RICHARD PINHAS - Forced Exposure

$16.50 IN STOCK

Richard Pinhas' album Iceland was first released in 1979 and is his third solo work, also the first after the split from Heldon. This album seems like a long, inward-looking journey and is like a kind of counter-point to the expansive sci-fi worlds and the bombastic prog of Heldon; on Iceland you will find long, sublime tracks next to short, rougher sketches. Echo guitars, rhythm machines and the washed-out warmth of analog synthesizer sounds create a very peculiar, chilling atmosphere.

"... Iceland is the perfect description of this music -- when you start to focus on the details contained within these juggernauts of atmosphere, you sense the precision involved with each element, its place in the mix meticulously chosen. Despite the nature of the sounds, there is nothing cold about Pinhas' appreciation of the record. Enthusing over aspects of how he made certain tracks -- recording with his first ARP 2600, using 'white noise as the source!... creating these very special voices', playing his original 1957 Black Beauty Les Paul, and how François Auger's fantastic drumming enlightens 'Greenland' with his softness of touch. For a man often critical of his own work, Pinhas tells me that he 'loves' Iceland, that it ranks in the top five of his records . . . An unflinching look at the bleakness of the landscapes glimpsed. But it is through that refusal to shut off one's senses, that their true majesty is revealed. A ghostly homing sound beckons as 'Iceland 2' begins. Our guide leading us into the terrain is an uneasy rhythmic pulse, a 4/4 figure stylistically displaced to make it into a 9/8 meter. Momentary beauty at 2:23 as three fuzzy warmer chords swell up, rising away . . . By 'Iceland 3' we're somewhat used to the topography, the tones warmer, or perhaps just familiar, even as the utterances of what now sound like soul-devouring entities grow louder. And they seem to have wound their way into 'The Last Kings Of Thule''s pulse as Richard's almost jazz -- though in no way is this jazz -- guitar contorts itself all over it. Closing the record, 'Greenland' is gorgeous, lysergic dreams sweeping you off to sleep at sunrise after a 'Long Dark Night Of The Soul'. The ghastly voices subdued as they settle back underneath consciousness. Those noises - in a different form, perhaps now processed by the psyche -- resurface on the title track of Stand By, recorded at the same time as Iceland. Pinhas would work on this, his third solo record, during meal breaks at Heldon sessions in Paris' Ramses Studios. However, the bulk of the album was recorded at home and, except for the final track, 'quite alone'..." --Aug Stone

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Richard Pinhas' album Iceland was first released in 1979 and is his third solo work, also the first after the split from Heldon. This album seems like a long, inward-looking journey and is like a kind of counter-point to the expansive sci-fi worlds and the bombastic prog of Heldon; on Iceland you will find long, sublime tracks next to short, rougher sketches. Echo guitars, rhythm machines and the washed-out warmth of analog synthesizer sounds create a very peculiar, chilling atmosphere.

"... Iceland is the perfect description of this music -- when you start to focus on the details contained within these juggernauts of atmosphere, you sense the precision involved with each element, its place in the mix meticulously chosen. Despite the nature of the sounds, there is nothing cold about Pinhas' appreciation of the record. Enthusing over aspects of how he made certain tracks -- recording with his first ARP 2600, using 'white noise as the source!... creating these very special voices', playing his original 1957 Black Beauty Les Paul, and how François Auger's fantastic drumming enlightens 'Greenland' with his softness of touch. For a man often critical of his own work, Pinhas tells me that he 'loves' Iceland, that it ranks in the top five of his records . . . An unflinching look at the bleakness of the landscapes glimpsed. But it is through that refusal to shut off one's senses, that their true majesty is revealed. A ghostly homing sound beckons as 'Iceland 2' begins. Our guide leading us into the terrain is an uneasy rhythmic pulse, a 4/4 figure stylistically displaced to make it into a 9/8 meter. Momentary beauty at 2:23 as three fuzzy warmer chords swell up, rising away . . . By 'Iceland 3' we're somewhat used to the topography, the tones warmer, or perhaps just familiar, even as the utterances of what now sound like soul-devouring entities grow louder. And they seem to have wound their way into 'The Last Kings Of Thule''s pulse as Richard's almost jazz -- though in no way is this jazz -- guitar contorts itself all over it. Closing the record, 'Greenland' is gorgeous, lysergic dreams sweeping you off to sleep at sunrise after a 'Long Dark Night Of The Soul'. The ghastly voices subdued as they settle back underneath consciousness. Those noises - in a different form, perhaps now processed by the psyche -- resurface on the title track of Stand By, recorded at the same time as Iceland. Pinhas would work on this, his third solo record, during meal breaks at Heldon sessions in Paris' Ramses Studios. However, the bulk of the album was recorded at home and, except for the final track, 'quite alone'..." --Aug Stone

$20.00 IN STOCK

RSD 2019 release. Richard Pinhas, the founder of '70s legends Heldon, is one of France's best-known experimental musicians and is a key figure in development of rock music fusing with electronic music. Live At Bam Balam is solo guitar and processing as well as drone electronics with the use of a Metatronic Delays system: no re-recording. This brilliant collection of solo improvisations was recorded in Bordeaux (France) on April 16th, 2016 and April 21st, 2018. Limited edition vinyl-only release.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B present a reissue of Richard Pinhas's L'Ethique, originally released in 1982. Following the vaguely poppy shapes of 1980's album East West (BB 292CD/LP), his fifth album L'Ethique saw the ex-Heldon guitarist and synth wizard return to bigger and bolder band-like methods. After the release he disappeared from the limelight for nearly a decade and returned in the 1990s. Interviewed by the Electronics & Music Maker magazine in 1982, Pinhas spoke in buoyant terms about the future of his recording career. Having just unveiled his fifth solo album, L'Ethique, he was already scheming towards its follow-up. It would see him shift from analog-based methods to digital systems. He expected the album to arrive in 1984. Little did anybody know that the mooted record would not actually materialize. The year after that interview took place, Pinhas was plunged into a long period of depression. "I stopped everything and didn't think I would ever come back to music," he remembers. "I decided music was no longer for me. I'd said what I had to wanted to say, and it was done. It was out of my head and out of my life." Thus, he sold all his synthesizers and tried to survive on their profits along with royalties from his back catalog. L'Ethique now looked as though it was Pinhas's final artistic statement. It saw Pinhas return to bigger and bolder band-like methods. His collaborators included bassist Bernard Paganotti and Clément Bailly, both of whom performed in Magma. Moog player Patrick Gauthier made a reappearance too. The line-up brought a phat and forceful feel to the crunching jazz-rock fusion of "Belfast" and "Dedicated To K.C.", a vibrant space-rock stomper that lurks on some distant planet between the extraterrestrial habitats of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Hawkwind. Part 1 of "The Western Wall" has a particularly fast tempo. Interspersing these rockers sit some mellower moments. The title of the gorgeous synth rumination "Melodic Simple Transition" seems far too modest. Despite its dark and brooding synth chords, the second instalment of "The Western Wall" has a strangely calming effect on the senses. Pinhas disappeared from the limelight for nearly a decade under the weight of his depression, but he eventually returned in the 1990s. "The real miracle is that I reconnected with the musicmaking process," says Pinhas on overcoming his reclusive years. "It is easy to fall, but very difficult to come back."

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Richard Pinhas's L'Ethique, originally released in 1982. Following the vaguely poppy shapes of 1980's album East West (BB 292CD/LP), his fifth album L'Ethique saw the ex-Heldon guitarist and synth wizard return to bigger and bolder band-like methods. After the release he disappeared from the limelight for nearly a decade and returned in the 1990s. Interviewed by the Electronics & Music Maker magazine in 1982, Pinhas spoke in buoyant terms about the future of his recording career. Having just unveiled his fifth solo album, L'Ethique, he was already scheming towards its follow-up. It would see him shift from analog-based methods to digital systems. He expected the album to arrive in 1984. Little did anybody know that the mooted record would not actually materialize. The year after that interview took place, Pinhas was plunged into a long period of depression. "I stopped everything and didn't think I would ever come back to music," he remembers. "I decided music was no longer for me. I'd said what I had to wanted to say, and it was done. It was out of my head and out of my life." Thus, he sold all his synthesizers and tried to survive on their profits along with royalties from his back catalog. L'Ethique now looked as though it was Pinhas's final artistic statement. It saw Pinhas return to bigger and bolder band-like methods. His collaborators included bassist Bernard Paganotti and Clément Bailly, both of whom performed in Magma. Moog player Patrick Gauthier made a reappearance too. The line-up brought a phat and forceful feel to the crunching jazz-rock fusion of "Belfast" and "Dedicated To K.C.", a vibrant space-rock stomper that lurks on some distant planet between the extraterrestrial habitats of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Hawkwind. Part 1 of "The Western Wall" has a particularly fast tempo. Interspersing these rockers sit some mellower moments. The title of the gorgeous synth rumination "Melodic Simple Transition" seems far too modest. Despite its dark and brooding synth chords, the second instalment of "The Western Wall" has a strangely calming effect on the senses. Pinhas disappeared from the limelight for nearly a decade under the weight of his depression, but he eventually returned in the 1990s. "The real miracle is that I reconnected with the musicmaking process," says Pinhas on overcoming his reclusive years. "It is easy to fall, but very difficult to come back."

$25.00 NOT IN STOCK

"Originally released in 1979, Iceland is Richard Pinhas' third solo album and his first following the breakup of Heldon. While moving away from the maximalism of his old band, paring down Heldon's hybrid of otherworldly sci-fi imagery and pummeling psych-prog riffs, the journey through Iceland is decidedly more inward. Consisting of longer, brooding synth-based pieces as well as short proto-industrial études and interstitial sketches, Iceland features Pinhas' delay-ridden electric guitar, pulsating machine rhythms and analog synthesizer washes -- all vivid in texture and timbre, notwithstanding an undeniably chilling ambience. This first-time vinyl reissue includes 'Wintermusic,' an immersive 25-minute bonus track recorded in 1983 and appearing here on vinyl for the first time. Pinhas' excursions channel the season's stillness and sublimity, its majesty and its threat. Without a doubt, one his finest moments. Recommended for fans of Cluster, Mica Levi, and Fripp & Eno."

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B presents a reissue of Richard Pinhas's Chronolyse, originally released in 1978. Pinhas is one of the most important French electronic space-rock musicians. Following five albums with Heldon, his band, he released solo records from 1977 on. His transition to solo material gave the guitarist and synthesist an opportunity to work on material that was a little lighter and less constrained. Chronolyse was his second solo album. Following the previous year's Rhizosphere (BB 279CD/LP, 2018), 1978's Chronolyse was actually the first to be completed having been recorded two years prior. On four of its five tracks, Rhizosphere presents just the 25-year-old Pinhas and his synth alone together, a melding of man and machine that gradually becomes an expansive, outward-bound journey. Pinhas's simple approach spawned a galaxy of diverse sounds and ideas. Each track on Rhizosphere inhabits its own mini-universe sonically and emotionally. The range of moods traversed is stunning. Dedicated "to all S.F. freaks", Chronolyse takes its name from a work by the science fiction writer Michel Jeury. The individual track titles, as any sci-fi fan will clock, are inspired by the classic Frank Herbert novel Dune (1965). This led some listeners to assume that Chronolyse was some kind of scrupulous concept album based around Herbert's invented universe of interstellar feudal houses and giant sandworms. That's not quite accurate. While Pinhas remains a proud sci-fi freak, he's quick to distance the album's titles from the music contained therein. "I always name the titles of the tracks and albums when everything is finished," he says. "So there is no relationship between them and what is inside." The younger Pinhas had been inspired by guitar heroes such as Hendrix and Clapton. It was King Crimson's Robert Fripp who had prime impact on Heldon's mix of spiralling space-rock guitar and analog electronics. Indeed, Pinhas once said the three most important figures in the history of modern music were Richard Wagner, Béla Bartók, and Robert Fripp. At the time of Chronolyse's gestation, Pinhas had been listening to a lot of classical music. Bach, Scarlatti, and Wagner were key. So, too were the new wave of American minimalist composers, Philip Glass in particular. The final record of Heldon's 1974 to 1979 run of LPs would appear the year after Chronolyse; thereafter Pinhas would concentrate on projects under his own name. This vital release bridges the gap between these two phases of Pinhas' remarkable career.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Bureau B presents a reissue of Richard Pinhas's Chronolyse, originally released in 1978. Pinhas is one of the most important French electronic space-rock musicians. Following five albums with Heldon, his band, he released solo records from 1977 on. His transition to solo material gave the guitarist and synthesist an opportunity to work on material that was a little lighter and less constrained. Chronolyse was his second solo album. Following the previous year's Rhizosphere (BB 279CD/LP, 2018), 1978's Chronolyse was actually the first to be completed having been recorded two years prior. On four of its five tracks, Rhizosphere presents just the 25-year-old Pinhas and his synth alone together, a melding of man and machine that gradually becomes an expansive, outward-bound journey. Pinhas's simple approach spawned a galaxy of diverse sounds and ideas. Each track on Rhizosphere inhabits its own mini-universe sonically and emotionally. The range of moods traversed is stunning. Dedicated "to all S.F. freaks", Chronolyse takes its name from a work by the science fiction writer Michel Jeury. The individual track titles, as any sci-fi fan will clock, are inspired by the classic Frank Herbert novel Dune (1965). This led some listeners to assume that Chronolyse was some kind of scrupulous concept album based around Herbert's invented universe of interstellar feudal houses and giant sandworms. That's not quite accurate. While Pinhas remains a proud sci-fi freak, he's quick to distance the album's titles from the music contained therein. "I always name the titles of the tracks and albums when everything is finished," he says. "So there is no relationship between them and what is inside." The younger Pinhas had been inspired by guitar heroes such as Hendrix and Clapton. It was King Crimson's Robert Fripp who had prime impact on Heldon's mix of spiralling space-rock guitar and analog electronics. Indeed, Pinhas once said the three most important figures in the history of modern music were Richard Wagner, Béla Bartók, and Robert Fripp. At the time of Chronolyse's gestation, Pinhas had been listening to a lot of classical music. Bach, Scarlatti, and Wagner were key. So, too were the new wave of American minimalist composers, Philip Glass in particular. The final record of Heldon's 1974 to 1979 run of LPs would appear the year after Chronolyse; thereafter Pinhas would concentrate on projects under his own name. This vital release bridges the gap between these two phases of Pinhas' remarkable career.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B presents a reissue of Richard Pinhas's East West, originally issued in 1980. The fourth solo album by French spacerock mastermind Pinhas, East West was his first and only album to be released by a major label (CBS). Some say it is his most commercial but Pinhas doesn't see it that way. "Signing to CBS was a blessing. It gave me the tools for better production. At that time, some big companies were better and more honest than the so-called underground labels. Besides, I don't see any virtue in remaining underground. You try to do what's best for the music at each moment in your life. Always." reflects Pinhas. Even so, East West contained some surprises for those who were used to Heldon's extended jams or the sparse and moody atmosphere of Iceland (1979). East West's average track length is four minutes, indicating greater accessibility. It also has a David Bowie cover, although Pinhas naturally chose one of his more avant-garde moments, the foreboding "Sense Of Doubt" from Heroes. (1977). Despite having "gone solo", Pinhas remained a serial collaborator. The intense and frantic opener, "Houston 69: The Crash Landing (Part 1)", features his old Heldon colleagues Didier Batard, François Auger, and Patrick Gauthier. The robotic vocals were supplied by writer Norman Spinrad from whose novel, The Iron Dream (1972), Heldon had lifted their name. East West's synth-centric tracks resemble siblings to the groundbreaking work of Kraftwerk. Others, like the dreamy "XXXXX: La Ville Sans Nom" or longest track, "Paris: Beautiful May", showed Pinhas hadn't lost enthusiasm for fusing the revolutionary sound of the synthesizer with his impressive talents as a meditative and expressive guitarist. Certain songs evoke Brian Eno or Tangerine Dream but hold their own distinct flavor, anticipating much later ambient practitioners such as Mountains or Emeralds. Besides the relatively succinct running times, it's "New York: West Side" that takes most responsibility for East West having been categorized as Pinhas' "most commercial" work, another view which its maker defies. "I don't know why people say it's the most structured or commercial," he reflects. "I wanted to do this album in the way I did it. In terms of commerciality, I don't work with those kinds of concepts." East West hardly represents Pinhas' shift from abstract composer to pop artist but offers a sublime showcase for the diversity of Pinhas' powers, all delivered in handy bite-sized chunks.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Bureau B presents a reissue of Richard Pinhas's East West, originally issued in 1980. The fourth solo album by French spacerock mastermind Pinhas, East West was his first and only album to be released by a major label (CBS). Some say it is his most commercial but Pinhas doesn't see it that way. "Signing to CBS was a blessing. It gave me the tools for better production. At that time, some big companies were better and more honest than the so-called underground labels. Besides, I don't see any virtue in remaining underground. You try to do what's best for the music at each moment in your life. Always." reflects Pinhas. Even so, East West contained some surprises for those who were used to Heldon's extended jams or the sparse and moody atmosphere of Iceland (1979). East West's average track length is four minutes, indicating greater accessibility. It also has a David Bowie cover, although Pinhas naturally chose one of his more avant-garde moments, the foreboding "Sense Of Doubt" from Heroes. (1977). Despite having "gone solo", Pinhas remained a serial collaborator. The intense and frantic opener, "Houston 69: The Crash Landing (Part 1)", features his old Heldon colleagues Didier Batard, François Auger, and Patrick Gauthier. The robotic vocals were supplied by writer Norman Spinrad from whose novel, The Iron Dream (1972), Heldon had lifted their name. East West's synth-centric tracks resemble siblings to the groundbreaking work of Kraftwerk. Others, like the dreamy "XXXXX: La Ville Sans Nom" or longest track, "Paris: Beautiful May", showed Pinhas hadn't lost enthusiasm for fusing the revolutionary sound of the synthesizer with his impressive talents as a meditative and expressive guitarist. Certain songs evoke Brian Eno or Tangerine Dream but hold their own distinct flavor, anticipating much later ambient practitioners such as Mountains or Emeralds. Besides the relatively succinct running times, it's "New York: West Side" that takes most responsibility for East West having been categorized as Pinhas' "most commercial" work, another view which its maker defies. "I don't know why people say it's the most structured or commercial," he reflects. "I wanted to do this album in the way I did it. In terms of commerciality, I don't work with those kinds of concepts." East West hardly represents Pinhas' shift from abstract composer to pop artist but offers a sublime showcase for the diversity of Pinhas' powers, all delivered in handy bite-sized chunks.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B present a reissue of Richard Pinhas's Rhizosphere, originally released in 1977. Richard Pinhas is one of the most important French electronic space rock musicians. Following five albums with his band Heldon, he released his first solo record in 1977. Backed by Heldon's congenial drummer François Auger but no longer bound by the group dynamic, he explores his freshly purchased Moog modular system in search of new sounds. It marked a departure into new realms. "We don't need new technique: everybody has a technique. We need new sounds. Trying to find new sounds is difficult." Finding new sounds is the task Pinhas set for himself on Rhizosphere. Not long before, he had acquired a Moog modular synthesizer, then settled into his home studio and began a committed relationship with his new instrument. Rhizosphere wasn't his first solo recording with the Moog -- Chronolyse was made a year earlier and released in 1978 -- but it was the first to be released. On four of its five tracks, Rhizosphere presents just the 25-year-old Pinhas and his synth alone together, a melding of man and machine that gradually becomes an expansive, outward-bound journey. Pinhas's simple approach spawned a galaxy of diverse sounds and ideas. Each track on Rhizosphere inhabits its own mini-universe sonically and emotionally. The range of moods traversed is stunning. The only other human being on Rhizosphere is drummer François Auger, who accompanies Pinhas on the title track. The escalating arc of its 18-minute run plays like a moonbound rocket-trip, with pulsing synth and roaming percussion made all the more otherworldly by the decision to filter Auger's cymbals through an AKS modular synthesizer. In science, the word "rhizosphere" means the layer of soil that surrounds and is altered by the roots of a plant. Using it as an album title suggests music as a kind of Möbius strip, creating its own nourishment, feeding off of its own discoveries in order to find more. But for Pinhas the choice was philosophically-inspired: he adopted it from a book about arithmetic by his academic mentor Gilles Deleuze. "It's about no gods, no sentimental things," he explains. "It means everything is the same until an event appears on a planet ... maybe music." Music as an emerging phenomenon, puncturing the surface of what's come before: Richard Pinhas certainly found what he was looking for on Rhizosphere. 2018 remaster by Willem Makkee.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Richard Pinhas's Rhizosphere, originally released in 1977. Richard Pinhas is one of the most important French electronic space rock musicians. Following five albums with his band Heldon, he released his first solo record in 1977. Backed by Heldon's congenial drummer François Auger but no longer bound by the group dynamic, he explores his freshly purchased Moog modular system in search of new sounds. It marked a departure into new realms. "We don't need new technique: everybody has a technique. We need new sounds. Trying to find new sounds is difficult." Finding new sounds is the task Pinhas set for himself on Rhizosphere. Not long before, he had acquired a Moog modular synthesizer, then settled into his home studio and began a committed relationship with his new instrument. Rhizosphere wasn't his first solo recording with the Moog -- Chronolyse was made a year earlier and released in 1978 -- but it was the first to be released. On four of its five tracks, Rhizosphere presents just the 25-year-old Pinhas and his synth alone together, a melding of man and machine that gradually becomes an expansive, outward-bound journey. Pinhas's simple approach spawned a galaxy of diverse sounds and ideas. Each track on Rhizosphere inhabits its own mini-universe sonically and emotionally. The range of moods traversed is stunning. The only other human being on Rhizosphere is drummer François Auger, who accompanies Pinhas on the title track. The escalating arc of its 18-minute run plays like a moonbound rocket-trip, with pulsing synth and roaming percussion made all the more otherworldly by the decision to filter Auger's cymbals through an AKS modular synthesizer. In science, the word "rhizosphere" means the layer of soil that surrounds and is altered by the roots of a plant. Using it as an album title suggests music as a kind of Möbius strip, creating its own nourishment, feeding off of its own discoveries in order to find more. But for Pinhas the choice was philosophically-inspired: he adopted it from a book about arithmetic by his academic mentor Gilles Deleuze. "It's about no gods, no sentimental things," he explains. "It means everything is the same until an event appears on a planet ... maybe music." Music as an emerging phenomenon, puncturing the surface of what's come before: Richard Pinhas certainly found what he was looking for on Rhizosphere. 2018 remaster by Willem Makkee.

$27.50 IN STOCK

Bam Balam Records present a reissue of Richard Pinhas's De l'un et du Multiple, originally released in 1996. Available for the first time on vinyl. Richard Pinhas, the founder of '70s legends Heldon, is one of France's best known experimental musicians and is a key figure in development of rock music fusing with electronic music. This solo album was recorded at his home studio in Paris between June and September of 1995. Solo guitar and processing - Drone electronics with use of a Metatronic Loop system. No re-recording. Features brand new cover art. Includes a bonus track, "Humain, Trop Humain", with vocals by Maurice Dantec. Edition of 500.

$17.00 IN STOCK

Richard Pinhas, leader of French space-rock pioneers Heldon in the '70s, has been prolific since returning to the form in the '90s. He has collaborate with Merzbow, Yoshida Tatsuya, Oren Ambarchi, Barry Cleveland, and Wolf Eyes. "Changes in my life really influenced this record," Richard Pinhas tells of his new album Reverse. "The wife of a friend of mine offered to read my Tarot cards... I don't believe in it - I am very materialist, not financially but in my philosophy - so it was very strange that in the year that followed I lost my two parents, broke up with my girlfriend, lost my flat, and moved to Nantes. So the album was done in this confusion, in this chaotic state of having lost all these things." Reverse's dark experimental noise and long repetitive tracks have an intimidating first impression. But listening to the whole 50 minutes leaves one feeling purified. Pinhas even says this album "fixed" and "resurrected" him: "It was a healing process for me to make this album. To get rid of all the negativity that occupied my brain." The main process of the album production was one of construction, with Pinhas and Oren Ambarchi (guitars, "dronz") forming the skeleton. After the initial sessions in Paris, they threw out everything except their own parts and then started searching for "the right parts. Not a drummer, but the drummer, not a bass guitarist, but the bass guitarist." He enlisted the talents of Arthur Narcy (drums), Florian Tatar (bass) along with Masami Akita (analog synths), his son Duncan Nilson-Pinhas (digital synths), and William Winant (percussion). Reverse reflects Pinhas's keen interest in Kabbalah. "Ketter" is an unknowable realm and the music reflects this. We catch traces of elements traversing the spectrum while the whole retains its own mystery. Pinhas's immediately recognizable tone is tempered by Narcy's unique drumming style. "End" reflects the "reverse" of the album title, as sounds double back in on themselves whilst Narcy, frantic on the cymbals, pounds the drums themselves with military precision. "Nefesh" is the first level of the soul, the track's percolating sounds depicting such a pneumatic birth. "V2" brings to mind both Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (1973) and David Bowie. It sounds like the aftermath of an enormous futuristic electrical malfunction still lingering over a vast cityscape. Cover art by Yann LeGendre.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Includes CD. Richard Pinhas, leader of French space-rock pioneers Heldon in the '70s, has been prolific since returning to the form in the '90s. He has collaborate with Merzbow, Yoshida Tatsuya, Oren Ambarchi, Barry Cleveland, and Wolf Eyes. "Changes in my life really influenced this record," Richard Pinhas tells of his new album Reverse. "The wife of a friend of mine offered to read my Tarot cards... I don't believe in it - I am very materialist, not financially but in my philosophy - so it was very strange that in the year that followed I lost my two parents, broke up with my girlfriend, lost my flat, and moved to Nantes. So the album was done in this confusion, in this chaotic state of having lost all these things." Reverse's dark experimental noise and long repetitive tracks have an intimidating first impression. But listening to the whole 50 minutes leaves one feeling purified. Pinhas even says this album "fixed" and "resurrected" him: "It was a healing process for me to make this album. To get rid of all the negativity that occupied my brain." The main process of the album production was one of construction, with Pinhas and Oren Ambarchi (guitars, "dronz") forming the skeleton. After the initial sessions in Paris, they threw out everything except their own parts and then started searching for "the right parts. Not a drummer, but the drummer, not a bass guitarist, but the bass guitarist." He enlisted the talents of Arthur Narcy (drums), Florian Tatar (bass) along with Masami Akita (analog synths), his son Duncan Nilson-Pinhas (digital synths), and William Winant (percussion). Reverse reflects Pinhas's keen interest in Kabbalah. "Ketter" is an unknowable realm and the music reflects this. We catch traces of elements traversing the spectrum while the whole retains its own mystery. Pinhas's immediately recognizable tone is tempered by Narcy's unique drumming style. "End" reflects the "reverse" of the album title, as sounds double back in on themselves whilst Narcy, frantic on the cymbals, pounds the drums themselves with military precision. "Nefesh" is the first level of the soul, the track's percolating sounds depicting such a pneumatic birth. "V2" brings to mind both Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (1973) and David Bowie. It sounds like the aftermath of an enormous futuristic electrical malfunction still lingering over a vast cityscape. Cover art by Yann LeGendre.

$22.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

"Solo album of Richard Pinhas (Heldon), recorded at his home studio in Paris in 1993. Drone electronics sound with Metatronic Loop system. Reissue with special mini-LP paper sleeve, 2007 digital remaster version. Limited 1,000 copies." Originally released by Spalax in 1995.