Forced Exposure New Releases for the Week of 2/6/2023

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: AUK 050B-CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

CD version. Alternate cover. Anton Newcombe -- frontman, songwriter, composer, studio owner, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, father, force of nature -- returns with the Brian Jonestown Massacre's 20th full-length studio album Your Future Is Your Past on his own label A Recordings. The lead track Fudge was released on 30th September. It is 30 years since the release of their first single "She Made Me / Evergreen", released in 1992. As leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe had already established himself as a visionary songwriter, a man to whom making music wasn't a lifestyle choice or a hipster haircut but the very fabric of existence itself. Instead of saying yes to everything like many of his peers Anton Newcombe was different. He was going to say no to everything. Much of this was documented on the controversial documentary Dig!, one of the best rock documentaries ever made. Brian Jonestown Massacre's shoegazing-tinged debut album Methodrone (AUK 008CD/LP) was released in 1995 and since then numerous bandmembers have joined Newcombe on his sonic escapades, but he has remained the sole constant and creative mastermind. There have been a further 19 albums under the Brian Jonestown Massacre moniker since then, each embarking on their own mind-expanding adventure and exploring the outer realms of rock n' roll; psychedelic rock, country-blues, snarling rock n' roll, blissed-out noise-pop and more. Along the way, Newcombe has established himself as a once-in-a-lifetime talent who saw the direction in which mainstream indie-rock was heading and opted to take the long way round. He's hopped around the globe, from the West Coast to New York, from Manhattan to Iceland, and then to Berlin, where he's lived for 14 years and has two flats, one to live in and one that's been converted into his studio. He goes there six days a week to work and write and record and produce. After a hugely prolific 2010s that saw the release of eight long-players and one mini-album, Newcombe had been going through a period of writer's block when one day he picked up his 12-string guitar and "The Real" (the opening track on previous album Fire Doesn't Grow on Trees) came out of him. After that, they tracked a song every day for 70 days and had two albums ready to go by the end. Joining Newcombe in the studio for The Future Is Your Past were Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar) and Uri Rennert (drums).

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: AUK 050CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Anton Newcombe -- frontman, songwriter, composer, studio owner, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, father, force of nature -- returns with the Brian Jonestown Massacre's 20th full-length studio album Your Future Is Your Past on his own label A Recordings. The lead track Fudge was released on 30th September. It is 30 years since the release of their first single "She Made Me / Evergreen", released in 1992. As leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe had already established himself as a visionary songwriter, a man to whom making music wasn't a lifestyle choice or a hipster haircut but the very fabric of existence itself. Instead of saying yes to everything like many of his peers Anton Newcombe was different. He was going to say no to everything. Much of this was documented on the controversial documentary Dig!, one of the best rock documentaries ever made. Brian Jonestown Massacre's shoegazing-tinged debut album Methodrone (AUK 008CD/LP) was released in 1995 and since then numerous bandmembers have joined Newcombe on his sonic escapades, but he has remained the sole constant and creative mastermind. There have been a further 19 albums under the Brian Jonestown Massacre moniker since then, each embarking on their own mind-expanding adventure and exploring the outer realms of rock n' roll; psychedelic rock, country-blues, snarling rock n' roll, blissed-out noise-pop and more. Along the way, Newcombe has established himself as a once-in-a-lifetime talent who saw the direction in which mainstream indie-rock was heading and opted to take the long way round. He's hopped around the globe, from the West Coast to New York, from Manhattan to Iceland, and then to Berlin, where he's lived for 14 years and has two flats, one to live in and one that's been converted into his studio. He goes there six days a week to work and write and record and produce. After a hugely prolific 2010s that saw the release of eight long-players and one mini-album, Newcombe had been going through a period of writer's block when one day he picked up his 12-string guitar and "The Real" (the opening track on previous album Fire Doesn't Grow on Trees) came out of him. After that, they tracked a song every day for 70 days and had two albums ready to go by the end. Joining Newcombe in the studio for The Future Is Your Past were Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar) and Uri Rennert (drums).

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: AUK 050LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Clear 180 gram vinyl; includes six color pencils to color album cover.. Anton Newcombe -- frontman, songwriter, composer, studio owner, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, father, force of nature -- returns with the Brian Jonestown Massacre's 20th full-length studio album Your Future Is Your Past on his own label A Recordings. The lead track Fudge was released on 30th September. It is 30 years since the release of their first single "She Made Me / Evergreen", released in 1992. As leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe had already established himself as a visionary songwriter, a man to whom making music wasn't a lifestyle choice or a hipster haircut but the very fabric of existence itself. Instead of saying yes to everything like many of his peers Anton Newcombe was different. He was going to say no to everything. Much of this was documented on the controversial documentary Dig!, one of the best rock documentaries ever made. Brian Jonestown Massacre's shoegazing-tinged debut album Methodrone (AUK 008CD/LP) was released in 1995 and since then numerous bandmembers have joined Newcombe on his sonic escapades, but he has remained the sole constant and creative mastermind. There have been a further 19 albums under the Brian Jonestown Massacre moniker since then, each embarking on their own mind-expanding adventure and exploring the outer realms of rock n' roll; psychedelic rock, country-blues, snarling rock n' roll, blissed-out noise-pop and more. Along the way, Newcombe has established himself as a once-in-a-lifetime talent who saw the direction in which mainstream indie-rock was heading and opted to take the long way round. He's hopped around the globe, from the West Coast to New York, from Manhattan to Iceland, and then to Berlin, where he's lived for 14 years and has two flats, one to live in and one that's been converted into his studio. He goes there six days a week to work and write and record and produce. After a hugely prolific 2010s that saw the release of eight long-players and one mini-album, Newcombe had been going through a period of writer's block when one day he picked up his 12-string guitar and "The Real" (the opening track on previous album Fire Doesn't Grow on Trees) came out of him. After that, they tracked a song every day for 70 days and had two albums ready to go by the end. Joining Newcombe in the studio for The Future Is Your Past were Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar) and Uri Rennert (drums).

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: ATCK 034EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Better known as one half of the Stavroz quartet, Pieter De Meester and Maxim Helincks turn up on A Tribe Called Kotori with their self-titled third studio effort as Shady, following up to Your Skin EP on Beat & Path. Grinding a wide set of influences through oddball, genre-bending compositions, the pair has been carving out its own wonky, cross-curricular sound grammar away from normative restrictions and creative-hindering behaviorism -- like the weird brainchild to Soulwax, Nicolas Jaar, and Connan Mockasin. "Can I Be Yours" gets the ball rolling on a spectral pop tip, blending together the vaporous spook of ultra-processed riffs with mischievous drum play and hypnotically smooth-tongued vocals dissolving in rippling delays. A further nocturnal affair, "Cruisin" goes a more sensuous, electro-friendly route, beaconed with hints of washed-out folk and cosmo-ambient spaciousness. The Cali vibes meet spoken Brit post-punk motif'd (think Baxter Dury out for a quick surf session with the Beach Boys.) "Sun" rounds off the ride on a catchy Mod-like note, merging to perfection the swinging London's debonair charm with that of the west coast's typical carefreeness of being. That's ocean-spray bottled in a tune.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: AKU 1039LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The cabalistic duo Ak'chamel strikes again with a second record called A Mournful Kingdom of Sand. Following the publicly and critically acclaimed The Totemist (AKU 1023LP) released in 2020, this album sucks the listener into another esoteric journey which -- according to the band -- is a perfect soundtrack for the desertification of our world. Ak'chamel, The Giver of Illness is an enigmatic duo from a border state. Fourth World Post-Colonial Cultural Cannibalists Circumcising The Foreskin of Enlightenment. Performing in homemade costumes and masks, they have played festivals in various cities around the US gaining international attention from Vice, the Wire, Tiny Mix Tapes, Consequence of Sound, and many more. They have amassed over ten cassette albums and one VHS full-length film. Reverse cardboard sleeve; includes printed inner; edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: AKU 1040LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Akuphone present the Jerusalem-based improvisational trio Leviot and its hypnotizing debut album Sharav. Leviot (Hebrew for "Lionesses") is the brainchild of the multifaceted musician and composer Yael Lavie. She is accompanied by classically trained percussionist and music teacher Cnaan Canetti, and synth enthusiast Yishay Seroussi. The project is a result of Lavie's explorations beyond the restraints of classical kanun and her fascination for electronic sounds and modern composition. The project initially started after Yael performed and recorded with the Spiritczualic Enhancement Center. With Leviot, she favors improvised sets over rehearsed pieces, revolving around virtuous interpretations by Cnaan and Yishay. The three musicians have been active since 2019, playing their immersive shows in a wide variety of settings, venues and festivals. The trio's debut release is a live session recorded in late 2020 at the Mazkeka Studios (Jerusalem), for the lockdown edition of the annual Zikuk Festival. It's a meditative improvised piece in five parts that melts boundaries between traditional and experimental music, combining primal and futuristic sounds. Lavie's graphic melodies are a road map for the piece, as Leviot takes off on a cosmic journey with deep drones, whispering chimes, mesmerizing Arab melodies, pulsating rhythms and iridescent ambient patterns. Reverse cardboard sleeve; includes printed inner; edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: AKU 1041CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Eka Faune offers a surprising mix of Asian cultures, shamanism and post-punk in the form of a record called Healing of the Nation. The band merges dark mantras, hypnotic rhythms, ethnic samples and the acid sounds of Seika Faune. Delphine Poupard's voice and Robin Plastre's sax are added to produce a haunting music, dark and luminous at the same time, alternating dance and trance, taking the listener far inside... Similarly, to the other albums by Eka Faune, Seika first recorded his drums and sounds machines as well as his sampler-sequencer in one take. Then he added the instruments and voices. Sax, bass, sarod, tambourine, and vocals accompany loops captured on the streets of Delhi, the mountains of Asia or old acid house vinyl. Eka Faune is a musical project based in Nantes, France, initiated in 2014 by the artist Guyseika. The project evolves under the influence of guitarists, cellists, singers, or dancers who join the band for a concert, a recording, a tour -- or more. Over the years, Amélie from Breedz Insane, Steph from Modules Étranges, Budwarrior, or Vincent Roy, have taken part in the project. Recorded in 2021, the album Healing of the Nation is a deeply thought-out answer to the crisis we are all going through. It offers a way to heal from it: sounds coming straight out of a feverish cave located between the Himalayas and Detroit bewitch us into quite a trip.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: FOX 018LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; Japanese experimental group Les Rallizes Denudes are the ultimate rock 'n' roll enigma. Sometimes referred to as Hadaka no Rallizes or even as Hadaka no Rarizu, each appellation a variant of the name "Fucked Up and Naked", which equates to being high on hard drugs, they are seen as noise-rock pioneers, yet sifting fact from fiction isn't easy with their oddball tale. Emerging from the radical hippie communes of Kyoto during the late 1960s, the band was formed in November 1967 by university student Takashi Mizutani, taking the overamplified, distorted guitar of the Velvet Underground as a starting point. Early demo recordings apparently suffered from poor sound quality, leading the perfectionist Mizutani to retreat from the studio environment, meaning that most of the group's output has appeared as live bootlegs, with the occasional studio demo surfacing as well. Performances were initially staged as part of avant-garde theatre, though the band's propensity for super-loud noise soon put paid to such collaboration; the ever-changing membership saw Mizutani the only permanent force, despite his embroilment in the 1970 Red Army hijacking of a civilian Japan Airlines flight, enacted partly through bass player, Moriaki Wakabayashi, who defected to North Korea in its aftermath. Though perhaps not quite as notorious, fellow improvisational group, Taj Mahal Travellers, has a backstory of random international travels that is almost as intriguing as that of Les Rallizes; formed in 1969 by six experimental musicians and an electronic engineer, they embarked on a series of improvisational gigs across Japan, notably including an all-day marathon held at a Kanagawa beach, and made their way to Europe in 1971, where they crossed paths with Don Cherry and other like-minded practitioners. They later drove from Holland to the Pakistan border, acquiring santoors in Iran on the way to help broaden their already unpredictable repertoire. The OZ Days Live release is culled from the OZ Last Days festival held in the autumn of 1973, to benefit Tokyo's OZ Rock Café, which had been closed following repeated drug busts. Here the Taj Mahal Travellers are suitably cosmic, their echoing jams featuring looped vocal chants, disjointed string instruments and sparse, off-kilter percussion; in contrast, the contributions from Les Rallizes are more standard examples of instrumental psychedelic rock, which veers more towards the acid rock end of the spectrum as the performance progresses.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: AMEL 724LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Samuel Rohrer's newest solo album, Codes of Nature, shows the artist making yet more refinements and additions to an already rich catalog of musical ideas. Though he has excelled in collaborative projects with Ambiq, Ricardo Villalobos, Max Loderbauer, Tobias Freund, Dark Star Safari, Nils Petter Molvaer, Oren Ambarchi, and many others, it is fascinating to experience him also working in a field completely his own, yet managing to still give the impression of being fully integrated or connected with a larger musical universe. A strange, intriguing ambiguity between the specific and the universal is indeed what makes Rohrer's music worth playing on a loop -- the cool, downtempo, yet energized constructions on Codes are powered by subtle atmospheric and tonal changes, and work like a camouflage adaptable to any environment. This is a record whose strength derives from its versatility. It's clear that this versatility of sounds has been inspired by a commitment to positive differentiation that is not just a musical one, and that's where this work will inspire others in turn. Personnel: Samuel Rohrer - drums, percussion, electronics, keys, modular synths; Music produced, recorded, and mixed by Samuel Rohrer.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: BOSC 050EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Bosconi reaches number 50 milestone on its main label catalogue and who better than label founders Mimimono could unfold this. Fabio Della Torre and Ennio Colaci come back on their output with this series of two eps forming a mini album named Half Way Trough with an intriguing blend of modern electro tech house tunes taking to the next level their concept of moving in between styles. The first EP starts with "Accelerate", a UK infected tech house tune with a distinctly aggressive acid bassline in contrast to the clean synths and bleep sounds. The result is a floor burner for your peak-time moments on da floor. "Overflow" is more of an hypnotic swing house tune, with some kind of Arabic melodies, accompanied by subtle bassline reminding of prince of Persia sounding like environments. B side starts with "Discorruption", a tribute from Minimono to the electro Italo-disco sound, still with their own original approach, where all the arpeggios and synths notes are accompanied by a driving bassline and a funky house groove more typical by the Florentine duo. The record ends with the stylish melodic tech house tune "Getting Gold" where Fabio and Ennio show their ability of condensing melodic elements and synths into a dancefloor track for your sugared moments on the floor.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: SAUNA 073CS

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Shared System is Tony Rolando's 2021 entry into the Make Noise Shared System series of releases that included Richard Devine, Alessandro Cortini, Robert AA Lowe, Keith Fullerton Whitman, and Surachai. Despite the limited instrumentation, this Shared System cassette is another collection of Tony Rolando's work that is familiar yet unique, catchy and is hard to stop listening to. Back in 2008, Tony Rolando was demonstrating modular synthesizers to anybody who would listen. A few folks were wildly curious -- most people asked, "How do you make music with that thing?" Tony's lonesome journey into the vacant landscape of analog electronic music was like being reborn. He wanted people to understand and experience riding these electrical currents of music for themselves. In order to do so, he needed to convince them that the seemingly primitive analog modular synthesizer was a musical instrument capable of amplifying an artist's unique voice. Around 2010, outside the Empty Bottle with the artist Surachai, he surmised that sending a singular, modular synthesizer to five artists to record two tracks live would highlight unique results-illustrating the capabilities of the modular synthesizer as an instrument and the artists' distinct voices. Here is the original text that accompanied the release of these five records from Richard Devine, Alessandro Cortini, Robert AA Lowe, Keith Fullerton Whitman and Surachai: "The Shared System series compiles the separate recordings of several artists utilizing the same electronic musical instrument, the Shared System. At times it feels as though electronic music has become an overly automated form driven by simplified genre specific apps and software. What happens when the signal path is not pre-defined or optimized for a popular result? The Shared System is a modular synthesizer developed by Make Noise. It has no pre-determined signal path, and is not designed for any particular musical destination. In limiting the artists to this one instrument, we hope the Shared System series of records will purely illustrate the intentions of the artists."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: CCS 124CS

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Cassette version. One of Circus Company's all-time favorite artists and extended label member The Mole returns a proper presentation of his album The River Widens. Originally a limited, cassette-only release via fellow Canadian Eddie C's Red Motorbike. Never one to shy away from synth deep dives, or raw sample flip collaging, this collection of 21 works checks all the boxes. Ambient trippers to straight up neck-snapping instrumental beats. Not forgetting tastes of the more uptempo, highly-assured and hypnotic dancefloor feels, the reason the world has come to love The Mole. Moments of casual chillin' are interspersed with effortless, emotive angles, some evoking the charm of his Little Sunshine release for the label in 2017 (CCS 107EP). "X-pert Profat" opens the set with sly statements that give way to relaxed and subtle keys over gentle, midtempo rhythms. Things switch up nicely into easy, Northwest Coast boogie-meets-beatdown feels in "Break For Ma", followed by a solid array of almost Jaylib-schooled boom bap twists, like the aptly-titled "Drums 2002" and "Jo Barker". Ambient cuts like "AR Day" and "New Family" offer a refreshing tap of the brakes, setting the scene for the gorgeous, Jarre-esque "Weak Stranger". You also get treated to "Repepepater"'s nod to Detroit house, urban-mode Balearic feels on "They Work For Mr. O", and sneak attack lo-fi future funk in the form of "UFOs Over Egypt", with Montreal co-pilot Cristobal on a wild shisha-lit vox narrative, earlier versions of which have blessed many of Circus Company's comrades' DJ sets, from Dave Aju to Vincent Lemieux. The River Widens expands beautifully on the breadth of unique musical directions. Also features Joli B and Ted Pilsner.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: COR 050CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Catharsis is Sven Va?th's first solo album in almost 20 years, and the 50th album to be released on his incomparable label, Cocoon Recordings. Produced alongside Gregor Tresher, it is a musical autobiography that charts Sven's most extraordinary life in techno. Tresher has long been part of the Cocoon family and is a revered artist in his own right. Catharsis is a record inspired by Sven's interest in the physical and spiritual processes that take place when we dance. "My imagination for this record was fueled by the many cultural experiences and encounters I have had in my life. They gave me the strength to find a way, the way to myself." And that way to himself is through music, through purifying dancing rituals and the exchange of spiritual energies that are generated in the club. The thirteen-track album explores all facets of Sven's sound. It opens with the stomping drums but sleek synths of "What I Used To Play" and unfolds through deep and dirty rhythms like "The Worm", subtly euphoric highs on "The Inner Voice" and the bubbly tribalism of the title track. There is the impassioned call-to-arms that is "Feiern", peak-time melodic workout "Mystic Voices" and soothing electronic lullabies like "Being In Love". The second half of the album takes in many more twists and turns, such as the exotic strings and driving drums of "Butoh", the paranoid techno minimalism of "NYX" and expansive synthscapes of ambient gem "The Cranes Of Gangtey Valley" before things play out though rugged beats and emotive chords on "We Are". Then comes the moody reflection of "Silvi's Dream", written in French for Sven's girlfriend. Last but not least, we have the immersive dream that is "Panta Rhei", which completes a trio of electronica tunes on the album. Ambient music has been an integral part of almost every album Sven has written because it can bring a certain emotional deepness, a quality that Sven has always been looking for. Catharsis is an adventurous album that captures the good times, the sad times and, most importantly, the times of hope.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: COR 052CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

For this uniquely personal retrospective, Sven Väth takes you back to the early days of his DJ career. On What I Used To Play, you meet great pioneers of electronic music, gifted percussionists, obscure wave bands, and innovative producers of a bygone "new electronic" era. Rough beats and irresistible grooves from the identification stage of house, techno, and acid remind us not just how far electronic music has evolved over the past four decades, but how great it was to dance to EBM, techno, and house for the very first time. If there is one protagonist of the electronic music scene who has remained curious, innovative and at the very cutting edge of music for over four decades, it's Sven Väth. His multi-layered artist albums and Sound of the Season mix compilations have been defining the genre for over two decades, and even today, he is constantly on the lookout for the next top tune to add to the highlights of his next set. At least, that's the case when he's not producing them himself as an artist or remixer. In his London apartment, Sven set up a "little music room", where he cocooned himself for several days, "to look way back for the first time and review my musical journey through the eighties, so to speak." The interim result was six thematically oriented playlists with a grand total of 120 tracks from "early '80s" to "Balearic late '80s", together with excursions into Afrobeat, European new wave, and EBM sounds and a few epochal techno/house tracks from the USA in between. After two years of research, curation, design, and administrative fine-tuning, the "little retrospective" from 1981 to 1990 is available. WIUTP is the definitive record of Sven Väth's musical development. On each of the twenty-four sides of vinyl, you can trace track by track, what influenced him during which phase, and how he took off as a DJ from his parents' Queen's Pub straight into the spotlight at Dorian Gray. There and at Vogue (later OMEN), Sven became the style-defining player in the DJ booth that he still is today.Features Logic System, Kraftwerk, Whodini, Rocker's Revenger, Donnie Calvin, Klein & MBO, Liaisons Dangereuses, Yello, The The, The Residents, Clan Of Xymox, A Split, Severed Heads, 16 Bit, The Weathermen, New Order, Anne Clark, Phuture, Model 500, Frankie Knuckles, Jamie Principle, Quest, Jasper van't Hof, Guem Et Zaka Percussion, Hugh Masekela, Sly & Robbie, Brian Eno & David Byrne, Primal Scream, Andy Weatherall, The Ecstasy Club, Foremost Poets, Lhasa, A Guy Called Gerald, M/A/R/R/S, Bobby Konders, Meat Beat Manifesto, Raze, Sueño Latino with Manuel Goettsching performing E2-E4, and OFF.

 

PRICE: $260.50

CAT #: COR 052LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

12LP box set version. For this uniquely personal retrospective, Sven Väth takes you back to the early days of his DJ career. On What I Used To Play, you meet great pioneers of electronic music, gifted percussionists, obscure wave bands, and innovative producers of a bygone "new electronic" era. Rough beats and irresistible grooves from the identification stage of house, techno, and acid remind us not just how far electronic music has evolved over the past four decades, but how great it was to dance to EBM, techno, and house for the very first time. If there is one protagonist of the electronic music scene who has remained curious, innovative and at the very cutting edge of music for over four decades, it's Sven Väth. His multi-layered artist albums and Sound of the Season mix compilations have been defining the genre for over two decades, and even today, he is constantly on the lookout for the next top tune to add to the highlights of his next set. At least, that's the case when he's not producing them himself as an artist or remixer. In his London apartment, Sven set up a "little music room", where he cocooned himself for several days, "to look way back for the first time and review my musical journey through the eighties, so to speak." The interim result was six thematically oriented playlists with a grand total of 120 tracks from "early '80s" to "Balearic late '80s", together with excursions into Afrobeat, European new wave, and EBM sounds and a few epochal techno/house tracks from the USA in between. After two years of research, curation, design, and administrative fine-tuning, the "little retrospective" from 1981 to 1990 is available. WIUTP is the definitive record of Sven Väth's musical development. On each of the twenty-four sides of vinyl, you can trace track by track, what influenced him during which phase, and how he took off as a DJ from his parents' Queen's Pub straight into the spotlight at Dorian Gray. There and at Vogue (later OMEN), Sven became the style-defining player in the DJ booth that he still is today.Features Logic System, Kraftwerk, Whodini, Rocker's Revenger, Donnie Calvin, Klein & MBO, Liaisons Dangereuses, Yello, The The, The Residents, Clan Of Xymox, A Split, Severed Heads, 16 Bit, The Weathermen, New Order, Anne Clark, Phuture, Model 500, Frankie Knuckles, Jamie Principle, Quest, Jasper van't Hof, Guem Et Zaka Percussion, Hugh Masekela, Sly & Robbie, Brian Eno & David Byrne, Primal Scream, Andy Weatherall, The Ecstasy Club, Foremost Poets, Lhasa, A Guy Called Gerald, M/A/R/R/S, Bobby Konders, Meat Beat Manifesto, Raze, Sueño Latino with Manuel Goettsching performing E2-E4, and OFF.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: COMP 515LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 restock; 4LP version. Future Sounds Of Jazz Vol. 14, compiled by Permanent Vacation's Benjamin Fröhlich and Tom Bioly. 28 tracks by Move D, Roman Flügel, Slowdive, Isolée, Cobblestone Jazz, Luke Abbott, remixes by Avalon Emerson, Russ Gabriel, Kassem Mosse, I:Cube, among others, including three exclusive and previously unreleased tracks. Wow, a new chapter of this legendary series. This and the very first time it's not compiled by Michael Reinboth, rather by Benjamin Fröhlich and Tom Bioly, the founders and masterminds behind Permanent Vacation. Why- Simply because they both are very close friends of the Compost family, with an amazing musical and DJ-like tastefulness, with the knowledge-based trust of music in the vein of vibrant, jazzy electronica hybrids. And they are from Compost Records' hometown Munich, too. Maybe Volume 14 differs slightly to what the previous 13 brought up music-wise, but that's the score, idea, and open-mindedness of this series, as it was by the compilers, and last but not least a great time for a change, too. The first half of the release, compiled by Benjamin Fröhlich, is clubbier. The second half, compiled by Tom Bioly, is a bit more sublime downbeat/electronica or relaxed feel. Both are true listening pleasure anyway. Future Sounds Of Jazz has been voted as one of the best compilation series of all time by several publications. With this series, starting in 1995, the term "future jazz" became a genre landmark. Also features: Basil Hardhaus, JTC, The Abstract Eye, Tee Mango, Marvin Horsch, Matt O'Brien, Aubrey, Marcellus Pittman, Herzel, David Goldberg, Benjamin Fröhlich, Claude Rodap, Jose Padilla, Jex Opolis, Pierre Bastien, Vanishing Twin, Yussef Kamaal, Machine Woman, The Stowaway, New Jackson, Albinos, Sirconical, and TB.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: CPT 605CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Felix Laband's The Soft White Hand is the masterwork of an artist who expresses himself through musical and artistic collage acting together to reinterpret his sources and to express significant elements of his own personal story. Released by Munich-based Compost Records, the 14-track album is Laband's first full-length offering since the critically acclaimed Deaf Safari in 2015 (COMP 470CD/LP). In The Soft White Hand, Laband works with source materials that will be familiar to those who know his previous four records. However, the disengagement he felt from his homeland during his latest album's creation -- an abiding sense of untethered-ness to place and space, exquisitely rendered in tracks like "Death of a Migrant" -- is perceptible in Laband's desire to illuminate instead aspects of his own life. Few artists have managed to air these intimate aspects of their life so luminously as Laband does in tracks like "5 Seconds Ago", "They Call Me Shorty", and in the strange and meditative "Dreams Of Loneliness". Yet, as in all of Laband's recorded output, the delineations between emotions are never starkly drawn and The Soft White Hand is also shot through with beauty. Nature appears in recordings made in his garden in the intimate early morning hours, whether as in the calls of the Hadada Ibis and other birdsong in "Prelude" or of the vertical-tail-cocking bird in "Derek And Me". The last is a wonderful track with Derek Gripper, the South African experimental classical guitarist of international renown, whose 2020 song "Fanta And Felix" imagines a meeting between Fanta Sacko and Laband. Laband's eloquence in reinterpreting classical composers such as Beethoven in "We Know Major Tom's A Junkie" is another thrilling aspect of the new record. A fresh quality comes to his work through this sonic adventuring: the tender manipulation of the mundaneness of the computer's AI voice to reimagine and reinvent iconic lyrics and melodies in strange and unexpected configurations. The Soft White Hand is Laband's most cohesive body of work to date. Yet it remains, in its sheer artistic scope, impossible to describe fully. Darkness abuts the gossamer light. His music reflects a primal artistic impulse that is also visible in Laband's considerable visual art output as seen in several solo exhibitions. With The Soft White Hand, Laband is confirming his singular ability to achieve this in both art and music, melting the divisions between the two creative disciplines until they become one.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: CODIS 025LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. For 12 years, Compost Disco provide a massive package of 15 exclusive, previously unreleased tracks. A brilliant cocktail of disco-ish tunes by Dimitri From Paris and DJ Rocca, AN-2, Mark E, Ed Lee, Manuel Tur, Chocolate Garage Production, Velmondo, Ron Deacon, and some other suspect alter egos. Destined for the sunset crew, for the hip shaking, for the gym, for those, who are open minded with disco anyways, for more parties, last but not least for salvation. The variety range across the floor from boogie, Italo, new wave, classic soulful, Balearic, neo-disco, house-y, downbeat, fusion, garage, to tech disco. Tasty, hypnotizing, and emotional. A big shout-out, respect and thanks goes to Benjamin Röder, who does all the fantastic artwork for the 25 Compost Disco releases. Also features Alison David, Moodorama, Sharp 9, Priorat, Jonny Spencer, Kovi, Imperial Porcelain, and Grosso Modo.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 050LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Originally released in 1994. "Letter from a young city. Population: one." "When I first heard Days In the Wake, my tenure as a member of the Revolting Cocks & Ministry had recently ended, a good six or seven years of round-the-clock recording, cutting edge technology and larger-than-life touring productions. Days In the Wake was -- amongst many things -- the record that told me my heart truly was not in it, and that I was severely marginalizing my creativity. The album showed me a very raw, naked creative soul at work undisturbed, it was like being allowed to walk through many doors into an inner sanctum where the creative process happens in absolute solitude. I found it both unnerving and beautiful at the same time. I had no idea who Palace Brothers were or are, and who the boy shrouded in shadows on the cover was, this served only to leave the songs even more stark, uninhibited by the listeners own idea of the singer's personality. I still hold this album in the highest esteem (although, all of Will Oldham's subsequent albums have been treasures in their own exclusive right) and consider it one of my 'tools', something I can go back to for inspiration, which to me is one of the rarest of gifts. I could go on in detail about the merits of each song, likening them to a roomful of Picasso's sketches, but that may require a small book! Suffice to say, if you do not have this record, or have not spent a good deal of time becoming intimate with it, you are doing yourself a disservice!" --Chris Connelly, January 2010

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 055LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Originally released in 1994. "Employees must pray for the franchise before returning to work. Dedicated to waitresses around the world." "Starlite Walker was an Oxford, Mississippi record. David resided on the outskirts of town at the time. He was renting a tiny building that was part of a professor's chemistry lab in the woods. He paid $100 a month. It was mildly suspicious. Stephen and I went there to rehearse for about five days. Oxford is a beautiful town. There are lots of beautiful people. We were well. Peaking physically. We built songs around David's words. David had just about all of his lyrics written down in a notebook. When we were 70% ready, we headed up to Easley Studios in Memphis (which burned to the ground a few years ago). Doug and Davis were ready for us. They were cool and it was welcoming. Steve West joined us on the songs that we needed a 'real' drummer. I just wasn't good enough. It didn't bother me. I was proud of my drums on 'Trains Across The Sea' and my Moog on 'New Orleans.' We didn't have any significant problems recording and it turned out well. Our host Sherman Willmott (we stayed above his record shop in a small apartment) did a marvelous job of keeping barbecue sauce on our faces the whole time. I gained six pounds. Upon completing Starlite Walker, Silver Jews felt like a band instead of a project. We became formidable." --Bob Nastanovich (2/7/11, Des Moines, Iowa)

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 060LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Originally released in 1995. "What you remember: the upside-down crosses on your girlfriend's jean jacket. Always drawn with magic marker. Always smeared in the wash."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DC 663LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Drag City, Inc. is pleased to announce the solo debut full length from Wand's Cory Hanson. The Unborn Capitalist from Limbo was recorded during May of 2016 in various locations across Los Angeles County, and features string arrangements by Heather Lockie. It came on as a panic, a car wreck, shivering and sudden liquefaction . . . It's a small and simple thing, just longer than a half hour of recorded music. Dressed in garlands of inherited words. Modest pools of rainwater punctuating the young volcanic expanse, marbled with fuel slicks. The Unborn Capitalist is a secret that didn't need to be kept -- conceived of and executed while a droughted Southern California autumn became a droughted winter, became a droughted spring, rolled on toward a broiling summer. It marks the disintegration of a long and dear coupling. It marks a domestic rhythm traded for a touring circuit, for these shrinking obsessions and all their shadowy company. You turn the topsoil of an ordinary childhood pocked by its needling wounds, you compost it with the dead leavings of your meals, you try to make new space for the promise of seedlings. You move back in with your mom. You wake up each day and let the pets out to sniff around and stalk insects back and forth across the fenced-in yard. Accordingly, records like this accumulate. Life calls for music, for lyric, and if you can somehow handle them without needing to possess them, they echo back again as life, vital in its total excess. Hanson's lyrics here are his best to date. By turns naked, leering, playful, evasive, they present a mute, parading statuary -- doughy figures waltzing in doomed configurations through bleeding watercolor backdrops across terrains of tangled information. The music is gorgeous and livable. Every surface threatens with the promise of an untold depth; every depth threatens to collapse into a surface. Every place you ply a solution turns out to be an intractable edge. You go looking for the soul, but there is no soul -- just the things you had to lift to look behind. Children of Limbo, we are gathered here around a floor lamp, a darkening purple desert stretching out in every direction."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 673LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "Plum is Wand's fourth LP since the band formed in late 2013 but their first new album in two years. After a whirlwind initial phase of writing, recording, and touring at a frenetic clip, their newest document marks a period of relative patience; a refocusing and a push toward a new democratization of both process and musical surface. In late winter of 2016, the band expanded their core membership of Evan Burrows, Cory Hanson, and Lee Landey to include two new members -- Robbie Cody on guitar and Sofia Arreguin on keys and vocals. From the outset, the new ensemble moved naturally toward a changed working method, as they learned how to listen to each other and trust in this new format. The songwriting process was consciously relocated to the practice space, where for several months, the band spent hours a day freely improvising, while recording as much of the activity as they could manage. Previously, Wand songs had generally been brought to the group setting substantially formed by singer and guitarist Cory Hanson; now seedling songs were harvested from a growing cloudbank of archived material, then fleshed out and negotiated collectively as the band shifted rhythmically between the permissive space of jamming and the obsessive space of critique. This new process demanded more honest communication, more vulnerability, better boundaries, more mercy and persistence during a year that meanwhile delivered a heaping serving of romantic, familial and political heartbreak for everyone involved. They learned more about their instruments and their perceived limitations. Much else fell apart in their personal lives, in their bodies, and the bodies of those near to them. In this way, Plum lengthened like a shadow underneath a dusking Orange; or rather 'Weird Orange,' an affectionate name given to the color of a roulette-chosen, tour-rushed batch of Golem vinyl... an idiom, an inside joke, a talisman, a bookmark, a mood ring. And meanwhile all the shifting weather, the wireless signals, the helicopters overhead. Weird orange softened, darkened delicately, and rouged itself to a Plum. The music of Plum focuses teeming, dense, at times wildly multichromatic sounds into Wand's most deliberate statement to date, with a long evening's shadow of loss and longing hovering above the proceedings. Plum delicately locates the band's tangent of escape from the warm and comfortable shallows of genre anachronism, an eyes-closed, mouth-open leap toward a more free-associative and contemporary logic of pastiche that more honestly reflects the ravenous musical omnivorousness of the five people who wrote and played it."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: EFFICIENT 023EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

7" with picture sleeve. Tresa Leigh is the reflection of St. Simons Island, Georgia teenager Teresa Laxamanna (né Leggett). Wooed by a Classifieds listing to audition for Philly funk and soul imprint Lyndell Records, the aspiring 15-year-old dragged her father, guitar, Fender amplifier, and microphone to perform her convincingly mature folk tales of first-time heartbreak. Winning the support of label owner Walter L Rayfield, the fresh recruit cut two originals in a makeshift motel studio on the neighboring Jekyll Island, backed by a band of unhurried session players. The 1970 recording yielded her debut 45, pairing the endearing juvenile jangle of "I Remember" with the heartsick Ghost Riders (EFFICIENT 022CD/LP) cornerstone "Until Then". After a car accident prevented Mr. Rayfield from fulfilling his release plans, an unswayed Tresa responded to Great World Of Sound's newspaper advert, baiting the prospect of gold records, major label connections, and sales of a million copies. With family and friends crowdfunding the $1,200 that the company required to produce a follow-up 7", she jetted to Nashville, recording a slicker, emotionally elevated update on "Until Then", and the symphonic slow dancer "I Miss You". In another unfortunate career misfire, the dubious label failed to deliver on any of their promises, with the artist volunteering the only surviving copy for restoration. Collating all four recordings, this brief anthology immortalizes the innocent smalltown dreams of a genuine original, inadvertently echoing the likes of Nora Guthrie, Bonnie Dobson, and Patti Whipp.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: EPR 012LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Papir is an instrumental trio from Copenhagen, Denmark. They've created their own unique type of semi-improvised psychedelic rock by mixing together new and old, heaviness and atmosphere, freedom and power. By now, they have become masters of their craft, and this, their third album, earns them a spot in the absolute elite of the current European psychedelic rock scene. Everyone who has been lucky enough to catch the band live know what a reverence-inducing experience their energetic, adventurous explorations can be. Papir don't just reach back to the bygone golden era of psychedelic rock and electric jazz like so many others do -- they transcend it. Their music sounds vital and fresh. These guys are certainly on their own path and Papir III is their most fully-realized album to date, it encompasses everything the band represents in a single piece of heavy vinyl -- from explosive, guitar-solo-driven peaks through motorik Krautrock grooves to peaceful and atmospheric soundscapes. Like its predecessor, the album was recorded during a single intense week and produced by Jonas Munk (Causa Sui), capturing the band in the midst of their creative prime.

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: ETAT 016LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) formed in the mid-1970s as a loose-knit experimental music collective and multimedia publishing vehicle. Founded by teenage Le Forte Four members Chip Chapman, Joe Potts and Rick Potts and soon joined by Tom Recchion of Doo-Dooettes, LAFMS incorporated free improvisation, modular synthesizers, tape music, sampling, musique concrète, homemade instruments, noise, mail art and avant-rock in permissive and anarchic sessions at the Raymond Building and Poo-Bah Record Shop in old Pasadena. Inspired by The Residents, LAFMS self-released records and periodicals, organized performances and connected with fellow outsiders via post in the years before punk. Their uninhibited, egalitarian ideal of music-making and DIY distribution would influence generations of underground musicians. LAFMS primarily reached outside Los Angeles via word-of-mouth and the United States Postal Service, foreshadowing the self-publishing and cassette trading networks of post-punk and industrial subcultures. In 1976, Joe Potts solicited recordings from LAFMS affiliates and admirers to edit and compile I.D. Art #2, utilizing correspondence art's technique of 'assemblings.' (The first installment in this series was a magazine, and the third was a coloring book.) Potts received dozens of pieces by members of Le Forte Four, Doo-Dooettes, Smegma and Ace & Duce as well as painters, filmmakers and non-artists with few recording credits to their name, creating a delirious, winking sound-art collage of field recordings, voicemails and improvisations. Participants purchased time on the record and received one copy each of the finished LP, realizing the philosophy contained in LAFMS' motto: 'The music is free, but you have to pay for the plastic, paper, ink, glue and stamps.' This first-time vinyl reissue is limited to 500 numbered copies. Comes with insert."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: ETAT 017LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) formed in the mid-1970s as a loose-knit experimental music collective and multimedia publishing vehicle. Founded by teenage Le Forte Four members Chip Chapman, Joe Potts and Rick Potts and soon joined by Tom Recchion of Doo-Dooettes, LAFMS incorporated free improvisation, modular synthesizers, tape music, sampling, musique concrète, homemade instruments, noise, mail art and avant-rock in permissive and anarchic sessions at the Raymond Building and Poo-Bah Record Shop in old Pasadena. Inspired by The Residents, LAFMS self-released records and periodicals, organized performances and connected with fellow outsiders via post in the years before punk. Their uninhibited, egalitarian ideal of music-making and DIY distribution would influence generations of underground musicians. Live At The Brand documents the second performance of newly formed LAFMS core groups Le Forte Four and Doo-Dooettes on July 8, 1976 at the recital hall of the Brand Library in Glendale. Le Forte Four (now joined by Tom Potts) did not actually perform live, but rather created 44 pyramid-shaped headphone helmets with internal quadraphonic speakers and countless wires in order to share their latest tape assemblages with showgoers deprived of sight. The recordings delivered in this Fluxus-inspired manner feature the Buchla synthesizer at nearby CalArts, radio interpolations, group improvisations, addled outbursts and splices from source material lost to time. Doo-Dooettes -- Tom Recchion, Harold Schroeder, Juan Gomez, Dennis Duck and Fredrik Nilsen -- performed a series of alternately droning and chaotic duets with guitar, percussion, piano, tape loops and synthesizer, all improvised around loosely structured compositions and culminating in a spontaneous group composition at the end of the program. Originally released in 1976, the double LP would be LAFMS' third release. This first-time vinyl reissue is limited to 500 numbered copies. Comes with inserts."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: ETAT 018LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) formed in the mid-1970s as a loose-knit experimental music collective and multimedia publishing vehicle. Founded by teenage Le Forte Four members Chip Chapman, Joe Potts and Rick Potts and soon joined by Tom Recchion of Doo-Dooettes, LAFMS incorporated free improvisation, modular synthesizers, tape music, sampling, musique concrète, homemade instruments, noise, mail art and avant-rock in permissive and anarchic sessions at the Raymond Building and Poo-Bah Record Shop in old Pasadena. Inspired by The Residents, LAFMS self-released records and periodicals, organized performances and connected with fellow outsiders via post in the years before punk. Their uninhibited, egalitarian ideal of music-making and DIY distribution would influence generations of underground musicians. In 1977, LAFMS released Blorp Esette, one of several compilations tracking the collective's growth and wild-eyed experimentation. Ace Farren Ford, an early LAFMS recruit from the Poo-Bah circle, produced the album and solicited cover artwork by Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart). Ford appears in various configurations alongside members of Smegma, Le Forte Four and 'unknown artist' (as the credit for more than one piece reads). The Residents, showing their affinity with LAFMS, contributed 'Whoopy Snorp' for their first non-Ralph Records release. Blorp Esette shows the artists grasping for new, non-idiomatic voicings and collaborative modes, anticipating LAFMS affiliates and offshoots such as Airway, Human Hands and Monitor. A second volume would come out in 1980, featuring Ford's punk band The Child Molesters. If you're looking for the missing link between mid-70s art practice and outsider music, then look no further. This first-time vinyl reissue is limited to 500 numbered copies. Comes with inserts."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: ETAT 019LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) formed in the mid-1970s as a loose-knit experimental music collective and multimedia publishing vehicle. Founded by teenage Le Forte Four members Chip Chapman, Joe Potts and Rick Potts and soon joined by Tom Recchion of Doo-Dooettes, LAFMS incorporated free improvisation, modular synthesizers, tape music, sampling, musique concrète, homemade instruments, noise, mail art and avant-rock in permissive and anarchic sessions at the Raymond Building and Poo-Bah Record Shop in old Pasadena. Inspired by The Residents, LAFMS self-released records and periodicals, organized performances and connected with fellow outsiders via post in the years before punk. Their uninhibited, egalitarian ideal of music-making and DIY distribution would influence generations of underground musicians. Poo-Bah Records, with its import bins and backroom jam space, attracted the pseudonymous artists forming the initial incarnation of long-running collective Smegma. Early members Ju Suk Reet Meate, Dennis Duck, Cheez-it Ritz, Big Dirty, Amazon Bambi and Dr. Id contributed to various LAFMS compilations and combinations before several core members relocated to Portland, Oregon in 1975, where they recorded their debut album Glamour Girl 1941. Originally released on the LAFMS label in 1979, the LP combines rock instrumentation with tape, synthesizer, horns and voice in a tempestuous cauldron of anti-academy improv and alien noise. Beyond its roots in LAFMS, Smegma would help shape the early Portland punk scene in the late '70s alongside Wipers and Neo Boys. In more recent years, they have collaborated with Merzbow and Wolf Eyes. This first-time vinyl reissue is limited to 500 numbered copies. Comes with insert."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: ETAT 020LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"Sound: An Exhibition of Sound Sculpture, Instrument Building and Acoustically Tuned Spaces opened at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art in the summer of 1979 (and was also on view later that year at PS1 in New York). Curated by Bob Wilhite and Robert Smith, the exhibition surveyed the field of sound art. The forty-four participants were painters pivoted toward performance, conceptual artists attracted to time-based mediums, self-styled creators of environments, and musicians (formally trained and otherwise) fashioning new instruments from household items and consumer electronics. They were more or less object-oriented and, at the same time, more or less music-oriented. What brought them all together, as the exhibition catalog gamely asserted, was sculpting in three-dimensional space. The Sound exhibit included installations, recordings played in the exhibition space and a series of live performances, demonstrating instruments that otherwise rested inert in the gallery. For a broader sense of the show than a single visit provided, the curators also produced a compilation album featuring short pieces, or excerpts from longer works, by many of the participants. (Artists in the exhibition, but not on the LP include Alvin Lucier and Mike Kelley.) Selections from bright lights of the 20th century avant-garde -- such as composers Bill Fontana, Yoshi Wada and Paul DeMarinis; conceptual artists and performance artists Terry Fox, Tom Marioni and Jim Pomeroy; experimental vocalist Joan La Barbara; and Los Angeles Free Music Society members Tom Recchion and John Duncan -- feature alongside the sounds of Jim Hobart's tuned jars, Ivor Darreg's fretless banjo, Doug Hollis' aeolian harp and Richard Dunlap's rubber bands. This first-time reissue is limited to 500 numbered copies. Comes with poster."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: FTR 631LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Herewith is an extraordinary 45 RPM album of solo electronic music by NZ's great contrarian, Bruce Russell. The pieces were all created using machines built by Clinton Williams, whose musical work under the OMIT moniker has long been championed by Bruce. Unlike many of Williams's own recordings, which contain kosmiche extensions recalling the '70s work of Klaus Schulze, the 15 improvised Sonatas presented here mix a few of those sorts of sonorities with a variety of more harshly-edged tones. There are also post-techno references recalling the work of folks like Scott Foust and Stefan Jaworzyn, in addition to the artists to whom some of the pieces are dedicated -- musicians Ralf Wehowsky and Martin Rev -- as well as philosopher Paul Feyerabend. As with much of Russell's music, the music's surface feel is restless, ornery, and questing. The pieces often feel as though they were devised while attempting to answer specific questions or notions that Bruce was wrestling with. But as always, one suspects some pieces are just pure fuckery, for which a conceptual framework was built ex post facto. Or not. Regardless of intent (and/or imagined intent), Russell has come up with another album that ends up being both about itself, and also about something big and conceptual that keeps fidgeting just outside my brain's grasp. The best approach may just be to dive in a float around in this excellent music. Context be damned. Because, really, sometimes a Sonata is just a Sonata. Y'know?" --Byron Coley, 2022

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: FIGURE X036EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

London based Biri has long been a part of the extended Figure family, first releasing on Figure Jams in 2019, appearing again on the electronica compilation series Open Space. With Point Zero you finally get his first full solo EP, and it's a proper statement of his artistic breadth as an accomplished techno producer. Proving his club-readiness, opener "Point Zero" comes with all the right assets: functional, fast, and equipped a propulsive bass charge that ramps the velocity alongside grooving slabs of synth for a searing finale. A beautifully intertwined web of chopped up amens and cascading arps is "Upward Spiral", showcasing Biri's gathered influences from living in both London and Berlin. On the flip there's "Clarity", an atmospheric roller of booming bassline, brooding trance stabs and no-nonsense rhythmics. Towards the end Biri takes things deeper, blending bleeping melodies on "Rotation Of Consciousness" to slowly build up an icy intensity, which surges until it pervades all of space around the stomping beat.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: GET 51326LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. Splatter vinyl. "Years before their groundbreaking Oscar for 'It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp,' Memphis' Three 6 Mafia were making a splash throughout the South with self-released, hard albums for a growing legion of street-rap fans. To anyone listening to their earlier work today, it will come as no surprise that they started out as a straight-up horrorcore group. Chpt. 2: World Domination is the group's third album overall and their first on Relativity. In many ways, this was the country's first introduction to the crew, centered around producers/MCs DJ Paul and Juicy J. The horrorcore aesthetic is never far from the surface with the crew, heard clearly on the rolling, menacing and downright catchy 'Are U Ready 4 Us' (with Michigan's The Dayton Family), 'Spill My Blood' and 'Bodyparts 2' (with guests including Memphis affiliate Project Pat). 'Tear Da Club Up '97' was one of the album's singles, and it resonates in Southern clubs to this day. 'Late Nite Tip,' another single, has similar resonance among fans, showing a more serious side to the group's lyricism. 'Who Got Dem 9s' (with Project Pat) and the sex-fueled chatter on 'Watcha Do' and 'Neighborhood Hoe' show that they have range, even if it's not what their neighborhood preacher might want to hear (or at least cop to it in public). The group was still on the rise in 1997 when this southern classic hit, and had even bigger things ahead of them. But all those years ago they already had the template in place to create a sound that still rocks fans and shakes car rims to this day."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: GET 54091LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. "On the West Coast, gangsta rap held sway in hip-hop as the 21st century began. The alternative and conscious rap music of the early-to-mid-90s had all but faded into the underground. The scene was set for a comeback, perhaps as a backlash to the perceived violence and misogyny of gangsta rap's content. Leading the resurgence of alternative hip-hop were groups like Jurassic 5, and recent signees to Capitol Records; a West coast trio that had been building steam underground since the early 90s called Dilated Peoples. Anticipation was high for the release of the debut album from Evidence, Rakaa, and DJ Babu. (Of the influential turntablist collective Beat Junkies.) When The Platform arrived in May of 2000 it was met with critical and underground acclaim, as well as affording Dilated Peoples their first Billboard chartings. It featured a back-to-basics sound with a heavy debt to the old-school hip-hop ethos, the kind of sound that harkened back to the early days of legends like De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest. Hits like 'No Retreat' and 'The Platform' were bolstered by Evidence & Rakaa's subtle, abstract wit, and swift, adroit wordplay, while DJ Babu provided production chops and dexterous scratches. On The Platform the trio were joined by the likes of B-Real, Tha Alkoholiks, Everlast, Planet Asia, and many more providing guest vocals, while boasting guest production from The Alchemist & Kut Masta Kurt, among others. Since its 2000 release this influential record, which heralded the return of alternative hip-hop, has never seen a vinyl reissue. With that, Get On Down-always on top of giving the greatest hip-hop albums their due-is proud to present this re-release of The Platform. The rhymes are still fresh, the production is still pristine, and the album is now back on vinyl for the first time in 17 years."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: GONE 183LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Imagine a world apart from our own -- an agrarian utopia where the corroded cables of the 20th century lie in moss-covered heaps and the Mississippi River runs clear. New structures rise from the detritus, gnarled patchworks of the natural world and everything else humanity left behind. This is a world where Nirvana and NAFTA never happened, punk didn't break but bloomed, and guitars jangle in the breeze. This is the world of Ibex Clone and their new album, All Channels Clear. Formed by members of essential bands from the modern era of Memphis rock and roll, Ibex Clone reconfigures the paranoiac punk of Ex-Cult, NOTS and Hash Redactor into something altogether different, a vision of music from a timeline that split with ours a long time ago. Guitarist George Williford's dizzy six- and twelve-string explorations form a lush thicket for Alec McIntyre's fluid basslines to slip in and around, anchored by Meredith Lones' steady, driving rhythms. Williford's powerful vocal melodies ward off impending death and decay with visionary lyrics about humanity's place in the ecosystem, the balm of love and friendship, and the complex feeling of being alive in this version of the world of tomorrow. With All Channels Clear, Ibex Clone develops the woozy, folk-tinged post-punk of their excellent debut From Nowhere into a catchy, complex approach to the pastoral power pop of XTC, the Meat Puppets, and Guided By Voices. These ten beautiful tracks tunnel back through the shredded remains of folk, pop, blues and psychedelia to rediscover the real, the human, and the good in this world. Listen close and you'll hear the ramshackle chime of Big Star, the fingerstyle melodicism of John Fahey and Gimmer Nicholson, and the wild experimentalism of Amon Düül II. Ibex Clone doesn't offer an antidote or a soundtrack to a world in rapid decline, but instead a window into something much stranger and, maybe -- if one can find the path -- better."

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: HOS 745LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Exclusive clear vinyl. Remastered reissue, originally released in 2012. Despite being created over a decade ago for a controversial limited double cassette and then compiled on It Stands To Conceal (2012), this is patient esoteric cold industrial perfectly suitable for our end times. Alternative cover variant. Digital download included.

 

PRICE: $73.00

CAT #: HOS 788CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Water Witches collects all the early tape and vinyl works of Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement which paved the way to the deforestation of Green Graves. Water Witches includes the following previously released titles which have been meticulously remastered and presented on CD for the first time in this sturdy box set with spot gloss varnish wallets: Fallen Leaves Camouflaged Behind Tropical Flowers, Green Amulet Crafts Supernatural Qualities, Taking Place In The Foyer, Jungle Black Magic And Highlands Green Sorcery, Papua Land Where Spirits Still Rule, Black Magic Cannot Cross Water, The Plant With Many Faces, Folklore Venom, Water Rose Above The Head. Includes digital download code.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: HOS 801LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Clear vinyl FE exclusive. Noise Matrix unleashes material from the same sessions as Noisembryo and counterpart Hole and selected recordings from the time period. Originally released as a bonus disc on the definitive Noisembryo double-CD edition, Noise Matrix absolutely can't be missed for fans of this period of noise deity Merzbow. When people ask where to start with Merzbow or the entire '90s noise movement in Japan -- this is an answer! Masami Akita's surrealism of the past stands prominently relevant to this day combining the expansive textures of electronics, effects, aluminum-soaked winds of the Tokyo metropolis and metals. Deluxe wide spine metallic reflective "mother of pearl" jacket. Includes digital download code.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: IMPREC 384CS

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Cassette reissue of 2013's acclaimed Duane Pitre and ELEH duo recordings. The combination of these two distinct artists creates powerful music with a singular vision. Pitreleh use high resolution analog and digital tools to create music utilizing natural vibrations and harmonics as rhythm and melody. Inspiration is drawn directly from vibrational waves (sound, gravity, water). The electronics, of which both pieces are constructed, are tuned using Pure Intonation which utilizes the prime numbers: 1-3-5-7.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: IMPREC 521CS

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Duane Pitre's Varolii Patterns was made with an eight-voice synthesizer, tuned in Just Intonation. These consonant pieces explore shifting polyrhythms that slip in-and-out of rhythmic focus and "Common Rhythmic Pulses" carry over as the pattern evolves within a piece.Artist statement: "While experimenting with microtonal electronics for a piece I was writing for Zinc & Copper, which would eventually be titled Pons, I came across a process-based technique that I was quite keen on. Although I wouldn't use this technique on the Zinc & Copper piece, I would later implement said process to make up some of the electronics on Omniscient Voices (IMPREC 501LP, 2021). During this time, I carried out dozens and dozens of instances of this process and recorded them all. Varolii Patterns is composed of a small collection of these recorded takes, ones I felt were standalone pieces on their own and that worked well together as a whole."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: IMPREC 523CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Golden Leaf is the 19th album by the Italian experimental band Larsen here exploring free form sounds and spatial dynamics by real time composing and creating a sonic and social environment. It also confirms the love and interest the band has for collaborations as ongoing dialogues and portals to new paths. This album documents a four-hour, site-specific performance by Larsen and Alessandro Sciaraffa featuring interactive sound totems designed by Alessandro Sciaraffa and exclusive food creations by chef Gabriele Gatti. The performance took place at a secret location in Torino (Italy) in 2021 and was meant as an alchemical rite with the audience being an integral part of it. It was recorded and then edited and assembled into two pieces by long-time collaborator, sound engineer, solo musician, Paul Beauchamp. Mastered by James Plotkin. First edition pressing of 300; digipak printed with metallic gold ink.Since 1995 Larsen, from Torino Italy, has released 18 full-length albums and 4 EPs to critical acclaim. Collaborations with such artists as Johann Johannsson, Michael Gira, Martin Bisi, Lustmord, Deathprod, Nurse With Wound, Z'EV, Baby Dee, Julia Kent, sci-fi icon Christine Schell, plus the project -- a band in itself -- XXL (aka Xiu Xiu + Larsen) also stand out on their record. In 2008, legendary dub-diva Little Annie (aka Annie Anxiety Bandez) joined the band as lead singer and lyricist appearing on "La Fever Lit" and "Cool Cruel Mouth" and live on stage on the related tours.Alessandro Sciaraffa (Torino, 1976) studied architecture, electronic music, and sound design, and specialized at the Karlheinz Stockhausen Foundation For Music in Kurten. He won the ninth edition of Italian Council and is the founder of the experimental music collective WHYOFF. Focusing on sound and its multiple relationships between material, space and time his artistic research expresses itself through performances and the elaboration of installations and sound sculptures.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: KWR 032EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The boundless talent of Amir Alexander shines through on The 88 Keys. A three-track conceptual EP that intertwines masters of classical composition and the extended DJ set, culminating in an encapsulating at home or in the club.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: LAB 057LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following much love and acclaimed Vol 1 and 2, La Belle Records introduces the third One Night Stands chapter. One shiny and pop record which will hopefully melt your heart, with its combination of analog goodness, space dubs, synthetic pop, opulent dancefloor rhythms, tribal grooves, and experimentations that creates a magical vibe and atmosphere. Among them, a whole batch of French artists: Vega Voga (Narumi from Tristesse Contemporaine), Sébastopol, Bot'Ox (with Anna Jean's wonderful voice), Alan Braxe (delivering his best modular game, bringing in astonishing Yvonne la Nuit's voice), Tim Paris (kicking some trip hop opera beats), or Jaquomo (cooking some exotic rhythms). Plus, as always, fresh and established projects like Azaria (hypnotic and voodoo Spanish friend, more to come on La Belle), In Fields (collaborating once again with Golden Bug and Phoebe Coco), Hot Spell (eternal La Belle homie always present to make you dance), and finally, the Swedish Rickard Jäverling (acing the end with a gentle but shiny melody). Also features Sebastopol.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: LR 102LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. One of the brightest and most famous projects of the entire punk/new wave scene, No New York was released in 1978 on Island's sub-label Antilles. Featuring some of the most incredible rule breaking bands of the underground N.Y.C. art and music scene, the project - produced by Brian Eno - is a genuine snapshot of the massively creative N.Y.C. scene. Artists: Contortions, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, Mars, D.N.A..

 

PRICE: $10.00

CAT #: LMS 5521898

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Single-CD edition, the remastered album plus five bonus live tracks (Glatonbury, 1997). In 1997, after a lengthy hiatus, Echo & The Bunnymen returned to the fore with Evergreen, revealing the brighter side of the band, and standing up with any of their earlier work. The self-produced album was recorded at The Doghouse in Henley-On-Thames with additional strings, horns, and vocal arrangements recorded at Abbey Road. The album saw the band rightfully return to the UK album charts at #8, with three singles ("Nothing Lasts Forever", "I Want to Be There (When You Come)", and "Don't Let It Get You Down") entering the UK top 50. "Nothing Lasts Forever" (with backing vocals and tambourine by Liam Gallagher) has grown to become one of the band's most enduring and well-loved songs -- a UK Top 10 and a fan favorite to this day. To celebrate its 25-year anniversary, London Records releases Evergreen.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: LUV 040EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The thing with biscuits is, you can rarely get enough. Luckily the second batch of extra crunchy disco biscuits is fresh out of the oven courtesy of Luv Shack Records! On "If You", Lee Stevens teams up with Ken Hayakawa for a slab of high-octane house music, followed by Das Komplex's "Odmewianie", a quirky mid-tempo Balearic number with strong Belgian new beat flavor. LeSale goes full on Nordic disco with the upbeat yet mysterious "What Lies Beyond", and, lastly, Jakobin & Domino deliver a flawlessly floating house shuffler by the name of "Square One". That's the way the biscuits crumble!

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: MACROM 065LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Proprietary rhythm: Vector Rituals sees techno polymath Stefan Goldmann constructing polymetric rites of percussion. Synthesized from the ground up, timbral characteristics, metric properties, dynamic expression, and micro rhythmic phrasing are shaped by the interactions of layered control voltage functions. The result is an assembly of abstract dances ranging from the intricate to the powerful. Near-humanoid behavior emerges from liquid patterns, laid out and brought to life by the freewheeling encounter of modular waveforms and snappy envelopes. Sounds evoke metallic textures -- ringing, scraping -- and group into virtual shapes from tiny spikes to vast surfaces. Some of the parametric relationships employed are as loose as to imply chance drifts. Others lock in with strict regularity as found in the 13 vs. 17 polymeter pattern of opening track "Nayba". By contrast, in the strictly repetitive yet highly asymmetrical sequence of "Yukagir" each metric step has its own uniquely irregular duration. The center piece of this collection is "Ayon" with multiple autonomous and highly agile timelines. Its constituent layers break away in radial fashion and fall back together at widely spaced points of congregation. All compositions herein present powerful proof of the unlimited capacity of electronic music to yield new principles of organization and to solidify their expression into clear-cut gestalt. Artwork by visual artist Jorinde Voigt. Printed onto the inside-out cover sleeve and continued on the inner jacket; 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $36.50

CAT #: MP 049LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Double LP version. First ever vinyl release. Reissue, originally released in 2002. "The Earth is burning, covering all environments in ashes. Smoke comes to us from computers -- from social networks accelerating the spread of burnt affects, damaging our ability to feel and respond to what the planet strives to express. We need to cool down. Thomas Köner's music can help change the pace of our perceptions: 1) In Daikan (2002) -- a Japanese term meaning 'the coldest' or 'the coldest part of the year' -- the ear stretches until touching the depth of time that persists in the ice; a sonic drama offers the slowness thanks to which the skin of perceptions can reconstitute themselves; icequakes awaken listeners to the frozen life without scaring them. 2) 'Banlieue du Vide', considered by many to be Thomas Köner's most iconic audiovisual work and best kept secret, has not been released previously. It is in the collection of a couple of art museums, e.g. the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and has been awarded the Golden Nica at Prix Ars Electronica in 2004, in the category Digital Musics. Banlieue du Vide is the result of months of time-lapse observations of empty streets in the Finnish Arctic Circle, shown in glacially slow slow-motion. Phase cancellation, on which all noise cancelling technology is based, here affects the perception of time, the sense of the flow of time extinguishing itself. At this stage the void is not yet empty, traces of past noise fill the listeners mind with their haunting presence. A remastered stereo version of the soundtrack is released as a special premiere as a bonus track of the Daikan album. Listening to this album, an excess of heat turns into an empowering coldness -- like the transient feeling of our terrestrial embodiment in the midst of entropy." --Fréderic Neyrat, October 2022

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: NRR 004LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Directly from the Cosmic Discotheque galaxy, here is a brand-new satellite called Arabian Disco. This fine disc will get you through a bizarre sub-world of '70s disco. This was mostly a European-disco sub-genre clearly inspired by Arabian atmospheres. Now after the so-called classic disco, Afro disco, and space disco you should be ready for this new strand. A unique blend of exotic nuances and typical belly dance rhythms. Thanks to these 12 tracks you will discover a whole new landscape based on the mix of apparently different genres and distant cultures. Only for disco junkies and belly dancers on acid. Features Ismaïl, Slim, The Bumpers, The Sand Flowers, Leila, The Abdul Hassan Orchestra, Pop Concerto Orchestra, Sands, Nowy, Antares, Babylone, and Voyage.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: NRR 006LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. The Afro-tropical disco style is just one of the many funny sides of the entire disco music phenomena that raged throughout Europe in the magical '70s. This compilation collects 12 obscure tracks, originally released on single meant to climb the charts and become hits of the day. None of these reached that peak, but luckily, they reached ears eventually. Each track is a mix of Latin and tribal rhythms, wild congas, and jungle, Savannah-like atmospheres, all filtered by the best Afro/funk/disco productions of the time. Wild Safari is the perfect compilation for a wild and hot party, impossible to stand still. Approved by the Cosmic Discotheque team! Features Nat Roman E Quelli Del Piano Di Sopra, Resonance, Simbora Orchestra, The Mighty, Tropical Band, Antillas Mayores, Chaino And His African Percussion Safari, Safari & Co., Crispy & Co., Modern Sound Corporation, Sweet Bananas, and Ramses Ballet.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: NA 5209LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 repress. "The Tribe founders' collaborative debut, remixed from the original mutli-track master tapes under the direction of its creators and lacquered by Bernie Grundman. Phil Ranelin's side has been pitch-corrected and restored to a suite, as was originally intended. Wendell Harrison's side contains extended, full versions of two songs. The definitive reissue of this SPIRITUAL JAZZ masterpiece. The Tribe label, one of the brightest lights of America's 1970s jazz underground, receives the Now-Again reissue treatment. This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos. In the words of the collective themselves, 'Music is the healing force of the universe.' Included in an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff 'Chairman' Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. The booklet features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe's mid-1970s heyday."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5228LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Reissue of the sought-after deep/spiritual jazz album, the first time it's been pressed from the master tapes. All analog lacquer by Bernie Grundman. Liner notes delving into the history of Hamilton and this special album. Bobby Hamilton founded the band Anubis in Syracuse, New York, and they put out their awesome 'Ecology' single on Charles Bazen's Salt City imprint. It's a highlight on the Soul-Cal anthology Now-Again issued in 2012, something akin to Terry Callier and Gil Scott Heron's most soulful works. Shortly after issuing that single, Bobby put together the Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited and recorded and issued Dream Queen in 1972. The last clean copy Bobby Hamilton had, he sold to the musician Jamie XX in 2021 for a princely sum. Few originals will ever surface again -- its original run of 500 units having disappeared into the ether decades ago. This is your chance to hear a masterwork of deep, spiritual jazz lacquered directly from its original master tape in an all-analog transfer by the legendary Bernie Grundman. Dream Queen's story is told for the first time in extensive liner notes by Torii McAdams. Dig deeper and expand."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: OLS 001EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Please welcome: It's the Arps! Oslo's magic music-maker Todd Terje has already gained a wunderkind-like reputation on top of being one of the best remixers money can buy. The first release on his own label was created from scratch and solely on the mythical synthesizer ARP 2600. Towering over the assortment is the laser crime scene called "Inspector Norse," which is the finest goosebumps dance music. "Myggsommer" gives away Terje's secret love for quirky exotika, whereas "Swing Star Pt. 1" and its brother have a (Balearic) brilliance and witchery to them. Housed in a beautiful sleeve courtesy of Bendik Kaltenborn.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: OG 002CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Behind Oakland CA-based ensemble Orchestra Gold's original sound is a decade-long story of knowledge, respect, and collaboration between Mariam Diakite of Mali and Erich Huffaker of Oakland. Blending the traditions of Mali and American rock/funk with a retro feel, OG represents a world of powerful cross-cultural experience. The group transcends borders and boundaries to be a force of healing within the community. OG offers a kaleidoscope of magical sound deeply rooted in the past while boldly blazing towards the genre-bending future: African psychedelic rock. OG's vibrant sound is spearheaded by the dynamic Mariam Diakite, whose raw, hypnotic vocals deliver heartfelt and thought-provoking lyrics in the highly symbolic Bambara language. While paying homage to Malian musical traditions, this fierce new sound thrives with heavy swinging rhythms, a funky fresh brass section, and cosmic guitar licks. With the January 2023 release of their third album, Medicine, this profoundly spiritual and dance-inducing ensemble continues their pursuit of spreading healing and community through the universal gift of music."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: OG 002LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. "Behind Oakland CA-based ensemble Orchestra Gold's original sound is a decade-long story of knowledge, respect, and collaboration between Mariam Diakite of Mali and Erich Huffaker of Oakland. Blending the traditions of Mali and American rock/funk with a retro feel, OG represents a world of powerful cross-cultural experience. The group transcends borders and boundaries to be a force of healing within the community. OG offers a kaleidoscope of magical sound deeply rooted in the past while boldly blazing towards the genre-bending future: African psychedelic rock. OG's vibrant sound is spearheaded by the dynamic Mariam Diakite, whose raw, hypnotic vocals deliver heartfelt and thought-provoking lyrics in the highly symbolic Bambara language. While paying homage to Malian musical traditions, this fierce new sound thrives with heavy swinging rhythms, a funky fresh brass section, and cosmic guitar licks. With the January 2023 release of their third album, Medicine, this profoundly spiritual and dance-inducing ensemble continues their pursuit of spreading healing and community through the universal gift of music."

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: OP 069BK

FILE UNDER: Misc

Charbel Haber's A Common Misunderstanding of the Speed of Light is a multi-media musing on the chronic and the chronological, the subversive nature of time. This combination of an album and book observes the slow passing of life and the illusion of retrogradation in his every day. Simply by documenting -- via image, text and tune -- Haber assigns value to everything that is cast in amber by this project. There's an acceptance and appreciation of the destitution he witnesses, it is an homage given in overlapping forms. ACMOTSOL has two parts. The book, hardcover in an embossed orange, features photographs and texts taken from Haber's personal digital diary spanning from 2020 to the start of 2022. Broken into six chapters -- named for the six tracks on the album -- the entries are an artist's log of sorts during a peculiar period of global hyper stagnation and navigating the aftermath of the Beirut explosions. The 96 pages highlight Haber's interest in decay, negative space, and the temporality of the human condition. At the center of the book is a sudden burst of orange pages, with stylized pluckings of the text framing a QR code that grants access to the album. With the brilliant orange covers and matching innards, pregnant with the music at the core, it's almost as if these central pages act as a way to turn the book inside out. ACMOTSO's second half is that mirrored album. The music could be a continuation of his solo albums Of Palm Trees and Decompositions (CREP 026LP, 2016) and It Ended Up Being a Good Day Mr. Allende (2012), an exploration into the expansiveness of seemingly simple loops of a lilting guitar. Careful electronic effects add dimensions or reground the listener. There's a swelling of sound, the illusion of the push of space before it retracts back into itself or fades into the distance. Much like the images and texts the music complements, the songs challenge the purity of cycles. In music, in words and in visual storytelling. ACMOTSOL is a work that can be calming or disorienting, depending on what is requested of it. Similar to the way loops and cycles can signify both meditation and mania. The tendrils of Haber's past -- his home of Beirut, fictional and real characters encountered, authors read, films watched, composers listened, walks taken -- knit themselves together for a presentation of the immediate present. Album mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh. Design by Maziyar Pahlevan. Printed by Albe De Coker in Belgium. 96 pages; hardcover.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: QUI 007LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Bondo is four Los Angeles musicians collaging displaced tempos and fractured melodies. Their sparsely vocalized music conspires to bring into view a practical enlightenment, evoking the sandy contentment of an exhausted marine sunset. The organically mechanical compositions wander with the intention not to be aimless, but to be consumed in process. Bondo comes to Quindi Records to release its first full-length album, Print Selections, and it is saturated in the communal consciousness of the band. The songs call for the individuals to dissolve to make way for the music. The lyrical content of the record tells of a mind made anew, cleared of its data and ego to witness nothing in particular. Bringing the past with them, the band makes clear allusions to their influences -- their tones reminiscent of outfits like Duster, Unwound, Acetone, and Fugazi, but also has heavy nods to more formless genres like the dub melodies of King Tubby and the jazz of Archie Shepp. The music feels like the dusty bed of a scanner, plays like the light leaking from underneath its lid. Includes postcard and download code.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: QUINTESSE 085EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Detroit legend Alton Miller is back on Quintessentials with another, well yes, essential EP. The follow up to the Essentials Ya Dig EP (QUINTESSE 082EP) is his new Run The Essentials, a beautiful deep house release that shows all of Alton's qualities. Deep and soulful yet raw and groovy, these three tracks include another highlight: Alton Miller's vocals! Classy and mature proper house music.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: SMALL 059EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

With being a DJ and producer, running a label and a record-store, Dana Ruh and Smallville have been soulmates for long and following the same paths. The label presents her 12" with crispy dancefloor-feels, heavy basses, and irresistible grooves. Full cover artwork as always by Stefan Marx.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: FW 1038CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

In 1970, Harry Bertoia had been developing his sonic sculptures for over ten years. He had only been composing/recording for two years and the four long pieces chosen for this CD find him starting to arrive at the sonic forms he had been searching for. Hints Of Things To Come is one of the most unique and melodic pieces discovered so far in the Bertoia tape archive. In this piece, you hear him slowly create and articulate a musical riff. Bertoia builds this phrase patiently until the composition reaches an intense climax where the riff is played heavily and distinctly. "7 ½ + 7 ½ Combined", another historic standout, is one of the earliest examples of Bertoia overdubbing by playing a tape and then performing along to the playback. This CD is defined by ambient passages, long drones, gongs that sound like whales, shimmering harmonics and the feeling of an artist searching for sounds deep within his own sonic sculpture.Harry Bertoia first gained some artistic visibility in the early 1940s, then came into prominence with his sculptural, ergonomic chairs, produced by Knoll Furniture beginning in 1952, which quickly became classics of modernist furniture. Inspired by the resonant sounds emanating from metals as he worked them and encouraged by his brother Oreste, whose passion was music, Harry restored a fieldstone "Pennsylvania Dutch" barn as the home for this experiment in sounding sculptures which he had begun in the late 1950s. Bertoia was an obsessive composer and relentless experimenter, often working late into the night and accumulating hundreds of tapes of his best performances; Oreste, too, would explore and record the sculptures' sounds during his annual visits to his brother's home in rural Pennsylvania. Harry Bertoia's recently dismantled Sonambient barn collection was an attentive listener's paradise full of warm, expressive instruments that were gorgeous visually and audibly. Nothing could prepare you, even on return visits, for the overwhelming experience of entering the spacious wood and plaster interior where gongs, some of them giant, hung among the ranks of standing sculptures of various metals. Over nearly twenty years of adding, culling and rearranging, Bertoia carefully selected nearly 100 harmonious pieces ranging in height from under a foot to more than fifteen feet. He considered this barn a full experience, sights and sounds comprising not a collection of works, but one piece unto itself. It was here, deep in the woods, that his Sonambient recording work took place.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: FFL 076LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. 180 gram vinyl. First ever reissue. Paris, 1965. Pianist François Tusques laid the foundation stone of French-style free jazz with his first, soberly titled, album Free Jazz. Also in the team were several future key names of the French scene, (Michel Portal, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin, Charles Saudrais, and François Jeanneau) all of whom honed their skills at the beginning of the decade in Jef Gilson's groups, although he was none too fond of the turbulent new face of jazz at the time. Ten years later, Jef Gilson had obviously changed his tune, as the label Palm that he had created in 1973 was now the launch pad for what would become the cream of French and international avant-garde jazz. This would notably be the case for François Jeanneau and Une Bien Curieuse Planète. His first album as leader (after briefly erring into pop with Triangle) was recorded in 1975, a few months after Watch Devil Go (FFL 071CD/LP) by his old friend Jacques Thollot, and with more or less the same casting: Jeanneau on sax of course, Jenny-Clark on bass and percussions, Lubat replacing Thollot on drums, and Michel Grailler (plucked out of Magma) was called in as a reinforcement for his completely "out of space" synthesizer sounds. Thus began a strange trip to a very strange planet, at the border of experimental jazz and swinging avant-garde. From 1960 to nowadays, from Georges Arvanitas to Laetitia Shériff, from Manu Dibango to "Mama" Béa Tékielski, everyone has wanted to play with François Jeanneau at some point. There is a good reason for this. The saxophonist is a formidable improviser, but also a solid composer, as he demonstrates on this record with, for example, the monumental "Droit d'Asile", the spooky "Theme For An Unknown Island" or the Coltranesque "Mr J.C. For Ever". Over half a century later, the planet seems far more familiar to us. And François Jeanneau is always on the front line for a guided tour. Carefully remastered and restored by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. Licensed from Palm / Geneviève Quievreux.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: FFL 078LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1971. Solaire, Siegfried Kessler, that is the least you can say! Aged four: learns piano. Aged six: his first concert. After this: studies classical music like everyone else... until the jazz of Jack Diéval and Stan Kenton turned everything upside down. So, it was goodbye to Bach... And hello to Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Ted Curson, and Archie Shepp (who he would accompany over a long period). In 1969, with Yochk'o Seffer, Didier Levallet, and Jean-My Truong, he formed a group which would mark history and create a sensation: Perception. If French free jazz exists, its thanks to Kessler (and company). The following year, the pianist recorded his first album: Live at the Gill's Club. On this one-night concert date can also be heard Barre Phillips and Steve McCall. But it was in 1971 that Kessler would record his greatest album; still in a trio setting, but this time with bassist Gus Nemeth and percussionist Stu Martin: Solaire. Five tracks of extraordinary music, moving back and forth between modal jazz and contemporary music. Let's begin at the end, with the title track "Solaire", on which Kessler plays a melody on flute and piano which resists all onslaughts. It sends out powerful waves, Kessler's jazz, bubbling like hot oil ("Persécution", "Drum"), shaking modal jazz to its roots ("De l'Orient à Orion") or upsetting the memory of a cantata ("Bach Hcab"). The piano is an instrument which can provide a tendency towards, demonstrative technique; with Kessler, it is something else: a joyful persecution. Carefully remastered from the master tapes by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. Licensed from Futura. 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: VL 999369LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2022 repress. Vinyl Lovers present clear vinyl reissue of The Jam's second album This Is The Modern World, originally released in 1977 just after their debut record. Despite generally bad reviews from critics at the time, the album does have its shining moments ("Life From A Window" and "The Modern World", for example). But it is also interesting as a piece of history for its lyrical content, which, as the album's title promised, is a snapshot of a day in the life of the declining British Empire during the late 1970s. Includes eight bonus tracks from the BBC sessions.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: WRWTFWW 067LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Double LP version. Includes printed inner sleeves. WRWTFWW Records announce the 18-track ZENTSUU: Collected Works 2001-2019, the first ever best-of compilation of Soichi Terada's amazing project OMODAKA. Initiated in 2001 while trying to create a "boat racing song", the OMODAKA project features sublime music by veteran electronic/house/jungle/video game music producer/DJ Soichi Terada and the vocals of Japanese folk min'yo and enka singer Akiko Kanazawa for a never-heard-before colorful blend of retro game 8-bit/chiptune sounds and traditional Japanese music with wet electro rhythms, joyful '90s house grooves, and slick downtempo vibes. Feel-good, sexy, and fun, Terada's project brings forth one of the most unique sounds in recent memory. The smile-inducing sonic adventure is packed with irresistible hits and a good dose of dancefloor-ready gems: a well-deserved delivery of good times for 2022 and beyond.Tokyo born genius, Soichi Terada has built an impressive career in different music genres. He co-founded respected label Far East Recording with Shinchiro Yokata, composed the soundtrack for cult video game series Ape Escape, released tons of amazing house music records (some included in the beautiful compilation Sounds from the Far East released by Rush Hour in 2015), and has been a celebrated world-touring DJ.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: WRWTFWW 074LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

WRWTFWW Records announce the first ever release of the soundtrack for the sci-fi Amiga demoscene wonder Odyssey by the Alcatraz group, with music from Greg. Possibly the first ever vinyl release for an Amiga demoscene soundtrack, if not the first ever vinyl release for a demoscene soundtrack whatsoever! Wikipedia says: "The demoscene is an international computer art subculture focused on producing demos: self-contained, sometimes extremely small, computer programs that produce audiovisual presentations. The purpose of a demo is to show off programming, visual art, and musical skills. Demos and other demoscene productions (graphics, music, videos, games) are shared at festivals known as demoparties, voted on by those who attend and released online." In the demoscene galaxy, one era was particularly exciting: the Amiga years during which the demos were created for the Commodore Amiga home computer -- a time of intense rivalry between programmers, graphics artists, and computer musicians, testing the limits of the (fixed) Amiga hardware. The Odyssey demo was one of the largest productions ever released by an Amiga group, a real sci-fi movie on five floppy disks made with 3D sequences. It was presented at a demoscene party in 1991 and won the competition, setting a new standard for Amiga demo possibilities. One of the highlights of the demo was the funky cosmic music from Swiss composer Greg, a true space opera, the '90s galactic soundscape you didn't know was missing from your life. And so here it is, available for the first time, ten tracks of pure video game music joy, adventurous computer pop, pixelated techno-trance, Star Wars gone floppy disk, and interstellar beats for days. Features the complete soundtrack of the demo sourced from the original masters as well as printed innersleeve, a 24x24 inch double-sided poster with extensive liner notes on the fascinating history of the Amiga demoscene on one side and a floppy disk print on the other, and a WRWTFWW sticker sheet.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: WRWTFWW 077LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

WRWTFWW Records present Home Decor, the sixth full-length album from New York born, Los Angeles based ambient/jazz/downtempo musician Danny Scott Lane. Danny Scott Lane's heartwarming ten-track affair is its very own kind of nostalgia-tinted modern chill out music, a silky cocktail of '80s synths and exotica seduction gently carried by Matt Elliot Gooden's sensuous saxophone. Dare you say ambient smooth jazz? Add hints of Italo, minimalism, and fusion, and you there you have it: Home Decor, a perfect soundtrack for cozy situations, one last drink on the balcony, strolls by the beach, relaxing, thinking back, possibly even gardening and cooking something delicious. Highlights such as "Champagne Spill", "Baby's First Balcony", and "Twin Bed" are not to be missed and should allow for a bit of (well-deserved) breathing in the tumultuous times the world is going through. Home Decor, indeed a rare gem to soothe the mind, body, and soul. Housed in a heavy 350gsm sleeve with an artwork from 3D virtual designer Lucas Barbuzzi.