"NYC's 75 Dollar Bill began its prolific career in 2012, after percussionist Rick Brown -- a veteran of the indie underground (Fish & Roses, Run On, V-Effect) -- and noise scene guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Che Chen -- connected via MySpace. Since that initial jam session, when Brown began experimenting with his signature plywood crate drum rhythms, they have released three LPs and a clutch of self-released cassette and digital releases. Last year's double album I Was Real received serious critical acclaim -- The Wire calling it 2019's Album of the Year. On their first live album, Live At Tubby's, 75 Dollar Bill assembled a unique 'little big band' [Sue Garner on bass, Cheryl Kingan on sax, Steve Maing on guitar, Jim Pugliese on percussion and Karen Waltuch on viola] for the small Kingston, NY club show. Recorded on the last day of their spring tour, the record puts a new perspective on themes from their body of work: a little more intimacy, a little more freedom, a little more controlled chaos. Brown's idiosyncratic rhythms are all the more hypnotizing in Tubby's cozy setting, and Chen's furious guitar work cuts and hums with sounds seemingly only attainable on stage. It's an album both challenging and immediate. The expanded 75 Dollar Bill's affinity for improvisation and the avant-garde even leads to a rousing take on the Ornette Coleman classic, 'Friends And Neighbors' that feels right at home in their own repertoire. The listener can't help but feel present and part of the communal joy and catharsis being shared here in this room. This performance at Tubby's turned out not only to be the last show of their tour, but the last show possible as the pandemic hit. Originally offered as a digital only release on 75 Dollar Bill's Bandcamp, Live At Tubby's now documents a highlight and closure of sorts; this kind of musical improvisation and community interaction being on hold for the foreseeable future. This double album on Grapefruit will have to tide everyone over until it can all happen again."
Naomi Yang has been threatening to get this book together for years, but the Trump Virus shutdown finally goaded her onto action. Inspired by oddball community cookbooks through the ages, this is a heavily annotated collection of recipes involving simple techniques and common ingredients. In this instance, the community represented is the musical sub-underground of Western Massachusetts and beyond. Mr. Coley is a home cook, whose professional restaurant experience mostly involves dishwashing. But over the last quarter century he has fed family, friends, traveling musicians and large events at his house, the Yod Space, Feeding Tube Records/Rox Art, and various other places. Accompanied by his own commentary, as well as that of those who have et his vittles, this book should be as useful as reading material in the bathroom, as it is for instruction in the kitchen. Designed by Naomi Yang, contributors include Steve Albini, Elisa Ambrogio, Kristin Anderson, Alan Bishop, Julie Cafritz, Benoit Chaput, Ben Chasny, Addie Coley, Hud Coley, Chris Corsano, Beth Crawford, Dave Crouch, Alison Darrow, Abby Drake, Lauren Dunn, Lili Dwight, Valle Dwight, Ilene Gerhardt, Tom Givan, Jim Glaspole, Kim Gordon, Emily Hubley, Georgia Hubley, Michael Hurley, Dan Ireton, Pat Ireton, Glenn Jones, Elaine Kahn, Heather Kaplow, Andrew Kesin, Maria Kozic, Matt Krefting, Damon Krukowski, Michio Kurihara, Willie Lane, Ted Lee, Tom Leonard, Lida Lewis, J Mascis, Cynthia Meadows, Amy Mehaffey, Roger Miller, John Moloney, Coco Gordon Moore, Thurston Moore, Bill Nace, Alden O'Donaghue, Kerstin Park-Labella, Charles Plymell, Lauisa Reichenheim, Wayne Rogers, Aaron Rosenblum, Kevin Sahagian, Dave Schramm, John Shaw, Jacqueline Sheridan, Nora Smith, Jack Tieleman, Matt Valentine, Kate Village, Naomi Yang. Ringbound; 194 pp.
Sunbeam Records present a double-CD reissue of Wizz Jones's self-titled release, originally released in 1969. An undisputed giant of modern folk and one of the finest acoustic guitarists Britain has ever produced, Wizz Jones has been cited as an influence by stars including Rod Stewart and Keith Richards, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Folk Awards in 2019. His first solo LP appeared 50 years earlier, and receives its first-ever reissue here. A beguiling mixture of standards and originals with his outstanding playing to the fore throughout, it's unlike anything else he ever recorded. It's presented here in both its mono and stereo mixes, together with an insert containing background notes and rare images, and a repro shop flier from the original time of release. Double-CD digipack with eight-page booklet.
Listening to these nine tracks it is hard to believe that this version of Fleetwood Man had only a few weeks left to run. An acid-damaged Peter Green would leave six weeks after this gig and they would never sound this good again. This high-quality BBC recording includes contemporary hits such as "The Green Manalishi" and "Rattlesnake Shake" as well as album tracks featuring the melodic skills of Danny Kirwan ("World In Harmony", "Underway") and some unreleased rockers from Jeremy Spencer ("Tiger", "Great Balls Of Fire"). Full sleeve notes and credits included.
Red and purple vinyl. Italian producer Clap! Clap! returns to Bristol's Black Acre with his third album, Liquid Portraits. Born and raised in Florence, Cristiano Crisci's musical career extends back to the mid-90s where he started out as a rapper, before picking up a saxophone and exploring both jazz and jazz/punk fusion with Trio Cane, and then returning to his electronic roots with A Smile For Timbuctu project. By 2008, Crisci decided to strike it out on his own as Digi G'Alessio, channeling the same hip-hop meets electronic music energies as those animating the nascent Los Angeles beat scene. Soon Crisci hit upon a new formula when he started combining samples from the African continent with energetic drum programming. The results led to the birth of Clap! Clap! in 2013, which has since been recognized and supported by the likes of Paul Simon and Gilles Peterson. Crisci released his first and second albums Tayi Bebba (ACRE 006LP, 2014) and A Thousand Skies (ACRE 009LP, 2016) via Black Acre. Clap! Clap!'s third album once again deploys his inimitable technique in fine style, however with new eyes as this new project signifies a definite shift in his work having spent the last few years learning the art of mixing which has led to some breakthroughs: "In recent years I've spent a lot of time studying essential mixing techniques. I then built an acoustic-treated room and set up my new studio. I started to convert digital into analog and vice versa with good converters and achieved sounds that I've never heard before from my speakers. This had a huge positive impact on my mixes and result on my music." Entitled Liquid Portraits, the album -- as the name suggests -- is a collection of sonic paintings, an attempt at capturing furtive, subconscious memories through sound. The tracks reference trips Crisci took and people he met -- from southern Italy to Hokkaido via the Kif Mountains of Morocco -- as well as more abstract ideas of loss, calmness, and childhood. Having been approached by Paul Simon to work on his 2016 album Stranger To Stranger after Simon discovered Tayi Bebba through his son, Clap! Clap! is no stranger to collaborations and this album features a small cast of talents, such as Italy percussionist Domenico Candellori ("Southern Dub"), Belgian artist Martha Da'ro ("Moving On"), harpist Kety Fusco ("Rising Fire"), and Piero Spitilli ("Liquid Portraits").
Herself is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Gioele Valenti, also known as JuJu in more recent years (Fuzz Club) or as part of the psych project Lay Llama's. Herself's work was described by critics as the harmonious meeting between Sparklehorse, Gravenhurst, and Will Oldham. Valenti's songwriting takes inspiration from low-fidelity apocalyptic folk, crooning and pop; boasting a rather extensive discography. Well rooted in tradition, his music often ventures in the realms of subtle experimentation. Rigel Playground prepares the listener for a journey through cosmic folk, in which traditional Brit pop flirts with an alt vein, as if the Beatles and Sparklehorse would meet the torments of Nick Drake and the intimacy of a Mike Scott. Continuing a long list of illustrious collaborations (Amaury Cambuzat of Ulan Bator, John Fallon of The Steppes, Capra Informis of GOAT, among others), the prestigious guest on this record is Jonathan Donahue from Mercury Rev, a group of absolute prominence in the international indie panorama, which in addition to having lent his voice to the single "The Beast of Love" -- as Herself says -- informs the essence of the entire record. Not surprisingly Mercury Rev chose Herself to support them during their Italian tour in 2019.
LP version. Perhaps best known as the upside-down, guitar-wielding front man of psych-legends The Entrance Band, and solo albums released under the ENTRANCE moniker, notably 2004's country blues epic Wandering Stranger (Fat Possum), 2006's self-released cult classic, Prayer of Death (which led to the formation of The Entrance Band), and most recently 2017's Book of Changes (Thrill Jockey), Guy Blakeslee has typically used his own name to release his most experimental and confounding records. Postcards From The Edge is no exception. Nearly two decades into a lifer's voyage of shapeshifting through shadowy realms of the American underground, Guy Blakeslee, poses these and other conundrums on his dramatic new album, Postcards From The Edge. Recorded in New Orleans at the house studio of Preservation Hall Jazz Band, with former Sonic Ranch engineer and producer, Enrique Tena Padilla (Oh Sees, Wand), and featuring appearances from singers Lael Neale, Hale May, Rachel Fannan, and drummer Derek James of The Entrance Band, Postcards From The Edge is electrified by the spirit of sonic experimentation, and the fervent desire to chart a map into unknown territory. Across the record's seven tracks, Blakeslee's questing lyrics teem with stormy emotion, his plaintive voice finding succor in richly-textured melodies that soar over lushly-produced soundscapes, always on the verge of collapse. A wandering soul who has spent the better part of his musical life on the road, Blakeslee, a Baltimore native and LA transplant currently residing in the wilds of Virginia, has supported the likes of Spiritualized, Beach House, Cat Power, Mazzy Star, Interpol, and Father John Misty to name a few. "Seven tracks of questioning, tremulous, occasionally beautiful gospel-psych" --Uncut Magazine.
2021 repress. "Debuting in 1988 as a self-released 8xCassette boxset, Chapter Eleven collects the solo recordings (1976 - 1987) from one of the earliest members of the US Industrial Noise scene, coalescing a wide swath of influences and culling experimental techniques into inventive new terrain. Carefully remastered from the original tapes, this deluxe reissue is a long-awaited rescue from obscurity. 4xCDs -- Over 4 hours of music. Remastered by John Wiese. Co-Released by Hanson Records and Helicopter." "Turman seemed to have taken over where the last of the great synth based kraut artists left off in the 70's, infusing the spiritual meditation music with his own brand of loop hypnosis, slowly moving drones, industrial patterns, guitar fuzz, and even some in-your-face 80's style synth work" --IMPOSE Magazine.
University Challenged are Ajay Saggar ("Bhajan Bhoy"), Oli Heffernan ("Ivan The Tolerable"), and Kohhei Matsuda ("Bo Ningen"). The trio began in 2019, playing shows in Holland, where they gained a reputation for delivering highly dynamic sense-rattling shows, ranging from gentle melodic orchestral spinouts to epic power jams, all backed by beautiful self-made films in the background. The plan had always been to record an album, and get the collective musical force and spirit cemented to vinyl. Many months of hard work and focus paid dividends with the majestic eight-track double album Oh Temple! ready to be delivered to the world at large. Mixed and produced by Ajay Saggar at his Soundation Studio in Holland in the summer of 2020, and mastered by Oli Heffernan in England. This is a beautiful collection of tracks where the pioneering spirit of the three artists allowed them to cross musical boundaries with their bold and accomplished playing to forge eight unique and mesmeric numbers. While there is commonality in the artists approach to music, there are a wide variety of styles -- kosmische musik, electronic experimentation, deep spiritual jazz, modern classical, pastoral guitar soli, and more. These tracks sound fresh and revealing now, and will certainly do so for a long time to come.
KRAFTWERK
Soest Live (Picture Disc) PIC. DISC
One of the most influential bands in the last five decades, Kraftwerk virtually established the blueprint, the source code even for electronic music. Founded by classically trained musicians Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleban in Dusseldorf in 1970, the band has informed and inspired a diverse range of genres and artists including David Bowie, Björk, Afrika Bambaataa, and Joy Division. This early live performance, in Soest, Germany in Winter 1970, broadcast on WDR-TV displays the band in superb form. Arguably, the future of electronic music, trance, techno, ambient -- started right here. 180 gram picture disc, with insert. Die cut sleeve.
VA
Spiritual Jazz 13: NOW Part 1 CD
Modern sounds for the 21st century featuring modal, progressive and esoteric contemporary jazz from the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Finland, USA, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Germany, and Italy. The first 12 volumes of Jazzman Records' hugely popular Spiritual Jazz series have unearthed a wealth of historic recordings in the genre, collating a variety of works from the '50s to the '80s by artists from all around the world. And so, with Volume 13, the label turn their attention to what's happening NOW. Over the course of 24 tracks and spanning two sets, Jazzman Records present an overview of the contemporary exponents of spiritual jazz; musicians who are intent on bringing something personal to the table, as much as they recognize the importance of those who have paved the way for them. We feature music recorded within the past 20 years and from 15 different countries, including modern classics from veterans Steve Reid and Idris Ackamoor, providing a vital link between the past masters and the enlightened new generation. It's pioneers such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, et al, with their innovations in reaching another plane of consciousness that was and remains uppermost in the minds of exponents of spiritual jazz. Fittingly, several of the artists featured on this compilation, such as Cat Toren and David Boykin, are practitioners of the art of music therapy and sound healing, and have absolute conviction in the role of song as solace. The pioneers may no longer be with us, but their saintly selves loom large, shining a light in the darkness, inspiring many a brave new disciple today, as this album will testify: the new wave of jazz is gathering pace and still sounds fresh, vibrant and as relevant as ever. Extensive liners with pictures. Features Benjamin Herman, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, Nat Birchall, Chip Wickham, Jimi Tenor And Kabukabu, Black Flower, Darryl Yokley, Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble, Oiro Pena, Cat Toren, Shabaka & The Ancestors, and Makaya McCraven.
Magic Box present a reissue of The Third Power's Believe, originally released 1970. This psychedelic power trio emerged from the same Detroit scene that spawned the MC5 and the Stooges (with whom they shared many bills), and have been described as Detroit's answer to Cream. Their sole album originally appeared in May 1970, and is widely regarded as one of the best underground hard rock records of the era. It makes its long-awaited return to vinyl here, complete with an insert containing background notes and images. Includes CD which features two bonus tracks.
2021 repress. "Four new chapters from Nicolás Jaar in Telas. Here, again, it's the odder and more essence-like devotion to sound that is semi-narrative, ambient, and concrète that we heard and were drawn to in Pomegranates. Telas gestures towards a more refined tone, with less sudden shifts and vignettes, incrementally shaping an hour of self-reflective music with tracks building and collapsing across its vinyl sides. When Telas was first drafted and presented to Mana it felt appropriate to mention a sense of monastic retreat. Where Pomegranates often felt epic-like in its scope and shifting scales, this album conveys images of quieter moments spent tending to a vegetable patch within a cloistered garden, perhaps, or the threading of a tapestry with filigree. Nicolás often moves slowly and deliberately throughout, focused on manipulating gauzy fibres and room tone or fluttering around other cryptic actors, so that when bursts of clarity and emotion appear they take on a deeper character. There's a greater sense of contemplation and patience in the album's logic, pointing to a conception of art, melody, and sound which is continuously under construction. In relationship with sister-album Cenizas and surface qualities of recent Against All Logic material it feels that there's a centre being defined and meditated upon. Telas was made between December 2016 and January 2020." Black & clear vinyl in gatefold jacket, with art by Somnath Bhatt.
WITCH
Introduction (Red Vinyl) LP
Opaque red vinyl version. "Our comprehensive overview of Zambia's premier garage-, psych-, prog-, funk-,Afro-rock ensemble Witch, We Intend To Cause Havoc!, is now sold out in its 6LP box set form. So we are making the first four Witch albums available in archival reissue form. As with our box set, the audio is nigh-perfect -- restored and remastered from the original master tapes. The entirety of Witch's first album, restored and remastered from master tapes, and presented as an archival reissue. Witch's musical arc is contained to a five year span and, in retrospect, is a logical one. The band's first two, self-produced albums - released in unison with the birth of the commercial Zambian recording industry -- are exuberant experiments in garage rock, and are as influenced by the Rolling Stones as they are James Brown. Thus Introduction, their first, is the perfect starting point for anyone interested in delving into the Witch band, or Zamrock in general."
2021 repress, black vinyl. "Animated sci-fi masterpiece La Planète Sauvage (aka Fantastic Planet), winner at Cannes Film Festival in 1973, is a bizarre and beautiful film. Towering blue-skinned figures, tiny humanoids in the midst of revolt, and drug-induced Tantric sex transport viewers to a truly magical setting. Composer Alain Goraguer creates an equally hypnotic score from a palette of effects-laden guitars, flutes, Fender Rhodes, and strings. While the lush arrangements are reminiscent of Goraguer's collaborations with Serge Gainsbourg in the 1960s, space-age synth flourishes suggest a more psychedelic era. Moody vignettes flow together in tense, slow-paced funk rhythms and Baroque textures. It comes as no surprise that La Planète Sauvage has been cited as an influence on contemporary artists such as French duo Air and American hip-hop producers J Dilla and Madlib. Gorgeous, interplanetary soundscapes resemble the surreal meeting point between Pink Floyd's Obscured by Clouds and Broadcast's Future Crayon. This long out-of-print vinyl release features the original soundtrack recording and newly designed artwork. Recommended for fans of Ennio Morricone, Basil Kirchin, and David Axelrod."
Montreal-based producer and DJ Slick Shoota releases Function, his debut LP and first solo release on the Teklife imprint. A native of Norway known for his renowned Oslo club night Ball Em Up, he's been a member of the elite crew since 2015, contributing tracks to the label's compilations such as On Life Vol. 2 and VIP Trax. Using a unique palate that combines both traditional footwork drums and eclectic otherworld sonics, this album expands on the signature sound he's been brewing during the course of his career, celebrating his longtime love of the Chicago soundscape, with a healthy helping of UK rave, jungle, and vibes from other fast paced club realms. Slick starts the record off with "Hovercraft", a big burly mutant rap beat riding a glowing titanic wave of jungle subbass, with vicious hi-hats stabbing through the mix. "Desire Path" follows with hysterical horns cruising along a stampede of erratic Chicago percussion. A glitchy, malfunctioning computer meets drumline stomps on "See Me Flex", resulting in a psychotic, yet psychedelic sci-fi soundscape. Ultra-distorted hardcore kicks open up "Jellyneck", dropping straight into a dungeon of ghostly vocals and headlong toms. "Warehouse 2K" opens up the B-side with R&B chops and lasers floating on a charming cloud of pulsating pads. Mad doppler sirens loop around your head on "Delahaze", as distant clangs and crashes fight an impatient, throbbing bassline. Classic rave atmospheres are met with Slick's elegant sound design on "MTL Hardcore", his ode to his adoptive city. The album closes off with "Special Tek", channeling the signature quirky drum sounds of the late DJ Rashad over a pounding, fast paced house beat, a wonderful nod to the windy city and its influential sonic culture. Carving out his own sound from the legacies of Chicago, the UK, and other underground club hotspots, Slick Shoota has found his own recognizable voice within these realms of dance music, and this LP serves as documentation of that solidified voice. Years of studying the masters and immersing himself with their work has clearly paid off, and he's respectfully taking these sounds he loves in exciting new directions. Bridging gaps both historical and geographical, Function marks a pivotal point in his career, and is clear evidence that Slick Shoota is vital member of the legendary Teklife family.
"Mamer: Beijing's free rock/free music singer and instrumentalist tunes into some deep cosmic vibrations. The Primer: Carla Bley Daniel Spicer provides a user's guide to the recordings, collaborations, experiments and standards that make up the back catalogue of the great jazz composer and pianist. Invisible Jukebox: Mark Fell x Rian Treanor South Yorkshire's premier electronic music family unit enter The Wire's mystery listening pod. Global Ear: Lockdown and social distancing in countries around the world has sparked a renaissance in broadcasting from Brazil to Georgia, South America to South Europe. By Amanda Cavalcanti and Matthew Collin. Unlimited Editions: Jazz In Britain Brian Morton reveals how archive specialists Jazz In Britain are unlocking hot takes from the 1950s, 60s and beyond. Plus interviews with Rob Noyes, Altın Gün, Hiele and more."
2021 repress. "Originally recorded direct to disc and released by Incus in 1978, this new edition from Treader is pressed from the original stampers. Hand-finished sleeve. 'Parker uses rapid tonguing techniques and circular breathing to create a sound all his own, marked by the simultaneous intonation of multiple notes. One hears a note as well as all the residual tones around it; each breath ends up sounding like a battle between the different registers of the horn. At various times, Parker's saxophone sounds like dolphin speech, electronic tape squeals, or human murmurs; namely, anything but what it actually is. His language on the instrument is essential listening for anyone interested in acoustic experimental music' --AllMusic. 'Eight years after Topography Of The Lungs, and two years after his Saxophone Solos, Monoceros was the most muscular statement of Evan Parker's solo saxophone muse. Superbly recorded, it seemed to place the listener within the chaotic air flows of the saxophone's own tubing. Philip Clark said: 'Parker's dialogue with the saxophone throws up so much that is unexpected, and indeed unknowable, that the problem he faces is how to keep pace with his own invention' --The Wire, Best Albums Of The Year."
SPARE SNARE
The Complete BBC Radio Sessions 1995-2018 3CD BOX
A beautifully presented clamshell box set, featuring 42 tracks over three CDs in card sleeves and a 36-page booklet featuring photographs and full details from the sessions. Containing three John Peel Sessions, two Marc Riley Sessions, and numerous Radio Scotland Sessions, it would be rude not to mention and include the track the band did for Aled Jones on BBC Radio 2. The only band to do sessions for both Peel and Jones. Two tracks have never been "aired" before, including a jingle for Peel. The sessions were recorded at BBC Studios in Maida Vale, Salford BBC Glasgow and includes a live on-air set from the original 13th Note, Glasgow. The artwork is based on the original BBC Study Series from the 1960s, while the art of the CD labels is based on BBC Sound Effect 7" singles. This box has been fully authorized and signed off by the BBC and is licensed to the band's main man, Jan Burnett of Chute Records. All 42 tracks have been sourced and mastered specifically for this release.
MOONDOG
The Viking of Sixth Avenue 2LP
2020 restock, originally released in 2005. Tremendous gatefold presentation and one of HJR's most impressive documents to date.
Poet, composer, street musician and cosmologist Moondog (Louis Thomas Hardin, 1916-1999) learned rhythm from American Indians and counterpoint from J.S. Bach. Many of his recordings feature instruments he built himself: trimba, yukh, tuji, oo. Sometimes you can hear in the background the streets of New York, where Moondog often slept. In addition, he was blind, due to an accident when he was 15. Sometime in the 1950s, fed up with being mistaken on the street for Christ (his regular busking spot was uptown on Sixth) Moondog put on a Viking costume, with spear and horned helmet; and he dressed like this until the late 1970s (by which time he was working with orchestras in Germany). Moondog's renown was extensive: Igor Stravinsky lobbied a judge on Moondog's behalf. Charlie Parker wanted to play with him, Julie Andrews DID play with him, and he was feted by the likes of Bob Dylan, Marlon Brando, and Steve Reich. Andy Warhol's mother designed one of his covers, and Weegee took photographs of him (included in the booklet). Janis Joplin covered him, Mr. Scruff owes him badly, and Antony and the Johnsons covers his songs. This is the first retrospective of Moondog's music -- 36 tracks from 1949-1995, most of them exceptionally rare, all of them miraculous.
Magic Box present a reissue of Rebecca and The Sunnybrook Farmers' Birth, originally released in 1969. This Pittsburgh-based band's unique blend of folk, pop, jazz, and acid rock originally appeared in the US in mid-1969, and has its first vinyl reissue here, together with a repro of its original insert. Boasting no fewer than three female singers, they played ballads, pop songs, and freaky psychedelic rock with complex arrangements incorporating electric guitar, violin and sitar. Despite gigging with acts such as Jethro Tull, Alice Cooper, and Blood, Sweat & Tears, they didn't break through, leaving behind only this neglected gem. Includes insert.
Magic Box present a reissue of Pirana II, originally released in 1972. Pirana's Santana-influenced progressive rock was a big hit with Australian audiences in the early '70s. With Tony Hamilton's superb lead guitar to the fore and new organist Keith Greig, their second album -- originally issued in December 1972 -- is unquestionably their best, and makes its long-overdue return to vinyl here. Complete with original gatefold artwork and an insert containing background notes and rare images.
"With The Empty Bridge, Marc Barreca again exploits his distinct talent for translating landscapes into sound. The music was created in and reflects the influence of contrasting environments -- the beauty and stillness of the Cascade Mountains and the muted industrial nightscape of the Duwamish Waterway, complete with its massive, nowcondemned, empty freeway bridge. The pieces are sculpted from layers of synthesized and sampled instruments, field recordings and processed vinyl. With these sources, Barreca achieves a level of compositional sophistication that deftly combines elements of ambient, drone, noise, and sound art with contrapuntal lines running above and below the dense and shifting aural environments. Composed during a period of tranquil isolation -- isolation created by a global pandemic, a broken concrete link to the city, and a remote mountain cabin -- The Empty Bridge evokes immersive, evolving, contrasting landscapes."
Sunbeam Records present a reissue of Raw Material's self-titled release, originally released in 1970. Raw Material made little impact on the crowded London scene in the late '60s and early '70s, but their blend of prog, psych, and jazz has gone on to become a firm favorite with cognoscenti all over the world. Their classic debut album was originally issued in October 1970, and receives its definitive reissue with this deluxe double-CD. As well as the full album, it features both sides of all three singles they'd made to date, as well as the whole of the Sounds Progressive LP they'd released under a pseudonym. The set includes a 16-page booklet offering detailed background notes (drawing on original interviews) and copious photos and promo materials, as well as a reproduction of the promo poster sent to a few UK record shops at the time. Double-CD digipack with 16-page booklet.
2021 repress. "Vanguard musicians have long been fascinated with the liminal state. From Richard D. James' famous experiments with lucid dreaming to the 'hypnagogic pop' movement of the late 2000s, the half-conscious zone has often been seen as a portal to unhinged creativity. Enter CS + Kreme, a Melbourne duo who have released a few low-key but excellent singles of heavy-lidded pop for the likes of Total Stasis and The Trilogy Tapes. On their debut double-LP, Snoopy, Conrad Standish and Sam Karmel make good on the promise of those early records. Across eight circuitous tracks, they transcend stylish, slo-mo electronic post-punk and arrive in an as-yet-unexplored territory with rules dictated only by their own dream logic." --Resident Advisor Features composer James Rushford and Jonnine Standish (HTRK)
2020 repress, originally released in 2013. Barcelona's Belgrado return with their second album Siglo XXI and first for La Vida Es Un Mus. The 11-track album melds dark and dreamy goth and post punk with a stunning and clear production. The bass leads and drives each track into the batcave whilst the vocals yearn and ache on top. This record has a clear '80s English influence (Killing Joke, Vex, A Touch of Hysteria, Blood and Roses, etc.) but it also very modern-day Barcelona with the reverb as important as an instrument and totally DIY. 2011's excellent self-titled LP has been bettered in sound, production and song. The LP comes in a thick black and white sleeve with artwork from drummer Jonathan Sirit. Also includes a 30x30 insert, an extra lyric sheet and a 40x55 poster.
Of absolute dynamic accord. Harmonized polar motion of temporally phased rhythm. Multi-parallel integration of circuitry on the atomic level. All of these descriptives apply to the latest masterwork from Dadub: Hypersynchron. 12 tracks displaying the furthest travels through quantum bass space, from collaborators Daniele Antezza and Marco Donnarumma. From the sinister to the breathtaking; in a world where an inverse red sun is damped by burgundy clouds over crimson alloy alleys, Hypersynchron is not an easy digestible or disposable work. Its rhythms set a future standard perfectly balanced across the farthest known and unknown spectra of electronic music, with bass technology so alien and precise that it may indeed take centuries to reverse engineer. Grooves from a hidden galaxy on axis-tilt just out-of-reach from our world, longing to join with our human planet interpretation of time. Presented across two slabs of heavy wax, accompanied by a remake from the Dark Lord himself, Scorn. Audio ayahuasca for the dimensionally adventurous.
Repressed; LP version. Blue vinyl. Ride guitarist/singer Andy Bell releases his debut solo album. The product of a gradual, four-year process and finished during lockdown, the album was entirely written and recorded by Andy, engineered by Gem Archer and mastered by Heba Kadry. Back in 2016, Andy was inspired by David Bowie's death to be more proactive about finishing his songs, more confident about sharing them and to channel all of this into finally making a solo album. He laid down some tracks in former Beady Eye and Oasis bandmate Gem's studio, but got diverted when Ride's live reunion blossomed into a full return. A run of two albums, an EP and two world tours later, it would take a pandemic to give Andy the space to complete The View From Halfway Down. From the ecstatic psych pop of "Love Comes In Waves", to the heady loops of "Indica" and deeply groove-led "Skywalker", the eight tracks mix summery melodies with soundscapes and studio experimentation. The end result sits neatly between Ride's widescreen shoegaze and GLOK's textured electronics, variously inspired by The Stone Roses, Spacemen 3, The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beta Band, Stereolab, Neu!, Can, John Fahey, The Kinks, The La's, The Who, and the United States Of America. As for the album title, it comes from a particularly dark episode of BoJack Horseman and a poem that scriptwriter Alison Tafel wrote for the penultimate show. The spoiler-free version of the story goes like this: "The poem describes someone committing suicide by jumping to their death and the regret the protagonist experiences when he sees 'the view from halfway down'. Although, of course, it's too late to change what's going to happen. I read this poem as having a message of suicide prevention: if you could see the view from halfway down, you would never go through with anything that would end your life. I've never been suicidal, but I felt really moved by this brilliant poem when I watched the show during Ride's US tour in Autumn 2019 . . . The early stages of lockdown, you could feel the tension in the air, causing what felt like a global panic attack. But, in common with what I've heard from others who can experience anxiety for no reason in their everyday lives, I felt strangely calm in the midst of all of this, seeing things in my life very clearly. Such clarity allowed me to finally compile this record..."
Paradox: a doubtful statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. When a spark ignites between two musicians, the state of flow can be achieved. Usually, a fleeting sensation, but when captured, it is an unstoppable force. The coming together of Jeff Mills and Jean-Phi Dary came from a collaborative project with the late great Tony Allen and created chemistry instantly. Both being cognizant of the skilled innate improvisation that was happening in small jam sessions, they conceived the concept for their collaborative project: The Paradox. They believed that this uncompromising freedom and the manifestation of new ideas allowed them to reach a higher level of spiritual consciousness within their work. Recorded in real-time; these compositions reflect captured spontaneous actions which concede honesty and truth. Jean-Phi Dary is an enriched musical soul of Guyanese descent. The French artist has rhythm infused with his being, taking influence from his father's taste in Afro Cuban and Kompa music, in which he fused with his desire for jazz, reggae, and funk. This melting pot of rhythm manifested in the organ initially, before playing bass in a Caribbean orchestra. The multi-instrument musician had an indubitable flare for keyboard and piano and began to make waves in clubs in the 1980s in the south of France before moving to Paris. Proving to be the catalyst of his musical journey, he has played and collaborated with the likes of Papa Wemba, Peter Gabriel, Paco Sery, and Phoenix. With a career spanning decades, it has taken him everywhere playing Afrobeat, jazz, soul and a plethora of others, all the while contributing to over twenty albums. Jeff Mills is known the world over, performing in nearly all four corners of the globe. Cutting his teeth during a legendary precursory period of techno in Detroit, as The Wizard, he became an influential figure with the Underground Resistance. Mills soon took shape as a multifaced artist molded by his passion for space and science-fiction. He launched the legendary Axis label in 1992, and his reach started to broaden over the occurring decades. A mercurial talent, he has countless collaborations such as Emile Parisien, Mikhail Rudy, Mari Samuelsen, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Tony Allen, over a myriad of fields: cine-mixes, orchestral concerts, DVD projects and performances in prestige art institutions. Personnel: Jean-Phi Dary - keyboards/synthesizer; Jeff Mills - drum machine/synthesizer; Herve Samb - guitar (on "Super Solid"). Recorded at Studio Ferber, One Two Pass It, Midilive Studios, Paris.
Double LP version. "These newly remastered editions of Bill Fox's second album are the first since its 1998 release, including the first-ever vinyl pressing. Listeners will hear a wider soundstage, more detail, and improved listenability. Recorded on 4-track cassette, the fidelity belies the sophistication and nuance of the songwriting, This adept remaster by John Golden Sr helps bring definition to the intimate, at-home feel of the album. It sparkles. Very similar in feel and quality to Fox's debut album, much of Transit Byzantium draws from the same group of recordings. It has the same feel of musical inevitability, that the songs exist beyond time itself, their eventual manifestation guaranteed by Apollo. He could've given them to the Everly Brothers, or the Byrds, or the Who, but instead they were channeled through an everyman from Cleveland with an aversion to the limelight. And while a traditional folk influence colors several songs, even those possess the indelible stamp of Fox's charismatic voice and personality. Although nearly entirely acoustic and with minimal percussion, these eighteen songs cycle through a remarkable variety of textures and moods. While much has quite rightly been written about the god-tier songwriting here ('Song of a Drunken Nightingale,' 'My Baby Crying,' 'I'll Give It Away' for starters), it should also be noted that this is a guitar player's record, though more in terms of conception than flash. Lines of harmony and counterpoint wander between parts, sublime in their invention though sometimes crudely documented."
"Fantastic new LP by this Brooklyn quintet, most of whom are deeply involved in the legendary Sunview Luncheonette scene. The roots of Jantar lie in a nameless experimental duo formed by Chad Laird and Tianna Kennedy in 2005 or so, but this duo has evolved into a working band with two distinct creative strategies. One of their aims in make 'experimental easy listening music,' which involves working angles that are similar to film music, although perhaps with a bit of Stereolab poured on top. Their other mode is more overtly rockoid, and that was the intent when they recorded Sempronia in the summer of 2017. While the sounds here do have moments of cinematic heft, the main thrust has a sheen that reminds me of updated examples of Canterbury classicism (specifically Soft Machine, Hatfield & Gong) as well a certain sophisticated element of the West Coast underground of the early '80s (Monitor, Romans, Fibinaccis, etc.) Without any kind of the nostalgic twaddle that haunts most contemporary stabs in the Canterbury direction, Jantar's music uses elements of the sound to create new kinds of rock. Meaning it's informed by such bands rather than indebted to their four-eyed legacy. Great keyboard tones, rhythm clumps, vocals and all else. The music on Sempronia is a wonderful convergence of a lot disparate threads that manage to meld together better than anyone could dream. As sweet and smart as any pie. Honest." --Byron Coley, 2021
"Double picture disc LP of this monumental album by Nurse With Wound, strictly limited and numbered to 300 copies. This special edition of 'Lumb's Sister' contains a front-retro poster (cm 60x60) and the standard gatefold cover!"
2021 repress. Purple vinyl, exclusive color pressing for USA, 300 only. Long awaited vinyl reissue of Nurse With Wound's classic second album, To The Quiet Men From A Tiny Girl, originally released in 1980. Packaged in an outer sleeve that replicates the original United Dairies issue and also has a replica of the Steven Stapleton designed insert.
2021 repress. Clear vinyl, exclusive color pressing for USA, 300 only. Long awaited vinyl reissue of Nurse With Wound's classic third album, Merzbild Schwet, originally released in 1980. Packaged in an outer sleeve that replicates the original United Dairies issue and has a brand-new Steven Stapleton designed full color insert.
R.I.P. Milford Graves, 1941-2021. Please watch the amazing Jake Meginsky documentary film "Milford Graves Full Mantis" if you haven't had the chance (streaming freely in the world).
Corbett Vs. Dempsey presents a reissue of Milford Graves's Bäbi, originally issued in 1977 on Graves's own IPS label. This is the first reissue of one of the most legendary albums in the history of free music. Recorded live in concert in 1976, when Graves' trio with saxophonists Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover was at the height of its powers, Bäbi is a testament to the absolutely unique approach the drummer had established for himself. He had reconfigured the drum kit, removing the second heads on all the drums and replacing the snare with two toms, which allowed him a much more nuanced sense of indirectness in his multi-directional adventures in time. The track "Ba" remains one of the most astonishing feats of percussion alchemy ever waxed, as funky as ten slap bassists and as free as an exploding grenade. Doyle and Glover are incendiary, too, inspired by Graves to new and shocking heights of achievement, their hoarse cries and whistling split-tones carried to thrilling plateaus on the energy of Graves' hands and feet. The original tapes for the session have been lost, so the reissue was lovingly remastered from virgin vinyl, itself now worth a mint. In 2017, Graves discovered a previously unknown tape in his archives featuring the same trio at its inception, in home recordings made seven years earlier, in 1969. Graves pummels a huge gong while Glover plays an instrument that, after sounding like none ever known, turns out to be bass clarinet. Extreme music recorded up close and very hot, it is among the most searing sessions never heard, until now. Rounding out the two-CD package are three previously unpublished photos by Gérard Rouy, and the original LP cover design by Graves himself.
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Live In Amsterdam 1970 LP
BBC Sunday Concert April 9th 1970 LP
For Sake Of Joy Of Study Of Oneself Together CD
Live At OTOOTO & Permian CD
The Boye Multi-National Crusade For Harmony 7CD
Buyepongo Vs Quitapenas 7"
Shelter From The Smoke 2LP
Go Out And Get 'Em, Boy!: Tales From The Wedding Present: Volume One Of The Official Autobiography Book
Like Author, Like Daughter 2LP
Flesh Of My Skin Blood Of My Blood LP
Chapter Eleven (1976-1987) 4CD
Soest Live (Picture Disc) PIC. DISC
Live In Los Angeles 1969 CD
European Union (Live In The UK & Germany) LP
Dustin E Presents... Cornflake Zoo Episode 23 CD
Evan Parker With Birds LP
Spiritual Jazz 13: NOW Part 1 CD
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