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FORCED EXPOSURE MAILORDER UPDATE
NEW RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF 09/23/2024

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PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: ACOLOUR 040LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

A Colourful Storm presents Effroyables Jardins, a soundtrack composed by Zbigniew Preisner for Jean Becker's eponymous film. Given limited distribution during its initial release, the soundtrack's luster has only strengthened and it is now considered a lost gem of contemporary chamber composition. An understated triumph of the oeuvre of Preisner, who closely collaborated with Polish director Krzysztof Kie?lowski and was responsible for the film scores of Dekalog, The Double Life of V?ronique, and the Three Colours trilogy. Effroyable Jardins marks Preisner's post-Kieslowski era of solo composition, shifting from devotional harmonies into a beautifully restrained style of neo-Romanticism. It is his second soundtrack for Jean Becker, following Francis Ford Coppola's commission for The Secret Garden, the C?sar-winning ?lisa, and Edoardo Ponte's Between Strangers. Its leitmotif -- a delicate, sparse melody for piano and organ, appears only during the opening sequence and, like Preisner's most powerful soundtracks, takes on a life of its own. Compositions for violin, harp and percussion are interspersed with haunting variations on a theme and a masterful use of silence. His music haunts the grieving Julie in Blue, soundtracks Valentine's epiphany in Red, and evokes the sublimity of moments in everyday life.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: A 047LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

It's like waking up. Disorientated at first, feedback, crushed stones, voices, that's how it starts and you feel protected by this music in a strange way and encouraged to gain insight. As soon as you have begun to really like a chunk of sound and develop an interest in it, it is multiplied or destroyed in some way and someone calls out "Ich." Ich. LSD is hopscotch compared to that. Later, steel rails are dissected. It is ringing in the ears. Everything trembles. It is obvious that you are being looked after, that someone really cares. You are never left alone, whether you like it or not. And then inevitably comes the moment of silence, after being sent through old telephone cables and the nightmares of your ancestors. Pretty much the exact opposite of a podcast. Nevertheless, hits are not left out. Seth is predominantly seen as a harmful god -- but by far not only.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: N 093EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following their acclaimed debut album from 2022 on Alien Transistor Records, What Are People For? now release their first 7" single from the upcoming album, with a dark ambient RNB banger "Criminals" on the A-side, telling tales of snoozing criminals and tantalizing promises of "Someday we will all be rich." The already legendary B-Side features a charming smoke-filled-bubblegum Spanish and English cover of the Cypress Hill song "Illusions," together with The Notwist, which they developed whilst on tour together last year. Obviously, a product of the recent legalization of marijuana in Germany: Ich liebe dich Marianne.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: N 094LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Hometown to Come is the second full-length album by Minhwi Lee from Seoul, South Korea. The eight tracks were written over a period of seven years after Lee's first album and loosely form a single story, contemplating how people who have lost their hometown can return. Includes printed inner sleeve, insert, and download code. "What I had imagined from the title, Hometown to Come, was something forever delayed yet constantly approaching; however, upon repeated listens, it takes on a different meaning -- a promise of hospitality being realized every day. Even if our places to meet disappear, 'the song we sing today' will remain. We will continue to grow, cross paths again, venture far away, and encounter more faces. And when time has passed and you, having forgotten me, ask about my smile or sadness, I will hum 'the same song,' cherishing it as a keepsake." --Morceau J. Woo (sound designer)

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: N 097LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

When the body starts screaming, Soft Violet harnesses the pain with beats and rhythms, bass, synth and vocals, to manifest a rejuvenated writhing musical being that thumps and bumps. Downtrodden, upbeat! Upbeat! Following multiple band projects, including the parallel powerhouse acts Spinnen and the ecstatic Turkish-Armenian-Friendship TAF, multi-instrumentalist Soft Violet, now releases her solo debut album: Sterner Stuff. And that it is: guttural with a pounding heart laid out on sexy stainless-steel surface, defiantly glinting. Playful experimentation reigns free, fusing drum-machine and analogue synths with bass and vocals, to create a hybrid glittering creature that shines sublime. Soft Violet has a special power to tap in, making clearly conscious decisions to break and irritate, strutting through techno beats, poetically proclaiming personal and political urgency with a confidence, sincerity and sense of humor echoing the likes of Zheani and Sneaks or (thrillingly also) the 1990s heroes Cibo Matto. Soft Violet urges the listener to unite, to love and be loved and find ways, through music, of transforming pain into something joyous and uplifting, porous and free, as well as incessantly danceable. Soft Violet dares to go places that others do not, tapping into an honesty that others shy away from, welcoming everyone in to come play. Soft Violet is a fighter rising in solidarity. The beginning of the matriarchy is already in full effect.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: AVM 079LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Negore is the second album by the Kenya-based duo Odd Odokko. After their debut Auma (PING 068LP) saw percussionist Sven Kacirek work with pre-existing recordings of singer and instrument builder Olith Ratego, the two opted for a similar approach for the ten pieces to preserve the expressiveness of the latter's performance. Further contributions by sound artist KMRU and Angel Bat Dawid on bass clarinet expand the duo's sonic palette which draws on the dodo music of the Luo people and enriches it with percussive, melodic, and occasionally electronic means. The record's title translates to "petroleum lamp," signifying the transition from day to night -- when the time has come to dance. In this decidedly joyful spirit, Negore is dedicated to transitions and venturing into the future. Ratego's interpretation of the folk tradition is expressly contemporary, while Kacirek uses a rich variety of avant-garde and advanced electronic music techniques to propel it even further. Preceded by their first tour since the world first came to a grinding halt in early 2020, Negore marks a new beginning, but remains faithful to the unconventional working process of the two and the continuously surprising results it yields. With the exception of the track "Ochuya," for which Kacirek wrote a sketch in advance for Ratego to work with, the entire album is based on recordings of the singer that were made in a Nairobi studio. Accompanied by the sound of his odokko, a lyre that Ratego built inspired on the Luo instrument nyatiti, his highly expressive -- boundlessly anthemic in one moment, introspective and almost mournful in the other -- vocal performance is subtly accentuated and complemented by Kacirek on marimba, vibraphone, prepared piano percussion, drums or even programmed rhythms. The songs on Negore were written in Ratego's native Luo language and deal with subjects such as love, destiny, and perseverance. It serves as an introduction to his world, faith, and life in a rural community near Lake Victoria. It's hyper-specific and universal at the same time, much like the music that forms its foundation.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: ARBITRARY 021EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Arbitrary presents the second in a series of 10" vinyl remix collaboration releases by Danish musician Mads Emil Nielsen and Chromacolor. Side A features Heartbeats, a composition Nielsen originally made for a radio soundtrack. The track is derived from loops and granulations of sine waves and pulses from Nielsen's modular synth, which he later combined with recordings of synthesized bass and layers of organ-like tones. On side B is a remix by German sound artist and producer Hanno Leichtmann under his Chromacolor moniker. As on the first split 10" (Constellation, 2022), Leichtmann worked with sounds from the original mix, combining it with his Hohner Guitaret, Fender Rhodes, and Moog bass. Additional cello tones by Anthea Caddy and vocal contributions from Annie Garlid round out the remix. "Heartbeats" written and produced by Mads Emil Nielsen in Copenhagen. "Heartbeats/Chromacolor Remix" written and produced by Hanno Leichtmann.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: BCD 17679CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Ike Turner proved to be a challenging and polarizing character, considered moody, irascible and aggressive, even towards his partner. Despite all his contradictions, Ike Turner the musician is considered an influential figure in RnR, a talent scout, producer, pianist and pioneering guitar stylist. Bear Family Records gathers the very best early rockers and instrumentals by this brilliant musician on a CD. Chicago music historian Bill Dahl has studied Turner's life and work in great depth and describes the significance of the RnR eccentric in the illustrated and detailed liner notes. Sometimes you have to separate the man from the music-seldom a wiser course of action than in the case of Ike Turner. No matter your feelings regarding the man himself, the recordings he made during the 1950s rocked with an unbridled vengeance, whether Ike was laying down supple boogie piano underpinnings or whammy bar-laden guitar magic. This collection largely concentrates on Turner's pre-Tina years, when his band, The Kings of Rhythm, operated like a well-oiled machine and Ike was the picture of polished professionalism. He and The Kings bounced from one label to the next (Chess, Modern, Federal, Cobra and Sue are all amply represented), spotlighting an array of extraordinary vocalists. Many of them are showcased on this set, beginning with Jackie Brenston's immortal Rocket '88,' a 1951 R&B chart-topper and a genuine rock and roll landmark. Dennis Binder, Billy Gayles, Clayton Love, Tommy Hodge, and Jimmy Thomas all had big, booming voices when they fronted Ike's combo -- a must, since Turner was going insane behind them on his lethal axe. That was especially true on the band' 1956-57 Federal sides; 'I'm Tore Up,' 'Sad As A Man Can Be,' and 'Gonna Wait For My Chance' are downright intimidating in their rollicking intensity. This is truly some hellraising stuff."

 

PRICE: $10.00

CAT #: BEC 5614059

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The very first CD standard edition of Rita Mitsouko's Best Of. 15 of Rita Mitsouko's greatest hits, all remastered. Includes: "Marcia Baila," "C'est comme ?a, Andy," "Les Histoires d'A," and more. Jewelcase, and including 12-page booklet.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: BT 122LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Black Truffle presents A Song for two Mothers/Occam IX, the first ever solo release from Laetitia Sonami. Born in France in 1957, Sonami studied with ?liane Radigue in Paris before moving to California in 1978 to study electronic music at Mills College. Sonami is perhaps most closely associated with one of her inventions, the Lady's Glove, an arm-length tailored glove fitted with movement sensors allowing the performer fluidly to control digital sound parameters and processing, as well as motors, lights and video playback. Having performed with the Lady's Glove for 25 years, Sonami retired it in 2016, turning her attention to the interface/instrument heard and pictured here, the Spring Sprye. After decades of aversion to documenting her work on recordings, A Song for two Mothers/Occam IX treats listeners to two side-long performances with the Spring Spyre: the very first piece developed for the instrument and the most recent, the two contrasting remarkably in sound palette, energy and form. "A Song for two Mothers" (2023) spins an intricate web of rippling synthetic burbles, rapid sweeps and fizzing textures. Performed in real time with the sensitive and partly uncontrollable Spring Sprye, the music is delicate yet chaotic. Abrupt gestures hover against a backdrop of silence, "devoid of spatial or temporal direction." After several minutes, the sound-world becomes metallic and percussive, tapping and ticking in pointillistic flurries before a wavering harmonic cloud emerges, sprinkled with resonant drips and pops. "Occam IX" is a radically different proposition. At the outset of Sonami's exploration of the Spring Sprye, she asked her former teacher ?liane Radigue to compose a piece for it -- and her: like all of Radigue's work since she ceased working with analogue electronics at the beginning of the 21st century, "Occam IX" is written not only for an instrument but also for a particular performer. These scores are developed verbally, through meetings and conversations between performer and composer; each is grounded in an image (usually kept from listeners, to avoid influencing their experience); all magnify the subtlest acoustic phenomena and require great commitment and patience from the performer. Beginning from a rumbling low tone, the listener is gradually immersed in slowly lapping waves of synthetic tones, eventually thinning out into delicate bell-like pings against a background of white noise. Accompanied by notes from Sonami, her longtime collaborator Paul DeMarinis, and Radigue, and illustrated with scores, photographs and images of the Spring Spyre, A Song for Two Mothers/Occam IX is an essential document celebrating an under-recognized pioneer of electronic music and performance.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BT 123LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

crys cole returns to Black Truffle with Making Conversation, her third solo release for the label. After the intimate song-like constructions of Other Meetings (BT 096LP), Making Conversation documents a different facet of cole's work, presenting three rigorously conceptualized commissioned pieces, each of which extend her signature approach to highly amplified small sounds into new directions. The side-long title piece is a stereo version of an eight-channel sound installation exhibited in 2023 at the Tabakalera Art Center in Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain. The piece uses a multitude of instrumental, vocal, concrete and electronic sounds to evoke the soundscapes cole encountered during nocturnal listening session in Bali, Indonesia in 2018 and 2019. In this world of night sounds, she explains, she "observed the complex interplay between amphibian, lizard, bird and insect communication, domestic animals (roosters, dogs), man-made sounds (airplanes, vehicles, conversations and evening activities) and sounds that were difficult to place." Drawing on field recordings as memory aids (but including none in the finished piece), cole's piece uncannily reproduces the spatiality and pacing of environmental sound without attempting strictly to replicate it. While at times it can be difficult to imagine the source of these sounds, at other points they are clearly instrumental or electronic in origin; in its placement and layering, though, the whole assemblage suggests the glorious, unthinking richness of a non-musical sound environment. Suggesting at once the electronic gardens of Rolf Julius and the little instrument expanses of classic AACM, the piece is a brilliant enactment of the Cage-ian drive to "imitate nature in her manner of operation." "Valid ForeverrRrrRRrrr? (pt. 1)" began as cole's contribution to an Issue Project Room commission to realize a score from Alison Knowles and Annea Lockwood's Women's Work, a 1975 collection of text and conceptual scores by women artists and composers. cole's piece begins from Beth Anderson's "Valid for Life," a complex arrangement of the letter R in various typefaces. Accompanied with extensive liner notes, photographic documentation and a download code, Making Conversation is an exciting next step in cole's work, extending her signature concerns in new sonic and conceptual directions.

 

PRICE: $26.50

CAT #: BORNBAD 057LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2024 repress; double LP version. Comes in a gatefold sleeve. 1968. France, Incorporated. The entire building was being consumed by flames and was slowly collapsing. Nothing would survive. Out of the rubble of the old world jumped the children of Marx and Coca-Cola, ripping the white and blue stripes off the French flag. Yet, the socialist revolution was more mythic than real and music did nothing to mitigate people's behavior. It was time for innovation. While singles from The Stones, The Who, The Kinks and MC5 provided an incendiary soundtrack for the revolution, it was Black Americans who truly blew the world from its foundations in the '60s. Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler, and Archie Shepp left behind the jazz of their fathers' generation, liberating the notes, trashing the structures, diving headfirst into furious improvisations, inventing a new land without boundaries -- neither spiritual nor political. Free jazz endowed the saxophone with the power to destroy the established order. In 1969, the Art Ensemble Of Chicago arrived at the Th??tre du Vieux Colombier in Paris and a new fuse was lit. Their multi-instrumentalism made use of a varied multiplicity of "little instruments" (including bicycle bells, wind chimes, steel drums, vibraphone and djembe: they left no stone unturned), which they employed according to their inspirations. The group's stage appearance shocked as well. They wore boubous (traditional African robes) and war paint to venerate the power of their free, hypnotic music, directly linked to their African roots. They were predestined to meet up with the Saravah record label (founded in 1965 by Pierre Barouh), already at the vanguard of as-yet unnamed world music. Brigitte Fontaine's album Comme ? la radio, recorded in 1970 after a series of concerts at the Th??tre du Vieux Colombier, substantiated the union of this heiress to the poetic and politically-committed chanson fran?aise with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago's voodoo jazz and the Arab tradition perpetuated by her companion Areski Belkacem. A UFO had landed on the turntables of French teens, who were discovering underground culture via publications like Actuel, Lib?ration, Charlie Hebdo, Rock & Folk and a vigorous free press. For 20 year-olds in the early 1970s, making music was a political act; they grabbed a microphone to advance a cause, not to become rock stars. While the price of oil skyrocketed and Pompidou went overboard building horrible concrete apartment buildings for public housing and "adapting the city for the automobile," some took refuge in the countryside. Alternative communities formed all across France, giving rise to groups (or rather, collectives) with open-minded structures, cheerfully mixing music, theatrical happenings and agitprop, along with a good dose of acid. Projects bordering on the ridiculous were often tolerated (progressive rock was one of the primary banalities the era produced), while those who followed the route paved by spiritual jazz often ended up elsewhere. The vehemence (if not grandiloquence) of their declarations was carried and transcended by the finesse and brilliance of their musicianship. Simultaneously spatial, pastoral and tribal, the tracks in this collection represent an ideal intersection between a sort of psychedelic legacy, the space jazz of Sun Ra and Afro Beat (then being created by Fela in Lagos): they are as much incantations (often driven by the spoken-word), war cries or poems as they are polemics. 1978. Giscard was at the helm. Punk and disco were busily decapitating the last remaining hippies. Peoples' blood was still boiling, but it was already too late. The war was over, lost without anyone noticing. Nevertheless, people still tilted at windmills or talked tough in dead-end struggles; a dream is not so far from a nightmare. We knew that an enchanted era had ended, the hope for a brighter future was now behind us and that we would leave behind nothing for our children but a few records. Indeed, ghosts may still crackle from our speakers, as the 45 spins and Brigitte Fontaine asks Areski: "H? mais je pense ? un truc, on ne va pas mourir dans une minute?" (trans. "Hey, I was just thinking, aren't we going to die in a minute?"). Features artists such as Alfred Panou & Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Brigitte Fontaine & Areski Belkacem, Atarpop 73 & Le Collectif Le Temps Des Cerises, RK Nagati, Fr?d?ric Rufin & Rapha?l Lecomte, Fran?ois Tusques, Mahjun (Mouvement Anarcho H?ro?que des Joyeux Utopistes N?buleux), Full Moon Ensemble, Baroque Jazz Trio, Michel Roques, Ch?ne Noir, and Beatrice Arnac.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BSR 833CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"In 1975 Phil Pratt first recording session with Keith Poppin at Channel One on Maxfield Avenue generated a spare, hypnotic re-working of 'Bad Mind Grudgeful' retitled 'Envious.' The seven inch single, 'caused a sensation here and in Britain,' was a Number One record in Jamaica and a big hit on the UK reggae market too. The acclaimed Envious album followed. Keith Poppin continued to work with Phil Pratt on releases such as Who Are You, another big hit, and two years later, recorded his second album for Phil Pratt Pop Inn. This classic collection, also created with a stellar line up of musicians at Channel One, was released in the UK only on the Burning Sounds subsidiary label Burning Rockers and consolidated Keith's reputation as one of Jamaica's foremost vocalists with his soulful and melodic voice. First time on CD."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BSR 834LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"The Viceroys were a Jamaican reggae vocal group formed in the late 1960s. They were one of the numerous vocal trios that emerged during the rocksteady and early reggae eras in Jamaica. The group's lineup consisted of Wesley Tinglin, Neville Ingram, and Daniel Bernard. They gained popularity with their harmonious vocal style and catchy melodies. One of their most famous songs is 'Heart Made of Stone,' which became a hit in Jamaica and internationally. They worked with various producers, including Derrick Morgan, Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry, recording songs that reflected the social and political issues of the time. While the original lineup of the Viceroys disbanded in the 1970s, Wesley Tinglin continued to perform under the Viceroys name with different members. Their music continues to be celebrated among reggae enthusiasts for its soulful harmonies and uplifting messages."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BSR 862LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Purpleman, also known as Purple Man or Peter Yellow, was a Jamaican dancehall deejay who emerged in the 1980s. He was known for his unique vocal style, energetic performances, and colorful stage presence. Purpleman was closely associated with the sound system scene in Jamaica and gained popularity with his lively performances at dances and parties. His stage name, Purpleman, likely came from his distinctive skin condition, which caused his skin to appear purple under certain lighting conditions. Purpleman's lyrics often touched on themes such as social commentary, partying, and boastfulness, typical of the dancehall genre. Some of Purpleman's notable songs include 'Feeling Irie,' 'Sandra Lee Buy Big House Fi Me,' and 'King On The Way.' Purpleman's contributions to dancehall music are remembered, and he remains respected for his impact on the genre. This album, when released in 1983, was originally credited as Yellowman. Purpleman was the true artist on this album. Here it is now, with the correct artist credit to Purpleman. The album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, including sleeve notes."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BSR 876LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"One Love by Mike Brooks was originally issued in 1983. Most of the tracks on that album were voiced at King Tubby's and over rhythms again recorded at Channel One, where the Roots Radics had replaced the Revolutionaries as the Hookims' house band. 'Sensie Man,' sung in defense of his fellow ganja smokers from around the island, was the lead single. 'Lovers Street' was a big seller too whilst 'Grooving' was an adaptation of the Wailers' 'Keep On Moving' that according to Brooks, even won approval from Bob Marley himself, who'd recorded the original for Lee Perry. Mike's old friend from Arrows, deejay Crutches, also cut a version of that track for Teams, but it was the singer's own version, delivered in his best falsetto, that got most airplay. Love Is Lovely was another standout with its joyous message and dazzling interplay between organ, sax and drums. Channel One's new set of musicians had made quite a difference, and their slower, heavier rhythms were more suited to the times."

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: COSMR 029LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Blessed by producer Herbie Mann, who released their sole record in 1970 on his personal imprint Embryo, Brute Force were a singular jazz funk group, who filled the gap between heavy rhythm-and-blues and the jazz-rock revolution already professed by Miles Davis. The Herbie Mann connection was solidified by the presence of guitarist Sonny Sharrock -- who plays on the first half of the record -- at the time in the flutist supergroup. With the distinctive electric piano of Richard Daniel and brother Ted (a future key figure in New York downtown jazz scene) on trumpet the record still retains a fascinating mood.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: COSMR 030LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Possibly one of the first crossover jazz-rock album ever, Out of Sight and Sound was released in 1967 by ABC Records. The album was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder and produced by Bob Thiele. Featuring a stellar line up comprised of young talented guitar player Larry Coryell (soon to be a proficient solo artist on Vanguard) the record was a true expression of the musicians' lifestyle and artist heritage. With drummer Bob Moses (Compost, Steve Kuhn) on board, second guitarist Columbus "Chip" Baker, saxophonist Jim Pepper (a native American who's debut on Herbie Mann's Embryo is still regarded as a masterpiece) and bassist Chris Hills, Free Spirits were possible the first fusion group around.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: DAMGOOD 622CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A rock'n'roll sensation from the word go, Danish-Brazilian The Courettes are back with their fourth and best album to date: The Soul Of? The Fabulous Courettes. And this time, they're bigger, wider and deeper than ever before as they add more to the blistering ramalama that's seen them cause pandemonium across the venues, festivals and airwaves of the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. Hitting the sweet spot that straddles garage rock, girl groups, doo-wop harmonies, heartache and all points in between, here The Courettes build on the momentum of predecessor Back In Mono with a collection of songs that opens up their sonic scope while confronting dark, emotional matter to reveal 'The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes'. 'We didn't want to do Back In Mono 2',' stresses drummer Martin Couri. 'We always try to put ourselves into a zone of discomfort, which I think is where exciting things happen rather than just doing the same thing over again,' agrees singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Flavia Couri. 'I mean, I know some bands can do that but we don't see ourselves making the same album for the next 20 years. We thought Back In Mono was our best album until this one!' She's not wrong. Having evolved with each album release, The Soul Of... The Fabulous Courettes draws inspiration from many of the duo's numerous idols that have only previously been hinted at. 'We wanted to show our love of the Spector Wall Of Sound and Motown,' reveals Flavia. 'It was a clear mission and we've absolutely nailed it.'"

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DE 323LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Dark Entries returns to Mexico with Back Up Dos: Mexican Tecno Pop 1982-1989. Following 2021's Back Up compilation, Back Up Dos delivers ten more tracks of synth-pop and New Beat, seven of which have never before appeared on vinyl. From mutant drum machine beats to irresistible synthesizer hooks, fans of the fringes of the '80s will find songs to stir their cold, dark hearts. But Back Up Dos does more than mine retro kitsch; it documents the development of a rich DIY music scene that is still underexplored. As affordable samplers and digital synths spread throughout the decade, post-punk and new wave gave way to more aggressive EBM and cyberpunk sounds. The scene also developed in opposition to the political climate of the times: the rise of the drug cartels and a reactionary turn in national politics. Using home recording techniques, these bands took cues from the electronic wizardry of the Human League and Wax Trax Records while reflecting the vibrant and chaotic Mexican cultural landscape of the era. On Back Up Dos, impeccable pop anthems from Casino Shanghai and Los Agentes Secretos sit alongside gnarled obscurities from Ford Proco and Mar?a Bonita, showcasing a decade of sly deviance and enthusiastic experimentation. This album comes housed in an '80s-inflected neon sleeve designed by Gwenael Rattke and includes a 12-page booklet with photographs, lyrics, and notes. Back Up Dos compiles synthetic music produced in Mexico at the crossroads from tecno pop to post-industrial, nourished by culture shock and stories of dystopian worlds."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: DC 110LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "The original cream of the singles crop from the Palace of Brothers, Songs and Music -- covering the terrain from 'Ohio River Boat Song' to 'West Palm Beach,' and adding alternate takes of 'Riding' and 'Trudy Dies,' a live version of Hope's 'Untitled,' and this album's title track, which doesn't appear in any version anywhere else. Fifteen songs all-in, most of which have been out of print on 7' since the mid-90s, and all out of circulation on this double-vinyl edition since the mid-aughts." Gatefold sleeve.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 420LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. LP version. "Through the years and the shape-shifts of different albums, players and songs, the music of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy has proven to be an experience of sharing: Bonny sharing the songs with musicians for a new experience; Bonny sharing the record with you. What do you think? The Letting Go is an overwhelming undertaking. As mentioned, there are strings -- lovely charts that do so much more than just trace chord changes up and down the neck. Arrangements by Ryder McNair and Nico Muhly are threaded throughout the record, augmenting a simple quintet of players to provide a sixth sense. The deceptive nature of his band is on display from the top. 'Filthy' Jim White is known far and wide for his resource behind the drum kit and he proves it song after song, with sensitivity that provokes dynamic variety from skins, an acoustic depth to the room. Paul Oldham's bass is a feeling accompaniment to Bonny's guitar, played with brotherly clairvoyance and constancy. Young Emmett Kelly's clean electric guitar lines roam within the web and suddenly shine, are blues and folk and r'n'b in shifting turn, guilelessly tactic and soulfully expressive. And up front with Bonny is the bewitching Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables. Her vocal flights on those records can hardly prepare one for the intimacy and empathy of her harmonies and other voices on The Letting Go."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 511LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. LP version. "Dirty what then? Ohh...Dirty Three. Right! Jesus fucking God--it's been seven years since the last Dirty Three album. It's like, to paraphrase one of their new songs, sometimes we forgot they were gone. And not just because they were never really gone, if you were a card-carrying underground-rock type of the gay '90s, you know it's because the Dirty Three are always inside us...eeyuuucchhh. Bad image, sorry. We mean that the tones and tunes of these guys are always floating around in our head and our soul: Warren's always sawing away at something that kind of tightens our chest and gives us that ol' thousand-yard stare; Mick wanders hollow-bodied from abstract and dreamy to punishing hard chord rock in the space of a breath, never sacrificing a sense of the awesome along the path; Jim--don't get us started! There's drummers and time, and then there's Jim White. He's doing something that no one else does back there. Plus, he's drumming! Returning to the basic formula for the band, the labor and decision-making is divided evenly and democratically as they improvise themselves into the heart of the moment. The sounds of traditional music are glimpsed in Warren's violin while Mick and Jim blow clouds that envelop the picture. Each takes the lead as the untidy trio trip lightly and jazzily from etude to still life to exploding the air into flames around us with just a violin, electric guitar and trap kit. Don't shade your eyes! Look Toward the Low Sun and you will know once again the burn of the Dirty Three. The crusty troika are back, for the first time ever on Drag City Records."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 526LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress; LP version. "It's been 2 years since we took The Trip with Laetita Sadier. Her first true solo album since exiting the bedrooms of Monade, The Trip breathed freshly and deeply as both a personal homage to life's journey and as a grieving process for the separations that are unavoidable within it. Born from a similar, natural need for stillness as well as agitation, Laetitia now delivers her follow-up, Silencio, an album exploring the individual connection to a deeper self placed in a broader environment, in a similarly fresh kind of way."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: DC 891LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Six Organs of Admittance extend their annum of unlikely delights -- begun in March '24 with Time is Glass, the first new 6OOA album in four years, and joined in June with the most unlikely awesome collab of '24: Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance, Jinxed by Being -- with the release of Companion Rises (Twig Harper Remix), which expands the zone of disbelief simply by being the third Six Organs-branded release in one year! Also by pushing the boundaries in all the manners that matter -- psychologically, spiritually, philosophically and sonically -- into a new dimensional space. Companion Rises dropped in February 2020. Its new techniques in sound generation called for an aggressive new moment, with heavy Six Organs touring scheduled for the year ahead. As Ben Chasny picked up the pieces following the 'Big Blink,' he had to think of what could have been. By then, Six Organs had moved on -- both Time is Glass and Jinxed by Being were in the works -- but here was a thought: Companion Rises was a record about the weirdness of California. Right then, Twig Harper was touching down in Cali after stints in Baltimore and Chicago. Ben'd been onboard with Twig's shit since the days when Nautical Almanac burst out of Michigan like an engorged, inflamed, screaming blood vessel. When Ben asked him if he would do whatever he wanted, it felt like full circles were colliding when Twig said yeah! Once Twig had measured out the physics of Companion Rises, most of his remix was done up in his van where he, otherwise homeless, was living. In the 'Twig Harper Remix,' the maximal qualities of original Companion Rises DNA are evoked via omission: to recreate the implied construction of Six Organs' spirit realm, Twig isolated source sounds, triggered new data off those sounds, then edited the new readouts. To the naked ear, it sounds to be a highly stimulating new example in modern electronic minimal classical music. The assiduous Organs-head will no doubt find a few Easter eggs here, but mostly, this is new dimensional space made of the not-so-old one. Companion Rises (Twig Harper Remix) is like two journeys in one, juxtaposing Twig's new-to-Cali musings with Six Organs' original borne-and-bread wanderings."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: DC 919LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Jill Fraser is a composer and electronic music pioneer, active since the 1970s. Her credits are many and varied -- yet her new album, Earthly Pleasures, takes a unique place among all her work: a luminous suite of electroacoustic music examining the bones of hymnal harmony, speculating on how the spirit of songs might be interpreted after people are gone. Playing electronic music was what Jill's seen for herself almost from the beginning. Switched on Bach was an early influence, blowing up her understanding of what she was learning on the piano. So was Silver Apples of the Moon, evolving recognizable aspects of classical music into a fantastic elsewhere. She studied at CalArts, working with Morton Subotnick (her mentor) and taking master classes with John Cage and Lou Harrison, among others. She composed film scores with Jack Nitzsche and played her synthesizer at punk shows opening for Minutemen and Henry Rollins. When her daughter Sofia was playing with Wand, Jill contributed electronics to one of the songs on Laughing Matter. Earthly Pleasures stands out from all these things Jill's done. Balancing composition, technology and introspection, it is a fluent expression that also considers mortality and loss; not simply our own lives and the lives of those we love, but the mortality of the very age we live in, the intelligence of our time. For Earthly Pleasures' composition, Jill began by researching revival hymns of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (with an instinctive bias towards those composed by women). Her workstation combines both the newest technology and some of the oldest analog electronic sound sources, a combo involving her original 1978 Serge Modular, a new Prism Modular and Ableton Push 3. The sound world of Earthly Pleasures accesses a seeming infinity of dimensional sound in which the human hand is always keenly felt, no matter how deep the space. It's a breathtakingly transcendent album that suggests inclusion within a diversity of genres: ambient, electronic, new age, modern classical, gospel, healing, sacred. It is the work of a veteran composer and synth master at the peak of her powers, meditating upon the detritus of memory, the passage of all consciousness, and the rebirth of meaning in a new era."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: DC 923A-LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"The work of Whitney Johnson a.k.a. Matchess, is, in their own words, 'a material history of reproduction.' From our grateful vantage point, it sounds like sequences of hypnotic and engaging forms, a combination of musical concepts and available materials for the purpose of transcendence. Hav and Stena challenge linear description, and even language, reflecting the perceived values and details of multiple times/intentions/places into essential aspects, repurposed as music. Hav and Stena (DC 923Z-CS) began to exist in 2021 while Whitney was researching the Cult of Hermaphroditus and visiting all the available sites of the cult's activity in Cyprus and Greece. She collected materials from the sites via VHS footage, 35mm photos, and field recordings. The cover image for Hav is from that trip, as are some of the field recordings included on Stena. During her travels, Whitney read Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time. As a sequel to that harrowing moment, and with respect to Shelley, the two new releases feel within and without themselves like creatures of post-mortem assembly, collaged more than birthed. In the fall of 2023, thanks to a grant from DCASE in Chicago, Whitney returned to Sweden to finish both records as an artist-in-residence at Inkonst in Malm? and at Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) in Stockholm. During this time, she assembled the pieces she was working on as a multi-channel A/V installation at Inkonst, and Hav emerged more fully, as a composition for sine waves, marimba, viola, Arp Odyssey and Halldorophone. Finished mixes for both were later achieved at Electrical Audio in Chicago with Cooper Crain, capturing the spirits and intents in all the times and places enumerated above. Fleetingly and forever, they become the sounds we hear on Hav and Stena. As with 2022's Sonescent, one way to examine these records is how they resonate in the body. Throughout their gestation, attention was given to the use of certain frequencies as a focused means of transport; the Solfeggio Frequencies, a conception in sound healing, are referenced often in these new works."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: DC 923Z-CS

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

"The work of Whitney Johnson a.k.a. Matchess, is, in their own words, 'a material history of reproduction.' From our grateful vantage point, it sounds like sequences of hypnotic and engaging forms, a combination of musical concepts and available materials for the purpose of transcendence. Hav (DC 923A-LP) and Stena challenge linear description, and even language, reflecting the perceived values and details of multiple times/intentions/places into essential aspects, repurposed as music. Hav and Stena began to exist in 2021 while Whitney was researching the Cult of Hermaphroditus and visiting all the available sites of the cult's activity in Cyprus and Greece. She collected materials from the sites via VHS footage, 35mm photos, and field recordings. The cover image for Hav is from that trip, as are some of the field recordings included on Stena. During her travels, Whitney read Shelley's Frankenstein for the first time. As a sequel to that harrowing moment, and with respect to Shelley, the two new releases feel within and without themselves like creatures of post-mortem assembly, collaged more than birthed. Stena in particular sifts through fragments of once-was, surgically bonded and given electric shock treatment to induce music. Its sequence contains a hidden cover of The Nuns' 'It's a Dream.' A lot of Stena was recorded in Miller Beach, Indiana. Other recordings were made in a barn in rural Sweden during the winter of 2022, where Whitney was living alone and working on music while mulling over considerations of biological and symbolic ancestry. The cover image for Stena is a burial cairn photographed while there. As with 2022's Sonescent, one way to examine these records is how they resonate in the body. Throughout their gestation, attention was given to the use of certain frequencies as a focused means of transport; the Solfeggio Frequencies, a conception in sound healing, are referenced often in these new works."

 

PRICE: $43.50

CAT #: DTD 022CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 restock. 2012 Grammy nominee for Best Historical Album. Opika Pende: Africa At 78 RPM is a 4CD collection featuring 100 tracks taken from rare 78rpm recordings of African music (1909 to mid-1960s), none of which have ever been issued on CD until now. Pan-African in scope and wildly diverse, Opika Pende is a testament to the deep riches found in early recorded music across the continent. 112-page softcover book with 4 CDs in a separate portfolio -- all housed in a deluxe cloth slipcase. Jonathan Ward is a Los Angeles-based collector, researcher, and writer. In 2007, he began the well-known web site Excavated Shellac, which features a wide range of scarce, international 78rpm records from across the globe with extensive commentary. In 2010, Jonathan released his first LP in a series for Dust-to-Digital's vinyl imprint Parlortone. Titled Excavated Shellac: Strings (PT 2001LP), it contains 14 exemplary performances on string instruments from across the globe, all from his collection of 78s.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: ECHO 094EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Copenhagen's Echocord returns with the Invincible Nature EP by Altone, backed by a remix from Thomas Fehlmann and Another Channel. Atone is the guise of Tokyo's Yuki Takasaki, one of the leading figures of the genre out of Japan with releases on the likes of Greyscale, Lempuyang, Vuo, ? Recordings, Primary [colours] and many more. His distinctive twist on dub techno has earned him accolades worldwide within the underground and here he joins the roster of the esteemed Echocord, the Kenneth Christiansen helmed label that's been at the forefront of dub techno for more than two decades now. The original mix of "Naturally Unnatural" opens, showcasing Altone's unique style via subtly nuanced chord flutters, expansive reverberations, pulsating low end tones and ever unfolding, subtly unfurling feel. The "Naturally Flowing Thomas Fehlmann Remix" follows, the Swiss sonic wizard and former member of the legendary The Orb among many other projects delivers deep, throbbing subs and glitched out synth modulations intertwined with fragments of the original composition. "Unnaturally Balanced" then opens the B-Side with Altone diving deeper into dub realms courtesy of ever alternating, billowing dub echoes and a raw, reduced rhythm section. The "Another Channel Version" of "Unnaturally Balanced" then rounds out the EP, embracing a more classic dub techno aesthetic as crunchy drums, swirling atmospherics and spaced-out echoes ebb and flow amongst one another across the six and half minute duration. Pressed on turquoise colored vinyl.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: EMEGO 313LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Klara Lewis' latest offering is undoubtedly a heartfelt tribute to her friend, mentor and former label boss, Peter Rehberg. The opening track "Thankful" resides as a direct tribute to the track recorded under his PITA moniker, the timeless "Track 3." Countless new youth carve and project wildly distorted melodic digital matter which all falls back with a knowing or unknowing wink to this original ground zero monster. Klara's take on this is one that resides as a tribute to Rehberg with a cascading emotional melody gradually succumbing to a euphoric digital abyss. Thankful also comes across as a farewell gesture to her deceased friend with its beautiful, almost funeral tone. The abrupt ending is not only a method Rehberg would have relished but also a signifier of a life suddenly cut short. The track "Ukulele 1" is another tender tribute within an album made by a human, utilizing contemporary technology with absolute sincerity, surprise twists and sublime emotion. The sound of the instrument in the title gently loops and deconstructs in a recording replete with the sound of the room it is recorded in. A human element appears at exactly the point an increasingly inhuman approach is becoming the forced raison d'etre today. One of Peter's many repeated phrases was the word "top." One he used at any occasion to agree with a vast array of subjects. With this musical tribute to Rehberg's favorite phrase, Lewis conjures a short blast of mutant acid techno which shrivels and thrives as much as it lives and dies. Following "Top" is the reflective and deeply moving "4U." No words. Just sounds. As it was. And lives on. "Ukulele 2" sits at the end, as an epilogue of sorts, fashioning itself as an ouroboros with the return of the initial methodology of the previous track "Thankful." This time around the sublime melody of the previous "Ukulele 1" plays out in returnal as it is gently swarmed by all manner of digital play. Thankful is an emotionally considered and precise homage to the methodology and spirit of Peter Rehberg. A new work which inhabits the spirit for what this was written for and the general guise devised with the launch of the original MEGO label many moons ago.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: ENJ 60201LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Reissue of the last recording of legendary trumpeter Chet Baker, from April 28th, 1988. The producer of NDR radio in Hamburg had asked Chet what his favorite project would be, carte blanche. Well, he answered that he would love to record with a quintet of good friends, a jazz big band and a symphonic orchestra. All were provided and the result is a breath-taking event indeed."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: ESPDISK 1014LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2024 repress! 180-gram black vinyl. The astonishing sessions that went light years beyond "free jazz" improvisation to create a music of deeply felt, explosive and gentle gesture made from sound itself without reference to previous notions of melody or harmony are now reissued on 180 gram vinyl with Sun Ra's original, self-created cover art. Recorded by Richard Alderson on April 20, 1965, this set of tunes finds Sun Ra breaking ground by using synthesizers and having the Arkestra musicians double on percussion. Remastered.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: ESPDISK 1017LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2024 repress! 180-gram black vinyl. Volume two of Sun Ra's classic Heliocentric recordings from the 1960s. The astonishing sessions that went light years beyond "free jazz" improvisation to create a music of deeply-felt, explosive and gentle gesture made from sound itself without reference to previous notions of melody or harmony are now reissued on 180 gram vinyl with Sun Ra's original, self-created cover art. Recorded by Richard Alderson on April 20, 1965, this set of tunes finds Sun Ra breaking ground by using synthesizers and having the Arkestra musicians double on percussion. More explorations of outer space by the spokesman for the space age. Manufactured in the U.S. by the original label. Digitally re-mastered.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: EUDEMONIA 018EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

not even noticed returns to Eudemonia with another great four-track EP. Known for their introspective approach and captivating storytelling, the German-duo has quickly garnered a loyal following, drawing fans in with each release. This EP is anticipated to highlight their signature style while also exploring new musical horizons.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: FAITICHE 037LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mark Templeton is a Canadian media artist and the founder of Graphical, an audiovisual label dedicated to publishing his own musical and image-based experiments. Mark's audio compositions are constructed from reel-to-reel tape loops and sampled cassettes that are contrasted with contemporary sound techniques. In his published photobooks, he incorporates his own 35mm pictures and found images, focusing on intangible fantasies and realities. During his audiovisual performances, he utilizes digital instruments while projecting his own photographs, VHS footage, Super 8 film, and other sampled video. Mark Templeton's reinterpretation of outdated media as musical instruments makes him a compelling artist for the Faitiche label roster. For his debut on Faitiche, he browsed his old hard drives and invited Andrew Pekler to listen through and co-produce a selection of Mark's unreleased works. The compositions act as a series of snapshots: a look back at a decade of archived sounds, re-envisioned and re-imaged for Faitiche. The album contains nine tracks that follow an AB song structure. Each piece begins with verse A, transitions into verse B, and then ends. This simple formula creates a dichotomy that is also present in Mark's diptych photographs, featured in the artwork. Throughout the album, both juxtaposition and inherent connections are simultaneously at play. One way or another, Two Verses provides a beginner's guide to Mark Templeton's highly idiosyncratic catalog.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: HOF 002CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A sanctuary of adoration, creation and imagination, duo White Hills' lair in Brooklyn is also the nerve center of their record label Heads on Fire Industries. It's the site where the final mixes of Beyond This Fiction took shape. For nearly two decades, White Hills have been blowing minds with their sonic alchemy: a unique mix of neo-psychedelia, art rock, and post-punk -- at once original and recognizable. Their cult reputation emblazoned in celluloid following their performance in Jim Jarmusch's sultry vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), the duo has toured vigorously since their inception. With a vast catalog that astounds and a relentless punk ethos, time seems to energize the duo, making them increasingly daring and prolific. Founding member Dave W, whose signature other-worldly guitar sorcery defines the White Hills sound, grabs his Les Paul to record a melody lingering in his head from last night's dream before it escapes. Outside, the sound of passing sirens, honking horns and bits of conversation remind you that you're in the middle of New York, a city so flush with rock legacy and artistic innovation it would take lifetimes to drink it all in. Committed to a vocation marked by extremes, doubt, struggle and moments of ecstasy, Dave and Ego Sensation Sensation (drums/bass/vocals) continue this torrid affair with music bearing their latest fruit Beyond This Fiction. Inspired by the ideas of Joseph Campbell, the writer/philosopher known for the book The Power of Myth (1988), the album explores the idea of "riding between opposites" -- forging one's own path unrestrained by the dualistic constraints of society. Recorded with Martin Bisi, known for his iconic NYC sound developed through his work with no-wave titans Sonic Youth, Swans, and Lydia Lunch, Beyond This Fiction sees Dave W (guitar/vocals/synths) and Ego Sensation (drums/bass/vocals) orchestrating their distinct guitar heavy meditations into songs with a stronger focus on vocals than previous albums. The album harnesses the seductive accessibility of 2015's Walks For Motorists while evoking the tempestuous soul of the band's seminal H-p1 (2011). Notorious shapeshifters, White Hills make Beyond This Fiction a familiar surprise. Back in the lair, Dave draws eyes on his hands in preparation for the day's video shoot. Ego reaches in the closet pulling out the red velvet jacket she wears on the cover of Beyond This Fiction where she stands in a NYC alley holding a glowing orb.

 

PRICE: $26.50

CAT #: HMRLP 008LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Limited 2024 restock. The unique and magical sound of Los Siquicos Litorale?os (The Psychics of El Litoral), fermented in the rural north of Argentina, land of gauchos (Argentine cowboys), mate tea, chamam? folk music, and Psilocybe Cubensis. In this remote region, cut off from the fashions of the city, Los Siquicos were able to nurture their obsessions, hone their craft, and develop a singular style that takes the traditional chamam? folk music of rural Argentina, then throws it in a blender with Latin-American cumbia and chicha, the tropicalia of Os Mutantes and Tom Z?, the free music of Sun Ra, Captain Beefheart, The Residents, UFO conspiracies, radical philosophy, and a strong dose of the absurd. Out in the hinterlands, they fully embraced the spirit and ethic of DIY punk, gaining a reputation for wild, open air shows on the backs of flatbed trucks, or from makeshift set-ups in village squares and at local f?tes and fairs, where confused locals half recognize the twisted sound of a chamam? beamed in from another planet. Hive Mind Records are delighted to help bring Medianos ?xitos Subtropicales Vol. 2: El Relincho Del Tiempo (Medium Subtropical Hits Vol. 2: The Neigh of Time) out into the world. The album features a number of brand-new songs alongside tracks chosen from Los Siquicos' extensive archive of home recordings. El Relincho Del Tiempo contains the soupy dub-cumbia of "Para Ser Un Gran Hombre", the fantasy radio-hit "La Danza Del Brontosaurio", and the shamanic ecstasy of "Los Ninos Del Brasil" or "Dostoyevski En El Minimercado". Los Siquicos Litorale?os invite you to take a leap into their world in which the sounds of the future and the past blur into one, where the music of the whole planet is digested and spat out in new shapes, where the noise is joyful."... a unique triumph of homegrown rural psychedelia, standing alone on the edge of an unchartered vanguard... Los Siquicos Litorale?os are the contemporary group you keep hoping exist, but can never find. If you were to reach for spiritual comparisons, you wouldn't be forgetting the most spirited moments from Sun City Girls, Butthole Surfers, Faust, Os Mutantes, Captain Beefheart or The Residents." --Mark Gergis

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: HJP 074EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock. Epic, protean brilliance from the Sotofett corner, bumping nylon new age and ill chill out against reggaeton and jungle exotica, spilling batucada-style percussion workouts out of clean-heeled house. Each side introduces a new collaborator or two -- Jaakko Eino Kalevi, Thomas "Paleo's Buddy" Mende, JEKS -- Phillip Lauer from Tuff City Kids is here; Gilb'R from Versatile... The knockout punch comes with Karolin Tampere and Maimouna Haugen: "Nondo" -- "Heaven," "Eternity" -- starts out as an electro-lullaby from C?te d'Ivoire, sotto voce and abuzz, before lifting off as a zinging, anthemic, future-house classic. A real tour de force all round.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: INT 34622CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

"Nicholas Lens, a Belgian composer of contemporary music, is known particularly for his operas. One of his earliest works is the music drama Flamma Flamma: The Fire Requiem, the first part of his trilogy The Accacha Chronicles (Flamma Flamma/Terra Terra/Amor Aeternus). The fusion of non-European musical cultures and Western classical music has been described as highly unique. Flamma Flamma is conspicuous for its unusual instrumentation - apart from chamber orchestra, mixed choir and six soloists, there are also a Japanese koto, an extensive percussion set-up and three natural voices. The work is a composition beyond all conventions. Unlike almost any other requiem, Flamma Flamma not only deals with grief and pain, but also with the idea that death is a natural part of life. Tribute is paid to the afterlife without glorifying it, the positive aspects of fire -- such as light and warmth -- are praised and all human emotions in the face of death are addressed, across all philosophical and even musical boundaries. Flamma Flamma has been used numerous times for the most diverse art events and hundreds of dance and ballet creations around the world. For instance, it was performed live at the opening of the Adelaide Festival with more than 1,000 performers in front of an audience of 30,000 people. After its first release on CD in 1994, Flamma Flamma moved up various international charts and quickly went from being an insiders' tip to a huge success, with even a videoclip showing on MTV and Arte. Tracks such as 'Sumus Vicinae,' 'Corpus Inimici' or the title track 'Flamma Flamma' have even become cult classics and made it to some alternative dance floors from Paris to NY and Tokyo. Flamma Flamma by Nicholas Lens will now be re-released on an elaborately designed double vinyl in gatefold cover to mark the 30th anniversary. The composer himself artistically supervised the re-mastering."

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: JRCD 038CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress. King Tubby and producer Bunny "Striker" Lee are intertwined in the birth of dub music. After discovering a mistake that was made into a "serious joke" they went on to release the first pressings of this new musical genre, named "Dub Music." Tubby's vast knowledge of electronics and Bunny's vast catalog of rhythms would lay the foundations of what today is taken as a standard... the remix/version cuts to an existing vocal tune. "Tubby did three original dub albums, Dub from the Roots, The Roots of Dub and Brass Rockers with Tommy McCook 'pon the flying cymbals. Where he mixed it with the horn going in and out in a dub way and one named Shalom Dub, you can call Tubby's, too, because he mixed the versions as they were off 45s.'' --Bunny "Striker" Lee

 

PRICE: $19.50

CAT #: JRLP 041LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress. The mighty Scientist meets Jamaica's original Crazy Mad Professor in a dub showdown pitching their best musical shots against each other. The connection between these two great mixers/producers is that they both learned the trade and also cut their musical teeth working with the master himself King Tubby. Scientist (b. Overton Brownie, 1960, Jamaica) and the Crazy Mad Professor (not to be confused with the London-based Mad Professor, Neil Frazer, Ariwa Sounds) initially both helped King Tubby (b. Osbourne Ruddock) wind his transformers for his main business of electrical repairs. They both moved over to engineering and mixing when the need arose due to the heavy demands on Tubby's time and studio became too great. Scientist and The Crazy Mad Professor built their careers on these formative years of training, as they say if you learn from the best, your knowledge can only hold you in good stead and it certainly has with both these talents. Jamaican Recordings have pitched both against each other on some great rhythms recorded at the legendary Channel 1 Studios and then mixed them at King Tubby's Studio, as was often the case when rhythms needed voicing/versioning for that classic dub cut.

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: JRLP 051LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress; LP version. King Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi was one the great sound systems in Jamaica. It also proved a fantastic outlet for the Dub Plate Specials cut at Tubby's studio, providing exclusive cuts to be played out, enticing the dance's audience. The tracks at the time were mainly cut over producer Bunny "Striker" Lee rhythms, that Bunny stored at Tubby's studio which was in fact his home, 18 Drumilly Avenue in Kingston, Jamaica. The versions were given exclusive plays at Tubby's before some finding their way on to vinyl, as the B-side version cut to its A-side vocal, proving so popular, that the records were often bought for its version side over its vocal counterpart. King Tubby and Producer Bunny "Striker" Lee are intertwined in the birth of dub music. Tubby's vast knowledge of electronics and Bunny's vast catalog of rhythms would lay the foundations of what today is taken as a standard... the remix/version cuts to an existing vocal tune. Tubby and Striker were at Treasure Isle Studios one day while Ruddy from Spanish Town was working with the engineer Byron Smith. "Tubby and myself was talking when Ruddy was cutting some dub but Smithy (engineer) made a mistake and forgot to put in the voice. It was a two-track recording in those days. Ruddy said 'No Man! Make it stay!' And so they cut the rhythm. When I went over to Ruddy's that Saturday night a dance was in progress and when they played the vocal to the tune... then he said we're going to play 'Part Two.' They never called it 'Version.' And then he played the rhythm track. The song was a catchy song and everybody started to sing along and the deejay started to toast so everything went down well. On Monday morning I went up and I said 'Tubbs the mistake we made was a serious joke. It mash up Spanish Town!' The people went wild. So you have to start to do that now 'cause when the man put on the 'Part Two' everyone started singing this song. It played about 20 times. I said you try Tubbs!' Well the next Saturday night now when Tubby strung up down the farm U Roy said he's going to play 'Part Two' but Tubby did it different now. He started with the voice then dropped it out and let the rhythm run and then he brought in the voice in the middle and from there Tubby started to get really popular.'' --Bunny "Striker" Lee. Dynamic Sounds upgraded to 16-track recording in 1972 and Tubby purchased, again with the help of a deal brokered by Bunny Lee, the old 4-track equipment and the MCI console from their Studio B. The four tracks now gave him far wider scope to work with and he began to create a new musical form where the bass and drum parts were brought up while the faders allowed Tubby to ease the vocal and rhythm in and out of the mix. Jamaican Recordings has compiled a selection of cuts that were all tried and tested on Tubby's hometown hi-fi sound system and worked a great set of Bunny Lee's rhythms in fine style. All killer no filler.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: FALL 018CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The fifth UK Subs studio album, from 1983, remastered -- not available on CD for years. With extra tracks from singles; and now with bonus CD Gross-Out USA -- plus three never-before released demo tracks, in an all-card six-panel sleeve with unseen band photos. Albums F and G in the UK Subs A-Z series of albums. The album came at a crossroads for the UK Subs. Punk had become unfashionable, and the early line-ups had split leaving Charlie Harper to form a new band. He enlisted early Subs bassist Steve Slack (who'd left before their first recordings, replaced by his brother), drummer Steve Jones and guitarist Captain Scarlet. Navigating between the UK Subs punk ethos and wider accessible music, with many songs co-written by Slack and Scarlet, Charlie's lyrics reflected the current political paranoia of an Orwellian future, alongside hedonistic punk tales of life lived and characters met along the road. The album successfully led the band to decades of world tours and continue the now-legendary A-Z series of albums. Although the current band have given up lengthy tours, since Charlie's 80th birthday they still reconvene regularly for festivals and shorter excursions."

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: KSCD 008CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress, originally released in 2006. Feast is a fine selection of songs voiced by The Congos over some classic '70s rhythms which recalls the spirit captured by their Heart of the Congos masterpiece. Cedric Mylton is joined here by Brent Dowe for a powerful set of harmonized vocal statements with a strong Rasta message, with titles such as "Rasta Congo Man," "Watch and Pray," and the prophetic "Citizen of the World." The songs are complimented by the original, mainly Bunny Lee-produced '70s rhythms and the whole set is one of the most heartfelt and meaningful the Congos have recorded.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: GG 479CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Founded in 1992 after Robin Storey left Zoviet France, Rapoon soon became an outstanding ethno-dark ambient project that has gained a cult following all over the world. More than 80 albums have been released over those nearly 30 years, some more beat driven, others more playful and with ambient sounds and ethnic influences. Rapoon has never stopped evolving -- think of Cultural Forgeries, an album full of unplugged acoustic music. Or Downgliding, full of compositions on the piano. Recent Klanggalerie albums include Waiting by the River, an album that introduced vocals to the Rapoon sound, or Little Rocket Man which was inspired by the political situation in 2018 with Trump as president in the United States. Moka Efti is the fictional name of a night club in the series Babylon Berlin. Set in the decadence and turmoil of the 1920s the series incorporates real historical events into an imaginary narrative. This set of recordings is a modern take on that era set in the declining West of 2024. Tracks vary wildly but are all unified within the same setting. An aural cabaret of sounds that depict and define a certain moment. A moment that has already existed in the past, exists in the present and will exist in the future, varying only slightly in time and space, the expressions are the same in intent and purpose. Moka 24 is an escapist world existing outside of the prevailing social clamor. Not in rebellion against the contemporary more, but rather ignoring it."

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: KOM 495LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Double LP version. Includes download code. Kompakt presents Total 24. Having admired Tee Mango from afar for many years, Michael Mayer took heart and invited him to this year's Total. "So In Love" is in the best tradition of the Kompakt minimal funk of the early years. Reinhard Voigt has always placed great emphasis on loving animals. On the track with the unsurprising title "Der, der mit dem Gummiball sang (Orange)," he lets whole hordes of different four-legged friends and poultry on the microphone. Hopefully the stench will dissipate from the studio. When Rhenish cheerfulness meets holiday anticipation, the result is something like this Hawaiian shirt turned music called "Chee-Caruso" by J?rgen Paape. No animals were tortured for this piece either, even if it sounds like it. Next comes London's award-winning pedigree dog Rex The Dog. "Laika" is a heart-warming ode to the mongrel dog of the same name, who was the first living creature to make it from the streets of Moscow into space. A little-known fact about Michael Mayer is that he is one of the fastest crossword puzzle foxes on the left bank of the Rhine, always in relentless rivalry with Wolfgang Voigt, who thinks he is even faster. The big battle is yet to come. As an integral part of the family, Jonathan Kaspar is of course not to be missed. "Are You" celebrates the kind of early morning rapture that is commonplace at his new DJ venue, the brand-new Cologne superclub FI. Everything is so colorful here. Sascha Funke takes a bow to one of the greats of German showbiz with the trippy electro smasher "The Heck." More emotion, more love, more sing-along factor? Si, claro! Argia's "Love Keeps You Running" masterfully combines groove and pop. She may be at home in Madrid, but there's Cologne DNA in her somewhere. J?rg Burger is still in a psychedelic mood in 2024. That suits him, that's where he needs to be. A parallel universe is conceivable in which such music is affectionately called Goa. Before going to bed, the Wassermann reads a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: KOMP 182CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The opening honors on Kompakt's Total 24 go to Hamburg's bundle of joy, Ada, who remixed her dear friend Heiko Voss. When Rhenish cheerfulness meets holiday anticipation, the result is something like this Hawaiian shirt turned music called "Chee-Caruso" by J?rgen Paape. Next up is one of this year's Kompakt debutantes, a truly glamorous bird of paradise called Deer Jade. "Jukurpa" is a highly original, frolicsome house tune that has been moving crowds all over the planet. As an integral part of the family, Jonathan Kaspar is of course not to be missed. "Are You" celebrates the kind of early morning rapture that is commonplace at his new DJ venue, the brand new Cologne superclub FI. Next is Hardt Antoine. who has been firing from all cylinders lately, and he's god damn good at it. Sascha Funke takes a bow to one of the greats of German showbiz with the trippy electro smasher "The Heck." Having admired Tee Mango from afar for many years, Kompakt's A&R Michael Mayer took heart and invited him to this year's Total. Brazilian come Austrian come Berliner Joyce Muniz has certainly become a household name with her intoxicating brand of uplifting pop house. Fittingly, she has joined the ranks here for a collaboration with Sara Blum, "Beats & Lines." More Brazilian feel good vibes come in the form of Gui Boratto's "The Shell" which he conceived together with the former Underworld producer and legend in his own right, Darren Emerson. Next comes the realm of fauna, to London's award-winning pedigree dog Rex The Dog. "Laika" is a heart-warming ode to the mongrel dog of the same name, who was the first living creature to make it from the streets of Moscow into space. Taken from his recent Speicher release, "Beskar" showcases Egyptian lover Raxon's fascination for all things Star Wars and his undeniable ability to churn out monster tracks. David Hasert and Nicon?'s "Wasting My Time With You" is surely one of the most beloved Kompakt releases of 2024, so it can't be missed on this compilation. Reinhard Voigt has always placed great emphasis on loving animals. On this track with the unsurprising title "Der, der mit dem Gummiball sang (Orange)", he lets whole hordes of different four-legged friends and poultry on the microphone. Argia's "Love Keeps You Running" masterfully combines groove and pop. Before going to bed, Wassermann reads a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: KRANK 243CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The full-length debut by Detroit duo Giovanna Lenski and Christian Molik aka Clinic Stars both refines and redefines their pitch-perfect fusion of downer-pop balladry and featherweight shoegaze: Only Hinting. Recorded and produced at the band's home studio, the album was crafted across 2022 and 2023, patiently layering FX and spatial depths to give each song a swirling, subconscious undertow. From the strummed whirlpool of 'I Am The Dancer' to the gated reverb of 'Remain' to the greyscale guitar reverie of 'Isn't It,' the record aches as much as moves, daydreaming of escape and transcendence. The group cite a desire to leave their 'industrial environment' as muse, although the songs also revel in the romance of longing itself, in the beauty of hearts grown distant. The duo's previous EPs, 10,000 Dreams (2021) and April's Past (2022), captured a similarly swooning slowcore palette, but Only Hinting hits different. Here haze is as much instrument as texture, gauze and melody married as one, traced in elegant arcs across cities streaked in shadow."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: KRANK 243LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "The full-length debut by Detroit duo Giovanna Lenski and Christian Molik aka Clinic Stars both refines and redefines their pitch-perfect fusion of downer-pop balladry and featherweight shoegaze: Only Hinting. Recorded and produced at the band's home studio, the album was crafted across 2022 and 2023, patiently layering FX and spatial depths to give each song a swirling, subconscious undertow. From the strummed whirlpool of 'I Am The Dancer' to the gated reverb of 'Remain' to the greyscale guitar reverie of 'Isn't It,' the record aches as much as moves, daydreaming of escape and transcendence. The group cite a desire to leave their 'industrial environment' as muse, although the songs also revel in the romance of longing itself, in the beauty of hearts grown distant. The duo's previous EPs, 10,000 Dreams (2021) and April's Past (2022), captured a similarly swooning slowcore palette, but Only Hinting hits different. Here haze is as much instrument as texture, gauze and melody married as one, traced in elegant arcs across cities streaked in shadow."

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: KWR 036EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Kwench Records is synonymous with homage-driven house and techno. Cassy's guilefully-curated selection of releasing DJs and producers is to be admired yet again with the arrival of heritage artists Jesper Dahlb?ck and Alexi Delano under their respective aliases The Persuader and AD. Together they collaborate on a deftly-cut four-tracker with artist and writer Bella Hardcover adding her touch in spoken word.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: LAD 070EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The brothers Fognini aka Mind Against return to Life And Death with their new single "Love Seeking" with a remix from friends and fellow masters of the emotional dancefloor ?me. It's fitting that techno storytellers Mind Against should revisit the home of their first EP with a revamped sound and turbo-charged take on current-day disco. Their history with DJ Tennis and Life and Death is almost as old as the label itself, harking back to their days living together in Berlin. Now the brothers leave behind their signature hypnotic techno palette for a boogie-fied stepper that's equal parts pop breeze and deep synth trip, full of hopeful anticipation. For the remix, Innervisions duo and cultural tour-de-force ?me twist the knobs and stretch out the heartstrings for an extended slice of big room goosebumps. In the words of Mind Against themselves: "10 years after releasing our very first EP Atlant on Life and Death, we're excited to come back to our first imprint with such a special track and remix by ?me. We've stepped out of our usual comfort zone and done something that can be both linked to our own musical world and to the sounds that Life and Death have evolved in recent years. Our friendship with DJ Tennis is about as old as the label is, bringing us back to the times we used to share a flat in Kreuzberg. One may say this release is both an ode to the past and to a bright future, full of promises."

 

PRICE: $40.00

CAT #: LMS 1725113

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. The Brand New Heavies revisit their seminal 1994 album Brother Sister for its 30 year anniversary. Replete with groove-driven, horn-splashed, hand-clapping funk, Brother Sister saw the band dig deep into their jazz grooves, with N'Dea Davenport in full flight as diva/lead vocalist. Featuring some of their best loved songs including the chart hits "Midnight at the Oasis," "Dream on Dreamer," and "Spend Some Time," Brother Sister debuted in the UK charts at #4 and went onto be a hit worldwide, the band rightly claiming their crown as acid jazz heavyweights, delivering knock-out punch after punch on this album. Freshly remastered, the 2LP vinyl/18-track edition features three bonus tracks, and is pressed onto one black and one white vinyl, and is signed by Andrew and Simon from the band. The remastered 2CD/31-track edition (LMS 1725112) features rarities and classic remixes from the likes of David Morales, Roger Sanchez, and a newly commissioned rework of "Back To Love" by Luke Mornay. And also includes two newly uncovered demos, "Pocketful of Bass" and an alternate demo of "Put Yourself In My Shoes," with vocals by N'dea Davenport.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: MIG 3112CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"After Eric Clapton left Blind Faith in late 1969, Ginger Baker came up with the idea of forming a kind of big band that mixed African music with popular Western music. This innovative concept was ahead of its time and would later be called 'world music.' He brought together an all-star ensemble (Steve Winwood, Ric Grech, Chris Wood, Graham Bond, Denny Lane, etc.) and played two concerts at the Royal Alber Hall in London and the Town Hall in Birmingham. Shortly after the concerts, the live double LP Ginger Baker's Air Force was released in Europe and America. It was a very idiosyncratic mix presented to fans accustomed to rock, but the critics praised this musical excursion and Ginger was surprised by the remarkable sales figures. He decided to continue the project, recruiting new young musicians for his Air Force and entering the studio to record the follow-up album Air Force 2. In October 1970, the band traveled to Germany with the current line-up to play some concerts and made a detour to the north to perform at the TV studio of Radio Bremen on the legendary music show Beat Club. Air Force also drew on Cream classics such as 'Sunshine Of Your Love,' which was rearranged in an African big band sound and flowed seamlessly into 'Toady.' A nine-minute epic by the band with numerous solos and a Ginger Baker bursting with energy, drumming one of his best solos. Now this session is available on audio and video, on CD and DVD, with all the takes recorded that day, not just the ones that were finally broadcast at the Bremen Beat Club in Germany on Saturday afternoon, October 24, 1970." DVD is NTSC format, region 0.

 

PRICE: $54.00

CAT #: MIA 056LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP record. Miasmah Recordings presents the posthumous release of this double album of the final work by experimental composer Marcus Fjellstr?m, titled The Last Sunset of the Year. Collected by Marcus' friends and colleagues Erik K. Skodvin and Dave Kajganich, this release brings together music written and produced during Marcus' tenure as composer for the first season of the AMC anthology series The Terror, which told the story of the doomed 1845 Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage. That said, The Last Sunset of the Year is, by design, not a soundtrack to the show. Dave Kajganich writes in the album's liner notes: "The selected pieces have a unity unto themselves, and we feel strongly that this release should be taken not as a companion to the show, but as Marcus Fjellstr?m's final album, on its own terms. We've presented these pieces without titles, except for titling the four movements of the journey they suggest. It is a journey that evokes the mystery, grandeur, and desolation of the Arctic, and articulates the spiritual and existential implications of traveling there." Kajganich reached out to begin discussing the idea of this release with Skodvin, back in 2017, after Marcus' death, but before the series had premiered. In the years since, Dave and Erik have Zoomed and emailed back and forth hundreds of times, studying all seventy-five of the pieces Marcus wrote for the show in all their forms (as many as six or seven versions to a piece), to winnow down a final list of pieces to include. The most difficult phase of the process, Kajganich reveals in the notes, was understanding the best way to sequence the tracks. It required listening to many different track orders and paying close attention to how each order created a slightly different identity for the album through their specific juxtapositions and dynamics. The album's title comes from a moment in the show when a group of Victorian sailors who are trapped in winter pack ice, suffering dwindling psychological resources and supplies, stand on the deck of one of the doomed ships to watch the sun rise above the horizon for a moment, and then immediately set in the last sunset of the year before six weeks of darkness, an event which, even through the lens of their inevitable coming losses, could still be viewed as something astonishing and beautiful.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: MINIMOOD 025LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

To celebrate its 25th release of its regular series, long-standing Minimood unleashes a 2x12" monster assembling Tobias Oliver, Die Wilde Jagd, AU Cheek, Ray Okpara, Bluetrain, JS, and Anton Kubikov. The sleeve has been designed by Milano based sculptor Tillmann Lauterbach and every record also contains a limited art print of his as a mighty extra.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: MUSIQ 293EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The debut release of Shanghai-based producer Knopha on Mule Musiq. The label loved his release Nothing Nil on Eating Music. Yusu introduced him to Mule and he sent them very beautiful music. It's an oriental beautiful new age music. Kuniyuki made a magical remix.

 

PRICE: $40.00

CAT #: MUSIQ 295LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The highly anticipated album from Lawrence is finally here, and 15 years after the CD release for the first time available on vinyl. Hamburg based Dial and Smallville owner Peter Kersten aka Lawrence is one of the most valued and highly regarded artists in the modern dance music community with a long history of releases on Nova Mute, Kompakt, Ladomat, Spectral, Ghostly, Mule and of course his own imprint Dial. Until Then, Goodbye kicks off with a special "intro" version of a fan favorite "Friday's Child" followed by the introspective ambient piece "Sunrise." "Grey Light" remarks the electronic style of "Drutti Column" while "Jill" is purely sweet slow house music. The album shifts towards more acoustic driven material with songs such as "Father Umbrillo" and "Toderhau-Sen Blues" -- don't fret purists as Lawrence hits back with his classic signature sounds with the likes of "In Your Eyes," "Sleep," and "Suffer." Lawrence leaves listeners with a whisper in the most beautiful of ways. The atmospheric ambient tune "Don't Follow Me," the ebb and flow of the piano driven "A New Day" and the title track leave the listener in a state of bliss.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: MOV 3770COL-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Dutch rock band Shocking Blue was at their peak in the '60s and '70s and gained major cross-Atlantic success. The band was founded in 1967 and is most known for their single 'Venus' (with which they became the first Dutch band ever to reach the first spot on the American Billboard Hot 100). The band had a series of subsequent hits and their influence reached well beyond their generation. Music On Vinyl proudly presents their legendary Scorpio's Dance album as a 2024 remastered edition from the original 1970 mix by Robbie van Leeuwen. It includes none less than four bonus tracks that were not featured on the original LP: 'Send Me A Postcard,' 'Mighty Joe,' 'Hello Darkness,' and 'Pickin' Tomatoes.' Scorpio's Dance (Remastered) is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent red colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: NR 131LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "At its heart, music has always been a questioning of inheritance -- a dialogue with predecessors and forebears, the forging of one's own perspective in relation to what has come before, and for some, a plunge into the boundless realms between. For Steve Von Till, that process has always taken on an added dimension to become the most sacred of tasks. Whether through the apocalyptic uprising of Neurosis, the sonic deconstructions of their sister project, Tribes of Neurot, the invocatory intimacy of his eponymous solo albums or his instrumental psychedelic reveries in the guise of Harvestman, that dialogue has never just been with musical influences, but with what underpins them: the primordial, elemental forces now banished to the peripheries of contemporary consciousness, yet still broadcasting a signal for all who will listen. Released periodically on three of 2024's full moons, the three-album cycle, Triptych, is Harvestman's most ambitious undertaking yet. But it's also the distillation of a unique approach that finds a continuity amongst the fragmented, treating all its myriad musical sources and reference points not as building bricks, but as tuning forks for a collective ancestral resonance, residing in that liminal space between the fundamental and the imaginary, the intrinsic and the speculative. Drawn to the megaliths, ruins and ancient sites mapped out along the British and European mainland's geographical and psychic landscapes, the folklore and apocrypha forever resurfacing as portals from a rational world, Triptych is a meditation forged from traces and residues, and a hallucinatory recollection of artists who have tapped into that enduring otherworldliness embedded within. It's a dream diary narrating a passage through Summer Isle where Flying Saucer Attack are wafting out of a window, a distant Fairport Convention are being remixed by dub master Adrian Sherwood, celestial scanners Tangerine Dream are trying to drown out Bert Jansch and Hawkwind are playing Steeleye Span covers, all prized out of time yet bound to its singularity. Featuring Om bassist and long-term friend of Steve's, Al Cisneros."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: LSSN 097LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. "Un-American Activities is the 11th Studio album by Molly Nilsson. Written and recorded entirely on location in California at the former home of writer, poet and early opponent of the National Socialist regime in 1930s Germany, Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. An album of experimentation, genre-mashing and, above it all, Nilsson's instantly recognizable melodic skill and empathy, it continues the songwriter's explorations of power, freedom, oppression and its opposing force, a love unbound. After accepting an artist residency as part of the Villa Aurora program, Nilsson began work crafting a new album from scratch in a new environment, afforded the freedom, space and time to challenge her practice and take her music into new territory. The resulting work, Un-American Activities, is a love note not only to the artist who was among the very first to be declared an 'enemy of the state' by the Nazi regime but also to both the eternal struggle he fought and the human spirit that pervades all of Nilsson's best work. It is also a double-pointed poison pen letter: a critique of the new forms of oppression wielded by her temporary adopted country of the USA but also an acknowledgement of the promise it always offers but never fulfills. Along with the novel use of color and photography in the artwork for Un-American Activities, there are swathes of new techniques, genres and timbres new to Molly Nilsson's music in evidence, 16 years into her music career. While Un-American Activities finds Nilsson experimenting, creating instinctive music on a first-thought-best-thought basis there are still 'classic' Molly moments liberally spread throughout. 'Excalibur' feels like the Molly of old, an absolute star of a chorus refrain smudged with the vaseline of fuzz and hope, 'Red Telephone' is wide-eyed, slathered in reverb and chorus effects, distorted with soaring melody, a heart-tugger that tugs the body upwards to the heavens with each evolving wave. Glistening digital tones wash through the album, providing a Y2K etherealness to Nilsson's audacious Stars and Stripes reference to 'Wetcheeks.' Perhaps the album's standout, however, is 'Palestine (Somewhere Over The Rainbow),' which is suffuse with empathy, solidarity and, in referencing the classic socialist-penned canon song from The Wizard Of Oz, speaks directly to the tradition of fighting oppression with full hearts of hope."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: LSSN 097X-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Color vinyl. "Un-American Activities is the 11th Studio album by Molly Nilsson. Written and recorded entirely on location in California at the former home of writer, poet and early opponent of the National Socialist regime in 1930s Germany, Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. An album of experimentation, genre-mashing and, above it all, Nilsson's instantly recognizable melodic skill and empathy, it continues the songwriter's explorations of power, freedom, oppression and its opposing force, a love unbound. After accepting an artist residency as part of the Villa Aurora program, Nilsson began work crafting a new album from scratch in a new environment, afforded the freedom, space and time to challenge her practice and take her music into new territory. The resulting work, Un-American Activities, is a love note not only to the artist who was among the very first to be declared an 'enemy of the state' by the Nazi regime but also to both the eternal struggle he fought and the human spirit that pervades all of Nilsson's best work. It is also a double-pointed poison pen letter: a critique of the new forms of oppression wielded by her temporary adopted country of the USA but also an acknowledgement of the promise it always offers but never fulfills. Along with the novel use of color and photography in the artwork for Un-American Activities, there are swathes of new techniques, genres and timbres new to Molly Nilsson's music in evidence, 16 years into her music career. While Un-American Activities finds Nilsson experimenting, creating instinctive music on a first-thought-best-thought basis there are still 'classic' Molly moments liberally spread throughout. 'Excalibur' feels like the Molly of old, an absolute star of a chorus refrain smudged with the vaseline of fuzz and hope, 'Red Telephone' is wide-eyed, slathered in reverb and chorus effects, distorted with soaring melody, a heart-tugger that tugs the body upwards to the heavens with each evolving wave. Glistening digital tones wash through the album, providing a Y2K etherealness to Nilsson's audacious Stars and Stripes reference to 'Wetcheeks.' Perhaps the album's standout, however, is 'Palestine (Somewhere Over The Rainbow),' which is suffuse with empathy, solidarity and, in referencing the classic socialist-penned canon song from The Wizard Of Oz, speaks directly to the tradition of fighting oppression with full hearts of hope."

 

PRICE: $47.50

CAT #: NPM 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

DEFTR, the newly formed alias of Answer Code Request and Jan Wagner, presents their debut album Run Away on npm, introducing a captivating fusion of ambient and techno. This collaborative project marks a departure from Answer Code Request's renowned 4/4 techno framework, venturing into expansive auditory realms enriched by Jan Wagner's classical expertise. Spanning eight meticulously crafted tracks, DEFTR's debut album explores a spectrum of blissful and resonant soundscapes. The compositions unfold with a delicate balance of ambient textures and rhythmic innovation, punctuated by evocative vocal samples that enhance the album's atmospheric depth. Having previously released three EPs that hinted at this innovative direction, DEFTR solidifies their unique sonic identity with this full-length release. The interplay between Answer Code Request's intricate rhythms and Wagner's ambient sensibilities creates a dynamic tension, resulting in a listening experience that is both immersive and transformative. DEFTR's vision extends beyond the studio, aiming to bring their sound to life on stage with a focus on live performance elements, including drum machines and synths. With their debut album, DEFTR not only establishes a new creative path for Answer Code Request and Jan Wagner but also sets a high standard for npm's inaugural release, promising an engaging and profound auditory journey.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: OM 059EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Optimo Music unleashes Japan's G?G and their Anarcho Disco into the world. Optimo thought audiences were done with 12" single release, at least for now, but then these tracks showed up and it was instantly obviously essential that they get pressed up on big fat 12" singles. Every single track here has been tried and tested and caused delirious delight on the dancefloor over the last year. Now it is time to share them. Truly anarchic, psychedelic dance music for the open-minded and genre-free crews. G?G say: "Using a variety of sampling and unique FX, our music has created a unique G?G sound that is psychedelic and anarchic." This subversive sound is sure to be the key to shaking the dancefloor.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: OM 060EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Optimo Music unleashes Japan's G?G and their Anarcho Disco Volumes 1 & 2 into the world. Optimo thought it was done with 12" single release, at least for now, but then these tracks showed up and it was instantly obviously essential that they get pressed up on big fat twelve-inch singles. Every single track here has been tried and tested and caused delirious delight on the dancefloor over the last year. Now it is time to share them. Truly anarchic, psychedelic dance music for the open-minded and genre-free crews. G?G say "Disko Klubb boss Monkey Timers, who leads Tokyo's underground disco scene, and Keita Sano, who has been gaining attention for his releases on labels around the world, have started the project 'G?G'. Using a variety of sampling and unique FX, our music has created a unique G?G sound that is psychedelic and anarchic. This subversive sound is sure to be the key to shaking the dancefloor."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PERMVAC 337EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Austrian powerhouse Demuja debuts on Permanent Vacation with a deep four-tracker. A name long in the spotlight of the global house and disco scenes, Demuja has previously released his deep, soulful sounds on the likes of Aus Music, Shall Not Fade, Nervous, and his own MUJA label. On his latest EP, he turns to Benjamin Frohlich and Tom Bioly's revered Permanent Vacation imprint, showcasing four tracks of deep sonic bliss across the Bring Back Love EP, which has already garnered support from Laurent Garnier, Stacey Pullen, Alinka, and more.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: PHOS 005CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"It's abundantly clear from the first bars of their fifth studio album Through Other Reflection, that this is, and could only ever be, The Soundcarriers. From the enchanting vocal duets of folk-bidden Chanteuses Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway; to the precise bass lines of Paul Isherwood and the limber, jazz-cool, Hal Blaine-esque drums of his co-songwriter Adam Cann; from the fairy-like flutes, '60s-garage guitars and organ sounds pilfered from the archives of exotica -- listening to the Soundcarriers resembles a rediscovery of all the most prized, esoteric corners of the 1960s, all bundled up, warped and refracted through the quartet's astutely modern cultural lens. Channeling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic jazz/funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurites beside, Through Other Reflection delivers another sonic adventure from one of the most unique and distinctive voices of British psychedelia. The music of Through Other Reflections has been given extra license to breathe, stretch out, and wander more uncharted terrains. While gleaming psych-pop of tracks like 'The City Was', or 'Already Over' confidently carry on from where they left off, from the album's second track 'Always', the trip becomes a little less predictable. Starting out as a smoky Procol Harum-meets-French-Psych organ ballad, the music drifts, as if of its own accord into an eerie, garage trance that lingers, cycles, and hypnotizes, growing ever stranger, reaching ever-further away from its point of conception. And almost every track on Through Other Reflections holds that outer-body moment, where the band fix themselves on a limber, lysergic groove, lose all grip on time and reality, and melt themselves away into a liquid state of blind euphoria. There are sequences on this record that feel more like rituals than songs, built upon a single hypnotic rhythm which, like the center of a vortex, pulling everything under its beatific command. Take the finale to 'What We Found' for instance, sounding like a ghostly march across the psychedelic moors, or 'Feel The Way', where a single athletic drum-loop rises and rises, growing ever more urgent and suspenseful underneath its frantic harpsichords and rasping flutes."

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: PING 087EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The hypnotic folk music of the Ainu a cappella group Marewrew has received the first of two remix treatments by Pingipung artists. Part 1 is by Andi Otto and M.RUX. Andi Otto was the curator of the Marewrew album for Pingipung, released in 2024. He selected gems from their archive for the Ukouk LP. His remix pays homage to the frenetic vocal dynamics of the round canon Sikata Kuykuy. Beginning with a stubborn piano beat, it's the bass clarinets that sit in sync with the vocals that make this dance track so charming. Bonus fact: they're played by Pingipung co-founder Heiko Gogolin -- his first outing on the instrument for his own label. M.RUX's take on "Etukuma Kara" is playful and groovy. Many will remember his legendary 2018 remix of "Umeko Ando" (Iuta Upopo), which marked Pingipung's first involvement with Ainu traditional music from northern Japan. His reworking of Marewrew's vocal music blends elements of various tracks with his own percussion, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. The two tracks are presented on 7" vinyl.

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: PING 088EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

This is the second package of remixes for the hypnotic folk music of the Ainu a cappella group Marewrew. Ukouk Remixes Pt. 2 is dedicated to dub-infused remixes, featuring Elijah Minnelli and Peter Presto on a 7" single. Elijah Minnelli is a producer of dub music. The London-based artist specializes in a fusion of folklore and dub, which he masterfully demonstrates on his latest release Perpetual Musket on the FatCat label. His remix of Marewrew's "Uekap" is a deep and breathing take on the mesmerizing round singing vocals, dubbed in a live take through his mixing desk. The chopped vocals are used like percussion instruments. Elijah Minnelli has also contributed a moody DJ mix to the Pingipung podcast series, sharing some of his knowledge of pre-reggae roots music from the Caribbean and South America. Pingipung founder Peter Presto remixes the same track, "Uekap," with his unmistakable dubby playfulness. The vocals are merry, the groove stumbling and slow. The flute melody qualifies as a perfect stress antidote. The electronic dub trio Cloud Management added their version of "Honkaya" to the digital package. There is an Andi Otto remix in the bundle, "Hunpe Yan Na." The song is about a whale that has stranded ashore; Otto dubs the song with Heiko Gogolin's bass clarinet, blown organ pipes and his cello. Finally, Californian folk wizard Contact Field Orchestra adds his atmospheric, haunted version of "Etukuma Kara."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: PRO 415LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Steve Roach's 1984 Structures from Silence is an ambient classic often spoken of in the same breath as Eno's Music For Airports. Projekt celebrates Structures' 40th anniversary beautiful remastered edition. The breathing, suspended embrace of atmospheres and serene melodies instantly struck a chord with listeners in 1984; the album continues to reiterate its timeless resonations with new listeners today. This landmark recording of gentle proportions was the birth of something new: an original and pure balance between diaphanous and understated, deep and reflective. Pitchfork: 'Top-40 Best Ambient Albums of All Time. Contemplative bliss, full of purring drones and high notes that shimmer and fade. Like a desert mirage, these structures hover forever at the horizon, an oasis from the din surrounding it.' Structures from Silence remains an iconic American release in the ambient and electronic genres. A well-respected soundtrack for contemplation, relaxation, meditation, and creativity, it's emotional, powerful, and enriching. It is a living example of music's true healing quality. Yoga Journal Magazine: 'Top ten all time releases for Yoga.' Rediscover this timeless classic. The new mastering reveals the stillness within, setting the tone for the next 40 years of silence. Drawing from his 44-year dedication to the evolution of ambient-atmospheric-electronic music, Steve Roach is an internationally-renowned artist who creates timeless ephemeral and empowered spaces that sooth, inspire and enlighten."

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: PRO 426CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Steve Roach's new purely atmospheric statement hovers within a warm and embracing expression of etheric ambience. One Day of Forever pulls back the layers of memory, time and perception to express life's amber-lit emotions, continuing an intimate, mystical-revealing vision within Roach's work. In this one day of forever the meditation on longing, nostalgia, connection, loss, grace and gratitude transmutes from fleeting moments, forming into gentle epiphanies. This album furthers the refined intention within the elemental approach first expressed on his previous 2CD, Reflections in Repose. The pieces began with a minimal collection of instruments leading to emotive sonic choices which paint the impressionistic realm contained in each of the album's five long-form pieces. The core of the release is built around the beguiling sound of the Mellotron (originally an English electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in 1963, but here performed on a new Swedish digital version) and emotional warmth of the Oberheim OB-X8. Steve reflects, 'This music reaches towards the moments between moments, leading to the eternal now. Each day provides the opportunity to connect to a sense and knowing of forever in our own individual ways; it lives within my ears, eyes, heart and soul, nourished by the ineffable and my desire is to embrace each day into forever.' CD in four-panel digipak."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: PP 104LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

World Gym, the cult band from Stockhom, Sweden is finally presenting their first full-length album. World Gym is beer and sweat soaked jersey, screaming groupies, original rock and roll vibes. It's music with a soft touch and a hard edge. City slicker people storytelling. Nothing bought, everything learned. Original applause. If you know life you know it always ends in tears. Then it starts again. Have faith in Musik.

 

PRICE: $65.00

CAT #: EXT 016LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

White Noise is a cooperation project between Raster-media and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. It is conceived as an audio archive of the MPIEA artists in residence which records the artistic works on vinyl and documents the respective concepts and working methods in text form. Victoria Keddie's Pshal P'shaw is a multimedia exploration delving into phonetic expression's auditory and rhythmic nuances of phonetic expressions through an amalgamation of text, sound, video, data, and customized learning software. Drawing inspiration from the painter and architectural theorist Hermann Finsterlin who made speculative architectural renderings, the project originated during a residency at the Max Planck Institute of Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt in 2023. The project's engagement with the sonic landscape of the eight diphthongs in US English, documented through recorded sessions at EEG labs with participants of diverse international backgrounds, is not just a technical analysis. The applied script for the recording session, infused with a contemporary Western US dialect, ventures beyond, exploring the primal essence of phonetic expression and its impact on the oral landscape of mouth, throat, and tongue. This work focuses on the spoken aspect of language: the art of oration, conversation, and mimicry. It reflects the beauty of perpetual change, speaking directly to humanity and the raw, tender moments of existence. It embraces the awkward, beautiful and vulnerable essence of the shared human experience. Victoria Keddie is a multidisciplinary artist delving into sound, video, installation, and performance. Her work uncovers hidden narratives within ordinary artifacts and spaces, emphasizing their role in shaping humanity's collective story. The examination of acoustic phenomena and language is a recurring theme in her artistic work. Keddie's current projects navigate the acoustic complexity of language and dialects. Limited black 12" vinyl LP in handmade white cardboard box, black inner sleeve, including 40-page magazine English/German.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: R-M 214CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Unequal cycles searching for synchronous experiences: On his new album Pounding, Frank Bretschneider tells of distance, convergence and congruence in a continuous, ever-changing flow of events. What is often considered to be an unquestionable dogma in club music (for which Bretschneider has provided significant impetus since the 1990s) -- the groove -- appears precarious, unstable, and in motion. Pulse and accent are volatile encounters and have to be found again and again for short, delightful moments. Music becomes a constant process of negotiation. In search of new sound spaces, Bretschneider has recently worked a lot with modular synthesizers, both solo and in collaborations, including the project Beispiel together with Jan Jelinek. Pounding was created using similar means -- conceived in 2020 for the Pochen Biennale in Chemnitz, subsequently developed further and recorded in March and April 2023 on a sample-based modular system. And in fact, Bretschneider is once again exemplarily scanning his own sound material, for example Dub effects that listen to themselves crumbling. But also the human voice, or more precisely: the stuttering of fragments of speech, far in the distance but omnipresent, like a mysterious narration. Aesthetically, the eleven pieces form part of a series of works with a focus on percussion. Bretschneider has already perfected this approach with albums like Rhythm (2007) and has been shifting the perspective ever since, for ever-new results. Shifting is the basic principle of Pounding. Bretschneider combines elements that are in different aggregate states, changing their relationship to each other and thus ensuring the complex overall movement. He lets one to two-bar loops run against each other and through manipulations, develops a network of rhythms that creates a hypnotic state in the counterplay of repetition and mutation, between clearly recognizable meter and disorientation. There are comparable approaches in aleatoric music. Bretschneider combines them with sounds and patterns that are reminiscent of step sequencer logic and at the same time go far beyond it. The result is relational techno. Never clear, constantly restless and exciting.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: R-M 214LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Unequal cycles in search of synchronous experiences: On his new album Pounding, Frank Bretschneider tells of distance, convergence and congruence in a continuous, ever-changing flow of events. What is often regarded as an unquestionable dogma in club music -- the groove -- appears precarious, unstable, and in motion. Pulse and accent are volatile encounters and have to be found again and again for short, delightful moments. Music becomes a constant process of negotiation. In search of new sound spaces, Bretschneider has recently worked a lot with modular synthesizers, both solo, and in collaborations, including the project Beispiel together with Jan Jelinek. Pounding was created using similar means -- conceived in 2020 for the Pochen Biennale in Chemnitz, subsequently developed further and recorded in March and April 2023 on a sample-based modular system. And in fact, Bretschneider is once again exemplarily scanning his own sound material, such as dub effects that listen to them-selves disintegrate; but also the human voice, or more precisely: the stuttering of fragments of speech, far in the distance but omnipresent, like a mysterious narration. Aesthetically, the eleven pieces form part of a series of works with a focus on percussion. Bretschneider has already perfected this approach with albums like Rhythm (2007) and has been shifting the perspective ever since, for ever-new results. Shifting is the basic principle of Pounding. Bretschneider combines elements that are in different aggregate states, changing their relationship to each other and thus ensuring the complex overall movement. He lets one to two-bar loops run against each other and through small manipulations, develops a network of rhythms that creates a hypnotic state in the counterplay of repetition and mutation, between clearly recognizable meter and disorientation. There are comparable approaches in aleatoric music. Bretschneider combines them with sounds and patterns that are reminiscent of step sequencer logic and at the same time go far beyond it. The result is relational techno. Never obvious, always restless and exciting.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RS 061LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Having become one of the most instantly recognizable voices in UK hip-hop over the past few years, with a slew of heralded releases on Blah Records, London-based rapper CLBRKS (AKA Conrad Brooks) prepares to release his new LP CLBELLIC via Bradley Zero's heralded imprint Rhythm Section. This new offering sees Conrad linking up with Finnish producer NickyDiesel to deliver an eleven-track excursion, delving into a brooding sonic palette influenced by the gritty and foreboding essence of classic New Yorkian gangster video games such as Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto IV. Painting images of eerie nocturnal backdrops and various nefarious activities, the album perfectly matches Nicky's grainy and neck-snap inducing production alongside Conrad's off-kilter and often-hilarious lyrics. Speaking on the inspirations behind the album, CLBRKS says "Obviously the main inspiration for the project is the character Niko Bellic from GTA IV, my favorite of the series. I think Nikis full name being Nikolai has something to do with it, and at the time I was playing a lot of Max Payne which is another Rockstar production game, and also a collaboration with Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment I think Niki being half Russian was probably also an inspiring factor in some strange way! I think that's why the areas we filmed in were so suitable to the theme, and the dark eerie vibe that the original video game gives off." Full to the brim of razor-sharp wordplay and hazy, jazz-tinged beats -- this is one record to soundtrack side missions all summer long.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: ROOSTER 028CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The Heads' Simon Price returns to his Kandodo project with theendisinpsych. theendisinpsych is the follow up to Price's 2019 collaboration with Wayne Maskell and Hugo Morgan, Kandodo 3 (K3), but this time back in solo-mode. He is now relocated in Northumbria, and has recorded the album himself in his home studio, drawing on his wide collection of music/instruments and the rural environment for inspiration. The new album fizzes and crackles with a verve that will activate the 'turn on, tune in, drop out' sense in all listeners. Known as the singer/guitarist of The Heads, Price was raised in Zambia and Malawi, which left an indelible mark on him personally, and is manifest in the song titles, artwork, and name of the project. The influence is less obvious on his instrumental music, but Simon says that if there were lyrics, they'd be about animist religions, hyenas, sharks and dusty drives. Named after a Malawian supermarket that he used to shop in back in the late '80s, the album contains mini-sonic soundscapes that start firmly grounded and then go off into the deepest reaches of space. Along the way, Simon touches on influences as diverse as Kraftwerk, Neu!, Eno, Morricone, Stooges, Loop, and Spacemen 3. Kandodo is for Price an exploration of tones, chords, and textures that evoke a very particular emotional response, a sense of yearning. These instrumental pieces are lyrical and evocative soundtracks with an elongated and elegant song structure. Describing them himself as 'fuzzy lullabies,' Simon's pieces undulate as delicate layers are built and removed, easing the listener along a thread of melodies. This is immersive music meant to be listened to at a loud volume or in the space between headphones."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ROOSTER 028LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. "The Heads' Simon Price returns to his Kandodo project with theendisinpsych. theendisinpsych is the follow up to Price's 2019 collaboration with Wayne Maskell and Hugo Morgan, Kandodo 3 (K3), but this time back in solo-mode. He is now relocated in Northumbria, and has recorded the album himself in his home studio, drawing on his wide collection of music/instruments and the rural environment for inspiration. The new album fizzes and crackles with a verve that will activate the 'turn on, tune in, drop out' sense in all listeners. Known as the singer/guitarist of The Heads, Price was raised in Zambia and Malawi, which left an indelible mark on him personally, and is manifest in the song titles, artwork, and name of the project. The influence is less obvious on his instrumental music, but Simon says that if there were lyrics, they'd be about animist religions, hyenas, sharks and dusty drives. Named after a Malawian supermarket that he used to shop in back in the late '80s, the album contains mini-sonic soundscapes that start firmly grounded and then go off into the deepest reaches of space. Along the way, Simon touches on influences as diverse as Kraftwerk, Neu!, Eno, Morricone, Stooges, Loop, and Spacemen 3. Kandodo is for Price an exploration of tones, chords, and textures that evoke a very particular emotional response, a sense of yearning. These instrumental pieces are lyrical and evocative soundtracks with an elongated and elegant song structure. Describing them himself as 'fuzzy lullabies,' Simon's pieces undulate as delicate layers are built and removed, easing the listener along a thread of melodies. This is immersive music meant to be listened to at a loud volume or in the space between headphones."

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RB 133EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The return of the mack. Chris Barratt aka Eagles & Butterflies possess the rare ability in his music to unite a larger-than-life peak time producer personality with the understated production method of underground records, techno pop and a modern Italo twist. Perfectly suited for Running Back, Heartbreaks & XTC is luckily exactly that. The mirror image of Eagles & Butterflies and how to find common ground between polar flairs. Chord happiness, Italo bass lines, arp art, filter magic and side chain stunts. Indispensable to life or any dance floor near you.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RBSSS 008EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The notion of house music as a form of up-tempo soul music is intrinsic evidence with a record like the one on hand. Professor Supercool's If You Love Somebody is many things at once: an example of a special brand of British pop music, influenced by US-American soul more or less from the get-go, the Second Summer of Love, the conception of Balearic as a music genre, the cultural interchange of European dance floors and DJs from across the pond and underground music marketing through the vessel of special one-time pressings. The mysterious Professor Supercool is actually a moniker for Dr. Rob of The Blow Monkeys' fame, who produced the song with a veteran and legendary DJ of the Northern Soul scene The Real Hector, a resident at the famous Wag Club. Originally a part of the band's album Spring Time For The World, it appeared first as a special For-Promotion-Only-12" in 1989 with limited information as a trial ballon to "avoid preconceptions." The fear was without reason. Like the band's other big dance floor record and Balearic fave LA Passionara a year later, it got played and supported by the DJs of its time. Next to Graeme Park at the Hacienda or Paul Oakenfold, it also got picked up by Mastermixer Tony Humphries and became a staple at his radio and club sets for KissFm respectively Club Zanzibar. While the vocal mix found its way on said album, the preferred 12" instrumental version has never been released anywhere else up until now and made the record go for a substantial amount of Discogs dollars. Expanded with an edit by the label's in-house DJ Gerd Janson that is supposed to work as a dub alternative to the vocal mix, the 12-inch and bundle download contain the original plus a faithfully restored and remastered version of the instrumental in demand. If you love this record, it is impossible to let it go.

 

PRICE: $41.00

CAT #: RBL 088-4LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"Claudio Simonetti's Goblin celebrates a new prog rock version of this famous soundtrack. The terrifying and atmospheric experience of Dario Argento's films comes from the merging of gorgeously crafted visuals with a soul tingling auditory experience. Once heard, Goblin's scores are never quite forgotten. Suspiria is no exception, characterized by its synth heavy sound, carillons, yells and sighs, Suspiria is perhaps Argento's most celebrated film and a classic of horror subgenre in its own right. A surreal masterpiece from Dario Argento with a pounding score from cult prog rockers Goblin, Suspiria will leave you battered and breathless! Deluxe limited purple vinyl plus insert. 499 copies."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: SAT 068LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Soela is the DJ and production alias of Elina Shorokhova, a Russia-born Berlin-based experienced pianist and vocalist who has made a hugely impactful transition into electronic music. Having released material on such labels as Kompakt, Dial, Shall Not Fade, Lost Palms, E-Beamz, Red Ember Records, Sushitech, and others, Soela joins the ranks of Scissor & Thread for this exquisite album -- Dark Portrait. The album opens in a typically understated manner with "Unsuitable" -- a melancholic trip-hop adjacent track that sets the tone for the next eight pieces. As Soela explains, "I was dealing with some very complex feelings, so I came up with this album, which helped me not to despair, to work on myself, to grow internally, and to start listening to myself. It helped me to keep sane when my country invaded Ukraine with a full-scale war. It absolutely broke my heart, and music was one of my main salvations." This complex mix of emotions plays out across the album with tracks that utilize her beautiful musicality ("Through the Windows" featuring Francis Harris and Philipp Priebe, "Drowning" featuring Module One) and ear for details with skittering beats, ambient soundscapes ("Spirits," "Lost In The Fog") and lose-yourself dancefloor moments such as the collaboration with Lawrence on "February Is Not Going To Be Forever." The title track "Dark Portrait" combines dubby elements with affecting pads and melodic touches, while the lead single "Even If I Ask You Stay" delves into multiple feelings around escaping toxic situations, and battling depression. It features a powerful vocal from Soela supported by a deeply affecting arrangement. The closing track "The Darkest Hour Before Sunrise" brings a sense of hope and light, balancing subdued keys and strings with ethereal tones and atmospheres.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: SESO 002EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After Running in Waves, the Cologne based label Serial Sound is back with the second release. ?till things ghost is going to be Jonas Landwehr?s debut solo EP. After publishing collaborative works or various artist EPs he is now ready to take the next step. The newest project is tied around the idea of a diverse taste and inspirations while it's centered around playing with different rhythms. Multiple styles such as house, techno, or reggaeton as well as various tempos come together on this project. "ginko" serves as an intro and shows what kind of contrast the rest of the record will be about with its airy chord pads that cut to a growling bass accompanied by a slow burning reggaeton groove. "disaronno straight" adopts this idea but gives it a faster UK influenced twist with a wobbly bassline and chopped vocals ready for the club. "sin t?" closes the A-Side and aims for summer vibes and floating lightness. "overcome?" opens the B-Side with a hypnotic pulsing bass and percussion interaction and leads into "something about u," a soulful vocal feature from LAINE which sits on a broken beat with deep chords and House accents. "seeds" is closing off the record with an aggressive, faster paced metallic dancehall rhythm contrasted with enthralling pad sounds.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: SC 057CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The complete uncollected Noise New York studio recordings of Galaxie 500. A twenty-four-track chronological journey through rarities and outtakes including never-before-heard songs, from the start of their incendiary career to their final studio session. Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 marks Galaxie 500's first release of new archival material in nearly thirty years and their most comprehensive collection of unreleased and rare material ever. Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SC 057CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Cassette version. "The complete uncollected Noise New York studio recordings of Galaxie 500. A twenty-four-track chronological journey through rarities and outtakes including never-before-heard songs, from the start of their incendiary career to their final studio session. Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 marks Galaxie 500's first release of new archival material in nearly thirty years and their most comprehensive collection of unreleased and rare material ever. Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SC 057LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. "The complete uncollected Noise New York studio recordings of Galaxie 500. A twenty-four-track chronological journey through rarities and outtakes including never-before-heard songs, from the start of their incendiary career to their final studio session. Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 marks Galaxie 500's first release of new archival material in nearly thirty years and their most comprehensive collection of unreleased and rare material ever. Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: SC 057X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Color vinyl. "The complete uncollected Noise New York studio recordings of Galaxie 500. A twenty-four-track chronological journey through rarities and outtakes including never-before-heard songs, from the start of their incendiary career to their final studio session. Uncollected Noise New York '88-'90 marks Galaxie 500's first release of new archival material in nearly thirty years and their most comprehensive collection of unreleased and rare material ever. Produced and engineered by Kramer at Noise New York."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: SMALL 065EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Joe Davies aka DJ Assam makes a welcome return to Smallville following his Shields In Full Sunlight LP with the Pardon My Late Response EP. The past decade has seen DJ Assam releasing material for the likes of (his own imprint) Lehult, that he runs with a few friends, KANN Records, Super Tuff, and Smallville Records sub-label Down by the Lake, as well as DJing regularly at hotspots across Europe and beyond. Last year he made his debut on Smallville appearing under his own name -- Joe Davies with a long player project. Here he returns with more of his distinctive deep and hypnotic style on a new EP for Smallville. Up first on the package is "Errol Dub," a six minute journey traversing through bouncy bass tones, airy chords, crisp shuffled percussion and modulating synth lines before "Unknown" dives deeper via a reduced rhythm section, acid synth bleeps, soft bell tones and subtly nuanced atmospherics. Opening the flip-side "1234 Love" captures a more raw aesthetic with saturated drums at its core while an amalgamation of modulating synth licks and ethereal pads ebb and flow throughout. The Frankfurt Mix of "Hi Life," known from Joe's mesmerizing Smallville album, rounds out the release, journeying into dub territory courtesy of spiraling echoes and slowly unfurling chords underpinned by a bumpy off-kilter drum groove.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: STRICT 009EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Klex blobbing his first solo EP on Strictly Strictly, pushing forward with his virtually self-titled Klextasy. Entangling techy trance strikers with dreamily warm temperament, Klex offers three strikingly quirky productions on side A, blending surprisingly seamlessly from bouncy to anthemic passages. Accompanied by a strong team of remixers, with Viikatory, Lakehead, and DJ Normal 4 pressing a psy-techy stamp on side B. Includes digital download with two extra remixes from Urte and once again Normal 4. A release like a steamy open-air summer night by the lake.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: SOD 137LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

John Davis is a sound artist and filmmaker based in the Bay Area. Active since the mid-aughts, he has published recordings on labels such as Root Strata and Digitalis, as well as on his own Bimodal Press imprint. Landlines sees a return to the SOD catalog for Davis, following a full-length release in 2013, and may be seen as somewhat of a spiritual successor to that album. In all of Davis' work, there is a specific pastoral sensibility that feels firmly rooted in the forests and coasts of Northern California, moving with the delicate and erratic cadence of dust motes rendered visible in bright sunlight. Opening track "Verichrome" articulates the soundscape wonderfully, stitching together Music Mouse-esque formant synthesis and meditative vocal sampling with an exquisite minimalist suite for prepared piano. Of these recordings, Davis himself writes, "In a general sense the conceit here is nostalgia, a desire to reflect on the importance of connection -- to ourselves and to the world around us. The title is, of course, a euphemism for the telephone, but I am also considering landscape, horizons, and infrastructure, as well as the invisible lines that connect us, the threads that bind us, and the communities that form us."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: SA 070LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Lifetime is the tenth studio album from Sun Araw. Sun Araw continues to investigate space as a motionless field against which many motions are observed! Stasis: wheels within and wheels without! Please enjoy this adventure in sound! Mixed by Cameron Stallones and Jake Viator. Mastered by JJ Golden."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 204C-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Translucent orange vinyl version. "Originally released in 1996 as a limited fan-club pressing for Rockathon, Guided By Voices' Tonics & Twisted Chasers has always existed as an anomaly in Robert Pollard's vast discography. In many ways, the album serves as the tail of a creative comet that in just two years included the 'classic line-up' trilogy of Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, Under the Bushes, Under the Stars and countless singles that crammed endless hooks in their grooves. In the intervening space, Tonics & Twisted Chasers has taken on a mythic status. It's arguably Pollard's strangest, gnarliest, most enlightened record and also the fans first chance to see the stitches that bind his galaxy of songs. It's like peering at the caliber inside a watch, responsible for making the whole enterprise tick. This nineteen-song collaboration with guitarist Tobin Sprout could be interpreted as spontaneous sketches, late-night improvisations, ideas that blossomed later in the timeline ('Knock 'Em Flyin'' and 'Key Losers'), but as with anything in Pollard's orbit, its intention is clear when heard as a cohesive whole. The Pollard tenet that 'less is more' is on full display here. The songs rarely creep past ninety seconds and coalesce much like Pollard's collage-styled visual art. Arena anthems in miniature ('158 Years Of Beautiful Sex') bash up against eerie piano laments ('Universal Nurse Finger') without any time to breathe, acoustic lullabies that sound like a Midwestern summer's twilight ('Look It's Baseball') segue into monochromatic post-rock ('Maxwell Jump'). The euphoric joy and obtuse melancholy in Pollard's voice is so palpable on the album's standout, 'Dayton, Ohio 19 Something & 5' (which has since become a live staple), that it's impossible to find a more autobiographical yarn in his catalog. The album's closest analog is 1993's Vampire On Titus, as it contains that album's prickly, dark and shimmering obfuscation that only reveals its beauty after repeated listens. Tonics & Twisted Chasers maintains the lore because the melodies are so strong. Using a primitive drum machine, Radio Shack effects, minimal instrumentation and the DIY spirit that guided them in the first place, Pollard and Sprout constructed a masterpiece of pop that could only come from a basement in north Dayton, Ohio. Anyone in that hallowed era who happened upon it, kept it as a secret."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 204LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Originally released in 1996 as a limited fan-club pressing for Rockathon, Guided By Voices' Tonics & Twisted Chasers has always existed as an anomaly in Robert Pollard's vast discography. In many ways, the album serves as the tail of a creative comet that in just two years included the 'classic line-up' trilogy of Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, Under the Bushes, Under the Stars and countless singles that crammed endless hooks in their grooves. In the intervening space, Tonics & Twisted Chasers has taken on a mythic status. It's arguably Pollard's strangest, gnarliest, most enlightened record and also the fans first chance to see the stitches that bind his galaxy of songs. It's like peering at the caliber inside a watch, responsible for making the whole enterprise tick. This nineteen-song collaboration with guitarist Tobin Sprout could be interpreted as spontaneous sketches, late-night improvisations, ideas that blossomed later in the timeline ('Knock 'Em Flyin'' and 'Key Losers'), but as with anything in Pollard's orbit, its intention is clear when heard as a cohesive whole. The Pollard tenet that 'less is more' is on full display here. The songs rarely creep past ninety seconds and coalesce much like Pollard's collage-styled visual art. Arena anthems in miniature ('158 Years Of Beautiful Sex') bash up against eerie piano laments ('Universal Nurse Finger') without any time to breathe, acoustic lullabies that sound like a Midwestern summer's twilight ('Look It's Baseball') segue into monochromatic post-rock ('Maxwell Jump'). The euphoric joy and obtuse melancholy in Pollard's voice is so palpable on the album's standout, 'Dayton, Ohio 19 Something & 5' (which has since become a live staple), that it's impossible to find a more autobiographical yarn in his catalog. The album's closest analog is 1993's Vampire On Titus, as it contains that album's prickly, dark and shimmering obfuscation that only reveals its beauty after repeated listens. Tonics & Twisted Chasers maintains the lore because the melodies are so strong. Using a primitive drum machine, Radio Shack effects, minimal instrumentation and the DIY spirit that guided them in the first place, Pollard and Sprout constructed a masterpiece of pop that could only come from a basement in north Dayton, Ohio. Anyone in that hallowed era who happened upon it, kept it as a secret."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: TAL 033LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Rain and experimental music have had an interesting connection for decades. Perhaps as a reminder of the musical quality of rain, but knowing full well that it can only be enjoyed in theory, Razen call their new album Rain Without Rain. In the music of the Brussels collective led by the two multi-instrumentalists Brecht Ameel and Kim Delcour, it certainly pours down on the roofs. In fact, the album opens with the sound of pouring rain before we hear the sequence of an oscillator played through a guitar amp on the first track "Lazy, Lazy Eye." The album is the captivating result of a one-night mobile studio field recording in an abandoned pedestrian tunnel in the center of D?sseldorf, and it is finding beauty with brutal(ist) means: recorder, oscillator, guitar amp and reverberation, two musicians and four microphones, early electronics versus early music. "Suicide meet Hildegard von Bingen," as Stefan Schneider, who recorded the session, admits. "Ghostly occurrences," he adds. Brecht Ameel states: "We do put a lot of weight and care on acoustics. On some of our recordings, the room acts as another band member, or as the main 'mixing board'. Most of the albums we have recorded so far are not mixed in the traditional sense: they are simply 'captured,' and we let the room decide what is left on the tapes. The studio recordings, then, give us the possibility of bringing other elements to the fore; precision of interplay, or tiny variations in breathing." The group Razen has existed since 2010 and has since released numerous records on labels such as KRAAK, Marionette and Hands In The Dark. Rain Without Rain is their debut on the D?sseldorf label TAL. If there has been an increased international interest in experimental music from Belgium in recent years, this is not least due to musician collectives such as Razen. In terms of its electro-folkloristic intensity and instrumentation, Razen's music is quite unique worldwide.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: TAL 034LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The Well is the second album by the duo So Sner, composed of Susanna Gartmayer (bass clarinet) and Stefan Schneider (electronics). Recorded over nearly two years in various studios and spaces, the album reflects So Sner's extensive touring across Europe. The final mixing took place in Vienna at the studio of Martin Siewert, who served as both co-producer and mastering engineer. Known for his meticulous attention to sonic detail, Siewert brings his unique techniques and distinctive sound enhancements to the album, resulting in a work that is both stylistically cohesive and daringly uncompromising. With The Well, the duo explores both fluid and dissonant sonic landscapes, embracing different structural and sonic challenges. The result is a quieter, more introspective set of compositions than many might have anticipated. The album is a statement of two confident collaborators crafting com-plex, spatial musical moments in their own distinct manner. The music on The Well generates a multiplicity of effects that transcend conventional oppositions such as hand-played versus programmed, composition versus improvisation, or analog versus digital. The album suggests a re-articulation of these categories, allowing the ten tracks to gradually blend one musical idea into another, and one musician into another, in a circular and complementary fashion. The polymetric permutations and exploratory reed components create a soundscape where all elements coexist harmoniously, without compromising or diminishing each other's presence. With its sparse sound architecture, The Well invites listeners into a space of effective emptiness, offering room for the mind and body to explore -- a sonic island where one can develop sensuality through patient movement. The Well captures the genuine act of exploring new territories, serving as a storage place for the time and space shared by the duo, re-filtering their experiences of performing and traveling together. The Well is a lucidly playful and ambitious album by two contemporary musicians who are continually learning to create and respond to the subtle and significant changes in their music, maintaining momentum throughout the entire work. In addition to her work with So Sner, Susanna Gartmayer has recently collaborated with artists such as Joe McPhee and Maria Portugal, and remains a member of her long-running band, the Vegetable Orchestra. Stefan Schneider, founder of the label TAL, has recently performed with Garth Erasmus from Cape Town and fine art luminary Katharina Grosse.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: TAL 036LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Permanent Parts is the second album released by visual artist Katharina Grosse (synthesizer) and musician Stefan Schneider (synthesizer; So Sner, To Rococo Rot, Mapstation). Grosse and Schneider were joined at Galerie Max Hetzler on 29 April 2023, performing as part of the Spectrum without Traces exhibition, by three artists who all generally work within improvised music -- Carina Khorkhordina (trumpet), Tintin Patrone (trombone and electronics), and Billy Roisz (noise generator, piezo and mini cymbal). Permanent Parts is an extraordinary set of recordings that inhabits multiple zones at once: within its thirty-five minutes, listeners can hear the interactions of non-idiomatic collective music making, and the electronic glimmers of electro-acoustics, while, at the same time, the music remains untethered to genre. This capacity to work within liminal zones makes perfect sense when thinking about both Grosse's and Schneider's prior work, whether the energetic diffusions and spatial explorations of Grosse's artistic practice, or the slippery texturology of Schneider's recent work with electronics. Khorkhordina, Patrone and Roisz all find their own ways into this dynamic, too, and Permanent Parts feels like an equal exchange of presence and contribution; there are no hierarchies here. This might explain the music's curious sense of development, where several elements are allowed to exist alongside each other, not in direct contact but in a mode that's somewhere between carefree layering and unconscious juxtaposition. The musicians are listening, but not just with their ears -- their skin, their bodies are hearing, too. There's a curious phrase on the back cover of the album, before the artists are listed: "Wir sind eine Batterie/We are a battery." This sums up the spirit of Permanent Parts. Schneider recalls that Grosse said this phrase to the musicians at the start of the performance. Grosse explains further, "The figure of the battery referred to our placement in the space building out a small circle facing one another from where the sound could spill into the impressive volume of the gallery."

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: TR 577CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Telescopes are an all-embracing concern that began in 1987, the only constant being sole composer/instigator, Northumbrian born Stephen Lawrie. The band's line-up is in constant flux, there can be anywhere between one and twenty members on a recording. The Telescopes were initially signed to Cheree Records then moved on to What Goes On Records where they became regulars at the top of the indie charts before gaining more mainstream success on signing to Creation Records. The Telescopes music has constantly pushed at its own boundaries; it overlaps many genres following its own course, inspiration led. Time has shown The Telescopes music not only withstands repeated listening but also reveals something new with each listen, a thread consistent throughout a highly influential body of work spanning over 30 years. The Telescopes have been cited as an influence on many artists across genres, around the world. Halo Moon is The Telescopes 17th studio album, the sixth for Tapete Records. It came from the sky. A herald of new beginnings. A tranquil glow in the boundless universe.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: TOUCH 030CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Incendiary live set of free jazz, experimentalism and politicized spoken word for fans of Irreversible Entanglements, Matana Roberts, Jaimie Branch, etc. 2023's critically-acclaimed collagist anti-opera Sovereign Bodies/Ritual Taxonomy (Diatribe Records) as its starting point, composer Jamie Thompson invited three open-eared improvisers, Stephen Davis (drums), John Pope (bass) and Sam Comerford (tenor saxophone) to join him (on piano and electronics) in entangling themselves not only with the textual and political themes of the record -- migration, racist linguistic taxonomy, nationalism, Europe's deadly borders policies -- but with its powerful vocal presence; the poet Felispeaks. Extracting eight poems from the album, as well as developing three new texts in rehearsal, the group developed swirling collective improvisations over three days in early November 2023, which were imbued with a devastating new urgency in the shadow of yet more Palestinian suffering. Indeed, the track "Territorial Irregularities" is a desperate cry for solidarity not only with Gazans, but with people suffering ongoing catastrophes in Sudan and Syria which have displaced millions, many of whom are seeking, and deserve, safety and sanctuary in Europe. Adjunct Ensemble's narrative of refusal; to spurn capitalism's insistence to participate in its genocidal pursuit of endless growth, endless war, ecological destruction and subjugation of the world's poorest is what spurs them to make their music. As they declare in the opener "Communal Refusal", "we refuse to make ourselves believable in the eyes of capitalism; we reject its inheritances." CD in lush six-panel wallet and six-page booklet; design by Rinky Taking.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: TROST 248CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

The trio of Japanese saxophone legend Akira Sakata with the Scandinavian rhythm section presents already his fifth album! While the trio was on a Japan tour in 2019, Sakata arranged for a handful of special collaborations, with some of Japan's most important artistic figures. Featuring the avantgarde dancer Min Tanaka, the pianist Yuji Takahashi and a heavyweight veteran of Japanese experimental music -- drummer Takeo Moriyama. Moriyama was playing with Sakata in the Yosuke Yamashita Trio and is his unflinching sparring partner on the explosive 2022 Trost duo recording Mitochondria. Japanese saxophonist and improviser Akira Sakata turned 79 in February of 2024, but this singular musician shows no little sign of age. Over the last 15 years or so, as he neared the typical retirement age, he formed a couple of searing working bands that finally earned him a devoted international following despite his crucial role in establishing his homeland as key center for free jazz as a member of the Yosuke Yamashita Trio in the 1970s. Arashi, with Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and Swedish bassist Johan Berthling, has become his primary touring group, a fiery unit operating with a collective improvisational drive that lifts his white-hot alto saxophone and clarinet playing to new heights and provides the ideal platform for his over-the-top vocal exhortations. While the trio was on a short Japanese tour in 2019, Sakata arranged for a handful of special collaborations, bringing his two younger Scandinavian colleagues face-to-face with some of Japan's most important artistic figures. They performed with Min Tanaka, the singular experimental dancer, who famously improvised with guitarist Derek Bailey and pianist Cecil Taylor, as well as the legendary new music pianist Yuji Takahashi. The concert documented on this phenomenal recording features the third veteran of Japanese experimental music Arashi worked with on that tour, drummer Takeo Moriyama, the third member of the Yamashita trio. As the present recording makes patently clear, Moriyama fit right in. The percussionists melded beautifully, driving the music but also clearing space for one another and forging astonishing feats of interactivity. Rather than canceling one another out or laying it on too thick, they quickly find a method to co-exists, tapping history without the slightest hint of nostalgia. The trio nonchalantly becomes a quartet, absorbing more history, more ideas, and more energy, spitting it back out with greater concentration and focus than ever.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: TROST 248LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Double LP version. The trio of Japanese saxophone legend Akira Sakata with the Scandinavian rhythm section presents already his fifth album! While the trio was on a Japan tour in 2019, Sakata arranged for a handful of special collaborations, with some of Japan's most important artistic figures. Featuring the avantgarde dancer Min Tanaka, the pianist Yuji Takahashi and a heavyweight veteran of Japanese experimental music -- drummer Takeo Moriyama. Moriyama was playing with Sakata in the Yosuke Yamashita Trio and is his unflinching sparring partner on the explosive 2022 Trost duo recording Mitochondria. Japanese saxophonist and improviser Akira Sakata turned 79 in February of 2024, but this singular musician shows no little sign of age. Over the last 15 years or so, as he neared the typical retirement age, he formed a couple of searing working bands that finally earned him a devoted international following despite his crucial role in establishing his homeland as key center for free jazz as a member of the Yosuke Yamashita Trio in the 1970s. Arashi, with Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and Swedish bassist Johan Berthling, has become his primary touring group, a fiery unit operating with a collective improvisational drive that lifts his white-hot alto saxophone and clarinet playing to new heights and provides the ideal platform for his over-the-top vocal exhortations. While the trio was on a short Japanese tour in 2019, Sakata arranged for a handful of special collaborations, bringing his two younger Scandinavian colleagues face-to-face with some of Japan's most important artistic figures. They performed with Min Tanaka, the singular experimental dancer, who famously improvised with guitarist Derek Bailey and pianist Cecil Taylor, as well as the legendary new music pianist Yuji Takahashi. The concert documented on this phenomenal recording features the third veteran of Japanese experimental music Arashi worked with on that tour, drummer Takeo Moriyama, the third member of the Yamashita trio. As the present recording makes patently clear, Moriyama fit right in. The percussionists melded beautifully, driving the music but also clearing space for one another and forging astonishing feats of interactivity. Rather than canceling one another out or laying it on too thick, they quickly find a method to co-exists, tapping history without the slightest hint of nostalgia. The trio nonchalantly becomes a quartet, absorbing more history, more ideas, and more energy, spitting it back out with greater concentration and focus than ever.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: UR 152LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Through X Scroll Era, Gabo Barranco, aka AAAA, conducts a rigorous overhaul of the aesthetics and statements of low-profile IDM, trance, and progressive-acid music typical of the early 2000s. In addition to this inherent and undeniable veneration for the era, the pieces on this album -- which originated from recordings and experimental exercises with gear and accidentally became an album -- serve also as a kind of retrospective inspection of Mexico City's suburbs (Lomas de Sotelo), with landscapes full of indiscriminate concrete, highways of two and three levels, factories, and parking lots that have supplanted nature with their own detached beauty. It is a sound memory, a specific melancholy that praises skate squads of the area, friends from the past, parties, and substances. It reviews the decline of rave culture but also its resilience and capacity for transformation. What AAAA offers with X Scroll Era is an almost multigenerational soundtrack, a memory that feels collective and recollects euphoria, ecstasy, and nostalgia. After several LPs and EPs and several years active in the dance and contemplative electronic music circuit, X Scroll Era is the first album by Gabo Barranco, aka AAAA, published on the Mexican label Umor Rex.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: WE 012LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

If there's one musician in the last decade that you may hear in wildly diverse musical contexts it is Belgian electric bassist and sound sculptor Farida Amadou. Not only can you enjoy the unerringly skillful command she has over her instrument but also the transformative power to reinterpret and expand her material in spontaneous and unconventional ways. Amadou is self-taught and radically aware of her idiosyncratic relationship with the bass guitar. She neither emulates the virtuosos of the electric bass, nor does she use the instrument as a pure sound generator that merely emits humming and feedback. She takes a completely independent and unique approach. This freedom enables her to create an overwhelming wall of sound, as well as simple, clear structures that are rhythmically concise yielding a wide associative space that lands somewhere between free jazz and noise. Her work is often concentrated and circular where motifs are established and developed outward. It is an organic sound in the literal sense of the word, constantly in motion, yet resting in itself. The three solo pieces she has recorded for Week-End Records emphasize her impressive ability to ignite ecstasy from tranquility, to fan out a whole range of moods from a few potent ideas. These attributes make her a musician who enriches every group she plays in, because she is present with her assured and crystallized sound but refrains from being domineering. However, her strengths are even more apparent when she plays solo: the contrasts between the dark, heavy clouds of sound and the rhythmic passages, and the transitions between movements which always sound "logical" yet surprising. Her new solo album, When It Rains It Pours presents Amadou as an inspired improviser who follows her musical intuition and acumen to create a truly unique soundworld. Rarely has improvised music sounded so succinct and compelling.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: WISE 005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Fully licensed and limited to 500 copies. An acid-folk masterpiece finally revealed. When two worlds collide, here's where the legacy of Tim Hollier begins. His first album was released on United Artists in 1968, and this long overdue reissue is a definitive statement of the master genius. Guest on the opening night of a Beckenham folk club run by his friend David Bowie, Hollier recorded Message To A Harlequin with the assistance of Donovan arranger John Cameron. Hollier was also a regular on London's folk club circuit for several years alongside the likes of Paul Simon, Al Stewart, and Nick Drake. Here's your chance to finally grab his visionary songwriting.

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: YAZ 1080HLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock. 180 gram double vinyl reissue of this 1989 collection; housed in a gatefold sleeve with extensive liner notes by Stephen Calt and Mack McCormick. "Representing the oldest style captured on record, Henry Thomas was a singular and important figure. Coming out of Texas at the turn of the century, he left behind a total of 23 issued selections that represent one of the richest contributions to our musical culture. Playing panpipes and guitar with a thrusting drive that evokes a country dance, he gives us a glimpse of black music as it existed late in the 19th century."

 

PRICE: $45.00

CAT #: 9798988670025

FILE UNDER: Misc

"When Paul Simon first heard the Zulu accordion flourish that would open his multi-platinum album Graceland, he told Joe Boyd that it seemed to proclaim, 'You haven't heard this before!' Yet the 'world music' boom of the 1980s that Simon's album helped to usher in had roots that extended back through the decades and across continents: tango on the eve of World War I, Latin dance across the '30s, '40s and '50s, reggae in the '70s, pre-War samba and pre-Beatles bossa nova, Eastern European ensembles filling capitalist concert halls during the Cold War, Indian ragas changing rock and roll in the 1960s, gypsy music inspiring classical composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. As far back as 1853, the music that had intrigued Simon had captivated London during a Zulu choir's extended run there. (Only Charles Dickens dissented.) Like that of other far-flung musical traditions sweeping the globe, the story of Zulu music and its relationship to neighbors, invaders, appropriators, and admirers -- from brutal 19th century massacres to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' -- is more controversial, colorful, and complex than many imagine. Joe Boyd was part of a small group of label heads and journalists who chose 'world music' as their marketing slogan in the 1980s. Already the legendary producer of artists including Pink Floyd, The Incredible String Band, Soft Machine, Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, Toots and the Maytals, and many others, Boyd had little idea how fast and how wide those simple words would spread, or how far back the history went. He would soon learn, producing pathbreaking music in Cuba, Brazil, Bulgaria, Mali, Hungary, Spain, and India under his label Hannibal Records. Following the success of his book White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, a self-published smash hit, Boyd now sets out to explore the stories behind the world music he had helped to popularize. He has traveled across continents and interviewed dozens of musicians, producers, and academics, and spent years reading, listening, and writing. The one-of-a-kind result is And The Roots of Rhythm Remain: a riveting, symphonic, globetrotting tour of the music that shapes the world. Hardcover. 900 pages."