News & Events
Ici d'ailleurs reissues Matt Elliott's last 3 albums in "Songs", a deluxe box containing 7 vinyls including one with 7 unreleased Failed Songs.
January 26, 2010
US CD Killer Pimp PIMPK012
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- V - [MP3]
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Marc Ngyuen - guitar, keyboard and electronic
Guillaume Ollendorff - laptop and electronic
Live en San Antón is the result of a three days session of improvised music committed by Marc Nguyen and Guillaume Ollendorff recorded in the barrio San Antón, in the southern Spanish city of Alicante in April 2008.
Marc & O. have known each other for 13 years: they once worked together for a company that sold missiles and celebrity magazines; they later played and toured together in Marc's electronic-rock band project, called Colder. Guillaume has made music here and there (Tsé, The Mainstream Ensemble, Dust and Chimes) and now, has a life as an independant publisher of Philosophy. After all these years, this is the first time they have actually recorded together.
The intent of Scratoa! should be understood at the very moment you press play. It sounds like it is named. As some kind of big musical lapsus,the kind of ones kids do everyday with toys. A Vomited and improvised - somehow elegant, sometimes not - non sense. A musical role playing game experiment in ten parts, where Tex Avery, Baruch Spinoza and Herbie Hancock's spirits have been called over three nights to conduct a crowd of gorillas, frogs, cats, birds and ducks in heat, forgotten cartoon characters, families of gypsies and guitars, local pagan marching bands, and drunk kids armed with fire crackers.
Experiencing Scratoa! will probably not cure any disease nor it will help you improve some social skills either. But listening to this first session may however be recommended for all these tiny moments of your life when all you fancy is just a good old fix of primitive poetry.
For more information see myspace.com/scratoa
Jason Kahn
"Vanishing Point"
23five CD
The American sound-artist Jason Kahn is an exacting technician when it comes to the principles of noise. However, his application of noise in composition is not that of Merzbow or Masonna, with teeth-gnashing explosions of distortion, feedback, and volume; rather, Kahn’s psychoacoustic techniques employ the specific frequencies of white, pink, brown, and blue noise in works that reflect the ideals of minimalism. These are sounds that regularly occur through the constant vibration of machinery; and Kahn is more than happy to appropriate such events through field recording. He also generates complementary noises through systems that involve the rattling architecture of a drum kit or through his trusted analog synthesizer.
Vanishing Point is a 47 minute composition, which Kahn has dedicated to his daughter who died shortly before Kahn began working on this piece in 2007. For all of the phenomenological studies and stoic mesmerism attributed to much of his catalogue, Vanishing Point is a subtle and hypnotic elegy for rattling metals, timbral vibration, gossamer static, hissing field recordings, and those aforementioned colored noises. Soon into the piece, Kahn introduces a flickered ghost of melody whose luminous tones manifest ever so slightly against his contrails of noise. The upper register hiss and statics of these layered noises slowly drop in pitch and frequency over the duration of the piece, revealing subharmonic rumblings and an oceanic current that tugs at the agitated textures of Kahn’s surface noises. This glacial, minimalist shift renders Vanishing Point elegant and meditative.
In Kahn’s own words, “At first I thought of the title in reference to Louise’s passing, that point where she vanished from our lives, but on further reflection I came to see the compostion as dealing with other vanishing points. I address the idea of one’s sense of time vanishing, being immersed in sound and entering a place of timelessness. There is also the idea of boundaries between electronic and acoustic sound vanishing, as in this piece I draw on both sources. And finally, in the sense of aural perspective extending to the point where we imagine it ending, as the compostion stretches on towards its vista, slowly vanishing.”
http://jasonkahn.net
http://23five.org
LUC FERRARI: Archives Génétiquement Modifiées / Société 2 CD (ROBOT 39)
Robot Records is honored and pleased to present two historic
compositions for the first time on CD by the late, great Luc Ferrari.
The programme opens with "Archives Génétiquement Modifiées"
(Genetically Modified Archives), a work for "memorized sounds"
from 2000. This composition (subtitled: Exploitation of the Concepts 3)
was the third in a series of later pieces in which Mr.Ferrari revisited
aspects of his early concepts and compositional strategies to create
wholly new works. The result here is a very bizarre, sensual, and
beautifully-paced electroacoustic work of aural memories and
(re)collections created by Mr. Ferrari utilizing sounds from his vast
archive of musical activities.
After a short "intermission", the programmecontinues with a true
highlight of Mr.Ferrari's early instrumental workentitled "Société 2"
from 1968. Subtitled "And if the piano were abody of a woman"
(for 4 soloists and 16 instruments), this composition appeared
opposite "Presque Rien" on the legendary Deutsche Grammaphon
LP. "Société 2" may be viewed as an erotically charged piece of
musicaltheatre where the soloists "compete" for the attention of a
woman (the piano).This concerto with its gestures and a fantastic
kaleidescope of styles and color shows the extravagant qualities
of the piano in its "harmony,imagination,and brutality".
Packaged in a full color digipak with 20 page bilingual booklet featuring
Mr. Ferrari's early artwork, notations, and programme notes along with
an extensive commentary by Jim O'Rourke and Jay Sanders.Remastered
sound with audio restoration by fellow INA GRM alumnus Jean Schwarz.
A wonderful glimpe into the world of one of the most legendary,
unique, and inspiring musical figures of the 20th Century.
Please visit www.robotrecords.com for more details and secure online
ordering.
Robot Records
P.O. Box 120004
San Antonio, Texas 78212
U.S.A.
www.robotrecords.com
K-The-I??? offers the world "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow" for the world's listening pleasure. K-The-I??? hopes that all that juicy, golden listening pleasure doesn't cause the world to explode out its ears as he rather likes the world and eats most of his meals there.
Check out the track "Decisions" from Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow here .
Mush Records is proud, like a father who just gave birth through his penis on purpose, to announce our second full-length from K-The-I???, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. The album will be in stores Nov. 7, 2008 which, by all human measurements of time, means that IT IS ALREADY OUT! Imagine that!
His debut, Broken Love Letter, garnered much critical acclaim (and some insignificant acclaim), including over 20 positive reviews and a handful of internet and print based features, including Urb's Next 100, and features in Boston's Weekly Dig and the Boston Phoenix, and more. Also, I put his poster on my bedroom ceiling so...
His latest album, produced is entirely by Thavius Beck, and featuring guest appearances from indie hip-hop luminaries like High Priest (of the newly reuinited Antipop Consortium), Busdriver, Subtitle and Chicago upstart Vyle as well as up-and-coming Los Angeles MCs Nocando (winner of the 2007 Scribble Jam) and Mestizo (projected winner of the yet-to-be-created 2015 Scrabble Jam). We believe this record will continue K-The-I???'s critical and commercial stature, and would like to pitch him for feature press as well as reviews.
To confirm any reviews or set up an interview, please email
Enjoy!
Here is the blurb from our website about sexy, sexy Kiki (K-The-I???)
Mush Records
About Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
K-The-I??? marks a thunderous return to Mush with his latest full-length, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. Production on the album is handled entirely by Thavius Beck, his first project since he finished work on Saul Willaims' Niggy Tardust alongside Trent Reznor. Where his debut, Broken Love Letter, focused on past loves gone wrong, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow is a collection of songs about the MC's cross country relocation, and trying to come to terms with how his life has changed from that. The result is a work of singular focus that catches K-The-I??? at his strongest, dropping ingenious lyrics over Blade Runner beats. The album features a stellar line-up of guest MCs as High Priest of a newly reunited Antipop Consortium, Busdriver, Subtitle, Scribble Jam winner Nocando, Vyle, and Mestizo all drop in. Thavius Beck even leaves the producer's desk and steps in front of the mic for a track. For fans looking for an album that ties hip-hop's past, present and future, K-The-I???'s Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow delivers.
About K-The-I???
Hailing from Cambridge, Mass., but a musical nomad of sorts, K-The-I??? has traversed the USA pushing sonic boundaries with his unique brand of densed-out boom-bap. Armed with a commanding voice and a gritty production aesthetic that recalls Bomb Squad-era Public Enemy and signature Def Jux recordings, he crafts tracks that swell and pulse with an immersive gravity. Making an appearance on Bigg Jus and Orko Eloheem's recent NMS album, Imperial Letters of Protection, K-The-I??? has earned the respect of many of indie hip-hop's elite, including Thavius Beck, who offered to produce his latest full-length. Whether writing epic love letters or harnessing bugged-out electric currents, K-The-I???'s music has a personality and urgency that demands your attention.
title: How Shadows Chase the Balance
catalog#: krank120
formats available: CD
release date: september 29, 2008
content: On his second full length release, Mathew Sweet uses the same formula that he has employed previously; one microphone, one acoustic guitar, a few random instruments, a couple of field recordings, and a deft, understated touch with the mixing process. He locked himself away in his home studio (to be honest, his bedroom) and no one else heard a single note until he was finished.
This album is a further step away from the "folk" label, which never seemed all that appropriate to Mathew's work in any case. If you record solo with an acoustic guitar the description is somewhat inevitable. But the results might more rightly be construed as "acoustic death metal" considering the themes of death, alienation, fear, hatred and isolation that are his forte, as well as his affinity for gothic imagery.
Mathew states that the album was mostly recorded at night because there was less background noise to contend with in his neighborhood at that time of day. But if you listen closely you can still hears small bits of rain hitting the window, and cars sliding by on wet roads.
The final result is one of the most unassuming, and engaging recordings of the year. It is intimate, extremely personal, and spectral in presence.
context: The second full length release from this uk resident follows his Lion Devours the Sun album from late 2006 on kranky. A lot of artists are described as "outsiders" or "underground", but with Mathew Sweet this is actually an apt description as he belongs to no 'scene' and is working on the farthest fringes of the 'music business'.
track listing: 1. Mission Creep 2. Things Not To Be Done On The Sabbath 3. I Can't See A Thing In Here 4. Quiet When Group 5. Pitiful Shadow Engulfed In Darkness 6. A Spirit Harness 7. Found On The Bodies Of Fallen Whales 8. Last Glimmer On A Hill At Dusk
press quotes for Lion Devours the Sun:
"Hauntingly beautiful music that is oft mistakenly labeled "folk." This is something darker, something much more sinister, and Mat Sweet's songwriting muse dives into the troubled waters of a tormented soul and the mysterious forests of the mind. This is the best record of the year, period." Mundane Sounds
"The spare use of his blurry instrumentation is the secret ingredient to the horror in these songs. Sweet packs a punch for such a quiet fellow, and his vortex is indeed a powerful one."" Tiny Mix Tapes
"...the visions of human frailty channeled here are dry like a mouthful of dust and stirring in their haunted stillness." The Stranger
title: Jonas Reinhardt
catalog#: krank119
formats available: CD
release date: november 10, 2008
content: Drawing from traditions of 20th century instrumental synthesizer music, Jonas Reinhardt represents a love affair between analog electronics, sweeping atmospherics, and driving motorik beats. Combined together, these elements bring the album’s 13 pieces into focus as the soundtrack for an inner-eyelid space epic that never was.
Inspired in equal measure by the natural beauty of his California coastal surroundings, continental European art-rock experimentation, and the freewheeling punk aesthetic of contemporary home studio recording, Jonas Reinhardt’s music transcends it’s influences to bring into being a work that’s wholly new while referencing a celebrated aesthetic of the past.
Armed with a battery of analog synthesizers and vintage drum machines, Jonas writes music that is at times stark and spare and at others lush and all-encompassing; all the while keeping an underlying rhythmic pulse just beneath the surface.
Jonas describes his technique as ‘a spirited conversation between man, machines, and the ecstatic truth of the chaotic unknown.‘ With this album, Jonas carefully constructs melodies and rhythmic foundations then pushes the limits of recording to the sonic fringes and beyond. The effect is a warm, hauntingly familiar sound bounded by unpredictability.
context: Jonas Reinhardt hails from San Francisco, CA. He has been writing, recording and performing music with analog synthesizers for more than a decade both as a solo artist and in groups. He was initially inspired to use synthesizers during a summer sabbatical in Houston’s museum district and, in the late ‘90s, studied music synthesis at the Harvard Electronic Music Center.
track listing: 1. Lyre of David 2. Modern by Nature's Reward 3. Lord Sleep Monmouth
4. How to Adjust People 5. Fast Blot Declining 6. Tentshow 7. Every Terminal Evening
8. Worm Preach the Struggling Fire 9. Tandem Suns 10. Blue Cutaway/Tore Earth Clinker
11. An Upright Fortune 12. Crept Idea For A Mom 13. Lucian Lift
Immune Recordings is thrilled to announce that Micah Blue Smaldone has signed to the label. Hailing from Portland, Maine, he has just finished recording his third full-length album entitled The Red River to be released in November.
Micah is currently on the road for a month long tour with SubPop recording artist Death Vessel. In addition to performing his own set each night Micah will also be playing in the Death Vessel band.
Micah Blue Smaldone & Death Vessel 2008 Fall Tour
08.30 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
08.31 - Grinnell, IA @ Gardner Lounge
09.03 - Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
09.04 - Seattle, WA @ The Tractor Tavern
09.05 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
09.06 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
09.07 - Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland
09.09 - Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
09.11 - Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
09.12 - Austin, TX @ Emos Lounge
09.13 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
09.14 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
09.16 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
09.17 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat Backstage
09.18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
09.19 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
09.20 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
09.21 - New Haven, CT @ BAR Nightclub
09.22 - Vineyard Haven, MA @ Che's Lounge
09.23 - Providence, RI @ The Living Room
09.24 - Portland, ME @ SPACE (*** New Album Release show! ***)
09.25 - Boston, MA @ Harpers Ferry
09.26 - Turners Falls, MA @ The Rendezvous
"Micah Blue Smaldone sounds like a dead man... he taps into a vein of something real and present; a preternatural sensibility deep inside many post-millennial lost souls. This music is haunting, the notes and lyrics tugging the listener's soul as if you'd fallen into a sonic bramble patch." - Left Hip Magazine
Immune Recordings
PO Box 08410
Chicago, IL 60608
www.immunerecordings.net
