New Arrivals
Swing Low Sweet Spiritual
Following a few years spent living and playing in Scandinavia, an unknown saxophone player by the name of Albert Ayler returned home to the USA to begin imposing his revolutionary style of jazz on the world. Having recorded his debut album, My Name Is Albert Ayler for the Danish label, Debut Records, this session (which took place in New York City on 24 February 1964) was his first American effort, resulting in the eventual release of two albums: Spirits (released in 1964 on Debut) and Swi…
Tortoise
Sold out on vinyl for many years the 1994 self-titled debut from Tortoise is finally back! This 2012 edition has been remastered to vinyl by Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering. The packaging emulates the original with a chipboard jacket that was custom silk-screened by Dan Macadam at Crosshair in Chicago. Also included is an insert and a free download coupon.
Shot
ultralimited lavishly packaged LP (100 handnumbered copies only!), this ground-breaking electro-acoustic trio made my day. The album is largely improvised, with extracts of Charles Bukowski’s poetic works overlapping on the interweavings and multiple stratiï¬Âed references in the trio’s music. It features a faceted palette of acoustic, analogue and digital colours: drums, metallic objects, ethnical instruments, samples, sequences, filtered voice, pedal effects, vinyls, digital electronic…
Spirit Of The Positive Wind
featuring Brian Sullivan & Nate Nelson (Mouthus), Pete Nolan (Magik Markers, Spectre Folk) and Karl Bauer (Axolotl). The LP features two side-long tracks of bubbling, meandering noise-drone collages. "What the hell is this madness? After the Georgia Sea Island Singers took me somewhere nice it’s up to this super-group to drag me back to the fierce, nightmarish industrial landscape from whence I came. Then again this isn’t the sound of Bradford. I don’t know what it’s the sound of actua…
Soldercup
This is the work of Rhodri Davies and Louisa Hendrikien Martin. Davies is extremely active in the experimental / improv / avant-garde scene, being a frequent collaborator, usually playing harp and electric harp. Elsewhere, Martin keeps herself busy in the fields of live sound and visual performance. The foundation of the album was a Harp improvisation which was then manipulated electronically, the artists then improvised along with the recording then edited and repeated the process. The r…
Hustler Power Electronics Convention
You must live in tokyo to be able to follow the immense output of the soundburrier that is Masaya Nakahara, aka Violent Onsen Geisha, most of his work doesn't make it out of Satou Dan's Tatsunoya bar in Shinjuku, not because no one wants it, just because the tokyo noise scene seems to gather there late at night to forefil their pork anus - chicken paw needs, and Nakahara's last 40 cdr's were the ideal soundtracks for this ritual. the old skool dead pan electronics, plunderphonics, parodies, nois…
Foetus
An internationally known artist, Franco Battiato has been everything in his long career, from beat singer to avantgarde performer, producer, contemporary music composer.His beginnings lay in the mid 60's, with many singles released with no particular success, the first two under his real name of Francesco. He had left the native Sicily (he was born in Jonia, near Catania in 1945) moving to Milan around 1965.Fetus, housed in a outrageous cover (reproducing a foetus) was definitely a prog al…
In
'Jean-Luc Guionnet (alto saxophone), Will Guthrie (drums) and Clayton Thomas (double bass). Taking the form of a minimalist power trio of saxophone, bass and drums. Recorded in 2009, IN focuses on the tour that nearly killed them - Jean-Luc couldn't eat, Will couldn't walk and Clayton couldn't call an elevator. Niort - recorded at the festival NPAI, caused METEO festival director Adrien Chiquet to complain that the best gig of the festival was 'fucking jazz!'. In Poznan they were attacked…
Electronics Without Tears
LP eition: the excellent Public Information label really comes into its own with this revelatory collection of early concréte tape music by F.C. Judd - a much overlooked British electronic music pioneer and contemporary of Daphne Oram. Born in Woodford, East London in 1914, Frederick Charles Judd served in the RAF coastal command during WWII working with highly secret radar equipment. After being demobbed he applied this knowledge and skilled engineering background to his musical interests…
III
Picking up the threads with ease, Espers III was intended to be an aural reversal of the layered sound of II. The goal was to record fewer tracks in order to achieve a stronger, more oxygenated sonic presence. Where II was almost claustrophobic in its density and darkness, III was envisaged as being somehow lighter, effervescent; perhaps even of a cheery disposition at times (whoa there! Don't go not breaking our heart, Espers). Under these auspices, recording started in late 2008 and spi…
Elklink
Reissue of 'The Rise of Elklink' cassette (Polyamory) 1999 with one bonus track. "The Rise of Elklink originally appeared as a cassette on the storied Polyamory label in '1999. Behind the ambiguous moniker lurked core Shadow Ring member Graham Lambkin, aided by Adris Hoyos with a cameo from fellow Shadow Ring bandmate Tim Goss. Although The Rise of Elklink was produced in tandum with The Shadow Ring's Lindus LP, the two projects were different in intent. Song form and narration are replace…
Pyramid of the moon
When Maserati first began performing new songs for their next album, the one that immediately stood out with audiences was “Pyramid of the Sun,” a chugging behemoth driven, as usual, by one of the best rhythm sections in underground rock. It was an instant fan favorite and quickly cemented itself as an institutional song that would surely show up in the set list virtually every night for years to come. Unbeknownst to fans, there was an alternate version of the song that took the head-nod…
You Are The One I Pick
"Nottingham duo Felix make their Kranky debut with this fine and idiosyncratic collection of songs. The main focus here is the vocal/piano/cello talents of Lucinda Chua, whose sparse yet quirk-loaded minimalism receives guitar and bass backing from Chris Summerlin, who's probably best known for his work in the rock band Lords. Chua's writing is quite unlike anything else currently out there; her lyrics convey strange or often very simple, domesticated ideas delivered in a pared-down, plaintive f…
Le Couperet: Music For The Crimes Of Dr. Petiot
Near-mythical compilation originally released on Broken Flag as a cassette in 1983. Around this time there were compilations coming out all over the place, usually featuring at least one of Whitehouse, Ramleh, The New Blockaders or Sutcliffe Jugend along with a bunch of other obscure noise bands. This one's been completely unattainable and I've never even seen a copy come up for sale anywhere so having a viyl reissue is great! Featured on here are Ramleh, TNB and Vortex Campaign, along with Sir …
Danza Meccanica - Italian Synth Wave 1982 - 1987
Gorgeous collection of rare and early italian wave releases from 1982 - 1987 selected by Danza and with intro text by Fred Ventura in a limited run of 500 vinyl albums (hand numbered) it includes 2 inserts, LP cover on hand-made serigraphy. Highly recommended.
Klavierwellen
Amazing release by the video & sound-artist from Brazil Marcellvs L., a four-channel sound piece titled "Klavierwellen" or Piano Waves (2011). The piano waves we hear are literally just that: while on a residency, the artist upturned a piano on a boat traveling around the canals, on which two contact microphones were attached to the soundboard and two micro omnidirectional placed between the soundboard and strings. The movement of the boat through water creates a kind of roving ambient experienc…
Picture Disc
What's been described as a trumpet player trapped in a two dimensional universe is in fact the unique work of Justice Yeldham (aka Lucas Abela), a maverick musician with an unhealthy obsession with sheets of broken glass. In his infamous show that has astonished and bemused countless people in over 40 countries, yeldham ecstatically purses his lips against sheets of amplified glass whilst deftly employing various vocal techniques ranging from throat singing to raspberries, turning discarde…
Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh
This is an identical 180-gram vinyl reissue of the 1973 Vertigo release, wich is possibly Magma's great opus. Whether one prefers one of their other studio or live releases to it, there is no doubt that Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh is the most original, definitive Magma album around (although this reviewer personally prefers the Mekanik Kommandoh version!).Featuring a cast of thousands including a choir, brass section, flute and tuned percussion, Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh marries the stripped…
Brighter summer day
CS Yeh: violin, electronics (side A), computer (side B). Chris Rosing: additional climax electronics (side A). Full color heavy cover, LP. Edition of 500. Released February 2002. Burning Star Core's first vinyl full-length and first widely available recording after numerous private releases that began surfacing in 1993. Massive layers of sustained sound driven thru violins and electronics direct to climax -- backed by broken organs dropped into shifting darkness and cracked computer hypn…
Ombrophilia
Ombrophilia is a collection of sound experiments I made with porcelain bowls filled with water between 2006 and 2008. Inspired by Jalatarangam, traditional Indian instrument, I started to play the 'waterbowls' with wooden spoons and metal wire (Mylapore, Jalatarangam Revisited). Since I immersed hydrophones in them, I have tried various ways of resonating the bowls without touching their surface : flicking, stirring, waving and dripping water All the compositions here are multitracked and…