concrete’ and cascading rhythm of ‘Winchester Croydon Winchester’. Haeligewielle tells a forgotten story, buried underneath the stones and water." [label info] www.denovali.com "Petrels has provided us with what has to be the strongest solo debut from a musician so far in 2011. It’s as if Barrett has launched his solo career as Petrels by giving us his own Sisyphus narrative, and somehow it sounds dreadfully authentic – no small feat. Haeligewielle is an album so dense and immersive you sometimes feel as though you are drowning or being smothered, but that’s exactly the way it’s supposed to feel." (Brendan Moore, Fluid Radio) "Haeligewielle (holy well, sacred spring) is an album of creation and destruction, holiness and human honor. Its characters and etimologies dance around each other like fish in a waterspout. The album is a masterpiece of narrative, a blackened ship with a broken mast that defies the storm and in so doing discovers its own dark destiny." (Richard Allen, The Silent Ballet (8.5/10)) "Haeligewielle is Oliver Barrett’s (also of Bleeding Heart Narrative) first solo album as Petrels. It is a song of water, a song of stone. These two elements form the album’s thematic core, entwined in the story of the central figure of William Walker, the Winchester diver; but they also inform the album’s sonic makeup – onrushing, buoyant, coursing and at times dense and abrasive. It’s a record that excavates, and extrapolates outwards from, a particular and resonant historical undertaking and in its jubilant expansiveness grants it mythic, numinous life." (Matt Poacher, The Liminal) 2012 €18.50
PHILLIPS, DAVE Proceed with Inquiry DVD "The contained DVD comprises video works, live performances and collaborations by radical Swiss sound artist DAVE PHILLIPS, sonically active since 1987, part of the notorious SCHIMPFLUCH GRUPPE (with Rudolf Eb.er, Joke Lanz) since 1991, having left his signature in numerous bands, projects and collaborations. DAVE PHILLIPS uses sound as a means to activate primordial emotions otherwise hidden underneath the debris of civilization. His concept is called “Humanimalism” accordingly, meaning a state of mind that overcomes religious, material und supremacist charges of evolution, acknowledges itself as part of a whole and has grown into an empathic, conscious and connected creature allowing emotion and instinct their equal part in decision-making. This collection presents his multifaceted work in composition, performance, psycho-acoustics, sonic rituals, voice, video, field recordings, objects and electronics, etc. in a yet unknown complexity and coherence of motion pictures. His performance work is revealed in all its undiluted brutality, the urgency and topicality of his work and his message is clearly evident, captivating and intensely documented. Along with DAVE PHILLIPS’ video works created between 2014 and 2016, the DVD is a document of unique solo live actions and the notorious Paris 1996 performance of SCHIMPFLUCH-GRUPPE, as well as recent collaborations with G.X. JUPITTER LARSEN, and video artists PAKISE AKIN, JAN VAN HASSELT and REMOTE-CONTROL RECTUM, who in turn created their visual interpretations of PHILLIPS' audio works. It all amounts to a mind-expanding experience, playing with altered perception and throwing back the viewer onto his own vision." [label info] "...Merely approaching, let alone summarising, the work of Dave Phillips is near impossible. Active for 25-odd years in multiple artistic fields (including appearances on almost 200 releases), his contribution here to the DVD component of the release is characteristically challenging. The work is delivered in three parts: video works, live performances, and collaborations. The video works are varied with clear effort put into editing and sound composition. They’re often jarring and disorienting, always intimate, and personal. Some are abstract and intangible while others are precise and brutally polemic. There is slap-to-the-face activism in spades, including a sobering piece on humankind’s exploitation of the Earth and its animals (‘How sad, that nature speaks and we don’t listen.‘). Phillips’s use of footage depicting animal vivisection, cruelty, and industrial slaughter is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, as is the screaming text (‘Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance!’). But these pieces are clearly meant to shock and are more about our complacency and willingness to let them happen than about the actions themselves. The collaborative works are interesting enough, though they are not as strong as Phillips’s solo contributions. He seems to supply audio primarily over his collaborators’ mostly impressionistic visuals. Many could display rather comfortably on a screen in a respectable art gallery. The live performances are highly entertaining and showcase a theatrical grotesquerie typical of the Schimpfluch-Gruppe of which Phillips is a core member. Indeed, the best of the live recordings here has him on stage with Rudolf Eb.er for a Schimpfluch-Gruppe action in Paris. Contact mikes in mouth, their faces slam repeatedly and unceremoniously into bowls of spaghetti. It’s bleakly humorous and very uncomfortable.... " [Heathen Harvest] silkentofu.bigcartel.com/product/dave-phillips-proceed-with-inquiry-dvd 2017 €13.00
PHILLIPS, TOMAS / DEAN KING A Travers le Bord CD "'The product of a definite convergence of ideas as well as my own nascent french, the title Á Travers le Bord can be interpreted as both a Ôcrossing through' a material edge or border and a liminal move from exterior to interior, or vice versa, in terms of, for example, flesh, or more generally, selfhood. A happy accident. Though I would never presume to attribute any central meaning to music, such border crossings are a constant in my life and most likely inform my composition process as it unfolds in front of the laptop, moving or being still, listening, inside or out. It's a delightful paradox, the ongoing flux that finds its faithful correlate in the pull towards a relative silence and calm. Also delightful was my good friend and collaborator dean king's willingness to contribute sound material for this piece, in addition to a much needed critical ear. After a few limited edition cd-r releases as Eto Ami, we were due a joint project. Many of these sounds I processed further and set about composing Ð a long and sometimes arduous course that prompted its own numerous excursions through borders. Most importantly, however, I was reminded of the pleasures of camaraderie, even at a distance." [Tomas Phillips] www.nonvisualobjects.com 2006 €14.00
PLOOG, JÜRGEN Tapes von Unterwegs 1971-1976 LP "Recorded & edited by Jürgen Ploog on different flights between 1971 & 1976 on a portable tape-recorder. Final selection, montage & editing by Robert Schalinski. Like his literary fellow traveler William S. Burroughs who made tape experiments a few years earlier, the German Beat writer Jürgen Ploog (born 1935) began experimenting with tape recorders in the 1970s. Due to his career as a transcontinental pilot Ploog was constantly on the go. “My life was a series of interruptions both geographically (outwardly) and psychologically (state of mind) with exposure to different countries and the constant effects of jet lag.” This 40-minute cut-up is the result of his experiments. Passages of Ploog’s spoken text get mixed with Indian television voices, while sounds of Buddhist rituals are heard through an open hotel window. Radiograms, birds, recordings of airport and street noises, people noise and that of machinery … assembled, superimposed … scraps pulled out/torn, shifted and copied … questioned and documented … an alchemical experiment, a journey of sounds … “Cut-up as a drug that leads to a different relationship with language, just as a hallucinogen leads to an altered relation with the so-called reality. The result is a fundamental shift of meaning. ‘Shift linguals’ was the motto in a continuous process with an open end …” J.P. "This tape is a recording of many voices simultaneously under the spell of the urban Moloch. They moan, marvel, murmur and curse in a mixture of sounds that would became independent and found its own cadence. A sound that could turn drunk, melt on the tongue, mingle with the juices of the body and eventually turn into sweat and piss. The traveler lived with it as with microbes sucked up and gulped with every swallow.” “When I look back now at those years, I see that they were a ground-breaking departure for me, not towards other, newly rising ideologies but into an unspecified way of writing and perception — because reality is based on perspective and seeing, thus opening the possibilities of an enhanced imagination and a vision of life under conditions which are not determined and pre-recorded. It may be said that these were the accounts of only the first steps. That in my case this was related to traveling to far-off continents and may just have been a lucky coincidence. At the same time it is obvious that it was difficult for me to record the exoticism of travel as merely a fortunate occurrence that gave me the chance to slide into remote scenery. The whiskey on the rocks at the beach of a tropical island is after all only the Technicolor-version of the beer in the pub back home. The challenge was to navigate under limitless technical possibilities and across the open space of digital deserts that spread rapidly …” J.P.2014 Jürgen Ploog - born 1935, lives in Frankfurt and Miami. He was a pilot for Lufthansa for 33 years. With Jörg Fauser and Carl Weissner he was co-founder of the legendary little-mag Gasolin 23. A friend and literary associate of William S. Burroughs, he is considered a father figure of the German-language literary underground." [label info] www.90-prozent-wasser.de 2015 €18.00
PROTAGONIST Songs of Experience CD "in 1794, william blake published ‘songs of experience’ as an addendum to ‘songs of innocence’, to complete the picture of ‘the two contrary states of the human soul’ - the state in question here being the constriction of the human spirit, the suffocation of creativity by the force to conform. after magnus sundström aka the protagonist had released his debut ‘à rebours’ in 1998, the sky seemed the only limit for this musical entity. but, to much disappointment within the industrial scene, for the next seven years only a couple of compilation appearances would be heard from the protagonist. then, in 2005 two cds came out via cold meat industry: the aptly titled ‘interim’ ep and the album ‘songs of experience’ (which was actually not entirely a new album, but in parts consisted of reworked versions of the aforementioned compilation tracks and a couple of tracks from the previous ep). the music on ‘songs of experience’ resolved all doubts: the protagonist is a devoted artist, putting quality over quantity, and the result had been well worth waiting! as if no period of inactivity had ever discontinued the creative flow, the protagonist reassumed the path of the debut: orchestral splendour, rigid drumming, dramatic string works and an increased presence of haunting, eerie atmospheres, pushing the album towards the darker edges of the neo-classical spectrum. vocal deliveries are rather sparse and restricted to short spoken parts this time around, but feature prolific guests again: tomas petterson of ordo rosarius equlibrio lent his unmistakeable voice to the protagonist’s most wellknown track, ‘strife’, a truly bombastic marching tune. jonathan grieve of contrastate can also be heard on one track, the heart-shattering ‘sick rose’. among all the opulence, romantic leanings all over, though the whole composition takes a decidedly bleak direction. the adapted literature features not only blake, but also baudelaire (here’s the symbolist theme again) and no other than the master himself, mr. william shakespeare. all in all, music and content combine into one impressive libertine’s manifesto, proclaiming the power of free thought and the mistrust of authorities! for this well-timed re-release, raubbau gathers together not only the original album, but also the exclusive tracks from the ‘interim’ ep, thus presenting the entire bundle of cmi-released protagonist tracks. until today, the protagonist stands out unique among neo-classical artists for the sheer brilliance of composition and the authenticity of his preoccupations - he is really serious about seriousness. history has been revealed, let beauty unfold!" [label info] www.raubbau.org 2012 €6.00
PUNCTUAL TRIO Grammar CD Lou Mallozzi: turntables, CDs, Microphones, Oscillator Fred Lonberg-Holm: Cello Carlos Zingaro: Violin Recorded by Pete Wenger at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, 28 May 2003. Mixed and Masterd by Lou Mallozzi and Fred Lonberg-Holm at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, 23 June 2004. Produced by Lonberg-Holm, Mallozzi and Zingaro. @2003 Mallozzi / Lonberg-Holm / Zingaro Lou Mallozzi (b. 1957) Lou Mallozzi is a Chicago audio artist who has been dismembering and reconstituting language, sound, and gesture on stages, sites, CD, and radio since 1986. His background is in performance, intermedia and installation art, and since 1996 an increasing amount of his attention has been focused on improvised music. Using microphones, turntables, CDs and analog mixing, he collaborates with numerous instrumentalists in improvised frameworks. These collaborators have included Carlos Zingaro, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Vorfeld, Mats Gustafsson, Jaap Blonk, Sebi Tramontana, Terri Kapsalis, Michael Zerang, Guillermo Gregorio, Birgit Ulher, Hal Rammel, and many others. He has performed in this context at the Come Sunday Festival (Munich), the Logos Foundation (Ghent), Podewil (Berlin), The Empty Bottle (Chicago), Candlestick Maker (Chicago), The Renaissance Society (Chicago), Kraakgeluiden (Amsterdam), and others. He has also composed several sound poems and structured improvisational works for soloists and ensembles, including Jaap Blonk, Barbara Lüneburg, and the ensemble Intégrales. In addition to his improvised music projects, Mallozzi also produces intermedia and sound performances, radio art works, and sound installations. These have been presented at numerous venues since 1986, including the PAC/Edge Performance Festival (Chicago), the Chicago Cultural Center, Experimental Intermedia (New York), the TUBE audio art series at the Einstein Kulturzentrum (Munich), Spritzenhaus (Hamburg), Suoni/Sound 2000 (Isola d'Elba, Italy), The Subtropics Experimental Music Festival (Miami), the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (Indiana), Percorsi 98 Festival (Montegrosso d'Asti, Itlay), the Sound Canopy public art project (Chicago), Donald Young Gallery (Chicago), Gallery 400 (Chicago), the Bechtler Gallery (Charlotte), Randolph Street Gallery (Chicago), Aether Fest (Albuquerque), New American Radio, Bayerischer Rundfunk (Munich), Kunstradio/Radiokunst on ORF Vienna, Sender Freies Berlin, ABC Radio (Sydney), the Resonance FM Festival (London), and others. Among his collaborators in these realms are Sandra Binion, Mark Booth, Heinz Weber, Antonia Contro, and Maurizio Pellegrin. Mallozzi has two CDs on the Penumbra Music label: Radiophagy (three radio works from 1990 - 1996) and Whole or By the Slice (electroacoustic collaborations with Hal Rammel). A CD of improvised music with Fred Lonberg-Holm and Carlos Zingaro is forthcoming on Rossbin Records (Italy). He also appears on Guillermo Gregorio's Faktura and Cornelius Cardew's Material (both on HatArt, Switzerland). Mallozzi has received a number of grants and fellowships, including a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Study Center (Italy), four Artist Fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council, and grants from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the Governor's International Arts Exchange Program. In addition to his artistic career, Mallozzi is co-founder and Executive Director of Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, and he is on the faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Fred Lonberg-Holm Composer, improvisor and anti-cellist Fredrick Lonberg-Holm currently resides in Chicago. Defying categorization, his work deals only with the context of the specific musical situation in which he finds/places/builds for himself. A former composition student of Morton Feldman and Anthony Braxton, and cello student of Ardyth Alton and Orlando Cole, his ongoing projects include the groups Terminal 4, The Boxhead Ensemble, Pillow, and the Lonberg-Holm/Kessler/Zerang Trio. He is also currently a member of the Guillermo Gregorio Trio, the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, XMARSX, and Witches and Devils (music of A. Ayler). He also has been coordinating and directing performances of his Light Box Orchestra, a non fixed structured improvising ensemble utilizing a light based cuing system . In addition he has also performed in ensembles led by Anthony Braxton, Ken Vandermark, Anthony Coleman, Georg Graewe, Wolfgang Fuchs, and John Zorn. As an improvisor he has recorded and or performed with numerous musicians including Jaap Blonk, John Butcher, Gunter Christmann, Axel Dorner, Hamid Drake, Barry Guy, Joelle Leandre, Paul Lytton, Jeff Parker, William Parker, Mischa Mengelberg, Ikue Mori, Mats Gustafsson, Paul Lovens, Paul Rutherford, Sten Sandell, Hamid Drake, Jim O'Rourke, David Stackenaas, Willie Winant, Carlos Zingaro, and many others. He has also performed/recorded with the rock groups God-is-my-Co-Pilot, Wilco, the Flying Luttenbachers, Chris Mills, Janet Bean, Super Chunk, Bobbie Conn, Ahmed Elmotassem's Legal Fiction, L'Altra, US Maple, Freakwater, Lake of Dracula, Plastic Scorpions, Zeek Sheck, Smog and others. Concert works have been premiered by William Winant, Carrie Biolo, Joe Fonda and Bottoms Out, Duo Atypica, the Schanzer/Speach Duo, New Winds, Paul Hoskin, Kevin Norton, the E.S.P. Ensemble and others. He has performed throughout the US and Europe as both a soloist and ensemble member. His scores for dance have been performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Dance Theater Workshop as well as many other venues. Film credits include music for a Playboy Channel short and the independant feature Animals, by Michael DiGiacomo. He has recorded for the Avant, Pogus, Occa, miguel, Explain:, Locust, Meniscus, Nuscope, Curious, Random Acoustics, Skin Graft, Hat Art, Buzz, Knitting Factory Works, Drag City, Ecstatic/Yod, Nine Winds, Atavistic, Rastascan, Box Media, 8th Day, Tzadik, Truckstop and What Next? labels as well as many others. CARLOS “ZINGARO” Born 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal; violin, electronics. Carlos Zingaro undertook classical music studies at the Lisbon Music Conservatory from 1953 to 1965, and during the two years 1967/68 he studied church organ at the High School of Sacred Music. Also, during the 1960s, Zingaro was a member of the Lisbon University Chamber Orchestra. In 1967 he formed Plexus, the only Portuguese group at the time to have developed a new musical approach based on contemporary music, improvisation and rock; the group recorded a 45rpm single for RCA-Victor in 1968. From 1975 onwards Carlos Zingaro has performed with a wide variety of improvising musicians, including: Barre Phillips, Daunik Lazro, Derek Bailey, Joëlle Léandre, Jon Rose, Kent Carter, Ned Rothenberg, Peter Kowald, Roger Turner, Rüdiger Carl, Dominique Regef, Evan Parker, Günter Müller, Andres Bosshard, Jean-marc Montera, and Paul Lovens. In 1978 he was invited by Wroclaw Technical University in Poland to participate in the 1st Instrumental Theatre Meeting, and in 1979 he won a Fulbright Grant and was invited by the Creative Music Foundation in Woodstock, New York to participate in meetings, classes and performances with such composers as Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, Leo Smith, Tom Cora and Richard Teitelbaum (a regular collaborator). He also gave lectures on New Notation Concepts, Movement and Sound, and the inter-relationship of Improvisation and Body Attitude. As a soloist, or with other musicians and composers, Carlos Zingaro has performed at many of the most important new music and improvising festivals in Europe, Asia and America. A substantial level of Carlos Zingaro's musical activities are associated with theatre, film and dance. In 1975 he completed Stage Design studies at the Lisbon Theatre High School and later served on the board of directors of the School. From 1974 to 1980 he was musical director for the Lisbon-based theatre group Comicos, being responsible for most of the original music scores performed during the period. In 1981 Carlos Zingaro received the Portuguese Critics Award for best theatre music and in 1988 he worked with the Italian theatre director Giorgio Barberio Corsetti on his Kafka Trilogy. He has also been stage and costume designer for several other theatre productions. He has produced several film scores and worked extensively with dancers and dance companies such as the Gulbenkian Dance Company, the Opéra de Genève Dance Company, Michala Marcus, Aparte, and Olga Roriz. Carlos Zingaro was a founding member of the Lisbon-based art gallery Comicos, his work has been exhibited, and he has received several prizes for his cartoons, comics and illustrations, samples of which can be seen on a number of CD sleeves, for example, Musiques de scène. www.rossbin.com/rs019.htm "Is there a mode (maybe mood, posture, or circumstance) in which you are required to set yourself in order to appreciate (maybe absorb) freely improvised music? If you are attending a live show, the location, smells, company, and certainly the visual aspects of the show contribute to your "experience." When you are merely listening to a purchased recording, what are the rules for your listening experience? Do you meditate in a quiet room? Can you listen to it in your car? Walking with an iPod? Washing dishes? How does the experience of the improvisation mesh with your current environs? Don't ask me for answers, but consider all the stimuli that invade your senses every hour of every day. Maybe that's why the relentless beat-beat-beat of pop music is so simple... because no one's actually listening. My point is this: no two listeners can have the same response to very highly interpretable music like what the Punctual Trio produces on Grammar. The cast of players includes cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, the newest member of Vandermark 5 (plus Wilco, Terminal 4, The Boxhead Ensemble, Pillow, and the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, to name just a few); Lou Mallozzi, a sound artist from Chicago who lists Mats Gustafsson, Jaap Blonk, Sebi Tramontana, Michael Zerang, and Guillermo Gregorio as collaborators; and Portuguese violinist Carlos Zingaro, who has partnered with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, George Lewis, Leo Smith, Tom Cora, and Richard Teitelbaum. Simple review: you cannot dance to this disc, but I give it a ten. The trio benefits from its choice of instrumentation. Lonberg-Holm's cello, which is seemingly at home in a range of settings from jazz standards to rock to free music, mixes well with Zingaro's violin's scraping, plucking, single notes, and complex travels. They are attuned to silence and space, as on the opener, or odd pulse and song forms, as with "Punctuation. Mallozzi doesn't drown you with samples or electronics; he places them in the mix as if he were Treg Brown, the sound editor of 1950s Warner Brothers cartoons. If you listen closely to "Punctuation, you may find yourself actually embedded inside a cartoon. But then again, your experience with these sounds will probably be nothing like mine." [All About Jazz] 2004 €6.00
RADIGUE, ELIANE & FREDERIC BLONDY Occam XXV CD In 2018 experimental festival Organ Reframed commissioned Éliane Radigue to write her first work for organ, 'Occam Ocean XXV'. Radigue worked closely with organist Frédéric Blondy at the Église Saint Merry in Paris before transferring the piece to Union Chapel for its premiere at Organ Reframed on 13 October 2018. The recording on this compact disc was made at a private session at Union Chapel on 8 January 2020. 'Occam XXV' inaugurates the very special record series of works exclusively commissioned by Organ Reframed, the organ-only, one of a kind experimental music festival, carefully curated by Scottish composer/performer and London's Union Chapel organ music director Claire M Singer. Paris-born Éliane Radigue is one of the most innovative and influential living composers of all time. After working under Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry in the late 1950's/early 60's she mainly worked with tape before developing a deep relationship with modular synthesis in the early 1970's. Over the next three decades she pushed her own conceptions of musicality forward developing a deep relationship with her ARP 2500. Through endless exploration and drawing on her personal journey as a practicing Buddhist she created an entirely new landscape of experimental sound. In the early 2000's she made an extraordinary shift into writing predominantly for acoustic instruments. 'Occam XXV' is the latest chapter of Radigue's broader series of works Occam Ocean which she has been composing in the last decade. Carefully selected by Radigue she has closely collaborated with various extremely experienced yet sensitive instrumentalists. For Occam XXV Radigue collaborated with pianist, organist, composer, improviser, artistic director of the Orchestra of New Musical Creation, Experimentation and Improvisation (ONCEIM) Frédéric Blondy, which is their second collaboration in the Occam Ocean series. 'Occam XXV' premiered in 2018, and was later recorded privately in 2020 at London's Organ Reframed headquarters Union Chapel. "We live in a universe filled with waves. Not only between the Earth and the Sun but all the way down to the tiniest microwaves and inside it is the minuscule band that lies between the 60 Hz and the 12,000 to 15,000 Hz that our ears turn into sound. There are many wavelengths in the ocean too and we also come into contact with it physically, mentally and spiritually. That explains the title of this body of work which is called Occam Ocean. The main aim of this work is to focus on how the partials are dealt with. Whether they come in the form of micro beats, pulsations, harmonics, subharmonics – which are extremely rare but have a transcendent beauty – bass pulsations – the highly intangible aspect of sound. That's what makes it so rich. When Luciano Pavarotti gave free rein to the full force of his voice the conductor stopped beating time and you could hear the richness in its entirety. Music in written form, or however it is relayed, ultimately remains abstract. It's the performer, the person playing it who brings it to life. So the person playing the instrument must come first. I've always thought of performers and their instruments as one. They form a dual personality. No two performers, playing the same instrument, have the same relationship with that instrument – the same intimate relationship. This is where the process of making the work personal begins. The purely personal task of deciding on the theme or image that we're going to work from. Obviously, because this is Occam Ocean, the theme is always related to water. It could be a little stream, a fountain, the distant ocean, rivers. Out of the fifty or so musicians I've worked with no two themes have been the same. Each musician's theme is completely unique and completely personal. The music does the talking. This is one of those art forms that manages to express the many things that words aren't able to. Even at an early stage, all those ideas need to have been brought together." - Éliane Radigue Since its conception in 2016, Organ Reframed has commissioned artists including Low, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Philip Jeck, Phill Niblock, Mark Fell, Mira Calix, Darkstar, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Sarah Davachi, hailing from London's Union Chapel, ending up also in Amsterdam and Moscow. Organ Reframed will be back this year on September 16--18 with Abul Mogard, Ipek Gorgun, Anna von Hausswolff, Claire M Singer and Cabaret Voltaire's Chris Watson. "The idea of Organ Reframed dates back to 2006 when I was commissioned to write my first organ piece. At the time I was mostly composing in the studio and was struck by the vast breadth of the instrument and how capable it was of creating timbres that were similar to what I was working with electronically. The lush acoustic quality of the sound resonating in the space was incredible and the sonic possibilities seemed endless. I felt so fortunate to have had the time to experiment and explore the instrument and realised perhaps the reason there wasn’t a huge amount of experimental works being written for organ was because they are mainly housed in churches and concert halls so you really need to know someone with a key. From that point on I started composing almost exclusively for organ and since launching Organ Reframed in 2016 I am now able to give fellow artists the opportunity to explore what an incredible instrument it is." - Claire M Singer. Union Chapel's 1877 organ built by master organ builder Father Henry Willis is known to be on of the finest in the world. It is one of very few organs left in UK with a fully working hydraulics (water powered) which can be used an alternative to the electric blowing system. The organ is completely hidden from the listeners allowing to focus solely on the music. Composed by Éliane Radigue. Performed by Frédéric Blondy. Commissioned by Organ Reframed, curated by Claire M Singer. Recorded on 8 January 2020 by Daniel Halford at Union Chapel on the organ built by ‘Father’ Henry Willis, 1877. Mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering. Distributed by Kudos and Touch. Cover organ photography: Daniela Sbrisny. Manufactured by Monotype Pressing. Designed by Philip Marshall, Berlin, June 2021. This commission was generously supported by Arts Council England, the London Community Foundation/Cockayne, PRS Foundation and SACEM. Designed by Philip Marshall this special edition compact disc is the first in the series of Organ Reframed releases. Packaged in a matt A5/DVD style digipack it also includes a full colour 16 page booklet containing text from Éliane Radigue, photographs of her writing Occam XXV in Paris and of the 1877 Henry Willis organ at Union Chapel. https://organreframed.bandcamp.com/releases 2022 €22.50
RANALDO, LEE / JIM JARMUSCH / MARC URSELLI / BALAZS PANDI same LP New York based producer Marc Urselli had the idea to bring people together who had never met before and let that meeting of minds create beautiful soundscapes. Film director and musician Jim Jarmusch, Sonic Youth co-founder and guitarist Lee Ranaldo shared space with versatile drummer Balázs Pándi for a night session at Urselli's EastSide Sound studio in downtown NY. These are the unfiltered results. Absorbing instrumental patterns of cinematic sounds and improvised rhythms. No overdubs, no editing. All was recorded live and analog, produced and mixed by Marc Urselli. The front/back coverfotos were taken by photographer William Semeraro in Norway. That is why Marc Urselli gave all the songs titles inspired by Norwegian mythology. Lee Ranaldo - guitar, pedals, bells Jim Jarmusch - guitar, pedals, midi-synthesizer Marc Urselli - bass, laptop Balazs Pandi - drums https://trostrecords.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-3 2019 €20.00
RAPOON / RELAPXYCH.0 Amplified Transparency Reflection / Lost Terrain LP "Auf „amplified transparency reflection", der dronig-ambienten white label seite der rapoon / relapxych.0 lp auf dröhnhaus sind sie da. diese ausgefransten, oszillierenden ränder die der ruhe des kerns trotzen. und wie kleine fische immerzu um den rand des großen dunklen kerns huschen. und eine ruhige unruhe einbringen, die von der erfahrbarkeit des zentrums ablenkt. wie ein wispern, das da ist, aber nicht zu verstehen. und genau deshalb alle aufmerksamkeit auf sich zieht. mit dem unterschied, dass die wispernden flächen der „amplified transparency reflection" ihr geheimnis auch dann nicht preisgeben wollen, wenn sie verschiedentlich an kraft gewinnen. noch mit den rändern beschäftigt müssen die ohren stattdessen irritiert feststellen, dass auch dieser vermeintlich ruhige kern weder das eine noch ein homogener monolith ist: einzelnes pulsen, wie ein hervorplatzen, an- und abschwellende präsenz, alles oft unter dem deckmantel des wisperns; abgelenkt durch die ränder. und plötzlich verlässt die dunkle kugel ihren standort, besetzt harmonisch andere bahnen, fällt wieder zurück, eine ½ sekunde perkussion, wie vom himmel gefallen. und aus. auf der black label seite dann zwei exkursionen ins „lost terrain": aufschiefernde klaviertöne mit gehaltenem pedal, sich selbst zerschleifend. dazu botschaften jenseits von verständnis, der collagenhafte bruch und sturz in den sumpf einer wirbelnden fläche (+, entschuldigung, muss aber sein, so eine irgendwie klf / „chill out" referenz)und zack, das (wann?) verlorene terrain zurückgeholt. schnellst beendet, um platz zu machen für den zwilling (als „spatialXpansion remix): schräger, verstimmter, tiefer im spiegelkabinett. ausserweltlicher, unwirklicher; der zwilling, der sich zurückhält, nur um bei genauerer betrachtung noch viel mehr tiefe zu haben als der, der immer zuerst spricht. aber eben auch eine mit den gefährlichen stellen, den untiefen, den abgründen. individualbearbeitungscover, farbinlays, 200 stck. perfekt." [N, Unruhr.de] "...eine 3 Track LP , die Gestaltung der Cover wurde von behinderten Kindern übernommen und alles im Allen dient einem Caritativen Zweck , auf 200 Stück limitiert , jedes Cover ein Unikat." [label info] www.psych-kg.de 2009 €20.00
  Amplified Transparency Reflection / Lost Terrain (standard ed.) LP "Auf „amplified transparency reflection", der dronig-ambienten white label seite der rapoon / relapxych.0 lp auf dröhnhaus sind sie da. diese ausgefransten, oszillierenden ränder die der ruhe des kerns trotzen. und wie kleine fische immerzu um den rand des großen dunklen kerns huschen. und eine ruhige unruhe einbringen, die von der erfahrbarkeit des zentrums ablenkt. wie ein wispern, das da ist, aber nicht zu verstehen. und genau deshalb alle aufmerksamkeit auf sich zieht. mit dem unterschied, dass die wispernden flächen der „amplified transparency reflection" ihr geheimnis auch dann nicht preisgeben wollen, wenn sie verschiedentlich an kraft gewinnen. noch mit den rändern beschäftigt müssen die ohren stattdessen irritiert feststellen, dass auch dieser vermeintlich ruhige kern weder das eine noch ein homogener monolith ist: einzelnes pulsen, wie ein hervorplatzen, an- und abschwellende präsenz, alles oft unter dem deckmantel des wisperns; abgelenkt durch die ränder. und plötzlich verlässt die dunkle kugel ihren standort, besetzt harmonisch andere bahnen, fällt wieder zurück, eine ½ sekunde perkussion, wie vom himmel gefallen. und aus. auf der black label seite dann zwei exkursionen ins „lost terrain": aufschiefernde klaviertöne mit gehaltenem pedal, sich selbst zerschleifend. dazu botschaften jenseits von verständnis, der collagenhafte bruch und sturz in den sumpf einer wirbelnden fläche (+, entschuldigung, muss aber sein, so eine irgendwie klf / „chill out" referenz)und zack, das (wann?) verlorene terrain zurückgeholt. schnellst beendet, um platz zu machen für den zwilling (als „spatialXpansion remix): schräger, verstimmter, tiefer im spiegelkabinett. ausserweltlicher, unwirklicher; der zwilling, der sich zurückhält, nur um bei genauerer betrachtung noch viel mehr tiefe zu haben als der, der immer zuerst spricht. aber eben auch eine mit den gefährlichen stellen, den untiefen, den abgründen." [N, Unruhr.de] www.droehnhaus.de 2009 €10.00
RICHTER, MAX Disconnect (OST) CD "Jason Bateman and Alexander Skarsgard star is this drama centered on a group of people searching for human connections in today's wired world. Extremely well received on the festival circuit, LD Entertainment is releasing the picture in April. This album includes the entire score composed by Max Richter (Waltz With Bashir, Sarah's Key) for the film. It is an emotional and beautiful score which plays a central role in the film." [label info] www.milanrecords.com "One of the most beautiful and definitive tracks in Max Richter's ever-growing body of work is "On the Nature of Daylight" from The Blue Notebooks, the album that brought him to the attention of many critics and fans. Since that breakthrough, he's developed a niche as a composer ready and willing to revamp the classics, as he did with Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, as well as a sensitive and versatile composer of scores for films ranging from looks at the not-so-tame secret lives of domesticated animals (Die Fremde) to dystopian sci-fi (Perfect Sense). Richter's music for Disconnect is an intersection of those career paths: the score uses "Daylight" as its emotional and musical focus, surrounding it with pieces that echo and complement it. While Martin Scorsese's brain-twisting thriller Shutter Island also featured the piece prominently, here it's fundamental to the film and its exploration of how technology brings people together and (more often) pulls them apart. Cues like "The Swimmer" reprise "On the Nature of Daylight"'s beautifully somber violin melodies, while "Confrontation" pits them against pummeling electronic beats in a way that could be heavy-handed but maintains a dignified poignancy in Richter's hands. Elsewhere, the score borrows from other Blue Notebooks pieces like the lovely "Written on the Sky," or evokes them as on the mournful organ pieces "Hospital" and "The Gun." Given the film's tech fixation, most of the rest of Disconnect's music is more electronic and makes the most of Richter's minimalism, whether on brief, wash-like tracks such as "The Report" or more elaborate ones like "Zero Balance," which moves from delicate tones to more ominous ones as it progresses. Many of these tracks aren't as attention-getting as the ones that draw from Richter's classical roots, but his cues for Disconnect's action scenes are as tense as they are restrained; "Pursuit" and "Running" are just as taut, but far subtler, than a typical climactic score piece. Disconnect is of a piece with scores like Cliff Martinez's Traffic, where the music seems to just faintly tint the air with the proper mood. It may not be among Richter's richest works, but he provides what the film needs from its music with more depth and restraint than many other composers could have managed. ~ Heather Phares Audio Mixers: Michael Schubert; Max Richter." [Henry-Alex Rubin] 2013 €17.50
RISHAUG, ALEXANDER Shadow of Events LP "Rishaug's music is informed by classic minimal composers such as Steve Reich and Terry Riley as well as 90's electronica acts such as the Oval/Microstoria axis and like-minded but more obscure artists associated with the Mille Plateaux label (remember Neina?) but surely wouldn't be out of place on a contemporary label like Kranky or Type. Repetitive and seemingly simple melodic patterns are combined with (and sometimes obscured by) decaying monlithic drone layers creating a hazy melancholic landscape slowly unfolding its beauty. Granular shoegazy tones are building up in slow-motion recalling the patient yet precise and complex drone works of Stephan Mathieu, William Basinski and Machinefabriek's Dauw album." [label info] www.dekorder.de "A contender for album of the year status in my opinion; truly engaging and explorative, this is a refined and immersive work." (Future Sequence) "Shadow Of Events ist jetzt bereits das Ambient Album des Jahres 2011!" (Auf Abwegen) 2011 €13.00
ROSENFELD, MARINA Teenage Lontano LP Teenage Lontano and roygbiv&b, from 2008 and 2011 respectively, comprise two key works by composer and artist Marina Rosenfeld. Both works are choral compositions imagined for and enacted by teenagers. Premiered in New York’s immense Park Avenue Armory, Teenage Lontano is Rosenfeld’s groundbreaking "cover version" of Hungarian composer György Ligeti’s 1960s classic for orchestra. Teenage Lontano is reimagined as an immersive sound environment bisected by a column of teenagers in headphones. Beneath a loudspeaker rotating at the phonographic speed of 33 1/3 rpm, the teens' collective voices produce a hauntingly vulnerable account of Ligeti’s dissonant polychords. Teenage Lontano has been performed on three continents, including a French premiere in 2020 as part of Musica Strasbourg. In roygbiv&b, asynchronous, sometimes raucous incantations of song fragments swell and dissipate, loosely organized around a purposeful mis-hearing of the acronym ROYGBIV: in Rosenfeld’s version, “r” evokes ‘are' (as in, "Are you that somebody...”);, o is 'oh' (“Oh, oh, oh…”); y becomes 'why' (“Why should my heart...); g is 'je (sus)', and so on. The extra 'b' in the work’s title pays homage to the ‘blue(s)’ of r&b. Rosenfeld’s punning, spectral composition had its debut performance at the Museum of Modern Art in 2011. The recording featured on this edition took place at the South London Gallery in 2014 realised by local south Londoners, the recording highlighting their style and genre affiliations. Both works have remained unpublished until now. Side A Teenage Lontano, 2008 Recorded on March 8, 2008 at the Park Avenue Armory by Arup Acoustics for the 2008 Whitney Biennial. Special thanks to Art Production Fund, Bob Bielecki, Raj Patel and all of the NYC performers Side B roygbiv&b (Version for South London), 2014 Recorded on June 11, 2014 at South London Gallery, London by Mick Ritchie. Special thanks to Simon Parris, Avid Williams and the talented vocal stylists of Peckham and Brooklyn Mastered by Lawrence English at Negative Space https://room40.bandcamp.com/album/teenage-lontano 2021 €26.00
SALA Shcut enteRing worts CD Wer auf beschwörenden Okkult-Ambient-Industrial steht, ist bei SALA genau richtig. Geisterhaft tönende Loops & verfremdete Stimmenfetzen, Glöckchen- oder Triangelsounds, alles in sehr hypnotischer Bewegung irgendwo im Hallraum tauchen seltsame Geräusche auf (Akustikgitarren).... gewidmet Jhonn Balance! “Shcut enteRing worts” consists of two forceful tracks of “ritual ambient” style. They are not distinguished in the compact disk as the ritual couldn’t and shouldn’t be accelerated or perceived in separated pieces. Starting from hypnotic “mantra”, music gradually unravels to the strong and mystical “ambient”, the main feature of which being reiteration transmitted by the sound loops. These are organically supplemented by the tabors, bells, magic spells and mysterious sounds floating from the distance and generating only the strong mystic mood of the audience. Actually, concerning the impact, this music is in line with the works of world’s famous artists acting in this field – Coil, NWW, Omenya, Hybryds, Deutsch Nepal. The “Schut enteRing worts” album was recorded by the participants of SALA project when experimenting with Brion Gysin’s dream machine, which formerly inspired the well-known William S.Burroughs and had a strong psychedelic effect. Album's tracks listing: 1. His: Entering The Dream 2. The Last Words Of Hassan Sabbah Album lasts for 36 min. 26 sec. It’s packed in a nontypical black plastic DVD case. We recommend you to listen to “Schut enteRing worts” only on Hi-fi stereo. Limited edition 500 copies. CD is covered with special lackuer which smells like an almond.” [label info] www.autarkeia.org 2004 €12.00
SAVAGE REPUBLIC 1938 CD Eine DER Überraschungen des Jahres 2007 war das neue Album der "Art-Punk" Band aus L.A.! "Eigentlich könnte die kalifornische Band Savage Republic heutzutage auch eine große Legende in Sachen Art-Punk und experimenteller Indie-Musik sein, so wie Sonic Youth, Minuteman oder die Einstürzenden Neubauten. Warum man diese Band normalerweise nicht in einem Satz mit diesen Genre-Größen nennt, ist wohl eine ungerechte Laune der Musik-Geschichte, standen Savage Republic doch in den 80er Jahren eben mit diesen Bands zusammen auf einer Bühne. Savage Republic sind deshalb auch so etwas wie Art-Punk-Pioniere, die auch nicht vor den schrägsten musikalischen Einflüssen zurückschreckten. Da wurde der frühe West-Coast Hardcore-Punk genau so angesehen wie 60’s Psychedelic oder Ethno-Folk. Dick Dale gehörte genau so zu den Vorbildern wie Ennio Morricone oder Mikis Theodorakis. Vielleicht war es diese Verschrobenheit und Kreativität, weshalb der Band aus Los Angeles ein größeres Publikum verwehrt blieb. Nun nach 18 Jahren Pause gibt es endlich mit „1938“ ein neues Savage Republic Album. Und zu welchem Label würde dieses Album besser passen, als zum Neurosis-Label Neurot Recordings? Eben. Trotz seiner enormen Spielzeit von ca. 70 Minuten treten beim Hören von „1938“ an keiner Stelle Ermüdungserscheinungen oder Langeweile auf. Da finden sich auf dem fast instrumental eingespielten Album Industrial-Sounds, mittelalterliche Klänge, Folk-Elemente, Psychedelic, Kraut-Rock, Impro-Musik oder auch mal jazziges. Ein besonderer Fokus wird dabei auf die Percussion- und Schlagzeugarbeit gelegt, sodass Savage Republic trotz seiner Ausgefallenheit ein sehr rhythmisches Album ist. Freunde von Bands wie Pere Ubu, Can oder den Butthole Surfers könnten bei „1938“ ihre helle Freude haben. Die Betonung liegt dabei auf „könnte“, denn Savage Republic sind einfach zu Eigenständig und als Solitär im Musikgeschäft anzusehen, dass man diese Band nur mit Vorsicht in gewisse Schubladen stecken sollte." [Independentkicks.de] "Los Angeles art-punk pioneers Savage Republic have come roaring out of obscurity with 1938, their first full-length album of new material in 18 years-- hot on the heels of this spring's powerful Siam EP-- both on Neurot Records. Throughout the '80s Savage Republic was a deep-underground phenomenon, playing highly unorthodox shows in remote desert locations, abandoned factories, skid-row parking lots, and grimy bars across the US and Europe with such luminaries as Einstuerzende Neubaten, Minutemen, Sonic Youth, and Live Skull as well as hardcore-punk slugfests with the likes of Bad Religion, Angry Samoans, and Final Conflict. Known for their oddly tuned guitars, tribal beats, shouted vocals, metal percussion (typically 55-gallon oil drums and items gleaned from dumpsters and junkyards), and Morricone-meets-Dick Dale melodies, their performances were at times ritualistic and occassionally involved fire and explosives. In their current incarnation, Savage Republic core members Thom Fuhmann, Ethan Port and Greg Grunke are joined by UK punk-rock veteran Val Haller, whose resume includes stints with Wayne County, Flying Lizards, Lords of The New Church, and X-Ray Spex, and noted drummer and percussionist Alan Waddington, known for his tenure with The Unforgiven as well as live and studio work with everyone from Willie Nelson to Gwen Stefani. The album also features contributions by guest artists including multi-instrumentalist Tara T. Tavi, classical violinist Julia Zuker, and drummer Bryan Taylor. While staying true to their roots, Savage Republic have updated and expanded their singular Mediterranean-surf-soundtrack-folk-noise blend into a musical hybrid both contemporary and timeless. Trademark scrap-metal percussion and layers of guitar drone are now joined by spooky ambient textures evoking sonic landscapes exotic, dreamy and sinister. An undercurrent of dread is never too far away. In keeping with their tradition of graphic excellence, the album is packaged in a tri-fold cover designed by and featuring the photography of Ramona Clarke-Fuhrmann. " [press release] www.neurotrecordings.com www.mobilization.com 2007 €13.00
SCHNITZLER, CONRAD Auf dem schwarzen Kanal 12inch "Auf dem schwarzen Kanal" ist eine der herausstechendsten und gesuchtesten Veröffentlichungen in Conrad Schnitzlers umfangreichem Katalog. 1980 als einzige von Schnitzlers Platten bei einem Majorlabel veröffentlicht, war diese Maxi und insbesondere das Titelstück ein Flirt mit dem zeitgleich aufkommenden experimentellen New Wave und klang dennoch so eigenwillig wie keine andere Musik zu jener Zeit. Die zusammen mit Wolfgang Seidel entstandenen und in Peter Baumanns Berliner Paragon Studio aufgenommen vier Tracks sind ein bissiger, dissonante Mutant Disco Trip, der bis heute nichts von seiner Faszination eingebüßt hat. Bureau B freut sich dieses lange vergriffene Werk endlich wieder verfügbar zu machen! https://conradschnitzler.bandcamp.com/album/auf-dem-schwarzen-kanal 2020 €11.50
SHAKHNES, GRISHA Leave / Trace LP "Formerly operating under the name of Mites, Shakhnes has been recording and performing in Tel Avi, Israel since 2008. His work has been issued both privately in limited handmade CD-R editions, and internationally though Alamut Records (Jerusalem), Mystery Sea (Belgium), and Copy For Your Records (NYC). Consider 'leave/trace' a graduation ceremony, as Shakhnes steps away from pseudonymity and into the bright lights of his own exceptional music.'leave/trace' offers a compelling display of musical abstraction, blending field recordings from peculiar and mundane origins into sumptuously detailed and surreally original new forms. Shakhnes is deftly able to capture and juxtapose otherwise overlooked details of commonplace events, placing his work at the fulcrum of contemporary tape music. Never overly literal, 'leave/trace' instead allows the listener to find their own way through its compositions, granting rich reward for those willing to make the journey." [label info] glisteningexamples.com 2013 €19.00
SINGER, CLAIRE M. Solas do-CD "Solas (‘Light’ in Gaelic) is Claire M Singer’s debut album spanning 14 years of her work in acoustic and electronic composition. In recent years she has focused on writing and performing a mix of organ, cello and electronics with regular performances at Union Chapel where she is Music Director, running a diverse programme of concerts and educational workshops around the Chapel’s Henry Willis 1877 organ. Other performances include the Roundhouse London by The LCO Soloists; a' fàs soilleir, an audio-visual work, exhibited at Tate Modern London, XMV New York City and Ceremony Hall Austin TX and she has performed as part of Spire at Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter Cologne and many more. The Molendinar, which was co-commissioned in 2015 by Civic Room, Glasgow and Union Chapel, London to celebrate Glasgow’s Molendinar Burn Project will be performed on the 14th June 2016 at Glasgow Cathedral to conclude the weekend festival." 2016 €18.00
  Trian: Recent Works do-LP Vinyl edition of Solas (Touch TO:101) + Fairge on side 4. – Solas (‘Light’ in Gaelic) is Claire M Singer’s debut album spanning 14 years of her work in acoustic and electronic composition. In recent years she has focused on writing and performing a mix of organ, cello and electronics with regular performances at Union Chapel where she is Music Director, running a diverse programme of concerts and educational workshops around the Chapel’s Henry Willis 1877 organ. – Fairge : Recorded by Clare Gallagher at Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, 12th June 2017 on the transept organ built by Ahrend & Brunzema (1965) https://www.corticalart.com/product/claire-m-singer-trian-recent-works/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrIs5c5cedw&feature=youtu.be 2019 €20.00
SLEAFORD MODS Spare Ribs CD "Die motzenden Electro-Punks mit weiblicher Verstärkung. 2020, wir müssen reden! Corona, Brexit, Johnson, Trump und jede Menge andere Scheiße, die in der Welt vor sich geht. Für Jason Williamson und Andrew Fearn aka Sleaford Mods bietet dieses Seuchenjahr natürlich reichlich Material für ein neues Album. Jason Williamson spricht dabei die Sprache der Menschen auf der Straße, hat ein Gespür für ihre Sorgen sowie Nöte und trägt sein Herz stets auf der Zunge. Der Titel des sechsten Albums "Spare Ribs" bezieht sich auf die Corona-Krise in England, wo manchen politischen Eliten das Leben ihrer Mitmenschen verzichtbar erscheint. Erstmals bekam Williamson bei den Aufnahmen weibliche Unterstützung: auf dem Album findet man gleich zwei Duette, einmal mit der britischen Newcomerin Billy Nomates, zum zweiten mit Amy Taylor, Sängerin der australischen Punkband Amyl & The Sniffers. Poised to blow the cobwebs off life and unleash some much-needed wit and charm upon us, Sleaford Mods are back with their astonishing 6th studio album, entitled Spare Ribs. Recorded in lockdown in a furious three-week studio blitz at JT Soar in July, the polemical Jason Williamson and dexterous producer Andrew Fearn kick against the pricks with unrivalled bite, railing against hypocrisy, inequality and apathy with their inimitable, scabrous sense of humour. And Spare Ribs, featuring Amy Taylor of Melbourne punks Amyl and the Sniffers and the British newcomer Billy Nomates, finds the duo charged with ire at the UK Government’s sense of entitlement, epitomized by its devil-may-care approach to the coronavirus crisis. Commenting on the new album Jason says, “'Our lives are expendable under most governments, secondary under a system of monetary rule. We are stock if you like, parts on a shelf for the purposes of profit, discarded at any moment if fabricated or non-fabricated crisis threatens productivity. This is constant, obviously and notably in the current pandemic. The masses cannot be present in the minds of ill-fitting leaders, surely? Or else the realisation of their catastrophic management would cripple their minds. Much like the human body can still survive without a full set of ribs we are all 'spare ribs’, preservation for capitalism, through ignorance and remote rule, available for parts.” https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/sleaford-mods/spare-ribs 2021 €12.00
  UK GRIM CD Krieg, steigende Energiekosten, Inflation. Eine politische Klasse und ein gespaltenes Land. Das Unbehagen nach dem Brexit, Akte nationaler Selbstbeschädigung und verhängnisvolle Realitätsfluchten. Verzweiflung, Wut und Entfremdung. War es jemals schlimmer da draußen? Willkommen bei "UK Grim". Das zwölfte Album der Sleaford Mods baut auf den einzigartigen, aufrührerischen Stärken früherer Alben auf und verfeinert sie gleichzeitig auf eine neue Weise. Es handelt sich um nichts Geringeres als eine Band und eine Stimme ihrer Generation, so wie es The Jam, The Clash oder Public Enemy zuvor waren. Begonnen haben die Arbeiten zum neuen Album in den Lockdowns von 2021. Schließlich setzte man die Arbeit im JT Soars fort, dem Arbeitsraum und der Kreativzelle der Band, und vollendet "UK Grim" dann im Heimstudio des musikalischen Kopfes Andrew Fearn. Das Album präsentiert die Band in ihrer makellosesten Wut, gepaart mit wilder Poesie. Nach "Spare Ribs" von 2021 (ihrem dritten UK-Top-Ten-Album seit 2019 und ihrem bisher erfolgreichsten) ist es, wie alle ihre Platten, eine Diagnose der Krankheiten der Gesellschaft. Obwohl "UK Grim" größtenteils vor den Turbulenzen des Jahres 2022 entstanden ist, nimmt es die Erschütterungen einer Gesellschaft, die den Verstand verliert, auf unheimliche Weise vorweg, erzählt von einem Mann, der entschlossen ist, sich mit Heucheleien auseinanderzusetzen, insbesondere mit seinen eigenen. Die 14 Tracks klingen nach knarzigem Punk, widerspenstiger Elektronik und Elementen von Hip-Hop. Sie beschreiben die Realität in zu brutaler Unverblümtheit, um nur einfache Protestsongs zu sein. Sie sind zu Vinyl gewordene Wut, aufgekocht von den Großmeistern des pointierten Zorns - den Sleaford Mods! Wie bei den "Spare Ribs" Kollaborationen mit Billy Nomates und Amy Taylor helfen auch bei "UK Grim" Freunde aus: Florence Shaw von Dry Cleaning ist auf dem schaurigen "Force 10 From Navarone" zu Gast. Williamson ist ein Fan der Band und sagt: "Sie erinnert mich wirklich an die frühen Sachen, die ich gemacht habe, einfach die Art und Weise, wie sie ein einziges Wort benutzt, um eine ganze Geschichte zu erzählen." Perry Farrell von Jane"s Addiction rappt auf dem bizarren "So Trendy", einem Song, von dem Williamson sagt, er sei "sehr vorsichtig... ein wirklich seltsamer Track". Seit ihrem Durchbruch-Album "Divide and Exit" von 2014 hatten die Sleaford Mods immer mehr Gelegenheit zum offenen Austausch, sowohl im In- als auch im Ausland. Sie sind eine unermüdlich arbeitende Band, die mit ihren minimalistischen Liveshows unter anderem 2021 in der 10.000 Zuschauer fassenden Nottingham Motorpoint Arena auftrat. Zu den weiteren Meilensteinen ihres Erfolgs gehören Auftritte im US-Late-Night-TV, Headliner-Auftritte auf Festivals und Chart-Platzierungen in ganz Europa mit "Spare Ribs". Ein großer Bewunderer ist Iggy Pop, der der Band mit einer persönlichen Version des Drogenrausch-Grand-Guignols "Chop Chop Chop" Tribut gezollt hat. 2023 €12.00
SMALL CRUEL PARTY H​σ​υ​χ​α​σ​μ​ό​ς / Hesychasmus 10inch "Small Cruel Party's rebirth is complete and has found a home with Ferns Recordings, who have already released a few of his works. Here's a new one (actually a re-issue of a cassette from 2019 by Banned Productions), with a Greek title, 'Ἡ​σ​υ​χ​α​σ​μ​ό​ς', which means 'thank you' (according to Google translate). Each side contains one ten/eleven-minute piece of music. 'Propagation d'un ph​é​nom​è​ne ondulatoir' (meaning 'Propagation of a wave phenomenon') and 'Quemadmodum cevi ad fortes aquarum' (meaning 'In the same way I came to the strong waters'). The thank you's on the cover are also in Latin, and I think it also says that he recorded the music last year. As always, everything with Small Cruel Party things is very cryptic here. A nightmare for the reviewer but also a good part of the fun. Everything becomes a form of poetry within the whole body of work that Small Cruel Party presents. The first piece consists of rhythmic flickering that finds its way through various delay pedals, which, as these things go with delay pedals, go in overdrive. I assume many musicians would find this out as unwanted distortion, but William Ransome, mister Party, leaves such things in; all part of the minimal process of the music, I assume. The minimalism of the other side works differently. On the first side, these are waves followed by quieter parts, but on the second side, the minimalism is continuous, with a slow variation. The music does a very slow phase-shifting, and further on in the piece, there is also a loop of percussive sound (a metal cup being struck) and the delay pedals working their magic over time again. Music that is the result of direct action or, perhaps, part of a ritual that happens to also involve music? I don't know, but as with so many works by Small Cruel Party, I found this fascinating music, and it could have easily had an LP-sized length." [FdW/Vital Weekly] 2023 €16.50
  Ancien des Jours 7inch listen: https://fernsrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/ancien-des-jours Exclusive distribution. Mastered by Scott Konzelmann, cover art and letterpress printing by Patrick Barber, label art put into form by John Hubbard. "When Small Cruel Party was active in the early 90s (before going on a long hiatus), there were several 7" releases, a format William Ransone seemed to enjoyed for his somehwat conceptual releases. Now there is a new 7" and in both pieces he uses sounds from a radio. First there is 'Qui se poursuit dans le vide et substitue à son accomplissement une horrible exaspération' (meaning 'Which continues in the void and substitutes for its accomplishment a horrible exasperation'), which was recorded for a WFMU fund raiser (download only), and is a close to six minute piece of strange sounds, in which I found it hard to recognize the radio. There was a sort of cut-up sound, mildly bouncing through sound effects, but also loops of what sounded like a violin. Strange but very effective. Google translate couldn't come up with a sensible translation of 'Ka jengbarsi wolinje', clocking at 06:49. The source material was already recorded in 1988 and reworked and edited in spring of 2022, in France (the home country of Small Cruel Party since many years). There is less of a stutter here, and, instead, more loops that shift around a bit, creating a denser pattern. Maybe some piano music lifted from the radio along with a loop and all grows minimally and organically into an even tighter mass of sound. The music sounds very much like the work from his early days. I have a slight preference for the second side, but I enjoyed both a lot, even when reviewing 7" releases is not something I like." [FdW / Vital Weekly] 2023 €12.00
SMITH, CHAS An Hour Out of Desert Center CD Auf dem aktuellen Werk klingt SMITH wesentlich leichter und soft-ambienter als zuvor, eine Nähe zu VIDNA OBMANA ist unverkennbar, aber mit stärker metallischem Einschlag. Sphärenklang, der IST. "An Hour Out of Desert Center is scored for pedal steel guitars, composer-designed-and-built crotales and sound sculptures, zithers, and a 1948 Bigsby lap guitar (a one-of-a-kind instrument that was owned by famed steel player Joaquin Murphey, who played with Spade Cooley, Tex Williams, Sons of the Pioneer, and other classic country artists). Here, Smith’s musical texture, evolving slowly and continuously over the course of the piece, is without dramatic flourishes. Like the spare landscapes around Desert Center, California, it simply exists in its muted beauty. Absence of Redemption and Albuquerque 5402 are scored for the same instruments as the first work, but with the addition of Smith’s self-designed-and-built three-neck steel guitar, "guitarzilla," which he prepares (a la John Cage’s prepared piano) with metal rods and plays with hammered dulcimer hammers. Absence develops in the linear fashion of the first piece. Albuquerque 5402 is a large-scale, two-movement piece constructed from dense, shifting textures that slowly taper away in the first movement and interweave in the next. " [label description] 2003 €14.00
SPECIMENS Sculptures LP "UK electronic & ambient experimentalist Specimens presents his debut album ‘Sculptures’. Featuring artwork by the award winning Australian artist Kieran Ingram and mastered by Room 40 label boss and cornerstone of the Drone/Ambient music world Lawrence English. ‘Sculptures’ is a delicately and painstaking put together debut album, it follows up from releases on A Giant Fern, Amsterdam based Shimmering Moods Records & the collaborative Specimens x Daniel Wiesmayr release ‘Water & Concrete’ on London’s Tenderly Surrender, the title track of which soundtracked a short from film maker & director Sophie Littman & went on to get over 20,000 views in it’s Nowness premiere. 

Wearing his influences on his sleeve & with a nod to past and present noise pioneers such as Throbbing Gristle, Leyland Kirby, K.Leimer and Ben Frost, the record pans between a dream-like fog on the tracks "Cerulean Forest” & “French Morning” and cold industrial chops on “A Marble Hallway”. 

Specimens said of this release “I didn’t want to make a record intentionally difficult to listen to, but I wanted uncomfortable moments, It was important for me to try and make the record sound as human as possible and in some places distinclty live"

The lighter more gentle moments hold together the records more jagged edges, occasionally leaning towards a more classical feel, in a way the likes of William Basinski & Sean McCann display with regular expertise, this is best illustrated in the tracks “Piano Loops” & “VI.VI.MMXV”. Samples of Sudanese wrestling & Tuvan Throat Singing give the record the “human” feel Specimens describes and adds a charm which prevents the record from ever feeling too slick.

Over the past 18 months Specimens has been collaborating and releasing singles and EPs at a pace that hints at an artist never fully satisfied with sitting on a project, in this process he has undeniably broadened his creative sphere whilst also honing in on a sound unmistakably his own, the a result is a record distinctly individual and unapologetically enjoyable to engage with." [label info] 2016 €18.00
SPOONBENDER 1.1.1. Stereo Telepathy Academy CD Die Zahl 3, Synchronizität, Telepathie, David Cronenberg, „Third Mind“-Technik: San Francisco’s SPOONBENDER 1.1.1 ist eher ein Projekt zur Erforschung parapsychischer Phänomene als eine reine Musikgruppe. Hier enthalten ein 40 minütiger one-tracker mit elektronischen Sounds & Film-Text-Schnipseln, der ein Experiment dokumentiert, das auf Burroughs / Gysins – Third Mind-Technik basiert, wo zwei Filmquellen miteinander verbunden werden, die eigentlich nichts miteinander zu tun haben, um synchronizitäre Verbindungen herzustellen. Nummerierte Auflage von 333 Stück, und bereits weg beim Label ! “Spoonbender 1.1.1’s Stereo Telepathy Academy is fucking mental. And essential. Truly alien, Truly progressive, and likely to be misunderstood by all but the committed. A true classic on par with COILANS and NWW’s Soliloquy For Lilith. I’ve listened to it obsessively for weeks, and i’m afraid to go near this whilst on drugs! DEEP AND ESSENTIAL!..” [UKDave, KFJC Reviews] “In 1913, Marcel Duchamp dropped three pieces of string, each a meter long, from a height equal to their length. He then cut shapes into pieces of wood in order to document the rumpled line of his three fallen strings. In essence, Duchamp conceived his 3 Standard Stoppages as a preservation of chance, which he viewed as a means to combat logical reality. In addition to Duchamp's self-proclaimed antipathy to the rational world, he was quite particular in how he contextualized and executed his ideas through readymade objects, chance operations, and his notorious psycho-sexually charged dioramas. It is this dualism between the chance operation and an absolute intellectual/technical control which brings us to the present age, and to Spoonbender 1.1.1 in particular, where the acceptance and integration of opposites results in the 3rd option: everything. The San Francisco-based Spoonbender 1.1.1 outlines itself as the 'tele-ambient dream self' of the critically-acclaimed, 'populist avant-tronics and media group' I Am Spoonbender. It is important to note that Spoonbender 1.1.1 declares itself not a side project of I Am Spoonbender, but a psychologically immersive extension of the central IAS concept. Both projects uncover the hidden connections that lie beneath the surface of reality by delving into the arenas of paranormal research - the exploration of the occult significance surrounding the number 3 and its strange laws, for example - but the intended outcomes for these concepts are decidedly different. For Stereo Telepathy Academy, Spoonbender 1.1.1 exercises psychic community through the architecture of the soundtrack. At the beginning of the first transmission of Stereo Telepathy Academy on November 3rd, 2004 - a performance where the group supported Genesis P-Orridge's PTV3 - 1.1.1's Dustin Donaldson announced that "tonight's Spoonbender 1.1.1 show is governed by chance operations and the 'third mind' technique. Spoken text was taken from one film, overlayed onto images from another film, and the score was composed while viewing a third (and secret) film source. The synchronistic results appear to be intentional." Such was the strategy of Duchamp's aforementioned piece nearly a century ago; but Spoonbender 1.1.1's collision of artforms also employs the technique found in the William S. Burroughs / Brion Gyson classic The Third Mind. As the images of David Cronenberg's rarely seen film Crimes Of The Future flickered, Spoonbender 1.1.1 radiated an inverted telekinetic minimalism of undulating tones supporting the third piece of the puzzle: spoken text from Cronenberg's Stereo, a faux-documentary detailing a surgical procedure for the advancement of telepathic communication. The result is a sort of Wizard Of Oz / Dark Side Of The Moon for the mimetic engineering mindset. The same principles and elements apply for Stereo Telepathy Academy, the group's long-awaited debut studio recording (1.1.1 has existed solely as a live group for years). This marks the second of three editions to be released. The first was an edition of 111, documenting the aforementioned live performance; the second is this edition of 333, sporting handsomely letterpressed artwork; the third and final edition will be a unique art piece in an edition of a mere 3 copies.” [label notes] "Edition 2 (studio version) of the Spoonbender 1.1.1 Stereo Telepathy Academy trilogy... Simply put, this is a weird-as-hell, warped, late night, difficult-listening 'trip' for all you aQers looking for truly strange atmospheres... Okay, first things first; Spoonbender 1.1.1 is not a side-project of I Am Spoonbender. The duo of Dustin Donaldson and Cup consider Spoonbender 1.1.1 to be a self-contained project that ventures outside the 'populist avant-tronics' of I Am Spoonbender into the realms of sidereal soundtrack music, the transmission of ideas through subliminal means, manifestations of 'third mind' techniques, and the non-logic of chance operations. Not so different on paper, but put another way: there are no drums, singing, or 'songs' in the 1.1.1 project. The material for Stereo Telepathy Academy was debuted during a live performance in which Spoonbender 1.1.1 performed with (appropriately enough) Psychic TV; however, for the second edition of Stereo Telepathy Academy, Spoonbender 1.1.1 recomposed all of the material in the studio -- expanding and elaborating on their live performance, and making for a distinctly new and different listening experience that stand on its own with or without the visual accompaniment. That said, as in the first edition, Stereo Telepathy Academy features "text taken from one film, overlaid on images from another, and the audio score was written around a different, third film... the results appear to be intentional" for a sort of 'Wizard Of Oz/Dark Side Of The Moon' for telekinetics. The J.G. Ballard-esque text was taken from David Cronenberg's 1969 student film 'Stereo', a faux-documentary detailing the work of a Dr. Luther Stringfellow, which concerns surgical procedures for the advancement of telepathic communication, while the visuals came from 'Crimes Of The Future' (another Cronenberg film, which transpires in an urban dystopia populated by pedophiles and oozing victims from a female-eliminating cosmetics related catastrophe). As creepy and sterile as the images were, we have to say that its Canadian-ness was positively charming, somehow. In their score, Spoonbender 1.1.1 lunges ominously forward with an otherworldly radiance of slow motion electronic pulses and melodies that retain an even darker hue than that of Klaus Schulze, Coil (e.g. Coilans / Time Machines), and Alan Splet, who are probably Spoonbender 1.1.1's closest sonic neighbors. Given the nature of their intense, masterfully detailed sea of electric sound, Spoonbender 1.1.1 hedged their bets that Cronenberg's pseudo-scientific spoken text would situate nicely against their audio. And indeed, this freakish document of prepared-chance context, atmosphere and appropriation works exceptionally well. PLEASE NOTE: In keeping with the numerological-binding-of-3 theme, there will be 3 released versions of Stereo Telepathy Academy, all with different packaging. The first version arrived as a cd-r edition of 111 copies sporting a white glove as an allusion to 'Crimes Of The Future' (now out of print). This is the second edition, a proper disc that comes with letterpressed artwork in an edition of 333. The final edition will be in an edition of only 3 copies!" [Aquarius Records] 2006 €13.00
SUNDSTRÖM, ISAK Five Dramas LP The histrionic Swedish artist Isak Sundström (Rocks & Waves Song Circle) embraces the fascinating sound world of the "spoken word", infusing new expressive perspectives to this genre with original sensitivity. These five vocal dramas are based on the subtitles of some films by Douglas Kirk, texts that describe the sound effects and events that occur outside the screen. But the result is rather that of a new dissolved narrative, of another space that explores the boundaries of emotional imagination. In this way, the poetic interest seems to fall on the totality of human existence, in an open dialectic between earthly and supernatural, profane and religious, nature and divinity, heaven and hell, light and darkness. The atmospheric frame is supported by an electronic carpet, drops of piano fall soft and slow, while the modulations of the voice are enriched and intensified by a colorful orchestra of percussion and wind instruments. The narrator's voice of Vincent Williams has something of the typical "black" vocal emphasis of American spiritual jazz, but which alternate with moments of pathos and ecstatic transcendence typically Nordic and European. 2018 €19.50
TEFITON (VAN BEBBER, CLAUS / ERHART HIRT) Tefiton LP "tefiton features over 40 minutes of thickly layered and at places elegantly slick noise textures generated from electronics, feedback and turntable. tefiton features ulrich krieger (zeitkratzer, sonic youth collaborator) on saxophone on one track. the overall sound shifts between almost classical improv and abrasive moments more known from the field of noise music. claus van bebber (turntables) has been a founding member of the artist collective heinrich mucken (1982-1990) and as a sound artists has collaborated with erhard hirt, paul hubweber, philip jeck, helmut lemke, michael vorfeld and more. erhard hirt (guitar + live electronics) works since the 1970ies as a musician and promoter/curator in the field of improvised and experimental music and collaborated with derek bailey, stephan wittwer, davey williams, eugene chadbourne, hans reichel and many more." [label descriptions] label: www.aufabwegen.de 2005 €13.00
TESTCARD # 14 : DISCOVER AMERICA BOOK Inhaltsverzeichnis Jens Thomas: Alle gegen einen. Ursachen und Folgen des Antiamerikanismus. Oliver Uschmann: Die Guten und die Bösen. Beobachtungen zum amerikanischen Aufstand gegen George W. Bush. Martin Büsser: Befreite Klänge. Die neue Lust an Experiment und Kollektiv – von BLACK DICE bis Load Records. Christoph Jacke: Quiet Is The New Loud – neue stille Songschreiber in den USA oder das Dazwischen von Punk und Techno. Thomas Venker: AEM. American Electronic Music – Sounds ohne local scene(s). Matthias Schönebäumer: We Almost Lost Detroit. Pop-Standort Detroit: Schwarze Musikkultur zwischen Verfall und Aufschwung. Yvonne Kunz: Williamsburg-Porträt. Christian Schmidt: Von Amerika lernen heißt siegen lernen! Die US-Zine-Kultur. Jens Petz Kastner: »¡Vivan las Americas!« Neozapatismus und Popkultur. Roger Behrens: Bossa Nova. Fünf Versuche einer Annäherung. Robert Engelbrecht : Das Brummen eines Kontinents. Drones und Minimalismus. Hans Plesch: Christian Wolff und Frederic Rzewski. Zwei amerikanische Komponisten. Yvonne Kunz : U.S.A. à la Carte. GRAND BUFFET: Independent im Wildlife Park des weißen Mittelstandsamerika. Silke Hackenesch: The Wrong Nigga to Fuck Wit!: Die HipHop-Kultur als zeitgenössische Form des Black Freedom Struggle? Simon Strick: Rap und Tod. Vom Gangsta-Rap zu den amerikanischen Rap-Megastars der 1990er. Ina Beyer: Smells like Queer Spirit.Tim Stüttgen: Made in USA: Gender Studies und ihre Wirkung auf die Popkultur. Katja Scheer: »White Fantasy of Overcoming Racism« – Die Riot Grrrl-Bewegung zwischen Anspruch und der Bildung eines weißen Subjekts »Grrrl« Martin Büsser: Beschädigte Provinz. Die Filme des Harmony Korine. Holger Roemers: »It’s A Whole New World Out There«. 54, ALMOST FAMOUS und ROCK STAR: Hollywoodfilme über das Pop-Milieu. Andreas Rauscher: Doing The Right Thing – Die Filme des Spike Lee. Thomas Ballhausen: Jacob’s Ladder. Das Vietnamtrauma im Horrorfilm. Marcus Stiglegger: Heimatfilme ... Discovering Oliver Stones Amerika Susann Witt-Stahl: Im Gespräch mit Moshe Zuckermann Franziska Meifert: USA-Lektüren. Eine aktuelle Bücherschau. Manfred Heinfeldner: Im Rhythmus des Beat – Das andere Amerika schrei(b)t: Kerouac und Co revoltieren gegen Mainstream USA Peter Bräunlein: Kritischer Cowboy. Kinky Friedman zwischen Subversion und Klamauk. Bernhard Herbordt: Komar & Melamid – Mythos, American Dreams und die Affirmative Ästhetik. Rezensionen Zurück www.testcard.de 2005 €10.00
#23: TRANSZENDENZ - Ausweg, Fluchtweg, Holzweg? BOOK In der avancierten Popkritik genießt Transzendenz keinen guten Ruf. Im frühen Punk wurde ein explizites Transzendenzverbot ausgerufen; das bewegungslinke Lager denunzierte das »Ausklinken« als konter­revolutionär oder verklärte es im Reggae zum »anti­imperialistischen Befreiungskampf«. Als der moderne Pop in den 1950ern entstand, war er das Immanenteste überhaupt geschaffen für das reine Diesseits. Das Jenseits, die Transzendenz, tauchte lediglich ironisch gebrochen, als Diskurs zweiter Ordnung auf. Erst ab den 1960ern lassen sich explizite Transzendenz-Momente im Popkosmos finden. Und gleichzeitig wurde Kritik laut: Was ins Jenseits ausgreift, ist entweder kein Pop oder schlechter Pop. Doch Pop störte sich nicht daran, brachte das Transzendente als Leerstelle zum Schwingen und füllte diese mit Schlagworten aus dem Fundus von Esoterik, Raumfahrt und Psychedelic. Kurz darauf wurde das Transzendente offensichtlich gemacht. Christlicher Rock und der islamisierte Cat Stevens wollten den Pop missionieren, Heavy Metal verklärte ein negatives Christentum. Und im Krautrock, im Jazz und in der experimentellen Musik diente ein Spiritualitätsgestus stets der Abgrenzung zu den Niederungen der Popkultur. In den 1990ern wurde die Transzendenz dann rehabilitiert, zumindest solange sie nicht mit säkular-moralischen Normen in Konflikt geriet. Dem Jenseits brachte man dieselbe diffuse Toleranz entgegen, wie den meisten anderen Pop-Phänomenen auch. Heute bedienen Neo-Drone und Neo-Psych ein bestimmtes Marktsegment unter vielen gleichwertigen. Und damit macht sich Sprachlosigkeit breit. Wie reden wir über spiritistischen Neo-Folk oder Hauntology, wenn die politisch inspirierten Kategorien der Vergangenheit ebenso wenig greifen wollen wie diejenigen der Weltflucht? Und was genau ist das Transzendente an der gegenwärtigen Entgrenzung der Stile? Inhaltsverzeichnis Johannes Ullmaier: Worüber man nicht reden kann, darüber. Transzendenz und ihre Rolle in Musik und Popkultur Roger Behrens: Der Geist der Utopie Thomas Hübener: Notizen zur Transzendenz im Säkularpop Martin Niederauer: »If you find earth boring …«. Spiritualität und Religiosität im Jazz und die Interpretationen des Unbestimmten Holger Adam: Spirituelle Neuorientierung jenseits von Krautrock und Neuer Musik. Peter Michael Hamels Musik der 1970er-Jahre Volker Zander: Moondogs Oberton-Kontinuum Wolfgang Brauneis: »Ich lebe in meinem eigenen Königreich«. Zu Michael Buthes Kunst der 1970er-Jahre Tim Stüttgen: Sun Ra: Kosmischer Noise. Eine quare Lesart von Sun Ras musika-lischer und performativer Praxis im Schatten der Sklaverei-Geschichte ?Move On Up. Die große Transzendenz-Diskografie Frank Apunkt Schneider / Didi Neidhart: Discotranszendenz & Distant Thunder … Transpirationen am Tag danach Franziska Meifert: Turn on, tune in, drop out! LSD, Musik, Transzendenz Alexander Nym: Vom Pilzkult zur Popkultur. Entheogene im Dienst des kulturellen Wandels Michael Horowitz: Tickets zur Transzendenz Sascha Hommer / Martina Lenzin: Parolen aus der Stadt. Abenteuer eines Wolfes. Episode zwei Christian Werthschulte: »Wir leben in einer Nicht-Zeit«. Ein Gespräch mit Mark Fisher über die Geister der Zukunft David Schwertgen: Was soll denn eigentlich verschwunden sein? Vaporwave und die Leere hinter der Oberfläche Raphael Smarzoch: Schwellenakustik. Liminale Klanglandschaften in und jenseits von Pascal Laugiers Martyrs Flora Könemann: Text, Ton, Stimme, Frequenz. Transzendenz? Das (un-)stimmige der (eigenen) Stimme Hendrik Otremba: Tobias Gruben und die Wahrheit. Zur Erinnerung an einen fast Vergessenen Wolfgang Buechs / Jonas Engelmann / Jens Meisenheimer: Jurpolp From an Unknown Planet. Sun Ra antwortet Marius Henderson: Soft Berry Metal. Eine »häretische« Annäherung an Black Metal Theory Gerald Fiebig: (Verheißungs-?)Volle Dröhnung. Dronemusik und spätmoderne Zeiterfahrung Peter Scheiffele: Vodou. Eine politisch-religiöse Praxis zwischen Revolution und Überlebenskampf Sandro Holzheimer: Yeah Science!? Die Transzendenz des neuen Atheismus Jasper Nicolaisen: Wir sind hier nicht in Wittenberg, Martin … 95 Thesen zur Möglichkeit einer emanzipatorischen Religion Rezensionen Tonträger A. K. KLOSOWSKI & PYROLATOR: Home-Taping Is Killing Music AARON DILLOWAY: Siena AARON MOORE & THIERRY MUELLER: Today Is Yesterday’s Tomorrow ALAHUTA: First Connexion ANDREAS DORAU: Ärger mit der Unsterblichkeit / Demokratie ANDY STOTT: Luxury Probelms ANIKA: EP ANNE-JAMES CHATON / ANDY MOOR: Transfer ASHLEY PAUL: Line The Clouds ASH ­WEDNESDAY: Love And Other Numbers BEAK>: Beak>> / Beak>> Bonustracks / 0898/Welcome To The Machine BORIS HEGENBART & 19 ARTISTS: Instrumentarium BRENDA RAY: D’Ya Hear Me: Naffi Years 1979–83 BROADCAST: Berberian Sound Studio BRR: s/t Buch BUDHADITYA CHATTOPADHYAY: Eye Contact With The City BUKE AND GASE: General Dome CANDELILLA: Heart Mutter CHAD VANGAALEN & XIU XIU: The Green Corridor II CHARLATAN: Isolatarium CHARLATAN MEETS THE NORTH SEA: Emerald Eyes CHICALOYOH: Thébaïde Des Pierres Bleues / In My Garden Shed/Vol. 2 / Les Fantômes Sortent Des Racines CHRISTINE SUN KIM / WOLFGANG MÜLLER: Panning Fanning CHUZPE: 1000 Takte Tanz CLASSLESS KULLA & ISTARI LASTERFAHRER: Auf & Zustände COLIN STETSON: New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light CONRAD SCHNITZLER: rot / blau / Consequenz / CON 3 CROCODILES: Endless Flowers DAGOBERT: Dagobert DAVID FENECH: Grand Huit DAVID ROTHENBERG: Bug Music DEMDIKE STARE: Testpressing #1 und #2 DER PLAN:: Die letzte Rache DER PLAN: Geri Reig / Normalette Surprise / Die Letzte Rache / JaPlan DIE NERVEN: Fluidum DIE TÖDLICHE ­DORIS: Losspielen DIVERSE: Noise of Cologne 2 DOLDRUMS: Lesser Evil DRACULA LEWIS: Permafrost EP DROPOUT PATROL: s/t EKKEHARD EHLERS: Adikia EMIL RICHARDS: Stones – Journey to Bliss ENSEMBLE PEARL: S/T FIELD ROTATION: Fatalist: The Repetition Of History FREIBURG: Aufbruch GEOFF BARROW/BEN SALISBURY: Drokk: Music Inspired By Mega-City One GHOST TIME: Ghost Time GIANNI GUIBLENA ROSACROCE: La Piramide Di Sangue / La Mia Africa GRAFZAHL: Der Rückzug ins Private GRAVETEMPLE: Ambient/Ruin GROUPER: Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill / The Man Who Died In His Boat HAFTBEFEHL: Blockplatin HANS W. KOCH / THOMAS LEHN / BEN PATTERSON / JOSEF CSERES: Requiem For A Baby Grand. Final Piano Music For 8 Hands And Tools HECKER: Chimerization (english) / Chimerization (farsi) / Chimerization (deutsch) HOTEL MORPHILA ORCHESTER: Schwarze Energie IANNIS XENAKIS: GRM Works 1957–1962 IGOR WAKHÉVITCH: Logos / Hathor / Docteur Faust / Nagual / Les Fous d’Or / Let’s Start ILLUSION OF SAFETY: Sweet Dreams JACK DICE: Block Motel JENNIFER VEILLEROBE: Luftlöcher JESSIKA KENNEY & EYVIND KANG: The Face Of The Earth JE SUIS LE PETIT CHEVALIER: An Age Of Wonder JOHN FAHEY: Voice Of The Turtle / Transcendental Waterfall: Guitar Excursions 1962–1967 JOHN ZORN / MOONCHILD TRIO: Templars – In Sarcred Blood JUKEBOX MAMBO: Rumba And Afro-Latin Accendet Rhythm & Blues 1949–1960 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: The 20/20 Experience KETTCAR: Zwischen den Runden KIASMOS: Throwna EP KIKO C. ESSEIVA: Drôles d’oiseaux KLUSTER: Klusterstraße 69–72 KOFELGSCHROA: Kofelgschroa KOMMANDO SONNE-NMILCH: You Pay I Fuck KUUPUU: Sous Juju / Sisar LAURIE SPIEGEL: The Expanding Universe LORD HURON: Lonesome Dreams LORD TANG: Lord Tang LUBOMYR MELNYK: Corollaries LUNAR ABYSS DEUS ORGANUM: Atanimonni Aitnatsbus MARCUS WIEBUSCH: Hinfort ! Feindliche Macht MARK LORENZ KYSELA: Eins+ MATS GUSTAFSSON / PAAL NILSSEN: Love / I Love It When You Snore MATT CARLSON: All Moments MICHAEL PRICE: A Stillness MILES: Faint Harted MODERN PETS: Excessive/Organic Kidneys MOON DUO: Circles MUTTER: 25 MV&EE: Fuzzweed / Zebulon Residency NATHAN BOWLES: A Bottle, A Buckeye NEIL ARDLEY: A Symphony of Amaranths NILS FRAHM: Screws NILS WOGRAM / SIMON NABATOV: Moodes And Modes NORBERT MÖSLANG: Indoor_Outdoor / The Sound of Insects ONEIROGEN: Kiasma ORBIT THE EARTH: Aphelion OTIS G. JOHNSON: Everything – God Is Love 78 P16.D4: Passagen (6CD+) PALAIS SCHAUMBURG: Palais Schaumburg PELT: Effigy PETER BRODERICK: These Walls Of Mine PETRELS: Onkalo PRSZR: Equilibrium PTTRNS: Body Pressure PYROLATOR: Inland / Ausland / Pyrolator’s Wunderland / Pyrolator’s Traumland / Neuland RACHUT/LANDSCHIER: Blinder Mond RAINER VEIL: Struck RED MATH: Obsolete Systems ROBBIE BASHO: Seal Of The Blue Lotus RUTH FEAT. MUSHY: Far From Paradise SAFFRONKEIRA: Tourette SCHORSCH KAMERUN: Der Mensch lässt nach SELVHENTER: Fricka B. Fricka / s/t SLEAFORD MODS: Austerity Dogs SPRINGINTGUT: Where We Need No Map STEPHEN MALKMUS AND FRIENDS: Can’s Ege Bamyasi SUN PAPA & THE FAN CLUB ORCHESTRA: An Insane Portrait SUUM CUIQUE: Ascetic Ideals SUZANNE CIANI: Seven Waves / Lixiviation Ciani/Musica Inc. 1969–1985 / Voices of Packaged Souls SWEET VALLEY: Stay Calm / Eternal Champ / Jenova THE BLACK TWIG PICKERS: Rough Carpenters THE COSMIC JOKERS: The Cosmic Jokers THE EX & BRASS UNBOUND: Enormous Door THE NORTH SEA: Grandeur & Weakness THE PETER BRÖTZMANN CHICAGO TENTET: Concert For Fukushima, Wels 2011 THE SCHWARZENBACH: Farnschiffe THE SOUND OF GERI REIG. Düsseldorf – San José 1979. The Original Tapes UN-KOMMUNITI: Black Dwarf Wreckordings 83–85 URBAN HOMES: Centres V. A.: Personal Space – Electronic Soul 1974–1984 VARIOUS: Drone-Mind // Mind-Drone Vol. 2 VARIOUS ARTISTS: Your Victorian Breasts VATICAN SHADOW: Ornamented Walls VIRGIL MOOREFIELD: No Business As Usual / Five Ideas About the Relation of Sight and Sound VLADISLAV DELAY: Kuopio / Espoo WEISSER WESTEN: Weisser Westen WILLIAM SHELLER: Lux Aeterna WOLD: Freemasonry WOLF EYES: No Answer: Lower Floors XUL ZOLAR: Eternal Love/Goa Bay / Hex YOSHI WADA: Earth Horns With Electronic Drone / Singing In Unison / Off The Wall / The Appointed Cloud / Lament For The Rise And Fall Of The Elephantine Crocodile ZS: Score / Grain Rezensionen Papier DIDI NEIDHARDT / HANS PLATZGUMER: Musik ist Müll HEINRICH DEISL: Im Puls der Nacht. Sub- und Populärkultur in Wien 1955–1976 KARL MEYERBEER / PASCAL SPÄTH: Topf & Söhne – Besetzung auf einem Täterort CHRISTOPH WAGNER: Der Klang der Revolte TIMME ROSENKRANTZ / FRADLEY HAMILTON GARNER: Harlem Jazz Adventures. A European Baron’s Memoir, 1934–1969 DEREK ANSELL: Sugar Free Saxophone. The Life and Music of Jackie McLean MARKUS HEIDINGSFELDER: System Pop PAULA-IRENE VILLA / JULIA JÄCKEL / ZARA S. PFEIFFER U. A. (HG.): Banale Kämpfe? Perspektiven auf Populärkultur und Geschlecht JAMES KENNAWAY: Bad Vibrations. The History of the Idea of Music as a Cause of Disease JENNIFER SHRYANE: Blixa Bargeld and Einstürzende Neubauten: German Experimental Music ›Evading do-re-mi‹ NIKOLAOS KOTSOPOULOS (Hg.): Krautrock. Cosmic Rock and its Legacy HUNTER HUNT-HENDRIX / NICK RICHARDSON / BRANDON STOSUY: Black Metal. Beyond the Darkness THERESA BEYER / THOMAS BURKHALTER (HG.): Out of the Absurdity of Life. Globale Musik CORNELIUS VON JACKHELLN (Hg.): GewaltKunstWerk STAN HAWKINS (Hg.): Pop Music And Easy Listening ANTONIO GRAMSCI: Literatur und Kultur DIETMAR DATH / BARBARA KIRCHNER: Der Implex. Sozialer Fortschritt: Geschichte und Idee SONJA EISMANN (Hg.): Absolute Fashion DIRK BRAUNSTEIN / SEBASTIAN DITTMANN / ISABELLE KLASEN (HG.): Alles Falsch. Auf verlorenem Posten gegen die Kulturindustrie URSULA MARKUS / TANJA POLLI: Das Geschlecht der Seele. Transmenschen erzählen ALEXANDER KARSCHNIA/MICHAEL WEHREN (Hg.): Kommando Johann Fatzer (Ringlokschuppen. Mülheimer Fatzerbücher 1) CORNELIA VISMANN: Das Schöne am Recht NIKLAS LUHMANN: Macht im System WERNER FULD: Das Buch der verbotenen Bücher DAVE MONROE (Hg.): Philosophie für Verdorbene – Essays über Pornografie SVEN LEWANDOWSKI: Die Pornographie der Gesellschaft CHRISTIAN KESSLER: Die läufige Leinwand – Der amerika­nische Hardcorefilm 1970–1985 STEFAN SCHELER: Cumshots – Höhepunkte der deutschen Pornofilme 1 + 2 STEFANIE VOIGT / MARKUS KÖHLERSCHMIDT: Die philosophische Wollust – ­Sinn­liches von Sokrates bis Sloterdijk MYRON HURNA: Späte Gegenwart. Zur Historisierung des Holocaust ALEXANDER KLUGE: »Wer ein Wort des Trostes spricht, ist ein Verräter«. 48 Geschichten für Fritz Bauer ANNIKA SCHEFFEL: Bevor alles verschwindet SARAH DIEHL: Eskimo Limon 9 VLADIMIR JABOTINSKY: Die Fünf SARA STRIDSBERG: Darling River: Doloresvariationen JOSEF WINKLER: Wortschatz der Nacht / Mutter und der Bleistift BRIAN WOOD / MARK BROOKS / ROLAND BOSCHI: 100% Marvel 64: Wolverine und die X-Men. Alpha & Omega WENZEL STORCH: Arno & Alice ANKE FEUCHTENBERGER: Die Spaziergängerin SOPHIA MARTINECK: Hühner, Porno, Schlägerei MARC-ANTOINE MATHIEU: 3 Sekunden TONTO (Hg.): Noise SASCHA HOMMER (Hg.): Orang # 10: Heavy Metal HENNING WAGENBRETH / R. L. STEVENSON: Der Pirat und der Apotheker ATAK / MARK TWAIN: Der geheimnisvolle Fremde CHRIS WARE: Jimmy Corrigan. Der klügste Junge der Welt THOMAS VON STEINAECKER / H. J. BALMES u. a. (Hg.): Neue Rundschau: Comic – Form und Inhalt KERI SMITH: Mach Mist! MEL GOODING / JULIAN ROTHENSTEIN (Hg.): Psychospiele – Persönlichkeitstests, Spiele und Fragebögen JÖRG VÖLLNAGEL: Alchemie – Die königliche Kunst HARTMUT KRAFT (Hg.): Ecce BLALLA! Abstürze und Höhenflüge PAULE HAMMER: Welt-Enzyklopädie DIETMAR DATH / HEIKE AUMÜLLER: Verbotene Verbesserungen CHRISTIANE ZU SALM (Hg.): Manifesto Collage GISELA VETTER-LIEBENOW (Hg.): Karikatur & Zeichenkunst TOBIAS G. NATTER / ELISABETH LEOPOLD / LEOPOLD MUSEUM (Hg.): Nackte Männer – Eine Entdeckungsreise LENTOS KUNSTMUSEUM LINZ / LUDWIG MUSEUM (Hg.): Der nackte Mann DOX PRAGUE (Hg.): Amor Psyche Aktion – Wien. Das Feminine im Wiener Aktionismus MUSEUM MODERNER KUNST STIFTUNG LUDWIG WIEN (Hg.): Wiener Aktionismus – Kunst und Aufbruch im Wien der 1960er-Jahre HANS-PETER WIPPLINGER (Hg.): Padhi Frieberger – Glanz und Elend der Moderne HANNAH PILARCZYK (Hg.): Ich hatte die Zeit meines Lebens. Über den Film Dirty Dancing und seine Bedeutung KONRAD KLEJSA/SCHAMMA SCHAHADAT/MARGARETE WACH (HG.): Der polnische Film. Von seinen Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart CHRISTIAN SCHIFFER (Hg.): WASD – Texte über Games. Vol. 2 »Select System – Games und Politik« GEORG SEESSLEN: Träumen Androiden von elektronischen Orgasmen? / Garten der Lüste / Future Sex in Queertopia (Sex-Fantasien in der Hightech-Welt I–III) WOLFGANG MÜLLER / AN PANHUYSEN (Hg.): Gebärde, Zeichen, Kunst WOLFGANG MÜLLER: Subkultur Westberlin 1979–1989. Freizeit [Verlagsinfo] www.ventil-verlag.de/katalog/testcard 2013 €15.00
  #24: BUG REPORT. Digital war besser BOOK " »Wie würden Sie das Internet beschreiben?« »Als die Hölle in bunt, mit Nullen und Einsen. Eine binäre bunte Hölle.« – Bernd das Brot Bei kaum einem Medium fallen Theorie und Praxis so wenig in eins wie bei Computern und dem Internet. Wir lesen Blogs, auf denen in einer Breite und Tiefe über nischenhafte Popmusik gesprochen wird, wie es im »goldenen Zeitalter« des Pop-Journalismus niemals möglich gewesen wäre. Wir halten unsere Plattensammlungen mit Datenbanken, die von ihren NutzerInnen gefüllt werden, auf dem neuesten Stand. Gleichzeitig steht uns ein Großteil der Musikgeschichte mit ein paar Suchanfra­gen zur Verfügung – womöglich illegal, auf jeden Fall aber kostengünstig. Auch die testcard-Redaktion selbst, die sich zwischen drei Großstädten und einer bayerischen Universitätsstadt aufteilt, wäre ohne das Netz kaum koordinierbar. Trotzdem hört man gerade in sub- und gegenkulturellen Kreisen Klagen, die weit über die Kritik an der Datensammlung durch Regierungen, Geheimdienste und Medienkonzerne oder mickrigen Spotify-Einnahmen hinausgehen. Von »digitaler Erschöpfung« ist da die Rede oder von »kommunikativem Kapitalismus«, von einer Verschränkung von Liberalismus und Kybernetik, der Herrschaft der Algorithmen oder vom »fucking Internet«. Zeit für eine Bestandsaufnahme jenseits von kalifornischer Ideologie und »Disruption«, aber ausdrücklich nicht auf der Seite derjenigen, die mit aller Macht ihren Einfluss von den alten Medien in die neuen herüber­retten wollen. Vielleicht sprechen wir letztlich über ein altes Problem: Was ist die Basis, was der Überbau, wie verhalten sie sich zueinander? Das Sprechen über Digitalisierung und das Netz fällt uns vielleicht deshalb schwer, weil die Form von Technologie nicht ohne ihren polit-ökonomischen und sozialen Rahmen zu denken ist. Oder sind ein anderes Computing und ein anderes Netz möglich? Aus dem Inhalt: Sounds der Digitalisierung >> Verschaltete Welt >> Kleine Genealogie des Computers >> Digitales ABC >> Zustand und Zukunft des Webcomics >> Digitale vs. analoge »Gegenwart« >> Nathan Jurgensons Webtheorien >> Mensch-Maschinen und Roboter >> Erzählen in der Digitalisierung >> Altern der digitalen Ästhetik >> Retrospieleboom >> Ungegenstand der Musikinformatik >> Let’s Player >> Indie-Computerspiele >> Ästhetik des Post-Digitalen >> ... Inhaltsverzeichnis Christian Werthschulte: (right now, please). Warum die digitale Gegenwart ­irgendwie auch nicht besser als die analoge geworden ist Roger Behrens: Digital ABC Roger Behrens: Digitale Frist. Computer. Pop. (Beta-Version) eve massacre: Network of blood. Von »Augmented Reality« bis zum »Liquid Self«: Nathan Jurgensons Webtheorien Waltraud Blischke: Bugs, Big Data und die ­UnverNETZbaren. Ein Gespräch mit Peter Bittner, Stefan Hügel und Julia Stoll vom FIfF Marco Schröder: Eine Maschine für alle Maschinen. Kleine Genealogie des ­Computers mit Implikationen für seine Anwendung in Philosophie und Musik Raphael Smarzoch: Rumorende Algorithmen. Die Sounds der Digitalisierung Flora Könemann & Chris W. Wilpert: Part of your distortion. Effekte im Zeitalter ihrer Re-Auratisierung Julian Rohrhuber: Dienst nach Vorschrift. Über den Ungegenstand der Musikinformatik Waltraud Blischke: t-cardcomp. Die Musikliste zur ­ungeregelten ­Geschmacksynthese Jonas Engelmann: In Love With the Modern World. Ein virtueller Roundtable über Zustand und Zukunft des Webcomics hierzulande Carl Wiemer: Das schnelle Altern der ­digitalen Ästhetik. Samuel Beckett und der Zenit ?ästhetischer Modernität David Schwertgen: Der Autor im Zeitalter seiner ­technischen ­Reproduzierbarkeit Johannes Ullmaier: Human Trouble. Transhumane ­Anthropologie im Turing-Test Hommer / Lenzin: Parolen aus der Stadt. Abenteuer eines Wolfes. Episode 3 Bettina Wilpert: Guided by Voices. Erzählen in der Digitalisierung Waltraud Blischke: »Wenn man damit Geld ­verdienen kann, muss das ja salonfähig sein.« Ein Gespräch mit dem Let’s Player SgtRumpel Philipp Eichhorn: Technology in our hands. DIY als Totengräber des Fortschritts anhand des Retrospielebooms Fiona Sara Schmidt: Die Geschichte muss das ­Medium ­notwendig ­machen. Die Spieledesignerin Lea Schönfelder über Autorenspiele, Zensur und ­perfekte Posen Benedikt Frank / Thomas Schröder: Wo andere ­Urlaub machen. Arbeit im Spiel, Spiele als Arbeit Rezensionen Tonträger: 20.SV: The Great Sonic Wave ADDISON GROOVE: Turn Up The Silence ALOA: s/t ALTE SAU: s/t ALVARIUS B: Chin Spirits AMANDA FEERY: Spells From The Ice Age AME ZEK: Rostfrei AMON DÜÜL II: Düülirium ANDROMERDA MEGA EXPRESS ORCHESTRA: Live on Planet Earth ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB: Medow Mechanicals BANANA PILL: Weave BANKS: GODDESS BART DE PAEPE: Rhode BEYONCÉ KNOWLES: s/t BILL ORCUTT: Daddy’s Got A Spice Rack BILL ORCUTT: Fantomas ? Le Faux Magistrat BIRD PEOPLE: King Of the Grove / ­Nightshades BOHREN UND DER CLUB OF GORE: Piano Nights BRIDGET HAYDEN: Just Ideas/The Night’s Veins BUCK GOOTER: Molescules BULBUL: Hirn Fein Hacken CATHY LANE: The Hebrides Suite CHRIS PETIT: The Museum of Loneliness CHRISTINA KUBISCH UND ECKEHARD GÜTER: Mosaïque Mosaic CICADA DREAM BAND: Bug Music CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE: Signals from the Pier Thirteen DANIEL BACHMANN: Orange Co. Serenade DANIEL BLINKHORN:Terra Subfónica DAS WEISSE PFERD: Inland Empire DATA­SHOCK: Keine Oase in Sicht DEUTSCHE TRINKER­JUGEND: Scheissegal DIE HEITERKEIT: Monterey DIE PARTEI La Freiheit des Geistes DIVIL A’ BIT: In Deference To The Squeamish DJ RASHAD: Rollin’ EP / Double Cup / We On 1 DJ SARDENA: The Voice: Studio Sardena DJ SLUGO: King Of Ghetto House DSR LINES: Spoel EEK: Live At The Cairo High Cinema Institute EIKO ISHIBASHI: Imitation Of Live EMBRYO: Message From Era Ora FENNESZ: Bécs FENSTER: The Pink Caves FILIPE FELIZARDO: Volume II ? Sede e Morte ? Guitar Variations For The Thirsty And The Dead FKA TWIGS: LP1 GONZÁLEZ & STEENKISTE: Dimly Lit GÜNTER SCHLIENZ: Contemplation HAILU MERGIA: Shemonmuanaye HALSABSCHNEIDER: Havelmusik 1982?1984 HEIN SCHOERS: The Sounding Museum: Box Of Treasures HELEN: Witch/Zanzibar HELLVETE: Ode HONIGRITTER: Kellergeister in unserem Haus IF, BWANA: Live at the Logos Tetrahedon INEZ LIGHTFOOT: Sleep By Day / Fly By Night ISLAJA: S U U JA, PANIK: Libertatia JAMMIN GERALD: Factory Funk JASON LESCALLEET: Much To My Demise JEFF & JANE HUDSON: Flesh JIM O’ ROURKE / PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE / LASSE MARHAUG: The Love Robots JIM O’ ROURKE: Old News / No.?9 / No.?5 / No.?7 / No.?6 / No.?8 / FIRE! WITH JIM JOSHUA BURKETT: Xavier’s Birds JUMPING BACK SLASH: Namhlanje EP KELIS: Food KEMIALLISET YSTÄVÄT: Alas Rattoisaa Virtaa KILLERLADY: s/t KK NULL + THE NOISER: s/t KLINISCH SAUBER: Kommerz Krieg Mond! KREIDLER: ABC KREISKY: Blick auf die Alpen KRISSI B: The Duke LANA DEL REY: Ultraviolence LASSE-MARC RIEKS: Helgoland LAU NAU: Valohiukkanen LEAST CARPET: Back Alley LIEVEN MARTENS MOANA: Os Canais LILY ALLEN: Sheezus LIMPE FUCHS / VIZ MICHAEL KREMITZ: Kugel Haus Musik LOS MICROWAVES: Life After Breakfast LOUIS SARNO: Song From The Forest LOVE A / KOETER: Split LUKE FOWLER: Fowl Tapes II MAMMANE SANI: La Musique Électronique Du Niger / Mammane Sani And The Workstation / Taaritt MANY ARMS: Suspended Definiton MARCELLUS PITTMAN: Do You Like ­Music EP / 1044 Coplin MARION, FRANZISKA UND ARNULF MEIFERT: Incredible Familiar Music / Absolute Relative Music MARK PRITCHARD: You Don’t Know Me MARY OCHER: Eden MERZOURGA: 52°46’ North 13°29’ East. Music For Waxcylinders METABOLISMUS: Sus MOUSE ON MARS: Spezmodia EP MURENA MURENA: Ghoaster Coaster MUTTER: Text und Musik MY BLOODY VALENTINE: mbv NOXAGT: Brutage / Collection 1 O’ ROURKE / Steamroom OLIMPIA SPLENDID: Nuttu Nurin ORACLES: Stanford Torus EP OREN AMBARCHI, KEIJI HAINO & JIM O’ ROURKE: Imikuzushi / Now While It’s Still Warm Let Us Pour In All The Mystery ORPHAN FAIRYTALE: My Favourite Fairytale PANABRITE: Wasteland Cycle PARRIS MITCHELL: Project EP PART WILD HORSES MANE ON BOTH SIDES: Aulos’ Second Reed PASCAL NICHOLS: Nihilist Chakai House PATRICK COWLEY: School Daze PETER MICHAEL HAMEL / THOMAS GUNDERMANN: Coincidence PETER MICHAEL HAMEL:Voice Of Silence PHARRELL WILLIAMS: G I R L RAMBLING BOYS: True To Blue RASHAD BECKER: Traditionel Music of National Species Vol. 1 RAUM: Event Of Your Leaving RAZEN: Reed Bombus LFO RODOLPHE ALEXIS: Morne Diablotins RP BOO: Legacy RUARI O’ BAOIGHILL: The Faceless One RYLEY WALKER: All Kinds Of You SCHREIN: Einszweinschrein SIR RICHARD BISHOP: Solo Acoustic Vol. 8 STAER: Daughters STEVE GUNN / MIKE COOPER: Cantons de Lisboa / Way Out Weather STOSSTRUPP REVIVAL DUETT: s/t SUN RA: Mix-Tape SUNROOF!: Rock Power SWANS: To Be Kind TENSES: Howard THE SPACE LADY: The Space Lady’s Greatest Hits / »Major Tom«/»Radar Love« / Recorded Live in San Francisco / Songs in the Key of Z. Vol. 2 THE YOUNG MOTHERS: A Mothers Work Is Never Done THEO PARRISH: Footwork / American Intelligence / Theo Parrish’s Black Signature TOM WU: s/t TRAXMAN: Da Mind Of Traxman / Da Mind Of Traxman 2 / Westside Boogie Traxy Vol. 3 TREK WITH QUINTRONIC: Landing Plus VALERIO TRICOLI: Miseri Lares VAPOUR THEORIES: Split-LP VENN RAIN: Crepuscular Raze VARIOUS ARTISTS: Keine Bewegung! VARIOUS ARTISTS: Pulsating Strings: A Collection of Psychedelic Asian G­uitar Music VARIOUS ARTISTS: 10 Year Anniversary Hybrid Vinyl Series VARIOUS ARTISTS: Cassette Van Antwerpen VARIOUS ARTISTS: La Psicotropia VILLAGE OF SPACES: Gathering WESTBAM: Götterstrasse WILLIAM ­ONYEABOR: Who Is William Onyeabor? WILLIAM TYLER: Impossible Truth WOOG ­RIOTS: From Lo-Fi to Disco ZEA: The Swimming City Rezensionen Papier: ALBERTINE SARRAZIN: Astragalus ASTRID KUSSER: Körper in Schieflage. Tanzen im Strudel des Black Atlantic um 1900 BENJAMIN STEIN: Das Alphabet des Rabbi Löw BLACK HAWK HANCOCK: American Allegory. Lindy Hop And The Racial Imagination BRECHT EVENS: Die Amateure CHRISTIANE BAREITHER, KASPAR MAASE, MIRJAM NAST (HG.): Unterhaltung und Vergnügung. Beiträge der Europäischen ­Ethnologie zur Populärkultur­forschung CHRISTOPHE BLAIN: Gus: 1. Nathalie / 2. Schöner Bandit / 3. Ernest CLAUDIA BOSSE (Hg.): Cheap Method Edition #1. Struggling Bodies In Capitalist Societies (Democracies) DANIEL CLOWES: Der Todesstrahl DAVID BUCKLEY: Kraftwerk. Die unautorisierte Biographie DAVID PRUDHOMME: Einmal durch den Louvre DAVID SIMONELLI: Working Class Heroes. Rock Music and British Society in the 1960s and 1970s DENNIS EICK: Digitales Erzählen. Die Dramaturgie der Neuen Medien DIEDRICH DIEDERICHSEN: Über Pop-Musik DIETER MERSCH: Ordo ab chao ? Order from Noise DIETMAR DATH / OLIVER SCHEIBLER: Mensch wie Gras wie DIETMAR DATH: Feldeváye ? Roman der letzten Künste DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF: Present Shock EKKEHARD KNÖRER: Battlestar Galactica ENNO STAHL: Diskurspogo. Über Literatur und Gesellschaft ERIKA SCHMIED: Peter Kurzeck ? Der radikale Biograph ERWIN IN HET PANHUIS: Hinter den schwulen Lachern. Homosexualität bei den Simpsons FANNY BRITT / ISABELLE ARSENAULT: Jane, der Fuchs und ich FLORIAN CRAMER: Exe.cut(up)able statements. Poetische Kalküle und Phantasmen des selbstaus­führenden Texts GUNNAR HINDRICHS: Die Autonomie des Klangs HANS BLUMENBERG: Präfiguration. Arbeit am politischen Mythos HANS-CHRISTIAN DANY: Morgen werde ich Idiot. Kybernetik und Kontrollgesellschaft HEIKO KOCH: Casa Pound Italia. Mussolinis Erben IAN F. SVENONIUS: 22 Strategien für die erfolgreiche Gründung einer Rockband JAN SÜSELBECK (HG.): Familiengefühle. Generationen­geschichte und NS-Erinnerung in den Medien JOE SACCOS: Der Erste Weltkrieg ? Die Schlacht an der Somme JONAS ENGELMANN: Gerahmter Diskurs ? Gesellschaftsbilder im Independent-Comic JÜRGEN SCHMICH: Plattensüchtig. Expeditionen in eine andere Welt. 7 Schallplattensammler im Interview JÜRGEN ZIMMERER: Kein Platz an der Sonne. Erinnerungsorte der deutschen Kolonialgeschichte KATIA FOUQUET: Jonas oder der Künstler bei der Arbeit KITTY KRAUS: Lidschlag LINDER STERLING: Frau/Objekt LUCIUS BURCKHARDT: Der kleinstmögliche Eingriff MAGNUS KLAUE: Verschenkte Gelegenheiten. Polemiken, Glossen, Essays MAISHA EGGERS / GRADA KILOMBA / PEGGY PIESCHE / SUSAN ARNDT: Mythen, Masken und Subjekte. Kritische Weißseinsforschung in Deutschland MANUEL MENRATH: Afrika im Blick. Afrikabilder im deutschsprachigen Europa 1870?1970 MARIA JANION: Die Polen und ihre Vampire. Studien zur Kritik kultureller Phantasmen MARK BUTLER: Das Spiel mit sich. (Kink, Drugs & Hip-Hop). Populäre Techniken des Selbst zu Beginn des 21. Jahrhunderts MARTIN NIEDERAUER: Die Widerständigkeiten des Jazz. Sozialgeschichte und Improvisation unter den Imperativen der Kulturindustrie MERCEDES BUNZ: Die stille Revolution. Wie Algorithmen Wissen, Arbeit, Öffentlichkeit und Politik verändern, ohne dabei viel Lärm zu machen MICHAEL PETRY (HG.): Nature Morte ? Stillleben in der zeitgenössischen Kunst MICHAEL PHILIPP / BUCERIUS KUNSTFORUM (HG.): Dionysos. Rausch und Ekstase OSWALD WIENER: die verbesserung von mitteleuropa OUMAR DIALLO / JOACHIM ZELLER: Black Berlin. Die deutsche Metropole und ihre afrikanische Diaspora in Geschichte und Gegenwart PETER KURZECK: Bis er kommt / Angehalten die Zeit SPRING: The ABC of Tragedy / Wunder STEFFEN SCHOLL: Musik ? Raum ? Technik. Zur Entwicklung und Anwendung der graphischen Programmierumgebung »Max« STEPHAN PACKARD (Hg.): Comics & Politik STUART HALL: Ausgewählte Schriften SUSAN ARNDT / ANTJE HORNSCHEIDT: Afrika und die deutsche Sprache. Ein kritisches Nachschlagewerk SUSAN ARNDT / NADJA OFUATEY-ALAZARD: Wie Rassismus aus Wörtern spricht. (K)erben des Kolonialismus im Wissensarchiv deutsche Sprache THOMAS MEINECKE: Analog. Kolumnen TOBIAS GOLL / DANIEL KEIL / THOMAS TELIOS (HG.): Critical Matter. Diskussionen eines neuen Materialismus VARIOUS ARTISTS: In 50 Comics um die Welt / Comics zur Lage der Welt VOLKAN ÇIDAM: Die Phänomenologie des Widergeistes. Eine anerkennungstheo­retische Deutung von Marx’ ­normativer Kritik am Kapitalismus im Kapital VOLKO KAMENSKY / JULIAN ROHRUBER (HG.): Ton. Texte zur Akustik im Dokumentarfilm WENZEL STORCH: Die Filme WERNER SCHWAB: Fäkaliendramen WOLFGANG HERRNDORF: Arbeit und Struktur" [Verlags / website info] www.ventil-verlag.de/katalog/testcard 2014 €15.00
THIS HEAT Deceit CD Re-issue from second regular LP from 1981. Remastered 2001. A milestone of experimental music. "...Im Vergleich zum Debut ist "Deceit" - was Betrug oder List bedeuten kann (Melodieselige und Neoprogger also vorsicht!), aber auch, wenn man den Titel ein paarmal schnell hintereinander auspricht, den Bandnamen ergibt - etwas songorientierter und weniger laut geraten. Um Betrug geht es in der Tat auf dieser Scheibe, zumidest stellenweise. So thematisiert "Makeshift Swahili" z.B. (unter anderem) die Vertreibung der nordamerikanischen Indianer und um die davor gemachten Versprechen. In "Independence" wird der Text der amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitserklärung "kritisch" vertont. Zeitkritik unter dem Motto "history repeats itself" - der Anfang von "Cenotaph" - steht hier im Mittelpunkt, auch außermusikalisch, so ist z.B. "Suffer Bomb Disease", der Titel des letzten Tracks, in japanischen Schriftzeichen abgedruckt. Ansonsten sind die Texte recht kryptisch und mitunter schwer zu enträtseln, wie auch die dazugehörige Musik. Im Vergleich zum Erstling ist "Deceit" also nicht mehr so extrem und laut, ist reduzierter, dafür aber subtiler. Die industrialartigen Momente sind nicht mehr vorhanden, oder besser, sie sind verändert worden. Klang es auf "This Heat" mitunter nach einem Dampfhammer, so erweckt die Musik auf "Deceit" eher den Eindruck eines Uhrwerks, ein rhytmisch-monotones Klappern und Klopfen, das in seiner repetitiven Motorik am ehesten noch an Can erinnert ("Paper Hats" z.B., das nicht nur vom Titel her Erinnerungen an "Paperhouse" von "Tago Mago" weckt). Für diesen Effekt ist einmal mehr Haywards metronomenhaftes, aber gleichzeitig unglaublich vielseitiges und abwechslungsreiches Schlagzeugspiel verantwortlich. Dazu kommen Bullen und Williams, die hauptsächlich Töne, die ihren Ursprung in Gitarre und Bass haben, beisteuern, verfremdet, mehrfachst übereinandergelegt und durcheinander gemischt. Aber auch Klarinetten- und Keyboardklänge gibt es hier zu hören, ebenso fast unkenntlich gemacht, zusammen mit einer Myriarde anderer Sounds, Sprachfetzen und Geräusche, deren Ursprung kaum zu erahnen ist. Bullen und Hayward besingen die Stücke oft gemeinsam, in gleich - oder auch gegenläufigen, einander kontrastierenden Gesangslinien. Auch die Art und Weise zu singen ist sehr verschieden. Bullen singt die Texte recht emotionlos-gleichförmig vor sich hin, während Hayward durchaus Melodien von sich gibt, mitunter aber sehr schräg und fast verzweifelt kreischt ("Paper Hats", "Makeshift Swahili"), damit aber unglaublich intensive Emotionen freilegt. "Radio Prague", "Triumph" und "Suffer Bomb Disease" sind reine, minimalistische Klangkreationen, fast zerbrechliche Music-Concrete-Experimente. Alles auf dieser Scheibe ist schräg und seltsam, gibt aber das Zeitgefül der frühen 80er eindringlich wieder. Aber diese Musik ist zeitlos; wäre das Album 15 Jahre später erschienen, hätte es wohl unter Post-Rock-Freaks für Aufsehen gesorgt. So tat dies die Scheibe in New Wave-Kreisen. "Deceit" ist eine der wichtigen Scheiben der 80er, mit progressiver Musik einer Avantgarde-Formation, die sich, wie z.B. auch Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Present, Shub Niggurath oder Fred Frith (und die diversen Formationen, mit denen er tätig war), erfolgreich von ihren 70er-Prog-Wurzeln gelöst hatten, um etwas wirklich Neues zu machen." [Babyblaue Seiten] 2006 €14.00
Out of Cold Storage 6 x CD-Box Monumentale Box mit ALLEN offiziellen Releases & dickem Booklet sowie einer CD mit bisher unveröffentlichten Aufnahmen von der legendären britischen Band um CHARLES HAYWARD, die aus verschiedensten Einflüssen von Industrial bis Jazz in genialer Weise einen ganz neuen, eigenen Stil kreierten, der bis heute absolut einmalig geblieben ist! “Where do you start with something like this? With a history lesson and a 9.0 review up at Pitchfork this week I suppose... Born out of the UK crucible that existed in the period immediately post punk (before it earned capitals and morphed into genre all of its own...), This Heat formed through the restless response of three twenty-somethings who felt impelled to document their corner of 1970's London. Already faces at the more severe end of the prog-rock scene, Charles Bullen and Charles Hayward were joined by non-musician Gareth Williams - a catalyst that would see them recording vast quantities of work then editing the results down into consumable chunks of aural fortitude. Spread over a massive six discs and further bolstered by a pretty darn exhaustive book that interviews the surviving members (Williams passed away in 2001), 'Out Of Cold Storage' is testament to the unbridled virility of This Heat - with all the music very much rooted in its era, yet also utterly timeless. Comprised of their five studio albums ('This Heat', 'Deceit', 'Health and Efficiency', 'Made Available' and 'Repeat') plus an incendiary set of live action culled from their 1980/81 heyday, 'Out Of Cold Storage' allows everyone to get hold of these classic recordings in pristine form - a real treat given the eroded bootlegs and mp3s that have been doing the rounds for years. Ranging in style from the avant-rock of their eponymous debut, through to the political polemic of 'Deceit', This Heat are spiky without the need to resort to high-kicking comparisons with the likes of Orange Juice et al., with their output always a couple of steps removed from their retrospective peers. Unafraid to disrupt their reputation through creative right-angles, the likes of 'Repeat' and it's central 20 minutes of looped drones and rhythms (think Can in a chiller cabinet) are seemingly at odds with 'Health And Efficiencies' melody etched high - yet rather than cause tension, these juxtapositions merely heighten the band's appeal and allow you a glimpse into moments of creative perfection. Vast, comprehensive and thoroughly indispensable, 'Out Of Cold Storage' is the kind of collection that reasserts your faith in the music and proves that the endless vault combing perpetrated by labels can sometimes come good. Six shades of fantastic....“ [Boomkat] 2006 €75.00
  same LP "Second pressing of vinyl re-issue. First official vinyl re-issue in collaboration with original band members Charles Bullen and Charles Hayward. 24 bit/96 kHz re-master from original analog tapes. Includes booklet with track notes and archival photos. Isn't it so often the case that the most innovative works of art -- the ones that break the ground where others follow -- are the ones that seem to reach only the ears of those who take those ideas and run with them? So it is with This Heat and their eponymous debut album frequently referred to as 'blue and yellow' for its ultra-minimal jacket. Within its 48 minute run time, the seeds of post-punk, avant rock, noise rock and post-rock can be found. Formed in Brixton, a multicultural, and -- at the time -- down-at-heel part of south London, This Heat were born into a music scene in rapid flux, first thanks to the punk explosion and then via new wave and its myriad offshoots into pop, rock and art-rock. But while many sought to apply punk attitude to chart-friendly sounds, This Heat were concocting some of the most experimental ideas ever committed to tape, taking influence from musique concrète, krautrock, the burgeoning industrial scene and even the dub reggae blasting out in their home borough. Their debut album had -- for the time and for the DIY scene -- an unusually long gestation, recorded in sessions between February 1976 and September 1978 in a variety of studios including their own Cold Storage, a converted cold storage room in the Acme Studios complex. Innovating throughout, they combined loops and tape manipulation with live performance and haunting vocals to a complex, dissonant whole. The band recorded everything they ever did -- including gigs -- and tracks such as 'Water' were entirely improvised in the studio. Given the difficult, abrasive, and involved nature of their sound, This Heat never found anything approaching mainstream success, but patronage by the influential Radio 1 DJ John Peel meant they reached a national audience -- whether that audience was ready for them or not. Celebrating This Heat's 40th anniversary in 2016, Modern Classics Recordings will re-issue the band's catalog -- 1979's This Heat, 1980's Health and Efficiency, and 1981's Deceit -- with full co-operation of surviving members Charles Bullen and Charles Hayward. Four decades on, the tireless efforts of This Heat's process can once again be a revelation for new audiences." [label info] www.lightintheattic.net „Was diese so Band so ausnehmend macht und selbst unter heutigen Maßstäben so ungemindert bestechend, ist in meinen Ohren der Thrill zwischen schwebenden Momenten, in denen die Musik die Luft anzuhalten oder garottiert zu werden scheint und sich enorme Energie aufstaut, und den unglaublich intensiven Eruptionen in Gestalt des ostinaten Drummings und sich ins Gehirn fressender Loops. Dazu kommt dann noch an besonders sublimen Momenten HAYWARDs Gesang mit einem Timbre, das einem die Kehle zuschnürt durch den wehen Ton und mit heißkalter Dringlichkeit die Schädeldecke aufstemmt....“ [Bad Alchemy #51] “A landmark recording by one of most important British bands, full stop. this, their first release, tore up the book and laid new rules for band composition and performance. First, the music: without precedent, then, the musicians: all extraordinary, all uncompromisingly radical, then the way it was all put together: endlessly surprising, hammeringly intense, and the sound: hard, radical, crafted, rich, with complete control of the frequency range. Beautifully recorded, radically mixed, this was breathtakingly present. Stripped back to the bone but never simplified. And it hasn't aged. this is deep, complex work that creates its own world, anticipating much that was to follow in the next 15 years. A luminous release out of print (for almost a decade?). Re-mastered by the group for this re release.“ [label info] "Earlier this year, a few months back, we made the 40th anniversary This Heat vinyl reissues our Records Of The Week. More like Records Of All Time, really. The two full-lengths (This Heat and Deceit) quickly sold out, and have been sadly absent from our racks for the past little while - but now they both have been repressed, and are available again at a slightly lower price than before (thanks to no longer being in gatefold jackets). If somehow you missed out before, we urge you to get 'em now! Our review of this one... Oooh, at last nicely reissued on vinyl, automatic Records Of The Week!!! What more is there to say that we haven't already said (at length, below, you'll see) about these This Heat records? Trying to explain why this record is so good is sort of like trying to explain why ice cream is so delicious. Or maybe it's kind of like writing an introduction for the new Pynchon novel. Or telling a few jokes before Richard Pryor comes on stage. Or throwing a couple quick passes before Joe Montana comes on the field. It's that daunting, that overwhelming, that impossible. The trio of Charles Hayward, Charles Bullen, and Gareth Williams known collectively as This Heat were one of the few bands that literally changed people's lives. Changed the way folks thought about music. I (Andee) couldn't believe music like this actually existed. It was everything I wanted to listen to before I knew that THIS was exactly what I wanted to listen to. Hit It Or Quit It publisher / rock critic / indie scenstress Jessica Hopper once wrote that she literally pee'd her pants the first time she heard This Heat. And it's not hard to see why. Without This Heat, modern, alternative, avant garde music as we know it would be a whole different beast. Post rock, math rock, avant rock are hugely indebted to the genre shattering experimentalism of This Heat. Tortoise, You Fantastic, Yona Kit, Brise Glace, Psychic Paramount, Laddio Bolocko, Radian, Village Of Savoonga, Larsen, Starfuckers, Circle, Salvatore, I Am Spoonbender - none of those bands would even exist if it weren't for This Heat, or if they still did you can bet they would sound a whole lot different. And that's just off the top of our heads, AND that's -just- bands whose sound directly reflects the influence of This Heat. Imagine how many performers and artists were influenced by This Heat but who let that influence manifest itself in not so obvious ways. We once described This Heat as "Krautrock-ish hyper rhythmic tape-looped prog." Which comes close to succinctly describing the magical musical alchemy of This Heat, but still only scratches the surface. This is their self titled debut, originally released in 1979, which manages over the course of about 50 minutes to redefine almost all music that has come before. The sound of This Heat is rhythm and texture and dynamics. The recording studio as instrument. Every sound and every song is based on rhythm and texture. There are hooks, and melodies, but they exist to serve the rhythm and are often born from the deft manipulation of sound and tempo. Even the most static and repetitive parts manage to sound -musical-. There are vocals, but they are minimal and otherworldly, weary and sing songy and completely mesmerizing. A droning musical accompaniment to the haunting whirs and clanging percussion in the background. This record is such a totally immersive and strangely lovely musical environment. From the machinelike Krautrock of "Horizontal Hold" to the dreamy contemplative "Twilight Furniture" with its simple chiming guitars, muted tribal percussion and keening vocals, to the bizarre affected drum workout of "24 Track Loop", it's like wandering through some alien musical world. As sky full of greys and blues, smeary drones floating gently by, haunting quavering vocals drifting below, like tendrils of smoke, the barren landscape littered with all manner of rhythmic outcroppings, harsh jagged crashes and booms, as well as low rolling thumps and stutters, off in the distance simple spare melodies float and hover, each note a glowing spot on the horizon. Absolutely and utterly overwhelmingly brilliant. There are plenty of places on the web and in magazines to read more about the history of the band, the band members, the various releases and reissues (see elsewhere on the AQ website for reviews of past editions of various TH recordings) but none of that ultimately matters as much as the sound. And oh the glorious sound. Just take a listen to the sound samples and no words will be necessary." [Aquarius Records] 2016 €26.50
TIETCHENS, ASMUS In die Nacht CD Fourth part in the rerelease-series of all early vinyl albums by Asmus Tietchens on CD. This is the third of the SKY albums from 1982 incl. three bonus tracks of unreleased material not included on the original LP. Comes with a poster booklet feat. the original cover artwork. Edition of 1000 copies. “Asmus Tietchens 'In die Nacht' (Sky Records 077) 1982 To my surprise, SKY ordered a third album from me. For distribution reasons the album had to be finished rather quickly. This presented me with an immediate problem, as usually it would have taken about three months to complete an album with twenty tracks similar in style to those on 'Biotop' or 'Spät-Europa'. There was not much time to decide whether to say no to the SKY offer, or deviate from my usual doctrine of Short Tracks. I decided for the latter and, eyes wide open, stepped into an aesthetic trap. I found myself trying to square the circle, wanting to have the rich detail of my short works at the same time as creating longer pieces. This experiment, an equivalent to doing the splits, was only partly succesful. It is not really possible to create pieces of six minutes or more from ideas which are only adequate for tracks of three minutes, unless one is willing to risk musical redundancy or, worse, long-windedness. In retrospect, the four central tracks of 'In die Nacht' are too long for the material from which the are built. Back in 1982 though, my opinion was different. Nonetheless, I did gain my first insight into the rules of time and proportion, even though I was not able to handle them perfectly. I managed to complete the album in three weeks, helped by the fact that I was able to include some tracks left over from the 'Spät-Europa' sessions. So the tapes were delivered on time, even though I was not 100% happy with the collection. SKY, however, was very enthusiastic about the album and released it immediately, at the same time offering me the option of a fourth LP. By then I had decided that I was no longer willing to work to a deadline, nor did I want to be compromised by a label's distribution policy. There would have to be some mutual agreement well in advance. Either that, or nothing would come of it. I would like to thank Günter Körber of Sky Records for his kind permission to re-release 'In die Nacht' and the three other SKY albums, and for allowing me to use the original lables in facsimile. [Asmus Tietchens, 2004] 2004 €15.00
TIETCHENS, ASMUS & RICHARD CHARTIER Fabrication 2 do-CD "500 copies. Designed by Richard Chartier. 'Fabrication 2 ist the sequel to 'Fabrication', the first collaboration between Richard Chartier and Asmus Tietchens released in 2007. Whereas for the first collab the idea developed from the project around reinterpretations of Chartier's 'Postfabricated' this time the efforts where directly focussed on the reinterpretation of specific basic sound material. This basic sound material can be found on the first disc in the set prefabrication 2' which was constructed by Richard Chartier alone in Montreal and Washington, DC. 'Fabrication 2' is the reworking of this sonic basis by Asmus Tietchens. Whereas the first CD has traces of subtle dematerialized rhythmic structures the second disc is a study in minimalism and concentrated sound manipulation. Richard Chartier (b.1971), sound and installation artist, is considered one of the key figures in the current of reductionist electronic sound art which has been termed both microsound and Neo-Modernist. Chartier's minimalist digital work explores the inter-relationships between the spatial nature of sound, silence, focus, perception and the act of listening itself. Chartier's critically acclaimed sound works have been published over the past 12 years as 38 compact discs on labels such as 12k/LINE (US), Raster-Noton (Germany), Spekk (Japan), Non Visual Objects (Austria), Room40 (Australia), Die Stadt (Germany), DSP (Italy), ERS (Netherlands), and Trente Oiseaux (Germany). He has collaborated with noted sound artists Taylor Deupree, William Basinski, CoH, and German pioneer Asmus Tietchens, as well as installation artists Evelina Domnitch, Dmitry Gelfand, and visual artist Linn Meyers. Asmus Tietchens has been producing electronic music since the 1960ies and is one of the most renowned sound artists today in Germany. In the last five years he was awarded twice the SWR state radio prize 'Karl Sczuka Preis' " [label info] www.aufabwegen.com "The first collaborative result between Richard Chartier and Asmus Tietchens was called 'Fabrication' and released together with the rough sound material on a bonus CD. Apparently that was a way of working which both artists like, so its now continued on 'Fabrication 2'. The first 'Fabrication' was an exchange, back and forth, of sound material between the two, on this new one things are a bit different. One disc is the rough sound material composed by Chartier and on the second we find the reworks as carried out by Tietchens based on the Chartier piece. That piece, lasting thirty-nine minutes, is an odd one by Chartier. It is called 'an unusual improvisation' by him, and perhaps its so indeed. It has that, perhaps by now, 'classic' Chartier approach in sound: low, minimalist, drone like, with a minimum of clicks but its all indeed a bit more roughly put together, like more by accident than design. That adds a rather nice perspective to the piece and with those odd changes also perhaps the right source material for Tietchens. He knows his ways with material like this, and created eight different treatments of the material in a classic Tietchens manner. Classic by now, as it continues the sort of interest Tietchens developed in the 21st century, his 'Menge' series. Very sparse electronics, with an emphasis on drone like sounds and treatments in some click like sound. Simply great music, but perhaps I'm not the most objective person about Asmus Tietchens. I don't think I ever heard a bad thing from him. 'Fabrication 2' is a damn fine work among other damn fine works, and nothing that leaps out of that catalogue, but ranks with the best." [FdW / Vital Weekly] 2010 €18.00
TO / THOMAS TILLY A Semiotic Survey CD https://fernsrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/a-semiotic-survey Limited to 200 copies. Cover drawing by Frederic Malette – Graphite, pastel, essence – 2018 Translation by William Ransone. Paraponera clavata picture by Didier Descouens. Field recordings made by Thomas Tilly at Saül and on the Rorota road, French Guiana, May 2015. Composed using field recordings, electronic sounds and microphones dysfunctions, from 2015 to 2018 by Thomas Tilly. All the recordings were realized during a residence supported by the DAC (direction des affaires culturelles) Guiana. 2019 €12.00
TOY BIZARRE kdi dctb 278 CD " “kdi dctb 278” is what I call a sound film. Its shape entirely and solely based on the sound recording of places – as in all of my pieces – fits my refusal to make a choice of abstraction or narration and willingness to stay in an in-between, to maintain a dialogue between abstraction / narrative, which would be close to the daydream. “kdi dctb 278” was recorded 1994~2013 @ various locations; sequences built for various projects. Some parts appeared first in the kdi dct 216 “garden / square meter” series (Melbourne), thanks to Jude Anderson, Jacques Soddell. Tested live (parts) @ Instants Chavirés, L’Audible Festival, Paris, 2012/09, thanks to Jérôme Noetinger. Tested live (fully) @ Sonikas, Madrid, 2013/12 – thanks to Juan Carlos Blancas, Alfonso Pomeda & the man-who-saw-codex-but-lost-the-way. This version, mixed 2015/06 @ TBS Release date: 09.2015 Label : Semperflorens Time: 41:43 mins Format: CD in DVDBOX Limited to 500 copies" [toy bizarre info] www.ingeos.org/en/kdi-dctb-278/ "After all these years, we are still not all that clear what the acronym that Cedric Peyronnet (aka Toy Bizarre) has used for the bulk of his album titles. It's definitely some sort of cataloging system as his titles are in sequential fashion, now reaching 278, though there are some sizable jumps between the various numbers. Peyronnet may have explained what this may mean somewhere and at sometime, but enlightenment eludes us. So, we'll collectively shrug and move onto this vivid collection of manipulated field recordings and phonographic compositions that are found on this impressive album. Since the late '80s or thereabouts, Peyronnet has used natural sounds as his primary source material, working in parallel to Eric La Casa, Small Cruel Party, Tarab, and some of the more obtuse practitioners of contemporary musique concrete. Peyronnet's uneasy dislocations never settle on the notions of purely objective / narrative descriptions of sound, nor could they be defined as abstraction. So one can hear jolting splashes of water and mud along with Luc Ferrari like snippets of human voice well-removed from context alongside filter-heavy drones of liquid miasma and mercurial drones dappled with found object texture and splattered detritus. Peyronnet has quite a knack for rendering all of the components of his compositions with an incredible sharpness of detail - the purity of his dilated frequencies and an exactness to environmental elements work into his slippery compositions punctured with bursts of energy that Peyronnet allows to wane into solemn pools of contemplation." [Aquarius Rec.] 2015 €13.00
UTON The Source has its rare Beauty MC UTON is the experimental project of Jani Hirvonen, a key contributor to the thriving underground music scene in Finland. Over 20 prolific years, Hirvonen has formed a distinct sound world with UTON that is often distinguished by a beautifully maximal approach to instrumental psychedelia; playful compositions involving seemingly endless layers of colourful ambience, woven like a tapestry. Part of what makes UTON's staggering discography so wonderful is a willingness to veer away from any predictable trajectory, and continue to surprise listeners. With The Source has its Raw Beauty, UTON has taken a full departure and bravely struck an immersive mainline into heavy minimal drone. As Hirvonen explains, “UTON has always been an experimental project, and it expands to experiment with whatever just comes into the flow – but, of course, there needs to be that Source which makes it feel inspiring and exciting.” Outlier Communications is thrilled to present this unique work from a vibrant musical visionary. During its creation, Hirvonen's visual artwork for the cassette morphed into an homage of sorts to the distinct CD packaging popularized by Corpus Hermeticum, the legendary label curated by Bruce Russell of The Dead C from about 1993 - 2004. We tried our best to honour that vision, and believe these sessions – which resulted from an acoustic guitar being mounted with an electric massager – would have fit nicely in that esteemed catalogue. “The sound and idea is very simple, and the result raw and noisy,” admits Jani. “That noise penetrates from and into the depths; from and into The Source – to our life and form – and continues this loop eternally. It's an esoteric energy bank, a power charger for the inner batteries.” Hirvonen recalls from the sessions, “The whole guitar was trembling, not just the strings. Playing and improvising with very minimal movement was relaxing and meditative, I could just melt deeper into this raw beauty.” https://outliercommunications.bandcamp.com/album/the-source-has-its-raw-beauty 2022 €9.00
V.A. (VARIOUS ARTISTS) (COMPILATIONS) Lust from the Underworld do-CD Luxuriöser Vollfarb-Katalog mit kunstvollen Fotos von verschiedenen Fotografen zum Thema “Liebe und Eros in Mythologie, Symbolismus & dekadenter Kunst”, dazu 2 CDs mit Musik von diversen Projekten und Musikern aus dem elektronisch-düsteren Bereich: Romantic Electro-Dark Wave, Mittelalter-Folk, Dark Ambient, Gothic Poetry, insgesamt eher song- & vokalorientiert... “Wow, this is an impressive looking release. The Czech label Horus CyclicDaemon released an enjoyable compilation before (Chaos), but this time they have taken their ambitions a step further. A luxurious A5 book full of erotic photos contains two cd's filled with exclusive material of interesting artists. The project is dedicated to Love & Eros in mythology, symbolist & decadent art and focuses especially on the story of Hades & Persephone & Koré & Demeter. This theme is worked out in the booklet, which contains about 30 `bizarre pictures` from 9 recent & modern photographers as well as some texts and poems. The photos have very different styles, some are subtle and romantic, others are rawer and fetish-like. Apart from the erotic photos, there is also a page for each artist involved, with credits and lyrics. Everything is printed on top quality paper to enhance the visual stimulation. Furthermore the booklet is packaged in a very nice envelope. The theme becomes not only clear from the visual contributions of the photographer, but the musical artists also deal with themes of lust, sex and fetish. And they are certainly not the least artists, though there are also some unknown (but promising) artists present. Don't expect fetish EBM/techno like Die Form though, in general the musical idiom is romantic or mysterious. The music on Lust from the Underworld ranges from dark folk to neo-classical, from heavenly voices and medieval to ritual, from dark ambient to experimental industrial. Disc one starts sensual, with atmospheric sounds and the typical voice of Chako (related to Jack or Jive from Japan). Unto Ashes treats us to ritual and medieval sounds, with nice hurdygurdy and percussion sounds. Then comes a bombastic filmic soundscape by Abnocto, a project of Simon Kölle and Simon Heath, also known for Za Frûmi. These gothic fantasy sounds bring images of monks sneaking through dark corridors. The contribution by 4th Sign of the Apocalypse from the USA has a ritual, monotonous sound and an experimental structure. Then comes a rather mysterious piece with whispered/spoken vocals by a Mexican act called Detritus, which I think is another Detritus than the one who releases on Immanence and Ad Noiseam. Romowe Rikoito is a lovely folky band from Russia, which enchants me with their melancholic string sound. Maor Appelbaum is a new name for me, but sounds interesting with a mixture of electronic and classical sounds, it reminds me of the more experimental Matt Howden works. The Mystery School adds a slow piano-based romantic hymn, while Chaos as Shelter is responsible for some rather dark ritual ambient sounds in combination with a traditional Persian song, reminding me of Agnivolok. One Inch of Shadow from Poland has a shimmering, experimental soundscape with some dramatic vocals on top of that. It is followed by Hexentanz, a project related to Soil Bleeds Black, but darker and more ritual, quite nice. Disc one is finished by a great atmospheric ambient piece with classical elements and interesting spoken text by Musterion, another project of Simon Kölle. Disc 2 has a great start: Sieben with one of their most rhythmic pieces 'Forget me not', which I clearly remember from Matt Howden concerts and which is very different from the track with that name on the Sex and Wildflowers album. Mondblut are always masters at creating mysterious, sensual moods, and they do not disappoint. Empusae slowly builds up his track, which evolves into a complicated rhythmic piece, the harshest track so far. Delusional Day is much softer, with lovely, expressive female voices, somewhat jazzy. The Crown of the Scars is somewhat weird, with strange lyrics, making me think of David E. Williams. Cotton Ferox from Sweden had made a great album, and again they have contributed an original sounding piece, sort of experimental ambient dub with penetrating spoken word. While Angels Watch has a usual a more traditional dark folk sound, with romantic lyrics about angels and nice contributions by Matt and Jane Howden. Then follows an improvised, somewhat oriental piece by The Legendary Pink Dots, interesting as always. The Belgian Hybryds are specialized in dark ritual sounds, and with the help of the sensual voice of Ms. Poly Esther the lustful character of their song is further enhanced. Last but one is a bombastic medieval soundtrack piece by Za Frûmi, perhaps the best track I know from them. A slow classical piece with a religious feel by Ossaserpia finished the second cd. Only 500 handnumbered copies have been made of LUST FROM THE UNDERWORLD.” [Hans D. / FUNPROX] 2004 €22.00
Text-Sound Compositions. A Stockholm Festival 5 x CD-Box Re-Release von den lange vergriffenen FYLKINGEN-LPs die zwischen 1968 und 1977 erschienen sind und die Stockholmer TEXT-SOUND COMPOSITION-Festivals dokumentiert haben. Experimental sound poetry and beyond ! “Fylkingen Records in collaboration with the Swedish Radio released a series of LP records with text-sound compositions between the years of 1968-77. All of these were documentations of the international festival text-sound Compositions-Stockholm Festival, which Fylkingen presented in Stockholm several times during these years. Most of the LPs were only pressed in batches of about 400-500 records, and most of the LPs sold out during the festivals. A re-release had long been planned, and this 5 CD box marks the complete re-release of the complete recordings. Apart from the 5 CDs with in all ca 6 hours of material, the CD box contains a 60 page booklet with essays by Teddy Hultberg and Sten Hanson, as well as historical photographs taken by Lütfi Özkök during the festivals. The term text-sound composition was coined in 1967 in Sweden by the composers writers Lars-Gunnar Bodin and Bengt Emil Johnsson, and was meant to serve to name a genre that was a vital art form in the no man's land between sound, poetry, and music. text-sound compositions had influences from previous modernistic waves such as futurism, dadaism, lettrism, etc., but perhaps the most important influence was the Swedish poet and visual artist Öyvind Fahlström, who had just over a decade earlier coined the term concrete poetry. The term concrete poetry related to Pierre Schaeffer's concrete music, and it is somewhere between concrete poetry and concrete music that text-sound compositions appear. The birth of the electronic music studio and concrete music's idea that every sound can be freed from its original context and given a new meaning when it is reworked and put together with other sounds in the electronic music studio became the catharsis for text-sound composition. In the electronic music studio, voice and language sounds can be broken down, unleashed, and then fused together to become a poetry that had never been heard before. Certain text-sound composers would come to work only with pure lingual sounds, but most eventually came to integrate lingual sounds with other sounds, both concrete and electronic. The CD box contains works by the following text-sound composers and sound poets: Charles Amirkhanian, Lars-Gunnar Bodin, Svante Bodin, Henri Chopin, Bob Cobbing, François Dufrêne, Gust Gils, Jarl och Sonja Hammarberg-kesson, Sten Hanson, Bernard Heidsieck, C. Christer Hennix, Ake Hodell, Bengt Emil Johnsson, Sandro Key-berg, Bengt af Klintberg, Ilmar Laaban, Annea Lockwood & Harvey Matusow, Arrigo Lora-Totino, Ghérasim Luca, Arne Mellns, Franz Mon, Ladislav Novák, Diter Rot & Emmet Williams, Erik Thygesen, Paul de Vree.” [press release] 2005 €45.00
AIRPORT SYMPHONY do-CD Australische Compilation zum Thema "Erfahrungen des Reisens in moderner Zeit" mit Beiträgen v.a. aus dem Microsound und digital-ambience & drone Bereich. Jeder Musiker / Klangkünstler benutzte dabei Original-Aufnahmen vom Brisbaner Flughafen, das ganze kommt in einer Metallbox mit Banderole verpackt. "With David Grubbs, Richard Chartier, Francisco López, Camilla Hannan, Taylor Deupree, Christophe Charles, Dale Lloyd, Marc Behrens, Toshiya Tsunoda, Tim Hecker, Stephan Mathieu, Fennesz, Burkhard Beins, Jason Kahn, Ulrich Krieger, Keichi Sugimoto, Christopher Willits, Joel Stern. 'AIRPORT SYMPHONY' commissioned by the Queensland Music Festival and Brisbane Airport Corporation, documents and synthesises the experiences of travel. Each piece represents a personal meditation on aspects of travel in the modern age and suggests ways in which we control, augment and ultimately exists in a time where almost no part of the face of the planet is inaccessible. Each of the pieces features a source recording made in and around Brisbane Airport between March and June 2007 in a raw form or transformed by processing. Audio diary entries cataloguing the epic possibilities of flight, aero-passage and human bodies in motion and even at rest." [L. English, June 2007] 2007 €18.00
OEC 100 / THE OLD EUROPA CAFE 7 x CD-Box OLD EUROPA CAFE fing wie einige andere heute noch existierende Experimental-Labels (z.B. ANT-ZEN, KORM PLASTICS) in den 80er Jahren als Cassetten-Label an, um später auch Vinyl & CDs herauszugeben... Nun gibt es das Label von Mastermind RODOLFO PROTTI bereits seit 25 Jahren, und das wird mit dieser irren Compilation eindrucksvoll zum Ausdruck gebracht. 101 Stücke von Gruppen, Musikern & Projekten die irgendwie mit OLD EUROPA CAFE in Verbindung standen oder stehen sind hier verewigt, und das Thema soll sein: EUROPA. Von Post-Industrial über Harsh Noise, Dark Ambient und Neo-Folk, das Spektrum des Labels reicht sehr weit, die Wurzeln liegen aber ganz klar in geräuschvollen Industrialsounds.. "This compilation was planed during 2007 for the 25th OEC anniversary. For celebrate the label and all the work done over all those years 101 artists / groups / projects which was / are / will be involved with OEC was invited to submit an unreleased or anyway re-worked / exclusive track devoted to the theme : Europa ! Europe : from Portugal to Russia Europe : his history Europe : his culture Europe : his cities Europe : his beauty …. At last, a true Old Europe Cafe soundtrack .... Tracklisting / in Alfabetical Order : 1. A Challenge of Honour - Iberia 2. Aesthetic Meat Front – Twilight in Berlin 3. Ain Soph – Tra le Rovine 4. Albireon – Un Cavallo Senza Nome (Sonne Hagal’s Italian covered track) 5. Alessandro Pacciani – The Colour of the Human Ashes 6. All My Faith Lost … - Septembre 1871 7. Argine – Risveglio 8. Artefactum – The Night Waltz in Vienna 9. Asianova – Trieste 10. Astro - Old European Son 11. Autopsia & K.Rossmann – Fragment II 12. Bad Sector – Old Europa On Air 13. Beyond Sensory Experience - Fadren 14. Black Sun Productions – Gegen Verfuehrung / Grande Inno di Ringraziamento 15. Bleiburg – Europaean Heartbeat 16. Camerata Mediolanense - Guillotine 17. Circus Joy – Signora Europa 18. Claustrum – Penitential 19. Cristian Renou – U-Rop Impress (heavy version) 20. Cropcircle – The Balkan Doll will never Grow 21. D.B.P.I.T. – Lili Marlene 22. David E. Williams – Erlkönig 23. Dawn & Dusk Entwined – Occident 24. Dead Man’s Hill - Parc Abbey / The Heverlee Lakes 25. Deutsch Nepal – The Lonely Comming Down 26. Discordance – Jokela, Finland 27. Division S – Further Knowledge 28. Dogs Hate Monet - In This Dream 29. Dream Weapon Ritual – excerpt from The Mysteries Of E 30. Egida Aurea – L’Ardente Fiaccola della ragione 31. Folkstorm - United under a black sun of utmost splendour 32. Foreign Trade – With You 33. Foresta di Ferro – Europe Greets the Storm 34. Furvus – Evropa 35. Gerechtigkeits Liga – Controlled Europe 36. Grey Wolves – Decapitation Zone (Euro Carve Up) 37. GX Jupitter-Larsen – Norge Om Polybølge 38. H.E.R.R. – A Newer Rome (2007 Version) 39. Horologium – European Macht Muzik 40. Hybryds – Resistance (Old Europa Mix) with samplefood by Wejdas 41. 40.Jerome Deppe and Gentlemen Oscura – Song for Nero 42. K. Meizter – Prypiat 43. Kallabris – Holzweg , Scherzo for Scandinavian wood winds and tape manipulation 44. Kenji Siratori – Crusade 2007 45. Knifeladder – Warsaw , 4pm 46. Lark Blames – Small Cars 47. Lonsai Maikov & Dissonant Elephant – Occident : 111 48. Lt. Caramel – Estación de Princípe Pío 49. Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte- White Jazz (Excelsior Cafe Version) 50. Malato – EU 51. Mauro Guazzotti – Clockwork Europe 52. Moljebka Pulse – Avra 53. Musterion – Underneath Stockholm 54. MZ.412 - Overthrowing European Christianity 55. Naevus – The Petty Task 56. Nazi UFO Commander – Flying Dutchman 57. Ninth Desert – Oscript 58. Njurmannen - Music for an erotic TV show 59. Nocturne – Old Nocturne Cafe 60. Nordvargr - Facing the ghost of the past 61. Northgate – Brief 62. Ô Paradis – Contigo 63. Organisation Toth – Follow the L.ight O.V. .E.uropa 64. Pacific 231 – Mezquita 65. Peter Andresson – Kitchenscape 66. Post Contemporary Corporation – Il Martirio di Wagner (live attack !) 67. Rapoon – We Whisper Revolutions in the Cafe’s of Europe 68. Richard Ramirez – The Colours of Dark Clouds over Italy 69. Roma Amor – Der Treue Husar 70. Runes Order – In the Endless Regions of Europa (Hate IV) 71. S.Q.E. – Shards 72. Sacher Pelz – Pchearsezl 73. Sala Delle Colonne – Scilla e Cariddi 74. Second Amendment – The Stranger 75. Seelenblut – Sudden Light 76. Seelenlicht – Return to Summerisle 77. Selfishadows – Poison 78. Shining Vriel – Of Coin + Ruin 79. Siegmar Fricke - Euroceutik 2007 80. Simulacrum – Naturatum EU 81. Sleeping Pictures – Kiss the Dirt 82. Slogun - Palma:1986-2002 83. Space Alliance – Abduction of Europa 84. Spiritual Front – Funeral Blues 85. TAC - Sixth From Jupiter 86. Tam Quam Tabula Rasa – New Ropes Suffocate my Hopes (Rendhagyò Olasz Dallam) 87. Tears of Othila – Up our Banners ! (Special Old Europa version) 88. Teatro Satanico – Veneto Industrial in Europa 89. The Lindberg Baby – No Promises 90. The Soil Bleed Black - Thou Art Mine 91. Thomas Nola et Son Orchestre – Mother’s Ruin 92. Tribe of a Circle - Demokratür - Final Act 93. Troum / Asianova / Voice of Eye – Dream for a New Europa (Re-Entry Edit) 94. Ventral Metaphor – Lost in Pordenone 95. Vestigial – Substorm’s Curtains 96. Voice of Eye – Inside the Breath of the Adriatic 97. Vox Populi! – Soft entrance to nature’s camino de luz 98. Wermut – Maladia Europa II 99. Wertham – Which Way Western Man 100. Wheian – Europa 101. XX Century Zorro – Phelin Phelix Cover art-work features reproductions of oil paintings by : Mass Inc. As you can see this will be a true Mammoth compilation ! We didn't put limits to the sound stiles , so here you can really hear all the sounds of the Industrial sub-culture featured on OEC ! A BIG document on OEC work ... A BIG thank you to all the artists who was walking with OEC !!! A BIG thank you to all who was supporting OEC for such a long time !!!" [label info] www.oldeuropacafe.com 2008 €36.00
SACRAL SYMPHONY CD "Steht der Name EVGENY VORONOVSKI auf einem Produkt, kann sich dahinter eigentlich nur Qualität verbergen; das hat der Russe in den vergangenen Jahren oft genug bewiesen. Zum einen ist er Bestandteil von NEUTRAL, der momentan zum Duo geschrumpften, akustischen Neofolk-Vorzeigeband aus Russland. Dort geht er seinem gelernten Handwerk nach und spielt – als studierter Geiger – die Violine. Zum anderen ist er der Kopf hinter CISFINITUM, einem Projekt, das außerordentlich atmosphärischen Dark Ambient produziert. Gerade mit der elektronischen Musik war VORONOVSKI auf zahllosen Samplern vertreten: "Iznutri" (Besprechung), "Energia" (Besprechung) oder der "Heilige Feuer"-Serie. Nun hat er den Spieß umgedreht und Material von anderen Bands eingesammelt, ist mit CISFINITUM allerdings auch selbst vertreten. Die insgesamt fünf Projekte aus Russland, Deutschland, Großbritannien und der Ukraine steuern jeweils rund 15 Minuten lange, exklusive Stücke bei, die auf meditativen Drones basieren. Zusammen gehalten werden sie von der losen, titelgebenden Vorgabe 'sakral'. Ein Versuch also, etwas Heiliges, Religiöses einzufangen, eine 'höhere Sphäre', was allen Beteiligten auf ihre Art und Weise gelingt. Die Herangehensweise von 1000SCHOEN, einem Ein-Mann-Ambientprojekt aus Bremen, ist die – und das ist nicht negativ gemeint – naivste von allen. Nichts klingt 'dark', die puren Ambientflächen warten mit Windspiel und Sitar auf. Wuchtige Geigendrones im Mittelteil und später auch eine E-Gitarre verleihen die nötige Intensität. "Dageraad" ist warme, freundliche Entspannungsmusik, deren urige, natürliche Stimmung manchmal an den Balkanfolk von SVARROGH erinnert, an einen Guru auf dem Hügel, der einsam sein Instrument bearbeitet. TROUM, ebenfalls aus Bremen, sind sehr viel düsterer. Das Projekt um STEFAN KNAPPE von DRONE RECORDS arbeitet mit dicht aneinander gedrängten Drones, die klingen, als ob Wind durch unterschiedliche Metallröhren weht. Wie durch eine Nebelwand tauchen dazu an- und abschwellende, geloopte Chor-Versatzstücke auf. Ab der Mitte des Songs erwecken die verfremdeten Vocals den Anschein einer rituellen Beschwörung. Die Synthesizerflächen von TROUM decken die ganze Bandbreite nach der Einnahme von halluzinogenen Drogen ab: Mal ist es ein Gleiten durch Licht, mal stiert ein Alp durch dunkle Wolken. Streckenweise klingt "Palas Tyn" wie ein frühes, sehr abgedrehtes Instrumental von PINK FLOYD. EVGENY VORONOVSKI beweist vor allem dadurch Klasse, dass er mit CISFINITUM nur wenig Material braucht, um große Welten zu erschaffen. In "Autumn Ritual" mäandern ausladende, träge und warme Synthesizer-Drones durch das All, eine – wie es so schön heißt – 'Reise durch Raum und Zeit'. Sollte die Menschheit einmal schockgefrostet werden müssen, um im Tiefschlaf auf einen anderen Planeten zu fliegen, ist diese elektronische Kammermusik in Superzeitlupe perfekt für den Kopfhörer im Kryogentank. ROBIN STOREY alias RAPOON steuert mit "One Last Breath" den experimentellsten Track der Zusammenstellung bei. Der Mitbegründer von ZOVIET FRANCE arbeitet hauptsächlich mit Stimmeffekten. Dazu hat er sich sowohl beim KIEV CHAMBER CHOIR bedient und dessen Gesänge bearbeitet als auch die eigene Stimme aufgenommen und verfremdet. Alles zusammen ergibt Himmelschor-Drones, die allerdings verzischt und verzerrt sind. Die Tür in eine andere Welt steht zwar offen, ist aber unerreichbar. Im letzten Drittel des längsten Songs dieses Samplers (19:43) gehen die Gesangsloops in ebenfalls scheppernde Posaunenklänge über, die nach und nach immer klarer werden, so dass ganz zum Schluss ein winziges Stückchen Engel erhascht werden kann. Den Schlusspunkt setzt der Ukrainer OLEGH KOLYADA, der unter vielen Namen aktiv ist. (Ein NONPOP-Interview mit ihm gibt es hier.) Als FIRST HUMAN FERRO zeigt er in der Regel ein etwas härteres, post-industrielles Gesicht, das sich nun aber der sakralen Gesamtstimmung anpasst: Wir dürfen bei der Entstehung eines Universums zuhören. Leuchtende, helle Wolken aus Synthie-Tönen ploppen wie zukünftige Planeten in eine noch nicht vorhandene Atmosphäre. Später untermalt ein Sample mit wunderbarer, irdischer Klaviermusik das Szenario. Dieses Vermischen zweier unterschiedlicher (Atmo)Sphären hat viel vom 'geistigen' Sound des Zwillingsprojekts ODA RELICTA. Es gilt, was schon eingangs erwähnt wurde: Der Macher bürgt für Qualität. Das ist in diesem Fall nicht anders und umfasst selbstverständlich alle beteiligten Projekte, nicht nur CISFINITUM. Allerdings muss sich der Hörer über die meditative Anlage des Samplers im Klaren sein, damit es keine Überraschungen gibt. Bis auf einige TROUM-Passagen ist die Musik wesentlich mehr Ambient als 'Dark', die Drones sind beruhigend und viele von ihnen nicht von dieser Welt, das heißt typisch 'spacig'. Spaß macht ganz nebenbei auch die Interpretationsfreiheit, die "Sacral Symphony" bietet. Hinter den sphärischen Tracks können sich Weltraumabenteuer, religiöse Erfahrungen oder einfach – wie EVGENY VORONOVSKI das vorschlägt – 'russischer Spirit' verbergen. Guter Sound für die restfeierliche Stimmung der Nach-Weihnachtszeit." [Michael We. für nonpop.de] "You don't have to be a religious fanatic to hear the quality in this latest effort from Belgium label EE Tapes. The album titled "Sacral symphony" presents five grandiose pieces of drone-based electronics from five well-known and acclaimed composers of drifting ambience. The compilation is compiled by Russian composer Eugeny Voronovski who also contributes under his artist alias Cisfinitum. German composer 1000Schøen opens the symphonic extravaganza with a hypnotic piece titled "Dageraad" that includes acoustic sounds of guitars and flutes to create lush piece of ambience. Next artist is also German. Troum contributes with the piece titled "Palas tyn" consisting of church bell-sounding drone accompanied by warm drones moving in deeper sound levels. Eugeny Voronovski alias Cisfinitum contributes with the beautiful piece "Autumn ritual" based on ochestral ambience reminding me of works from Angelo Badalamenti. Things get even more grandiose with the otherworldly piece from Rapoon, "One last breath", a dark and beautiful piece of processed choir samples. Final piece comes from the artist titled First Human Ferro, a remarkable piece of spacey ambient based on church organ samples with echoed acoustic sound like in a church. An excellent piece to end this otherworldy ambient compilation from EE Tapes." [NM / Vital Weekly] label website: www.eetapes.be 2008 €13.00
Ten Grand Tonearm LP Darling, darfs auch etwas ausgefallener sein? Eine australische Compilation auf dem Label von RATS WITH WINGS, irres handgemachtes Recycle-Cover, haufenweise Acts aus dem Abstract Noise / Impro Experimental Bereich, abstrakter, geräuschhafter und Synapsen-sprengender geht es wohl kaum....really advanced & wild ! "The elaborate packages continue on this one also as they use old vinyl jackets on which they apply their posters. Sun of the seventh contribute in this compilation the last track of the first side (as a full force 25 member big band) along with (in order of appearance) rlw (the Johannes Frisch and Ralf Wehowsky duo, on this track they improvise on abstract structures using a sitar as a point of reference), castings (who have released in labels as chocolate monk american tapes), rahdunes (they add elements of early 80s german industrial), cygnus (in a lo-fi ambient track based on guitar accompanied with synths in the background), xNoBBQx (volumes of feedback combined to delay, wah sounds and low pitched frequencies) loachfillet (with the enigmatic sample in the beginning of a female voice that repeats in greek “it is usually raining” while it is followed by a freakout improvisation of noise produced by electronics, guitar and drums that bring to mind the USA scene), Marco Fusinato (who takes the lead from loachfillet in almost the same manner, he has collaborated around 2000 with Thurston Moore on live performances in the centre of contemporary art in Australia). The second side of the vinyl starts with the British the vitamin b12 (vocals processed thru o sequencer or something), Mark Harwood (a member of the australian honch synaesthesia who presents a quietly evolving track based on processed field recordings), werewolf Jerusalem (electronic noise), misty lavender doughnuts of shame (a spectacular name), arse lunch (xNoBBQx’s side project, drone based on feedback and high pitched guitars recorded live around 2007), pigs in the ground funally William de Kooning (locked grooves). This release by heard worse is a high quality one. They manage to leave the labels mark while at the same time they succeed to bring to forth what connects them with the contributed artists without being boring due to the difficult music and sound aesthetics. This is an art object for sure." [Fervent, Random E-Zine] 2008 €15.00
John Barleycorn Reborn : Dark Britannica do-CD "A discovery of folk music from dark Britannica. 'John Barleycorn Reborn' explores seasonal birth, death and rebirth on this double CD. Our cycle begins at Lammas 2007 (1st August), a day traditionally known for 'the first fruits of the harvest'. Pre-orders begin on this day. All orders also receive a free complementary thirty-three track download only set of further music. This compilation explores the darker side of British folk music, evoking the mystery of our ancient past and peoples, the strangeness of their beliefs, arcane traditions and the remnants of this carried down the centuries as folklore. The set has an extended booklet with articles, essays and explorations of the album's concept. The album is a collaboration between Cold Spring and Woven Wheat Whispers, a folk music artist community and legal download service (where the third part complementary part will be available). Curated by Mark Coyle. Track Listing: Disc 1 1. The Horses Of The Gods - 'John Barleycorn' | 2. The Owl Service - 'North Country Maid' | 3. The Story - 'The Wicker Man' | 4. Damh The Bard - 'Spirit Of Albion' | 5. Mary Jane - 'Twa Corbies' | 6. Andrew King - 'Dives And Lazarus' | 7. The Triple Tree - 'Three Crowns' | 8. Sol Invictus - 'To Kill All Kings' | 9. Sieben - 'Ogham On The Hill (Remix)' | 10. Sharron Kraus - 'Horn Dance' | 11. Charlotte Greig And Johan Asherton - 'Lay The Bent To The Bonny Broom' | 12. Pumajaw - 'The Burning Of Auchindoun' | 13. Peter Ulrich - 'The Scryer & The Shewstone | 14. Alphane Moon - 'Where The Hazel Grows' | 15. English Heretic - 'Hippomania' | 16. Far Black Furlong - 'Icy Solstice Eye'. Disc 2 1. The Anvil - 'John Barleycorn Must Die' | 2. Tinkerscuss - 'To Make You Stay' | 3. The Straw Bear Band - 'Trial By Bread & Butter' | 4. Electronic Voice Phenomena - 'The Sorrow Of Rimmon' | 5. The Purple Maids Of Lazeron - 'Dragonfly' | 6. Sand Snowman - 'Stained Glass Morning' | 7. The A Lords - 'Summerhouse' | 8. The Kitchen Cynics - 'The Guidman's Ground' | 9. Quickthorn - 'PewPew' | 10. Clive Powell - 'Reed Sodger' | 11. Venereum Arvum - 'Child 102 Willie And Earl Richard's Daughter' | 12. Drohne - 'Nottamun Town' | 13. Stormcrow - 'Gargoyle' | 14. Doug Peters - 'Pact' | 15. While Angels Watch - 'Obsidian Blade' | 16. Xenis Emputae Travelling Band - 'John Barleycorn: His Life, Death And Resurrection' | 17. Martyn Bates - 'The Resurrection Apprentice'." [label info] www.coldspring.co.uk 2007 €16.00
Twenty Centuries of Stony Sleep do-LP "Rune Grammofon celebrates release number 100 with this quite excellent and suitable collection of tracks from 13 of their esteemed artists, old and new. When the label started to compile the album and look at possible track orders, they soon noticed the large number of quiet tracks they had received, making it closer in feel to a "real" album than a compilation, and by far the best compilation album they have done. Twelve tracks are exclusive to this release, including a track by up-and-coming Rune Grammofon artist Jenny Hval. As with previous compilations, Rune Grammofon has turned to song lyrics and poems for the title -- this one is from William Butler Yeats' short but monumental poem "The Second Coming." Other artists include: Alog, The Low Frequency In Stereo, Ultralyd, Espen Eriksen Trio, In The Country, Bushman's Revenge, Hilde Marie Kjersem, Stian Westerhus, Puma, Deathprod, and Supersilent." [label info] www.runegrammofon.com 2010 €22.00
FLUXUS & NEOFLUXUS: STOLEN SYMPHONY do-CD https://subrosalabel.bandcamp.com/album/fluxus-neofluxus-stolen-symphony-vol-1 This album features pieces by (in alphabetical order): Eric Andersen, John Cage, Henning Christiansen, Bengt af Klintberg, Milan Knízák, Opening Performance Orchestra, Terry Riley, Mieko Shiomi, Yoshi Wada and La Monte Young. The musicians and performers Anna Clementi, Agnese Toniutti, Deborah Walker, Werner Durand, Luciano Chessa, Miroslav Beinhauer, Petr Bakla, Nicolas Horvath, Petr Ferenc and Premysl Ondra have played, performed and declaimed the Fluxus pieces, Arditti Quartet and S.E.M. Ensemble provided one piece from their archives. Milan Knízák, Petr Rezek, Petr Kotík, Olaf Hanel, Eric Andersen, Per Brunskog, Peter van der Meijden, Pavlína Morganová, Natasha Lushetich, Joseph Nechvatal, Natilee Harren, Martin Patrick, Diedrich Diederichsen, Christopher M. Reeves and Hubertus von Amelunxen have written Fluxus-themed texts. Archivio Conz in Berlin provided access to their extensive Fluxus archives and Edizioni Conz provided co-production. Ursula and René Block made possible the realisation of John Cage's historical composition 'Rozart Mix' from the Edition Block archive. The photographic material comes from Marie Knízáková and Milan Knízák's private archive, the German photographer Wolfgang Träger, Archivio Conz's Fluxus archive and Opening Performance Orchestra's digital archive. The cover themes are paintings by Milan Knízák, while the graphic design is the work of Jaroslav Buzek. The whole release is produced by re-set production. The LP edition contains 18 pieces, new and old, live and studio, finished pieces and scores to be performed, acoustic and classical, solos and pieces for ensemble, using classical and special instruments. SIDE 1: 0. John Cage - 0'00'' (1962) (solo to be performed in any way by anyone) 0:00 1. La Monte Young - Compositions 1960 #15 to Richard Huelsenbeck (1960) 4:39 (Agnese Toniutti, piano) 2. Milan Knízák - DKH Quartet (edit) (1973) 4:40 (Arditti Quartet) 3. Henning Christiansen - Wolfsflöte (1986) 4:00 (Werner Durand, wind) 4. Giuseppe Chiari - Metodo Teorico E Pratico Per Suonare Il Violoncello (1962) 7:43 (Deborah Walker, cello) 5. Milan Knízák - White Process (from the cycle 'Processes Mainly For The Space Of Mind) (1978) 0:46 (Petr Ferenc, voice) SIDE 2: 1. Dick Higgins - Emmett William's Ear (1977) 9:40 (Agnese Toniutti, piano) 2. Henning Christiansen - Sturmsax (1986) 3:34 (Werner Durand, wind) 3. Milan Knízák - A Chromatic Scale In Countermovement (1971) 2:04 (Miroslav Beinhauer, broken piano) 4. Giuseppe Chiari - Gesti Sul Piano (1962) 4:40 (Luciano Chessa, piano) 5. Yoshi Wada - Lip Vibrator (1973) 2:24 (Ostravská Banda & Audience) 6. La Monte Young - Composition 1960 #7 (1960) 1:19 (Nicolas Horvath, piano) SIDE 3: 1. Eric Andersen - It Isn't Bad (2021) 1:05 (Eric Andersen) 2. Eric Andersen - Opus 1961 (1961) 5:29 (Miroslav Beinhauer & Petr Bakla, piano) 3. Bengt af Klintberg - Triad No.1 (2021) 5:10 (Werner Durand, bottles) 4. Mieko Shiomi - Imaginary Garden No.3 (2009) 7:38 (Miroslav Beinhauer, piano) 5. Terry Riley - Shoganigidi #1 (2021) 3:18 (Miroslav Beinhauer, broken piano) 6. Milan Knízák - Material Events (from the cycle 'Processes Mainly For The Space Of Mind') (1978) 1:28 (Premek Ondra, voice) SIDE 4: 1. Opening Performance Orchestra - Stolen Symphony (2021) 21:25 (Opening Performance Orchestra, electronics) 2023 €20.00
Fluxus & NeoFluxus: Stolen Symphony (Part I) do-LP https://subrosalabel.bandcamp.com/album/fluxus-neofluxus-stolen-symphony-vol-1 Double LP version. Gatefold sleeve; includes 24-page large booklet. All in all, there are more than 50 pieces, new and old, live and studio, finished pieces and scores to be performed, acoustic and classical, solos and pieces for ensemble, using classical and special instruments. This Fluxus edition features (in alphabetical order): Eric Andersen, Ay-O, George Brecht, John Cage, Giancarlo Cardini, Giuseppe Chiari, Henning Christiansen, Philip Corner, Öyvind Fahlström, Ken Friedman, Sten Hanson, Geoffrey Hendricks, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Joe Jones, Bengt af Klintberg, Milan Knízák, Alison Knowles, Larry Miller, George Maciunas, Sara Miyamoto, Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono, Opening Performance Orchestra, Benjamin Patterson, Josef Anton Riedl, Terry Riley, Takako Saito, Tomas Schmit, Dieter Schnebel, Mieko Shiomi, Yasunao Tone, Ben Vautier, Yoshi Wada, and La Monte Young. The musicians and performers Anna Clementi, Agnese Toniutti, Deborah Walker, Werner Durand, Luciano Chessa, Miroslav Beinhauer, Petr Bakla, Nicolas Horvath, Petr Ferenc, and Premysl Ondra have played, performed and declaimed the Fluxus pieces, Arditti Quartet and S.E.M. Ensemble provided one piece from their archives. Milan Knízák, Petr Rezek, Petr Kotík, Olaf Hanel, Eric Andersen, Per Brunskog, Peter van der Meijden, Pavlína Morganová, Natasha Lushetich, Joseph Nechvatal, Natilee Harren, Martin Patrick, Diedrich Diederichsen, Christopher M. Reeves, and Hubertus von Amelunxen have written Fluxus-themed texts. Archivio Conz in Berlin provided access to their extensive Fluxus archives and Edizioni Conz provided coproduction. Ursula and René Block made possible the realization of John Cage's historical composition "Rozart Mix" from the Edition Block archive. The photographic material comes from Marie Knízáková and Milan Knízák's private archive, the German photographer Wolfgang Träger, Archivio Conz's Fluxus archive and Opening Performance Orchestra's digital archive. The cover themes are paintings by Milan Knízák, while the graphic design is the work of Jaroslav Buzek. 1. La Monte Young Composition 1960 #15 to Richard Huelsenbeck (1960) by Agnese Toniutti (Piano) 04:27 2. Milan Knízák DKH Quartet (edit) (1973) by Arditti Quartet 04:39 3. Henning Christiansen Wolfsflöte (1986) by Werner Durand (Winds) 04:02 4. Giuseppe Chiari Metodo teorico e pratico per suonare il violoncello (1962) by Deborah Walker (Cello) 07:45 5. Milan Knízák White Process (from the cycle Processes Mainly for the Space of Mind) (1978) by Petr Ferenc (Voice) 00:47 6. Dick Higgins Emmett William's Ear (1977) by Agnese Toniutti (Piano) 09:42 7. Milan Knízák A Chromatic Scale in Countermovement (1971) by Miroslav Beinhauer (Broken Piano) 02:07 8. Henning Christiansen Sturmsax (1986) by Werner Durand (Winds) 03:39 9. Yoshi Wada Lip Vibrator (1973) by Ostravská Banda & Audience (Paper Tubes) 02:26 10. Terry Riley Shoganigidi #1 (2021) by Miroslav Beinhauer (Broken Piano) 03:19 11. Yasunao Tone Clapping Piece (1963) by Residents of the Institute Ostrava Days directed by Eric Andersen 02:37 12. Mieko Shiomi Direction music for a pianist (1990) by Agnese Toniutti (Piano) 26:01 13. Dieter Schnebel An-sätze (1985) by Anna Clementi (Voice) 05:39 14. La Monte Young Composition 1960 #7 (1960) by Nicolas Horvath (Piano) 01:20 15. Eric Andersen It isn't bad (2021) by Eric Andersen (Voice) 01:06 16. Eric Andersen Opus 1961 (1961) by Miroslav Beinhauer & Petr Bakla (Piano) 05:31 17. Bengt af Klintberg Triad No.1 (2021) by Werner Durand (Bottles) 05:15 18. Mieko Shiomi Imaginary Garden No. 3 (2009) by Miroslav Beinhauer (Piano) 07:36 19. Milan Knízák Material Events (from the cycle Processes Mainly for the Space of Mind) (1978) by Premek Ondra (Voice) 01:31 20. Giuseppe Chiari Gesti sul piano (1962) by Luciano Chessa (Piano) 04:37 21. Öyvind Fahlström Morgon (1952-55) by Anna Clementi (Voice) 05:33 22. Philip Corner A really Lovely Piece Made For & by Agnese (2019) by Agnese Toniutti (Piano) 03:15 23. Terry Riley Ear Piece (1962) by Luciano Chessa (Oscillator) 05:02 24. Philip Corner Small Pieces of a Fluxus Reality (2018) by Agnese Toniutti (Piano) 02:28 25. Benjamin Patterson Paper Piece (1960) by Luciano Chessa (Paper) 06:01 26. Philip Corner Toy Piano (2012) by Agnese Toniutti (Piano) 02:21 27. Sten Hanson A Living Man (Poem) (1971) by Anna Clementi (Voice) 03:53 28. La Monte Young 556 for Henry Flynt (1961) by the Residents of the Institute Ostrava Days, direction: Eric Andersen) 09:22 29. Yoko Ono Conversation Piece (1962) by Anna Clementi (Voice) 08:07 30. Opening Performance Orchestra Stolen Symphony (2021) (Electronics) 21:27 31. Milan Knízák & Phaerentz & Opening Performance Orchestra BROKEN REBROKEN edit (2020) by Milan Knízák, Phaerentz & Opening Performance Orchestra 03:00 2023 €25.00
  Anthology of Electroacoustic Music from Finland CD There is a long tradition of Electroacoustic music in Finland beginning in the 1950’s with the experimentation of tape music. Finland’s first electronic musical instrument the "Sähkövalopiano" or "Electric Light Piano" was built before this in 1894. It was constructed in the Polytechnic Institute (now Aalto University) in Helsinki. Finland also has a tradition of blending archaic traditional music in the contemporary music scene. The Kalevala tradition for example dates back centuries before today and the instruments associated with it were used to accompany shepherds on their lonely watches, or village dance parties bringing joy and sense of belonging to communities. These musical traditions have been revitalised by being used in a modern context. Even with the emerging of new technologies to open new horizons for composing music, the avant garde movement and a plethora of new and continuously evolving music genres, the very root of Finnish Kalevala tradition has stayed alive and has been brought to the present, not only in its original form, but also being integrated into electroacoustic realm by the musicians willing to experiment. Rauno Nieminen, a master luthier of archaic instruments and a musician, explains this best: “An instrument or a musical culture can stay alive only if it will be adapted to the music that new generations are creating". This compilation is proof that the Finnish musical tradition and its instruments are still alive and taking steps to new sound territories. https://unexplainedsoundsgroup.bandcamp.com/album/anthology-of-electroacoustic-music-from-finland 2023 €13.00
VASILISK Acqua LP "Reissue of Japanese tribal/industrial pioneers, released back in 1989 on Musica Maxima Magnetica. Originally recorded and mixed in London, Napoli and Tokyo 1988, now remastered with additional bonus track. Comes on transparent green vinyl, limited to 150 copies." [label info] www.steinklang-records.at "Akin to William Bennett's Cut Hands or perhaps to the acoustic-leaning facets of Muslimgauze or to the slightly more obscure British project O Yuki Conjugate, Vasilisk were a well-regarded Japanese outfit of ritual-industrial musicians who released a handful of albums in the late '80s. Now, they've undergone a necessary reissue campaign thanks to the Austrian imprint Steinklang. Acqua (1989) was the third and final album from the band's first incarnation. And while they's since reformed, with a couple of albums that's we've not yet heard including one with the nihilist industrial project Dissecting Table, Vasilisk have long been lumped into the continuum of industrial culture (mostly since two members of Vasilisk started out in the brutalist punk-noise trio White Hospital with Jun Konagaya later christening himself Grim), but the music of Vasilisk falls more on the hypnogogic, dreamy side of tribal esoterica. Synths, organs, flutes, and guitars float through Acqua's processional tracks. This is especially true for the lengthy title cut which has much more of the kosmische atmospherics of a Popul Vuh or even a Motion Sickness Of Time Travel, before an ominous clamor from hand-drums turns the vibe in a completely different but wholly cinematic direction. The shorter tracks follow Vasilisk's mantra-based hypnosis through acoustic rhythms, moody flute drone, and suspended ambience; but the longest piece marks one of the earliest appearances from long-standing aQ-favorite Tatsuya Yoshida, aka the ringleader of the Ruins. This is a live session recorded with Yoshida behind a drum-kit and pushing the velocity at a considerably greater speed than what Vasilisk had typically performed. Around Yoshida's Charles Hayward / Jaki Leibezeit timekeeping, the rest of Vasilisk punctuates with tumbled percussion, time-warp electric drones and more of those ghostly flutes." [Aquarius Records] 2014 €20.00
VELDMAN, HESSEL Ymuiden CD Winter-Light welcomes Hessel Veldman: musician, composer and producer to our label with his new album 'Ymuiden'. The album comprises of seven experimental electronic soundscapes, laced with industrial elements, creating a hypnotic, dark undercurrent of sound. 'Ymuiden' is an experimental audio sound map of Ijmuiden, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands. A city where Hessel grew-up and still lives today. A place that has seen much happen, many changes and innovation in its short history, as Hessel outlines below ..... Ymuiden - Hessel Veldman:(Shadows of IJmuiden’s Roughness) Ymuiden… IJmuiden… my place of birth… the place where I spent my youth… the place where I still live… IJmuiden… the place that was born in 1876… where they dug and conquered the dunes… where they gave birth to the mouth (muiden) of the harbour (Piervrees) of Amsterdam (IJ)…the place of raw (Rauw) labour… the off-shore industry (Stuurlast)… the steel factory (Ademslak)… the gateway (docks; Sluisgelag) to Amsterdam… the exit to the world (Scheepskoorts)… the international fishing harbour (Tongrot)… the fortified WWII (1943-1945) city (Duinbeton)… January 26th 2022 will see the opening of the world's greatest lock (Zeesluis IJmuiden) and the release of 'Ymuiden' by Hessel Veldman. Recorded in IJmuiden, The Netherlands @ De Goede Herder Kerk studio; winter 2019/2020. All tracks recorded, composed and produced by Hessel Veldman. Sound sources: KORG MS20 + archived field recordings. Mastered by Martijn Comes at the Immovable Substance studio. Cover sleeve photo’s made by Murray Maffra, at different locations in IJmuiden. Cover design Midnight Sun Studio. Special thanks to Mark O'Shea, Nicole, Martijn Comes, Visserhallen, John Williams and inspirer Willem de Ridder. 2022 €13.00
VERTONEN The ocean is gone, the ship is next CD VERTONEN aus Chicago vertont hier seine Turntable-Experimente und betört den willigen Hörer mit knisternd-knarzigen Rauschdrones, bizarren Vinyl–loops, noisigen Pulsations-mustern und ganz konkreten Metall-Geräuschtupfern. * Vertonen is Chicago experimental music veteran Blake Edwards and this CD continues an ongoing exploration of turntable-fueled drones. The opening track's title is self-explanatory: "untitled for air organ and turntable motor". Recorded live on the radio in Chicago, this piece is a fourteen minute long deep and dense mix of beautiful bass tones and thick breathy hums playing endless phase games with each other. On the second piece, a very heavy speaker-rattling bass tone loops through the beginning as metal-percussion sounds slowly cycle in the background. Scratchy vinyl sounds and dense ambient tones continue throughout as some recognizable vinyl-sourced sounds emerge- like a looped horn-line perhaps. the regular sound of the loop disturbs the drone atmosphere a little, adding some humor to a track that doesn't seem to need any. The next piece, "Four chambers plus their various fluids" kicks out the noise from the get go- fast and loud cycling noise whirring and flanging endlessly. Hissy field recorded sounds predominate as the track fades out to silence. "Soma Trio Study (2)" is the shortest cut one here at 5 minutes and could have used a little more time to develop. The sounds at play are delicate and melodic slowly evolving loops drifting in and out of phase- a bit like Philip Jeck, perhaps and much more romantic than the claustrophobic sounds on the previous pieces. Final track begins with warbly locked groove piano sounds eventually overtaken by a darker, machine loop that slowly fades in as the piano plays on. The mix of endless drone frequencies and more loopish vinyl sounds works wonderfully throughout this disc.” [Angbase] 2003 €8.00
VIOSAC (VIOLENCE AND THE SACRED) Rustypile CD "Instigation to obsessive behaviours through the use of a neurotic variety of dissonant sequencing (brought to extreme consequences in the exaggeratedly protracted title track). Elsewhere, intriguing reiterations and leisurely paced abstract electronics pave the way to an easier enjoyment of an ill-minded quietness, the impossibility of referencing the sounds to anything well-known a definite plus. Samples of classic music appear like funny ghosts amidst panoramas overflowed with deformed dichotomies and rambling precariousness. Spoken word (texts by a William Shakespeare) is not exactly welcome, especially when it ruins a beautifully misshapen string loop (“Sonnet 139/66”) or unspeakably nonfigurative suspensions (“Sonnet 64/15”). This is uncompromisingly disordered stuff: at times naïve, often labyrinthine, for the large part appreciably unendurable due to a reluctance to open the doors to a “first come, first served” kind of short-term audience. On the contrary, Rusty Pile must be attentively analyzed in order to appreciate its most satisfying traits, which translates into “legitimate experimental release”." [Massimo Ricci / Touching Extremes] www.viosac.net 2008 €13.00
VON HAUSSWOLFF, C.M. (CARL MICHAEL) Perhaps I Arrive - music for Atatürk Airport, Istanbul do-CD "This double disc set includes some of the most unusual sounds you will have heard from Carl Michael von Hausswolff. The story goes like this. Von Hausswolff was chosen by the 1997 Istanbul Biennal to create a sound installation for Atatürk Airport. His classic sound combining low frequency rumblings, very monotonous oscillations and hissy non-narrative sequences was deemed too confusing for the commutors. It was feared, von Hausswolff’s sound installation might be mistaken for an alarm and would be capable of causing serious panic at the airport. Hence the original soundtrack for “Perhaps I Arrive” was neglected. This music can now be heard for the first time on disc 1. Carl Michael von Hausswolff’s response to the artistic restrictions was to produce the four tracks you hear on the second disc. These only make use of the very basic pre-set industry sounds included in the Yamaha QY22 and show a new side to the von Hausswolff sound. Very simple, post-nuclear lounge music. These four tracks you guessed it! ¬were happily used in the context of the Biennal exhibition. Art is a three-letter word (William S Burroughs)" [label info] "Nothing is for a musician more annoying than a response like: whatever you are doing, it sounds like a test tone, alarm signal, hiss or worse: I think your equipment is broken. So when Carl Micheal von Hauswolff was asked by the Istanbul Biennale to make a site specific work at their airport, he was probably very annoyed when they turned down his piece of low rumbling, because it could have caused alarm. So instead he created something else, on a Yamaha QY22, using preset sounds only - probably to annoy the organizers. Now both versions are released as part of this double CD - the rejected piece on one CD, and the accepted on the other. The rejected piece is indeed a piece of low rumbling, a bit of hiss sounds (long waves picked up from the ether I think) which may not have worked at the airport - depends of course on how things are presented - but for home listening I must say this is quite nice. Perfect Hauswolff styled hiss music. And what a difference indeed with the accepted version. Four pieces there of lounge like music, but with a more forceful rhythm underneath, so it wouldn't entirely work in lounge bar. But you can imagine people at an airport, hastily walking along Hauswolff march like beats and bittersweet keyboards with a vague trace of arab-like sounds. This is a side that we haven't heard from him before, and it's not something he should do a lot (or in fact never did again, as far as I can recall), but it's surely a curious album. " [FdW / Vital Weekly] www.aufabwegen.com 2008 €18.00
  800000 Seconds in Harar CD " CD digipak. CM von Hausswolff says: 'I was approached by my old friend and Radium 226.05 colleague Ulrich Hillebrand, now director of Angered Theatre in Göteborg. He informed me that there was a new play in the process of being written by author and theorist Michael Azar called 'Jag r en annan' (I is another) stemming form the famous letter written by Arthur Rimbaud in his youth. The play uses Rimbaud's life from being a young poet in Charleville ending with him being the trader in Harar, Ethiopia. Hillebrand asked me if I was willing to compose the music to this play. I accepted. I told Hillebrand that I needed to use material that had something to do with Rimbaud's life and as he had connections in Ethiopia and in the small city of Harar he said: why don't you go to Harar for 10 days and see what you can find ? So I went to Addis Ababa where a guy was waiting for me and drove me the 10 hours beautiful ride to Harar. I made recordings and looked for other useful material. There are 2 tracks. On the first track, which consists of three 'parts' I have used material from Harar. The long dronic sounds are taken form an instrument that I, after searching for days, bought in Harar - it's called a 'krar' and is a string instruments (it's quite clear that I have used a string instrument- also if you study Ethiopian music you came across the name of Saint Yared and he was the first to construct a notation system for music... much earlier than the Europeans). As I could not really master the actual playing of this instrument, I bought a bow for a violin and some rosin and with this I got one good tone out from this krar. Then the computer helped me to sort the modes and pitches out. On this piece there also two location recordings: the first one you hear is a recording I did outside Harar on a hill where there are next to no car sounds or other machine sounds - just the wind, insects, some kids and that (I wanted this recording to be more or less timeless or at least 19th century and forward...). The second location recording was done in the night in my hotel, where I woke up one night and became fascinated by the leaking taps in my bathroom so I decided to records this. On the second there are only oscillators used... several of them... And using one low pitch oscillator I ran a sound filtered through. This sound is the low 'rhythm' you can hear, and it's a low pitched morse code signal... and the text is the famous poem Rimbaud wrote in his youth called Le Dormeur Du Val (The Sleeper in the Valley). This poem is a beautiful text starting off in the nature, where a person is sleeping in the grass. Slowly Rimbaud zooms in and we read that it's a soldier and at the very end we are told he has two red wounds on his chest - the guy is dead!' Arthur Rimbaud lived in Harar from 1884 until shortly before his death in 1891. This is Carl Michael von Hausswolff's first album for Touch, but the connection goes back many years, of course. Carl Michael von Hausswolff was born in 1956 in Linköping, Sweden. He lives and works in Stockholm. Since the end of the 1970s, Hausswolff has worked as a composer using the tape recorder as his main instrument and as a conceptual visual artist working with performance art, light and sound installations and photography.' [label info] www.touchmusic.org.uk "Dem Minimalismus wird definitiv in der heutigen Zeit viel Raum gewährt. Vergleichbar dem graphischen Design einer Designer Republic wird Weniger zum Mehr, ist die Leerstelle längst Ausdrucksmittel für den mondänen Zeitgeist. Hausswolff fährt diese Schiene seit Jahren erfolgreich, verlässt sie aber nur für kurze konkrete Zwischenhalte (siehe das Triptych für das Laton-Label) um dann wieder drei Alben mit konsequent kurzgeschnittener Konzeption und Kuration zu veröffentlichen, deren Sinn sich in stehenden Tönen auf Viertelstundenbasis und kraftvollen Feldaufnahmen äußert. Die Vergangenheit die Hausswolff hier besingt, schleicht sich auch in Künstlerreichweite, denn die Kuration aus alter skandinavischer Galeristenarbeit wirkt auch Jahrzehnte später bei Hausswolff nach. Sicherlich ist »800 000 Seconds in Harar« ein im heutigen Sinne weitaus ausgewogeneres Werk, auch wenn die spärlichen Akkordwechsel der Drones eher lange auf sich warten lassen. Geduld muss vorhanden sein, das Goutieren der Musik wird schlagartig zum Spiel mit Zeit und Raum. Erst im dritten Stück entfalten sich orgelartige Strukturen, auf die John Cage angesichts seines Jahrtausendwerkes ORGAN2 stolz sein dürfte. Ähnlich verlangsamt, aber mit präsenten Bassschwingungen hallen die organischen Zutaten eines Besuchs in Harar umso mehr am Hörknochen noch. Nichtsdestotrotz ist Hausswolff auf dünnem Eis. Das sorgfältige Konstrukt aus Schwebungssummern und genau präzisierter Hertzzahl gerät angesichts der emotionalen Verortung in der Musik bisweilen ins Wanken. Dann muss man Geduld aufbringen, um dieses Werk in seiner vollen Länge zu würdigen. 4/5 " [Thorsten Soltau / AEMAG] "Selbst wenn man die Hintergrundinfos zu dieser CD nicht kennt, ist es immer wieder ein Vergnügen dem "Meister des Drones" zu lauschen. - Nun, auf CD ist das bei CM von Hausswolff immer so eine Sache, da seine meisten Tracks sehr lang und auch abhängig sind von der Qualität der Stereoanlage, denn der Herr hier bevorzugt extrem tieftönendes Klänge. Live und direkt ein unglaubliches Erlebnis, wenn er die Filter zum glühen bringt, man in den Sitz gepresst wird und die Kleidung wie Folie sich um den ganzen Körper spannt und das nur durch einen herrvoragend aufeinander abgestimmten Drone. Für diese Veröffentlichung, die gleichzeitig Musik für eine Theaterstück über die letzten Lebensjahre von Arthur Rimbaud in Harhar ist, wurde CM kurzer Hand in ein Flugzeug verfrachtet und zehn Tage nach Äthopien geschickt und das nur, weil er sagte, er bräuchte Basicmaterial für seine Kompositionen. Also hört man hier die bearbeiteten Klänge der Originalschauplätze, Reiseeindrücke und Aufnahmen auf der Grundlage traditionellen äthiopischen Musikinstrumenten. Wunderbare und meditative fließende Drones umschmeicheln den Hörer und nehmen ihn mit auf diese (Traum)Reise!" [Carsten Vollmer / OX] 2011 €14.00
WINER, LESLIE & VON HAUSSWOLFF, C.M 1 LP Leslie Winer is an artist and author living and working in France. Earlier releases include Witch (recorded in 1990, released in 1993), & That Dead Horse (recorded in 1994, released in 2010), Always Already (2011), and the retrospective compilation Leslie Winer &c. (WHO 003CD, 2012). She has collaborated with Jon Hassell, Bomb the Bass, Mekon, and her words and voice were heard on a track on CI by Diamond Version (Carsten Nicolai and Olaf Bender) (2014). As of 2015, she is co-editor and co-executor for the estate of beat writer Herbert Huncke. (1), by Winer and Carl Michael von Hausswolff, is Winer's first full-length original release to be recorded since 1994. CM von Hausswolff divides his time between the worlds of music and visual art. His records, which he has been releasing since 1979, have been released by such labels as Radium 226.05, Ash International, Raster-Noton, Laton, iDEAL, and Touch. He curates Freq_Out, a collaborative sound installation shown in Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Marrakesh, and beyond, with such artists as JG Thirlwell, Finnbogi Petursson, Jana Winderen, and Christine Ödlund. He makes films with Thomas Nordanstad and music with Martin Rössel (as Gomila Park), Jean-Louis Huhta and Graham Lewis (as Ocsid), and Joachim Nordwall and Jason Lescalleet (as ENOUGH!!!). Leslie Winer and Carl Michael von Hausswolff met in 2011 in Lisbon, Portugal, via Philip Marshall, co-owner of The Tapeworm. They decided to make a vocal/electronic music collaboration just for fun, with no intentions to have it on any kind of phonogram. Time proved different! Text and vocals by Winer; music by von Hausswolff, except for "Talked to some of them," which features music by von Hausswolff and Nordanstad, from their 2009 film Electra, Texas 2008. Recorded, mixed, and treated in Vigny, France, and Stockholm, Sweden, 2012-13. ##################################### "Leslie Winer has long been an intriguing figure to me, an eighties fashion model who while in London frequented Leigh Bowery's infamous Taboo nightclub. In New York in the seventies she lived with Jean Michael Basquiat and became acquainted with the Beats in the form of William S. Burroughs and Herbert Huncke. But it is her association with musicians connected to Adam And The Ants that really gets me. She had a short lived marriage to Kevin Mooney, and was instrumental in his post Ants projects Max and Wide Boy Awake. This is her first proper album since Witch, a cult album with a turbulent history which first surfaced as a white label before its official release in 1993 on Transglobal Underground's own label. Its hazy atmosphere, spoken passages laced with samples and dub infused beats, has as many commentators pointed out laid down something of a blueprint to what became known as trip hop - something which Winer herself has reservations about. Witch featured a rich ensemble of artists including bassist Jah Wobble, filmmaker John Maybury, and various ex-Ants musicians including Mooney and Matthew Ashman, alongside Mooney's former Max/Wide Boy Awake associate John Keogh, as well as Karl Bonnie of Renegade Soundwave. Winer also featured on Sinead O'Connor\'s The Lion and the Cobra which in various formations also included Mooney, Marco Pirroni, and O'Connor\'s ex-husband John Reynolds, who also turns up on Witch. The interconnectedness between these players beggars belief and that\'s without bringing in John Gosling's Mekon whose releases feature many of the aforementioned, as well as Winer herself. But that's just the backstory. In 2010 The Tapeworm released & That Dead Horse, a collection of unreleased recordings, while 2012 saw the release of & © on The Wormhole, containing material from the aforementioned Witch with other material recorded in Miami and collaborations with Vincent Gallo and Christophe Van Huffel. Van Huffel would go on to work with Winer as Purity Supreme releasing the guitar strewn atmospherics of Always Already as a 12-inch on Ash International. It was around this point The Tapeworm's Philip Marshall brought together Leslie Winer and Swedish sound artist and composer Carl Michael von Hausswolff, who agreed to collaborate on music. The results are (1). It's easy to regard Winer's delivery as a stream of consciousness, but there's thought behind her lyrics and particularly in the emphasis found within her phrasing. Lines appear and then reappear later in another form, as she plays with reality, in a voice deeper and more lived in than the mischievous delivery of Witch. It's difficult to ascertain Winer's viewpoint in her words on (1), as they sway between the poetic and the philosophical, especially on the longer tracks found on the first side. On 'I'll Be Mother' over a discreet ringing drone, she ruminates about "the next generation" and the need for "a pharmacological method of making people love." Her husky drawl, speaks of a susceptible populace where "we are creators, yet we have also been created". "I'll Be Mother" she repeats, adopting the role of the maternal figure characterised in the ritual of making tea. Winer, as executor to the works of Herbert Huncke, has long been associated with the Beats, but it is in the following track the friendship and the education learned from William Burroughs comes to the fore. 'I'll Be Mother' may have touched upon the Control Process that Burroughs dwelt on, but 'This Discreet Organ' looks to transformative powers of interconnectedness, touching upon observation and evolutionary evidence to question "long held notions of who and what we think we are" where time, sequence, speech, language and pattern recognition play a role. This is Winer in full-on philosopher mode: "The concept of what a thing looks like takes precedence over direct observation". In measured breathless tones she reflects on human development and the need for sleep, questioning evolution, biology and gender roles when she inquires "Did women throw enough spears?" Mirroring Burroughs she asks "Who is running the show?" over Von Hausswolff's lingering drone. More than ever on 'Can I Take Your Order' her husky, hesitant delivery apes the sardonic drawl of a Burroughs reading. The text concerning culture and patriarchy is cut-up with various sections reappearing and reformed over the powerful undulating drones of von Hausswolff. While much of von Hausswolff's score is understated and subtle it is much more prevalent here - and in all the tracks on side 2 - gently swelling around Winer's fragmented oblique text entwining biographies of an aspiring writer and isolated academic. Juddering glacial tones form a frosted layer to the treated, distant and hard to discern delivery of Winer on 'Weatherman'. The closing track 'Talked To Some Of Them', additionally features and is credited to Thomas Nordanstad. It is taken from Electra, Texas 2008, the third in a series of films by CM von Hausswolff and filmmaker Thomas Nordanstad. The music is reduced to arching electronics, rising and falling behind Winer's fragmented musings, recycling text that originally surfaced on 'I'll Be Mother'. "This seems to be the final revolution", she muses, over effects resembling distant tolling bells. Last year, Leslie Winer, in a photographic session by Juergen Teller, became the face of Vivienne Westwood's 2014 campaign, and amidst all the Tapeworm associated releases it seems Leslie Winer, from her reclusive life in France, is making tentative steps back to into the public arena. Without downplaying von Hausswolff's contribution here my focus on (1) is in on Winer, her voice and the spoken word text giving form to her philosophy and current thinking. (1) won't garner the gushing words that surround Witch, recently reissued by Superior Viaduct, but (1) does show she still has much to say, and (1) is worth seeking out, especially if either artist is of interest. For more information go to Monotype Records" [Compulsion Online] 2015 €26.00
WIRE, THE issue # 292 (June 2008) mag "On the cover: Evangelista (Since covering Willie Nelson's 'Red Headed Stranger,' Carla Bozulich has been shunting alt country deeper into hardcore improv territory with her new group). Features: Machinefabriek (Rutger Zuydervelt tells Chris Sharp why 3" CD-Rs are the perfect medium for his electronic streams of consciousness); Dylan van der Schyff (Vancouver's busiest drummer talks about his work with John Butcher, pianist Peggy Lee and more); Cross Platform: Anat Ben-David (Chicks On Speed's Israeli recruit interrogates pop and politics in her performance art piece, Popaganda); Invisible Jukebox: The RZA; Yoshi Wada (Inspired by La Monte Young and Pandit Pran Nath, the Japanese Fluxus artist explores the 'sympathetic resonances' of his homemade bagpipes and horns); People Like Us (Adopting the motto 'all things avant retard,' Vicki Bennett creates witty audio cut-ups and collages that slyly subvert heavily mediated images of Britain); Nihilist Spasm Band (The likes of Joe McPhee, Voice Crack and Jojo Hiroshige have all made the pilgrimage to London, Ontario to attend the Canadian noise veterans' No Music nights)." [Verlagsinfo] www.thewire.co.uk 2008 €8.75
WRIGHT, PETER Red Lion CD Londoner Aufnahmen von 2004: field recordings von verschiedenen Plätzen Londons (Red Lion Square, Tate Modern, etc.), feedbackin’ hyper-effektierte Drone-Guitars, merkwürdige Obertonräume entstehen, Daydream-Akustikgitarren verschmelzen mit Environmentals, sowas wie Helikopter-Vibrationen(?), einzelne metallische Töne ziehen Resonanzen wie Schweife hinter sich her, himmlische Vibratos, die in der Luft schweben & zu schimmern scheinen, sirrend-fräsende Klangwolken mit Siren-Effekt... Wie fast kein Zweiter ruft PETER WRIGHT aus seinen Gitarren manchmal fast aberwitzig zu nennende Obertonresonanzenschwälle hervor, schafft sirrend-schwirrenden Singsang par excellence, der nie in langweiligen tumben Noise oder Drone abgleitet, sondern immer in fein- ästhetischer Balance bleiben.... RED LION ist ein poetisch-verträumtes Werk mit vielen Facetten und sei hiermit allen die PETER WRIGHT noch nicht kennen ans Herz gelegt. 9 tracks, ca. 55 min. “You can remove a Kiwi from New Zealand but you sure as hell can't remove New Zealand from a Kiwi. Such is the case with Christchurch transplant, Peter Wright. Over the course of a decade, Wright has etched his name in glass in the annals of drone-world superstardom. And while I'm not sure what that really means, the point is that when it comes to soaring dronescapes, few do it better than Peter Wright. He has helped pave the way with contemporaries such as Birchville Cat Motel and Double Leopards, but clearly has his own distinct voice. With his past few albums, Wright seems the logical successor to native Kiwi, sound manipulator extraordinaire, Roy Montgomery. "Red Lion" is Wright's latest incarnation and, once again, pushes the boundaries of what he can do with his trademark 12 string Danelectro to the absolute outer limits. He pushes the limits of simplicity without ever breaking. Wright's albums are a thing of sheer, pure beauty, existing in a vacuum where nothing on the outside can tamper with their grace. Even with his lofty intentions, "Red Lion" is immediately approachable and grabs the listener from the opening notes. As always, Peter Wright offers up something wholly infectious and undebatably magnificent. Press about Peter Wright: "The finest in underground free noise / drone...mostly from New Zealand but all around the world as well. For those of you new to the CpsiP label, imagine classic Siltbreeze (Dead C, etc.) mixed with Jewelled Antler (Thuja, Blithe Sons etc.), dark and deep listening that sometimes verges on all out noise, but more often than not remains subtle experiments in avant drone and abstract sound." - Aquarius Records "This is easily some of the most evocative proto-drone work to reach these ears in a while, with beautiful almost folk melodies that flutter on the edge of audibility cut up with a thick soup of early-evening smog and long forgotten geographies. Somewhere between early Flying Saucer Attack, Mirror and William Basinski. Highly recommended." - David Keenan, Volcanic Tongue "If Windy & Carl's vision of Antarctica is your idea of bliss, you will drool over this soundscape depiction of Peter Wright's home in New Zealand. Now living in London, these are what the label calls "love-drones," as Wright's memories of his home's wide open spaces inspire slowly unfolding waves of lush guitar." - Jim Steed, Fakejazz “ [label info] 2006 €13.00
  Yellow Horizon CD Der grossartige Neuseeländer PETER WRIGHT (auch aktiv als POLIO) liefert seit Jahren Gitarren-drone durchtränkte Traumlandschaften ab, die sich dunkel aber unpathetisch in den Äther schwingen. Seine tänzelnden Gitarren-Ozeane sind von besonderer untergründiger emotionaler Spannung und Melancholie beseelt, und wirken doch auch entspannend....keine Oberflächenmusik, sondern der „wahre“ Kern des Selbst scheint hier aufzuflackern..... Demnächst auch eine 7“ auf Drone Records !! NZ-Import. “New Zealand guitarist and sound-artist Peter Wrights back catalogue stretches to something like 30 releases over the last dozen years. 'Yellow Horizons' is the most recent of these and follows on from 2004's 'Distant Bombs' (Last Visible Dog), and 'Desolation Beauty Violence' (Digitalis). This CD finds him relocated to dirty old London town from where he has written a series of love-drones to the wild South Island of his homeland. Described by David Keenan (of The Wire, Volcanic Tongue) as a "consistently impressive thinker", Wrights guitar craft opens vistas that are as contemplative as they are emotionally engaging. Periods of preperatory silence awaken into long slow shifting drones; layered 'folk' patterns build to an almost psychotropic intensity before being subsumed once more within the drone... These scenes are as varied as the South Island itself. There are glaciers as well as sunburnt plains. Writing about the recording of Yellow Horizons, Peter had this to say: "The nature of my reduced travelling bag of equipment has meant a more concise distillation of sounds than before with the 12 string guitar now dominating. To make things even more cohesive I tuned the guitar to an open C chord and every track on this disc uses this tuning, creating an almost seamless continuity, and an overall foundation". [press release] “Another fucking stunner from this re-located New Zealander, Desolation Beauty Violence is mostly based around various manipulations of Danelectro 12-string guitar using minimal effects and field recordings but for the most part the source feels supremely dislocated. This is easily some of the most evocative proto-drone work to reach these ears in a while, with beautiful almost folk melodies that flutter on the edge of audibility cut up with a thick soup of early-evening smog and long forgotten geographies. Somewhere between early Flying Saucer Attack, Mirror and William Basinski. Highly recommended.“ [David Keenan/ Volcanic Tongue] www.pseudoarcana.com 2005 €14.00
Y.ANN Valytheme CD-R Wiederveröffentlichung des raren und einzigen Solo-Tapes vom ULTRA MILKMAIDS-Zwillingsbruder YANN JAFFIOL - fast 50 Minuten feinste & hauchzarte Gitarren-Echo-Drones & Verwebungen, in die sich kleine Soundeffekte mischen.... "reissue of the tape self-released in 1997 by y.ann on the u mohol label, "valytheme" is the first & only tape of one ultra milkmaids twin. close to the early milkies sound, maybe in a more ambient approach, it contains some tracks that were in fact demos for the ultra milkmaids. everything was carefully remastered for this this reissue." [label info] 2006 €9.00
YEN POX Between the Horizon and the Abyss CD "Arriving on the scene in 1993 with their self-titled demo, Yen Pox immediately made their presence known with an ability to create monumental, light devouring soundscapes that transcended all that had come before it. Proceeding releases, including their debut CD, Blood Music, 2000’s New Dark Age, and the collaborative CD with Troum only solidified their standing and reputation. With Between the Horizon and the Abyss just being their first full length recording in over 15 years, Yen Pox will never be accused of being prolific. After all, with the two members spread out between Indiana and Washington State, creating new material doesn't exactly lend itself to convenience. But on the rare occasion that recordings do arise, it’s nothing short of masterful, reminding listeners why they’ve achieved such notoriety with such a limited discography, and why their recordings are consistently recognized as benchmarks within the dark ambient genre. Time between releases has been well spent, with the new material taking the early template and expounding upon it greatly, adding layers of industrial churn and structure to the infernal kosmische sprawl they’re so adept at creating. And yet throughout its entirety, Between the Horizon and the Abyss is remarkably polished and fluid. Within its realm, no seconds feel wasted, and every sound feels purposefully placed, even as it moves and flows in perpetual motion; strains of a distant angelic choirs fall beneath a complex array of arcing tones, liquidous, molten textures, & harrowing orchestral shimmer, with fervent masses of malevolent atmospherics billowing forth in glorious detail. While this technically falls under the banner of dark ambient, what Yen Pox has managed to create goes far beyond genre specifications and boundaries, crafting a new benchmark and adding a high water mark to an already stellar discography." [label info] www.malignantrecords.com "The year is 1995 and an extremely young label from Maryland has just begun to open its eyes to the world. Prior to this moment, its entire three-year existence had been dedicated to a ‘zine/compilation combination known as Audio Drudge, with a more official birth coming with a compilation of a different kind in 1994 that featured noise/industrial artists that ran the gamut from celebrated veterans in Illusion of Safety, Maeror Tri, and Contrastate, to what was at the time excruciatingly obscure in Söldnergeist, Vromb, and Kirchenkampf. It was an artist from the latter side of this list that was destined to give rise to one of the most important labels that post-industrial music has seen to this day—a label that, in the absence of Cold Meat Industry, has rightly taken its place at the helm as the leading name releasing the new generation of old-school industrial and dark ambient music today. That label is of course Malignant Records. And the artist? Yen Pox, the duo of Steven Hall and Michael J.V. Hensley, who tomorrow (May 5th) will be making their return after a full decade and a half of silence, save for a notable collaboration with another seminal dark ambient duo in Troum, Mnemonic Induction, and a little-known two-track 10″ on Drone Records, Universal Emptiness. This also requires one to overlook their respective solo projects in Veil of Secrecy and Blood Box, both of which have also been agonizingly slow to realize new music over the years. Yes, this is the project that began the maelstrom of high-quality releases that would make Malignant the monolith of the genre that it has become today, and that in itself should leave expectations at an absurdly high level for any curious ear. For the uninitiated, the project’s name should be enough of a hint to bring about hallucinatory visions of slow-rolling drones and desperate metallic chatter. “Yen Pox” was famously written by William S. Burroughs in Naked Lunch as being “the ash of smoked opium,” which should immediately lead one towards assumptions of the surreal brilliance held therein. Indeed, “The Awakening” arrives with a bass-end rumble that moves with enough sluggish grandeur, complex drones, and vastly cinematic space that it warrants comparisons to some of the finest names in the genre including deep audio extraordinaire Bad Sector and the aforementioned Troum. It is with this impressive track that Between the Horizon and the Abyss opens with the full force of a black hole, slowing down time and stretching it infinitely over an unimaginably monstrous mass, ripping metallic atoms apart with the pulsing black heart of the cosmos. Even “Tomorrow in Ruins” somehow leaves a similar astral impression as that of Ben Frost‘s incredible recent work with A U R O R A. There is a ritual edge present on some tracks as well, from the percussive clamoring and distant feedback howling of “Cold Summer Sun,” to the distant whispers and unnerving climaxing noise of “Grief Ritual.” However, this is only a minimal part of Yen Pox’s identity, as everything about Between the Horizon and the Abyss feels about as purely nihilistic as anything I’ve heard in recent years. The apocalyptic atmosphere present on the album is almost overwhelming at times, imparting an unforgiving amount of dread upon the listener as they float not through dreamy ethereal dimensions, but rather through the smokey black veils of what lies at the end of our journey. The intense album artwork and concise yet visionary track titles certainly don’t help one get an opposite impression though the radiant golds are an interesting and effective choice for such an atmosphere, but the music stands on its own as one of the most defining albums for dark ambient music of the past decade. Truly, at least to some degree, it sets a bar that leaves other modern releases from the genre sounding dry at best. Between the Horizon and the Abyss is one of the few releases of the past few years that has simply come as advertised. It is a triumph of the genre and is destined to be a celebrated gem. One can only imagine that it is the lack of quantity that has provided such astounding quality on Between the Horizon and the Abyss, but with this reminder that there are still new levels to achieve, we can only hope that it isn’t another 15 years of near-dormancy before another full-length surfaces." [S.L.Weatherford / Heathen Harvest] "A colossal record like this doesn't get made in a day, or even a year for that matter. It's actually been 15 years since Yen Pox has produced a new album. There was an excellent collaborative project the American industrial-ambient technicians did with the German pioneers Troum; and M.V. Hensley from Yen Pox has released a handful of albums under his moniker Blood Box. But, the last proper Yen Pox album, New Dark Age, arrived in the cold months of 2000. Not quite as slow in production as Giancarlo Toniutti, who took well over 20 years to issue a new solo album. But like Toniutti's immaculately conceived electro-acoustic wastelands, the records of Yen Pox are the stuff of epochal change, slowly revealing themselves through the dark veil between this world and another, or as the title implies between the horizon and the abyss. The scope of this work is suitably grandiose, following the template for the entire dark ambient genre that Yen Pox helped sculpt so many years ago alongside the likeminded projects Lustmord and Inade. The horror-laden drones that Yen Pox conceives are hardly static, as they spiral as if thrown from stable orbit by the all-consuming gravity of a black hole. The deep female vocal utterances are courtesy of the gothic siren Ruby Smith (aka Dark Muse) whose bellows and moans sporadically break through the dense clouds of Yen Pox' subterranean echo and reverb as the only ghosts of humanity to be found within this album. Bleak and heavy, to say the least." [Aquarius Records] 2015 €13.00
YOUNG, DENNIS Bella LP As a founding member of Liquid Liquid, the brilliantly influential and oft-sampled post-punk/funk pioneers of the early '80s, Dennis Young has been well-versed in audio experimentation for around 40 years now. From rhythmic no wave tastemaker to new age champion to experimental guitar explorer, Young's fearless pursuit of new methods and new sounds continues undiminished by trends. And so it goes with "Bella," Young's first solo album of entirely new material in more than 15 years. For "Bella" charts yet another new direction in Young's unpredictable career. This collection of instrumental pieces may surprise those familiar with Young's previous solo projects (issued by labels such as Bureau B, Athens of the North, and Staubgold, among others), but his willingness to explore timbres of all kinds should have prepared us all to expect the unexpected. If Liquid Liquid were roughly analogous to A Certain Ratio, "Bella" is closer to The Durutti Column in its guitar-based examination of textures and moods. But Young's voice, as composer and architect of sound environments, remains his own. From the occasionally harsh to the sublimely sensitive, “Bella” proves yet again that Dennis Young’s ear for intricacy and depth is as strong as ever. "'Bella' is a recording that happened by accident. I purchased a new guitar pedal back in the fall of 2018 to see how it sounded with the rest of the chain of pedals I had in place. As I started recording, to my surprise, songs started to appear, and over the next 4-6 weeks, I had enough material to produce and mix the music that was to become 'Bella.' I was also lucky to find Colin Sheffield whose label was the perfect outlet for this work. Sometimes the stars line up! As always, thanks for listening!" - Dennis / Fall 2019 https://elevatorbath.bandcamp.com/album/bella 2020 €20.00
Z'EV & JASON KAHN Intervals CD Each moment for what it is: Challenges concepts of rhythm, development and production. In 2009, experimental percussionist Jason Kahn was joined by percussionist and industrial music pioneer Z’EV for a series of shows in Switzerland. Kahn performed on percussion and analog synthesizer, while Z’EV contributed his signature sound of performing on metal percussion. It was the first time that the two collaborated and based on this release, the shows were largely (if not entirely) improvised. Intervals is ZEV’s heavily processed reworking of the original recordings, condensed into two approximately 25-minute pieces. Mixing ZEV’s music concrète approach—the sounds of chains rattling, coins spinning—with Kahn’s hand percussion work and droning synthesizer work, the sounds are sometimes processed beyond recognition, resulting in a dark, ambient quality. Elsewhere, the music takes on an intriguing, lo-fi electronic characteristic anchored by quiet, high-pitch synth notes and percussion filtered through distortion effects. “Lausanne // april 13, 2009” is a haunting ambient work built on quiet metallic scraping sounds, and ominous low-end rumbling. Occasional wind-like sounds—possibly the product of ZEV’s post-production—swell subtly behind the percussionists while quiet static crackles around the edges. The seemingly aleatoric sounds of the two musicians walking across the room and dropping pieces of metal arhythmically is countered by more musical elements: gong hits, rhythmic passages performed on cymbals, tribal timpani drumming. Ultimately however, it seems that Kahn and Z’EV are working to avoid any sense of development. Rather, they let each moment exist for what it is, let it fade, and enter with a new idea spurred by their stream-of-conscious interaction. “Zürich // april 14, 2009” takes a somewhat more “active” approach. Opening with shaker-like sounds of metal rubbed together and sustained synth notes, the piece moves to a period of white noise and glissing, bowed metal percussion. Unlike in “Lausanne,” there is some clear motivic development, repetition of ideas, and clearly demarcated sections. At the piece’s halfway point, for example, piercing high frequency held notes are underpinned by rolling timpani figures and manipulated room ambience. Like “Lausanne,” “Zürich” ends with a single synth note that eventually drowns out all other sounds. Even within the context of experimental music and music concrète, Intervals can be a difficult listen. The recording is imbued with a severe psychological—at times nightmarish—quality. During certain moments, the music’s muddiness becomes virtually impenetrable and the overall darkness of the aesthetic can be suffocating. That said, Intervals is certainly an intriguing and emotional work—one by two master percussionists willing to approach their instruments in a new way; an album created without artistic compromise that challenges one’s concepts of rhythm, development, and production. By Hannis Brown TOKAFI mag 2010 €13.00
ZAHGURIM Moral Rearmament - Special Edition CD "Zahgurim was a TOPY-affilated band formed in the mid Eighties by Paul Ackerley and William Vince. They recorded one album, "Moral Rearmament" for Dossier side label Atonal. It was produced and mixed by Paul Ackerley and William Vince with Simon Crabtree and Julian Gilbert (both of Bourbonese Qualk) at The Old Ambulance Station, Old Kent Road, London on October 24 and 25 1984. This new and first digital edition celebrates the 30th anniversary of a classic Industrial album. A lot of percussion meets heavy Industrial beats, voices seem to come from nowhere and lose themselves in the sound. If you need comparison think Bourbonese Qualk, Psychic TV, Test Dept., Z'ev. Zahgurim later went on to form Left Hand Right Hand, but that's a different story." [label info] www.klanggalerie.com 2014 €14.50
ZEITKRATZER (Old School) James Tenney CD "“Critical Band” (1988), “Harmonium #2” (1976), “Koan: Having Never Written A Note For Percussion” (1971). Zeitkratzer directed by Reinhold Friedl: Frank Gratkowski (clarinet), Hayden Chisholm (alto saxophone), Matt Davis (trumpet), Hilary Jeffery (trombone), Reinhold Friedl (piano), Maurice de Martin (percussion), Burkhard Schlothauer (violin), Anton Lukoszevieze (cello), Uli Phillipp (doublebass), Ralf Meinz (sound ). Recorded live at Philharmonie Luxembourg, Luxembourg, October 3, 2009. Recorded and mixed by Ralf Meinz and Reinhold Friedl, produced by Burkhard Schlothauer, executive producer: Reinhold Friedl. “The internationally acclaimed “hilarious releases” [vital weekly] of Zeitkratzer records will continue with the new series [old school]. The first two CDs, dedicated to the music of John Cage [zkr0009] and James Tenney [zkr0010] are now released together. The collaboration of Zeitkratzer with William Bennett /Whitehouse [zkr0007], recorded live in 2009 in Marseille/France and Den Haag/Netherlands, will follow this summer. Later in 2010, the [old school] series will continue with two more releases, dedicated to the music of Alvin Lucier [zkr0011] and Morton Feldman [zkr0012] respectively. James Tenney’s music has been part of Zeitkratzer’s repertoire for almost a decade. This CD presents a new recording of Critical Band – Tenney’s late classic – with maximum clarity. Also included is the first recording of Harmonium #2. Both works demonstrate the remarkable power and resplendent sharpness which Tenney achieved by composing with pure tunings. Koan: Having Never Written A Note For Percussion for tam-tam completes this CD with an orgiastic listening experience in the form of a huge crescendo on this wonderfully simple instrument - from whispering to singing, culminating in shrill roaring and blustering – and it’s dark decay. Tenney’s music as a sensual sound adventure !" [label info / credits] www.zeitkratzer.de "...I'm less familiar with the ideas and music of James Tenney, so its a bit hard to say anything about it that is connected to historical knowledge. I learned from the booklet that Tenney created 'swell pieces': music for long sustaining sounds, played on traditional instruments (same list as above), which have an almost electronic feel to it. It works in the region of overtones. Its great music. Sounds swell, rise from below and beyond and make a dome like sound. Think Alvin Lucier or Phill Niblock and you get my drift. But whereas they seem to be operating from a more studio based environment this is all live, which makes it even more remarkable, since it sounds like many voices at once, more than what the list of instruments suggest. In 'Koan: Having Never Written A Note For Percussion' the tam-tam is played, making a low rumble, that swells up like a giant roar. Indeed a swell piece. Whereas the Cage CD is a fine release but perhaps something we already heard before, this Tenney release is mind blowing." [FdW / Vital Weekly] "Das hochkarätig besetze Ensemble zeitkratzer streckt sich je nach Aufgabenstellung zum Himmel, wenn es sein muss. Bekannt geworden ist die Gruppe um Reinhold Friedl durch ihre pop-avantgardistischen Diskurs-Pogos im Grauland zwischen Neuer Musik und Improvisation, zwischen Noise und strenger Reduktion. Nach einem eher durchwachsenen Gastspiel auf der MusikTriennale Köln in diesem Frühjahr kehrt das Ensemble mit seinen beiden old school/Klassiker-Einspielungen zu konzentrierter Strärke zurück. Besonders die CD mit den Tenney Stücken, darunter der Klassiker Critical Band, zeigt, wie reizvoll es doch sein kann, jegliche Tonalität zu zerstören nach einem akkuraten Schlachtplan. In Koan: Never Written A Note For Percussion (1971) kommt dieser Ansatz zu einem grandios blitzflackernden, elektrisierten Finale. Die Cage Aufnahmen, mit den Stücken Four6, Five und Hymnkus weiß auch durch präzise Durchführung zu gefallen, hier sind es die Stücke selbst, die altersmilde aber auch weise anmuten." [Zipo / Auf Abwegen] 2010 €14.00
  (Old School) John Cage CD " 'Four' (1992), 'Five' (1988), 'Hymnkus' (1986). Zeitkratzer directed by Reinhold Friedl: Frank Gratkowski (bassclarinet, clarinet), Hayden Chisholm (clarinet), Franz Hautzinger (trumpet), Reinhold Friedl (piano), Maurice de Martin (percussion), Burkhard Schlothauer (violin), Anton Lukoszevieze (cello), Uli Phillipp (doublebass), Ralf Meinz (sound). Recorded live at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, UK, November 26, 2006. Recorded and mixed by Ralf Meinz and Reinhold Friedl, produced by Burkhard Schlothauer, executive producer: Reinhold Friedl.' 'The internationally acclaimed 'hilarious releases' [vital weekly] of Zeitkratzer records will continue with the new series [old school]. The first two CDs, dedicated to the music of John Cage [zkr0009] and James Tenney [zkr0010] are now released together. The collaboration of Zeitkratzer with William Bennett (Whitehouse) [zkr0007], recorded live in 2009 in Marseille, France and Den Haag, Netherlands, will follow this summer. Later in 2010, the [old school] series will continue with two more releases, dedicated to the music of Alvin Lucier [zkr0011] and Morton Feldman [zkr0012] respectively. John Cage's compositions have been part of Zeitkratzer's repertoire since the very first day. The pieces presented here justify Zeitkratzer's reputation as sound specialists. Avant-garde composer Cage is played in a conservative, precise and sensual way, apart from all philosophical ambitions, and hopefully as seductive as a Schubert quintet! The 'Wire Magazine' acclaimed: Zeitkratzer convinced us that CageÔs music can still live with all its complexities, stripped of the debris of its iconic-ironic status, if we only give ourselves time, space and ears to hear !" [label info] www.zeitkratzer.de "So far we learned that Zeitkratzer played new scores by current artists, such as Alva Noto, Francisco Lopez and John Duncan (to name just three) or interpretations of works by Lou Reed and Throbbing Gristle (to name another two). Perhaps its merely a logical next step that they start playing modern classical music from the 'old' school. Coming up are works by Alvin Lucier and Morton Feldman, but the new series '[Old School]' start off with John Cage and James Tenney. From Cage they performed three pieces, all composed in the last years of Cage's life, a highly productive era. It would have been nice to see them play say 'Cartridge Music' or 'Variations', but here they go for the pieces 'Four', 'Five' and 'Hymnkus'. The first and the third last thirty minutes and 'Five' only five minutes. All of these pieces are rather 'open' for interpretation. It would be a bit far out to explain the way they work, with time frames and how to play them, but its exactly the sort of material that Zeitkratzer is happy with. The ensemble's instruments (bass clarinet, clarinet, melodica, piano, trumpet, percussion, violin, violincello and double bass), played by those who have a background in improvised music, are well cut to play music that leaves much room for the players to choose their own sound material within given time frames. In 'Hymkus' they stay close to the ensemble feeling with repeating notes on the wind instruments, but in 'Four' they go all out. Wildly scraping of instruments, improvised playing of wind instruments and all of that making a great piece. The short 'Five' is along similar lines, but perhaps a bit more structured - as per Cage's instructions." [FdW / Vital Weekly] 2010 €14.00
ZELIENOPLE His/Hers CD "Zelienople (named after a borough in Pennsylvania) is the moniker of Chicago based musicians Matt Christensen (guitar/vocals), Mike Weis (percussion) and Brian Harding (guitar/clarinet) and between them, in a desolate suburban basement, they have come up with a record of pure psych-rock sludge. Now on their fifth album, the band have struck upon their finest moment yet, honing their skills to create something singular and utterly unique. There is certainly no shortage of acts willing to throw down waves of experimental guitar noise and clattering percussion, but with the benefit of focus and experience, Zelienople sound like something totally out of time and almost impossible to place. Residing in a hazy drunken world in-between slow-core pioneers Low, psych-folk outsiders Charalambides, Japanese overlords Boris and Dead Man era Neil Young 'His/Hers' is a faded photograph of rock music past, yet still manages to keep a firm footing in the present. Guitars echo like disappearing ghosts and vocals moan and wail mercilessly while percussion bubbles up in glorious waterlogged waves. 'His/Hers' isn't a concept album, but it might as well be with five bravely sculpted tracks acting like chapters, taking you through a whole gamut of emotions, from pensive and lonely through to aggressive and impulsive and beyond. Fusing the warring factions of blues, noise, metal, folk and jazz the trio have made as breathtaking a psychedelic album as you're likely to find, and unlike so many others in the scene it never threatens to overwhelm you with meaningless academia or pretension. This is an album made for listening, for enjoying and sinking in to, an album that is made as an illicit treat for the discerning music fans among us. Grab hold and step aboard, Zelienople are just about ready to take you on a universal journey into the subconscious, and it's gonna be quite some ride." [label info] www.typerecords.com 2007 €15.00
[-HYPH-] Alter.Tenacio CD Vier höchst spannende und eigenwillige elektro-akustische Geräuschkompositionen vom inzwischen in Berlin ansässigen Projekt [HYPH], hoch-dynamisch & klaustrophobisch werden hier zermürbende & zersetzende Klangcluster in Szene gesetzt, die wenig mit den "klassischen" elektro-akustischen Sounds gemein haben, aber es gibt auch mikrosound-artige Gebilde die klanglich an A. TIETCHENS gemahnen... sehr sorgfältig und mit viel Liebe fürs Detail zusammengesetzt... "...Wiese präsentiert ‚pulverize dreams‘ for city soundscape and acoustic instruments, ‚reset barriers‘ for demonstration soundscape and human voices, ‚upgrade sirens‘ für sirens, feedbacks and acoustic instruments, das auf 24 Min. ausgedehnte ‚suspend values‘ for processed e flat bass clarinet sowie eine halbe Gedenkminute. Die Klänge von Xylophon, Kontrabass, Altosax und Bassklarinette sind dabei bis zur Unkenntlichkeit verwischt, die Stadtlandschaften erweiterte Kampfzonen des Stresses, der Aggression und der abstrakten Anästhesie. Halbwegs der Pulverisierung entkommen, obwohl verhackstückt, die Stimmen, jedoch nur als Stottern und Rabarbern. Die ‚suspendierten Werte‘ sind ein Exerzitium in Seufzen, Zwitschern und Blubbern (Klappengeräusche) und in seiner reduzierten Subtilität fast schon wieder schön." [Bad Alchemy] 2008 €13.50