BUREAU B - Forced Exposure

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/12/2019

" 'You can't walk on water/ but you can swim in it/ the coast is clear/ add land from here': A slow, slightly erratic pulse ripples underneath Tellavision's voice as she sings -- evoking the fears which paralyze us, the fears which inspire us. Magnetic fields crackle over a sharply contoured yet dimly lit beat on Add Land, the new Tellavision album. It doesn't take much for her voice to shine . . . Add Land, the fourth Tellavision album, is a rigorous exercise in musical reduction, reaching new levels of intricacy and virtuosity which prove to be warmer and more touching than ever. For a decade, Tellavision has been one of our most exciting sonic inventors, carving out her own inimitable style through her previous three albums, two EPs, and countless tracks. New music abstractions echo against a backdrop of old krautrock mechanical motorik rhythms, allied to the physically gripping immediacy of techno and noise . . .Add Land marks a departure, a shift, a move towards a new horizon, 'the coast is clear/ add land from here'. Tellavision has severed those connections which increasingly felt like constraints to her -- the close link to machines, for example, the way her voice became entangled in electronic sounds. Now, her vocals occupy a clear space in the foreground, whilst she still chooses to add her own choral voice on some songs. The difference is that these choirs no longer blur her subjectivity, instead they serve to magnify or multiply it. No matter the flutters, shivers and doubts in the shadows, there is a new strength in evidence here, a new steadfastness in her music: Add Land is an upbeat, optimistic work, meeting the world head on. Fear may be a leitmotif on Add Land, but the spotlight is directed more towards the love which enables us to overcome our fears: our love for each other, for ourselves . . . Once again, Tellavision has written and recorded all of the songs herself. She was joined on production by Thies Mynther, better known to us as one half of the Phantom/Ghost duo, who met Tellavision through one of her more recent theatrical works . . . Tellavision has never sounded so immediate, so confident, so very much in the moment. This is her finest album to date: 'Drop utopia/ drop dystopia/ it's all here.' " --Jens Balzer (translation Gareth Davies)

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/12/2019

LP version.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/1/2019

LP version. Bureau B presents a reissue of Bernard Xolotl's fifth album Last Wave, originally released only on cassette in 1982. This is French electronic music from California. He named himself after the Aztec god of lightning and death; his music is influenced by the Berlin school of electronic music. As a teen, Xolotl (b. 1951) was introduced to electronic music through the works of Musique Concrete composers like Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer, although he found the early recordings of Pink Floyd to be more inspirational. During the early 1970s, Xolotl began creating music of his own, working in studios across Europe and the US before settling in California in 1974, where he built his own studio. Between 1978 and 1981, he recorded four solo cassette albums. On Last Wave, Xolotl expanded his musical palette with new instruments such as the Yamaha CS60 and the PPG. Includes previously unissued bonus track.

Xolotl on the process of Last Wave: "The first Last Wave I started while still living in San Francisco, a simple and longish piece which could be used as a background for the concerts I was giving with Daniel Kobialka and Richard Horowitz. However, after I moved to the residential suburb of Marin to build up my studio, I kept adding tracks to it so it just became part of my next album. This was going to have more instruments; I got to do everything myself, playing and recording one track at a time. But mixing there was still out of the question; I had to wait for the right opportunity to use a San Francisco studio with the best reverb and acoustics. This took several years in the end and was the last album I didn't mix at home. It was also the last 'analog' album and the 'last' of many other 'things' which made the title very significant in my life."

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/1/2019

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

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/1/2019

Bureau B presents a reissue of Bernard Xolotl's fifth album Last Wave, originally released only on cassette in 1982. This is French electronic music from California. He named himself after the Aztec god of lightning and death; his music is influenced by the Berlin school of electronic music. As a teen, Xolotl (b. 1951) was introduced to electronic music through the works of Musique Concrete composers like Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer, although he found the early recordings of Pink Floyd to be more inspirational. During the early 1970s, Xolotl began creating music of his own, working in studios across Europe and the US before settling in California in 1974, where he built his own studio. Between 1978 and 1981, he recorded four solo cassette albums. On Last Wave, Xolotl expanded his musical palette with new instruments such as the Yamaha CS60 and the PPG. Includes previously unissued bonus track.

Xolotl on the process of Last Wave: "The first Last Wave I started while still living in San Francisco, a simple and longish piece which could be used as a background for the concerts I was giving with Daniel Kobialka and Richard Horowitz. However, after I moved to the residential suburb of Marin to build up my studio, I kept adding tracks to it so it just became part of my next album. This was going to have more instruments; I got to do everything myself, playing and recording one track at a time. But mixing there was still out of the question; I had to wait for the right opportunity to use a San Francisco studio with the best reverb and acoustics. This took several years in the end and was the last album I didn't mix at home. It was also the last 'analog' album and the 'last' of many other 'things' which made the title very significant in my life."

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/1/2019

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

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. One of the greatest things about pop music is that rules can be summarily ignored. Ninety-nine times out a hundred, however, there is a tendency to stick to those very same rules, failing to break the chains of market forces or stem the tide of expectations. Whatever. Station 17 are not amongst those who follow well-trodden paths. This band, all too often referred to as a "project", can look back on a richer history than most, amassed over thirty years. To mark this anniversary, a new album entitled Ausblick is set to appear alongside a retrospective, Werkschau (BB 315CD/LP). The new record is a twin of sorts to Blick (BB 285CD/LP, BB 298LTD-LP, 2018): a collection of exciting collaborations. Created in a remote studio in the tranquil environs of Niebüll, northern Germany. From kraut legends such as Günter Schickert and faUSt to the friendly countenances of electronically inclined musicians like Schneider TM and Ulrich Schnauss, all the players have one thing in common: they have seamlessly aligned themselves with the production and composition techniques of Station 17, embracing the spontaneity of the situation here and now rather than seeking to impose their own methodology on proceedings. "The town is a blur before your eyes" ("Die Stadt verschwimmt vor dem Gesicht") is one line on "The Midday Sun Freezes" ("Die Mittagssonne Friert") and it is astounding to note how similar the images evoked by the music are to the images painted in the supremely intelligent lyrics, bordering on the wise. Directness is at the heart of Ausblick, a light-hearted obfuscation of distance which works equally well in doped up dubs and out-there krautish electro tracks. The inobtrusive sounds never feel forced. Everything flows, yet every song stands on its own -- as an agent of experimentation and pop, of aimlessness and barely articulable precision. Only a band who know exactly what they are doing are capable of such feats. Ausblick features Pyrolator, Günter Schickert & Schneider TM, faUSt, Datashock, Harald Grosskopf & Eberhard Kranemann, Andreas Dorau, Andreas Spechtl, Ulrich Schnauss, and Günter Schickert.

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. Anyone who has followed the progress of Station 17 over the past three decades will know: the only constant in this band is change. Evolving, stretching musical parameters, testing limits -- these are the guiding principles of the band founded in 1988 by a group of mentally handicapped residents -- Wohngruppe 17 -- in Hamburg. Kai Boysen, an independent musician working with them as a curative teacher, started up the collective as a creative and social project, the first of its kind in the alternative music scene to bring together musicians with and without disabilities. Eleven official albums (if you count two remix albums) have been released since then. Over the years, Station 17 have increasingly emancipated themselves from the basic idea of a socio-creative project and advanced to the status of an internationally acclaimed combo in the experimental indie rock sector, conjuring up their own mix of electronic, krautrock, disco, noise, and pop. This long and emotional journey has seen the collective play more than 800 concerts all over Europe. Two extensive documentaries have presented their story on screen. The roll call of renowned guests and collaborators includes Holger Czukay, Fettes Brot, Gudrun Gut, Andreas Dorau, DJ Koze, and Die Toten Hosen, to name just a few. The anniversary compilation Werkschau offers a wonderful introduction to the cosmos of these pioneers of inclusive music production.

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. Günter Schickert's debut Samtvogel (1975) was one of the most significant guitar albums of the krautrock era. Points of comparison from today's perspective are Syd Barrett or Pink Floyd's more adventurous early recordings. Schickert's follow-up, Überfällig (1980) was released on the legendary Sky label. Once again a milestone recording, it showcased Schickert's hypnotic echo guitar which developed into one of the hallmarks of the krautrock sound. Schickert's new album Nachtfalter, translating as "moth" in English, carries on from these beginnings, making it hard to believe that he has in the meantime reached pension age. Recorded during the scorching hot summer of 2018, Nachtfalter shows the pioneer of the echo guitar sounding his very best. Here Schickert was assisted by Andreas Spechtl, who recorded the album and played the drums. Spechtl selected the best moments of Schickert's guitar tracks, and mixed them while also supplying his own loops. Even though the album was conceived as an instrumental, it inadvertently developed into a concept piece, named after the moth, which had entered the room at some point during the recording sessions. As a silent witness, it clung to the ceiling all night. In the morning, Schickert found the insect dead on the floor. He took a photo of the moth for the cover, paying tribute to the dead animal. Nachtfalter opens with the atmospheric track "Nocturnus", Schickert's conch shell horns creating an eerie mood. Next, the krautrock juggernaut "Ceiling" runs to nearly seven minutes of playing time; it's not just the music levitating here. A further highlight is the urgent "Wohin" with its insistent, furious drumming by Spechtl, whose patterns meet the howling echo guitar by Schickert. The impressive "Reflections" concludes the album by uniting all the elements of Nachtfalter's hypnotic soundscapes. The music could serve as soundtrack to a horror movie, with guitar sounds being complemented by noise resembling a train whistle, plus the squealing and humming of a tormented analog synthesizer. "I was born in Berlin and am a true city child", explains Schickert, "When I was young, I often travelled on the bus or the underground train. The awesome rhythm of the engines has indelibly imprinted itself on me. My music has been the expression of this experience." Listening to Nachtfalter, one can only conclude that on Schickert has created a perfect synthesis of the hectic, motorik rhythm of the big city and the gentle beat of the wings of a moth.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

Günter Schickert's debut Samtvogel (1975) was one of the most significant guitar albums of the krautrock era. Points of comparison from today's perspective are Syd Barrett or Pink Floyd's more adventurous early recordings. Schickert's follow-up, Überfällig (1980) was released on the legendary Sky label. Once again a milestone recording, it showcased Schickert's hypnotic echo guitar which developed into one of the hallmarks of the krautrock sound. Schickert's new album Nachtfalter, translating as "moth" in English, carries on from these beginnings, making it hard to believe that he has in the meantime reached pension age. Recorded during the scorching hot summer of 2018, Nachtfalter shows the pioneer of the echo guitar sounding his very best. Here Schickert was assisted by Andreas Spechtl, who recorded the album and played the drums. Spechtl selected the best moments of Schickert's guitar tracks, and mixed them while also supplying his own loops. Even though the album was conceived as an instrumental, it inadvertently developed into a concept piece, named after the moth, which had entered the room at some point during the recording sessions. As a silent witness, it clung to the ceiling all night. In the morning, Schickert found the insect dead on the floor. He took a photo of the moth for the cover, paying tribute to the dead animal. Nachtfalter opens with the atmospheric track "Nocturnus", Schickert's conch shell horns creating an eerie mood. Next, the krautrock juggernaut "Ceiling" runs to nearly seven minutes of playing time; it's not just the music levitating here. A further highlight is the urgent "Wohin" with its insistent, furious drumming by Spechtl, whose patterns meet the howling echo guitar by Schickert. The impressive "Reflections" concludes the album by uniting all the elements of Nachtfalter's hypnotic soundscapes. The music could serve as soundtrack to a horror movie, with guitar sounds being complemented by noise resembling a train whistle, plus the squealing and humming of a tormented analog synthesizer. "I was born in Berlin and am a true city child", explains Schickert, "When I was young, I often travelled on the bus or the underground train. The awesome rhythm of the engines has indelibly imprinted itself on me. My music has been the expression of this experience." Listening to Nachtfalter, one can only conclude that on Schickert has created a perfect synthesis of the hectic, motorik rhythm of the big city and the gentle beat of the wings of a moth.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

Anyone who has followed the progress of Station 17 over the past three decades will know: the only constant in this band is change. Evolving, stretching musical parameters, testing limits -- these are the guiding principles of the band founded in 1988 by a group of mentally handicapped residents -- Wohngruppe 17 -- in Hamburg. Kai Boysen, an independent musician working with them as a curative teacher, started up the collective as a creative and social project, the first of its kind in the alternative music scene to bring together musicians with and without disabilities. Eleven official albums (if you count two remix albums) have been released since then. Over the years, Station 17 have increasingly emancipated themselves from the basic idea of a socio-creative project and advanced to the status of an internationally acclaimed combo in the experimental indie rock sector, conjuring up their own mix of electronic, krautrock, disco, noise, and pop. This long and emotional journey has seen the collective play more than 800 concerts all over Europe. Two extensive documentaries have presented their story on screen. The roll call of renowned guests and collaborators includes Holger Czukay, Fettes Brot, Gudrun Gut, Andreas Dorau, DJ Koze, and Die Toten Hosen, to name just a few. The anniversary compilation Werkschau offers a wonderful introduction to the cosmos of these pioneers of inclusive music production.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

One of the greatest things about pop music is that rules can be summarily ignored. Ninety-nine times out a hundred, however, there is a tendency to stick to those very same rules, failing to break the chains of market forces or stem the tide of expectations. Whatever. Station 17 are not amongst those who follow well-trodden paths. This band, all too often referred to as a "project", can look back on a richer history than most, amassed over thirty years. To mark this anniversary, a new album entitled Ausblick is set to appear alongside a retrospective, Werkschau (BB 315CD/LP). The new record is a twin of sorts to Blick (BB 285CD/LP, BB 298LTD-LP, 2018): a collection of exciting collaborations. Created in a remote studio in the tranquil environs of Niebüll, northern Germany. From kraut legends such as Günter Schickert and faUSt to the friendly countenances of electronically inclined musicians like Schneider TM and Ulrich Schnauss, all the players have one thing in common: they have seamlessly aligned themselves with the production and composition techniques of Station 17, embracing the spontaneity of the situation here and now rather than seeking to impose their own methodology on proceedings. "The town is a blur before your eyes" ("Die Stadt verschwimmt vor dem Gesicht") is one line on "The Midday Sun Freezes" ("Die Mittagssonne Friert") and it is astounding to note how similar the images evoked by the music are to the images painted in the supremely intelligent lyrics, bordering on the wise. Directness is at the heart of Ausblick, a light-hearted obfuscation of distance which works equally well in doped up dubs and out-there krautish electro tracks. The inobtrusive sounds never feel forced. Everything flows, yet every song stands on its own -- as an agent of experimentation and pop, of aimlessness and barely articulable precision. Only a band who know exactly what they are doing are capable of such feats. Ausblick features Pyrolator, Günter Schickert & Schneider TM, faUSt, Datashock, Harald Grosskopf & Eberhard Kranemann, Andreas Dorau, Andreas Spechtl, Ulrich Schnauss, and Günter Schickert.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

Bureau B issues Solarize's compilation Nachtwerk (1991-1998). Since 1981 Wilfried Franzen and Thomas Grötz have been developing their own version of experimental pop music, which oscillates between song structures, noise, and psychedelic trance. Bass and keyboards form the instrumental substructure of the duo's compositions, which are enriched with guitars, violin, piano, electronic percussions, and samples. After self-publishing various cassettes and cds, Nachtwerk (1991-1998) is their first official release, presenting selected pieces from the years 1991 to 1998. The two school friends started their musical collaboration in Papenburg in northwestern Germany. A self-empowerment related to punk and post-punk served as a catalyst and encouraged them to develop their own musical cosmos. "We did not seek for a solid stylistic concept. Occasionally we used various genres and musical trends as inspiration. The typical result was not easily identifiable as new wave, trance, intelligent dance music, Krautrock, and so on." A special approach to music, characterized by a non-musical perspective i.e. the visual arts, has played an important role. This is almost inevitably a result of their subsidiary activities, working and articulating as visual artists and art historians. Their creations made of sound emerged during their multi-day retreats were almost never played again afterwards. "Everything that we got our hands on served as an instrument, no matter whether we were able to play it or not, as long as it matched our musical visions. The outcome was documented with simple tape recorders and later with four-track devices." In this way, Solarize produced more than 250 songs and instrumentals over a period of almost 20 years. Nachtwerk (1991-1998) brings together everything that makes up the unspecified stylistic, yet consistent approach of Solarize: bright and sunny melodies, creaky violin and e-bow trips, seriously fiddled compositions, polyrhythmic dense ambient landscapes, teaspoon-samples with interview sections, and dramatic piano excursions.

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. Bureau B issues Solarize's compilation Nachtwerk (1991-1998). Since 1981 Wilfried Franzen and Thomas Grötz have been developing their own version of experimental pop music, which oscillates between song structures, noise, and psychedelic trance. Bass and keyboards form the instrumental substructure of the duo's compositions, which are enriched with guitars, violin, piano, electronic percussions, and samples. After self-publishing various cassettes and cds, Nachtwerk (1991-1998) is their first official release, presenting selected pieces from the years 1991 to 1998. The two school friends started their musical collaboration in Papenburg in northwestern Germany. A self-empowerment related to punk and post-punk served as a catalyst and encouraged them to develop their own musical cosmos. "We did not seek for a solid stylistic concept. Occasionally we used various genres and musical trends as inspiration. The typical result was not easily identifiable as new wave, trance, intelligent dance music, Krautrock, and so on." A special approach to music, characterized by a non-musical perspective i.e. the visual arts, has played an important role. This is almost inevitably a result of their subsidiary activities, working and articulating as visual artists and art historians. Their creations made of sound emerged during their multi-day retreats were almost never played again afterwards. "Everything that we got our hands on served as an instrument, no matter whether we were able to play it or not, as long as it matched our musical visions. The outcome was documented with simple tape recorders and later with four-track devices." In this way, Solarize produced more than 250 songs and instrumentals over a period of almost 20 years. Nachtwerk (1991-1998) brings together everything that makes up the unspecified stylistic, yet consistent approach of Solarize: bright and sunny melodies, creaky violin and e-bow trips, seriously fiddled compositions, polyrhythmic dense ambient landscapes, teaspoon-samples with interview sections, and dramatic piano excursions.

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. Bureau B presents a reissue of Carl Matthews' Call For World Saviours, originally issued in 1984. Mesmerizing DIY electronic music from Cumbria, UK, influenced by the Berlin School but even more by Tim Blake, Call For World Saviours was originally released 1984 on cassette only; this is this music's first time on CD and vinyl.
"Carl Matthews is by no means immune to the maelstrom of geocaching notebooks. Krautrock (tick), guerrilla DIY cassette-era artist (tick), under-rated UK electronic composer (tick). Man with a beard, surrounded by synths. Tick. Best of all, he was once described as the Edgar Froese of Cumbria. The Tangerine Dream legend needs no introduction, but the Cumbrian question deserves further scrutiny. In spite of the irresistible urge felt by many to claim Matthews for the Berlin School, this is unquestionably an artist who wrote music far from the madding krautrock crowd. Instead, he worked in isolation, splendid or otherwise. The question remains, is there a suspension bridge which connects Carl Matthews to the mainland European tradition of Harmonia, Cluster, and Tangerine Dream? 'I was at a crossroads in my life aged 28, early influences were krautrock: NEU!, Kraftwerk, Cosmic Jokers, etc. One day, I was listening to Tim Blake, and my inner voice said ''I can do that!'', Carl recalls. Whilst his music clearly bears the hallmarks of superb craftsmanship -- his mesmerizing soundscapes more than a match for any of his contemporaries -- Carl Matthews was, and still is, a truly independent artist, from the means of production to the published recordings. If it is possible to identify a scene along the lines described above, Matthews was not part of it. 'I was totally alone in doing this; no one was interested in my musical taste at that time. As far as I know the electronic/new wave music scene in Carlisle was virtually zero.' Happily for fans of his music, recent years have seen a resurgence in activity. Unwaveringly self-effacing, Carl Matthews continues to make music which is liberated from the constraints of ego, allowing one to wander the magnetic fields of his imagination. Today, in his own words, he is 'an old guy who likes making sounds for library/production companies', which says it all, really. The signs are all there in Call For World Saviours, music which is both timeless and very much of its time, a disappearing act on the part of its creator whose character nevertheless resonates in every note." --Harry Calvino.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

Bureau B presents a reissue of Carl Matthews' Call For World Saviours, originally issued in 1984. Mesmerizing DIY electronic music from Cumbria, UK, influenced by the Berlin School but even more by Tim Blake, Call For World Saviours was originally released 1984 on cassette only; this is this music's first time on CD and vinyl.
"Carl Matthews is by no means immune to the maelstrom of geocaching notebooks. Krautrock (tick), guerrilla DIY cassette-era artist (tick), under-rated UK electronic composer (tick). Man with a beard, surrounded by synths. Tick. Best of all, he was once described as the Edgar Froese of Cumbria. The Tangerine Dream legend needs no introduction, but the Cumbrian question deserves further scrutiny. In spite of the irresistible urge felt by many to claim Matthews for the Berlin School, this is unquestionably an artist who wrote music far from the madding krautrock crowd. Instead, he worked in isolation, splendid or otherwise. The question remains, is there a suspension bridge which connects Carl Matthews to the mainland European tradition of Harmonia, Cluster, and Tangerine Dream? 'I was at a crossroads in my life aged 28, early influences were krautrock: NEU!, Kraftwerk, Cosmic Jokers, etc. One day, I was listening to Tim Blake, and my inner voice said ''I can do that!'', Carl recalls. Whilst his music clearly bears the hallmarks of superb craftsmanship -- his mesmerizing soundscapes more than a match for any of his contemporaries -- Carl Matthews was, and still is, a truly independent artist, from the means of production to the published recordings. If it is possible to identify a scene along the lines described above, Matthews was not part of it. 'I was totally alone in doing this; no one was interested in my musical taste at that time. As far as I know the electronic/new wave music scene in Carlisle was virtually zero.' Happily for fans of his music, recent years have seen a resurgence in activity. Unwaveringly self-effacing, Carl Matthews continues to make music which is liberated from the constraints of ego, allowing one to wander the magnetic fields of his imagination. Today, in his own words, he is 'an old guy who likes making sounds for library/production companies', which says it all, really. The signs are all there in Call For World Saviours, music which is both timeless and very much of its time, a disappearing act on the part of its creator whose character nevertheless resonates in every note." --Harry Calvino.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

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

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

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

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

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

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

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

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

"Started as the so-called 'Krautrock Guerrilla' in 2012, six years later the Berlin combo Camera are releasing their fourth full-length album, Emotional Detox. Customarily associated with the likes of NEU! and La Düsseldorf it is time to allow Camera to break free of the krautrock tradition. For fans of nominative determinism, there can be few more apposite appelations than Michael Drummer. He is the catalyst, linking everything together as he crosses the soundscape of everything captured on Camera. The band's moniker Camera, meanwhile, is an altogether more capricious calling card. Emotional Detox is the fourth full-length album by Camera, now a quintet, following two albums as a trio and one as a duo. The line-up here comprises Steffen Kahles, Drummer, Michel Collet, Andreas Miranda and Timm Brockmann, all based in Berlin. Drummer is the only constant through all four phases. Brockmann, who left the group in 2014, returns to the fold. He and Franz Bargmann, who left Camera the year before him, released the duo album Licht (BB 269 CD/LP), a celebration of keys, guitars and effects which, at times, emulated the ferocious potential of Camera. By the time Kahles joined the band, Brockmann had already departed, so the new ensemble adds another twist in bringing together two keyboard players from different Camera phases for the first time. The Brockmann-Drummer reunion, meanwhile, completes a circle tracing back to early Camera experiences shared in 2010/11, playing on the streets of Berlin. Paradoxically, the new Camera line-up sharpens the group's focus. With Drummer not so much joining the dots as hammering them home with a nail gun, the stronger framework allows even greater freedom for the musicians to express and align their disparate creative interests. The soundscape here assumes the quality of a cinematic loop, like watching the same film over and over, yet discovering new things each time it plays. The motorik origins of the band on their debut Radiate! (BB 116 CD/LP, 2012) eventually gave way to the playfulness on Phantom of Liberty (BB 235CD/LP, 2016). A spirit of experimentation still abounds on the new LP, but there's also evidence that the group have taken a step towards something more pop. The reference points are still there, but Emotional Detox is not dependent on them, encouraging us to disregard these multiple distractions." --Harry Calvino

$23.00$19.55 IN STOCK

LP version. Includes CD. "Started as the so-called 'Krautrock Guerrilla' in 2012, six years later the Berlin combo Camera are releasing their fourth full-length album, Emotional Detox. Customarily associated with the likes of NEU! and La Düsseldorf it is time to allow Camera to break free of the krautrock tradition. For fans of nominative determinism, there can be few more apposite appelations than Michael Drummer. He is the catalyst, linking everything together as he crosses the soundscape of everything captured on Camera. The band's moniker Camera, meanwhile, is an altogether more capricious calling card. Emotional Detox is the fourth full-length album by Camera, now a quintet, following two albums as a trio and one as a duo. The line-up here comprises Steffen Kahles, Drummer, Michel Collet, Andreas Miranda and Timm Brockmann, all based in Berlin. Drummer is the only constant through all four phases. Brockmann, who left the group in 2014, returns to the fold. He and Franz Bargmann, who left Camera the year before him, released the duo album Licht (BB 269 CD/LP), a celebration of keys, guitars and effects which, at times, emulated the ferocious potential of Camera. By the time Kahles joined the band, Brockmann had already departed, so the new ensemble adds another twist in bringing together two keyboard players from different Camera phases for the first time. The Brockmann-Drummer reunion, meanwhile, completes a circle tracing back to early Camera experiences shared in 2010/11, playing on the streets of Berlin. Paradoxically, the new Camera line-up sharpens the group's focus. With Drummer not so much joining the dots as hammering them home with a nail gun, the stronger framework allows even greater freedom for the musicians to express and align their disparate creative interests. The soundscape here assumes the quality of a cinematic loop, like watching the same film over and over, yet discovering new things each time it plays. The motorik origins of the band on their debut Radiate! (BB 116 CD/LP, 2012) eventually gave way to the playfulness on Phantom of Liberty (BB 235CD/LP, 2016). A spirit of experimentation still abounds on the new LP, but there's also evidence that the group have taken a step towards something more pop. The reference points are still there, but Emotional Detox is not dependent on them, encouraging us to disregard these multiple distractions." --Harry Calvino

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. "Sowas Von Egal, is the result of a collaboration between Bureau B and the Hamburg party series Damaged Goods. Record companies and DJs are aligned through a love and passion for seeking out rare music which simply needs to be heard. For the three of us as DJs, we created Damaged Goods as a party where we could play music beyond the electro clichés. Our focus would be seldom-heard post-punk and synth-wave from, or in the style of, the 1980s. We'd slip in these unknown or long-forgotten treasures between more familiar hits from the genre to inspire and excite our guests. Eighties culture is very much a reference point today in music, art and fashion, so why not play the originals, especially as there is still so much to be discovered from that period? Many of the old records we'd play in the club had only been pressed in small quantities, often sold exclusively at the respective bands' gigs. More than 30 years later, it is almost impossible to get hold of these tracks, unless you pay over the odds on certain websites or track them down as inferior MP3s on this or that blog. This is why it was so important to us that our collaboration with Bureau B would be dedicated to selecting tracks for Sowas Von Egalwhich are not readily available on vinyl and have not been rereleased (or the reissues themselves are genuine rarities). The groundwork for this project was interesting in itself: sorting through and listening to songs, making lists, setting priorities, then getting in touch with labels and trying to find the musicians of yesteryear. This wasn't always so easy: some had disappeared from view, others had died. When we did find who we were looking for, the reaction was generally positive, although some were surprised that anybody was interested in their music today. We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to Tom Morgenstern, who worked wonders with a jumble of disparate source material to achieve sonic consistency. Fans of our parties will recognize more than a few of the tracks on Sowas von egal; we are proud to have put together this collection." --Volker Kindt and Marco Flöß, June 2018. Features: Träneninvasion, Der Moderne Man, Silberstreif, El Deux, Nullzeit, Hoffnung and Psyche, Schwellköper, New Dimension, Berlin Express, Pension Stammheim, Alu, Matthias Schuster, Gorilla Aktiv, 08/15.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

Elemente -- album number seven from the third incarnation of the legendary krautronic project Kluster/Cluster springs a surprise with a minor sensation: sequencer lines. Using an array of exclusively analogue instruments, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock, and Armin Metz have recorded eight tracks which, at one and the same time, are intrinsically hypnotic and sublimely beautiful. In principle, Elemente was created in much the same fashion as earlier Qluster albums: the three musicians met up in Schönberg, a remote hamlet in northern Mecklenburg. The eight pieces were distilled from the original recordings of their lengthy improvised sessions, with additional elements added to only three of the tracks in the production process: a synthesizer melody for "Zeno", a prepared piano for "Xymelan" and a computer beat for "Tatum". First special feature on the new album: the "tools of the trade". In their choice of equipment, Qluster reach back to their own history as Cluster, more than forty years ago, when legendary albums like 1974's Zuckerzeit (LR 333LP), 1976's Sowiesoso (BB 039CD/LP), and 1981's Curiosum (BB 038CD/LP) were made. Elemente has been crafted exclusively with analog instruments: a range of analog synthesizers, rhythm machines, a Farfisa organ, a Fender Rhodes piano, and various effects devices plus -- second special feature and making its debut in the band's narrative -- a 1970s sequencer playing an endless loop of manually recorded melodies, fed through effects and equalizers to achieve that typically hypnotic sequencer character. Listen out for them on "Perpetuum", "Xymelan", "Tatum" and "Lindow". By way of contrast, "Weite" and "Infinitum" unfold in vast echo chambers, free of metrics. Between these two very different musical forms lie "Zeno" and "Symbia". The former pulsates with long deep breaths beneath delicate sequences of notes emanating from the ARP 2600, the latter, "Symbia", layers a songlike Rhodes piano melody over an echoing, rhythmic Farfisa organ chord. After four electronic productions and two piano albums, Qluster now invite you to visit eight new and beguilingly beautiful worlds of sound on Elemente.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

"Sowas Von Egal, is the result of a collaboration between Bureau B and the Hamburg party series Damaged Goods. Record companies and DJs are aligned through a love and passion for seeking out rare music which simply needs to be heard. For the three of us as DJs, we created Damaged Goods as a party where we could play music beyond the electro clichés. Our focus would be seldom-heard post-punk and synth-wave from, or in the style of, the 1980s. We'd slip in these unknown or long-forgotten treasures between more familiar hits from the genre to inspire and excite our guests. Eighties culture is very much a reference point today in music, art and fashion, so why not play the originals, especially as there is still so much to be discovered from that period? Many of the old records we'd play in the club had only been pressed in small quantities, often sold exclusively at the respective bands' gigs. More than 30 years later, it is almost impossible to get hold of these tracks, unless you pay over the odds on certain websites or track them down as inferior MP3s on this or that blog. This is why it was so important to us that our collaboration with Bureau B would be dedicated to selecting tracks for Sowas Von Egalwhich are not readily available on vinyl and have not been rereleased (or the reissues themselves are genuine rarities). The groundwork for this project was interesting in itself: sorting through and listening to songs, making lists, setting priorities, then getting in touch with labels and trying to find the musicians of yesteryear. This wasn't always so easy: some had disappeared from view, others had died. When we did find who we were looking for, the reaction was generally positive, although some were surprised that anybody was interested in their music today. We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to Tom Morgenstern, who worked wonders with a jumble of disparate source material to achieve sonic consistency. Fans of our parties will recognize more than a few of the tracks on Sowas von egal; we are proud to have put together this collection." --Volker Kindt and Marco Flöß, June 2018. Features: Träneninvasion, Der Moderne Man, Silberstreif, El Deux, Nullzeit, Hoffnung and Psyche, Schwellköper, New Dimension, Berlin Express, Pension Stammheim, Alu, Matthias Schuster, Gorilla Aktiv, 08/15.