Reissues
Reality
Obscure prog rockers Second Hand began as the Next Collection, formed at a south London secondary school; engineer/manager Vic Keary scored them a contract with Polydor as the Moving Finger, but their legendary debut LP was credited to Second Hand, due to a rival Moving Finger. Channelling psych and spacey acid hues, there is blues-rock underpinning Bob Gibbons’ guitar and keyboardist Ken Elliott helps aim the sound towards deep space; this edition features rare tracks ‘James in the Basement’ an…
The Ascension
2025 Repress. Glenn Branca's first full-length album The Ascension is a colossal achievement. After touring much of 1980 with an all-star band featuring four guitarists (Banca, fellow composers Ned Sublette and David Rosenbloom, and future Sonic Youth member Lee Ranaldo) along with Jeffrey Glenn on bass and Stephan Wischerth on drums, Branca took his war-torn group into a studio in Hell's Kitchen to record five incendiary compositions.
Originally released in the summer of 1981, The Ascension eff…
Ubok Aka Inua
*In process of stocking* Originally released in 1976, Ubok Aka Inua is the fifth album by legendary Nigerian saxophonist and band leader, Etubom Rex Williams. The album features Psychedelic Shoes and One Woman Is Enough Trouble, both heard on countless funk and soul compilations. The album was restored from the original tapes by Noah Mintz and artwork restored and recreated by Steve Lewin.
"Etubom Rex Williams occupies the genuine space of legend of Nigerian Highlife. His incredible professional…
Funky Africa
*In process of stocking* We Are Busy Bodies is proud to present a reissue of composer, guitarist, and later producer, Almon Memela’s ultra rare 1975 album, Funky Africa. From the original liner notes: 'Africa has always been many things to many people. To some, Africa is the Dark Continent, a mysterious, romantic and vast expanse of unexplored territory. To others, again, Africa is the ultimate symbol of man's triumph over his environment: a wakening giant destined to play a significant role in …
Deeper Roots
*In process of stocking* Second, and long out of print album by South Africa's Roots. Remastered from original audio tapes. Artwork completely restored by Steve Lewin.
Drive Live
*Official remastered reissue* We Are Busy Bodies presents Drive Live. A live performance by South African group The Drive, founded in 1971 by Adolphus "Bunny" Luthuli and Henry Sithole.
Drive Unlimited
We Are Busy Bodies presents Drive Unlimited. A gem by South African group The Drive, founded in 1971 by Adolphus "Bunny" Luthuli and Henry Sithole.
Remastered reissue by We Are Busy Bodies. Art restoration by Steve Lewin.
Alleycat
Definitely one of Nucleus' lesser known albums, Alleycat nonetheless maintains the exceptionally high standards that Ian Carr & Nucleus had set for themselves over the course of numerous albums before this one. It's true that there's little here which is a departure from any of their previous releases, but with a quality of of both songwriting and playing this high, who could blame them? Once again we have fast, intricate, melodic jazz-rock fusion, with moments of high energy interspersed with s…
Under The Sun
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…
Sikiza Matshikiza
Born in Queenstown in South Africa's Eastern Cape province in 1938, Patrick Vuyo Matshikiza was raised in a musical family. His uncle Todd Matshikiza was a jazz columnist for Drum Magazine in the 1950s and composed the music for King Kong - the all-black musical from 1958 that played in London's West End and launched the career of singer Mariam Makeba. Pat was educated at St. Mathews, an historic mission school in Keiskammahoek, where he played organ and graduated with a teacher's diploma. He mi…
Sands Of Time - Selected Studio & Concert Recordings 1974-1990
*2022 stock.* 'Deuter has so much material available that it's best to start with one of several compilations of his work. Although Call of the Unknown is also a fine introduction to his music, the double-disc Sands of Time is really the best choice for several reasons; first because it features some of his most recent compositions (including a selection taken from his video soundtrack to The Petrified Forest) that you won't find on any other recording. The first disc also offers a balanced pres…
Call Of The Unknown - Selected Pieces 1972-1986
*2022 stock.* By the mid 1970's Deuter was fully formed as a composer, having jettisoned the rougher edges and rather derivative prog and Krautrock elements of his first few albums. The albums listed above date mostly from his heyday spanning 1976 to the late 1980's and appear on Celestial Harmonies sub-label Kuckuck. During this period he spent much of his time in Poona, India as a student of controversial guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The inspiration flowed and some truly great music was born.
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Avalanche
*In process of stocking* In nineteen movements of varying lengths and moods, Denis Doufour’s monumental piano piece “Avalanche” invites us on a voyage across the infinite variation of the forms taken by snow, and the rich vocabulary established by the Innuits for it since their arrival on Greenland, the continent of ice. At work in this piece is a transposition, inspired by morphologies, of a certain kind of energy onto the relationships between the physical and musical realms. Thanks to his prac…
↣004
*2022 stock. In process of stocking* The untitled album with the order number 2375 004 (often called "Jeans-Cover" because it was not packed in paper but in jeans cloth) is by most observers seen as the best record of Ihre Kinder and marks the peak in their public awareness. The album was most important at the evolving "Krautrock" scene. This album had a musical blend between American protest song, white blues and carefully set elements of electronic rock and jazz, which had not been heard in th…
Leere Hände / Empty Hands
*2022 stock. In process of stocking* 'Ihre Kinder's third record "Leere Hände" from 1970 is a pleasant experience. What is presented here is two language version of the record. Ihre Kinder (Your children) is called Krautrock but it's progressive in a more political way than musical, almost like the Swedish Progg. Anyway this is very nice music.
Done in the early seventies the music is full of the clear sound of rock, mixed with emotion and some progressive touches. Those are for example the flut…
Anfang Ohne Ende
*2022 stock. In process of stocking* Ihre Kinder can be placed at the roots of the so-called 'Krautrock'. As the first rock band at all they produced in their mother-tongue German and published five main albums between 1969 and 1972.
The core of Ihre Kinder were the keyboarder and singer Sonny Hennig, the guitarist Ernst Schultz and the producer Jonas Porst. Their music combined influences from the American protest song, white blues music from England and - in a cautious way - the typical German…
Let It Play (1979-1983 Selected Pieces)
*2022 stock.* This fine introduction to Hamel's varied style presents him in various moods from 1979 to 1983. Samples are taken from Transition, Colours of Time, Bardo, and a few previously unreleased selections.
Overtone Singing: Physics and Metaphysics of Harmonics in East and West
2025 Stock. In Overtone Singing, ethnomusicologist and singer Mark van Tongeren provides a fascinating insight into the timeless and universal aspects of sound and vibration. Grounded in a decade-long study of Asian music, he draws upon various fieldwork experiences, interviews with eastern and western musicians, in addition to the work of numerous scholars. He presents a multidisciplinary vision on sound that runs from World and contemporary music to the science of acoustics and perception, to …
Moiety
Originally released in 2012 on the artist's own Unseen label only in digital formats, »Moiety« by Helios aka Keith Kenniff is finally getting its physical release in a new 2022 vinyl edition, remastered by Taylor Deupree. In 2012, Kenniff shared this free, digital-only collection, which marked a notable shift in pace, both in output and style. Slower, more meditative than past work, Moiety honed in on Kenniff's proclivity as an ambient producer.
Contactos
Cosmic jazz from the Canary Islands, recorded by Argentinian pianist Luis Vecchio.