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viewing 1 To 17 of 17 items
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LP
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SONIG 094LP
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In 2007 an Italian film festival invites Mouse on Mars to score a film of their choice. The organizers claim to be able to clear the rights for any movie the band chooses. Werner Herzog's fictional documentary Fata Morgana, which merges footage of several desert explorations by Herzog and his team into one continuous association, has long been a band's favorite. The film comes with a soundtrack by Mozart, Leonard Cohen, Third Ear Band and field recordings. Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner are sent a DVD to Düsseldorf and start working. The idea is to score the film in real time so instrumentation has to be readily at hand: guitar, percussion, electronics, mouth harp, pedals, software, tapes, samplers. Once the arrangement for the three-part film is sorted Mouse on Mars bring their score to stage. Herzog Sessions is performed twice: first when the band still thought the rights had been cleared, and a second time at London's Southbank Center knowing that Herzog would have never approved a new score. Filmed in 1971, Fata Morgana is perhaps not one of Herzog's best-known works, but then Mouse on Mars have never been ones to embrace the mainstream, quietly letting their modern, experimental take on krautrock do the talking over the years, thus producing some quietly brilliant electronica that far outweighs their modest profile. The film itself is not altogether dissimilar to the wonderful, Phillip Glass-scored Koyaanisqatsi, with sweeping landscape shots and no obvious plot or narrative, though Fata is concentrated purely in one place -- in and around the Sahara Desert, switching from images of barren wasteland to desert tribes and dead, skeletal cattle. The obvious thing to do when soundtracking such powerful imagery is to vie for dreamy electronic soundscapes which can be sustained for a long period, and whilst this ambient shoegaze approach was present and correct (also carefully constructed and highly effective), Mouse on Mars added a human element to the performance, incorporating a live dimension by using and looping guitars, harmonicas, processed vocals and even a live horn player for the final section of the film. Some of the most interesting points arose when the duo suddenly switched from solemn, ambient tones to glitchy, bouncing electro (reminiscent of their more upbeat work) whilst on the same film shot -- causing the audience mood to flick from tripped-out bliss to attentive semi-wired, utterly subverting any idea of a narrative the film may have possessed.
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LP
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SONIG 093LP
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In spring 1994, Mouse on Mars contributed an exclusive piece to Sähkö Recordings' ambient radio project, a one-week public radio program that was aired citywide in Helsinki, Finland. Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner recorded sounds in and around their studio in Düsseldorf Bilk to construct one continuous composition that spanned the course of one neighborhood walk. Midi-controlled synths, samplers, analogue effects, tape delays, effect pedals, guitars and a jew's harp were juxtaposed with recordings captured during the walk. An additional microphone that pointed out of the studio window was occasionally dubbed into the mix. The resulting collage was broadcast just a few months before the group's debut album Vulvaland came out and never aired again. 30 years into the band's existence Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner revise the duo's history by producing three LPs that would place the band's discography under a slightly different light. Bilk marks the beginning of that investigation: a free-flowing assemblage of everything that vibrates and can be caught on tape. A 30-year-old recording with subtle new edits and additions. Recorded at the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields by Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner.
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12"
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MONKEY 078EP
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Synaptics EP sees the Berlin duo Mouse On Mars embrace their love of juke, footwork, and chopped-up house music. "Jack Is Out", with its pounding lazer stabs, is an obvious link to their current club sets. It found its final form through an edit by Bon Iver producer Ryan Olson, aka Arson Only. "Bluescreen" was born out of a Berlin session with Jessy Lanza and Junior Boys and was completed some year later with support from Modeselektor. The tropical funk of "Sensitive Person", based on a studio jam with Sepalcure, also needed some refinement after a couple of months.
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10"
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IGR 010EP
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Lichter is the first piece in a new series of electroacoustic dub compositions by Mouse on Mars. It is a massive, lurching, up-tempo percussive epic. Like much of Mouse on Mars's output, Lichter deftly traverses a varied sonic landscape, encompassing elements of jazz, dub, krautrock juke and psychedelia. Lichter incorporates trigger robots built by Sonic Robots's Moritz Simon Geist and features Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner's long-time collaborator Dodo NKishi on percussion. Edition of 300. Neon-pink vinyl, single-sided, silkscreened B-side. Includes insert and photograph. Includes download code.
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2CD
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MONKEY 052CD
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Mouse On Mars' 21st anniversary double CD featuring exclusive collaborations with: Cavern Of Anti-Matter, Tortoise, Errorsmith, Dodo NKishi, Scratch Pet Land, Eric D. Clark, Helado Negro, Siriusmo, Modeselektor (feat. Mr. Maloke), Atom TM, Laetitia Sadier, Schlammpeitziger, Junior Boys, Candie Hank, Machinedrum, Mesak & Claws Costeau, F.X. Randomiz, Funkstorung, Yoshimi, Herbert, and interludes by: Eleni Poulou and Mark E. Smith, A Hawk And A Hacksaw, AGF Delay-Team, Ingrid & Oswald Wiener, David Michael DiGregorio & Sung Huang Kim, Prefuse 73, and DJ Scotch Egg. How many internationally influential pop acts has Germany thrown into the mix? Kraftwerk, of course, followed by Can and the other Krautrock pioneers -- Neu! and Cluster, Tangerine Dream and Faust; after that, Einstürzende Neubauten, perhaps. And in the mid-1990s, Mouse On Mars joined this select group, quickly earning international recognition for their unique blend of concept, experiment and pop. Rare is the festival of electronic or independent music that hasn't welcomed them to the stage, and there are few producers of edgy, intelligent pop music who do not cite Mouse On Mars as a reference. They are feted as rock stars across Japan and North America, and for the past 20 years they have been packing clubs -- and even classical concert halls in European metropolises. Mouse On Mars are a musical phenomenon. After two decades of constant innovation and reinvention, they have lost none of their might and magic. And, just like jazz musicians, the duo seems to be getting ever more seasoned, savvy and uncompromising. The band's anniversary release -- a compilation celebrating 21 years of band history with a bit more than 21 collaborations -- seems like a logical move. Open to outside influences from day one, Mouse On Mars' music and approach anchors a surprisingly malleable methodology to an unwavering vision at the eye of the hurricane. The surface of pop music thrives on change, on constant renewal, and the Mouse On Mars phenomenon fuses this mutability with a myriad of voices caught in a proliferating web of dialogue. And at the heart of these oscillating force fields, Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma invariably remain themselves -- curious, critical and even-keeled. In this spirit, Mouse On Mars celebrate their "coming of age" surrounded by 23 of their peers.
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CD
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MONKEY 030CD
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While Parastrophics (MONKEY 022CD/LP), Mouse On Mars' 10th studio album, was recorded over a period of 5 years, WOW is of a much more spontaneous nature. Right after Parastrophics was released in 2012, Mouse On Mars started collecting the ideas for WOW, a bass-heavy, club-oriented album. The final assemblage took about five weeks and was finished by the end of July. WOW is based on immediacy. A bass drama of three letter words. Intuition, punch, massiveness. The host who leads through the entire album is Dao Anh Khanh, whom the band met during their Asia tour in 2011. Dao is a performer and sculptor from Vietnam, who invented a fantasy language which the band recorded together with him in an arcane Hanoi studio. Further voice contributions are from the Argentinian girl-punk band Las Kellies and Eric D. Clarke. All together, it makes a story which is epic, abstract, intense and ridiculous at the same time. Mouse On Mars gone theatrical. WOW also features the wretchUP, an iPhone app which was invented by Mouse On Mars during the preparations of their orchestral work "Paeanumnion." The band also used this effect app on Parastrophics and live during their 2012 album tour. If everything goes according to plan, the wretchUP will be available via iTunes around the time of the release of WOW.
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2LP
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MONKEY 030LP
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Double LP version with a laser etching on side D. While Parastrophics (MONKEY 022CD/LP), Mouse On Mars' 10th studio album, was recorded over a period of 5 years, WOW is of a much more spontaneous nature. Right after Parastrophics was released in 2012, Mouse On Mars started collecting the ideas for WOW, a bass-heavy, club-oriented album. The final assemblage took about five weeks and was finished by the end of July. WOW is based on immediacy. A bass drama of three letter words. Intuition, punch, massiveness. The host who leads through the entire album is Dao Anh Khanh, whom the band met during their Asia tour in 2011. Dao is a performer and sculptor from Vietnam, who invented a fantasy language which the band recorded together with him in an arcane Hanoi studio. Further voice contributions are from the Argentinian girl-punk band Las Kellies and Eric D. Clarke. All together, it makes a story which is epic, abstract, intense and ridiculous at the same time. Mouse On Mars gone theatrical. WOW also features the wretchUP, an iPhone app which was invented by Mouse On Mars during the preparations of their orchestral work "Paeanumnion." The band also used this effect app on Parastrophics and live during their 2012 album tour.
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7"
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MONKEY 029EP
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They Know Your Name featuring Dodo Nkishi is one of the stand-out tracks of the album Parastrophics (MONKEY 022CD/LP), and the stunning video to the song is based on the experiments a Mouse On Mars friend named Charles Baroud made for the Laboratoire d'Hydrodynamique. Playing with various elements of contemporary club music mixed with their trademark sound research, the now Berliners have proven to be as current and modern as ever. Includes a remix by Machinedrum.
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2LP
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MONKEY 022LP
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Gatefold double LP version. Over the course of ten albums -- not to mention an avalanche of side projects, remixes and collaborations -- Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars established themselves as two of the most inventive and unpredictable artists in electronic music. But since they delivered the bracing, angular salvo that was Varcharz back in 2006 and their Von Südenfed collaboration with Mark E. Smith (The Fall) in 2007, there has been an uncharacteristic period of silence. In 2012, that silence is broken. Mouse On Mars' triumphant return comes in the shape of Parastrophics, a life-affirming and constantly surprising album which is crammed with ideas, exuberance and sheer kinetic energy. It's like listening to the entire history of pop music -- distilled, refined and crystallized into a string of compulsive new shapes, full of glitter, intrigue and addictive detail. Atomized fragments from two lifetimes of listening flare and fade, tiny scraps of memory shrapnel hover, tantalizing and insubstantial, before being whisked away by the next impatient idea. But despite all that restless curiosity, Parastrophics also demonstrates a peerless command of pace. Whereas some previous Mouse On Mars releases have bordered on the frenetic, their latest displays a subtle but persuasive sense of control. Even when tempos climb, 303s squirm and kick/snare patterns snap to brisk attention, there's an elegance to the way that each element slips in and out of the mix which speaks of maturity. Parastrophics is as a playful as ever, but it's never throwaway. The closing track "Seaqz" is a gorgeous slice of space-age mood music, measured in tone despite all its microscopic activity, and it brings into focus the beguiling sense of confidence that suffuses the whole record. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that, after six years away, Mouse On Mars have come back with their best record yet.
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CD
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MONKEY 022CD
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Over the course of ten albums -- not to mention an avalanche of side projects, remixes and collaborations -- Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars established themselves as two of the most inventive and unpredictable artists in electronic music. But since they delivered the bracing, angular salvo that was Varcharz back in 2006 and their Von Südenfed collaboration with Mark E. Smith (The Fall) in 2007, there has been an uncharacteristic period of silence. In 2012, that silence is broken. Mouse On Mars' triumphant return comes in the shape of Parastrophics, a life-affirming and constantly surprising album which is crammed with ideas, exuberance and sheer kinetic energy. It's like listening to the entire history of pop music -- distilled, refined and crystallized into a string of compulsive new shapes, full of glitter, intrigue and addictive detail. Atomized fragments from two lifetimes of listening flare and fade, tiny scraps of memory shrapnel hover, tantalizing and insubstantial, before being whisked away by the next impatient idea. But despite all that restless curiosity, Parastrophics also demonstrates a peerless command of pace. Whereas some previous Mouse On Mars releases have bordered on the frenetic, their latest displays a subtle but persuasive sense of control. Even when tempos climb, 303s squirm and kick/snare patterns snap to brisk attention, there's an elegance to the way that each element slips in and out of the mix which speaks of maturity. Parastrophics is as a playful as ever, but it's never throwaway. The closing track "Seaqz" is a gorgeous slice of space-age mood music, measured in tone despite all its microscopic activity, and it brings into focus the beguiling sense of confidence that suffuses the whole record. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that, after six years away, Mouse On Mars have come back with their best record yet.
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CD
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TKCB 72272
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Japanese CD issue of this recent Sonig label EP. This edition features 8 tracks; the 5 from the Sonig 12", one of the 2 from the bonus 7" that comes with the 12" and 2 exclusive CD tracks: "Rustc" (extended organ version of "Stammtick" from Diskdusk) and "Relistic Retrail" (Idology session outtake).
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12"
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RTD 3763EP
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German-only 12" vinyl version of this 2001 MoM single (pre-Idiology.
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CD
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THR 012.21CD
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"The first tasty treat to be unleashed from Mouse on Mars' forthcoming 7th album, Idiology (due April 17th from Thrill Jockey), 'Actionist Respoke' marks yet another leap forward for Mouse on Mars. A head on collision of frenetic scratching, deconstructed house vocals and pulsating beats that represent MoM's darkest grooves yet. 'Actionist' is presented here in two forms. The first will also be found on Idiology and is a concise statement of purpose, letting all in earshot know that these sonic terrorists are for real; the second finds the Dusseldorf duo giving the song room to breathe, as the rhythm takes on a life of it's own. To bring it all together MoM find themselves in the studio with Herbert (aka Doctor Rockit) in a more relaxed, yet still devious mood, giving the EP a fine sense of closure. This single will be strictly limited to 2500 copies on CD only."
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CD
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RUG 100CD
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UK version of the "Distroia" single, previously released by Our Choice in Germany. It's advertised as "featuring 2 previously unreleased tracks", but that's unreleased in England (many residents of the UK are very guilty of that center-of-the-universe nonsense). Those 2 tracks ("Presenter" & "Iconmix") can actually be found on the Diskdusk EP (not released in the center of the universe). This version does features a video of "Distroia" which is not found elsewhere and it's very cool. There's also a sixth track only listed by a handwritten dot-scrawl on the sleeve (according to label hype, it's named "Samsong" but you won't find that info written anywhere on the CD). As far as I can tell, it's an exclusIve track only found on this release. Let's hope so, because otherwise it would really spoil half the fun. You've already bought more MoM records this year than in any other, so why not complete the pile & get it over with. "Distrioa is taken from Mouse On Mars' recent album for Domino Niun Niggung, which is a terrifyingly progressive innovation and grows on you with every listen. . By now you could wallpaper a multiple dwelling with Mouse On Mars press, and yet nobody really knows what exactly it is they do. One thing is for certain, Mouse On Mars have paved the way for a continuously growing gang of Germans and international sound villains to weave digital, electronic, and non-electronic sounds into a totally new organic fabric." Limited stock.
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CD
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RTD 3621 CD
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New post-Niun Niggung single. Four track EP, "Diskdusk" is different edit of a track off the Niun Niggung album, the other three tracks are exclusive to this release ("Presenter", "Stammtick", "iconomix"). Full color digipack sleeve.
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CD
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RTD 3230 CD
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Classic 1997 EP, including "Twift," "Dark f.x. (drykorn)," "Twift (high llamas remix) & "Amiga Home".
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CD
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TKCB 71440
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Japanese-only CD version of the next MoM Sonig release (vinyl-only release in Germany and the US); beautiful digi-pak sleeve. "12 moody and colorful songs that were originally produced for an American generation-x love & drug movie that Jan Werner and Andi Thoma had been asked to do the soundtrack for. In the end, the film was never made. Recommended for headphone use." Plus three bonus tracks only found on this Japanese version: "Snap Bar," "Pool Smooth and Hidden," & "Hetzchase Railway".
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viewing 1 To 17 of 17 items
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