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12"
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AX 124EP
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$20.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 7/11/2025
"The meaning of this concept (Space Outside :Space) lies within your answers to these questions. Providing the questions are considered with honesty, the true meaning of what 'Space' refers to becomes revealed. There are no right or wrong answers, just reactions based on your view and angles on the mechanisms of life." -- Millsart (Jeff Mills)
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2LP
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AX 122LP
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$31.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/14/2025
Jeff Mills' Spiral Deluxe collective unveil their second album. Driven by the free expression and creativity of improvised performance, Spiral Deluxe is an electronic jazz fusion project comprised Jeff, along with legendary keyboardist Gerald Mitchell (Underground Resistance), Japanese rocker Yumiko Ohno (Buffalo Daughter/Cornelius) on Moog synthesizer and the Japanese bassist, adopted New Yorker, Kenji "Jino" Hino - son of Terumasa Hino, the world famous jazz trumpeter. With each musician proficient in their specialism and, of course, an all-out music lover, the communication between the group members became almost telepathic. Very little preparation was needed, and their performances flowed naturally and organically. This can be heard, and felt, throughout The Love Pretender. Tracks like "The Soloist" evolve effortlessly, each new shift subtly influenced by one of the musicians nudging the conversation into a different phase, and the rest responding accordingly, or vice versa. It's music that embodies the true nature of mindfulness and letting go of fear. In their unstructured, liberated cocoon the artists thrive and create musical moments that have, fortunately, been captured for us all to immerse ourselves in. Jazzy notes fill the air, combined with electronic bass, synthesized beats, sparkling keys and an all-round warm and welcoming atmosphere, with the slight edge you can only get from improvised performance. Sylvain Luc's posthumous appearance on the album is of significance too. The French guitarist died in March 2024 at the age of 59. His natural flair adds another dimension to the album, bringing a touch of that laid back 1980s American California Coast feeling to tracks such as "Society's Man." These contributions to the LP, recorded separately, add character -- a final sprinkling of humanity to complement the aliveness and presence of this body of work. Three other musicians also added their creative energy to the project. They were; TOKU, a Japanese jazz musician who specializes in wind instruments, especially the cornet, trumpet and flugel horn. And there's Masa Shimizu, who also has wide-ranging with the guitar, as well as being a producer. Themes on the album include the optimism one can have by simply trusting the process and trusting that everything will work out in the end. By playing together in the way they do, Spiral Deluxe place their trust in the mystery of what will happen next.
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12"
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AX 121EP
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$18.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 1/31/2025
The next chapter in Axis Expressionist Series, a collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. "Imperfections are a natural part of the world, and they can make us beautiful and unique: nothing and everything is perfect. We can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and still we're beautiful." A Star Child is the idea that a person can be incomplete and not self-aware, yet accept their imperfections. still direct their influence despite the arrangements of periodic and trending consequence. It can also mean that imperfections can make admirable qualities stand out more clearly. The Star Child reveals.
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12"
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AX 120EP
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The sixth chapter in Axis Expressionist Series, a collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project, as well as new unreleased works.
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2LP
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AX 117LP
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The Eyewitness is the newest album from Jeff Mills and it is composed from the perspective of an unknowingly complicit bystander and it is at the very least, psychologically pathological in nature. What this release is essentially proposing is an admission to the diagnosis that no one is immune to shock and trauma. The Eyewitness reveals a habitual pattern in the way it symbolizes a mirror reflection of mankind in its most vulnerable moments. As an artist, what Mills is notoriously known for is the perspectives and paths he chooses to approach hefty, complex, and sometimes, awkward subjects. He suggests sound as a reflection and what listeners might be able to see in themselves. In the same vicinity of his recent solo albums, the direction, scope, and target of The Eyewitness is first about listeners, then about it. More than the few previous albums he's released lately, this one has a unique relationship in terms of imagery and visual treatments that represent the concept. The front cover shows Mills, neatly dressed in a black suit that ap-pears to be caught in the act of doing something methodically as he cohorts to support with a bright white type of surgical light towards the viewer. Other photos show him in darkened spaces. Remote and deep in thought. Other clues are the titles of the tracks such as "Sacred Iridescent Mirror (The Pledge)": this refers to the act of installing value and credit to something ambiguous, and "Menticide" which means the systematic effort to undermine and destroy a person's values and beliefs. In the opening track, "In A Traumatized World," listeners hear the narration spoken by Mills, in a language he specifically created for this album. It's a dialect that is designed to be undistinguishable, but spoken with a compassion that it could be sympathized with. In the latter part of the track, it reaches a climatic point. Meaning, "it" has happened. And the album is the evidence.
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2LP
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AX 119LP
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This double LP is cut in reverse, and plays inside out. Jeff Mills presents his new album The Trip, the world's first cosmic opera. What happens on the cosmic journey toward the black hole? What is on the other side of the black hole? Jeff Mills explores these questions through a performance and an album release, that appeals to the auditory and visual senses. A performance focusing on being lost in space The Trip began about leaving planet Earth and searching the cosmos for new locations to live. This album displays, in five theoretical scenarios, what could happen after entering through a black hole and exiting on the other side. Featuring special guest Jun Togawa . Jeff Mills, fascinated by Jun's unique way of singing as well as a commanding stage presence, approached her through the right channels and by the evening of the same day, Jun Togawa agreed and the lyrics had been written. The recording sessions were conducted remotely between their locations in Japan and the US. Two songs featuring Jun are "Contradiction" and "Hole." For both songs, Jun added the vocals to the rhythm originally composed by Jeff Mills, and the final synth pad (added by Shinichi Yamaguchi) was edited by Jeff Mills. On "Contradiction," he wanted to include a guitar similar to the style of rock and roll legend Bo Diddley, which is masterfully played by Kazuhide Yamaji of the current Yapoos.
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2LP
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AX 113LP
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Titled Vernacular, the debut album by Blake Reyes is personally overseen by Jeff Mills, and is part of the Axis Jazz collection. This confirms the eclecticism and versatility of both Axis and Blake Reyes, through harmony and rhythm, cultural influences, and the right touch of fusion: characteristics that have always defined jazz. The album was recorded in three different cities (Bologna, Milan, and Rome), with Jeff Mills present during all recording and mixing sessions. Particularly in Milan, work was done at the Officine Meccaniche studios, where Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, and many others have recorded. Vernacular is an album that draws from jazz, Detroit techno and funk. It evokes operatic work due to its aspiration to create strong emotional intensity. The album features a blend of acoustic instruments such as acoustic bass, acoustic and electronic guitars, and the Steinway & Sons Grand Piano -- the same Duke Ellington played in 1963 when he recorded The Symphonic Ellington album -- alongside electronic instruments including drum machines and Roland synths. The musical references can primarily be found in Jeff Mills and his Millsart project, and more broadly in the works of composers like Bruno Nicolai, Piero Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, Brian Bennett, John Cameron, and even Raymond Scott. Producer, DJ, and sound designer Blake Reyes (born Luca Vertulli) divides his time between Milan and Ibiza. His productions consistently focus on the sounds and emotions derived from tapes, samplers, drum machines, and analog synthesizers. His mixes are broadcasted on stations such as Ibiza Global Radio, Ibiza Sonica, Radio Raheem, and Olà Radio.
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12"
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AX 118EP
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The next chapter in Axis' Expressionist Series, a collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. "Tear Drop Nebula" is a different version "Tear Drop Nebula (The Octagon Mix)," and was released in Every Dog Has Its Day vol. 7 in 2020. "Rationalizing our place amongst the Stars" is a referendum. As Millsart says: "Neo Tantric Parts is about high premium thought processes about simplicity and oneness. Diagnostic in the way it blends time, rhythm and harmony together as a proposal to consider placement in this moment of time."
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12"
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AX 116EP
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The next chapter in Axis Expressionist Series, a collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. "X-Ray Zulu refers all the things that could be defined as correct, as right and as perfect in an imperfect world and context. It serves as a barometric meter of all harmonious things. And with this balance, there is a certain amount of clarity and certainty about what is connected to this subject. A strong mind or opinion, passion, dedication and devotion. Essentially, this release is about undeniably and incontestable truth." --Millsart, 2023
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2LP
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AX 110LP
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The Tomorrow Comes The Harvest project started with late Tony Allen, one of the originators of Afrobeat, and Jeff Mills, who got together to create an improvisational type of performance. The idea was to not pre-prepare or to preplan anything, but just to play in the moment spontaneously and to reach for the same understanding musically. Jean-Phi Dary had been working with Tony Allen for a long time, naturally joined the unit. After an untimely passing of Tony in 2020, they thought that maybe a good idea to continue with the project and to consider it in a much more broader respect other than just three main musicians that may be, it's interesting to make it open, to be able to invite other musicians in for certain concerts. They decided to invite Prabhu Edouard, who already had an experience of working with Jeff for classical concerts in France. The album was recorded live at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium in 2022.
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12"
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AX 115EP
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A collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. Vernacular creations that fall off from the "other side" of the electronic music tree, this project is designed for the experienced techno music listener, and its goal is to reflect upon the pure artistry of the craft of storytelling. A realization between music and life. Whereas "dancing" is the goal of dance music, the goal of this music is about "reflecting on the complexity and simplification of life." Soundtracks for people in their evolutionary process.
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CD
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AX 059CD
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The Tomorrow Comes The Harvest project started with late Tony Allen, one of the originators of Afrobeat, and Jeff Mills, who got together to create an improvisational type of performance. The idea was to not pre-prepare or to preplan anything, but just to play in the moment spontaneously and to reach for the same understanding musically. Jean-Phi Dary had been working with Tony Allen for a long time, naturally joined the unit. After an untimely passing of Tony in 2020, they thought that maybe a good idea to continue with the project and to consider it in a much more broader respect other than just three main musicians that may be, it's interesting to make it open, to be able to invite other musicians in for certain concerts. They decided to invite Prabhu Edouard, who already had an experience of working with Jeff for classical concerts in France. The album was recorded live at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium in 2022.
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12"
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AX 114EP
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"'The Other Maria' represents the character trait each of us has inside within ourselves. The silent part of us that we try to regulate, keep restrained from others and managed just beyond reach from the rest of the World. It represents the compartmentalized potential to do, say and respond with great chaotic harm, despite all unfortunate consequences. It is a full release feeling that we sometimes quietly envy as we witness with disgust and disapproval. Widely considered a character flaw to many, yet, some would relish in the opportunity that could summon such an unpredictable internal animal. Every life has two parallel parts. The one for 'them', the version of yourself that abides by all the acceptable and expected rules of engagement -- often a side that is given credit on face value. The side that achieves progress through peaceful and less confrontational means. The one you use to survive. And the other side, the one for you. An uncompromising, unthinkably ruthless version that knows no limit. That knows no fear. The side of yourself that tells you yes, when you know that 'no' is the better answer. 'The Other Maria' isn't about comfort. It is about hard truth, but also recognizing raw emotions that stem from feeling undeniably free. And what could one do with such a dark, yet wonderworking ability -- when the absence of fear and consequence presides over the judicious process leading to an enviable fate -- convinced that all actions are pure, justified, direct, but conniving. The feeling of relieved of all guilt and accountability? But as diabolical as it can be and appear. Along with the negative static, there can be progress. As true imposes are exposed, so does the transparency of reality. A precious truth that's needed to fully understand the severity of the situation. And with this, comes a valuable knowledge from a low level in which one once descended. Dreadfulness is softened to predictability." Jeff Mills, April 2023
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12"
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AX 111EP
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"Inner Eye" and "That Voodoo You Do" were originally released in digital as Every Dog Has Its Day Vol. 12 (2020). "Nocturnal Moves" was originally released in digital as Every Dog Has Its Day Vol. 9 (2020). A collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works. Vernacular creations that fall off from the "other side" of the electronic music tree, this project is designed for the experienced techno music listener, and its goal is to reflect upon the pure artistry of the craft of storytelling. A realization between music and life. Whereas "dancing" is the goal of dance music, the goal of this music is about "reflecting on the complexity and simplification of life". Soundtracks for people in their evolutionary process.
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12"
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AX 112EP
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The second EP of the Axis Expressionist series includes two new tracks: "The Wise One" and "Don't Ask Me Why". "Wind Walkers" original version was released in digital as Every Dog Has Its Day Vol. 12 (2020). Here in 2023er mix. All tracks are available on vinyl for the first time and on vinyl only. Axis Expressionist Series is a collection of vinyl and limited digital releases, curated by Millsart, an alias of Jeff Mills, of his most eclectic and transcendent compositions that derive from his Every Dog Has Its Day project as well as new unreleased works.
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3LP
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AX 107LP
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Metropolis Metropolis three vinyl set is an abbreviated version of the most recent Electronic Music soundtrack for Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) by the Techno music producer and cultural icon Jeff Metropolis Metropolis album is an abbreviated version of the most recent electronic music soundtrack for Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) by the techno music producer and cultural icon, Jeff Mills. Unlike his first soundtrack where tracks addressed specific segments of the film in a track listing form, which was created and released in 2001, this version is more a symbiotic mix of compositions that proposes a nuanced representation of the plot and storyline. As an electronic symphonic music creation, Mills proposes a few interesting points in the schematics of this album: 1. the positioning and role of the listener as the soundtrack is based on the environment of the scenes, rather than pure transcription; 2. as a storyline that takes place in the year 2000, the choice of sound elements refer to some future commonality and foresight between the genres of classical and electronic music -- between man and machine; and 3., in many parts of the soundtrack where sounds are played in unison. This is symbolic of the hopefulness the storyline works towards.
From the back cover of the album: "Creating music for Fritz Lang's masterpiece film Metropolis over the many years has been and continues to be a great experience. The film is a story about 'man vs man' with the help of a machine. Its dramatic theme is as relevant now as it was when the filmed debuted in 1927. A film to enjoyed, but also noted and examined." --Jeff MillsMills. Unlike his first soundtrack where tracks addressed specific segments of the film in a track listing form, which was created and released in 2001, this version is more a symbiotic mix of compositions that proposes a nuanced representation of the plot and storyline.
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Metropolis Metropolis three vinyl set is an abbreviated version of the most recent Electronic Music soundtrack for Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) by the Techno music producer and cultural icon Jeff Mills. Unlike his first soundtrack where tracks addressed specific segments of the film in a track listing form, which was created and released in 2001, this version is more a symbiotic mix of compositions that proposes a nuanced representation of the plot and storyline.
As an electronic symphonic music creation, Mills proposes a few interesting points in the schematics of this album. 1- the positioning and role of the listener as the soundtrack is based on the environment of the scenes, rather than pure transcription, 2 - as a storyline that takes place in the year 2000, the choice of sound elements refer to some future commonality and foresight between the genres of Classical and Electronic music - between man and machine.
And 3, in many parts of the soundtrack where sounds are played in unison. This is symbolic of the hopefulness the storyline works towards.
"Creating music for Fritz Lang's masterpiece film "Metropolis" over the many years has been and continues to be a great experience. The film is a story about "man vs man" with the help of a machine. It's dramatic theme is as relevant now as it was when the filmed debuted in 1927. A film to enjoyed, but also noted and examined." - Jeff Mills
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CD
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AX 058CD
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Metropolis Metropolis album is an abbreviated version of the most recent electronic music soundtrack for Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) by the techno music producer and cultural icon, Jeff Mills. Unlike his first soundtrack where tracks addressed specific segments of the film in a track listing form, which was created and released in 2001, this version is more a symbiotic mix of compositions that proposes a nuanced representation of the plot and storyline. As an electronic symphonic music creation, Mills proposes a few interesting points in the schematics of this album: 1. the positioning and role of the listener as the soundtrack is based on the environment of the scenes, rather than pure transcription; 2. as a storyline that takes place in the year 2000, the choice of sound elements refer to some future commonality and foresight between the genres of classical and electronic music -- between man and machine; and 3., in many parts of the soundtrack where sounds are played in unison. This is symbolic of the hopefulness the storyline works towards.
From the back cover of the album: "Creating music for Fritz Lang's masterpiece film Metropolis over the many years has been and continues to be a great experience. The film is a story about 'man vs man' with the help of a machine. Its dramatic theme is as relevant now as it was when the filmed debuted in 1927. A film to enjoyed, but also noted and examined." --Jeff Mills
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12"
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AX 109EP
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An attempt to bring forth the notion that the future could provide more than what we are doing now. A series from Growth (1994) and Expanded (2004) under the same concept.
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2LP
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AX 108LP
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Recorded live at Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux Switzerland on July 8, 2021. "With the release of The Paradox: Live At Montreux Jazz Festival, techno legend Jeff Mills and keyboard wizard Jean-Phi Dary embark on an exciting, ground-breaking musical trip that takes techno and electronic dance music to a new level . . . The Paradox's direction of travel into unexplored musical territory should come as no surprise since the original techno wizard has never stopped pioneering new ideas . . . Never content to outstay his welcome by staying in the same place for too long, in 2005 he revealed the breadth of his imagination with his conceptual classic Blue Potential, an album with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra that saw techno happily co- existing alongside symphonic sounds. And now, Jacquline Caux's Man From Tomorrow -- the title of her film documentary of the techno maestro -- has cast his eyes over the musical horizon and borrowed a couple of ideas which he believes can transform techno and take it to the next level, 'I thought maybe it's not too late to bring or transfer some of the ideas from jazz over to electronic music, and look at the machines differently -- to play the machines and not just 'programme' them. I had the idea of trying to find the common link between free jazz and electronic music, so I reached out to jazz musicians to see if we could create something new that might be a benchmark that we could start from to create another step forward for electronic music.' Turning to keyboard player Jean-Phi Dary, with whom he had collaborated on the late Tony Allen's album Tomorrow Comes the Harvest, he remembered the musical ideas he had exchanged with the pianist while the sound engineer was doing his stuff during sound-checks on tour . . . Musically, they threw ideas out there to twist, turn and develop until they hit a groove and moved forward with that. The result was their first album together as Paradox called Counter Active (AX 096LP, 2021). It was a bold move, leaving the rhythmic certainties of techno to explore alternative, free flowing paths that allowed the breeze of change to blow through its highly compressed rhythms. Next came the challenge of presenting their ideas in live performance. They chose the demanding Montreux audience, and with the addition of Zaf Zapha on bass, the resulting album captures their spontaneous musical invention as it happens in the moment. It's a high risk, high reward strategy that was pulled off with conviction and aplomb . . . electronic sounds of techno are used to spontaneously interact with the piano, producing a deep musical conversation not pre-determined by tape loops, MIDI presets, the 96 rhythmic patterns stored in a TR-909 drum machine or the bass patterns of the Roland TB-303 electronic synthesizer-sequencer and all that technical geekery." --Stuart Nicholson Personnel: Jean-Phi Dary - keyboards, synthesizer; Jeff Mills - drum machine, synthesizer, percussions; Zaf Zapha - bass.
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CD
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AX 056CD
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Recorded live at Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux Switzerland on July 8, 2021. "With the release of The Paradox: Live At Montreux Jazz Festival, techno legend Jeff Mills and keyboard wizard Jean-Phi Dary embark on an exciting, ground-breaking musical trip that takes techno and electronic dance music to a new level . . . The Paradox's direction of travel into unexplored musical territory should come as no surprise since the original techno wizard has never stopped pioneering new ideas . . . Never content to outstay his welcome by staying in the same place for too long, in 2005 he revealed the breadth of his imagination with his conceptual classic Blue Potential, an album with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra that saw techno happily co- existing alongside symphonic sounds. And now, Jacquline Caux's Man From Tomorrow -- the title of her film documentary of the techno maestro -- has cast his eyes over the musical horizon and borrowed a couple of ideas which he believes can transform techno and take it to the next level, 'I thought maybe it's not too late to bring or transfer some of the ideas from jazz over to electronic music, and look at the machines differently -- to play the machines and not just 'programme' them. I had the idea of trying to find the common link between free jazz and electronic music, so I reached out to jazz musicians to see if we could create something new that might be a benchmark that we could start from to create another step forward for electronic music.' Turning to keyboard player Jean-Phi Dary, with whom he had collaborated on the late Tony Allen's album Tomorrow Comes the Harvest, he remembered the musical ideas he had exchanged with the pianist while the sound engineer was doing his stuff during sound-checks on tour . . . Musically, they threw ideas out there to twist, turn and develop until they hit a groove and moved forward with that. The result was their first album together as Paradox called Counter Active (AX 096LP, 2021). It was a bold move, leaving the rhythmic certainties of techno to explore alternative, free flowing paths that allowed the breeze of change to blow through its highly compressed rhythms. Next came the challenge of presenting their ideas in live performance. They chose the demanding Montreux audience, and with the addition of Zaf Zapha on bass, the resulting album captures their spontaneous musical invention as it happens in the moment. It's a high risk, high reward strategy that was pulled off with conviction and aplomb . . . electronic sounds of techno are used to spontaneously interact with the piano, producing a deep musical conversation not pre-determined by tape loops, MIDI presets, the 96 rhythmic patterns stored in a TR-909 drum machine or the bass patterns of the Roland TB-303 electronic synthesizer-sequencer and all that technical geekery." --Stuart Nicholson Personnel: Jean-Phi Dary - keyboards, synthesizer; Jeff Mills - drum machine, synthesizer, percussions; Zaf Zapha - bass.
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2LP
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AX 106LP
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"Mind Power Mind Control. The focus of this project and presentation examines the art of mental persuasion and how the mind can control as well as fall vulnerable to subservient ways. It allows the means to look creatively and more in-depth to a subject that applies to every person and at every stage of life because how we perceive or sense something is part of our evolutionary survival pattern. Because there is no exact mental compatibility between any of us, speculation and misconceptions are not exemplary so, an emphasis on 'the presentation of facts, ideas and methods and what we knew as true by example' are the major points that drives the overall purpose of this album project. Mainly artistic but scientifically as well, the album will explore various techniques used to control minds, physicality of people and inanimate objects. The objective of this project is to examine, reveal and demonstrate how humans have created metaphysical and mind-bending techniques to control people, they're minds, societies and our outlook on reality and life." --Jeff Mills
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CD
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AX 057CD
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The Zanza Project celebrates the spirit of life. It's an accumulation of feelings translated down into melodies and harmonies that reflect a particular view about the world and space music lovers occupy. The masterplan of it was and still remains to create a band, a collective mixture of jazz, Latin jazz, and electronic music musicians under the moniker of Zanza. Which in Islam means "most beautiful". The numeric reference: "22" refers to the year in which this new music is created and presented. Live performances are a large part of the way compositions were created so that the players could learn, rehearse, and translate the compositions in live presentations. The Wonderand album is composed and produced by Jeff Mills, originally from Detroit where he learned percussion and drums at an early age who became to be a world-renowned figure of techno dance music but who was greatly inspired by the jazz rock fusion, new wave, and industrial body music bands of the 1970 and '80s. Here, Mills clearly displays his skill as a composer and musician. A side of him where his wider understanding of music is purposed exposed. The idea to create such a concept came from the idea called "slow life". A slower approach to aspects of everyday life. Where the pace of time is stretched to a less detectable tempo. It's been suggested that a fast-paced environment can resemble chaotic nature, while the notion of "slowing down" or "pulling back" implies that people would be able to enjoy life more. And it is this aspect of "more" that steered the direction and construction of this album. Composed during and throughout the current COVID 19 pandemic, it is obvious to apply this concept relaxed time into the making of this album. Throughout Wonderland, it is not hard to hear how Mills displays more of his relationships with jazz, Italo disco, samba, and his long, but discreet history with composing more structures works like classical arrangements and film soundtracks. But at a closer distance, you hear the path that lend to projects like early Underground Resistance with Mike Banks, The Beneficiaries with renowned poet Jessica Care Moore and Detroit techno elder Eddie Fowlkes, Tomorrow Comes The Harvest with Afrobeat creator Tony Allen and the many other collaborations throughout his career. "Something Like That (Moody)" and "When The Time Is Right (Original Version)" previously released in vinyl, When The Time Is Right (AX 102EP, 2021).
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12"
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AX 102EP
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Jeff Mills and the Zanza 21 project is a new forthcoming creation that's been self-constructing for quite some time. Not out in the open and easy to see, but it's been evolving more in recent months through the imprint Millsart album releases and as an accumulation of ideas that are influences of Mills' affection for jazz music as well as his constant appetite to creatively explore. The idea behind Zanza 21 is based on an old theory that "Music is most useful at the point when it touches the soul of the listener, until then, its just sound." So, the main layer in the foundation starts there. To begin, this is music in which one can live with. It's "everyday" music. The more you listen, the more you connect to it. It's music for anytime, anywhere and for any reason. A large part of this connection is based on comfort and how easy it is to understand so for this, the music had to have a certain level of clarity and organization. Second, playing instruments can have "human connection" qualities that are often misunderstood and overlooked, so the basis of Zanza 21 was to create music in a soloist mindset to demonstrate intent, not as a matter of coincidence. These are melodies and rhythms from the mind of the composer, not the machine. And third and most importantly, this music was created with the design in mind that it should connect to those who love music unconditionally. In these first releases, all acoustic and electronic instruments are programmed and played by Jeff Mills, but an aspect of this project is that Zanza 21 is actually the initial vision for the creation of a live performance band. As this project evolves, so will the step process to materialize such an effort to its full potential. Starting with this first debut 12" EP release of "When The Time Is Right" b/w "Something Like That", please consider there is already a large body of existing compositions waiting to be dispensed.
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3LP
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AX 097LP
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Jeff Mills on The Clairovoyant: "There are many ways to imagine the future. One might be to look back in the past to see what has similarities to what we are seeing today. Another way might be to invent and build a time machine to jettison ahead in time to get a glimpse. And, one way might be to use our natural senses to feel what the future might be like. Though all are intriguing to explore, this album is about the latter option. We are a species of human animals and we are guided by the ways of 'knowing' from feeling; by the ways of intuition, premonitions, and sensing. Each one of us are born with this special tool set that tells us when the time is right, when enough is enough and when there may be more or less to it. It has been these skills that has allowed humanity to survive and flourish for thousands of years. It is also safe to say that we do not know all there is to know about this skill. A Clairvoyant is a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. 100 years around 1920, a person with such abilities that could summon, speak to the decease and spirits were in high demand due to post World War I battle casualties, the Spanish Flu virus pandemic of 1918, the social and civil unrest and many more events that made uncertainty the norm. Ironically, the we were doomed to repeat some of these events and what we're experiencing today. The general impression of Clairvoyant was that of a conductor of faux hope, scam artist that preys on grief and desperation or someone that believes in their natural ability a bit too much! In many cases, this might have credit, but also, it was this person, with this way of supposedly channeling the beyond that gave people hope, optimism, resolve and much needed closure. The album plays in the way of a metaphysical seance and should be listened to in a darkened, candle lit room. A silent space, free of outside noise, chatter or talking and other visual distractions. The album should be listened in full -- from beginning to end."
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2LP
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AX 104LP
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The Override Switch gives control back to the musicians. Unrestrained and unshackled by the semiotics placed by conventional dance music, it looks to a frontier beyond what is conditioned by genre. By infusing the mercurial elements of jazz, it gives electronic instruments the avenue that it always had the potential to travel down; as an unrestrictive genre, exploring the boundless possibilities in which it is capable. It looks to innovation and transcends what has come before; it is a switch in a practical sense, overlooking its past before switching to the future.
"The Override Switch reflects on the precise moment people decide in their minds that the only way to improve a situation is to act -- to change the scenario and deal with the consequences as they develop to work for a better outcome." --Jeff Mills
The album combines the talent of two Detroit natives: Jeff Mills and Rafael Leafar. The latter is a multi-instrumentalist with a strong affiliation to jazz music. He's developed his music in New York, he has performed with Reggie Workman, Marcus Belgrave, Vincent Chandler, and Jeff Tain Watts. In 2016 he moved back to Detroit, where he met Mike Banks from Underground Resistance, and they began to experiment on music together. Through Mike Banks, he was introduced to Jeff Mills, where the idea for The Override Switch began to manifest. The connection to Mills was evident from their roots, as Detroit musicians are engrained within musical development. Axis and Jeff Mills have embarked on a journey through electronic music, amalgamating it with live instruments to develop the future of sound and genres. The Override Switch gave an unprecedented opportunity to develop a sound within an undisturbed environment, to push something representative of the 21st century. It removed the microscope and fell into place naturally. The album is a homage to artists like John Coltrane, J Dilla, Kraftwerk, and those who inspire experimentation with what can be evoked through music. The track "The Sun King" perfectly exemplifies this. It flows from the spirit; music pours out like the River Nile as it rises and descends its banks. It represents the day and potential it brings; how the light should be cherished and worshipped for its energy. The soul is encapsulated by the combination of percussions ensnared and buoyed by the enchanting, beguiling and immersive horns and flutes. The Override Switch requires an attentive ear to muse over the propositions, challenges, and insights it presents.
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