Best of 2020
Italienische Stucke (Art edition)
**Special edition of 50 numbered copies. Includes signed photograph (13x18 cm) and reproduction of the score of "Liquid Piece“ (245g linen-stock, 29,7 x 42 cm) handcoloured with china ink by Christina Kubisch, signed & numbered.** Sound is almost always at its most thrilling, whether in practice or source, when it can not be easily defined. This is the liminal zone within which only the bravest and most ambitious among the avant-garde dare to tread, constantly pushing forward into unexplored zon…
Vespers
Alvin Lucier ranks among the most important, influential, and radical avant-garde composers of his generation. "Vespers" (1969) and "Chambers" (1968), the two works featured on this LP, witness Lucier rethinking the material and conceptual possibilities of music at every turn.
Chapter Eleven
Wow! **4xCD, over 4 hours of music. Co-Released by Hanson Records and Helicopter** Easily one of the most essential releases of this year, Hanson and Helicopter Records stunning 4 CD box set, reissuing Robert Turman’s visionary 1988 release, Chapter Eleven, reveals its creator as one of the most important and neglected artists of that decade, while foreshadowing the work an entire generation of experimental artists that would emerge over the coming years. Truly staggering in scope and creative a…
Al-Fatihah
Among the fiercest and greatest documents of Free Jazz is a lone LP - Al-Fatihah - self-released in Ohio by Black Unity Trio in 1969, the official reissue of which stands before us now. A hard cut diamond of pure fire and artistry, it’s a good as improvised music from this era gets and absolutely not to be missed
E2-E4
180-gram LP version with embossed chessboard artwork print and printed inner sleeve. In celebration of the 2016 35th anniversary of the December 12, 1981, recording of Manuel Göttsching's legendary E2-E4, one of electronic music's most influential recordings, Göttsching's MG.ART label presents an official reissue, carefully overseen by the master himself. Includes liner notes by Manuel Göttsching, archival photos, and an excerpt of David Elliott's review in Sounds from June 16, 1984.
"As …
Alta Moda Animale
**300 copies, gatefold sleeve** "We are proud to announce our second release Alta Moda Animale, first album of KNN aka Renato Grieco, musician and composer based in Naples, half of electroacoustic duo Les Énervés (with Giulio Nocera) and also known for his collaborations with many other musicians. Alta Moda Animale is out now, limited to 300 copies pressed on black vinyl and housed in a heavyweight gatefold jacket plus printed inner sleeve.""Although Italian composer and sound enthusiast Renato …
Domestic Exile
**Exclusive Clear Vinyl Edition, 100 copies** Mental Experience present the first ever reissue of Steve Piccolo's debut album from 1982, Domestic Exile. A hidden gem of minimalist beauty, mixing a post-punk/DIY/lo-fi aesthetic with art-rock and spoken poetry. Steve Piccolo has been active since the mid-1970s in music, theater, performance art, sound installations, video and film soundtracks. In 1979, he started with the Lurie brothers the "fake jazz"/no wave band, Lounge Lizards. Domestic Exile …
Echos+
From Lawrence English: I’m not really sure when I first heard Beatriz Ferreyra’s music. My best guess would be in the early to mid 2000s when I was working alongside the curatorial team at Liquid Architecture. Given the focus of the festival at that time, GRM and musique concrète more generally was very much a point of focus. That said, it wasn’t until this decade that her work was sharply in focus for me (and I am guessing a great many others). In 2017, I had the great pleasure to meet Beatri…
The Vanity Records Tape Box
Similar to the compilation Music, Vanity also released a limited edition, 6-cassette tape box set entitled Limited Edition Vanity Records Box Set in 1981, compiling the music of six artists whose works were rigorously selected from many demo tapes that were sent to Vanity from all across Japan
Vanity Music
A minimal electronics masterpiece and pinnacle of the Japanese underground music scene of the late-70’s, perhaps the rarest and hardest to find find of all of the LP's released on the legendary Japanese experimental label Vanity Records.