BUREAU B - Forced Exposure

$36.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/24/2019

LP version. Limited edition comes in gatefold sleeve and includes LP booklet; 180 gram vinyl. "They say that the avant-garde moves faster than light and therefore has to travel under cover of darkness, flying blind, destination unknown. Little of today's realpolitik-related gloom casts its shadow over Strategies, the new album by restless avant-garde auteur Andreas Spechtl. On the contrary. Whereas the two preceding albums Sleep and Thinking About Tomorrow (And How To Build It) (BB 278CD/LP, 2017) documented quietly intimate, personal journeys along the margins of Europe or Iran, casting a skeptical eye on neoteric political shifts, Strategies is an altogether more explosive affair, buzzing with beats, effervescent with the energy of techno, dance, a celebration of resistance. The sense of unease engendered by global politics has given way to a new sense of self, to new strategies, an eagerness to escape into ecstasy, madness, anarchy. Right from the word go, as the first melodies take shape, as the first lines unfold, even as quiet, intimate moments from prior recordings linger on, a piano fades away, a saxophone passes by and then the beats kick in -- an almost anthemic 'yes, we will change the world/because we've done so/many times before' sets the euphoric tone for the rest of the album. And oh, the voice; following its disappearing act on the previous discs, it returns here on a wave of charming dandyism, dancing, screaming, whispering, moaning, striding unwaveringly, casually, aggressively, through techno, tribal and disco beats, scanning lyrics whose palpable, newly-gained coolness might just be a universal antidote against the world's political vacuum. It is also a voice which suddenly switches to Spanish on 'When We Were Young,' joined by Anna Seghers as a ghostly witness. The album was written in Santiago de Querétaro, not far from Mexico City. It was crafted mostly on a modular system and two synthesizers, without VST or digital equipment, the computer downgraded to the status of a mere multitrack recording device. Andreas Spechtl appears to have arrived at the core of his own self, all new, as if he had rewired himself amongst all the modules -- without having even tried to find himself, yet discovering someone in the circuits who had almost been forgotten or would be forgotten again, someone who only existed right there. With the philosophical and musical activism on Strategies he offers us the clearest, most readable signs pointing into the future." --Thomas Köck, January 2019.

$22.00$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. "It's the terror of knowing what this world is about," David Bowie sang in 1981, backed by Queen. He performed the remarkable feat of taking a song with such lyrics and creating a hit. Von Spar's Under Pressure also knows what this world is about, with its intimidatory posturing, acute social competition and the fight for survival as we enter an age of surveillance capitalism. The music's inherent urgency is in evidence from the very first beat, yet it still appears to float freely, creating space for reflection and self-interrogation. What others call a "band", Von Spar see as a modular system. The creative community of Sebastian Blume, Jan Philipp Janzen, Christopher Marquez, and Phillip Tielsch is in a state of constant flux. Von Spar is an interface, providing access to rediscovery and fresh experience of, to all intents and purposes, the familiar. Under Pressure is their fifth album, not counting their homage to Can (recorded live with Stephen Malkmus). 15 years have passed since their debut Die Uneingeschränkte Freiheit Der Privaten Initiative (2004), five since Streetlife (2014). On closer examination, there is a chameleonesque quality to Von Spar's discography. Their records are the result of continuous metamorphosis, opening wormholes to post punk, krautrock and '80s art pop. The constants: rhythmic refinement and harmonic quantum leaps, swirling synthesizer arpeggios, backwards guitars with no hint of retrogradation. The eight songs on Under Pressure were recorded in Von Spar's Dumbo Studio in Cologne, with various guests from adding noteworthy contributions. As on Streetlife, the formative voice belongs to Chris A. Cummings aka Marker Starling. His distinctive falsetto graces over half of the songs, asking: "Is there a cure for this/Unhappiness, happiness?" On the opening track, Cummings is joined by Eiko Ishibashi (Kafka's Ibiki, Jim O'Rourke, Merzbow) in a Japanese dream sequence exploring where they might get to if the shackles of the flesh are cast off. Punk and reggae professor Vivien Goldman (The Flying Lizards) picks up the thread and liberates herself from the ghosts of the past on "Boyfriends (Dead Or Alive)". Lætitia Sadier (Stereolab) sings on the album's kraut-pop hit "Extend The Song" which could run and run for ever, powered by motoric energy: "If someone would ask me/Could I go on?" Less answers, more questions -- this is the song's greatest leitmotif. It is left to low-fi maverick R. Stevie Moore to pose the question on "Falsetto Giuseppe" "Should I worry?" Of course!" --Arno Raffeiner

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/24/2019

LP version. "They say that the avant-garde moves faster than light and therefore has to travel under cover of darkness, flying blind, destination unknown. Little of today's realpolitik-related gloom casts its shadow over Strategies, the new album by restless avant-garde auteur Andreas Spechtl. On the contrary. Whereas the two preceding albums Sleep and Thinking About Tomorrow (And How To Build It) (BB 278CD/LP, 2017) documented quietly intimate, personal journeys along the margins of Europe or Iran, casting a skeptical eye on neoteric political shifts, Strategies is an altogether more explosive affair, buzzing with beats, effervescent with the energy of techno, dance, a celebration of resistance. The sense of unease engendered by global politics has given way to a new sense of self, to new strategies, an eagerness to escape into ecstasy, madness, anarchy. Right from the word go, as the first melodies take shape, as the first lines unfold, even as quiet, intimate moments from prior recordings linger on, a piano fades away, a saxophone passes by and then the beats kick in -- an almost anthemic 'yes, we will change the world/because we've done so/many times before' sets the euphoric tone for the rest of the album. And oh, the voice; following its disappearing act on the previous discs, it returns here on a wave of charming dandyism, dancing, screaming, whispering, moaning, striding unwaveringly, casually, aggressively, through techno, tribal and disco beats, scanning lyrics whose palpable, newly-gained coolness might just be a universal antidote against the world's political vacuum. It is also a voice which suddenly switches to Spanish on 'When We Were Young,' joined by Anna Seghers as a ghostly witness. The album was written in Santiago de Querétaro, not far from Mexico City. It was crafted mostly on a modular system and two synthesizers, without VST or digital equipment, the computer downgraded to the status of a mere multitrack recording device. Andreas Spechtl appears to have arrived at the core of his own self, all new, as if he had rewired himself amongst all the modules -- without having even tried to find himself, yet discovering someone in the circuits who had almost been forgotten or would be forgotten again, someone who only existed right there. With the philosophical and musical activism on Strategies he offers us the clearest, most readable signs pointing into the future." --Thomas Köck, January 2019.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

"They say that the avant-garde moves faster than light and therefore has to travel under cover of darkness, flying blind, destination unknown. Little of today's realpolitik-related gloom casts its shadow over Strategies, the new album by restless avant-garde auteur Andreas Spechtl. On the contrary. Whereas the two preceding albums Sleep and Thinking About Tomorrow (And How To Build It) (BB 278CD/LP, 2017) documented quietly intimate, personal journeys along the margins of Europe or Iran, casting a skeptical eye on neoteric political shifts, Strategies is an altogether more explosive affair, buzzing with beats, effervescent with the energy of techno, dance, a celebration of resistance. The sense of unease engendered by global politics has given way to a new sense of self, to new strategies, an eagerness to escape into ecstasy, madness, anarchy. Right from the word go, as the first melodies take shape, as the first lines unfold, even as quiet, intimate moments from prior recordings linger on, a piano fades away, a saxophone passes by and then the beats kick in -- an almost anthemic 'yes, we will change the world/because we've done so/many times before' sets the euphoric tone for the rest of the album. And oh, the voice; following its disappearing act on the previous discs, it returns here on a wave of charming dandyism, dancing, screaming, whispering, moaning, striding unwaveringly, casually, aggressively, through techno, tribal and disco beats, scanning lyrics whose palpable, newly-gained coolness might just be a universal antidote against the world's political vacuum. It is also a voice which suddenly switches to Spanish on 'When We Were Young,' joined by Anna Seghers as a ghostly witness. The album was written in Santiago de Querétaro, not far from Mexico City. It was crafted mostly on a modular system and two synthesizers, without VST or digital equipment, the computer downgraded to the status of a mere multitrack recording device. Andreas Spechtl appears to have arrived at the core of his own self, all new, as if he had rewired himself amongst all the modules -- without having even tried to find himself, yet discovering someone in the circuits who had almost been forgotten or would be forgotten again, someone who only existed right there. With the philosophical and musical activism on Strategies he offers us the clearest, most readable signs pointing into the future." --Thomas Köck, January 2019.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

"It's the terror of knowing what this world is about," David Bowie sang in 1981, backed by Queen. He performed the remarkable feat of taking a song with such lyrics and creating a hit. Von Spar's Under Pressure also knows what this world is about, with its intimidatory posturing, acute social competition and the fight for survival as we enter an age of surveillance capitalism. The music's inherent urgency is in evidence from the very first beat, yet it still appears to float freely, creating space for reflection and self-interrogation. What others call a "band", Von Spar see as a modular system. The creative community of Sebastian Blume, Jan Philipp Janzen, Christopher Marquez, and Phillip Tielsch is in a state of constant flux. Von Spar is an interface, providing access to rediscovery and fresh experience of, to all intents and purposes, the familiar. Under Pressure is their fifth album, not counting their homage to Can (recorded live with Stephen Malkmus). 15 years have passed since their debut Die Uneingeschränkte Freiheit Der Privaten Initiative (2004), five since Streetlife (2014). On closer examination, there is a chameleonesque quality to Von Spar's discography. Their records are the result of continuous metamorphosis, opening wormholes to post punk, krautrock and '80s art pop. The constants: rhythmic refinement and harmonic quantum leaps, swirling synthesizer arpeggios, backwards guitars with no hint of retrogradation. The eight songs on Under Pressure were recorded in Von Spar's Dumbo Studio in Cologne, with various guests from adding noteworthy contributions. As on Streetlife, the formative voice belongs to Chris A. Cummings aka Marker Starling. His distinctive falsetto graces over half of the songs, asking: "Is there a cure for this/Unhappiness, happiness?" On the opening track, Cummings is joined by Eiko Ishibashi (Kafka's Ibiki, Jim O'Rourke, Merzbow) in a Japanese dream sequence exploring where they might get to if the shackles of the flesh are cast off. Punk and reggae professor Vivien Goldman (The Flying Lizards) picks up the thread and liberates herself from the ghosts of the past on "Boyfriends (Dead Or Alive)". Lætitia Sadier (Stereolab) sings on the album's kraut-pop hit "Extend The Song" which could run and run for ever, powered by motoric energy: "If someone would ask me/Could I go on?" Less answers, more questions -- this is the song's greatest leitmotif. It is left to low-fi maverick R. Stevie Moore to pose the question on "Falsetto Giuseppe" "Should I worry?" Of course!" --Arno Raffeiner

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

Bureau B present a reissue of Young Scientist's debut album Results, Not Answers, originally released in 1979. When you think of the music to have emerged from Seattle, grunge and Sub Pop are probably the first things that come to mind. But Seattle was already home to a vibrant alternative music scene back in the 1970s. One of the most prominent synthesizer acts of the period was the trio Young Scientist. Influenced by the likes of Cluster, Harmonia, and Tangerine Dream, they released their music exclusively on cassette. the hypnotic-meditative cyclical Results, Not Answers. Young Scientist (Marc Barreca, James Husted, and Roland Barker) -- released four cassettes as 1979 blazed a trail into the 1980s, capturing the electric excitement of their live shows, unwriting the rules with no less fervor than their punk rock neighbors. All three members of Young Scientist played synthesizers. The Results, Not Answers album presents Young Scientist in full flow through four tracks, forty minutes of hypnotic and/or rhythmic soundscapes. Although the band admit that they did not pay much attention to the recording process itself, the selections on Results, Not Answers are crystal clear and have effortlessly stood the test of time. "Brainless" ripples with tension through its fifteen and a half minutes, "Eastern Clouds" swirls with sitars before you loop through "Music For Feet" to the meditative, spiritualized patterns of "Omega". Results, Not Answers shines a light on Seattle at an incredibly creative juncture in the city's musical history. James Husted recalls: "The Seattle scene at the time was very active. There were many bands playing music across the spectrum. Many 'Art', 'Punk', 'Experimental', 'New Wave' etc. bands were forming and reforming all the time then . . . Young Scientist opened for the Dead Kennedys once, that shows how wide the spectrum could be at times. I feel ALL the bands of that time were pioneers in the genres they played. They all pushed boundaries. I think in the electronic music scene, Young Scientist was definitely one of the pioneers and leaders at the time. We played many more shows and different venues than any other electronic music band at the time." First CD release and first vinyl release.

$22.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Young Scientist's debut album Results, Not Answers, originally released in 1979. When you think of the music to have emerged from Seattle, grunge and Sub Pop are probably the first things that come to mind. But Seattle was already home to a vibrant alternative music scene back in the 1970s. One of the most prominent synthesizer acts of the period was the trio Young Scientist. Influenced by the likes of Cluster, Harmonia, and Tangerine Dream, they released their music exclusively on cassette. the hypnotic-meditative cyclical Results, Not Answers. Young Scientist (Marc Barreca, James Husted, and Roland Barker) -- released four cassettes as 1979 blazed a trail into the 1980s, capturing the electric excitement of their live shows, unwriting the rules with no less fervor than their punk rock neighbors. All three members of Young Scientist played synthesizers. The Results, Not Answers album presents Young Scientist in full flow through four tracks, forty minutes of hypnotic and/or rhythmic soundscapes. Although the band admit that they did not pay much attention to the recording process itself, the selections on Results, Not Answers are crystal clear and have effortlessly stood the test of time. "Brainless" ripples with tension through its fifteen and a half minutes, "Eastern Clouds" swirls with sitars before you loop through "Music For Feet" to the meditative, spiritualized patterns of "Omega". Results, Not Answers shines a light on Seattle at an incredibly creative juncture in the city's musical history. James Husted recalls: "The Seattle scene at the time was very active. There were many bands playing music across the spectrum. Many 'Art', 'Punk', 'Experimental', 'New Wave' etc. bands were forming and reforming all the time then . . . Young Scientist opened for the Dead Kennedys once, that shows how wide the spectrum could be at times. I feel ALL the bands of that time were pioneers in the genres they played. They all pushed boundaries. I think in the electronic music scene, Young Scientist was definitely one of the pioneers and leaders at the time. We played many more shows and different venues than any other electronic music band at the time." First CD release and first vinyl release.

$17.00$14.45 IN STOCK

" '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$18.70 IN STOCK

LP version. " '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$18.70 IN STOCK

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$14.45 IN STOCK

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$14.45 IN STOCK

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. 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. 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. 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

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.

$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

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

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

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.