This is another one of Franco Battiato's amazing recordings from the 70's, and it features two extended pieces -- "ZA" and "Café Table Musik". "Za" is a long piece for solo piano, with lots of spare minimal moments, and haunting trancelike lines of chords that build very very slowly. It's a beautiful exercise in restraint, and the kind of haunting soundscape that Battiato is legendary for. "Café Table Musik" is a bit more complex, although it's still got minimal piano progressions as its core. T…
Group 180 II is from 1985 and exhibits the same good taste in modern compositional works. There are two pieces by Steven Reich, “Piano Phase” and “Octet”. Compositions by András Soós and Bela Farago make up the rest of the album. It should be note that, with the exception of Rzewski and Reich, the composers are all members of Group 180. It is again a well played set and one that fans of modern music will treasure. Only one copy available.
'Group 180' ('180-as Csoport' in Hungarian) was a Hungarian ensemble dedicated to the performance of new music, active from 1978 until 1990. The group achieved recognition for their performances and recordings of contemporary music in the minimal style. Group 180's membership included several young Hungarian composers (among them László Melis and Tibor Szemz?), whose works formed an important part of the ensemble's repertoire. This brought the group prominence as one of the preeminent European n…
Synthesist and electroacoustic composer born in 1933. Ivan Patachich was the musical director of Budapest film studios. He died in 1993. These recordings made in the Electronic Music Studio of the Hungarian Radio and in the Institute of Sonology, State University Utrecht. Very rare. Only one copy available.
Works by three composers ("Quartets in Pairs / Quartersines / Mudget: Monologues By A Mass Murderer" by J.K. Randall, "Synthesism" by Barry Vercoe, "Changes" by Charles Dodge) realized in the computer centers of Columbia and Princeton Universities. Only one copy available.
Music from the Dartmouth International Electronic Music Competitions 1969 and 1970, by Peter Glushanok, Jose Vicente Asuar, Richard Allan Robinson, Jean-Claude Risset, Raymond Moore and Peter Klausmeyer. Only one copy available.
Morphogenesis, made up of: Clive Graham, Roger Sutherland, Ron Briefel, Micha, Fred Sansom, and Andy Courdry, was formed in 1985. They were interested in exploring the possibilities of live electronics and collective improvisation. The members have diverse musical backgrounds, including teaching electonic music at Morley College and playing in other groups ranging from Cornelius Cardew's Scratch Orchestra, Nurse with Wound and Organum. Only one copy available.
Compositions by Xenakis/Takahashi/Earle Brown performed by Yuji Takahashi, on Mainstream. Hérma for piano solo (1960-61) by Xenakis dedicated to Yuji Takahashi; Fantasy for Pianist (1963-64) by Reynolds; Metatheses (1968) by Yuji Takahashi dedicated to Gunther Schuller; Corroboree (for three pianos) (1963-64) by Earle Brown commissioned by and dedicated to Aloys, Alfons and Bernhardt Kontarsky Only one copy available.
Third volume of the great contemporary electroacoustic compilations published by Turnabout: Electronic Music III. It contains electronic music by Berio/Druckman/Mimaroglu. Only one copy available.
What?? was composed in 1967 in the electronic music studio of Swedish Radio, and was originally released on the German new music label Wergo with Bo Anders Persson 's Proteinimperialism , another static drone piece. What?? is based on Folke Rabe 's intense interest in monotony and harmonic overtones. The work is based on deep drones and their partials, where each partial is separately manipulated. Sometimes this coalesces into a beautiful chord, sometimes into more dissonant structures, but is c…
Zoltán Pongrácz (5 February 1912, Diószeg - 3 April 2007) was a Hungarian composer. Pongrácz studied composition from 1930 to 1935 with Zoltán Kodály at the Budapest Academy of Music. He became professor of composition at the Debrecen Conservatory in 1947 and continued in that position until 1958. For a time he ceased compositional activity, until attending the Darmstadt summer courses in 1964, 1965, and 1972, and the third Cologne Courses for New Music in 1965–66 with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hen…
Throughout the 1970s, legendary American composer Terry Riley toured regularly in Europe, performing solo organ concerts. In October 1978, Riley's personal technician Chester Wood built a stereo digital delay out of an ancient computer he had procured from Don Buchla, and the subsequent tour was the maiden voyage to try it out. Riley's specially modified two-manual Yamaha YC-45D portable combo organ had a Just Intonation setting and allowed him to feed stereo signals to the digital delay. The Ya…
False Relationships and the Extended Ending" alternates between exact proportions and "free time" in the vertical style (slowly changing chords, common-tone suspensions etc. in works such as "Atlantis" (1958) and "The Swallows of Salangan" ) which came after the counterpoint style of the early 50's graph pieces. "The Viola in My Life" (composed especially for Karen Phillips) was the next development adding melody-like gestures. Ethereal, heartfelt. Only one copy available.
Recordings from '76/77. "Songs..." is a suite of solo voice pieces, showcasing her various extended techniques. Some excellent experimental vocals, some a bit too whimsical perhaps. "Tablet" is a 23 minute ensemble work for 4 female voices, piano & soprano recorder. Only one copy available.
Recordings of Contrary Motion and Two Pages by Philip Glass during February and March 1975 in New York City. Performed by Philip Glass (electric organ) and Michael Riesman (acoustic piano on Two Pages). Only one copy available.
Two live 1983 performances of John Cage conducting Atlas Eclipticalis with Winter Music at Seattle's Cornish Institute, first issued on LP in 1986, with a bonus disc of the 86-part Atlas Eclipticalis and Winter Music for 20 pianos.
Pieces By A. Roldan, L. Harrison, W. Russell, H.Cowell and J. cage, performed by the Mahattan Percussion Ensemble under Paul Price and John Cage. Only one copy available.
Sonatas And Interludes' for prepared piano (1946-48) performed by Joshua Pierce. 'A Book Of Music' for two prepared pianos (1944) performed by Joshua Pierce (left channel) and Maro Ajemian (right channel). Only one copy available.
Etudes Australes is a set of etudes for piano solo by John Cage, composed in 1974–5 for Grete Sultan. It comprises 32 aleatoric pieces written using star charts as source material. The etudes, conceived as duets for two independent hands, are extremely difficult to play. They were followed by two more collections of similarly difficult works: Freeman Etudes for violin (1977–90) and Etudes Boreales (1978) for cello and/or piano. Only one copy available.
First in a series of albums from the mid-late 1960s consisting of contemporary classical composers in the experimental/electronic field. It contains Fontana Mix by John Cage, Visage by Luciano Berio and Agony by Ilhan Mimaroglu.
Last copies, reduced price. Japanese pressing of his 1965 folk classic from the Elektra period, his second album for that label. Neil has been seriously ignored in the CD era and this is highly in demand. Originally from Florida, Neil was heavily factored in the early days of the East Village folkie boom (Bob Dylan played harmonica for him at Cafe Wha? in 1961). His recording career went from 1964 to about 1971, peaking with Everybody's Talking on Capital (featured in the film Midnight Cowboy). …
Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'Harlekin' ('Harlequin') for clarinet; and 'Der Kleine Harlekin' ('The Little Harlequin') for clarinet (performed here by Suzanne Stephens). Only one copy available.
As members of Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo continue to pump the most radical tenets of American experimentalism into the heart of rock music; in recent years they have also extended their reputations as world- class improvisErs. French phenom Jean-Marc Montera records for the legendary FMP label, and has collaborated with an amazing host of free-music luminaries, including Evan Parker, Paul Lovens and Han Bennink. However it is the keening blues wail of Loren Mazzacane Connors tha…
Sound Works is the first collection of Jed Speare's long-form musique concrete compositions. Speare is a crossover artist who has been working in sound, video, and performance for over thirty years. The music here reflects his investigation and uniquely expressive practice of analogue sound-field recording, editing, combining and mixing during that era. He is the creator of the Smithsonian Folkways LP Cable Car Soundscapes (1982). In the early 80s he recorded with the San Francisco groups, Resea…
Described as a "strange mechanical ballet for Androids" - " Con Brio " reveals one more time that Conrad Schnitzler, usually described as a " mad-berliner" is first a poet, a sculptor, & a painter...who expresses himself through musical pieces.
Trigger Trilogy consists of three discs each selected from hundreds of hours of Schnitzler's private recordings. Each represents a one of the few unique approaches that Schnitzler takes to recording, each uniquely identified and defined by Schnitzler. Within each of these recordings one can hear how Schnitzler influenced a generation of artists not only in Germany but the world around and how he's brought those sounds into the modern day. It's also apparent in these recordings that Schnitzler is…
An awesome CD resulting from mail collaboration between experimental two noise legends. A dynamic mix of whirr, crystalline drones, and staticky noise abstractions.1-26: Electro Smegmacousic Music Merzbow used Smegma tapes. All composed by Masami Akita using MA-tape, audio generatior, teleband tranceiver & mixer. 27-50: Smegma Plays Merzbow Composed 1996 at Smegma Studios using Merzbow tape, tape loops, record players, wood flute, vocals, optigan, mussette & frequency analyzer. Recorded & mi…
A lost jewel in the crown of the French underground. Mosaic made this, their only album, in 1978. You'll hear similarities to Zeuhl bands, Hatfield and the North, King Crimson, National Health. The music is mostly instrumental fusion/progressive performed on acoustic and electric guitars, synths, cello, double bass, electric bass, keyboards, drums and percussion. This reissue includes their 1977 demo tape Cuvée 77 and two additional bonus tracks.
In each section a new overtone melody or 'model' is introduced and repeated several times. Each female voice leads a new section eight times, and each male voice, nine times. Some of the other singers gradually have to transform their own material until they have come into 'identity' with the lead singer of the section by adopting the same tempo, rhythm and dynamics. When the lead singer feels that 'identity' has been reached, he or she makes a gesture to another singer who leads the next sectio…
Second Rallizes bootleg on this label, the most "overground" of all Rallizes' affiliated labels. "Legit" or "authorized" material from this mythical group is seen about as frequently as Loch Ness himself. There are only 2 words printed anywhere on this CD (besides the group's name): "live" and "1972". Say no more. "Live material from 1972. This band was a major inspiration to groups like High Rise, Kousokuya, Acid Mothers Temple and Keiji Haino. The absolute peak of Japanese psychedelia." Offici…
Recorded on December 22, 1973 in New York City at the famous Town Hall, this eclectic ESPDisk-sponsored celebration of the Comet Kohoutek featured a fire eater, talking drums, and dancers in platform shoes, in addition to Sun Ra's Arkestra. After taking the stage ninety minutes late, the band expertly navigates its way through cosmic free playing, big-band romps, and didactic vocal numbers. Compared to the original pressing, this re-issue is digitally remastered by Joe Phillips and includes brie…
Recorded during the 1966 tour of New York State colleges by celebrated classical engineer David Jones, this version of Nothing Is... contains over 20 minutes of newly-discovered material from the same date as the original album. Live set recorded during what many consider to be Sun Ra's most interesting period.
The second deluxe Ra reissue in the new o-card format from the UMS, released in conjunction with El Saturn Records is here: Sun Ra rocks out on his ultra-rare 'Roksichord' record, a small group outing from 1970 with an alternate take PLUS three mind-bending, never issued Wurlitzer solos from '64. Long-awaited & available on CD for the first time!" "The Night of the Purple Moon is Sun Ra's great 'Roksichord record.' It's also one of his most delightful, upbeat, and accessible outings -- full of b…
Originally released on CD in Japan in 2006. CD version. Released on LP & CD by Drag City on May 20, 2008. Features Jim O'Rourke on electric guitar, Darin Gray on doublebass and Chris Corsano on drums. Recorded live at the Pit Inn in Tokyo during a 2005 residency that included sets with alto sax legend Akira Sakata (recordings of which have been released separately and elsewhere).
Judee Sill's first album is now available in special miniature replica gatefold LP style packaging. This album heralded a major new talent in the airy, contemporary folk world of the early '70s. Featuring all original compositions, many of which relied on Sill's unique cosmological imagery to make their point, Judee Sill is a remarkable debut. There is a cohesive feel to the album; her lyrics are exceptionally poetic and her smooth voice gives every song a shimmery feel. The essence of the music…
Subtitled: Hi -- I Love You Right Heartily Here -- New Songs. Singer/songwriter Judee Sill died of a heroin overdose in 1979 before she completed her third album that was, like her first two, to be released on David Geffen's Asylum Records. The eight songs intended for that album are included here, freshly mixed by Jim O'Rourke (Wilco, Sonic Youth). This 2CD set also includes many Sill rarities from the '60s and '70s, including a 12-minute five song live video clip on enhanced CD. This replaces …
Back in stock: Irreverent, psychosexual and always fascinating, Ferrari's work manifests itself in texts, instrumental textures, electroacoustic compositions, reportings, films, theatre, etc. It is an honor for Tzadik to release two of his most important works from the 1970s, recorded under the supervision of the composer himself. 'Place des Abbesses,' the first electro acoustic portrait work realized at his home studio in Paris, 1977, is an evocative portrait of a small square between The Sacre…
2006 reissue. 1977 progressive avant-folk masterpiece from minimalist composer Kay Hoffman. Includes collaborative performances from Jacqueline Darby and Gaio Chiocchio, members of the legendary Italian progressive group Pierrot Lunaire.
Originally slated for release on RCA/IT (Italy) in '78, the album was
later rejected due to recording deadlines, release schedules, and
requests by RCA for other artistic/musical considerations. However, many
years later, Floret Silva did end up surfacing on…
The first album in a trilogy of new material, Sanctus represents the new architecture of the Organum sound. Recorded utilizing an implicit graphic score, the album is comprised of four discrete parts, each a variant of the others. These are not parts as in a movement or continuation of the composition, but rather four distinct audio canvases that represent a continuum of the elements at large. Composed in the spirit of the early Organum material, David Jackman has resurrected the droned-based, p…