A collection of spiritual and gospel songs performed in informal non-church settings between 1965 and 1973. Most are guitar-accompanied and performed by active or former blues artists. "Most records of black religious music contain some form of gospel singing or congregational singing recorded at a church service. This album, though, tries to present a broader range of performance styles and contexts with the hope of showing the important role that religious music plays in the Southern black com…
This strictly limited premiere release comprises a vibrantly coloured LP on green/blue/yellow splatter vinyl, plus an additional seven inch, the fuchsia coloured seven inch is a noisy split with a with a xeroxed cover, with a numbered insert included.
Mectypo Bakterium is a work furnished of implacable plastic exasperation. The icy oppression, the hallucinatory electronic wounds, are a precious and singular fact in a technological society brought to the limit. The emotion is pushed into dangerous zones, and unusual tensions free biological groans of extreme effectiveness. A vivid expression of a world in extinction. Near exact replica of this classic Maurizio Bianchi LP published by DYS in the USA in 1982."An other awesome, bizarre, ultra-opp…
Africa, originally released in 1992 on Materiali Sonori, may be a late entry in the Embryo catalog but it is one of their most ambitious and truly progressive albums to date. As the name implies, the Munich group not only draws influence from the continent to their south, but also employs an African percussion ensemble on many tracks. A hypnotic and beautiful affair reissued for the first time since its original release. Presented on LP with CD included.
New remastered edition of the classic debut solo album by Robert Wyatt, released in 1970. Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce a newly remastered edition of the legendary debut solo album by Robert Wyatt. Recorded in August 1970 whilst Wyatt was still a member of SOFT MACHINE, his first solo outing was a blend of Jazz and Experimental music that he had pioneered on his composition ‘Moon in June’ on Soft Machine’s "Third” album. The sessions for "The end of an ear” saw Robert Wyatt joined …
A cerebral exploration of the intersection between rhythmic and ambient music, drawing together ideas of movement and stillness, psychedelia and presence of mind. On Chance Of Rain dance tracks are imbued with unpredictable structures, ambient drift and deep harmonic passages, while keyboard-based interludes reinforce both the far-out and contemplative aspects of the record as a whole.” The tracks on the album are apparently fleshed out versions of live hardware improvisations, a move not unknow…
his latest Transparency release brings an early July 1970 concert to our attention. "Live At The Red Garter" (later 'The Bottom Line' / New York City) doesn't offer the best sound quality, but it does give a glimpse of an exceptional version of the Arkestra: Sun Ra, Kwame Hadi, Akh Tal Ebah, Marshall Allen, Danny Davis, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Danny Ray Thompson, Eloe Emoe, Alan Silva, Alex Blake and a handful of unidentified percussionists...
For over 45 years, Robert Wyatt has been a major, creative force in music, having had a major impact on the beginnings of both psychedelic rock and jazz/rock in the UK with Soft Machine, to his eventual long solo career as a unique singer/songwriter. In September, 1968, the Soft Machine had just finished their second, exhaustive tour of the USA supporting the Jimi Hendrix Experience. At the conclusion of the tour, vocalist/drummer/multi-instrumentalist Robert stayed, working on recordings in Ho…
Compound Eye is Drew McDowall (formerly of Coil) and Tres Warren (Psychic Ills and Messages). Journey from Anywhere is their second album release following Origin of Silence, an art edition LP on The Spring Press label. This double LP features four sides of improvised electronics that lead the listener into the dark recesses of the duo's subterranean explorations. Each of these works move at a slow and considered pace, gradually unfolding into a transportative blur of dark psychedelic minim…
In 2001, Peter Rehberg (then of Mego) asked Parl Kristian Bjørn Vester aka Goodiepal if he would be interested in doing something for the label. Despite meeting on numerous occasions at various events and happenings around Europe, nothing was delivered. One hot August day in 2013, a large package arrived containing lacquers for a double vinyl LP. Here it was: the Goodiepal Mego album delivered as lacquers and not a WeTransfer link. The lacquers were sent to plant and made into test-p…
Restocked! First appearing incongruously on John Fahey's Takoma label in 1981, Nommos remains enshrouded in impenetrable mystery – from its understated artwork to the rich assemblage of analog synths contained inside. According to Head Heritage, Nommos is the "missing link between the proto-industrial rhythm and drone of Suicide and the whole minimalist drone / static / repetition method of Terry Riley and La Monte Young." Best known as a producer, CRAIG LEON worked on landmark debuts from SUICI…
Jim O'Rourke's Old News series continues with this, the ninth installment. This new release is unique in the series in that it is the first to feature an all-new composition. The work here showcases the kind of experimental concrete drift which O'Rourke has been exploring for a number of years, resulting in a magical blend of musical abstraction. With the measured hand and alchemical technique of a François Bayle classic, Jim has us spellbound with A-side, transmuting spectral whistles in…
Awesome, monolithic slab of metal machine music from 1977, France, Paris...Heldon! A prog/early electronic holy grail replete with breathtaking and far-out Heldon's most crystalline work, building to the epic crescendo of the title track. Many fans consider this to be their masterpiece, but more importantly, Interface is a record that will continue to unfold for centuries to come. Richard Pinhas is an artistic iconoclast. A French intellectual as likely to collaborate with MAGMA as the radica…
The Pyramids' psychedelic Afro-jazz masterpiece finally lands thanks to Disko B. Originally cut in 1975 before they disbanded, 'Birth/Speed/Merging' marks a highpoint of the group's production values and was their last recording together. Since then the LP's achieved cult status for its celebratory fusion of carnivalesque groove with Sun-Ra-like cosmic vibes and progressive values; a worldly and entirely enchanting sound blessed with a real tangible sorta magic. The one to check is 'Black Man An…
The Pyramids' psychedelic Afro-jazz masterpiece finally lands thanks to Disko B. Originally cut in 1975 before they disbanded, 'Birth/Speed/Merging' marks a highpoint of the group's production values and was their last recording together. Since then the LP's achieved cult status for its celebratory fusion of carnivalesque groove with Sun-Ra-like cosmic vibes and progressive values; a worldly and entirely enchanting sound blessed with a real tangible sorta magic. The one to check is 'Black Man An…
Founded 40 years ago in 1972 The Pyramids released three albums before splitting up in 1977: Lalibela (1973), King Of Kings (1974) followed by the seminal Birth/Speed/Merging LP (1976). Three albums that made them one of the most mysterious and legendary of all the spiritual cosmic jazz collectives of the early 70s, like the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Sun Ra. Lalibela (1973) was the first album recorded by The Pyramids following their landmark journey throughout Africa as students from Antioch …
Founded 40 years ago in 1972 “Otherworldlyâ€Â is the first Pyramids’ album in over 35 years. They released three albums before splitting up in 1977 – albums that made them one of the most mysterious and legendary of all the spiritual cosmic jazz collectives of the early 70s. Reunion? Re-Incarnation!!!
 The new album contains 14 never before released tracks. The Pyramids’ signature sound is still percussion driven, no surprise with Nash and Speller being two of the mo…
Doris Norton, founder member and keyboardist of the esoteric legends Jacula and Antonius Rex, was a pioneer in the early electronic/computer music. She began her musical carrer playing avant-garde and progressive music using synthesizers such as Roland System 700, Roland system 100M and Minimoog (Jacula, Antonius Rex). In december 1980 she recorded, at the Fontana Studio 7 (Milan), her first solo album entitled "Under Ground" (Musik Research). Sponsored by Apple computer and the Roland Corporati…
Back together a few years ago, after a silence that lasted about 20 years, Central Unit were a unique case in the Italian scene of the ‘80s. Coming from Bologna and active during the years of the so-called 'post-new wave', the group did not take long to get noticed by the press and television, due to the release of the EP debut "Loving Machinery" and a self-titled LP. Since the beginning it was clear that Central Unit would not settle on the small Italian scene, given the internatio…
Born in 1936 in New York City, David Hess began his career when he recorded the original version of the Otis Blackwell composition "All Shook Up" under the stage name Dave Hill in 1956. The song became a Number 1 hit for Elvis Presley a year later and Hess became a songwriter at Shalimar Music. David went on to compose "Start Movin'" for Sal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for the Ames Brothers. He continued to write songs for Elvis throughout the '50s and '60s, (including the Presley hit "I Got Stung…
The first ever stdio album by the Melbourne based synth-punk band who first crawled out of the dark 35 years ago. Recorded with Neil Thomason (My Disco, the Slits) and mastered by David Walker (Lost Animal, Pikelet, Twerps etc), 'The World Is Fucked' pulls no punches across its nine one-word songs. The sound is a kind of shimmering ball of white noise and malice, a floating miasma filled with all the bile most people never let emerge from their subconscious. The album also includes their version…
Born into a musical family, Gisèle Ricard found herself drawn to the piano at an early age. In the mid-1960s, she undertook studies in performance and music education at Laval University’s School of Music in Quebec City. It is there that she was first introduced to electroacoustic composition. Created in 1969 by Nil Parent, the university’s electronic music studio (SMEUL) offered Quebec’s francophone experimentalists a stimulating environment in which to create. In 1974, Ricard cofounded the Gro…
Letterpress sleeve, 2 color. Designed and printed by Ben Owen. Cover image from a photograph by Lawrence English. Hydrophonic recordings made january and august 2007, Stradbroke Island, Queensland.
The aural equivalent of a nightmarish acid trip and arguably the band's best album (or worst, depending on your point of view), Locust Abortion Technician tops the psychedelic, artsy sonic experimentation of Rembrandt Pussyhorse while keeping one foot planted firmly in the gutter. The record veers from heavy Sabbath sludge (even parodying that band on "Sweat Loaf") to grungy noise rock to progressive guitar and tape effects to almost folky numbers in one big, gloriously schizophrenic mess. Gibby…
Everything seems to start almost normally on Pussyhorse with "Creep in the Cellar," even with the rather gone violin line -- Haynes is intelligible, the piano part is quiet serene. Then again, Haynes is talking about the creep in question doing things like taking off his skin, so clearly all is still at least somewhat tweaked in Surferland. The rest of the album makes that pretty clear; if not quite as strong as Psychic...Powerless, Pussyhorse is still a strong slice of homegrown art/psychedelia…
The Surfers' Touch and Go debut remains their highlight for many fans, an inspired blast of ugly noise, knowing idiocy, drugged-out insanity and some backhanded surprises. Haynes is still relatively interpretable here; the vocal distortions are only on a few songs, like the opening "Concubine," and what one can't quite understand one can still sense. The band's self-production brings out the mighty rumbles of drummers Coffey and Nervosa and Leary's avant-junkyard guitar work with clarity and a b…
The final album for the Surfers' legendary run on Touch and Go got a reception probably not even the band figured on -- lead reviews in major music magazines, increasingly higher profiles, and more. As it is, though, Hairway is actually a touch lazy in comparison to the previous releases, sometimes sounding almost all too normal. When it connects, though, Steven works wonders, whether continuing in the punk/psychedelic fusion vein of the past or exploring a gentler, tuneful side. The lengthy ope…
Warning: both audio and texts are written in Flemish and most probably not understandable for most people that live on planet earth!! If u do understand this confusing waste of vinyl and paper you will find poems (both written and audio) about a garage, a bra, a beach, a dad, a musical interferance, a mild irritation, a caesarsalad, and a duck.. this record and book was made in conjunction with the annual Bruismelk Festival at Scheldapen in Antwerp which happened on 26/07/2013 and was limited to…
This valley-chameleon changed colours more than David Bowie dyed his hair, which takes a lot of skin, brains and guts in an area that should have been called Noisehampton, a hay fevered pit surrounded by mountains that stare at champions such as Body/Head, Fat Worm Of Error, Thurston Moore, Breaking World, Joshua Burkett and so on, all playing in premier leak! Krefting was a member of the glammed Velvet rock band The Believers, of the much loved drone band Son Of Earth with Aaron Rosenblum…
Bernd Lohaus (1940 in Düsseldorf; + 5. November 2010 in Antwerpen) was a German artist (living in Antwerp/Belgium) mainly known for his sculptures, usually made of heavy found wood which he minimally changed (by carving in one word poems for example). He was a student of Joseph Beuys and together with Hugo Heyrman, Panamarenko and Wout Vercammen one of the first "Happeners" during the 1960's in Belgium, organising street performances in the centre of Antwerp. They published "Happening new…
Originally published as a cdr in 2005, limited to hardly any copies on Feater one's Nest, in the period Joshua Burkett visited Europe for the first time, it was about time these beautiful recordings saw some day light again on wax! I've met various people on other planets that i could compare to friends closer to home, Bill Nace calls himself a "fat Vaast Colson", Vladimier looks like Phillip Quehenberger, Tarp's Conrad Capistran's laughter sounds simular to W Ravenveers grinning and so on…
Agitation Free's 2nd stands as one of Germany's finest instrumental rock albums of the 1970s and a classic for fans of progressive rock and Krautrock. Despite the fact that the group had problems keeping its cohesion at the time, these troubles never affect the music. 2nd presented a daring blend of Krautrock-type extended jams, laid-back attitude, and experimentation. The music remains very psychedelic in nature, more early Can than Faust. The presence of acoustic guitars and bouzouki emp…
Here’s a very limited coloured vinyl thing by Cicciolina Holocaust. There’s one of those photocopied pictures on the front where I’m pretty sure I don’t want to look at it for long enough to figure out what’s going on, much like Urashima seem to specialise in - it looks like some people are doing something very bad to another person. The tracks here originally came out on cassette in 1984 and have been remastered for this release.It’s dark industrial droney harsh no…
Initially published on CD by Smalltown Superjazzz in 2011. Mats Gustafsson, tenor and baritone saxophones. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, bass. Paal Nilssen-Love, drums. The Thing music + two Sonny Rollins tracks and one Norwegian trad. Recorded and mixed 2011 in mono in Melbourne, Australia. Limited release of 500. Heavyweigt double-vinyl, first time on vinyl. Manufactured by Trost Records." (label info)
A Sige Records repress of Mamiffer's second full length Mare Decendrii.Artwork is different from the original pressing. Edition of 600. Credits : Recorded from September 2009 to September 2010 at: Studio Litho, Aleph Studio, and London Bridge in Washington State. Produced by Randall Dunn. Co-produced by Mamiffer. Engineered by Randall Dunn. Assistant engineers: Mell Dettmer and Shawn Simmons. Mixed at London Bridge Studio by Randall Dunn. Mixing assistant: Mell Dettmer. Mastered by Mell Dettme…
The holy grail of Spiritual Jazz movement, available as double LP in a tiny edition on 20 copies only (no jokes! It's numbered as well), cosmic echoes and free jazz at the best. "Credited only to "Your Exotic Prince" on the dust jacket, this record is my all-time favorite Smith Street find, and I'm pleased to share it here in its entirety. As outrageous as the cover is, the music is even more so. It comprises six tunes, each one essentially a nonstop caterwauling of horns, accordion, banjo (…
The Topography of the Lungs is finally re-issued. A landmark album in the British avant garde – the first record ever on Incus Records (originally released in 1970) and a monumental set of improvisations between Parker, Bailey, and Bennink, considered by many to be a key recording in the history of improvised music, it brought together three musicians who then continued to develop the genre in the intervening three decades:EVAN PARKER (soprano & tenor saxophones), DEREK BAILEY (guitar) and HAN…
Two concerts from an eight-year gap in the published recordings of the Iskra 1903 trio of Paul Rutherford (trombone), Philipp Wachsmann (violin & electronics) and Barry Guy (bass & electronics), masterful improvisation blending acoustics and electronics.
"Two recordings from the beginning and the end of the longest-lived version of the SME - the trio of John Stevens (percussion, cornet or mini-trumpet, voice), Nigel Coombes (violin) & Roger Smith (guitar). The 1978 Newcastle concert was considered by the musicians and others to be the best performance by the trio, while the 1992 studio is also very fine."-EmanemExcerpts from sleeve notes written by Martin Davidson: "This release containing recordings from 1978 and 1992 could be subtitled t…
Theta is the first album from Mai Mai Mai, the tracks have been recorded in Rome and them mixed in L.A. by Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu). Nasty beats and sharp sounds emerges from a cloudy background of noises and field recordings, over which Mai Mai Mai applies some recorded ancient greek chants or slowly recites his sermons.