Reissues
The Decoration Of The Duma Continues
The 1987 debut of one of the great forgotten bands of the post punk, dark-industrial era remastered at Dubplates & Mastering and reissued in a beautiful gatefold edition by Forced Nostalgia - 500 copies only* Pump were Andrew Cox and David Elliott, a pair of likeminded electronic music fiends who met at Brighton uni in '79. After staring a fanzine and a tape label the pair eventually began to record their own material (initially under the moniker MFH) and released several cassette albums …
Albeit Albeit / Sibelius Spiders
There's no shortage of electronic reissue imprints operating these days, especially ones concentrating on 'lost' synth-wave recordings from the late 70's - mid 80's - but few have access to the kind of material amassed over the years by Forced Nostalgia, a brand new label curated by one of Belgium's most knowledgeable and methodical sound archivists: Fré De Vos. The breadth and quality of the material already scheduled for release by Forced Nostalgia is just jaw-dropping - extending the r…
Intrigue & Stuff Vol.3
Almost 40 minutes of incredible, original, completely unsocialised brilliance sounding somewhere between Vangelis, Armando and John Carpenter** The third volume of four in this incredible series, beamed direct from the depths of Berlin onto vinyl. Our maverick protagonist again looks to the future mindful of the past, following a twisted trajectory from imagination to realisation which would leave lesser artists and musicians exhausted (or in need of drying out). But as we all know, his …
Omicron/Omega 10LP Box
**very last copies** A certified masterpiece! One monumental box set containing 10 (ten!) unreleased before LPs: an adventurous, spacious and varied oxet blossoming into the label you have known and loved ever since, always on the move; forward, sideways, upwards, backwards. Spread over the 10 LPs, you get the finest selection of rarities and previously-unreleased tracks. Not only that, the package itself is nothing short of excellent, with its newly-designed handmade box, and indiv…
Metallic Diseases
Metallic Diseases is the most intense blast of guitar squalling heat to never find its proper audience when originally released 20 years ago. Truly unhinged at times ("Cans"), sublimely dreamlike and understated at others ("Shake Off"), Starfuckers's debut album fuses the best lineage of droning, hard rocking sounds ("USA" makes a perfect amalgam of Suicide's "Rocket USA" and the Stooges' "1969"), with a gestalt that pushes it over the cliff, as "Western Man" is the kind of prophetic call to arm…
Wizards
With so much being made of current practitioners of the Kosmiche/New Age vibe here's your opportunity to hear an original. Original copies hardly ever surface and even the 2007 repress (which sounded quite thin) commands quite a fee on internet auction sites. This straight analog pressing sounds as close to the original master tapes as you can get. 500 made. Pressed at RTI."If you have been wondering what all the fuss about "private press new age" is, go here to find out. Your mind shall be subt…
Synthesist / Re-Synthesist
Synthesist is the debut album by Harald Grosskopf, the enigmatic percussionist behind Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze, and Cosmic Jokers. Originally released by Sky Records in 1980, RVNG Intl. celebrates the 30th year anniversary with this newly mastered and packaged reissue. Berlin, Germany, summer of 1979, Harald Grosskopf, then 30 years old, was at a personal and creative crossroads. His girlfriend just left him, and Ashra (Manuel Göttsching's "solo" project) was on temporary hiatus. Harald …
Opika Pende: Africa At 78 RPM
Opika Pende: Africa At 78 RPM is a 4CD collection featuring 100 tracks taken from rare 78rpm recordings of African music (1909 to mid-1960s), none of which have ever been issued on CD until now. Pan-African in scope and wildly diverse, Opika Pende is a testament to the deep riches found in early recorded music across the continent. 112-page softcover book with 4 CDs in a separate portfolio -- all housed in a deluxe cloth slipcase. Jonathan Ward is a Los Angeles-based collector, researche…
Kusabira. Obscure Tape Music of Japan vol. 13
One of the pioneers of Japanese electronic music, Makoto Moroi, composed "Kusabira" for Kyogen (traditional comedy theater) with electronic sound in 1964. "Kusabira" means "mushroom." A strolling Buddhist monk, Yamabushi, tried to exterminate many mushrooms that grew in the garden of a man's home. However, his magic did not take effect on them but also the Mushrooms began to increase. The man and Yamabushi were driven out of the home by a large Mushroom, finally. In this work, Moroi used abstrac…
Background Sound In Textile Pavillion Of Expo '70. Obscure Tape
At the EXPO '70 in Osaka, many avant-garde artists contributed architectural, space, environmental design and sound works. In the Textile Pavillion ("Sen-i Kan" in Japanese), Japanese composer Joji Yuasa and filmmaker Toshio Matsumoto presented a remarkable experimental event, "Space Projection 'Ako'" for multi-channel tape music and image projection. Also included in the presentation at the Pavillion was background sound for several spaces and objects, composed by Joji Yuasa, mainly. This…
Choju Gigaku (Play On Animals)
Em Records presents a slice of lost history unearthed for your enjoyment and delight. A first-ever reissue, on limited edition 7" vinyl of Choju Gigaku (Play On Animals), an ultra-rare 33rpm 7" flexi-disc by esteemed sound designer Matsuo Ohno, the legend behind the soundtracks for anime classics Astro Boy (1963-1966), Submarine Cassiopeia (1964) and Space Battleship Yamato (1974-1975). The original flexi-disc was released as a souvenir during the famed World Expo '70 in Osaka (think Stockhaus…
Diskaholics Anonymous Trio
Smalltown Superjazzz is proud to to rerelase the debut album by Diskaholics Anonymous Trio. The album was released 10 years ago on the now defunct Crazy Wisdom/Universal label, and the album has been unavailable since then. The trio creates a pulsing, massive and monumental sound. Free-jazz, noise, electronic ambience, drone music and punk all mixed. The result of these three titans clashing together is an intense blow-out. Raw, grandiose and brutally beautiful. The album features three l…
Anahata (1984-86)
Subtitled: Primordial Vibration / Sound ceremonial with a contemplative character. Composed in 1983-1986. Sound ceremonial with a contemplative character for two voices of Japanese Buddhist monks (traditional Shômyô techniques - traditional temple chanting - in a larger, modern and creative form), three Japanese Gagaku instrumentalists (traditional court music in a modern and creative form), one percussionist (with a percussion instrument orchestra) and electro-acoustic (fixed interactive sounds…
Yo-In (1980)
First world publication for the seminal Yo-In (1980) an electro-acoustic work produced in Japan and revisited by the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris in 1981. “Sound Theater for an imaginary rite”. Yo-Inleads to a sort of “celebration-ritualization of the day of man on Earth”.Jean-Claude Eloy discovered the meaning of Yo-In by going deeper into the culture of Japan where he had been invited by Toru Takemitsu in 1970: “Yo-In, echo, rhyme, resonance, psychic reverberation”. Karheinz Stock…
Goldsmiths
A previously unissued 1972 concert by the original version of Iskra 1903 - Paul Rutherford (trombone), Derek Bailey (guitar) and Barry Guy (double bass) - extraordinary performances, plus 2 short extracts from another concert. "Iskra 1903 was one of my favourite groups. I cannot remember hearing a performance that I did not enjoy, although inevitably some were better than others. The previously unissued concert on this CD was arguably one of their best.I first heard this recording about ten year…
The Ultimate Edition 1980-1984
Tremendous 5xLP box by one of the highest acclaimed minimal synth bands active during our favorite decade. The Snowy Red project started as a one-man band by Micky Mike. With a few synthesizers, a 12/2 mixing desk and a 2-track reel to reel recorder he created repetitive synth masterpieces in the vein of Suicide and Polyphonic Size. These black synthetic pearls were spread over two albums: the self-titled "Snowy Red" and "The Right To Die", both are included in this box, officially rem…
Early Tapes
The Neon Judgement was formed in 1980/1981. Instantly they self-released two cassettes. With a limited amount of electronic instruments, they recorded their debut: "Suffering". The first version of their classic track "Factory Walk" is on this tape, a much more raw version than the one which would later become an underground clubhit. "Sweet Revenge" and "Schyzophrenic Freddy" remind of Suicide and the almost claustrophobic sounding tracks "Harem" and "Army Green (WOIII) are in the veign o…
Music For Fireworks
In 1978, Philippe Genion bought a guitar for 1000 belgian francs (25€). He connected it to his hifi amp, quickly learned how to play "smoke on the water" and a few punk songs with two fingers and within two weeks, pushing the amp more and more to the limit, blew his 200W speakers out. Later, around 1980, he bought an old ARP synthesizer from walloon band "Jo Lemaire plus Flouze" and started playing with these instruments and a few old flanger and distorsion pedals, and started recording so…
Second Hand Emotions And Half Forgotten Feelings
Human Flesh is a long lived project of Alain Neffe. The tracks presented here are all unreleased songs recorded in the mid 80s. With a wide range of unconventional instruments Neffe & his compadres create their own dark & twisted world. WIth a lot of improvisation & cracked up minimal synth going on this makes up a great album. Besides synths & rythm boxes we hear zither, bells, strings, tarang, ocarina, Yugoslavian voice, reel to reel tape scratch & more. Limited edition of 400 copies. …
Eddy Merckz
Beside the usual noise- and experimental-projects there were also great new-wave-bands like The Misz. Eddy Merckz is a good example for the extreme high quality of the 80′s cassette-culture-scene. Their very catchy sound is comparable to early Virgin Prunes with some more pop-appeal; fine harmonies and male/female singer made this band to remarkable milestone in european new-wave, although they unfortunately never reached a bigger audience. And “Eddy Merckz” is in my eyes their best wo…