BUREAU B - Forced Exposure

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021

Terrible times indeed. Discerning pop music fans will therefore be more than pleased that intellectual rock darlings, Austrian band Ja, Panik, are back after a seven-year hiatus. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that in their 2016 band autobiography Futur II -- published to mark their tenth anniversary -- the Berlin-based quartet of Andreas Spechtl (vocals, guitar), Stefan Pabst (bass), Sebastian Janata (drums), and Laura Landergott (keyboards & guitar), pretty much announced their permanent dissolution. Never ones to repeat themselves, the eponymously titled Die Gruppe demonstrates that the four band members have been busy honing their craft, producing a sixth album that reveals a new level of artistic maturity. The eleven songs on the album were recorded during the summer pandemic lockdown of 2020, which the band spent in their home region of Burgenland. The curfew issued by the Austrian government meant that band had to hole up in their makeshift studio, working on the material that Andreas Spechtl, singer and songwriter, had demoed earlier in the year while staying in Tunisia. The pandemic restrictions also meant that Die Gruppe was their first work to be self-produced. On the Spacemen 3-tinged tune "The Cure", Spechtl's German-English plea to his doctor for help now sounds like it was tailor-made for these challenging times. Unambiguous, however, is the ghost of the late cultural critic and chief hauntologist Mark Fisher, who looms large over Die Gruppe. Other literary allusions include hidden references to Medea Material by East German playwright Heiner Müller, or to Donna Haraway's book Staying with the Trouble. Spechtl also churns out great pop songs if he pleases. "On Livestream" is a case in point: a quintessential Ja, Panik tune, this infectious pop song about how our communication has now shifted to video conferencing incorporating a plethora of lush production effects. "1998" is an atmospheric ballad with Spechtl in semi-autobiographical mode. Other tracks like "What If" and "The Zing of Silence" show off the experimental, electronic side of Ja, Panik and act as interludes between the songs proper. Die Gruppe is not merely a collection of tunes but a finely-crafted album that draws its captivating qualities from the unfolding dramaturgy of the songs, the interplay between the German and English language, and the effort to deviate from well-trodden paths in each and every song in terms of both writing and production.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021

LP version. Terrible times indeed. Discerning pop music fans will therefore be more than pleased that intellectual rock darlings, Austrian band Ja, Panik, are back after a seven-year hiatus. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that in their 2016 band autobiography Futur II -- published to mark their tenth anniversary -- the Berlin-based quartet of Andreas Spechtl (vocals, guitar), Stefan Pabst (bass), Sebastian Janata (drums), and Laura Landergott (keyboards & guitar), pretty much announced their permanent dissolution. Never ones to repeat themselves, the eponymously titled Die Gruppe demonstrates that the four band members have been busy honing their craft, producing a sixth album that reveals a new level of artistic maturity. The eleven songs on the album were recorded during the summer pandemic lockdown of 2020, which the band spent in their home region of Burgenland. The curfew issued by the Austrian government meant that band had to hole up in their makeshift studio, working on the material that Andreas Spechtl, singer and songwriter, had demoed earlier in the year while staying in Tunisia. The pandemic restrictions also meant that Die Gruppe was their first work to be self-produced. On the Spacemen 3-tinged tune "The Cure", Spechtl's German-English plea to his doctor for help now sounds like it was tailor-made for these challenging times. Unambiguous, however, is the ghost of the late cultural critic and chief hauntologist Mark Fisher, who looms large over Die Gruppe. Other literary allusions include hidden references to Medea Material by East German playwright Heiner Müller, or to Donna Haraway's book Staying with the Trouble. Spechtl also churns out great pop songs if he pleases. "On Livestream" is a case in point: a quintessential Ja, Panik tune, this infectious pop song about how our communication has now shifted to video conferencing incorporating a plethora of lush production effects. "1998" is an atmospheric ballad with Spechtl in semi-autobiographical mode. Other tracks like "What If" and "The Zing of Silence" show off the experimental, electronic side of Ja, Panik and act as interludes between the songs proper. Die Gruppe is not merely a collection of tunes but a finely-crafted album that draws its captivating qualities from the unfolding dramaturgy of the songs, the interplay between the German and English language, and the effort to deviate from well-trodden paths in each and every song in terms of both writing and production.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021

LP version. Shrouded in myth, Save Your Software is the long-lost album by Der Plan. Back in the mid-1980s, Moritz Reichelt, Kurt Dahlke (Pyrolator) and Frank Fenstermacher initiated the Fanuks project with the aim of making themselves immortal as Mensch-Maschinen or Man-Machines. "Fanuks" would produce music for all eternity, embarking on a never-ending world tour. By the end of the decade, the Fanuks, or their respective human alter egos, had crafted six pieces. These were only rediscovered in 2020 during a thorough inspection of the Ata Tak/Der Plan archives. Reichelt, Dahlke, and Fenstermacher augmented their six visionary masterpieces with three tracks based on compositions from the year 1989. In cooperation with the company "Second Life Inc", who had worked on similar ideas for George Lukas and Kraftwerk, they developed designs scratching the limits of technological possibilities. At the same time Japanese cutting-edge robot producer FANUK opened an office in Düsseldorf. The plans included not only the technical aspects of the hardware of the robot musicians, but also similarly sophisticated software. For this area of the project Der Plan asked a man with an excellent reputation of experience, the mysterious Nigelius Senada, a Bavarian philosopher and musician, who had developed a Theory of Obscurity, that fitted the ideas of Der Plan perfectly. Senada had a history of developing a non-existing band for a Californian supergroup. Senada's projections were based on the idea, that in the future man would transform into robots as much as robots would adapt characteristic human qualities. Under permanent supervision of Der Plan the first prototype under the internal name LP3 could be finished by 1988. For test purposes the robot was sold to a household in Italy, where he served as a house-keeper and loneliness companion. 12 months later conclusions could be drawn: despite great expectations and the use of expensive materials such as molybdane and carbon, LP3 turned out to be not reliable enough for the use on a stressful band tour. Meanwhile the production of robot music in the Düsseldorf studio of Der Plan continued. The ambitious goal was music made by robots -- and it was pretty successful, actually more successful than the processing of the hardware. A good half a dozen of songs were recorded, determined to be send on tour with the robots. The FANUK project was the last great concept of Der Plan before the band split up two years later. It is buried in history and memories and seemed to be bound for oblivion. This is the first time the public will hear six original tracks, plus three newly recorded ones, based on compositions from 1989.

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021

Shrouded in myth, Save Your Software is the long-lost album by Der Plan. Back in the mid-1980s, Moritz Reichelt, Kurt Dahlke (Pyrolator) and Frank Fenstermacher initiated the Fanuks project with the aim of making themselves immortal as Mensch-Maschinen or Man-Machines. "Fanuks" would produce music for all eternity, embarking on a never-ending world tour. By the end of the decade, the Fanuks, or their respective human alter egos, had crafted six pieces. These were only rediscovered in 2020 during a thorough inspection of the Ata Tak/Der Plan archives. Reichelt, Dahlke, and Fenstermacher augmented their six visionary masterpieces with three tracks based on compositions from the year 1989. In cooperation with the company "Second Life Inc", who had worked on similar ideas for George Lukas and Kraftwerk, they developed designs scratching the limits of technological possibilities. At the same time Japanese cutting-edge robot producer FANUK opened an office in Düsseldorf. The plans included not only the technical aspects of the hardware of the robot musicians, but also similarly sophisticated software. For this area of the project Der Plan asked a man with an excellent reputation of experience, the mysterious Nigelius Senada, a Bavarian philosopher and musician, who had developed a Theory of Obscurity, that fitted the ideas of Der Plan perfectly. Senada had a history of developing a non-existing band for a Californian supergroup. Senada's projections were based on the idea, that in the future man would transform into robots as much as robots would adapt characteristic human qualities. Under permanent supervision of Der Plan the first prototype under the internal name LP3 could be finished by 1988. For test purposes the robot was sold to a household in Italy, where he served as a house-keeper and loneliness companion. 12 months later conclusions could be drawn: despite great expectations and the use of expensive materials such as molybdane and carbon, LP3 turned out to be not reliable enough for the use on a stressful band tour. Meanwhile the production of robot music in the Düsseldorf studio of Der Plan continued. The ambitious goal was music made by robots -- and it was pretty successful, actually more successful than the processing of the hardware. A good half a dozen of songs were recorded, determined to be send on tour with the robots. The FANUK project was the last great concept of Der Plan before the band split up two years later. It is buried in history and memories and seemed to be bound for oblivion. This is the first time the public will hear six original tracks, plus three newly recorded ones, based on compositions from 1989.

$20.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/9/2021

"Jimi Tenor can look back on a career spanning almost 30 years, in which time he has released more than 20 albums on such renowned labels as Warp Records, Sähkö, and Kitty-Yo. Pop artist prestige holds no sway over the Finnish composer and multi-instrumentalist. Never resting on his laurels, he continues to hone his unique sound, which draws on elements of jazz, Afrobeat, and experimental electronic music. Bureau B are excited to announce the arrival of a new Jimi Tenor double album! Following on from 2020's NY, Hel, Barca (BB 333CD/LP) compilation which showcased Tenor's early works and cuts from his first six albums, Deep Sound Learning shines a spotlight on unreleased tracks from 1993 to the year 2000. This intensely prolific period saw Tenor send countless DAT tapes to Warp Records, his label at the time, who stacked up the recordings in the office safe. Some of the songs preserved on those DATs made their way onto various Tenor LPs -- whilst others remained unreleased to this day. Jimi Tenor and Bureau B have retrieved said tapes and crafted a double album of previously unheard tracks in what is much more than a simple archival exposition. The 19 tracks on this compilation transport the listener to an infinitely vast adventure playground, where basic polyrhythmic drum machine tracks can be found alongside impetuous 303-driven minimal house sketches and Tenor's idiosyncratic future jazz compositions unfold around immersive downtempo arrangements. Deep Sound Learning documents the artist's irrepressibly adventurous spirit, illuminating a more colorful and varied spectrum across seven years than others manage in several decades. Jimi Tenor is a tireless rover and explorer whose curiosity and inventiveness know no bounds." --Daniel Jahn

$29.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/9/2021

Double LP version. "Jimi Tenor can look back on a career spanning almost 30 years, in which time he has released more than 20 albums on such renowned labels as Warp Records, Sähkö, and Kitty-Yo. Pop artist prestige holds no sway over the Finnish composer and multi-instrumentalist. Never resting on his laurels, he continues to hone his unique sound, which draws on elements of jazz, Afrobeat, and experimental electronic music. Bureau B are excited to announce the arrival of a new Jimi Tenor double album! Following on from 2020's NY, Hel, Barca (BB 333CD/LP) compilation which showcased Tenor's early works and cuts from his first six albums, Deep Sound Learning shines a spotlight on unreleased tracks from 1993 to the year 2000. This intensely prolific period saw Tenor send countless DAT tapes to Warp Records, his label at the time, who stacked up the recordings in the office safe. Some of the songs preserved on those DATs made their way onto various Tenor LPs -- whilst others remained unreleased to this day. Jimi Tenor and Bureau B have retrieved said tapes and crafted a double album of previously unheard tracks in what is much more than a simple archival exposition. The 19 tracks on this compilation transport the listener to an infinitely vast adventure playground, where basic polyrhythmic drum machine tracks can be found alongside impetuous 303-driven minimal house sketches and Tenor's idiosyncratic future jazz compositions unfold around immersive downtempo arrangements. Deep Sound Learning documents the artist's irrepressibly adventurous spirit, illuminating a more colorful and varied spectrum across seven years than others manage in several decades. Jimi Tenor is a tireless rover and explorer whose curiosity and inventiveness know no bounds." --Daniel Jahn

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/19/2021

LP version. "Ever since he released his music in the early '80s (1983, to be exact), Michel Banabila has been hard to pinpoint to a specific genre or style. His musical output includes jazz, experimental cut-up electronics, world music (especially influenced by the fourth world music as developed by Jon Hassell), new age, eclectic pop tunes, music for dance or other stage projects, and soundtracks for TV productions. Some listeners may have found it somewhat difficult throughout the years to find their way in this versatile output that includes very different genres. Because of this versatility Banabila has grown into one of the most fascinating musicians in Europe and was always highly acclaimed by critics, which was well deserved. Nevertheless -- for possibly that very same reason his work never came across the radar of most people, and that is something he does not deserve. When diving deeper into his output, one gets familiar with the trademark Banabila sound: his personal ways of using samples, the way he incorporates vocal fragments, the fact that there is always an emotional layer you can relate to, even in his most abstract works. Over the years, Banabila's work has progressed and evolved in different directions. It must be weird for any creative artist when the interest of new audiences (and labels) focuses on your earlier work - work that you have long left behind while exploring new directions. On the other hand: Whoever gets interested in your older work may also want to explore the newer stuff (which means they have almost forty years to explore, just imagine!). For this particular release, Bureau B chose a different approach. Instead of archiving early works from the 1980s, Wah-Wah Whispers focuses on Banabila's more recent output. It is a collection of works showcasing many facets of his music: a journey visiting the minimal and cinematic sample scape in the opener Take Me There, a robotic reggae-like rhythm ('Tic Tac'), contemplative ambient/fourth world scenes evolving into a downright funky beat ('Hidden Story'), the synth version of 'Secunde', and more. The album ends with a kaleidoscope of atmospheres gradually building up to a noise climax in 'Narita' (the only collaboration track on the album, with Rutger Zuydervelt/Machinefabriek). No single compilation album could really do justice to the massive scope of Banabila's output since 1983, but with Wah-Wah Whispers, Bureau B did a wonderful job to facilitate a view into his more recent work (2013- 2020, with the exception of 'Tic Tac', which is from 2001)." --Peter van Cooten

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/19/2021

"Ever since he released his music in the early '80s (1983, to be exact), Michel Banabila has been hard to pinpoint to a specific genre or style. His musical output includes jazz, experimental cut-up electronics, world music (especially influenced by the fourth world music as developed by Jon Hassell), new age, eclectic pop tunes, music for dance or other stage projects, and soundtracks for TV productions. Some listeners may have found it somewhat difficult throughout the years to find their way in this versatile output that includes very different genres. Because of this versatility Banabila has grown into one of the most fascinating musicians in Europe and was always highly acclaimed by critics, which was well deserved. Nevertheless -- for possibly that very same reason his work never came across the radar of most people, and that is something he does not deserve. When diving deeper into his output, one gets familiar with the trademark Banabila sound: his personal ways of using samples, the way he incorporates vocal fragments, the fact that there is always an emotional layer you can relate to, even in his most abstract works. Over the years, Banabila's work has progressed and evolved in different directions. It must be weird for any creative artist when the interest of new audiences (and labels) focuses on your earlier work - work that you have long left behind while exploring new directions. On the other hand: Whoever gets interested in your older work may also want to explore the newer stuff (which means they have almost forty years to explore, just imagine!). For this particular release, Bureau B chose a different approach. Instead of archiving early works from the 1980s, Wah-Wah Whispers focuses on Banabila's more recent output. It is a collection of works showcasing many facets of his music: a journey visiting the minimal and cinematic sample scape in the opener Take Me There, a robotic reggae-like rhythm ('Tic Tac'), contemplative ambient/fourth world scenes evolving into a downright funky beat ('Hidden Story'), the synth version of 'Secunde', and more. The album ends with a kaleidoscope of atmospheres gradually building up to a noise climax in 'Narita' (the only collaboration track on the album, with Rutger Zuydervelt/Machinefabriek). No single compilation album could really do justice to the massive scope of Banabila's output since 1983, but with Wah-Wah Whispers, Bureau B did a wonderful job to facilitate a view into his more recent work (2013- 2020, with the exception of 'Tic Tac', which is from 2001)." --Peter van Cooten

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/5/2021

LP version. A triumvirate obsessed with riddles, triplets on a cosmic expedition, Die Welttraumforscher delving into the depths of the sonic universe. Their research, so they say, knows no limits -- from the living room to the workshops of Sideria, taking in the enchanting City of Water, Leguan Rätselmann's geometric songs, seeing their friends Kip Eulenmeister and Ohm Olunde. They gather up twinkling star sounds and forgotten noises from the attic. They also say: "Our work is for the world to come". The second collection sees Bureau B zoom in on the years 1992 to 2012 in the Welttraumforscher universe. A more pensive atmosphere of melancholy pervades the tracks documented herein, as if the more spherical musical journeys and expeditions undertaken by creator and sole member Christian Pfluger lead to increasingly enchanted worlds. It may be possible to trace pop-cultural references to artists like Andreas Dorau or The Residents, and yet the Welttraumforscher's music has a life all of its own which appears increasingly sui generis with every album.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/5/2021

LP version. Flusch. Knirk. Finom! Since July 14th 1981, Die Welttraumforscher have been researching the dream of the world, becoming cassette creators in the process. A mission which has seen them seek out the folklore of outer space, visiting the continent of Binika and marveling at the metropolis of Darktown. In transit, they find support and succor in Bretzelberg pop, toytown tempests, a starman, bricoleurs, 4-track recorders and instant architecture. How elated they are when they happen upon a successful sound piece, taking clandestine delight in the return of genuine humanity. This first Bureau B retrospective devoted to Die Welttraumforscher covers the Swiss project's early creative period from 1981 to 1990. The eccentric, heartwarming pop songs now sound like documents from a parallel world, interwoven with idiosyncratic fantasy, surreal stories and dreamlike apparitions. Considering their continuous and prolific output over the past four decades, it is quite remarkable how Die Welttraumforscher have remained under the radar for so long -- that said, their cadre of admirers includes such illustrious artists as Mouse On Mars, Barbara Morgenstern, and Felix Kubin. It thus gives Bureau B immeasurable pleasure to offer a closer insight into the work of this incomparable project. All tracks have been remastered.

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/5/2021

A triumvirate obsessed with riddles, triplets on a cosmic expedition, Die Welttraumforscher delving into the depths of the sonic universe. Their research, so they say, knows no limits -- from the living room to the workshops of Sideria, taking in the enchanting City of Water, Leguan Rätselmann's geometric songs, seeing their friends Kip Eulenmeister and Ohm Olunde. They gather up twinkling star sounds and forgotten noises from the attic. They also say: "Our work is for the world to come". The second collection sees Bureau B zoom in on the years 1992 to 2012 in the Welttraumforscher universe. A more pensive atmosphere of melancholy pervades the tracks documented herein, as if the more spherical musical journeys and expeditions undertaken by creator and sole member Christian Pfluger lead to increasingly enchanted worlds. It may be possible to trace pop-cultural references to artists like Andreas Dorau or The Residents, and yet the Welttraumforscher's music has a life all of its own which appears increasingly sui generis with every album.

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 3/5/2021

Flusch. Knirk. Finom! Since July 14th 1981, Die Welttraumforscher have been researching the dream of the world, becoming cassette creators in the process. A mission which has seen them seek out the folklore of outer space, visiting the continent of Binika and marveling at the metropolis of Darktown. In transit, they find support and succor in Bretzelberg pop, toytown tempests, a starman, bricoleurs, 4-track recorders and instant architecture. How elated they are when they happen upon a successful sound piece, taking clandestine delight in the return of genuine humanity. This first Bureau B retrospective devoted to Die Welttraumforscher covers the Swiss project's early creative period from 1981 to 1990. The eccentric, heartwarming pop songs now sound like documents from a parallel world, interwoven with idiosyncratic fantasy, surreal stories and dreamlike apparitions. Considering their continuous and prolific output over the past four decades, it is quite remarkable how Die Welttraumforscher have remained under the radar for so long -- that said, their cadre of admirers includes such illustrious artists as Mouse On Mars, Barbara Morgenstern, and Felix Kubin. It thus gives Bureau B immeasurable pleasure to offer a closer insight into the work of this incomparable project. All tracks have been remastered.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 2/26/2021

LP version. "... My Frequencies, When We is the eighth Mapstation album Stefan Schneider has released since 2000. Hailing from Düsseldorf, the electronic music artist and producer finds inspiration in African and South American folklore, dub, and, naturally, krautrock, taking his time to process his responses in a consistently thoughtful manner, never resorting to cliché. He has also found time to pursue other projects in recent years, one with electronic music pioneer Hans-Joachim Roedelius for example (2011), another with visual artist Katharina Grosse (2017), whilst continuing to release interesting music from a variety of musical spheres on his own Tal label. Recorded between March and August of 2020 in Corona-induced isolation, there is a sonic homogeneity to My Frequencies, When We. For the first time in years, guest musicians are conspicuous by their absence. Schneider himself assumes vocal duties on 'The City In'. He has also pared down his equipment list: an analog tape loop device, Roland 808 drum machine, Novation Peak synthesizer, a guitar. Schneider thus sticks to the philosophy he revealed to an interviewer this summer: 'Simplification of the means is something I strive for. I have come to realize that my music loses intensity when I add in too many elements...' 'Intensity' does not necessarily translate into 'danceability'. Yes, there are hypnotic African grooves on 'Flute Channels' and the ingeniously rhythmic, imaginary world music of 'Taro Zing Ta' has much in common with Jon Hassell, Marja Ahti or DJ Residue, but these do not reflect the full spectrum. For the most part, the rhythms are as rudimentary as those found in folklore, tottering and stumbling along. There are gentle reminders of kraut-elektronik (Conrad Schnitzler, Cluster, Neu!) and discrete reconfigurations, with the aural current of the Rhineland flowing nearby. 'Outside Arendt' presents two parallel worlds in which synth melodies and crude beats are destined ne'er to meet; the same is true of the musical box frequencies and basic rhythm of 'Train Of Gerda' or the poetic juxtaposition of idyll and concrete on 'Actual Possible': each instrument goes at its own pace, MIDI connections do not lead to synthesis. This is music for the digital diaspora, mystical, sweeping frequencies, performed reductively. In its finest moments Mapstation succeeds in crafting minimal-kraut-elektronik which runs as deep as it floats on high. Electronic house music one might say, at once homely and strange." --Olaf Karnik

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 2/26/2021

"... My Frequencies, When We is the eighth Mapstation album Stefan Schneider has released since 2000. Hailing from Düsseldorf, the electronic music artist and producer finds inspiration in African and South American folklore, dub, and, naturally, krautrock, taking his time to process his responses in a consistently thoughtful manner, never resorting to cliché. He has also found time to pursue other projects in recent years, one with electronic music pioneer Hans-Joachim Roedelius for example (2011), another with visual artist Katharina Grosse (2017), whilst continuing to release interesting music from a variety of musical spheres on his own Tal label. Recorded between March and August of 2020 in Corona-induced isolation, there is a sonic homogeneity to My Frequencies, When We. For the first time in years, guest musicians are conspicuous by their absence. Schneider himself assumes vocal duties on 'The City In'. He has also pared down his equipment list: an analog tape loop device, Roland 808 drum machine, Novation Peak synthesizer, a guitar. Schneider thus sticks to the philosophy he revealed to an interviewer this summer: 'Simplification of the means is something I strive for. I have come to realize that my music loses intensity when I add in too many elements...' 'Intensity' does not necessarily translate into 'danceability'. Yes, there are hypnotic African grooves on 'Flute Channels' and the ingeniously rhythmic, imaginary world music of 'Taro Zing Ta' has much in common with Jon Hassell, Marja Ahti or DJ Residue, but these do not reflect the full spectrum. For the most part, the rhythms are as rudimentary as those found in folklore, tottering and stumbling along. There are gentle reminders of kraut-elektronik (Conrad Schnitzler, Cluster, Neu!) and discrete reconfigurations, with the aural current of the Rhineland flowing nearby. 'Outside Arendt' presents two parallel worlds in which synth melodies and crude beats are destined ne'er to meet; the same is true of the musical box frequencies and basic rhythm of 'Train Of Gerda' or the poetic juxtaposition of idyll and concrete on 'Actual Possible': each instrument goes at its own pace, MIDI connections do not lead to synthesis. This is music for the digital diaspora, mystical, sweeping frequencies, performed reductively. In its finest moments Mapstation succeeds in crafting minimal-kraut-elektronik which runs as deep as it floats on high. Electronic house music one might say, at once homely and strange." --Olaf Karnik

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 2/19/2021

With the band's tenth anniversary in their viewfinder, Camera are all set to push the button on Prosthuman, their fifth studio album. The Berlin band never tire of changing themselves, their music or personnel. As Karlheinz Stockhausen noted: "New methods change the experience. New experiences change man." Taking this as their lead, Michael Drummer (the drummer) and Camera surprise listeners more on Prosthuman as they reinvent and reformulate their sound without sacrificing the project's identity which has matured over the past decade. Emotional Detox (BB 312CD/LP, 2018), the predecessor to this album, was distinguished by the presence of two keyboard virtuosos (Steffen Kahles and Camera founder member, Timm Brockmann). Finding replacements for Prosthuman was difficult; the two keyboardists had -- in different creative periods --formed the backbone of a band structure. Decisive input came from an unlikely source: Tim Schroeder, who first teamed up with Camera as a performance and video artist on their 2017 USA tour. Over the course of jams and recording sessions, he was able to offer ample proof of his synthesizer skills. Alex Kozmidi, a musician and composer with a flair for experimentation, completed the triumvirate on guitar, with Michael Drummer adding his own guitar riffs. Change and friction can be useful allies in pursuit of creativity, something to which Drummer has grown accustomed as the only ever-present member of Camera. The pleasures and pain of isolation -- suddenly a mass phenomenon in pandemic times --are well known to the quasi-front man of the group. Virus-induced social distancing and quarantine measures came into effect during the recording process (June 2019 to June 2020). Finding the musical framework for Prosthuman required a great deal of commitment, enthusiasm, and plenty of time. In spite of shifts in instrumentation, the ten tracks comprising the album fall into place like a progressively unfolding narrative. There is no apparent beginning to the record, no obvious ending -- rather more a sense of being right in the middle, with no immediate reference to any of the previous albums. At the same time, traces of the paths travelled on past albums are discernible. Michael Drummer's approach to drumming is more than a constant reference point, emerging as the decisive element which pins everything together.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 2/19/2021

LP version. With the band's tenth anniversary in their viewfinder, Camera are all set to push the button on Prosthuman, their fifth studio album. The Berlin band never tire of changing themselves, their music or personnel. As Karlheinz Stockhausen noted: "New methods change the experience. New experiences change man." Taking this as their lead, Michael Drummer (the drummer) and Camera surprise listeners more on Prosthuman as they reinvent and reformulate their sound without sacrificing the project's identity which has matured over the past decade. Emotional Detox (BB 312CD/LP, 2018), the predecessor to this album, was distinguished by the presence of two keyboard virtuosos (Steffen Kahles and Camera founder member, Timm Brockmann). Finding replacements for Prosthuman was difficult; the two keyboardists had -- in different creative periods --formed the backbone of a band structure. Decisive input came from an unlikely source: Tim Schroeder, who first teamed up with Camera as a performance and video artist on their 2017 USA tour. Over the course of jams and recording sessions, he was able to offer ample proof of his synthesizer skills. Alex Kozmidi, a musician and composer with a flair for experimentation, completed the triumvirate on guitar, with Michael Drummer adding his own guitar riffs. Change and friction can be useful allies in pursuit of creativity, something to which Drummer has grown accustomed as the only ever-present member of Camera. The pleasures and pain of isolation -- suddenly a mass phenomenon in pandemic times --are well known to the quasi-front man of the group. Virus-induced social distancing and quarantine measures came into effect during the recording process (June 2019 to June 2020). Finding the musical framework for Prosthuman required a great deal of commitment, enthusiasm, and plenty of time. In spite of shifts in instrumentation, the ten tracks comprising the album fall into place like a progressively unfolding narrative. There is no apparent beginning to the record, no obvious ending -- rather more a sense of being right in the middle, with no immediate reference to any of the previous albums. At the same time, traces of the paths travelled on past albums are discernible. Michael Drummer's approach to drumming is more than a constant reference point, emerging as the decisive element which pins everything together.

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 1/29/2021

"Revered Hamburg musician, synthesist and DJ RVDS joins the Bureau B ranks with the meditative and mellifluous sounds of Moods & Dances 2021 -- a musical present from the future past. Inspired by the otherworldly exotica and imaginative electronics of library music's golden age, Richard von der Schulenberg conjures palm trees and pyramids, promenades, and portals, all observed from the heart of a Holodeck. Seven of nine tracks are named after the equipment used to create them, offering an additional journey through the patch bay-mayhem of the RVDS home studio, and paying homage to the tonal nuance among his collection. Now, whether he's atop Mt. Acid with a molten 303, caressing tender Fender keys through an improvised jazz set or live scoring some stage-based theatrics, Richard's music always offers an immersive experience, but perhaps never more directly than this latest opus. We wash up on the digital shoreline of 'Mrs Yamaha's Summer Tune', sparkling with salt water and the shimmer of polished mallets and subtle percussion. 'Caravan of the Pentamatics' heads inland through the tree line, carving a silk road through Ethiopian jazz tones and snaking rhythms until it encounters the mystical presence of "The Farfisa Sphinx". Cryptic melodies float a top a bed of spheric bass, intangible and irresistible until they fade into the sand storm. The gentle and jazzy 'Roland's Night Walk' provides a little rest from the desert deities, though distant gunshot and the unceasing cicadas add tension to the moonlit majesty of those delicate keys. The dawn brings heartbreak via the dewy melodies and tonal malady of Richard's DX7, but somewhere someone's dancing to the propulsive bassline, eerie vocals and Arabesque sounds of 'The Space Pentas', a little cosmic boogie which just builds and builds. But dervish whirls are thirsty business, so it follows you should take a drink break at the 'Wersimatic Space Bar', a sophisticated kind of cantina awash with exotica. Then the boogie is back for the penultimate track, a deranged, demented and diabolical bit of commune chaos brought back from 'Planet Dragon', and translated into a Radiophonic workout. Parting is such sweet sorrow on any planet, and 'The End (Lala)' captures the sentiment superbly, serving space sirens, somnolent bass sounds and bursts of static at a stately tempo. Though Library inspired, and undoubtedly indebted to the hardware in action, this intriguing intergalactic trip is more passionate than a pastiche; playful, poetic and enigmatic in true RVDS fashion." --Patrick Ryder

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 1/29/2021

LP version. "Revered Hamburg musician, synthesist and DJ RVDS joins the Bureau B ranks with the meditative and mellifluous sounds of Moods & Dances 2021 -- a musical present from the future past. Inspired by the otherworldly exotica and imaginative electronics of library music's golden age, Richard von der Schulenberg conjures palm trees and pyramids, promenades, and portals, all observed from the heart of a Holodeck. Seven of nine tracks are named after the equipment used to create them, offering an additional journey through the patch bay-mayhem of the RVDS home studio, and paying homage to the tonal nuance among his collection. Now, whether he's atop Mt. Acid with a molten 303, caressing tender Fender keys through an improvised jazz set or live scoring some stage-based theatrics, Richard's music always offers an immersive experience, but perhaps never more directly than this latest opus. We wash up on the digital shoreline of 'Mrs Yamaha's Summer Tune', sparkling with salt water and the shimmer of polished mallets and subtle percussion. 'Caravan of the Pentamatics' heads inland through the tree line, carving a silk road through Ethiopian jazz tones and snaking rhythms until it encounters the mystical presence of "The Farfisa Sphinx". Cryptic melodies float a top a bed of spheric bass, intangible and irresistible until they fade into the sand storm. The gentle and jazzy 'Roland's Night Walk' provides a little rest from the desert deities, though distant gunshot and the unceasing cicadas add tension to the moonlit majesty of those delicate keys. The dawn brings heartbreak via the dewy melodies and tonal malady of Richard's DX7, but somewhere someone's dancing to the propulsive bassline, eerie vocals and Arabesque sounds of 'The Space Pentas', a little cosmic boogie which just builds and builds. But dervish whirls are thirsty business, so it follows you should take a drink break at the 'Wersimatic Space Bar', a sophisticated kind of cantina awash with exotica. Then the boogie is back for the penultimate track, a deranged, demented and diabolical bit of commune chaos brought back from 'Planet Dragon', and translated into a Radiophonic workout. Parting is such sweet sorrow on any planet, and 'The End (Lala)' captures the sentiment superbly, serving space sirens, somnolent bass sounds and bursts of static at a stately tempo. Though Library inspired, and undoubtedly indebted to the hardware in action, this intriguing intergalactic trip is more passionate than a pastiche; playful, poetic and enigmatic in true RVDS fashion." --Patrick Ryder

$17.00 NOT IN STOCK

"Conrad Schnitzler is incredible. I would dearly have loved to meet him, to have been present when he, Seidel and Baumann were working their magic at Paragon Studio. Fortuitously, Wolfgang Seidel, co-author of these pieces, has opened up his archive of recordings to the Bureau B label. He and Conrad Schnitzler spent many years together experimenting with sound, capturing the results on the two Consequenz albums, amongst others. I had the honor of meeting Wolfgang Seidel at the Golden Pudel Club during the 2018 Eruption Festival. Ken Montgomery, who worked with Schnitzler in New York towards the end of the 1980s, was also there. The concerts and performances were hauntingly powerful, infused with the spirit of Schnitzler's music and utopian vision. These entirely instrumental recordings were created in the late 1970s at Peter Baumann's Paragon Studio. In my opinion, this stellar period gave rise to the finest works: the Con (BB 350CD/LP), Consequenz (BB 121CD/LP), and Con 3 (BB 122CD/LP) albums, featuring such wonderful pieces as "Fata Morgana", "Coca", and "Auf dem schwarzen Kanal". These recently discovered pieces take the aforementioned albums a stage further. Sounds complement each other as they are reprised, whilst continuing to exist in their own cosmos. As you listen, you feel as if you have been transported back into the studio itself while the sessions are happening. One surprise follows another -- the third track sounds like clocks ringing at a pitch which only a bat could really hear. Numbers '5' and '6' are not so far removed from abstract techno tracks by Jeff Mills, albeit with rather more swing, floating in upper tone sequences reminiscent of the American composer Conlon Nancarrow. Nr. '8' is an absolute dream/wave piece, sounding like a relation of the (then) emerging Throbbing Gristle project. The tenth piece is my personal favorite, evoking a wave-romantic atmosphere which might lead you to believe that Conrad Schnitzler had been listening to The Cure. Schnitzler is electronica in its purest sense. He succeeds in rendering the unconscious audible. This goes far beyond 'music to listen to', it is music which works on different levels, music to move you." --Richard von der Schulenburg

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 1/22/2021

LP version. "Conrad Schnitzler is incredible. I would dearly have loved to meet him, to have been present when he, Seidel and Baumann were working their magic at Paragon Studio. Fortuitously, Wolfgang Seidel, co-author of these pieces, has opened up his archive of recordings to the Bureau B label. He and Conrad Schnitzler spent many years together experimenting with sound, capturing the results on the two Consequenz albums, amongst others. I had the honor of meeting Wolfgang Seidel at the Golden Pudel Club during the 2018 Eruption Festival. Ken Montgomery, who worked with Schnitzler in New York towards the end of the 1980s, was also there. The concerts and performances were hauntingly powerful, infused with the spirit of Schnitzler's music and utopian vision. These entirely instrumental recordings were created in the late 1970s at Peter Baumann's Paragon Studio. In my opinion, this stellar period gave rise to the finest works: the Con (BB 350CD/LP), Consequenz (BB 121CD/LP), and Con 3 (BB 122CD/LP) albums, featuring such wonderful pieces as "Fata Morgana", "Coca", and "Auf dem schwarzen Kanal". These recently discovered pieces take the aforementioned albums a stage further. Sounds complement each other as they are reprised, whilst continuing to exist in their own cosmos. As you listen, you feel as if you have been transported back into the studio itself while the sessions are happening. One surprise follows another -- the third track sounds like clocks ringing at a pitch which only a bat could really hear. Numbers '5' and '6' are not so far removed from abstract techno tracks by Jeff Mills, albeit with rather more swing, floating in upper tone sequences reminiscent of the American composer Conlon Nancarrow. Nr. '8' is an absolute dream/wave piece, sounding like a relation of the (then) emerging Throbbing Gristle project. The tenth piece is my personal favorite, evoking a wave-romantic atmosphere which might lead you to believe that Conrad Schnitzler had been listening to The Cure. Schnitzler is electronica in its purest sense. He succeeds in rendering the unconscious audible. This goes far beyond 'music to listen to', it is music which works on different levels, music to move you." --Richard von der Schulenburg

$17.00 IN STOCK

Viennese artist Conny Frischauf's music is a whirl of kraut, left-field electronica, and synth pop. She playfully shines a new light on tradition to create a fresh, contemporary sound. Having released a brace of EPs -- Effekt & Emotion (International Major Label, 2018) and Affekt & Tradition (KHR 003EP, 2019) -- Frischauf now presents her debut album, Die Drift. The sheer immediacy of the album owes much to Frischauf's aptitude for integrating experimental sound structures into the microcosm of a pop song. A work of sonic depth, the record marries free music with irresistible pop appeal. Sam Irl, musician and engineer, takes on co-production, mixing, and mastering duties. "Es geht rauf, rauf, rauf" -- this single line heralds the journey which is about to begin, one on which Conny Frischauf's voice functions as a GPS: a rhythmic, chirping instrument interacting with electronic drum machine grooves, using language as sound to carry words, disorienting material which enhances the overall associative impact. Texts which go beyond narration, opening up perspectives, locations confusions. Inside is outside is in-between, right, left, front, back, until you don't know whether you're coming or going. An endless drift, as the album title announces, the constant movement of waves generating currents on the water's surface. Frischauf deploys a wide range of instruments, adding a wealth of color whilst balancing her playful approach with unfailing transparency, each element clearly arranged to create a particular sound. The complexity of simplicity. Sounds shimmer like kaleidoscopic reflections in a rush of echo loops, yet these are never used for mere effect, instead they represent careful brushstrokes on the broader fabric. All ten tracks on the album share an almost random, economically sketched intensity of effect, mirrored in Anna Weisser's cover art. Everything comes together on the closing track of the album, "Freundschaft" -- in the end, friendship. Waves ripple outwards like a mantra, still in motion as they dissolve. All you have to do is let yourself fall in.

$22.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

LP version. Viennese artist Conny Frischauf's music is a whirl of kraut, left-field electronica, and synth pop. She playfully shines a new light on tradition to create a fresh, contemporary sound. Having released a brace of EPs -- Effekt & Emotion (International Major Label, 2018) and Affekt & Tradition (KHR 003EP, 2019) -- Frischauf now presents her debut album, Die Drift. The sheer immediacy of the album owes much to Frischauf's aptitude for integrating experimental sound structures into the microcosm of a pop song. A work of sonic depth, the record marries free music with irresistible pop appeal. Sam Irl, musician and engineer, takes on co-production, mixing, and mastering duties. "Es geht rauf, rauf, rauf" -- this single line heralds the journey which is about to begin, one on which Conny Frischauf's voice functions as a GPS: a rhythmic, chirping instrument interacting with electronic drum machine grooves, using language as sound to carry words, disorienting material which enhances the overall associative impact. Texts which go beyond narration, opening up perspectives, locations confusions. Inside is outside is in-between, right, left, front, back, until you don't know whether you're coming or going. An endless drift, as the album title announces, the constant movement of waves generating currents on the water's surface. Frischauf deploys a wide range of instruments, adding a wealth of color whilst balancing her playful approach with unfailing transparency, each element clearly arranged to create a particular sound. The complexity of simplicity. Sounds shimmer like kaleidoscopic reflections in a rush of echo loops, yet these are never used for mere effect, instead they represent careful brushstrokes on the broader fabric. All ten tracks on the album share an almost random, economically sketched intensity of effect, mirrored in Anna Weisser's cover art. Everything comes together on the closing track of the album, "Freundschaft" -- in the end, friendship. Waves ripple outwards like a mantra, still in motion as they dissolve. All you have to do is let yourself fall in.

$22.00 IN STOCK

LP version. The final instalment (for now) in Bureau B's little series of classic Der Plan album reissues. That's Frank, Kurt, and Moritz right there on the cover, inside Harry Rosenberg's Hamburger Hafen Basar* -- the Plan's own version of the Style Council's Favourite Shop. You may not find the cool mods attire that graced the Weller and Talbot emporium, but Harry's was a treasure trove of exotica: fetishes, amulets, masks, handicrafts from the South Seas, even shrunken heads. The kind of things seafarers brought back with them from distant voyages. It would cost you two Deutschmarks to see the miniature skulls of the unfortunates. Harry himself had a long, white bushy beard, proper sea dog material. The basis of the harbor bazar's collection can be traced back to the eccentric Cap'n Haase, self-proclaimed "professor of undiscovered science", who died in 1934. Not a bad title for the next Plan album or box: these Professors of Undiscovered Science have forever been on a musical mission to seek out and shine a light on undiscovered phenomena. It is no surprise that this perfectly chosen photograph reminiscent of a certain Dr Henry Walton Jones Jr. Moritz R, a keen collectors of artifacts from the Makonde province of Mozambique, was a frequent visitor to the bazar, whilst Pyrolator was particularly in awe of the Africa room: "Voodoo dolls hanging from the ceiling, needles sticking out of them, flecked with blood. Scary stuff. Bundles of seedy St.Pauli-Nachrichten papers and other porn magazines on the floor. When I asked Harry about this bizarre combination of wares, his answer was short and to the point: '... it banishes the spells.'" Why are there so many cigars on the table and what about the song El Cigarro? Moritz R looks back: "That's how we rolled in those days. You could put it down to juvenile obsession, smoking cigars, drinking whisky, snorting coke (not me!) --that's just how it was, partying hard." Eleven years had passed since the release of Geri Reig, their debut album. Tiki and electronica, noise and schlager, psychedelia and industrial, Kurt Martin and jerry-rigging, Cargo Cult and Ata Tak, Wuppertal and Düsseldorf, Hans-Albers-Platz and West-Berlin, Emulator I and Emulator II, old pizzas and new masks, making the most out of the least and living in the gallery, abstraction and pop, Japan and Japlan. A lot going on in those eleven years!

$17.00 IN STOCK

Bureau B present a reissue of Der Plan's Es Ist Eine Fremde Und Seltsame Welt, originally released in 1987. A cynic might propound the notion that to reissue an album entitled Es Ist Eine Fremde Und Seltsame Welt at this particular moment would be to hit the nail on the head with painful exactitude. No cynics here, however, only music lovers. Bureau B have already re-released four classic albums by Der Plan: Geri Reig (BB 104CD/LP), Normalette Surprise (BB 105CD/LP), Die letzte Rache (BB 129CD/LP), and Japlan (BB 130CD/LP).

Moritz R: I made the cover. My idea was for everything in the photo to be black, we even used embossed type so the entire cover was black. (editor's note: no embossed type on the reissue due to the cost, but our album price is undeniably attractive).

Pyrolator: The name of the album is simultaneously the concept. Numerous diverse pieces which illuminate the world in all its absurdity. The album title is lifted from the David Lynch movie Blue Velvet ("It's A Strange World"). The songs on the album were, for the most part, composed in a legendary session, improvisations really. We decided to play each piece in a different key and use irregular time signatures: for example, "Frisch Verliebt" is in 9/8, "Ein Moment Sind Zwei Sekunden" shifts between 6/8, 3/4 and 4/4, whilst "Ich Hab Den Jordan Gesehen" is in 6/8.

Moritz R: Der Plan was often seen as a fun, colorful, NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) band and we wanted to counter that image by bringing our obscure roots to the fore.

What influences, musical or otherwise, shaped the production of EIEFUSW?

Moritz R: I couldn't name any influences at all. The record was very much of our own making. Obscure in the best sense of the word.

What were your expectations and how was the album ultimately received?

Moritz R: No expectations. We were still a band of obscure outsiders. But we knew full well what we were getting into with our weird music. Listening habits have come a long way since then and I hope that people will better understand or appreciate the record today.

$22.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

LP version. Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge is the musical vehicle of Niklas Wandt and Joshua Gottmanns. They released a single -- "Ich verliebe mich nie" -- in 2018 and an EP entitled Leben in 2019 on the Düsseldorf label, Themes For Great Cities. Now the time has come for the Berlin duo's long-awaited debut album. The seven tracks comprising Der Große Preis distill the inimitable NB sound which blends velvety synth-pop and crystalline digi-dub, basslines like cubes of glass and whiplash snares. The album title certainly lives up to its name: The Grand Prize. It was early 2019 when, led by their very own energy coach Ali Europa, the band ensconced themselves in an offseason hotel on Lake Constance to record the album, the same procedure that spawned their afore-mentioned EP. Between a mothballed breakfast buffet and darkened wood furnishings, bright winter sunshine and lonely nights, Wandt and Gottmanns set about conjuring up smoke clouds. The two protagonists have always been drawn to the most contradictory scenes of local nightlife, indeed the project was born in the underground bars of Berlin. On their lakeside sojourn, they paid a quotidianal visit to the neighborhood watering hole, where a "No Problems" playlist -- parts 1 to 5 -- blared out of the jukebox and semi-anonymous players lost themselves in a blur of numbers and fruit as the slot machines whirred and flashed at one end of the room. Many a Euro coin was lost here, but a valuable concentrate seeped through the ether which would allow new tracks to grow. The magic ultimately reached completion in the converted studio suite; a pile of analog synthesizers and rhythm machines, a Studer desk, computer, a vocal booth in the shower. Irregular working hours, and paradoxical daily routines caused considerable friction and, at times, the two musicians worked separately from each other. One eventful year later, the finishing touches were applied in Vienna 1070, or to be more accurate, in Sam Irl's home studio and the International Major Label Studio just around the corner: "Gelb's Groove" emerged from smoke-laden nothingness in February 2020. The end product was honed with overdubs, refinements and vocals. Finally, the title track, "Der Große Preis", based on supercharged lyrics that had been floating around for some time, was completed with Daniel Meuzard piloting his spaceship-like EMS synthesizer. A month later, cultural activities came to an end and Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge had their debut album in the bag, like one big promise.