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Recent Best Sellers
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KHZ 1002LP
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The first new Sun City Girls release since Funeral Mariachi (2010), Live at the Sky Church is a performance that melds their signature alien-jazz improv, Asian-tinged psychedelia, and Middle Eastern meditations together with their ranting psychodrama. An audio and visual recording from Seattle in 2004 shows a group that is both aware and committed to its history, while still demonstrating the power of the experimental to drive an enormous cudgel through the heart of those who believe to have all the answers. Twenty One Eighty Two Recording Company has had a long history with Sun City Girls, most of which, the Girls were unaware of. While the label were not at the show, their attempt to help continue to put a part of Arizona's musical history in the appropriate context convinced the Girls that a bunch of subversives from a town no one admits to being from to be the right people to put this document into the world. Society rarely documents the things that matter, and the label hope to change that with this release. It is a document that now stands to the interplay between three friends before that history would be sunset way before its time. As the recording begins, you already realize the experience will be too short, but what the fuck are you supposed to do but celebrate that it happened. The Girls came from Phoenix, Arizona, but now have traveled the world exploring sound, documenting travel, and attempting to be the emissaries that should represent these union of states. Live at the Sky Church illustrates this history and attempts to provide a manifesto without dictating the experience. Will you listen? Includes DVD. "LONG MAY THEY ISOLATE." --John "Inzane" Olson (American Tapes, Wolf Eyes, etc.)
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JBH 085LP
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Three unheard 1960s and 1970s reels from the unreal and unreleased Basil Kirchin Tape Archive. Sublime pastoral jazz, autistic children screaming, spooky vocals, experimental tape manipulation, and much more from the master of such things. The three parts of this new Basil Kirchin album come from three very different tapes from his archive. All parts were unreleased until now. "Pat's Pigs" actually sounds like a Basil bird recording, slowed and treated, mixed with simple improvisation. But it could well be pigs. Pat's pigs. This whole tape recording may have been an early experiment towards what was to become Kirchin's Worlds Within Worlds Parts I and II (JBH 080LP). A lot of Basil's work was headed in that direction. "Electronic" is not that electronic. There are elements of the classic Basil Kirchin drone sound here, mixed with multiple and treated recordings of the autistic children of Schurmatt, along with Esther, his wife, singing. Esther worked as a nurse with the children, Basil got to know many of them, and became fascinated by the extreme musical noises they would make with their voices. This recording is not necessarily for the faint hearted, but makes for extraordinary listening, based on the fact this would have been made and mixed, simply as a classic and progressive Kirchin experiment, back in the late 1960s/early 1970s. This also has untreated elements that would eventually contribute towards Quantum, his preferred version of the WWW concept. "The Suspended Fourth" comes across like a soundtrack. It has a very distinctive and pastoral Kirchin style leitmotif that repeats along its glorious and slightly disturbed 21 minutes. It's very well produced, possibly built up and improvised over a few days. The tape itself states that this is The Suspended Forth with a subtitle: "The Musical Study Of A Mind, Part 1 Schizophrenia". It therefore could be something to do with a soundtrack he was asked to make for a mental health conference for psychiatrists at Earls Court in the late 1960s (see States Of Mind, -- the British jazz musical line seems like it could well be the very same). The original title for this album and the artwork come from an empty tape box from the archive, which sums up all sorts of things about Basil, his music, and the tape archive all at the same time. More reel discoveries will follow. Full color sleeve with sleevenotes.
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FOX 037LP
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Broadcast from SWR and recorded at the legendary 1967 Free Jazz Meeting in Baden-Baden, Germany this is a collection of four different performances by different line-ups, featuring big names in the European free jazz '60s scene of the time along such top players as Don Cherry, Marion Brown, Evan Parker, and John Stevens.
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2LP
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OP 048LP
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2020 repress. Nicolas Jaar shows he is paying attention to the masses by issuing a widely called for vinyl press of his A.A.L. (Against All Logic) album 2012-2017. Originally issued as a digital-only release back in February of 2018, it's slowly grown to become one of the most cherished releases in the entire Other People discography. Much like Kerrier District did to disco, A.A.L. (Against All Logic) borrows heavily from the samples and sounds ingrained deep within Jaar's listening habits and evidently a record collection packed to the brim with classic soul, house, and most importantly, funk hooks. Keenly twisting these sounds and filtering them through a studio set up that's leaning heavily on the beefed-up kick drums and reverb units to make a well-executed homage to these sounds, pieced together with the inherent idea of making the listener unable to resist the urge to move, be it in a bedroom, basement, or just sat in work staring at a computer screen. A.A.L. (Against All Logic) is both a well-executed homage to all of the above references, yet also just a really strong and enjoyable record from Nicolas Jaar. Its undeniable popularity digitally is sure to see the vinyl evaporate in no time at all.
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2LP
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ARCHIVE 051LP
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The excellent Black September, a continuous, five-part, 68-minute epic, is as formidably competent as ever, although more for the brooding, surreal nature of its soundworld than for its grooves, which here sound almost subsidiary. The soul samples and restlessly evolving minor-chord kaleidoscopes that unfold throughout the work is prima facie evidence of a musician on a roll. Boldly named after one of the most notorious Palestinian terrorist organizations, the group which carried out the Israeli Olympic athlete massacre in 1972, September matches its dark black artwork and design with equally doom-laden music (mastered as one track, despite the five separate song titles listed on the back). The title-track relies on a slightly more gentle ominousness, with soft string-plucking reverberating around the beat, but things start to pick up accordingly with the more aggressive, sharp-edged electronics shading into a tense blend of percussion and energy on "Libya"; after shading away into a more minimal midsection, the track returns at a nervous, quick pace, with drums and drum pads firing off echoes into the mix as drones snake in and out of the song. One particularly gripping section has shards of noise firing off in all directions before settling back into the frazzled energy of the central beat, feeling like a soundtrack to a particularly good chase scene in a movie. "Thuggee" and its accompanying remix keep the unsettled edge up, with sudden drum and electronic pulse intrusions erupting over the main flow of the songs. It's interesting to hear how Bryn Jones's love of dub applies itself in even more creative and different ways than from his productions of some years before, exchanging the slow pace for a fast one and applying krautrock drone principles. A nicely stretched-out, creepy remix of Gun Aramaic's "Opiate and Mullah" wraps up this fine effort. This vinyl includes the two unused Return Of Black September tracks that were on the archive series volume 32 CD. The two extra tracks, however, follow in taking a much more cleanly digital feel, with many of the elements Jones usually uses present but in more stripped down or even mechanized forms. The relatively clean pulse of these two longer compositions serve as a refreshing contrast. Edition of 700.
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LP
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VAMPI 215LP
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Vampisoul present a reissue of Marcos Valle's 1983 self-titled album. Valle is one of the few artists one cannot miss if one has the slightest interest in Brazilian music. Whether one's taste is focused on bossa jazz, samba, psych folk or soul, Valle has surely recorded an album to match. By the late '60s he had already put out enough quality records to secure a place within the top Brazilian songwriters of all time, but his career did not stop there and he continued releasing amazing music over the following decades. He settled in Los Angeles in the mid-70s, tired of living under Brazil's military dictatorship, and started to collaborate with such talented artists as Leon Ware and Chicago. This LP from 1983 is the follow-up to the great Vontade De Rever Você (1981), his second album after moving back to Brazil. It shows all the music influences from his US years, especially boogie, soul and funk, and features stellar collaborators in Lincoln Olivetti, Robson Jorge, and Leon Ware. The opening track, the Brazilian boogie anthem "Estrelar," is Valle's biggest hit from the '80s and one of the most celebrated songs, making clear that what he accomplished while in LA would now make its way into Brazil. Valle pictures a beach lifestyle and summertime vibe across the entire album that describes his surfing days in Southern California. A couple of early Valle's classic songs are updated here to sit nicely next to soaring disco, killer vocal boogie numbers, and blissing instrumentals, making a well-balanced track list that satisfies both listening pleasure and dancefloor needs. This is an essential album for lovers of the work of Ware, who is the co-writer of three songs in the LP, including "Estrelar," first drafted when both artists were working together in the States and then recorded again when Valle returned to Brazil. Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180g vinyl.
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JBH 087LP
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Sublime, unique, sexy, and peculiar unreleased scores by electronic and jazz pioneer Ron Geesin, made for the films by maverick director Stephen Dwoskin. Geesin made great music and worked with Pink Floyd. Dwoskin made odd films, most of them are in the BFI permanent collection. These superb unreleased soundtracks come from a fascinating, progressive, and important period in British film history. They represent an intriguing collaboration between the lively Ron Geesin from Scotland and the American Stephen Dwoskin, who both met in London. Musically they are minimal, charismatic, and quite groundbreaking. Ron's soundtracks for Dwoskin' films, recorded in the Geesins's flat, encompassed Ron's very eclectic range of styles -- madcap piano and fretted banjo as well as tape manipulation. Aside from Ron's soundtracks, some of which belong to films that no longer exist (including Pot-Boiler). There was no London equivalent to the underground film scene that Dwoskin had known in New York, and his films remained unseen until such a scene began to come into being, in the autumn of 1966. Some of them made their debut at the Mercury Theatre, near Notting Hill Gate, that September. Dwoskin wrote Alone, starring Zelda Nelson (from Ron Rice's Chumlum), and Chinese Checkers, with Beverly Grant and Dwoskin's friend Joan Adler. Soon both Dwoskin and Geesin became involved in the nascent London Film-Makers' Co-op, which put on screenings in Better Books on Charing Cross Road. In the same autumn, Dwoskin moved into a flat almost opposite the Geesins on Elgin Crescent. More collaborations followed, including Naissant, on which Gavin Bryars, whom Geesin had met during a stint on the northern club circuit with novelty act Dr Crock and His Crackpots, played double bass. Around the end of 1967, Geesin released his first solo LP, A Raise of Eyebrows, and Dwoskin won recognition at the Fourth Experimental Film Competition, aka EXPRMNTL 4, an occasional film festival staged at Knokke-le-Zoute in Belgium. By now the films had optical soundtracks. For Moment, a single-shot film, Geesin provided his most experimental score yet. At the time of its debut in 1970, Dwoskin and the Geesins were sharing a house in Ladbroke Grove. By then, Ron was working with Pink Floyd, and soon afterwards he and Frankie moved out to the country, to be replaced by Bryars both in the house and as Dwoskin's principal collaborator. Until now these scores have remained part of the Geesin Archive and have never been issued. Sleeve notes by Ron Geesin.
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LP
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FAITBACK 007LP
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Faitiche presents Jan Jelinek's album Tierbeoachtungen on vinyl for the first time, originally released on Scape in 2006. The album's six tracks took their cues from Jelinek's live concerts of that period: dense, slowly unfolding loop improvisations made with a laptop, various effect pedals, and miniature synthesizers. It is music that floats in a semi-conscious state between dream and awakening, always slightly mysterious, leaving traces that lead directly to the psychedelic-cosmic music of the kraut era. Includes download code.
In his release notes for Tierbeobachtungen at the time, the late lamented Martin Büsser wrote (2006): "The animal is experiencing a renaissance in music. It provides a reflective surface for our notion of the unbridled and irrational, of that Other the philosophers Deleuze/Guattari -- as part of their 'Animalisation' -- called the embodiment of artistic deliverance. And yet, how much of a liberation can art actually tolerate? To what extent can music truly throw off its fetters without descending into chaos? Jan Jelinek's album title provides a first hint of this development: Tierbeobachtungen (animal observations) is his fourth album for ~scape, and it addresses the issue of release and liberation. Recorded almost in transit, while preparing his move to a new studio, the tracks reveal and relish in their improvisational character, and drifting, lost sound -- yet they never lose sight of their underlying structure. Tierbeobachtungen might be Jelinek's freest and most personal work, with simply arranged tracks based on four to five layered and modulated loops, while his own studio equipment provides the main sampling sources, from synthesizer and guitaret to vibraphonette. Jelinek takes on the role of observer on this record, with a level of reflection remaining audible throughout. However, this is by no means intellectual, distanced music -- Jelinek leads us straight into a thicket, an acoustic jungle where sumptuous splendour meets the uncanny. A long tradition of psychedelic music pervades the recordings -- Amon Düül, Cluster, My Bloody Valentine -- yet whatever musical memories might vie for our attention, these are no clear-cut references, just loose associations. . . Similar to the pioneers of industrial music, like Cabaret Voltaire or Zoviet France, who experimented with field recordings to challenge Western listening habits, Tierbeobachtungen takes us to new, unknown territories and brims with sounds that defy geographic or stylistic classification, not unlike the semi-conscious state between dream and awakening. (...)"
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SHELTER 115LP
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Springing from body of work spanning decades, defined by a rigorously singular and adventurous approach to sound, cellist, composer, and improvisor, Okkyung Lee, returns with Yeo-Neun. Her first outing with Shelter Press, and arguably her most ground-breaking and unexpected album to date. A vital force in the contemporary global landscape of experimental music, Okkyung Lee is widely regarded for her solo and collaborative improvisations and compositions, weaving a continuously evolving network of sonority and event, notable for its profound depth of instrumental sensitivity, exacting intellect, and visceral emotiveness. Yeo-Neun, recorded by Yeo-Neun Quartet -- an experimental chamber music ensemble founded in 2106 and led by Lee on cello, featuring harpist Maeve Gilchrist, pianist Jacob Sacks, and bassist Eivynd Opsvik -- represents the culmination of one of longest and most intimate arcs in her remarkable career. A radical departure from much of the experimental language for which she has become widely known, it is equally a fearless return. Yeo-Neun loosely translates to the gesture of an opening in Korean, presenting a window into the poetic multiplicity that rests at the album's core. Balanced at the outer reaches of Lee's radically forward-thinking creative process, its ten discrete works are born of the ambient displacement of musician's life; intimate melodic constructions and deconstructions that traces their roots across the last 30 years, from her early days spent away from home studying the cello in Seoul and Boston, to her subsequent move to New York and the nomadism of a near endless routine of tours. At its foundation, lay glimpses of a once melancholic teen, traces of the sentimentality and sensitivity (감성 / Gahmsung) that underpins the Korean popular music of Lee's youth, and an artist for whom the notions of time, place, and home have become increasingly complex. Elegantly binding modern classical composition and freely improvised music with the emotive drama of Korean traditional music and popular ballads, the expanse of Yeo-Neun pushes toward the palpably unknown, as radical for what it is and does, as it for its approachability. Meandering melodies, from the deceptively simple to the tonally and structurally complex, slowly evolve and fall from view, the harp, piano, and bass forming an airy, liminal non-place, through which Lee's cello and unplaceable memories freely drift. Printed inner and outer sleeve with artwork by American photographer Ron Jude. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker.
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2LP
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VAMPI 199LP
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Compiled by Colombian music experts Lucas Silva and Philippe Noel, Guasa, Cununo Y Marimba: Afro-Colombian Music From The Pacific Coast is a selection of Afro-Colombian music from the Pacific Coast. The Colombian Pacific coast has always been one of the most forgotten regions of Colombia: ninety percent of the population are of African descent and ten percent are indigenous peoples and mestizos. It borders Panama to the north and Ecuador to the south. It was colonized late, after several failed attempts by the Spanish who were thwarted by the impenetrable jungle and climate of the territory. Two or three centuries of slavery filled the Pacific coast with men and women who brought their musical instruments with them. In the department of Chocó in the north Pacific, African descendants reinterpreted the military drums brought in by the colonizers, creating the chirimía style. The Pacific coast is home to a wealth of musical styles: apart from the currulao and chirimía, there's a host of other genres. Meanwhile, in the city of Buenaventura, the urban center of the Pacific and the biggest port in Colombia, orchestras and bands flourished. For music from the Pacific there was a long and winding road to go down before it emerged from anonymity in a country dominated by cumbia and Caribbean beats. The music of the Colombian Pacific is one of the greatest treasures of Colombia and its African past, but not many people remember the songs recorded on anthologies, a forgotten chapter of Colombia´s musical history. This album aims to revisit these formats and recording styles so that new generations of musicians can reconnect with this heritage and these wonderful musical gems can see the light at last, as they are immortal aspects of Afro-Colombia and its culture. This compilation includes recordings by artists like: Gertrudis Bonilla, Peregoyo y su Combo Vacaná, Markitos Micolta, La Sonora del Pacífico de Cachito Vidal, Julián y Su Combo, and more in an outstanding selection of songs that covers the early '70s through the '00s. Heavy drumming combines with hypnotic vocals and the sounds of the marimba, clarinet and euphonium in this selection of Afro-Colombian music from the Pacific Coast. Also features: Gertrudis Bonilla Y Jimmy Puche, Chencho Trompeta Y Los Brujos Del Folklore, La Marucha, Los Trovadores Del Pacífico, La Contundencia, La Banda De Alexis, Conjunto Folklórico Los De La Bahía De La Cruz, Buscajá, and Bambazulú.
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LP
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WRWTFWW 035LP
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LP version. WRWTFWW Records announce the official reissue of Motohiko Hamase's astounding ambient house album Technodrome, originally released in 1993. This marks the fourth release from the Esplanade Series which focuses on the works of Yoshio Ojima, Motohiko Hamase, and Satsuki Shibano. Inspired by John Cage, Jon Hassel, Brian Eno, and the emergence of house and techno music, Technodrome is jazz bassist turned electronic experimentalist Motohiko Hamase's foray into what he calls ambient house or, as he explains, "using the gritty sensation inherent to the core of house music" to create an ambient record "aiming to express inverted images, optical illusions, and the sense of déjà vu that modern people can get in the city." Technodrome is constructed around innovative minimalism, a robotic funk orchestrated by bass lines and percussions, and monochrome moods. It's the most intriguing project in Hamase's discography, a ghostly ride set in '90s urban landscape, where repetition sets the groove and brings things to life, echoing Hamase's deeper subtext for his compositions: "and attempt to recreate (as metaphor) the time in our mother's womb." The album was initially released in 1993 by Newsic, the cult label started by Tokyo's Wacoal Art Center (also known as Spiral), home, notably, of Yoshio Ojima who co-produced the album. It is now reissued in conjunction with Motohiko Hamase's #Notes of Forestry (1988) and Anecdote (WRWTFWW 036CD/LP) albums. The album is sourced from original masters and available on CD and vinyl for the first time ever. Includes liner notes from the artist.
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LP
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HC 066LP
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A classic and essential hi-life and Afro-funk album from one of the greatest Ghanaian singer and composer, reissued for the first time. The legendary K. Frimpong's fantastic rare album was recorded in 1978 at Ghana Films Studio in Accra. K. Frimpong was born on July 22nd, 1939 at Ofoase in the Ashanti-Akim district and entered right into music after elementary school by joining Star de Republic and later Oko's Band after which he left to go to K. Gyasy's band where he worked for more than six years. As a prolific songwriter and singer, this Frimpong reissue is an amazing album, a modern fusion of hi-life and soul. The excellent background is given by the famous Vis à Vis band, composed with the help of the great Collins Obiba Marfo. Originally produced on Ofo Bros, the label of the Ofori brothers in Kumasi, this four songs recording is a blend of danceable and spiritual soul and straight hi-life. A must have album of percussive Afro-funk. Remastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Pressed on replika format.
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LP+CD
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LR 336LP
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2020 repress. Lilith present a reissue of Os Mutantes' self-titled debut, originally released in 1968. With the release of their debut LP in 1968, Os Mutantes cracked the already red hot Tropicalia scene wide open. Fusing traditional Brazilian music, psychedelia, rock, and a good dose of pure experimentation, they quickly became giants both in Brazil and in the outer fringes of pop music, where they have managed to reign supreme for the past four decades. Not an easy task in such a crowded arena. Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Jorge Ben, Tom Zé, and Os Mutantes? What do these people put in their drinking water? The band went on to release several more albums, but this one was their magnum opus. Obi "bookmark" Japanese style; 180 gram vinyl; Includes CD.
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MR 405LP
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Munster Records presents a reissue of Batiscafo by Gregorio Paniagua. Immersed in an age of re-releases and the pursuit of rarities, hidden gems and marvels, record labels are constantly rediscovering musical jewels, which previously only collectors have had the chance to own. Batiscafo is one of these elusive treasures. First released in 1980 on the label Hispavox, the album disappeared after a short run and no further editions in any format have been available until now, in spite of the huge level of interest shown by fans to get their hands on a vinyl record in mint condition by this outstanding musical oddity made in Spain. Paniagua is a classically trained musician and scholar of music with an extensive and fruitful history of researching, recording and rediscovering ancient music, varying from Las Cantigas de Santa María del Rey Alfonso X El Sabio (which earned him a gold record in Japan), to Andalusían music from Spain's past or compositions from ancient Greece, as well as playing with the vocal and instrumental ensemble Atrium Musicae, which toured across the world to great critical acclaim. In 1980, Paniagua embarked on a solo project, moving from the classical to the pop department at Hispavox. He shut himself off from the world every night for a whole month to record Batiscafo. Assisted solely by a sound technician at the controls of the latest mixing desk, his instruments and brilliant inventiveness, he managed to create this gem, a record that seeks to emulate Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells (1973) and which vanished all too soon, becoming the Holy Grail of Spanish experimental music. Batiscafo anticipated a wave of avant-garde Spanish music in the '80s with key figures such as Suso Sáiz, Pep Llopis, Ishinoana, or Finis Africae, who are now being rediscovered and admired outside Spain. It is a highly original and imaginative record that continues to surprise listeners forty years on, with its bold combination of early electronic music, classicism, experimentation and psychedelia. It's a masterpiece that endures the test of time. Remastered from the original tapes, includes facsimile artwork and liner notes, on 180 gram vinyl.
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OME 1028LP
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Fantôme Phonographique present a reissue of Om Kalsoum's La Ya Habiby, originally released in 1963. A titan of middle eastern music, the contralto singer Om Kalsoum (or, Umm Kulthum) was hailed as "The Voice of Egypt" or "Egypt's Fourth Pyramid," and as she reportedly sold over 80 million records worldwide during her lifetime, she is one of the most popular singers of all time. Born in a small village in the Nile Delta, either in the late 1890s or the early 1900s, she joined her father's family group at an early age and as a teenager, was taught classical Arab music by singer Mohamed Abo Al-Ela. The composer Zakariyya Ahmad convinced her to move to Cairo in the early 1920s, where the composer and oud player Mohamed El Qasabgi introduced her to the Arabic Theatre Palace, where she enjoyed her first taste of success, leading to her breakthrough in the early 1930s and subsequent tours of the middle east; appearances in local films and the regular broadcasts of her live concerts allowed her to surpass her rivals. At home, her peak period is seen as the 1940s and '50s, yet she continued to record enthralling work in the '60s and '70s, including "La Ya Habiby," an epic song of heartache, composed by Riad El Sombati, with lyrics by Abdelfatah Moustapha, first recorded in 1963. Kalsoum has since been cited as an influence by Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Bono, and Jah Wobble, among many others.
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FOX 036LP
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For the first time on vinyl, Charles Mingus's great score for the legendary 1959 directorial debut of John Cassavetes, Shadows. Much has been said about the controversial relationship between these two masters. "The score encapsulates Cassavetes's and Mingus's unique approaches to both improvisation and composition in their respective media, illuminating the oppositional nature of jazz to mainstream cultural production and the underbelly of race relations in 1950's America" --Ross Lipman
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2LP
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FOX 034LP
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Alternative Fox present a reissue of Archie Shepp's The Tradition, originally released in 1978. Avant-garde giant Archie Shepp made an indelible contribution to experimental jazz. Double-LP The Tradition was recorded in Rome in 1977 for Horo Records with drummer Clifford Jarvis and bassist Cameron Brown; the raucous "Hooray For Mal" has shades of be-bop, while Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" is largely tackled by Shepp on upright piano (with gorgeous soloing by Brown); "Things Have Got To Change" hearkens to Shepp's experience of the Pan-African Cultural Festival of Algiers of 1969 and Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You" is relayed as a soft tenor ballad with rough edges.
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OTCR 009LP
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Double LP version. Includes printed inner sleeves. On The Corner Records announce the release of Dialectic Soul, the debut album from one of Cape Town's most cutting-edge, visionary artists and musicians, the drummer Asher Gamedze. This is jazz at its most spiritual, most progressive, and most appealing form. As Asher himself says: "Dialectic Soul is about motion and a refusal to remain static or stay still. It's the commitment to be continually moving." Recorded live over two days at the Sound and Motion Studios in Cape Town with renowned musicians -- Thembinkosi Mavimbela (bass), Buddy Wells (tenor sax), Robin Fassie-Kock (trumpet), Nono Nkoane (voc) -- Dialectic Soul is breathtaking in its musical vitality and expression of soul seeking truth. By incorporating the concept of the total art for this project, it fits perfectly within On The Corner's aesthetic of music, art and vision for creative innovation. Label art director Victoria Topping created the sleeve design working with Asher's drawings and concept. Asher continues: "My composition 'state of emergence' introduces the themes that constitute the album; free drums representing autonomous African motion, the saxophone reflecting deeply and honestly on the violence of colonialism, the teachings of Coltrane, Steve Biko, Makeba, and Malcolm X and others inspired the music's positive manifestations of resistance. Fundamentally, it is about the reclamation of the historical imperative. It is about the dialect of the soul and the spirit while it moves through history. The soul is dialectic. Motion is imperative. We keep moving." Gamedze is best known for his work with Angel Bat Dawit on International Anthem.
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2LP+CD
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BEC 5543356
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Repressed. Reissue of Shaolin Soul Episode 1, originally released in 1998. One of three LP reissues celebrating the 20th anniversary of Shaolin Soul Episode 1. Legendary deep soul French compilations featuring many soul classics, sometimes forgotten, which have been sampled countless times by some of the biggest hip-hop acts. Available for the first time on vinyl + CD. Original packaging strictly reproduced. Cut from original masters. Double-LP comes in a gatefold sleeve; Includes CD.
Episode 1 features Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright, The Charmels, David Porter, Willie Mitchell, Al Green, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Emotions, Bob James, Syl Johnson, Donny Hathaway, Wendy Rene, Lyn Collins, The Dramatics, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Booker T. And The MGs, and Barry White.
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2LP
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BB 338LP
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Double LP version. Yellow transparent vinyl; edition of 500. Bureau B present a 40th Anniversary Edition reissue of Harald Grosskopf's Synthesis, originally released on Sky Records in 1980. 40th Anniversary Edition features new interpretations by Steve Baltes, Thorsten Quaeschning, Paul Frick, Kreidler, Pyrolator, Love-Songs, Stefan Lewin, Camera, and Tellavision.
"Harald Grosskopf was in his early twenties when LSD "blew [his] reality away", as he recalls. Born in Hildesheim in 1949, he had previously drummed in fairly conventional rock bands, most recently for Wallenstein. Their label boss Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser was fond of facilitating jam sessions for musicians on his Ohr und Pilz label, often supplying his 'cosmic couriers' with LSD (unbeknown to them, on occasion). In one such session, the drug inspired something of an epiphany in Grosskopf: 'There I was playing the drums when, in the midst of my euphoria, I realized that I had been imitating other drummers. Suddenly a voice spoke to me: stop trying to sound like Billy Cobham or Ginger Baker. From that moment on I felt liberated, free to drum without having to shine in a particular role.' Having discovered his own musical identity, Harald Grosskopf understood that a standard rock combo was not the ideal conduit through which to express it . . . Grosskopf consequently left Wallenstein. 'I fell into a hole at first, wondering what I was going to do. So I sold my prized drum kit and used the money to buy a guitar, amp and echo device.' A few days later, the doorbell rang. It was Manuel Göttsching, on his way back to Berlin from a tour of France. They knew each other from Berlin's electronic scene and recording sessions for the likes of Ash Ra Tempel. Göttsching invited Grosskopf to sign up for his new project Ashra and the rest is history: Ashra (Grosskopf, Göttsching, Lutz Ulbrich alias Lüül) released a series of successful albums in the years that followed. It was not until the summer of 1979, however, that he finally felt ready to release a solo album. Synthesist comprises eight instrumentals, recorded largely by Grosskopf on his own. His melodies, carried along by synthesizers and drums, were reminiscent of works by Berlin electronic friends such as Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, as well as those 'cosmic' sessions of the early 1970s -- yet each melody retains a unique timbre. Synthesist is thus regarded as a classic by electronic music enthusiasts all over the world, evoking a thrilling musical era of the past with equal capacity to excite today." --Christoph Dallach
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V 2010LP
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First vinyl reissue of this Indian classical masterpiece recorded by Shrimati Kalyani Roy in the late 1960s. Undoubtedly one of the most talented sitar players in the history of the instrument. She is considered as one the finest female players in a field that was dominated by her male counterparts. On these recordings, a two-volume set, she is accompanied by Manick Das (tabla) and Namita Chatterjee (tambura). Recorded in Japan on September 20th, 1974. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (V 2011LP) come as two separate LPs.
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LP
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JMAN 121LP
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LP version. Includes download card. Lascelle "Lascelles" Gordon -- the driving force behind Vibration Black Finger -- astonishes yet again with a magnificent second album. Once more his inspiration is drawn from the obscure spiritual jazz collectives of the 1970s where he employs a vast array of like-minded collaborators to create a listening experience infused with an ever-present undercurrent of personal expression and cultural empowerment that's as enriched with ideas as it is progressive in its form. Having earned his chops as founding member of the Brand New Heavies, Campag Velocet, and Heliocentric World, Lascelle's latest album Can You See What I'm Trying to Say bursts with energy and vivid contrasts, flowing effortlessly between beat-laden grooves, oscillating improvisations, soulful recitations, audio verité, and moody atmospherics. The album drops like a post-hip-hop reimagining of foundational genres, with a prayer to the future. "Can You See What I'm Trying to Say" is a quote from Marion Brown, the great alto saxophonist's explains Gordon. "The album was put together over the last three years, not in the conventional way of going into the recording studio with musicians, but starting from ideas I had on various formats (cassettes, mini disc, DATs & reel to reel). I also used field recordings. I did a lot of home recording with long time musical friends Ben Cowen and Diana Gutkind, some of them going back 20 years. The voices of my nieces (heard on 'Law Of The Universe') were recorded 25 years ago. 'Only In A Dream' and 'Empty Streets' are the only songs that were recorded live in the studio. "Empty Streets"opens the album, with vocalist Ebony Rose turning in a thoroughly haunting vocal performance. Following "Empty Streets", some instrumental interludes segue into a dimensional drift of beats, space synths, horns, and electronics; there's a vocal reprise of "Acting For Liberation", sung with gusto by Maggie Nichols, and then there's the album's momentous finale, "Only In A Dream", which takes off as an ominous drone before a delicious bassline from the late Ken Kambayashi transforms it into an intense, soaring epic which finally descends onto another world. In a career spanning several decades, Lascelle Gordon remains an omnivorous musical force, whether as DJ, collaborator, or radio broadcaster. As amply demonstrated on Can You See What I'm Trying to Say, he refuses to rest on his laurels and continues to impress with music that is as rich, vital, and contemporary as anything he's done before.
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WWSLP 036LP
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Following the reissue last year of Fairuz's classic 1979 album Wahdon (WWSLP 022LP), Wewantsounds pursue their exploration of great Lebanese music with the first vinyl reissue of Fairuz's highly sought-after LP Maarifti Feek, originally released in 1987. Recorded in Beirut around 1983-84, the album features the diva's superb voice combined with Ziad Rahbani's jazz and funk orchestration, making it one of the most in-demand albums on the Arabic funk scene. One of the greatest singers of the Middle East, Fairuz started her career in Lebanon in the '50s and quickly established herself as the most renowned Diva in the Arabic world, playing the most prestigious venues in the world. At the end of the '70s, Fairuz was at a turning point both professionally and personally. Her husband Assi Rahbani, who, with his brother Elias, had penned her biggest successes, has suffered a stroke a few years earlier. This setback ultimately led to both the demise of their marriage and the end of their professional partnership. Enter Ziad Rahbani, Fairuz and Assi's son, a young musician, playwright, and producer who had cut his teeth writing a handful of Fairuz's song -- including her 1973 hit "Sa'alouni El Nas" -- at just seventeen. Ziad Rahbani swiftly took over from his father and uncle as the singer's musical director and composer and this fruitful association, which started in 1979 with the album Wahdon, broke many new grounds for Fairuz with funkier rhythms and edgier lyrics. It was recorded at the same time as Rahbani's own 12" Abu Ali (WWSLP 027LP) which became a sought-after disco classic in its own right. The association between the two continued with a second album, Maarifti Feek ("Our Encounter"), recorded between 1983 and '84 in Beirut but only released in 1987. The album was another groundbreaking mix of influences ranging from the traditional arrangements of "Oudak Rannan" and "Ma Kdirt Nseet" to the Brazilian flavor of "Version 1" via the synth funk of "Ouverture 83" and its follow-up "Reprise 83". Also featured on the album is a beautiful remake of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" in the form of a tribute to the Lebanese capital, "Li Beirut." This blend of Oriental grooves with jazz and funk orchestrations by Ziad Rahbani is a unique document of Fairuz's career development in the '80s and explains why Maarifti Feek is such a sought-after album. Remastered from the original tapes.
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V 2011LP
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First vinyl reissue of this Indian classical masterpiece recorded by Shrimati Kalyani Roy in the late 1960s. Undoubtedly one of the most talented sitar players in the history of the instrument. She is considered as one the finest female players in a field that was dominated by her male counterparts. On these recordings, a two-volume set, she is accompanied by Manick Das (tabla) and Namita Chatterjee (tambura). Recorded in Japan on September 20th, 1974. Vol. 1 (V 2010LP) and Vol. 2 come as two separate LPs.
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MR 404LP
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Munster Records presents a reissue of Federal Duck's self-titled album, originally released in 1968. It would be difficult to overlook the eye-catching colorful cover, designed by Abe Gurvin, who was also responsible for the very appealing artwork on Tito Rodriguez and Gene Pitney's releases on the New York-based Musicor label. However, this self-titled LP was soon forgotten after not having any singles released as promotional support to the album and also, maybe, due to the complete absence of covers in the track list. Federal Duck was one of many college bands to pop up during the psychedelic years. It consisted of Tony Shaftel (vocals, bass), Jack Bowers (guitar), George Stavis (guitar, vocals, and songwriting), Huck White (guitar, French horn), Ken Stover (keyboards, tuba), Bob Stern (bass, vocals), and Timmy Ackerman (drums, percussion). They met at Haverford College, just outside Philadelphia, and working under other names (Stomp Jackson Quintet and The Guides) the band members came up with a new name one night when they were lying on the bank of the campus duck pond and some ducks started waddling toward them in what looked like a purposeful and menacing way, as if they were working for the government -- or so they thought. They played many gigs over the four years of the band's short life and made a name for themselves as skilled musicians who would be able to play all night long if required. The album was recorded at Groove Sound Studios, NYC, in 1968 and included a number of quality tracks, mixing elements of jazz, country, and soft-psychedelia. "Tomorrow Waits For Today" stands out as a wonderful piece of jazzy pop-psych that easilya rival the best recordings of the genre. But some will find "Bird" the most accomplished song on the album, featuring fierce guitars and energetic drums, bordering on hard psych, that eventually lead into a long jazzy piano solo in the middle of the 5+ minute song. "While You're Away" keeps similarly high levels of energy, echoing harmonies reminiscent of bands like The Byrds. But it is the soft psych approach as on tracks like "Friday Morning" or "Dawn Comes Slow" that best describe the overall sound of the album. "Circus In The Sea," the closing track, successfully mixes a varied combination of sounds and deserved to have made a bigger splash when originally released. Federal Duck is reissued here on vinyl for the first time, with facsimile artwork and 180g vinyl pressing.
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MT 037LP
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Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, The Scruffs are best known for their classic power-pop LP Wanna Meet The Scruffs? issued in 1977. They started to record a follow-up album with John Fry at Ardent Studios, supposedly entitled "Teenage Gurls". In 1978, due to interest from Warner Bros. in New York City, the band moved to the Big Apple, playing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City. One year later, leader Stephen Burns returned to Memphis to finish the recordings which survived for years in his archives. They eventually resurfaced only on CD, in 1998 on Burns' private label Northern Heights and in 2003 on Rev'Ola. Die-hard popsters regard some of these songs as their strongest material with the best ones being compiled here on side one. Flashback: in 1974, the same year of Big Star's Radio City LP release and Chris Bell solo recording sessions, producer Jim Dickinson heard the Scruffs' early stages and their pre-Wanna Meet material and expected the band to be the next big thing. Only heard on CD on Northern Heights in 1998, the best tracks from this stunning collection, recorded in the same Shoe Studio where Chris Bell immortalized the track "I Am The Cosmos" basically at the same time, are compiled here on side two. Mixed and remastered by Adam Hill and Stephen Burns at Ardent Studio.
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2LP
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NOTON 049LP
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Double LP version. Alva Noto returns to his much awaited Xerrox project with Vol. 4, the fourth installment of the five-piece intended series based on the concept of digital replication of source material. Using the process of copying as a basis, the Xerrox series deals with the manipulation of data by means of endless reproduction. Due to the inherent fallacy of the procedure involving the making of copies made from other copies, everyday sounds become so altered that they can be hardly associated with the source material. As a result, entirely new sounds are created: copies of originals become originals themselves. Following Xerrox Vol. 1 (R-N 078CD/LP, 2007), Vol. 2 (R-N 103LP, 2009), Vol. 3 (R-N 159CD/LP, 2015), Carsten Nicolai continues the pentalogy eluding the accuracy and precise sound design for which he's renowned, and turning to a more harmony-driven composition technique. Unlike the previous Xerrox albums, whose starting point is a set of samples extracted from external sources and fragments of recordings, Vol. 4 compounds under a unified cinematic soundscape, warm chords, thrumming digital ambiences, liquified electronics, drones, and noise sustained by floods of strings. The tension between the organic warmth and static curves, broad tones into distant roars and electronic cascade of sounds. While Alva Noto's oeuvre is predominantly affiliated with pristine sound design, Xerrox holds more intimate gestures and emotional sensibility. This fourth volume shuns further from the conceptualism and orderliness of prior musical outputs, ranging from heart-warming elegies to mind-bending sci-fi projections in extrasolar territories.
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KHZ 1003LP
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Phoenix is where Twenty One Eight Two Recording Company are from, but it isn't where they are at. The scene is essential to nothing, but that doesn't mean the musicians here aren't essential. Music attempts to appeal to as large an audience as possible, but composition attempts to engage the listener in something different. Enter Sunn Trio. A punk trio that is influenced by Middle Eastern psych, free jazz, and improvisation. While not recorded in a traditional studio, these recordings represent the first studio-produced sounds from this group. The group is built around Joel Robinson and has had as many as eight-to-ten members in recordings and live performances, but more recently has been focused on a trio that composes music that challenges every notion of what rock, punk, or psych can be; however, at the same time, the music is crafted with improvisational focus and middle eastern influence that should be the basis for this generation's new music. Robinson makes his melody maker sound like an oud, rabab, and even at times a gamelan when he isn't using these instruments to generate the lead lines to the compositions. The music has an import that shows a deference to eastern music, while expressing a freedom that isn't present in any modern music. We stood idle during the Arab Spring; we decimated Iraq and Afghanistan; and now we retreated from Syria as the Kurdish people struggled to survive. Sunn Trio creates music that responds to these atrocities and works to build a bridge to these people. Urgent music for urgent times. Electric Esoterica is the third album from Sunn Trio. It is the third in a series of records that revolve around Alan and Richard Bishop, Charles Gocher, W. David Oliphant, and Joel Robinson called the Mount Meru Anthology. These sounds are rooted in a history of creation in Arizona that involves people that were inspired and supported by people who do things differently. Sunn Trio wants you to listen, but don't be fucking passive.
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2LP
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WRWTFWW 036LP
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Double LP version. Three-sided. WRWTFWW Records announce the official reissue of Motohiko Hamase's extremely rare live album Anecdote, recorded in 1987. This marks the sixth release from the Esplanade Series which focuses on the works of Yoshio Ojima, Motohiko Hamase, and Satsuki Shibano. Anecdote was recorded live June 12th, 1987 at Spiral Garden (Wacoal Art Center) in Aoyama (Tokyo) as part of the Eat Newsic Concert No.3. Motohiko Hamase on electric fretless bass, synthesizers, and computer programming, is accompanied by frequent collaborators Toshio Kaji on acoustic piano and synthesizers, and Yasunori Yamaguchi (of #Notes of Forestry fame) on acoustic percussions. The three-man band improvises around Hamase's unique repertoire of ambient and electronic music, reinterpreting pieces from his albums Reminiscence (STUDIOMUL 010CD/LP), Intaglio (STUDIOMUL 008CD/LP), and #Notes of Forestry. It's environmental and minimalist experiments with a jazz soul, three brilliant musicians flowing to blissful heights, and a beautiful testament to the '80s Japanese ambient scene that gave birth to seminal releases by Midori Takada, Satoshi Ashikawa, Yutaka Hirose, and many more. Essential. The live album came out on CD only in 1993 on Motohiko Hamase's Lung Records. It is now reissued in conjunction with his #Notes of Forestry and Anecdote albums. The album is sourced from original masters and available on vinyl (double LP) for the first time ever as well as on CD. It comes with liner notes from the artist.
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FTR 494LP
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"An incredible, primitive and ecstatic teenage garage rock explosion from the suburbs of 1968 Orlando, Florida. With an instrumental line-up consisting of just guitar and drums, this is a version of rock & roll as raw and naked as only a duo can manage. Think Half Japanese, the Work Dogs, the Bassholes and so on -- Two Much are cut from the same wicked cloth. I remember a cassette of some of this material circulating around sub-underground Boston back in the 1980s. Might have been around the time Robin Amos's post-Girls band, Shut Up (with Glenn Jones), was finishing up their run. Robin was a well-known player on the scene both as a musician and a recordist, and people were jazzed to check out his teenaged roots. But the pummeling racket created by this two-man demolition squad -- with Robin on drums and his buddy, John Chadwick, on guitar and vocals -- was way too much for the squares to handle. None of the era's hep new wave labels knew what to do with the tapes either, so back into storage they went. But Robin was pleased with the results of the Girls' Punk-Dada-Pulchritude LP (FTR 220LP, 2012), and a year or so ago he asked if we'd be up for giving the tapes a listen. My faulty memory banks recalled a band that mostly did covers (their versions of 'Break on Through' and 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' are both stuck deep in my brain.) But Robin assured us that Two Much did mostly originals, and lo and behold -- when the files arrived they were rich with crazy tunes the pair had written themselves between the ages of 10-12 (Johnny) and 12-14 (Robin). Amazing! Many bands then only had one 'original,' and it was usually a dull blues readymade. Two Much had tons of short tracks that spoke directly to the heart of junior high desire, and also managed to create a distorted, 6+ minute, political opus called, 'State of the Union '68.' That track is so far from what you'd expect that it kinda DESTROYS in all imaginable ways. Plus, in 'Who Says,' you get to enjoy the immense pleasure of hearing a 12-year old sing, 'Most of my life I've been working/Slaving my life away/Working in the king's mine fields.' Insane! Two Much's one session was recorded by Robin's dad, in their living room, right before John Chadwick and his family moved from Florida to California. Sadly, John and Robin fell out of touch over the years, but the sound of Two Much is an eternal beacon of teenage truth & justice. Burning in the dark suburban night of pre-Disney Orlando. We should all have back pages like this!" --Byron Coley, 2020 Edition of 200.
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MITSUKO 004LP
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A golden era gem from the master himself, Masahiko Satoh, presented by Mitsuko & Svetlana Records. Archival reissue of long-lost treasure from genius pianist and composer whose resume includes hundreds of legendary albums and collaborations with Midori Takada -- Lunar Cruise and Ton-Klami) among many others. Very rare soundtrack of a nine-episode suspense drama that aired on TV in 1969 and 1970. Filled with exquisite jazz, soul-jazz, folk-jazz, and mystery-jazz, plus groovy affairs, classical moods, and '70s flair. Highly recommended to Japanese jazz collectors, soundtrack collectors, Masahiko Sato collectors, lovers of rare gems and wearers of vintage trench coats.Originally released in November 1970 as an LP on Toho Records (BL-1001). All compositions and arrangements by Masahiko Sato. Personnel: Masahiko Sato - piano, keyboard; Yoshiko Goto - vocal; Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar; Kunimitsu Inaba - bass; Yasuo Arakawa - bass; Akira Ishikawa - drums. Edition of 500.
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2LP
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MAM 102LP
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Limited restock, final copies. Double LP version. 16-page, 11x11 book and insert. The psychedelic masterpiece nobody heard -- First ever official, authorized release of psychedelic mega-rarity. After suffering an LSD-induced mental breakdown, Los Angeles-based songwriter Craig Smith renamed himself Maitreya Kali and custom-pressed Apache / Inca, a double-LP documenting his musical, personal, and spiritual journey. His message to the world, encoded on the album jackets in rambling, quasi-mystical Messianic verse, was urgent, desperate, delusional, and disturbing. Recorded between 1967 and 1971, the music tells a different story. Achingly beautiful, haunting acoustic folk songs; luminescent psychedelic folk-rock; eerie, off-kilter acid rock; fragments; field recordings -- all meticulously woven into a magical, mesmerizing whole. Apache / Inca is an extraordinary work. Not the dark, self-indulgent ramblings of a cracked Messiah, but a thoughtfully-crafted collection of work by a singer and songwriter of remarkable depth and talent whose world was falling apart. Soon afterwards Maitreya -- and Craig -- disappeared into the shadows. He died homeless in a North Hollywood Park in 2012. Decades after its creation, Apache / Inca was discovered by collectors and hailed as a psychedelic masterpiece. It is now one of the most revered and sought-after artifacts of the era. Includes seven tracks by the Penny Arkade, produced by Michael Nesmith. Top quality vinyl pressing at RTI; Heavy duty gatefold jacket by Stoughton Printing with all original artwork; Repro of unique Inca inner sleeve with Maitreya artwork; Limited edition of 500.
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LP
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BANG 138LP
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Repressed. Bang! Records present a reissue of Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard's Shotgun Wedding, originally released in 1991. Lydia Lunch: New York City's provocateur, poet, singer, author, performer, and actress. From fronting the influential no-wave group Teenage Jesus and The Jerks to her current musical incarnation as Big Sexy Noise, with Gallon Drunk's noise makers James Johnston, Terry Edwards, and Ian White; countless collaborations and projects in between Lydia has never played by anyone's rules but her own. This 1991 collaboration with the Australian iconic cult figure Rowland S. Howard is perhaps one of her most revered. Featuring production by JG Thirwell (Foetus, Manorexia) and drums by Jim Sclavunos (Bad Seeds, Grinderman) it's a veritable who is who of the post punk/no wave scene of the time. Rowland S. Howard is no doubt best known for his work with the Birthday Party, his discordant guitar is an essential factor in their sound. Howard sadly passed away from liver cancer in 2009. A hugely influential alternative musician, in 2011 he was subject to a 110-minute documentary entitled Autoluminescent, by cult filmmakers Richard Lowenstein and Lynne Maree Milburn, which received an independent cinema release. Featuring luminaries such as Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie, Wim Wenders, and of course... Lydia Lunch, the film highlights Howard s genius, talent, and rightfully elevates him to the cult status he so deserves. With both parties at the height of their respective talents, this is an alternative rock gem, yet however maintains an atmosphere of eerie beauty throughout. Out of print for years, this re-press is a must have.
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CCS 055-2LP
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2019 repress. LP version. Second edition with amended tracklisting (the track "I Got A Woman" has been deleted). Four years after his debut EP on Wolf + Lamb, Nicolas Jaar, the New Yorker by way of Chile returns to Circus Company with Space Is Only Noise, an uncompromising manifesto on traces of the past, love lost, and spectres of the future. Jaar has made it quite apparent over the course of his nascent catalog and increasingly sought-after live sets that challenge is an intrinsic part of his creative discourse. Few are the producers of any age with the guts to ride a sub-100-bpm tempo at peak-time in the techno Mecca of Berlin, and fewer still are those who receive an ecstatic hands-in-the-air response for their precocious efforts. It is precisely this sense of risk which elevates Space Is Only Noise beyond the realm of valiant first effort or crossover dance music oddity. Those looking to wade through the sea of Jaar's potential influences will quickly find themselves in the deep waters of golden age Factory records, the home-spun digitalism of Mille Plateaux, Endtroducing-era DJ Shadow and Eric Satie. Jaar gently coaxes his listener into the experience from the opening sounds of rolling waves on "être," but quickly transitions into the sophisticated percussion and meandering melodies that characterize his sound. Jaar seeks, and often finds, beauty in melancholy on the first few tracks of the album. As the album begins to accelerate with "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust," Jaar confronts us with the often forgotten reality that our sadness is not mutually exclusive on the dancefloor. Suddenly, on "Keep Me There," Jaar's voice appears over the delicious, rumbling melody. Though your hips stir to the relentless bass line and the sexiness of the voices, your heart is jolted out of its luxurious malaise when horns erupt seconds later. "How can you talk about a landscape without showing the sky and the earth?" a voice asks, translating from the French on "être." So Jaar concludes, revisiting the same track to end the album. Complete landscapes such as these are only realized in contrast -- the indulgent against the reserved, the sky against the earth; lightness and darkness. Space Is Only Noise is a tour de force with few modern equals, and a great sign of things to come from one of electronic music's most exciting producers.
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KR 014LP
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2020 repress. As composer, musician and initiator of the San Francisco Tape Music Center which he cofounded with Pauline Oliveros and Ramon Sender in 1961, Morton Subotnick (born 1933) has propelled the progress of electronic music in several significant ways. From 1963 on he worked with Don Buchla on the development of the early synthesizer Buchla Series 100 before moving to New York where the artist-in-residence at the newly established Tisch School of the Arts of New York University was enabled to set up his own studio. That's where Subotnick's most popular work Silver Apples of the Moon was commissioned by DECCA as the first electronic composition ever that was especially conceived for a vinyl release (in opposition to the common practice of performing live). Until the current day, this seminal album has not lost its visionary power and has long been considered one of the essential milestones in electronic music with a great impact on later generations of artists, starting from the cult formation Silver Apples to Laika, who titled their debut Silver Apples of the Moon, too. Now for the first time since its original 1967 release, Subotnick's masterpiece (which was selected for the Library of Congress in 2009) has finally been made available on vinyl at last: a new audiophile 180 gram LP that was carefully remastered for vinyl.
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WRWTFWW 034LP
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LP version. WRWTFWW Records present the official reissue of Motohiko Hamase's remarkable ambient/environmental/minimalism project #Notes of Forestry, available for the first time since its original release in 1988. The album is sourced from original masters and available on vinyl and CD with liner notes from the artist. This marks the third release from the Esplanade Series which focuses on the works of Yoshio Ojima, Motohiko Hamase, and Satsuki Shibano. One of the most fascinating and peculiar works from the golden era of Japanese ambient, #Notes of Forestry was initially released in 1988 by Newsic, the cult label started by Tokyo's Wacoal Art Center (also known as Spiral), home, notably, of Yoshio Ojima who co-produced the album. Conceived by jazz bassist turned experimentalist Motohiko Hamase, the magnum opus offers an enchanting mix of free-form pastoral electronics, otherworldly percussions by Yasunori Yamaguchi, and delightfully allusive piano played by none other than Satsuki Shibano (Sound Process' Wave Notation 3). Vibrant, sometimes eerie, and absolutely captivating, #Forestry captures Hamase's quest for musical freedom, he explains: "Inside the body of a musician, music is always transcendentally resonating. More than language, music reigns. When creating music overlaps with the moment my body performs, I strive to be as close as possible to the feeling of musical freedom. I feel that this notion lies at the foundation of this album." Musical freedom, here, provides an essential escape, extending the path uncovered by pivotal releases such as Midori Takada's Through The Looking Glass (WRWTFWW 018LP, 019CD/LP), Satoshi Ashikawa's Still Way (WRWTFWW 030CD/LP), and Yutaka Hirose's Nova (WRWTFWW 028CD/LTD). #Notes of Forestry is reissued in conjunction with Motohiko Hamase's Technodrome (WRWTFWW 035CD/LP) and Anecdote (WRWTFWW 036CD/LP) albums.
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SVVRCH 014LP
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Survival Research present a reissue of Harold Johnson Sextet's House On Elm Street, originally released in 1967. Los Angeles-based child prodigy Harold Johnson began playing piano in church when he was five years old. He began receiving private piano lessons that same year and went on to study string instruments at elementary school and guitar and double bass while in middle school, so by the time he began attending high school, he had the musical skill of a far older professional. Forming a group with other like-minded student peers, the Harold Johnson Sextet signed to Harry Mitchell's HME label to release a debut album, House On Elm Street, which would later be reissued by MCA subsidiary, Revue. Featuring future Gladys Knight drummer Ronald Rutledge, percussionist Billy Jackson, and flutist David Crawford, who would later be musical arranger for Patti Labelle, the album mixed Johnson's intense originals with a rousing piano take of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and an instrumental rendition of the theme song from Alfie. Johnson later drafted Ndugu Chncelor into the group and after signing with Motown in 1970, he worked with Diana Ross, The Temptations, and countless others; in 2016, he reformed the Sextet to visit House On Elm Street for its 40th anniversary.
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LP
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OPT4 031LP
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LP version. Blue swirl vinyl. A major retrospective of late '80s psychedelic garage rockers Hangman's Beautiful Daughters. A mainstay of the indie and C86 scene, the London-based band were signed to Dan Treacy's Dreamworld Records. Treacy, the genius behind The Television Personalities, played a major role in the band's birth, contributing a few songs and as producer. "They all looked dead cool: Gordon played chiming 12-string guitar licks which sounded like a dirty version of Roger McGuinn's sound with the Byrds, with his long blond fringe making him look like a tougher cousin of Brian Jones. Emily [Brown] had a sensuous, husky alto voice, and looked fine with her long wavy auburn locks, suede fringed boots and mini-skirts. Phil [King] was taciturn and nonchalant; impenetrable with his shades and dark bowl-haircut and like a cuter version of Bill Wyman. Ray [Philpott] was an accomplished, energetic and handsome drummer with a ready grin and long parted wavy chestnut hair. Sandy [Fleming] was an exuberant presence, with her raven-black short spiky hair, skinny legs and leathers; she played choppy rhythm chords on a sunburst pear-drop Vox guitar, and added her voice to the mix. There weren't many women making rock music in those days, so it was very distinctive to have two women at the front." Hangman's Beautiful Daughters were described at the time as like a cross between The Jefferson Airplane, MC5, and The Velvet Underground. Touring regularly across the UK and mainland Europe, they released the EP And Love is Blue, the singles "They Fell for Words like Love" and "Darkside", plus the album Trash Mantra (1987). All of these recordings were also repackaged and released in Germany and the US. A further EP was recorded for Dreamworld but never released, with two songs from that session, "If It Means Anything" and "King of Sweden", getting their first airing on the new release. Equally adept at producing hard charging rockers or more languid, opiate-tinged soundscapes, Hangman's Beautiful Daughters were part of the DIY culture that helped shape British guitar music. Their complete recordings remastered; Includes two previously unreleased tracks. The album comes with a deluxe 12-page booklet, featuring never-seen before photos and a history of the band written by Jowe Head, of Television Personalities and Swell Maps fame.
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LP
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AVE66 009LP
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LP version. On his third album as Trickfinger, John Frusciante makes the jump from Acid Test to its leftfield sub-label, Avenue 66, to unleash the full scope of his vision. On She Smiles Because She Presses The Button, the legendary, LA-based cult figure, presents his most diverse yet cohesive album to date. Frusciante has the melodic and programming chops to jump from style to style while sounding only like himself. "Amb" is the welcome middle-ground between Balearic and IDM while "Brise" with its quick syncopations and rhythmic groove provide a contrasting fabric. Elsewhere, JF caroms through electro and pastoral, "intelligent" ambient. The common thread through this quixotic journey are his trademark, timeless melodies. For years now, Frusciante has immersed himself in machines, learning tracker programs, synths and drum machines inside and out, applying the same, tireless approach he's exhibited throughout his career. On She Smiles Because She Presses The Button, this period of intense study leads intense creative liberation.
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LP
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DAD 145LP
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Down At Dawn present a reissue of The Warm World Of João Gilberto, originally released in 1963. In summer 1958, João Gilberto -- an unknown 28 year-old Brazilian guitarist and singer from Bahia -- made his recording debut as a singer with two songs "Chega de Saudade" and "Bim Bom". With a new rhythmic feeling, batida, and rich harmonies he laid the basis of the modern Brazilian samba, now known as bossa nova. Underpinned by his insouciantly swinging guitar, João's seductive, vibrato-less vocals caressed both ear and soul in a mesmerizing, highly addictive combination, refreshing and modern. "Chega De Saudade" was a hit, launching Gilberto's career and the bossa nova craze. Soon, singers and guitarists were trying to imitate him and composers were all on a "Desafinado" (the second of Gilberto's hits) and "Chega De Saudade" kick. The long-awaited renewal of the Brazilian samba was now a fact. Antonio Carlos Jobim said: "Gilberto appeared as a light, as a big star in the firmament, in the heavens. He became a focus, because he was pulling the guitar in one way and singing the other way, which created a third thing that was profound. Yes, the guy who brought the bossa nova beat to the world was João Gilberto."
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LP
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FFL 060LP
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LP version. First vinyl reissue. Souffle Continu Records present a reissue Le Théâtre du Chêne Noir's Aurora, originally released in 1971. In 1972, Steve Lacy recorded Solo, one of the gems in his discography, in the Théâtre du Chêne Noir in Avignon. The previous year (which was also the year in which Aurora appeared), the eponymous group of actors led by Gérard Gelas, took up residence in what was a 12th century chapel. The Théâtre du Chêne Noir is therefore not just the name of a space open to all kinds of artistic audacity, but also the name of the great Theatre Group which resides there. Gérard Terronès showed some flair when he published, in 1971 on Futura, the first album by Théâtre du Chêne Noir. It has to be said that the group run by Gérard Gelas was right up his street: non-conformist, eccentric, protesting, just so alive... Singing too, as you can still hear today on Aurora, recorded at Avignon the 22nd and 23rd of June 1971. Aurora, which had been created a few weeks earlier at Ariane Mnouchkine's Théâtre du Soleil, is according to, Gelas' own words, a fantastic tale with actor musicians who play out the fabulous story of the Earth, and children who fight against terrifying bird men who fly from planet to planet to enslave the inhabitants and become the masters of the universe. It is an ambitious subject and thankfully (even more so for the album than for the play), the actors are also excellent musicians! If you can find Chêne Noir between Checkpoint Charlie and Chillum in the Nurse With Wound List created by Steven Stapleton and John Fothergill, Aurora is closer to Stances à Sophie by the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and the Divine Comédie by Bernard Parmegiani and François Bayle. So, move forward cautiously in this landscape of recitals and songs, of mysteries and cries, where saxophones and flutes, electric guitars and percussions spring up... Could the tragic climax have been possible without music? The Théâtre du Chêne Noir replies no to the question and creates a fascinating mix of text and music without one dominating the other. Enjoy the show! Remastered from the master tapes. Licensed from Futura / Marge.
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LP
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LVY 533LP
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2020 repress. Joy Division legendary show at the Electric Ballroom, on a break from their tour with Buzzcocks, supported by A Certain Ratio. Classic early JD here in a high-quality long-lost recording.
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LP
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NAKED 010LP
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A marvelous compilation of Ghanaian dance music recorded between 1950s and 1970s. Highlife was one of the results of the unprecedented blend between the West African music tradition and various sounds and styles from the new world, especially jazz from America and calypso from the Caribbean. Highly energetic addictive music based on the combination of ancestral rhythms and modern arrangements as direct expression of the strong spirit of Independence of the period. An incredible cast of stars including astonishing sets by E.T. Mensah And The Tempos, acknowledged as the king of highlife, and the Ramblers International, a highly individual dance band mixing highlife with soul and Latin materials. Also features Kwamalah Quaye Sextetto Africana, The Black Star Band, Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, and John Santos Martins.
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2LP
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JMAN 120LP
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Double LP version. Gatefold sleeve; features two vinyl-only tracks from Jackie McLean & The Cosmic Brotherhood and Michael Carvin; includes download card. Subtitled: Esoteric, modal and progressive jazz from the SteepleChase label, 1974-84. Founded in 1972, SteepleChase Records is one of the most significant and prolific European jazz record labels. With a catalog running to well over 200 titles, the Copenhagen-based imprint has recorded and released music from some of the greatest names in jazz, including Dexter Gordon, Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean, Horace Parlan, Chet Baker, and Stan Getz. Starting out by recording visiting Americans when they performed at the legendary Café Montmartre, founder Nils Winther was encouraged to start the label by none other than the great Jackie McLean, who was the first artist to release a record on the new imprint. From there, Steeplechase rapidly grew into one of the foremost labels to document European jazz with all its distinctive originality and style. With a particular emphasis on recording front rank American artists who had chosen the expatriate life in Europe, Steeplechase was first in line to document the sounds of the greats as they developed in exile. Features extensive liner notes including a history of the label as well as notes on each of the individual tracks. Photos from the recording sessions and cover art from each of the LPs from which Jazzman Records' selection has been taken is also included. With in-demand tracks from the likes of Billy Gault, Johnny Dyani, and Khan Jamal, and the unearthing of deep cuts from greats like Jackie McLean and Mary Lou Williams, Jazzman Records' Spiritual Jazz Vol. 11: Steeplechase pays tribute to one of Europe's most important jazz labels and furthers our exploration into the infinite realms of spiritual jazz. Also features Sam Jones, Rene McLean, Jim McNeely, Michael Carvin, and Ken McIntyre.
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LP
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FTR 520LP
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"The fourth album that Samara Lubelski and Marcia Bassett have recorded as a duo -- the second for us, following 2017's Live NYC (FTR 302LP) -- is much less about drones than some of their previous work. Morning Flare Symmetries blares like a ram's horn blown as a call to angelic battle. Everyone has been unanimous in agreement that this improvising duo has achieved a new highpoint in the musical histories of both Samara and Marcia. They each have deep roots in the East Coast sub-underground, with a whole dang lot of band names between 'em, but in this configuration they just continue to get weirder and better on every outing. The string blend they manage to invent is a hugely psychedelic wave that washes over everything in its path. And when you're enveloped in its massive flow, you are hauled along by sonic forces that are way beyond your control. Some parts are soothing, others are eruptive, but they work a really amazing push-pull on your brain, so that the individual sections don't feel competitive so much as complimentary. Like thousands of tiny thumbs urging your spirit to free itself? Sure, why not? I absolutely encourage you to check out all of their albums. but this new one is a particular killer, so maybe you ought to start right here." --Byron Coley, 2020
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LP
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WWSLP 025LP
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Following the success of Wewantsounds' Alice Clark RSD edition featuring an extra 20-page booklet, the label reissues the standard version of Alice Clark's highly sought-after soul jazz classic produced by Mainstream Records' Bob Shad in 1972. Featuring original artwork, remastered sound making this reissue is the first official reissue of Alice Clark's original album for decades, a long overdue release of one of the best Soul albums ever recorded. When it comes to legendary albums, very few can match the cult status achieved on the international jazz and funk scene, by Alice Clark's eponymous album, recorded for Mainstream Records in 1972. The record which went unnoticed when it first came out has become one of the most sought-after albums ever since it became cult on the London jazz and funk scene in the late '80s. It is now being acknowledged as one of the best soul albums of all-times. Recorded live over two days at the Record Plant studios in New York City, the album was produced by Bob Shad and arranged by jazz veteran Ernie Wilkins with a big band setting. The music is a superb mix of jazz and soul blessed by Clark's superb singing and including two all-time favorites, "Don't You Care" and "Never Did I Stop Loving You" plus a selection of heart-wrenching songs beautifully sung by Clark. Hailed as a soul masterpiece alongside Aretha Franklin or Roberta Flack's best albums, Alice Clark's LP took almost fifty years to achieve classic status and Alice Clark is now finally getting the recognition she deserves.
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LP
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DIS 190LP
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LP version. "Coriky is a band from Washington, D.C. Amy Farina plays drums. Joe Lally plays bass. Ian MacKaye plays guitar. All sing. Formed in 2015, Coriky did not play their first show until 2018. They have recorded one album. They hope to tour."
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LP
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EPR 058LP
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LP version. Kanaan from Oslo, Norway is back with their second album in 2020. Following the impromptu Odense Sessions with Causa Sui guitarist Jonas Munk released in February (EPR 057LP, 2020), Double Sun is a different beast all together: Treading the same path as their 2018 debut Windborne (EPR 050CD/LP, 2018), Double Sun is a studio effort in the best sense of the word. Perfectly balanced on the edge of dynamic improv, throbbing beats sizzled in scorching fuzz and topped off with deeply layered soundscapes. This album sees Kanaan reach a new plateau. Kanaan presents a unique perspective to psychedelic rock, painting with a wide palette that includes jazz and post-rock. Double Sun devotes as much energy to sonic color as it does to groove and energy. The spirit of experimentation is everywhere: From the savory, pastoral sounds of opening track "Worlds Together", to the soaring exploratory paths of the two-part title track. In the creative process, Kanaan dived deep into the possibilities of the studio, adding intricate layers and twists and turns to these tunes: acoustic guitars, percussions, and synthesizers embrace and enhance the Norwegian modern-day version of a power-trio.
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LP
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BLUME 015LP
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Limited restock, last copies. Julius Eastman's seminal classics are now reissued on vinyl for the first time ever. Gay Guerrilla and Evil Nigger, both composed in 1979 with a third work Crazy Nigger, make up what Eastman called The Nigger Series. Some of the most challenging and beautiful works composed for piano during their era, they double as a window into the intricate thought process and contentiousness of their creator. When the composer was asked to perform the series at Northwestern University in 1980, due to protests by African American students, their titles were censored in the event's program. His response was a flamboyant foreshadowing of the sentiments toward bigoted language which later arose within hip-hop culture -- to publicly take back these words, assert ownership of them, and deploy their power for positive change. What Eastman was early to recognize, was that there is a fundamental difference in what happens when these words are spoken by white people toward people of color, and when people of color deploy them toward a white audience. The balance of power shifts. Eastman's audience was largely heterosexual and white. He knew exactly what he was doing, and to whom he spoke. The object in your hands contains some of the most striking and important music composed during the later decades of the 20th century -- music which remained lost and unheard for years, not because of what it is, but because of who its composer was. It is music, doubling as the voice of a man, which, because it refused to be oppressed, was suppressed or ignored. Eastman's work is a conscious act of intervention, plowing into a context defined by heterosexual whiteness, attacking its unjust demands from within. It is Christ-like -- metaphor and beauty which is impossible to separate from the evils of the world. It is a music which carries the body of a man. As it speaks to our hearts, as it offers a glimpse of the freedoms implied by the sublime, a shackle is bound -- a consciousness of our complicity with unforgivable sin. Mastering by Giuseppe Ielasi. Includes printed inner sleeve housing a Nagaoka anti-static record sleeve, plus an original insert that functions as obi; Housed in a fold-out outer sleeve. 180 gram, color vinyl.
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LP
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BS 057LP
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LP version. Before his prolific activity in the field of music therapy, Agostino Nirodh Fortini also embarked on his own path in electronic music. In the early 80s, he was a close collaborator of Walter Maioli and Fred Gales, at the time of the pioneering label Sound Reporters. Suoni Immaginari, released only on cassette privately in 1988, contains a wide range of keyboards and lots of ethnic field recordings assembled with an absolutely modern praxis ahead of its time. Nirodh imagines his planetary odysseys as a complex of harmonic devices, nebula storms, glassy explosions and gravity-free falls. His operational horizon reflects further cultural ideas and suggestions; not only the artifice between natural sounds and the programmed machine but also the intrusion of arabesque dreams and jungles contaminated by invading insects and mad pipers. These are spectral symphonies which can have analogies with the fourth world of Hassell and Eno.
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