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2LP
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PALTO 013LP
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"Woo, the project of brothers Mark and Clive Ives, return to Palto Flats for the reissue of Into The Heart Of Love, originally released on cassette in 1990. Formed in the seventies in South London, the duo developed a cult following over the years, with renewed interest in their catalog through 2010s reissues by labels such as Drag City and Emotional Rescue. Woo's music, encompassing new-age, folk, ambient electronic and jazz idioms, yet transformed into a fully inimitable sound, is the profound result of years of brothers honing and tinkering with their craft from their home studio. Into The Heart Of Love, often heralded by fans as their most complete work -- sees the group expanding their sound over 20 plus tracks, utilizing vocoded clarinets, homespun folk melodies, and lilting electronics, coalescing into a journey traversing through otherworldly soundscapes. Containing touchstone Woo tracks such as 'Make Me Tea,' a duet between Mark Ives and Sue Amor over guitar and clarinet, 'It's Love,' a classically influenced guitar ballad, and 'Hopi,' Woo's astrologically influenced cosmically propulsive opener, which hints at the sonic adventure to ensue. Closing the album is the never before released vocal version of 'It's Love,' a testament to the healing power of love. This edition sees the album released for the first time in its entirety on vinyl, spread over two LPs, as well as a limited cassette reissue, all meticulously remastered by Stephan Mathieu from newly discovered hi-quality DAT masters. The gatefold jacket features new liner notes by Clive Ives, along with photos, drawings and images from the brothers' archives, with cover art inspired by its 1990 cassette release. Often lovingly held in the same regard and referenced knowingly to bands such as the Durutti Column, Cluster, and the Penguin Café Orchestra, Woo surrounds the listener with a transformative warmth. The band describes this album as their most all-encompassing collection of material, and it remains a highlight of their catalog. The brothers continue to record and self-release material from their home in Brighton, England to this day, manifesting new sounds along the way."
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LP
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QUI 005LP
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2023 repress. After their celestial Arcturian Corridor opened proceedings on Quindi, London-based brothers Clive and Mark Ives are back with a new record. When Woo first began recording at home in the early '70s, Clive and Mark were the embodiment of furtive genius. Since re-emerging in 2013, they've released scores of albums, collaborated with Seahawks, and have now struck up a productive relationship with Quindi. On Paradise In Pimlico, you're hearing a very different sound to the one gently creaked out on early classics like Into The Heart Of Love (1990). This is fulsome, contemporary production rich in detail and artful sound design, but crucially, Clive and Mark's gorgeously melodic approach remains open and inquisitive, even with the sheen and shimmer of modern studio techniques. Woo sound more confident than ever in their composition, too. The crystalline, fragile tones of "Cadenza D'Innocenza" glide through key changes that spell out an engrossing narrative, while the cascading melodies on "Moment To Moment" pirouette across the space between notes with masterful poise. "Paradise In Pimlico" is an illustrious suite of orchestral composition played out with the lightest touch, framed by the slightest of synthesized fauna and topped off with tender sax and flute. Album closer "In Case Love Fails" takes on a subtly cinematic urgency with its undercurrents of walking bass and the strike of the string section (synthetic or otherwise). There's space for markedly new approaches, too. The rhythm section on "The Motorik Mirror" clunks and pops with a tactile, high-definition quality which teeters between electronic sculpture and clockwork, organic machination. The deft, lightly-brushed drums coursing through "Even More Notes" see Clive and Mark step into a different mood, celebrating the beat as another fluid, tonally-rich texture in the mix and adding a smoky, jazzy hue to the Woo repertoire. It's far from a drum-focused exercise though. At every turn, you're confronted with aching beauty and timbral surprises. If there's one constant throughout Paradise In Pimlico, it's the omnipresent chimes. These twinkling drops of light scattered throughout are something of a hallmark of Woo, ensuring the lilting, lullaby-like magic of their music persists whichever direction they head in. Includes download code.
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CD
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DC 584CD
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"WOO is brothers Mark and Clive Ives. Emboldened by the success of the recent reissue of It's Cosy Inside, Mark and Clive had a listen to hundreds of previously unreleased tracks recorded in the 70s and 80s to assemble their first new record in two decades, When The Past Arrives. With comparisons to Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Animal Collective, Cluster, and Brian Eno, WOO's profile in the world of atemporal music has been growing for years. For the lucky few who know, like Fela, or Neu!, WOO has their own instantly recognizable vibrantly pulsing sound, a quiet sound of comfort and contentment."
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LP
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DC 584LP
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2023 restock; LP version. "WOO is brothers Mark and Clive Ives. Emboldened by the success of the recent reissue of It's Cosy Inside, Mark and Clive had a listen to hundreds of previously unreleased tracks recorded in the 70s and 80s to assemble their first new record in two decades, When The Past Arrives. With comparisons to Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Animal Collective, Cluster, and Brian Eno, WOO's profile in the world of atemporal music has been growing for years. For the lucky few who know, like Fela, or Neu!, WOO has their own instantly recognizable vibrantly pulsing sound, a quiet sound of comfort and contentment."
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CD
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DC 522CD
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"What is Woo? Woo are two - the brothers Mark and Clive Ives, who in the 1980s made a pair of addictively appealing yet largely unknown records. Their second, It's Cosy Inside, released in 1989, qualifies as some of the most electronic organic music ever made. We hearken back to a friendlier time, the 1970s, when Woo first began recording their relaxing and mysterious mood music, using electronically treated acoustic instruments without pretension, creating a sort of pop music for another universe. This is not to say that WOO were, are, or ever could be precious - far from it, in fact! But it is singular, in the mode of Neu!, Fela, and Ashra - a distinctive beat instantly recognizable to those in the know, and enjoyable by all. Woo have made music for more than 35 years now, much of it specifically designed for healing and meditation, while somehow entirely sidestepping the creative vortex of modern new age music."
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LP
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DC 522LP
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LP version. "It's Cosy Inside saved my life." --Nite Jewel "What is Woo? Woo are two - the brothers Mark and Clive Ives, who in the 1980s made a pair of addictively appealing yet largely unknown records. Their second, It's Cosy Inside, released in 1989, qualifies as some of the most electronic organic music ever made. We hearken back to a friendlier time, the 1970s, when Woo first began recording their relaxing and mysterious mood music, using electronically treated acoustic instruments without pretension, creating a sort of pop music for another universe. This is not to say that WOO were, are, or ever could be precious - far from it, in fact! But it is singular, in the mode of Neu!, Fela, and Ashra - a distinctive beat instantly recognizable to those in the know, and enjoyable by all. Woo have made music for more than 35 years now, much of it specifically designed for healing and meditation, while somehow entirely sidestepping the creative vortex of modern new age music."
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