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LP
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SV 191LP
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"Prima Materia was a vocal improvisation ensemble, founded by Roberto Laneri in 1973. Composed entirely of vocalists with no academic training, the group developed various techniques -- revolving mostly around the use of overtones -- that would embody their unique sound. No instruments nor electronic manipulations were ever employed within the group's physiognomy, which was realized purely through the human voice. La Coda Della Tigre, the group's sole album, was recorded in 1977 by Alvin Curran and released on Ananda, an artist-run label founded by Laneri, Curran and Giacinto Scelsi. As the original liner notes state, 'The music of Prima Materia may sound radically new, yet at the same time it is likely to ring some distant bell and evoke ancient emotions. This is not due to chance: indeed, the very name of the group points to a specific path, namely, the unfolding of the potential implicit in the alchemical symbol as embodying a process of transmutation of consciousness.' Prima Materia's four members (Laneri, Claudio Ricciardi, Gianni Nebbiosi and Susanne Hendricks) combine voices to create a singular, beautiful drone that is (as the group's name suggests) both impossible to define and fundamentally simple. This first-time standalone reissue is recommended for fans of La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Disques Ocora."
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2LP BOX
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DS 029LP
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Limited repress. This deluxe double-LP box set commemorates the tenth anniversary of Die Schactel's 2005 CD reissue of Prima Materia's La Coda della Tigre/Tail of the Tiger, and marks the first vinyl edition of the album since its original 1977 release. La Coda della Tigre/Tail of the Tiger is a totally immersive listening experience and a true testament to the power and range of the human voice in all its harmonic splendor. Originally issued in 1977 by the Italian Ananda label, run by Prima Materia founder Roberto Laneri with Alvin Curran and Giacinto Scelsi, La Coda Della Tigre/Tail of the Tiger is a long, dense, trance-inducing drone of sustained notes, rich with overtones and harmonic embellishments and coming from a space so vast and unexplored that it evokes a non-human, almost ethereal nature. Every molecule of that sound was produced using only the most original and archaic of instruments, the human voice. The musicians of Prima Materia -- founded by Laneri in San Diego in 1973 -- individually researched and developed unusual vocal techniques (originally used in Tantric rituals in North India, Mongolia, and Tibet) based on the use of overtones coupled with a special state of inner concentration, which was the essential condition for both the emission and control of long, sustained, and complex vocal sounds. Their capacity to sustain a note for what seems an eternity and to continue to provide endless variations generates a continuous and sustained drone of sound in which the overtones are clearly perceived. La Coda della Tigre/Tail of the Tiger disappeared soon after its original release, acquiring an almost legendary status among collectors and lovers of experimental music in the decades since. Die Schachtel recovered the original tapes and, in 2005, released the limited CD The Tail of the Tiger, which went out of print itself in a few months. This box set includes the first vinyl reissue of La Coda della Tigre/Tail of the Tiger, plus an LP containing a stunning recording of a 1974 live performance in Cologne, Germany; both LPs are high-quality records pressed in Germany, and are presented in custom coated paper inner sleeves bearing original photos printed in silver ink. The set also includes a four-page explanatory booklet and a 16-page mandala booklet designed by Dinamomilano and inspired by the group's references and philosophy. Limited edition of 300.
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