Reissues
Archives Genetiquement Modifiees/Societe II
Archives Génétiquement Modifiées (2000). Société II (1967). Robot Records is honored and pleased to present two historic compositions for the first time on CD by the late, great Luc Ferrari. The programme opens with Archives Génétiquement Modifiées (Genetically Modified Archives), a work for memorized sounds from 2000. This composition (subtitled: Exploitation of the Concepts 3) was the third in a series of later pieces in which Mr.Ferrari revisited aspects of his early concepts and compositiona…
Mev 40
Utterly fantastic and indispensable overview on 4 CDs. "Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) was begun one evening in the spring of 1966 by Allan Bryant, Alvin Curran, Jon Phetteplace, Carol Plantamura, Frederic Rzweski, Richard Teitelbaum and Ivan Vandor in a room in Rome overlooking the Pantheon. MEV’s music right from the start was also totally open, allowing all and everything to come in and seeking in every way to get out beyond the heartless conventions of contemporary music. Taking its cue from …
Pollution
Franco Battiato's wonderfully lively 1973 concept album Pollution is an audaciously psychedelic album drawn from the space rock dimension with good portions of electronics and keyboard layers. Drawing heavily on the VCS3 synthesizer, Battiato and company (besides himself, three backing band members play synth as well) give Pollution an extreme electronic edge. With comparisons to Ash Ra Tempel, Faust, and Pink Floyd, Pollution was declared 'genius' by Frank Zappa.
Folk Songs, Sequenza VI, Les Mots sont allés - Dérive
Folk Songs, written in 1964, has long been one of Berio's most popular works. A series of eleven songs for mezzo and chamber ensemble, it is couched in an accessible language with more than a hint of Stravinsky in the instrumentation. The songs here are not all folk songs: some are arrangements of popular songs in folk style and a couple are original Berio compositions, while the last song was transcribed from an old scratched 78 by the composer's then-wife Cathy Berberian. This performance, if …
Szenario - Duodramen - Liturgien
Mauricio Kagel is a conductor, writer, teacher and self-taught composer, initially influenced by avant-garde figures such as Boulez and Stockhausen. 'Szenario,' scored for string orchestra and tape, was conceived as an independent work, but quickly found a new role as musical backing to the Luis Bunuel/Salvador Dali silent classic 'Le chien andalou'. Duodramen can be heard either as an orchestral song-cycle in the tradition of Mahler or as an operatic 'final scene' in the tradition of Wagner or …
Shleep
The history of Robert Wyatt’s music gained a new and wonderful chapter in 1997 with the release of SHLEEP, his first album since 1991. With contributions from guest musicians Brian Eno, Paul Weller, Phil Manzanera, Evan Parker, Annie Whitehead and others, Robert has created another classic album : inimitably Wyatt, but adding new colours and textures. A truly memorable work.
Floating Music
First ever UK CD release for this classic album from the master percussionist & ambient musician -- remastered from the original tapes. Extensive booklet with liner notes & fully restored artwork. Stomu Yamash'ta is a master percussionist who studied jazz drumming at Berklee School of Jazz. In the 1970s, he recorded a string of innovative albums for Island Records which utilized the talents of such leading musicians as Hugh Hopper, Maurice Pert, Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve and Klaus Schulze, …
Free Improvisation
Gray-area reissue of this rare album previously only available in the legendary 3LP set only Free Improvisation (together with New Phonic Art and Iskra 1903, on the Deutsche Grammophon label, issued in 1973); analog re-recording. LTD. edition 180 grams. Karl Heinz Böttner: electric guitar, 'Vox Organ Guitar', vocals, ocarinas, flexatone, zither, electric bass, guitar, framus; Mike Lewis: Hammond (and Leslie) organ, vocals, percussion; Michael Ranta: percussion, home-made plucked instrument, voca…
Und
Time to unearth another Kraut obscurity, sought-after by collectors worldwide since his inclusion on the legendary NWW list. Franz De Byl's second album, released by Thorofon in 1971, was actually his debut as a solo performer, an eccentric collection of freaky acoustic folk songs with bluesy elements and an extra satirical, political twist (not unlike Floh De Cologne). Weird sounds and compulsive chanting from this master of the acoustic guitar, one of the most curious characters to ever emerge…
Earth Groove: The Voice Of Cosmic India
Gray-area reissue of the first Western LP release from Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath. Originally issued on the Douglas label in the U.S., in 1968. Classic, late '60s performance by the master of Indian vocal music. Two sidelong pieces grace this record. A morning raga and an evening raga. Vocals with sitar and tabla accompaniment. Not easy listening by any means, but rewarding in the end.
Intencion
Intención, the sensational second LP recorded by Atila, has never fetched the high amounts their debut album The Beginning of the End does exchange hands for in the collectors' market, but it is still a mega-rare LP hardly seen below the 400 euros tag, and is considered by many to be better than their previous output. At the time of recording this album, the band was already considered one of the top stage acts from Spain, which led to their signing for the BASF label, where they had access to a…
Anne Briggs
Reissue of the first Anne Briggs album, originally issued on Topic. The first full-length album from the legendary folk singer, originally released in 1971. Anne Briggs was a huge influence on the entire British folk-rock movement, especially other female singers such as Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee, and Maddy Prior. Anne Briggs is a strong collection of traditional folk songs and original material and one of the most important releases of the British folk revival. Despite the fact that Briggs had…
The Time Has Come
New version of this acclaimed album, previously reissued in sporadically available fashion by the laughable CBS/Columbia remnant empire. New liner notes by Andy Beta; most homes would appreciate an upgrade pf this all-time lip-melter and here it is. One of the most important figures of the British folk revival of the 1960s, Anne Briggs was a huge influence on such luminaries as Sandy Denny, Maddy Prior and Linda Thompson. This is her second full-length, originally released in 1971. Unlike previo…
Cluster 71
First reissue of this one in many years; this is first Cluster (w/ a "C") album (following the 2 Kluster albums: Klopfzeichen & Zwei-Osterei), originally issued by Philips in, yes, 1971. The 2 equally classic albums that would follow this (II & Zuckerzeit) have pretty much always been available, but 71 has mostly languished (although it was reissued at times by Sky). Reissued here w/ original cover art (not the inferior Sky art), nice booklet of photos and new liner notes, no unnecessary bonus j…
Crossing Borders
This is a previously unreleased recording from the late '70s by Bob Downes Open Music. Bob Downes is a multi-instrumentalist composer possessing a distinctive musical personality and prowess. Through bodily breath emanates sublime sounds from an array of flutes, poignant patterns from his alto and tenor saxophone performances, and engaging expressions of complimentary vocalizations. Open Music is the moniker under which Bob has produced an eclectic range of records since 1968. However, none of t…
Curiosities 1972
This is the first chance to hear a recently discovered recording from Command All Stars, a project involving widely recognized musicians from Keith Tippet Group, Soft Machine and King Crimson, among others. In February 1972, a group of young jazz musicians gathered in London's Command Studios, with producer Robert Fripp, to record a double album intended for Ronnie Scott's productions. The cast, consisting of pianist Keith Tippet, saxophonist Elton Dean, trombonist Nick Evans, trumpeter Mark Cha…
The Oimels
Originally released in 1969 on the famous German MPS label The Oimels presented Wolfgang Dauner & co. in a very different setting, namely as a psychedelic pop band. Full of surprises, this collection even included a version of The Beatles' 'A Day In The Life' alongside twisted pop, beat and ethnic music. Over-the-top fuzz guitars, one primal punky stomper and sitar-drenched lounge freakouts are the order of the day. Truly superior stuff, especially the great guitar work from Siggi Schwab, who ap…
Recordings 1969-1988
Faitiche is ten years old. October 2008 saw the release of Ursula Bogner - Recordings 1969-1988, for which the label was created. While working as a pharmacist, Ursula Bogner experimented with electronic music, undiscovered, for over three decades. When Jan Jelinek first heard Bogner's work in 2008, he was enthusiastic. The resulting album, compiled by Jelinek from Bogner's extensive oeuvre, is being reissued in a remastered version to mark the label's tenth anniversary. This new version also in…
The West
Forget the rest, this is the definitive Matmos album, once again brought to fresh ears with a much-needed repress. The original version appeared on the Western Vinyl imprint and was available as a deadly limited vinyl-only run that disappeared within weeks. The CD edition features a bonus track and includes the likes of Dave Pajo, Jay Lesser and Steve Goodfriend lending a hand to the mid-western feel of the remarkable proceedings within. An absolute perfect gem of a record - those of you new to …
Pharoah's First
Pharoah Sander's classic 1964 session, his first as a leader. Remastered from the original tapes and presented here for the first time with insightful and entertaining interview clips detailing Pharoah's early experiences as a young musician in New York. Includes over thirteen minutes of previously unreleased interviews with Pharoah Sanders and ESP-Disk founder/CEO Bernard Stollman. Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone); Stan Foster (trumpet); Jane Getz (piano); William Bennett (bass); Marvin Pattil…