New Arrivals

Under The Sun is the follow-up to the astonishing Roots and contains yet more absolutely essential Nucleus material. Originally released on Vertigo in 1974, Under The Sun was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this re-issue, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press. The bleak, rain-dappled cover matches the melancholic vibe of the record and has been restored as the finishing…

“Orbit of Sound” is the new release from composer/double bassist Max Johnson’s newest trio, with Anna Webber on tenor saxophone/flute, and Michael Sarin on drumset. Formed in 2018, the trio traverses tightly knit composed music and patient, sprawling improvised textures, highlighting all three individual voices as improvisers. The trio completed their inaugural tour of Europe in February & March, having to cancel their final concert and subsequent recording due to the pandemic, delaying the reco…

"Prolific and singular producer Hoshina Anniversary presents Hyakunin Isshu, a two tracker of extended jaunts deeper into the mystery than he’s yet dared to venture. With a growing reputation for sizzling productions combining propulsive house rhythms with gyrating arpeggios and textured sound design punctured by jazz-inflected keys, Hyakunin Isshu further expands the limits. On Hyakunin Isshu, Hoshina Anniversary paces it out over the course of two complimentary side-long runs. The A side Karak…

Toronto-based octet Eucalyptus has been steadily gathering a devoted cult following since the release of their debut 10” Eeeeeuuucaaaaaaallyyypppptus in 2012. Led by acclaimed saxophonist and composer Brodie West, the band's languid, kaleidoscopic jazz is very much a collective endeavour, the product of an internal network of improvisational synergy they've built over more than a decade together. Moves is their sixth release, and somewhat of a milestone. In addition to it being the octet's most …

'Obstacle Illusion is born out of my love for a wide array of musics that I've experienced and studied over the years. The album includes edited live concert recordings from my 3-month European tour at the end of 2021 (Centro d'Arte in Padova, AngelicA Festival in Bologna and the Rassegna di Nuova Musica in Macerata). The first and fourth tracks are solo acoustic piano. The second and third tracks are solely with the Korg Wavestate: all live, no overdubs. This music is the result of a collaborat…

*200 copies limited edition* LP from Pausal made up of Alex Smalley (Olan Mill) and Simon Bainton. This is a follow-up to "Sky Margin" (Own Records) from 2013. Mastered by James Plotkin. Features water color artwork by Charmagne Coe.

FRIM Records presents Plucked and Bowed. Released February 25, 2022 My Hellgren: celloPeter Söderberg: guitar, theorbo, oud All music by My Hellgren & Peter Söderberg (STIM/NCB)Produced by FRIMRecorded February 11, 2021, at Fylkingen, Stockholm, by Göran StegbornMixed and mastered by Göran Stegborn

*In process of stocking* Dieter Zobel aka Didier Leboz: serial tinkler, inventor, freestyle freak Tension. Performance. Resistance - our Zonic Spezial documenting underground cassette culture in the latter years of the GDR caused quite a stir when it first appeared in 2006. A collaborative effort with the legendary ZickZack label and Verbrecher publishing house, “Spannung. Leistung. Widerstand. Magnetbanduntergrund DDR 1979-1990” (to give the work its full title) caused many listeners, especiall…

Arnold Mathes is a self-taught synthesist from Brooklyn-USA whose work was once characterized by Music Technology as "ambient music for experimental synth freaks." He ranks among the most prolific of the decade, self-releasing over 35 cassettes in the '80s, and "Mathes 1986-89" is a collection of best tracks taken from them.

*In process of stocking* What would you do if a never before released jazz funk album from 70s Yugoslavia had dropped suddenly into your arms? An album which sounds like a crate diggers holy grail!? Album full of heavy drum breaks, repetitive bass grooves, superb sax solos and world class jazz arrangements finely intertwined with Yugoslavian folk music elements?! – “Press it!” ~ That’s what we said always striving to present the future of unheard sound of Yugoslavia! With the help from Mr. Cosmi…

*In process of stocking* Imagine waking up and discovering everyone you thought you knew was someone else all along, and they have all deceived you and stabbed you in the back. The world now begins to melt around you and you start to convince yourself that it's still a dream, but in reality your life has become a living nightmare. You are now standing by yourself, alone, looking out over the nothing that was once your home town. The only place to run and hide is inside your own mind. So you make…

*50 copies limited edition* Archaic Vaults presents First passage/Excommunicated. Ancient rituals and pilgrimages. a labour of love. Composed and arranged by Severin Black & Vanessa Bedoret. Mastered by Owen Pratt Artwork by Severin Black

All proceeds from this compilation will go towards Sistah Space, a non-profit community-based organisation bridging the gap in domestic abuse services for African heritage women and girls.

*In process of stocking* Union Editions presents Rugiada by Trapcoustic. Written and played by Stefano di Trapani in Roma during xmas 2020. Special thanks to Michele Manfellotto and Grip Casino. Inspiration: Jonida e Arion. Mastering by Luciano Lamanna.

*In process of stocking* Union Editions presents Sideral by Hierarchy. Written and produced by Hierarchy in Berlin between 2019 and 2021. Mastered at Artefacts Studio.

'There is a beguiling sense of simplicity in the complexity of le temps. In the scale of its orchestra - containing at least samulnori, clubs, bicycle bells, and bathtub plugs - that could be confused for just the kit. In the breadth of technique, in opening, closing, rubbing, and other gestures that confront the ear with a blown snare but could otherwise pass as traditional play. In the seemingly singular focus on one aspect of the kit in each vignette, the metal of rims and cymbals in “ouvertu…

*Limited edition of 300* First official re-release of this one-of-a-kind gem, with newly designed (and band-approved) back cover. Pinta Tu Aldea, recorded in 1977, yet unreleased up until 1983, belongs to the cohort of outstanding artworks that sound as fresh and relevant today, as when they were originally recorded. Digressing from their ELP-esque affinities which overshadowed their debut album, the mighty Alas, in quest for a unique sound that would blend for the first time the avant tango idi…

*In process of stocking* Second Sleep presents Port Tedio by Disso.

The double meaning of Brandon Valdivia's pseudonym Mas Aya neatly encapsulates his musical outlook. Over the past fifteen years, the Toronto composer, percussionist and producer has established himself as an integral part of the city's vibrant and varied music community through his membership in groups such as Not The Wind, Not The Flag, Picastro, The Cosmic Range, I Have Eaten The City and Lido Pimienta.Máscaras is anchored by Valdivia's deft and atmospheric production style that folds together…

Radiolorians (2018) finds Pisaro-Liu drawing inspiration from another gifted observer of this world-in-variation, the German zoologist, naturalist, and philosopher Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), who promoted and popularized evolutionary thought via extensive monographs and artful renderings of insects, animals, sea creatures, and embryos. For Radiolarians, Pisaro-Liu creates what he terms “transcriptions” of individual radiolaria species depicted in Haeckel’s drawings. Radiolarians comprises fourtee…

*2022 stock. In process of stocking* Saxophonist, pianist, vocalist and composer Archie Shepp is one of the most emblematic figures of Afro-American free jazz, in all its components. In the early 1960s he helped found the Jazz Composers Guild, performed with Cecil Taylor in The Connection and made several albums for Impulse. Inspired by the great jazz tradition (Ellington, Monk and Mingus) and the masters of the tenor saxophone, including Ben Webster and John Coltrane, his mentor, Archie Shepp e…

*In process of stocking* Barcelona pianist Agustí Fernández and Polish bass guitarist Rafał Mazur correspond through solo tracks recorded in their respective studios, each missive an unusual and impressive free improvisation using extended techniques, inside playing and inexplicable exclamation, in a five-part exchange where each message is alternately addressed "Dear Agusti" and "Dear Rafał".

*In process of stocking* Produced by Jimmy Curtiss, who is best remembered as lead singer of the great psychedelic folk rock band the Hobbits, Century Expanded’s “Concerto For Wah Wah” was released in 1971 but staged very little impact at the time. Finding original copies of the disc is a real chore, so how cool it is the Gear Fab label will soon reissue this super rare album, which features all instrumentals duly drenched in wah wah guitar action. The opening track of “Concerto Wah Wah” measure…

*In process of stocking* "Aussi Loin Que Je Me Souvienne is a benchmark in French pop. An absolute reference, without which formations like Ilous & Decuyper would never have seen the day. It is very great pop, a record that has nothing to be ashamed of compared to its Anglo-Saxon counterparts. There would be many more things to tell about the Crapoutchik System... the Dutronc episode in particular, to whom we owe the name of the group. Another time perhaps..." - Somewhere There Is Music

*In process of stocking* Released at the end of the summer of 1968, and with a host of session musicians that included the brass section of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, producer Gus Dudgeon helped Weaver / Wynder K Frog to improve the results obtained on the debut LP and get one step closer to the live action. The formula was more or less the same, instrumental hammond a go go covers of hits from the era, including The Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash”, a funked up version of the classic Tomm…

Pieter Verlinden (1934-2002) was an exceptional composer responsible for hundreds of scores and soundtracks for television, ballet, theatre and film. Only some of his soundtracks were released at the time, like De 5 van de 4-daagse (The Five Are Marching In, 1974), Een mens van goede wil (A Man of Good Will, 1974) and De dood van een non (Death of a Nun, 1976). Most of his work was only preserved on the original master tapes in his personal archive, so the majority of Verlinden’s music has never…

Pieter Verlinden (1934-2002) was an exceptional composer responsible for hundreds of scores and soundtracks for television, ballet, theatre and film. Only some of his soundtracks were released at the time, like De 5 van de 4-daagse (The Five Are Marching In, 1974), Een mens van goede wil (A Man of Good Will, 1974) and De dood van een non (Death of a Nun, 1976). Most of his work was only preserved on the original master tapes in his personal archive, so the majority of Verlinden’s music has never…

*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Terronès - Suite andalouse pour Odile, Gérard & Eric Terronès by Raymond Boni Fortuna 21 octet. Raymond Boni (guitar & musical direction), Laure Donnat (voice), Joe McPhee (soprano saxophone & pocket trumpet), Anna Startseva (violin), Emmanuel Cremer (cello), Bastien Boni (double bass), Rémi Charmasson (guitar) & Jean-Marc Foussat (sound report). Recorded on 16 and 20 June 2003 in Paris, and on 25 June 2003 in Marseille (France)

*50 copies limited edition* Following releases on Warm Gospel Tapes and Ingrown Records, J Hamilton Isaacs continues on his synthesizing quest to encapsulate the universe around him in his modular rig. This release is comprised of two side-long compositions of precise, drifting modular electronics. As the pieces build, sweep, fluctuate, dissolve and begin again, the sound itself seems wholly alive, breathing and wandering with the listener.

*100 copies limited edition* Get your seasonal dose of environmental futurism from expert synth-operators Asako Fujimoto and Niki Neecke via Knackless. Two tracks from the duo in the spirit of the season of rebirth: »Chlorophylic Memories« makes room between canopy and soil to immerse yourself in a glistening and hyperreal forest. Flip the record over and enter a kaleidoscopic concert hidden away in the thickets of the underbrush with »GalaxianIdyl«. Precious and rare!

Brooklyn based drummer/producer Jason Nazary (of Anteloper) makes his We Jazz Records debut with "Spring Collection", released on 25 June. The album sees Nazary crafting some deliciously sparkly solo cuts plus working long distance with choice collaborators Jaimie Branch, David Leon, Ramon Landolt, Matt Mitchell, Grey McMurray and Michael Coleman. This is essentially a collection of home recordings and the whole operation has an infectious feeling of immediacy to it. The result is improv adjacen…

**100 copies** "I wrote and recorded these songs over a decade ago. Listening back, I chuckle at the fact that I may actually say the word ‘die’ or ‘death’ in every single song. Considering how metaphorically I attempted to write these lyrics, those two words very literally represent what I was dealing with. Within a four year span I lost one of my best friends to cancer and my dad to a heart attack. As a person in my 20’s that span of time felt like an eternity but in hindsight I can see now th…

These five albums by Klaus Janek appear to have been originally released in 2018, but were bundled together under the title almenrauschen in 2019 in nice colour-coded sleeves designed by Stephanie Roderer – I’ll refer to this aspect at the head of each review section – in an edition of 300 units. The name “almenrauschen” derives from the aural sensation perceiving a non intentional sound world and transforming it to musical sense-making. This bundle includes the following albums on vinyl: - Casp…

This habit some experimental musicians have of applying forced context or stories to what is essentially pure improvised music does sometimes perplex me. Here Janek references Kaspar Hauser with the title and in the sleeve notes. He also states the intention “…to de- and reformulate the idea of beauty”. When referencing the case of Kaspar Hauser, I assume Janek sees himself as “…set free…” from traditional technique, and aims, on this disc at least, to “…redefine by discover[y] and recover the p…

'This disc commences with “Prolog / Autumn / Winter Part 1” which are relatively unadorned solo contrabass improvisations from 2003, inspired by the poem Lettera Amorosa by René Char. Although the work apparently “…follows an emotional path a man lives through a loss…” which is intriguing, the main emotions this music is conveying to me are morbid self-analysis, ennui and fatigue. So far so good. Nonetheless, Janek insists upon the piece “…awakening from impotence, sensing awareness and rediscov…

'Janek’s “source of inspiration” was apparently Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris and Janek’s own social observations in Prospect Park in New York City “…where I was living during the main research period for this work”. I’m not familiar with Lem’s novel, but if you’re expecting echoes or resonances from the soundtracks of either the Tarkovsky film or the George Clooney remake, I’m afraid you may be disappointed. On side A we find “Infinite Bang Part 1”, which is more solo contrabass and electronics…

'The first track on side A is “Violeros Revisitados”, which is a fight between the sounds made by Brazilian traditional musicians and the UHER Report 400 tape machine the sounds were recorded on. This source material was recorded by Gunther Kipfmüller in Northeast Brazil in the 1970s. Kipfmüller’s daughter, Milena , processes the raw material while Janek adds his contrabass and electronics to the mixture. Brazil born, Milena is also Berlin-based and works as”… a freelance soundartist, dramaturgu…

Magenta. Road at night. Its probably worth quoting from the sleeve-notes so you get an idea of what the intention is on this disc: “The album consists of music chosen from a pool of recordings made over a time span of 10 years and according to its expression composed ‘together’. All of the music was created through a practice of combining the compositional and performative act. The album making process consists of two levels: the music created in the past functions as material and is put into fo…

A gallery of portraits of people listening to a work in progress by Frédéric Acquaviva, laid out like a flip book."Hello, I have been called Frédéric Acquaviva and I have called this music cabalistic music. The purpose of this music is to let the listeners hear the music I am composing, when it is the case. They come one by one and hear on the headphones what will perhaps disappear. So everyone hears something different, because there's no beginning and no end, like when you're in the shit. And …

*2022 stock* Futura Marge presents Noel McGhie Afro-Caribbean Project's Re-Masters. Recorded on 16, 18 April and 30 November 2015 at Studio du Sous Sol in Argenteuil (France).Rasul Siddik (trumpet), Daniele Vigilucci (alto saxophone), Patrick Sedoc (guitar), Simon Teboul (double bass), Noel McGhie (drums), Awa Timbo (vocals) on one track