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LP
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12XU 161LP
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"In attempting to write this dispatch on the second Voice Imitator album my instinct is to pitch them as somewhat of an antidote to the current ills of what could be described as the post-noise rock landscape. I'm trying not to tread too far down the path of negativity and slander, so let's just say that while on paper they share basic characteristics with popular groups in the pigfuck to frat rock pipeline, Voice Imitator possess a tact and vision scantly seen in repetition-orientated rock. On Of How Hits, the members decades long individual and collaborative experiences in punk/rock, the avant-garde and electronic music, are further honed to form an internal logic that doesn't merely cut and paste from these experiences, but creates a distinctive and singular group sensibility. Self-conscious subcultural baggage is removed from past youth music experiences, only the molten core remains. With each listen the distinction between traditional band and synthesized modes becomes harder to distinguish, like a zoomed in Killing Joke welding itself to Robert Hood's technominimalism. Lyrics reflect the surreal banality and horrors of modern existence, like a co- worker recapping their interstate trip away to the Banksy exhibition. The album ender, 'On Cloud Nine As One Of Three Percent' can only be compared to Lou Reed and Metallica's 'Junior Dad'. In short, affecting contemporary music." --Nic Warnock
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12XU 163LP
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"Through Today is the sophomore album for rising Australian band Chimers. A husband /wife duo comprising life partners Padraic Skehan (vocals/guitar) and Binx (drums/vocals). Recorded by Jono Boulet (Party Dozen) over two days at Stranded Studios, Wollongong and mixed at Boulet's Sydney home studio, produced by the band and veteran manager/promoter/producer Tim Pittman (Feel Presents), Through Today features ten tracks of tightly-coiled intensity that barely lets up for all of its 34 mins. In enlisting Boulet, the band were confident that due to his own experience of being one half of Party Dozen, they had someone who understood the confines of working within the structure of a two-piece but also the possibilities that creates. Boulet, in turn, rewarding that trust by capturing a powerful bedrock of sound that allowed the band's taught rhythms to circle and permeate and yet give full breathing space for the melody within. For Pittman's part, having a third ear on hand to devote serious listening time and critical commentary was an added bonus. It's a major step forward from the band's 2021 self-titled debut. Lyrically, Chimers maintain the intensity as they tackle the themes of love, life, death and relationships, distance from home (Padraic is Irish, moving to Australia in 2001) and the current political climate providing enough drama to fuel a forest fire. Guest musicians on the album include saxophonist Kirsty Tickle -- also of Party Dozen -- and violinist Jordan Ireland of The Middle East, both of whom were invited in on short notice, adding their respective parts in just one to two takes each without any prior knowledge of the material. Binx too showing added versatility contributing lead vocals to 'An Echo' and sharing lead across '3AM,' 'Generator,' and others. Through Today is a great album. Solid and confident from the get go. No waste. No unnecessary fat. Should it be Chimers last it would remain a defining statement of originality and intent. But it's not the last, it's just the beginning. And there's plenty more where that came from."
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12"
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AUS 200BPHY-EP
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Dutch duo Dam Swindle appear on Aus Music's 200 series and two new house originals come with remixes from K-Lone and Chloe Robinson & DJ ADHD. Dam Swindle have been helping to define the underground house sound for a decade, not least with their Heist label. The pair deal in timeless, fad-free sounds that are rich with dance floor dynamics and hint at a love of everything from disco to tech and plenty in between. They are notorious crate diggers who have played the world's most cultured clubs, their recent track "Allright (Just A Tribute)" on Phonica's 20-year celebration has received widespread love by DJ's this summer on the festival circuit and now they offer up two more of their studio gems for their third full release on Aus. This EP is the second in a series of four releases from different artists to mark the 200th outing of Will Saul's influential Aus Music. It is an era-defining label that has platformed some of the scene's brightest stars way before they broke out. Since launching in 2006, the label has remained dedicated to releasing club-ready music with a cultured edge from deep and melodic house to the earliest bass- driven post-dubstep fusions. This EP kicks off with "The Last Time", a blissed-out deep house sound with impassioned vocal cries tugging at the heartstrings. Mellifluous synth daubs percolate through the mix to a captivating, feel- good effect. Next is "Come Back", an infectious house bubbler with gloopy synths and something of a garage shuffle in the kicks. It's fresh and packed with neon color that brims with soul. New school house and garage tastemaker and core Aus Music family member K-Lone steps up with a remix hot on the heels of his two-part EP series on the label. His version of "The Last Time" is typically deft as soft-focus chords swirl around prickly garage house beats. The distant vocal, the cavernous bass and the wistful feel all make it another classic. Last but not least, Chloé Robinson & DJ ADHD are frequent collaborators on labels like Fabric Originals as well as Chloé's Pretty Weird imprint where they serve up potent, bass-heavy sounds. Their version of "Come Back" is expertly stripped back. It teases and pleases with a blend of filthy low-end oscillations, slinky drums and tooting chord hooks that are effortlessly fun and effective.
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AR 057LP
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The sea has long been central to Japanese culture, symbolizing both sustenance and spiritual depth. Charles A.D.'s Deep Diver draws inspiration from this, channeling the ancient traditions of diving and fishing into his music. Historically, the sea has influenced everything from Shinto rituals to the livelihoods of coastal communities. In Deep Diver, this reverence flows through aquatic soundscapes, where rhythmic waves of '90s house and Detroit techno meet Japanese minimal production techniques, New Age and Pacific jazz. Like the tides, the album ebbs and flows, creating a serene yet dynamic homage to the timeless connection between Japan and the sea. The smooth, melodic flow nods to pioneers like Mr.YT and Susumu Yokota, while subtly incorporating the Detroit techno influence through soulful, deep basslines. As the album progresses, it becomes clear that Charles A.D. is a master of minimalism. The production is timeless, leaning on analog techniques where echo-drenched chords and carefully layered soundscapes take on an addictive, hypnotic quality. Charles A.D. gently evolves the patterns, allowing each percussive hit to flow naturally into the next. Soothing melodies emerge from within the album's structure, eventually reaching an emotional peak without ever feeling forced. The organic nature of the arrangements creates an effortless progression that feels deeply connected to the natural movement of water. Deep, resonant bass hits combine with wooden drums, while static-like sounds evoke the image of a radio tuning through static to find clarity. Chords shimmer briefly before fading back into the liquid depths, evoking the ebb and flow of the tide. The minimalistic arrangements allow each element to blend effortlessly into the next, creating a sense of unity and closure. The sounds move with the gentle grace of water, ending the album in a way that feels both complete and open-ended, like the infinite motion of the sea.
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12"
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AWK 006EP
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In what feels almost like an annual autumn tradition now, Awkwardly Social is excited to announce the next release on the label, Candor by Hett. Having known about his excellent production skills for a while, the label was quite eager to unearth this hidden gem. It took a moment to put together but everyone's patience paid off with this beautiful five-track record. The Wearside-raised and Berlin-based artist provides the perfect formula for a club ready yet emotively aware package, making it hard to believe that this is only his debut EP. A work of music that embodies the refreshing candor of a forward-thinking attitude whilst also giving a respectful nod to the past.
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LP
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BEWITH 165LP
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Parsley Sounds was the glorious debut album for Mo Wax by Parsley Sound. The album was one of the iconic label's final releases before it closed in 2003 and locating a clean copy has been extremely tricky of late, unless you're flush enough to drop 150 notes on it. Mercifully, the Be With reissue, put together with invaluable assistance from the group, should remedy this situation. It's a lo-fi, bass-heavy, blunted beat treat, warped with heat haze and dreamy soft-psych and has been criminally under-heard for far too long. As with most cult-like records, Parsley Sounds has many influential fans, far and wide. From Four Tet and Caribou to NTS's modern day breakfast hero Flo Dill, its reputation has only grown in stature. At the time, the notoriously hard-to-please Pitchfork garlanded it with a scarcely achievable 8.8 whilst the Numero Group's Rob Sevier described it as a "visionary bit of proto-Salvia Plath (or Steve Lacy)" via a Ghostly International missive. Parsley Sound comprised super-talented duo Preston Mead and Dan Sargassa. They released an early single on Warp Records as Slum, before signing to Mo Wax. Hidden behind a wall of sound -- fuzzy layers of beats, bleeps and symphonic synths -- they were convinced they made mainstream pop music. And, in many respects, Parsley Sounds really is a beautiful pop album. It overflows with memorable, gorgeous melodies and inspired songcraft. A melodic masterpiece, part Crosby, Stills & Nash, part proto-Koushik, it presents a melancholy falsetto, surging bass and blunted lead guitar. As it climaxes, gorgeous strings are ushered in to see listeners out. Under the watchful eye of Parsley Sound themselves, the audio for Parsley Sounds has been carefully mastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, with a few much-needed tweaks here and there, according to the artist's wishes. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at the always stellar Record Industry in Holland. With the audio and artwork now approaching completeness after 20 years, this long overdue re-issue could be considered its definitive vinyl release.
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2LP
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BR 188LP
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First compilation that brings together early electronic works by Peruvian composers. Features works produced in international laboratories of prestigious centers such as the Instituto Di Tella, Columbia-Princeton, and the Royal College of Music. A unique aspect is the exploration between native instruments and electronic music. This compilation offers a first overview of the early works of electronic and tape music created by Peruvians composers between 1964 and 1984. This period marks a technical and aesthetic evolution that allows us to understand the development of electronic music in the Peruvian context, from an initially internationalist model to a more situated one. The first phase occurs in the 1960s, when many composers migrated outside Peru in search of advanced training and access to knowledge and infrastructure that the academic music scene in Peru could not provide. César Bolaños traveled to Argentina, to the Centro Latinoamericano de Altos Estudios Musicales (CLAEM) at the Instituto Di Tella, where he produced an extensive body of work, including "Intensidad y Altura" (1964) for magnetic tape, the first electronic work produced in the CLAEM electronic music laboratory. Similarly, Edgar Valcárcel was a CLAEM fellow and also spent time at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York, where he composed, among other works, "Invención" (1967) for magnetic tape. Enrique Pinilla also passed through there, composing "Prisma" (1967) for magnetic tape. Alejandro Núñez Allauca was another CLAEM fellow, where he composed "Gravitación Humana" (1970). Soon, there emerged a notable interest in utilizing the sounds of native Peruvian instruments. This also marked a shift from an internationalist model of electroacoustic music towards an openness to other types of sonic experimentation. Composers such as Arturo Ruiz del Pozo, Luis David Aguilar, and Corina Bartra belong to this new period, which also marks the emergence of an initial scene of experimental music and free improvisation. Ruiz del Pozo pursued a Master's in Electronic and Film Music at the Royal College of Music in London, where he composed "Selvynas" (1978). Luis David Aguilar also became involved in music for film and television, composing, among other works, "Hombres de viento" (1978), the soundtrack for José Antonio Portugal's film. Corina Bartra traveled to London where she took courses in composition and electronic music, composing the mixed work "Aves en vuelo al sur" for voice, instruments, and tape in a private studio. This compilation has been curated by Luis Alvarado and is published in a limited edition of 300 copies in double vinyl format. It includes extensive notes and visual documentation.
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CD
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BB 458CD
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"The inspiration for Album l and Album II began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance, the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film Drive My Car was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spar who featured Ishibashi on their then new album Under Pressure. It was these previous collaborations that triggered the seven friends to take part in an extended session which resulted in these two new recordings, the first of which contains a variety of short pieces while the second boasts one continuous epic, album-length track. These recordings are a development of Von Spar's collaborative ambitions, where Sebastian Blume, Jan Philipp Janzen, Christopher Marquez, and Phillip Tielsch have previously invited special guests to their home studio to help realize a vision -- a methodology exemplified on their last two releases, Street Life and the aforementioned Under Pressure, which featured contributions from Marker Starling, Laetitia Sadier, Vivien Goldman, and R. Stevie Moore. On Album I, the percussion and drums phase in and out in a bold and skillful manner and form the framework for delicate guitars and complex progressions on the keys, all resulting in somnambulistic city-pop pieces like the opener, grooving electro-jazz reminiscent of the early 2000s, and fusion. You can also hear elements of contemporary jazz explorations from New York, LA and London, or reach back further to the Chicago post-rock of the early '90s. Album II with its expansive, experimental nature goes one step further featuring Yamamoto and Janzen's jagged percussion serving as the bedrock for a menacing and otherworldly arrangement of wind instruments to float in until essential sampler work by Joe Talia brings everything to a lively conclusion. These two albums may have the same origin but they are wildly different pieces of work, both exciting in their own way and proof that daring to experiment with freedom and trust in your collaborators can lead to musical highs such as these." --Lars Fleischmann, 2024
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LP
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BB 458LP
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"The inspiration for Album l and Album II began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance, the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film Drive My Car was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spar who featured Ishibashi on their then new album Under Pressure. It was these previous collaborations that triggered the seven friends to take part in an extended session which resulted in these two new recordings, the first of which contains a variety of short pieces while the second boasts one continuous epic, album-length track. These recordings are a development of Von Spar's collaborative ambitions, where Sebastian Blume, Jan Philipp Janzen, Christopher Marquez, and Phillip Tielsch have previously invited special guests to their home studio to help realize a vision -- a methodology exemplified on their last two releases, Street Life and the aforementioned Under Pressure, which featured contributions from Marker Starling, Laetitia Sadier, Vivien Goldman, and R. Stevie Moore. On Album I, the percussion and drums phase in and out in a bold and skillful manner and form the framework for delicate guitars and complex progressions on the keys, all resulting in somnambulistic city-pop pieces like the opener, grooving electro-jazz reminiscent of the early 2000s, and fusion. You can also hear elements of contemporary jazz explorations from New York, LA and London, or reach back further to the Chicago post-rock of the early '90s. Album II with its expansive, experimental nature goes one step further featuring Yamamoto and Janzen's jagged percussion serving as the bedrock for a menacing and otherworldly arrangement of wind instruments to float in until essential sampler work by Joe Talia brings everything to a lively conclusion. These two albums may have the same origin but they are wildly different pieces of work, both exciting in their own way and proof that daring to experiment with freedom and trust in your collaborators can lead to musical highs such as these." --Lars Fleischmann, 2024
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BB 459LP
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"The inspiration for Album l and Album II began with a performance by Japanese musician Eiko Ishibashi at Cologne's Week-End Fest in 2019. For this appearance, the renowned experimental musician and composer of the Oscar-winning film Drive My Car was joined on drums by Tatsuhisa Yamamoto and Joe Talia; both integral members of the top-level improvisational/experimental scene in Tokyo. While in town for the festival, Ishibashi met up with the members of the Cologne-Berlin based group Von Spar who featured Ishibashi on their then new album Under Pressure. It was these previous collaborations that triggered the seven friends to take part in an extended session which resulted in these two new recordings, the first of which contains a variety of short pieces while the second boasts one continuous epic, album-length track. These recordings are a development of Von Spar's collaborative ambitions, where Sebastian Blume, Jan Philipp Janzen, Christopher Marquez, and Phillip Tielsch have previously invited special guests to their home studio to help realize a vision -- a methodology exemplified on their last two releases, Street Life and the aforementioned Under Pressure, which featured contributions from Marker Starling, Laetitia Sadier, Vivien Goldman, and R. Stevie Moore. On Album I, the percussion and drums phase in and out in a bold and skillful manner and form the framework for delicate guitars and complex progressions on the keys, all resulting in somnambulistic city-pop pieces like the opener, grooving electro-jazz reminiscent of the early 2000s, and fusion. You can also hear elements of contemporary jazz explorations from New York, LA and London, or reach back further to the Chicago post-rock of the early '90s. Album II with its expansive, experimental nature goes one step further featuring Yamamoto and Janzen's jagged percussion serving as the bedrock for a menacing and otherworldly arrangement of wind instruments to float in until essential sampler work by Joe Talia brings everything to a lively conclusion. These two albums may have the same origin but they are wildly different pieces of work, both exciting in their own way and proof that daring to experiment with freedom and trust in your collaborators can lead to musical highs such as these." --Lars Fleischmann, 2024
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BB 464CD
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"You don't really need to say much about this man: co-founder of Wallenstein, drummer on at least two of the most wonderful Krautrock albums (namely Mother Universe and Cosmic Century), member of the legendary Kosmische Kuriere, records with Ash Ra Temple and Klaus Schulze. Finally, Harald Grosskopf switched from drums to sequencers and created something breathtaking. I listened to his solo debut Synthesist (BB 158CD, 1980) to death, and few days began without 'So weit, so gut.' It was a record that did everything right, that salvaged whatever could be salvaged from Kraut, adding the melancholy with which one suddenly looked back on everything that could still be naively believed and played in the '70s. Then in 1985 came the follow-up Oceanheart (BB 157CD), no less great, albeit already noticeably more minimalist. Manuel Göttsching could be sensed in the distance if you surrendered to the track 'Eve on the Hill' and followed it into the depths. Time passed, the music stayed with me. I lost sight of Harald Grosskopf, even though he did produce an album from time to time. And now: Strom. The evocation of electricity, the virtuosity of the circuit that skillfully intertwines man and machine, an antidote to the triumphal march of desolate musical digitality. If you listen carefully, you will immediately recognize the engineer behind the soundscapes. Right from the opener 'Bureau 39,' everything you would expect from Grosskopf is immediately there: the push toward hypnosis, a subdued pulse, catchy, circling bass lines, layering Moog kaleidoscopes. Sometimes the sounds coarsen, the depths distort into grinding noises (as in 'Blow'), into mechanical gurgling, i.e. into what remains when the path comes to an end, when the music reaches beyond the human. The mid-tempo track with the programmatic title 'After the Future,' grotesquely twisting the word 'Ònever,' points the way there. Time and again, however, the beat pauses, leaving space for the soundscapes -- and then, at the latest, the electronica of the early '80s springs back to life. The two complementary pieces 'Gleich Strom' and 'Spaeter Strom' would also fit in wonderfully on Synthesist. On the other hand, the closing track 'Stromklang' remains resolutely committed to the sinister, even gloomy groove that was previously unknown from this artist and with which he has finally returned to me after far too long. Stylo Kraut indeed." --Philipp Theisohn
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BB 464LP
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LP version. "You don't really need to say much about this man: co-founder of Wallenstein, drummer on at least two of the most wonderful Krautrock albums (namely Mother Universe and Cosmic Century), member of the legendary Kosmische Kuriere, records with Ash Ra Temple and Klaus Schulze. Finally, Harald Grosskopf switched from drums to sequencers and created something breathtaking. I listened to his solo debut Synthesist (BB 158CD, 1980) to death, and few days began without 'So weit, so gut.' It was a record that did everything right, that salvaged whatever could be salvaged from Kraut, adding the melancholy with which one suddenly looked back on everything that could still be naively believed and played in the '70s. Then in 1985 came the follow-up Oceanheart (BB 157CD), no less great, albeit already noticeably more minimalist. Manuel Göttsching could be sensed in the distance if you surrendered to the track 'Eve on the Hill' and followed it into the depths. Time passed, the music stayed with me. I lost sight of Harald Grosskopf, even though he did produce an album from time to time. And now: Strom. The evocation of electricity, the virtuosity of the circuit that skillfully intertwines man and machine, an antidote to the triumphal march of desolate musical digitality. If you listen carefully, you will immediately recognize the engineer behind the soundscapes. Right from the opener 'Bureau 39,' everything you would expect from Grosskopf is immediately there: the push toward hypnosis, a subdued pulse, catchy, circling bass lines, layering Moog kaleidoscopes. Sometimes the sounds coarsen, the depths distort into grinding noises (as in 'Blow'), into mechanical gurgling, i.e. into what remains when the path comes to an end, when the music reaches beyond the human. The mid-tempo track with the programmatic title 'After the Future,' grotesquely twisting the word 'Ònever,' points the way there. Time and again, however, the beat pauses, leaving space for the soundscapes -- and then, at the latest, the electronica of the early '80s springs back to life. The two complementary pieces 'Gleich Strom' and 'Spaeter Strom' would also fit in wonderfully on Synthesist. On the other hand, the closing track 'Stromklang' remains resolutely committed to the sinister, even gloomy groove that was previously unknown from this artist and with which he has finally returned to me after far too long. Stylo Kraut indeed." --Philipp Theisohn
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BB 464LTD-LP
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LP version. Color vinyl. "You don't really need to say much about this man: co-founder of Wallenstein, drummer on at least two of the most wonderful Krautrock albums (namely Mother Universe and Cosmic Century), member of the legendary Kosmische Kuriere, records with Ash Ra Temple and Klaus Schulze. Finally, Harald Grosskopf switched from drums to sequencers and created something breathtaking. I listened to his solo debut Synthesist (BB 158CD, 1980) to death, and few days began without 'So weit, so gut.' It was a record that did everything right, that salvaged whatever could be salvaged from Kraut, adding the melancholy with which one suddenly looked back on everything that could still be naively believed and played in the '70s. Then in 1985 came the follow-up Oceanheart (BB 157CD), no less great, albeit already noticeably more minimalist. Manuel Göttsching could be sensed in the distance if you surrendered to the track 'Eve on the Hill' and followed it into the depths. Time passed, the music stayed with me. I lost sight of Harald Grosskopf, even though he did produce an album from time to time. And now: Strom. The evocation of electricity, the virtuosity of the circuit that skillfully intertwines man and machine, an antidote to the triumphal march of desolate musical digitality. If you listen carefully, you will immediately recognize the engineer behind the soundscapes. Right from the opener 'Bureau 39,' everything you would expect from Grosskopf is immediately there: the push toward hypnosis, a subdued pulse, catchy, circling bass lines, layering Moog kaleidoscopes. Sometimes the sounds coarsen, the depths distort into grinding noises (as in 'Blow'), into mechanical gurgling, i.e. into what remains when the path comes to an end, when the music reaches beyond the human. The mid-tempo track with the programmatic title 'After the Future,' grotesquely twisting the word 'Ònever,' points the way there. Time and again, however, the beat pauses, leaving space for the soundscapes -- and then, at the latest, the electronica of the early '80s springs back to life. The two complementary pieces 'Gleich Strom' and 'Spaeter Strom' would also fit in wonderfully on Synthesist. On the other hand, the closing track 'Stromklang' remains resolutely committed to the sinister, even gloomy groove that was previously unknown from this artist and with which he has finally returned to me after far too long. Stylo Kraut indeed." --Philipp Theisohn
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2LP
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BB 468BLUE-LP
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Double LP version. Blue color vinyl. Forty years since their inception, and almost two decades since their last release, art-synth auteurs Propaganda return with a brand-new chapter in their enthralling story. This self-titled set from principal songwriting partnership Ralf Dörper and Michael Mertens embodies the depth and drama of their early work, while exploring fresh sounds and styles, and reflecting the personal and societal changes since their last outing. Conceived and crafted entirely in their native Düsseldorf, a deliberate decision to help them stay true to themselves, and featuring guest appearances from the acclaimed Hauschka and ascendant Thunder Bae, this is Propaganda at their most essential. Though an embryonic incarnation was formed by Ralf Dörper, former synthesist with electro-punks Die Krupps, and Andreas Thein in 1982, it wasn't until the addition of Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra percussionist Michael Mertens that the outfit emerged as the dark synth-pop powerhouse which would see chart success as part of the ZTT machine. Upon signing with Trevor Horn's irreverent imprint in 1983, Propaganda, now comprised of vocalists Claudia Bruecken and Susanne Freytag alongside Dörper and Mertens, delivered their classic debut LP A Secret Wish and a slew of international hit singles, "Dr Mabuse," "Duel", and "P Machinery," leaving an indelible mark on the alternative scene and securing an enduring place within the pantheon of synth-dance greats. In an era of impermanence, Propaganda wanted to produce something real -- to be played from start to finish, with artwork and packaging which allows a deeper understanding of the theme of the release. Finding the perfect label to match their ambitions in Bureau B, Propaganda have delivered a third album well worth the wait.
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BB 470CD
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Area Silenzio is eat-girls' debut record and it is both haunted and haunting. Since 2020, the French trio have been crafting their songs into little self-contained worlds with the patience of entomologists, taking them out all over the country and Europe to confront them with the wilderness of a live audience. The ten resulting tracks are a collection of electronic madrigals, groove-driven songs played on a mischievous multi-speed Victrola, ranging from languid dub drips to full-on drum machine cavalcades. Their live performances have that same ghostly, ephemeral quality.
"There is something other-worldy about the three of them, a suggestion of telepathy, their three voices blending together or going their separate ways like a flock of starlings. They secured opening slots with artists as different as Thalia Zedek, Exek, and The Young Gods, just to name a few. It is the elusive essence of their music that allows them to feel at ease pretty much anywhere they find themselves: part no-wave disco rhythms, part post-punk throbbing basses, folk tunes and synthesizers in equal measures, with a perpetual attention to hooks and melodies. The album was self-recorded, a necessary measure to protect the delicate nature of the inner landscapes painted by the band. In this case 'delicate' does not mean 'soft' by any means: the industrial disco inferno of 'A Kin,' the ritualistic kraut stampede of 'Para Los Pies Cansados' and the bubbly post-funk rhythms of 'Trauschaft' will leave you gasping for air once you come out on the other side. 'On a Crooked Swing', the opener, is all arpeggiated bass and stumbling kicks. 'Unison' will dip you into a hallucinatory river where nothing is what it seems to be and rescue you at the very last second. 'Canine', the first single off the record, will gently but firmly reach for your jugular with its vulpine Farfisa and deceptively nonchalant drum beat. The vocal polyphonies on '3 Omens' sound like a field recording of traditional music from a tiny country that has yet to be discovered. eat-girls exist on a slightly different plane from ours, where everything is teeming with secrets and hidden life. Area Silenzio is a precious polaroid shot from that world, or, as Tom Verlaine would have it, 'a souvenir from a dream'." --Sebastien Perrin
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BB 470LP
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LP version. Area Silenzio is eat-girls' debut record and it is both haunted and haunting. Since 2020, the French trio have been crafting their songs into little self-contained worlds with the patience of entomologists, taking them out all over the country and Europe to confront them with the wilderness of a live audience. The ten resulting tracks are a collection of electronic madrigals, groove-driven songs played on a mischievous multi-speed Victrola, ranging from languid dub drips to full-on drum machine cavalcades. Their live performances have that same ghostly, ephemeral quality.
"There is something other-worldy about the three of them, a suggestion of telepathy, their three voices blending together or going their separate ways like a flock of starlings. They secured opening slots with artists as different as Thalia Zedek, Exek, and The Young Gods, just to name a few. It is the elusive essence of their music that allows them to feel at ease pretty much anywhere they find themselves: part no-wave disco rhythms, part post-punk throbbing basses, folk tunes and synthesizers in equal measures, with a perpetual attention to hooks and melodies. The album was self-recorded, a necessary measure to protect the delicate nature of the inner landscapes painted by the band. In this case 'delicate' does not mean 'soft' by any means: the industrial disco inferno of 'A Kin,' the ritualistic kraut stampede of 'Para Los Pies Cansados' and the bubbly post-funk rhythms of 'Trauschaft' will leave you gasping for air once you come out on the other side. 'On a Crooked Swing', the opener, is all arpeggiated bass and stumbling kicks. 'Unison' will dip you into a hallucinatory river where nothing is what it seems to be and rescue you at the very last second. 'Canine', the first single off the record, will gently but firmly reach for your jugular with its vulpine Farfisa and deceptively nonchalant drum beat. The vocal polyphonies on '3 Omens' sound like a field recording of traditional music from a tiny country that has yet to be discovered. eat-girls exist on a slightly different plane from ours, where everything is teeming with secrets and hidden life. Area Silenzio is a precious polaroid shot from that world, or, as Tom Verlaine would have it, 'a souvenir from a dream'." --Sebastien Perrin
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LP
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BB 470LTD-LP
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LP version. Color vinyl. Area Silenzio is eat-girls' debut record and it is both haunted and haunting. Since 2020, the French trio have been crafting their songs into little self-contained worlds with the patience of entomologists, taking them out all over the country and Europe to confront them with the wilderness of a live audience. The ten resulting tracks are a collection of electronic madrigals, groove-driven songs played on a mischievous multi-speed Victrola, ranging from languid dub drips to full-on drum machine cavalcades. Their live performances have that same ghostly, ephemeral quality.
"There is something other-worldy about the three of them, a suggestion of telepathy, their three voices blending together or going their separate ways like a flock of starlings. They secured opening slots with artists as different as Thalia Zedek, Exek, and The Young Gods, just to name a few. It is the elusive essence of their music that allows them to feel at ease pretty much anywhere they find themselves: part no-wave disco rhythms, part post-punk throbbing basses, folk tunes and synthesizers in equal measures, with a perpetual attention to hooks and melodies. The album was self-recorded, a necessary measure to protect the delicate nature of the inner landscapes painted by the band. In this case 'delicate' does not mean 'soft' by any means: the industrial disco inferno of 'A Kin,' the ritualistic kraut stampede of 'Para Los Pies Cansados' and the bubbly post-funk rhythms of 'Trauschaft' will leave you gasping for air once you come out on the other side. 'On a Crooked Swing', the opener, is all arpeggiated bass and stumbling kicks. 'Unison' will dip you into a hallucinatory river where nothing is what it seems to be and rescue you at the very last second. 'Canine', the first single off the record, will gently but firmly reach for your jugular with its vulpine Farfisa and deceptively nonchalant drum beat. The vocal polyphonies on '3 Omens' sound like a field recording of traditional music from a tiny country that has yet to be discovered. eat-girls exist on a slightly different plane from ours, where everything is teeming with secrets and hidden life. Area Silenzio is a precious polaroid shot from that world, or, as Tom Verlaine would have it, 'a souvenir from a dream'." --Sebastien Perrin
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CD
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BB 475CD
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It's hardly a secret that there was a lot of movement in German pop music during the late '60s and early '70s of the last century, and that many new things emerged then. Countless books have already been published on the subject of "Krautrock," and many LPs from this period have been re-released. Günter Schickert only released two LPs in the '70s: Überfällig (Sky Records, 1979/Bureau B, 2012) and Samtvogel (Brain, 1976). Now, exactly 50 years after its original release, Samtvogel has returned.
"Günter Schickert used only guitars, echo devices and a modest recording technique for Samtvogel. The album is a genuine DIY production -- radical in every respect and not at all in keeping with the zeitgeist of the time. It was perhaps this radicalism that made it difficult to find a suitable record label to release the album. In any case, Schickert initially self-released Samtvogel in 1974 in an edition of 500 copies. It wasn't until two years later that the album was released in a much larger edition on the Brain label. I am sure that Schickert was familiar with the minimal music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass. I don't know whether he had also heard Die grüne Reise (1971) by Achim Reichel. Inventions for Electric Guitar by Manuel Göttsching would not appear until 1976. With his version of minimal music, Schickert completely dispenses with electronic sound generators; neither synthesizers, sequencers nor rhythm machines can be heard on Samtvogel. Instead, he enters into a dialogue with the echo device and uses it and his electric guitar to create seemingly simple, almost rudimentary repetitive patterns that only reveal their minimalist nuances on closer listening. What sounds so simple requires a high level of concentration from the player, as he has to react to the relentless echo once it has been set up. If attention wavers for even a second, the piece immediately goes off the rails and chaos ensues. In the studio, you simply start all over again; in a live situation, it's a worst-case scenario. However, Schickert remains absolutely precise on Samtvogel, and yet his music does not have the coolness and/or artificiality found in the electronically produced music of other German musicians." --Asmus Tietchens, 2024
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BB 475LP
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LP version. It's hardly a secret that there was a lot of movement in German pop music during the late '60s and early '70s of the last century, and that many new things emerged then. Countless books have already been published on the subject of "Krautrock," and many LPs from this period have been re-released. Günter Schickert only released two LPs in the '70s: Überfällig (Sky Records, 1979/Bureau B, 2012) and Samtvogel (Brain, 1976). Now, exactly 50 years after its original release, Samtvogel has returned.
"Günter Schickert used only guitars, echo devices and a modest recording technique for Samtvogel. The album is a genuine DIY production -- radical in every respect and not at all in keeping with the zeitgeist of the time. It was perhaps this radicalism that made it difficult to find a suitable record label to release the album. In any case, Schickert initially self-released Samtvogel in 1974 in an edition of 500 copies. It wasn't until two years later that the album was released in a much larger edition on the Brain label. I am sure that Schickert was familiar with the minimal music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass. I don't know whether he had also heard Die grüne Reise (1971) by Achim Reichel. Inventions for Electric Guitar by Manuel Göttsching would not appear until 1976. With his version of minimal music, Schickert completely dispenses with electronic sound generators; neither synthesizers, sequencers nor rhythm machines can be heard on Samtvogel. Instead, he enters into a dialogue with the echo device and uses it and his electric guitar to create seemingly simple, almost rudimentary repetitive patterns that only reveal their minimalist nuances on closer listening. What sounds so simple requires a high level of concentration from the player, as he has to react to the relentless echo once it has been set up. If attention wavers for even a second, the piece immediately goes off the rails and chaos ensues. In the studio, you simply start all over again; in a live situation, it's a worst-case scenario. However, Schickert remains absolutely precise on Samtvogel, and yet his music does not have the coolness and/or artificiality found in the electronically produced music of other German musicians." --Asmus Tietchens, 2024
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BB 475LTD-LP
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LP version. Color vinyl. It's hardly a secret that there was a lot of movement in German pop music during the late '60s and early '70s of the last century, and that many new things emerged then. Countless books have already been published on the subject of "Krautrock," and many LPs from this period have been re-released. Günter Schickert only released two LPs in the '70s: Überfällig (Sky Records, 1979/Bureau B, 2012) and Samtvogel (Brain, 1976). Now, exactly 50 years after its original release, Samtvogel has returned.
"Günter Schickert used only guitars, echo devices and a modest recording technique for Samtvogel. The album is a genuine DIY production -- radical in every respect and not at all in keeping with the zeitgeist of the time. It was perhaps this radicalism that made it difficult to find a suitable record label to release the album. In any case, Schickert initially self-released Samtvogel in 1974 in an edition of 500 copies. It wasn't until two years later that the album was released in a much larger edition on the Brain label. I am sure that Schickert was familiar with the minimal music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass. I don't know whether he had also heard Die grüne Reise (1971) by Achim Reichel. Inventions for Electric Guitar by Manuel Göttsching would not appear until 1976. With his version of minimal music, Schickert completely dispenses with electronic sound generators; neither synthesizers, sequencers nor rhythm machines can be heard on Samtvogel. Instead, he enters into a dialogue with the echo device and uses it and his electric guitar to create seemingly simple, almost rudimentary repetitive patterns that only reveal their minimalist nuances on closer listening. What sounds so simple requires a high level of concentration from the player, as he has to react to the relentless echo once it has been set up. If attention wavers for even a second, the piece immediately goes off the rails and chaos ensues. In the studio, you simply start all over again; in a live situation, it's a worst-case scenario. However, Schickert remains absolutely precise on Samtvogel, and yet his music does not have the coolness and/or artificiality found in the electronically produced music of other German musicians." --Asmus Tietchens, 2024
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BYG 312LP
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2024 restock. 12th volume in the BYG Actuel series; 180 gram vinyl. "Super-session recorded in Paris on August 17, 1969. Alan Silva collected here many of the top free jazz players of the time, an incredible 11-piece ensemble featuring, among others, Grachan Moncur III, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Dave Burrell, Leroy Jenkins, and Malachi Favors. As a result, this is a very free record and a historical document of Pan-African high art music. Two tracks."
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CCS 134LP
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High Hopes -- new album from the Mole. High Hopes is 17 songs across 40 minutes that, as advertised, sounds nothing like High Dreams. Here, rather than the long form dance form, is a continuation of the beat tape pacing from the last album, a collection of moments posing as ideas posing as a narrative stuffed with oddities and surprises that reward the close listen. What's heard on High Hopes is the Mole's exploration of a love letter, from one person to a family, from the northern Pacific to the southern Atlantic, from a boy to a painted bird. Vancouver Island to Manantiales. The songs range from ambient sound bath and hip-hop sludge, up to micro boogie and almost house before tumbling back down and forth again. Bubbling synths, MPCs swung out, samples chopped and chewed, bass and violins from Rick and Sophie, field recordings of birds and frogs and beaches, friends and family and fiestas. Original collages from Antonio Carrau envelope this wax: jacket, sleeve and cookie. The Mole is joined by friends and colleagues on several songs included on High Hopes. Rick May plays bass on both "Que Rico" and album stand out "GoinF4er." Sophie Trudeau (Godspeed You Black Emperor) plays and arranges violins on "GoinF4er" and "Danuel Tate" (Cobblestone Jazz) and Julz Chaz (Wagon Repair) both play Vibes and Emaxx throughout the album. Working with these incredible talents not only enriched this album, but fulfilled a long-standing goal of the Mole's; to work again with the musicians from whom he learned so much. People who helped inform the shape of Mole to come. High Hopes is the Mole's fifth solo album and his second album for Circus Company, who have also proudly released two EPs of Mole magic.
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DC 845LP
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"Papa M is back, and he's talking 'bout Harry Houdini. This time, with a fresh, fine and fat-assed set of songs. Sometimes you never know when it comes to Papa M and his ol' left-shoulder angel, David Christian Pajo. After Slint's disbandment, he whiled away the '90s playing with literally everybody who asked, pausing long enough here and there to start his own band, called M. Two epic/classic albums and a forbiddingly large outstretched palm of singles (eventually collected into another epic full-length) later, David was looking a bit green around the gills. It'd been five years of Papa-ing off; time to do something/anything else for a while. Twelve long years go by before he sends in Highway Songs. Now comes Ballads of Harry Houdini. Following the path of M records from Aerial to Papa, (the just-released The Peel Sessions excepted!) David recorded Ballads of Harry Houdini on his own, receding deep inside himself and taking the time for ideas new and old, from soup to nuts, et al. Having his fun before spitting it all out onto the world -- setting down some tracks, getting lit, grabbing a guitar, getting a sound going, and soloing over 'em! With a bit of singing here and there too. Everything that's meant to be in the picture is in there. The shit that isn't, isn't. Frankly, the amount of hip-shaking sleaze oozing out of these pieces blows the idea that these are simple ad-hoc assemblies right the FUNK out of the water. Sure, when David does blues scaling, he sounds a little like Billy Gibbons. But then there's the insistent torn-n-fucked delirium that's accompanied every Papa M expression into the marketplace (with pride) since 1999. As ever, it's mixed extra-crispy, with earworms and easter eggs and lots of other surprising shit that's bound to change your whole personality. And so it is and so it does. Ballads of Harry Houdini: it can make you dance, sing or anything."
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DC 907LP
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"This one to me is a time capsule more than most any of my recordings. All music is a time trapped in time that preaches timelessness -- preaching either convincingly or not. But with a radio session such as this, there is a different aspect. It's all live, all first take, no overdubs. Also I think having the BBC engineers at the controls, with their own aesthetic, not one I am bringing to the studio, that makes it more encapsulated ? 'remember that day we did that?' The circumstances and the memory of the smell of the studio makes it stand out. So it's more of a performance maybe than a usual recording, because the audience (engineer and producer) were foreign to us. British, milk in tea. So we gave them something to show them who WE were -- Dale Coopers with our black coffees. Somebody said this EP is very Twin Peaksy. Not in a Badalamenti, torch-song way -- a deeper connection. I can see that. 'Beautiful Child' has been turned into a minor key song because, well, it really should have been one in the first place! 'Cold Discovery' was a live staple then and some nights it could really catch fire. We got a pretty good one for BBC. 'Dirty Pants' here is probably better than the LP version. And then there's 'Jesus.' Sweet, sweet 'Jesus.' Here sounding like a deathbed plea shot through with visitations from the angel of mercy." -- Bill, 2024
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DC 926LP
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"The High Llamas' classic '90s output comes back to life on vinyl for the first time in over twenty years. The vibrant and colorful sweep of their remarkable six-album arc shines in new pressings of the original masters, which include the first-ever vinyl pressing for their debut album, Santa Barbara. The High Llamas were founded by Sean O'Hagan, Jon Fell, Marcus Holdaway, and Rob Allum. After debuting as a tart and sweet guitar-pop act with a reasonably definable bent on Santa Barbara, Sean fell in with Stereolab. His adventures in their art-band collective, playing space-age batchelor pad music, profoundly influenced the delightful extremities that were to come."
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