Experimental / Experimental Sound in New Zealand

*300 copies limited release* "In early 2000s New Zealand, Little Skull started as a small project. Smallness was perhaps the defining characteristic. Lathe cut 7”s in vanishingly small editions, the intricate, fiddly covers hand- crafted with what one would have to assume were very small hands. Or just with the aid of tweezers perhaps. The labels of these records provided no information beyond an illustration of a small – little even – skull. The music was also mysterious and miniaturized but al…

In a stunning effort, Pica Disk takes a deep dive into the depths of the New Zealand underground with a much needed repress of the towering 5CD box set, “Enclosures 2011-2016”, dedicated to the incredible output of Omit. Described as one of the greatest outsider artists currently working in the field of experimental electronic music, this immersive collection gathers 30 strikingly abstract gestures; sprawling ambient pieces; the broodingly musical, flirting with the melodic and rhythmic; and com…

"World Of Echo is proud to announce the release of Fully Nowhere: a World Resources archive, compiling material drawn from limited lathe 7” singles and LPs released by the Aotearoa/New Zealand label, World Resources, predominantly across the 1990s. Supplemented by previously unreleased archival recordings, and material drawn from recent sessions, it’s a revelatory listen, a judicious selection of drone, noise pop, fractured electronics and laminal improvisation from the small community of musici…

Originally seeing the light of day in April of 1992, "Harsh '70s Reality" was not just a high water mark for that year, but for the ages. Technically this was the band’s fourth long-play outing, and as a double-album, it followed two formidable dual juggernauts of the early 90's: "Twin Infinitives" and "Lake". But it was "Harsh '70s Reality" that left the decade stronger and more resonant than it came in. A 2012 anniversary edition-replete w/gatefold jacket-came & went fairly quickly, so in 2023…

Big Tip!  This is one for the faithful. An Afternoon With Victor Dimisich gathers a set of recordings that until now existed only as rumour - an unearthed afternoon from the legendary pre-Flying Nun underground of Christchurch, New Zealand, surfacing more than four decades after it was first committed to tape, and never issued in any form before now. The Victor Dimisich Band took shape in 1980, when Stephen Cogle and Peter Stapleton broke away from Bill Direen's Vacuum to follow their own songwr…

With what might just be the richest immersion for the combined senses of the ears, eyes, and mind that we encounter in 2026, Marhaug Forlag returns with "Re-Make Re-Model", a stunning collaboration between Lasse Marhaug and Bruce Russell. Issued as a beautifully produced, highly limited Book / 2CD edition, capturing these two legendary artists mining the other's deep catalog of recordings, reworking an astounding 16 tracks into more than 100 minutes of blistering, radically experimental music, w…

Limited LP with insert and postcard. Insert contains Japanese and English lyricssheet, postcard contains artwork by the artists. A Colourful Storm presents Tangerine, a collection of songs by Reiko and Tori Kudo. Recorded at Village Hototoguiss, Japan, in 2011 and 2012 and Cafe Oto, London, in 2009, Tangerine is the result of over thirty years of improvisation and intimacy between Reiko Kudo and Tori Kudo (Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Fushitsusha, Noise, Ché-SHIZU). Their live performances would welco…

The Greatest Living Guitarist returns! Following the acclaimed Broken Heart Surgery in 2025, Roy Montgomery delivers another stunning chapter in his ever-expanding sonic universe. Recorded in 2016 during a period of great turbulence in Montgomery's home life, Guitars Infernal emerges NOW - a decade later - because, while wholly instrumental, it "speaks" to extremely turbulent times in the world at large. Hold on to your hats. This is HEAVY. Nine tracks of pure six-string electric guitar alchemy.…

Gate's "3M" is a 7-inch vinyl single released by New Zealand experimental musician Michael Morley, known for his work with The Dead C, on the German label Toneschacht. This record captures Morley's signature lo-fi, noise-drenched sound, blending distorted guitars, feedback, and abstract structures typical of his solo Gate project from the 1990s.

Gate is a New Zealand-based experimental project led by Michael Morley of The Dead C, known for its raw, noise-infused soundscapes and limited-edition releases on labels like Siltbreeze and Precious Metal.​ The 7" single "Sunshine / Ives" captures Gate's signature style from the late 1980s to 1990s era, blending distorted guitar, drones, and abstract textures across gritty, lo-fi tracks that push boundaries between noise rock and avant-garde.

Big tip! Deluxe LP housed in tip-on jacket with gloss film laminated cover and printed inner sleeve featuring photograph and painting by Michael Morley. Over the last ten years, Michael Morley has embraced the acoustic guitar as the means of channeling the darkest threads that have run through his work since the early 1980’s. While he largely made a name for himself as a maverick of primitive electric guitar and electronics in The Dead C and Gate, Morley’s love of song form has never been far fr…

Edition of 250. You know that old phrase, 'Teach a penguin to cuss, and you'll never have to buy another comedy record' I'm sure you do. But what about its codicil? 'Teach a guitarist to play synth, and you'll never have to buy a new age record?' If you know that one, you might well be put off by the fact this album features one of New Zealand's most wickedly post-tongue guitar players fiddling about with oscillators and analog synths (in concert with a guy who does this stuff all the time). But…

Debut LP by the New Zealand duo of Bruce Russell (Dead C, Handful of Dust, etc) and Luke Wood. Visceral Realists is a high-concept commentary on the state of vinyl, analogue recording, music culture, art, etc. A 45-rpm bullet of short bursts of free electric sound, the music here is tactile and rough but not “noise music.” Russell and Wood play over loops of scratchy records, with their guitars and electronics surging to get over the wall. Russell’s guitar sound from his vintage transistor amp a…

A lo-fi odyssey through fractured pop, noise, and experimental songcraft, Poise Etc by Pumice showcases the singular vision of New Zealand’s Stefan Neville and Sugar Jon Arcus.

Spirits Dogroll by Teen-X-Ray is a frenetic outpouring of DIY punk, lo-fi noise, and playful absurdity, capturing the irrepressible energy of New Zealand’s underground.

Witcyst returns with Screuma / Chilli Song, a surreal blend of tape manipulation, noise, and outsider pop sensibilities, further cementing his status as a true original.

A bone-fide underground legend, Witcyst has been creating completely unique noise music from the isolation of smalltown New Zealand since the late eighties. For three decades Witcyst has been an infamous prol yet mysterious force of the deep noise underground, sharing handmade cassettes, lathe cut singles, CDRs and art objects via the post, but never touring or appearing live. Witcyst’s mysterious career is marked by a complete absence of live performances and a massive prolificness in rec…

Māpura Music is a collaborative and spontaneous music making program for people living with disabilities set in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. Its facilitator, Stefan Neville (of Pumice etc.), has been active in the New Zealand underground for over thirty years, personifying an Aotearoa DIY sensibility that effortlessly links melodic song formats with open-ended experimentation.  On surface level, this collection of improvised group jams verges towards the latter, but soon structures of a playfully…

2024 Stock. Edition of 225 copies. Dust is the second vinyl outing from Nathan Roche & Paul Bonnet (aka, CIA Debutante) for Siltbreeze (aka, their label) following the estimable huff of The Landlord (aka, the 1st LP) after countless cassette releases (aka, too much backstory). Dust finds our heroes at the top of their game; the captivating Je ne sais quoi formed around vocal recitation & percolating electronics has been honed to perfection, moving them beyond whatever references were made in the…

With their 3rd vinyl long player for Siltbreeze, CIA Debutante have successfully out-flanked those critics who have been forever chattering, "will they ever be as big as Artery?" To paraphrase Fred Ward in Tremors; "Artery? Hell, Clock DVA!" All bristling aside, such questions & answers don't carry much weight these days. Such is the language of pettifoggers. And who's got time for them? We're trying to sell records here. Down,Willow sees our heroes Paul & Nathan attaining S.T.A.S. (Superior Thi…

Mega Tip! Omit’s ‘inSec’ is “new,” but not new. Recorded in 2013, the masters lost in the label’s murky somewheresville that always shows up when moving. For those who don’t know, Omit is an experimental electronics artist from New Zealand’s south island who, since 1990, has released thirty-some xerographed cassettes and CDrs in the Dead C orbit for those who do. It’s not enough to say that ‘inSec’ is an ambient masterpiece bringing to mind a John Carpenter soundtrack performed by the Hub becaus…

Another collaboration of Romain Perrot with Bruce Russell related projects. Liner notes are from Bruce Russell, those recordings have never been released before, those are the last ones before drummer Peter Stapleton passed away....

Bruce Russell and Noel Meek return with their second harsh noise collaboration. Their first, Classical Music (2018) was an all-electronics wrestling bout that simulated engine testing on a long-haul passenger jet. Their new album combines guitar, violin and electronics and was recorded in a wood workshop. You can hear the power tools, even though none were actually used. Extreme noise can sometimes be associated with offensive, racist or extreme-right views. The New Zealand duo have chosen to sp…

*2024 stock* It’s been over a decade since Roy Montgomery’s last album, and R M H Q is a hell of a return. This release contains four distinct records of new material. Listening to any of his work is a visceral experience—repeating phrases swell and decay, immersing the listener in the cyclical narrative of his compositions. Montgomery was in his rock band period in the eighties, when the dark, minimalist post-punk of The Pin Group lead into the gloriously open-ended freedoms of Dadamah. After a…

The Dead C's trio of albums in the middle of their harsh '90s reality served for many as entry points to the band. Operation Of The Sonne, The White House, and Tusk received wider distribution than the band had ever seen before, and this was the first rays of them being considered amongst the most important rock bands of the 20th century. This trio of vinyl reissues capture their intensity and presence in a way that may even blow out the candle of the original pressings. Newly remastered by Lass…

The Dead C's trio of albums in the middle of their harsh 90s reality served for many as entry points to the band. Operation Of The Sonne, The White House, and Tusk received wider distribution than the band had ever seen before, and this was the first rays of them being considered amongst the most important rock bands of the 20th century. This trio of vinyl reissues capture their intensity and presence in a way that may even blow out the candle of the original pressings. Newly remastered by Lasse…

'Tusk' is an absolute scorcher from New Zealand's beyond legendary purveyors of scuzzed noise rock The Dead C. This is blown-out rock and roll taken to the absolute excess, with wailing feedback mayhem, submerged vocals and floating percussion. Part of an astonishing run of killer records that Bruce Russell, Michael Morley, and Robbie Yeats churned out during the 90s. Totally rewires the possibilities of what rock music can be, and still sounds bloody brilliant. Tusk digs into the thought bubble…

** Edition of 344. Pressed on 140g black vinyl mastered by James Plotkin ** With the death in 2020 of long-standing occasional third member Peter Stapleton (percussion/electronics), A Handful of Dust has regrouped as the core duo of Alastair Galbraith (violin, guitar, cello, piano, drums) and Bruce Russell (guitar, electronics). This new set of live-to-four-track recordings from January 2022 is the first album to be wholly recorded "in the studio" since 1995's Towards a Soundtrack to the "Anabas…

A central figure of the New Zealand underground since his days in The Rip over three decades ago, Alastair Galbraith has worked alongside scores of Kiwi legends as a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist. Morse appeared in 1992, a Siltbreeze/Xpressway co-release, and despite Galbraith's centrality to the magical NZ mix, the record is an 'outsider' classic, a peerless piece of Antipodean collage, diverted folk, and minimal psychedelia.Galbraith plays almost everything on Morse, with periodic assi…

Holy moly, if it isn’t a reissue of the super legendary Four Stars comp! This terrific artifact documenting Wellington New Zealand’s postpunk scene was originally released in 1980 (in an edition of 250) & copies have been as rare as a chook’s tooth ever since. Four ultra obscure bands - Life In The Fridge Exists, Wallsockets, Naked Spots Dance & Beat Rhythm Fashion - comprise these two sides & offer a fantastic snapshot of a radical DIY scene that played out in a vacuum at the bottom of the worl…

Temporary Super Offer! Right on the heels of their Ahead Of Two Thoughts LP released earlier this year, A Casual Assembly is the latest offering from Melbourne's EXEK. The EP coalesces around a stirring theme for synthesizer, trumpet and bass, bringing together reference points to Laurie Spiegel, Jah Wobble and The Velvet Underground's "The Gift."Frontman Albert Wolski's disembodied narration – at times reminiscent of Samuel Beckett or Robert Ashley – unfolds over a series of dark vignettes set …

**500 copies** New album by New Zealand composer and guitarist Roy Montgomery in close collaboration with Emma Johnston. After Nietzsche is in a way the sister-album to last year’s Suffuse, where Montgomery composes songs for guest vocalists. Only this time it’s in close partnership with Emma Johnston. Montgomery's distinctive, interweaving guitar play is set as background for Emma Johnston’s angelic vocals and experimentations.Swimming through the four tracks of the album, it’s surprising to no…

*200 copies limited edition* Brandnew offering on Knotwilg from Paul Toohey, member of Surface Of The Earth, NZ guitar dronemasters by excellence. The successor of the Series 4 lp from 2020 is a natural evolution leaning more forward towards SFOTE. Rawer guitar sounds drifting against all tides into a melting plot of emotions opening up a range of sounds familiar not only to previous outputs but also into a brighter optimistic drone-culture. Pure bliss and joy to be able to release to be able to…

*2024 stock. 200 copies limited edition* Paul Toohey, from Surface Of The Earth returns with a brand new hard hitting drone LP. Previous output on Fusetron and Corpus Hermeticum was a long time ago. But this release will nicely team up with reissue plans from his outer outfits on fi: Thin Wrist Recordings.

*2024 stock. 200 copies limited edition* Setting bookmarks... That's maybe the most effective description to explain Roy Montgomery's trajectory into a guitarsound which is recognizable from thousands. The titletrack features Emma Johnston vocals lifting that distinctive guitarplay into heavenly blossoming maram grass protecting and treasuring your faith in music pur sang. 'Birthday Piece For Varia' breaths closely into his past with Dadamah/Hash Jar Tempo clashing with the 'Scenes From South Is…

Peter Jefferies, a living legend of New Zealand underground music, from his seminal bands Nocturnal Projections and This Kind of Punishment, to his collaborative efforts in bands such as Plagal Grind and Two Foot Flame, is perhaps best known for his solo work on masterpieces such as “The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World” (1990) and “Electricity” (1994), as well as “Elevator Madness” (1996). All of these albums came out on vinyl but one of the best was the singular “Closed Circuit” (2001) whi…

Emerging from the ethereal realms of sonic mastery, New Zealand’s most audacious experimental outfit, The Dead C, presents ‘Deux nuits à Paris’, two complete live sets that ensnares and exemplifies their ever-evolving sonic journey. From the pulsating metaphysical city of Dunedin, the band - Bruce Russell, Michael Morley, and Robbie Yeats - became a testament to the country’s under ground music scene, stirring the waters with their unorthodox sound landscapes since the late ‘80s. Profoundly phil…

** Special cover with hand-made 'paper-cut forests' pop out diorama. Handmade edition of 200.** A light in the window will guide us safely home”, the new and unique LP by Little Skull, is an album defined by places, journeys between them, and the traces we leave.  Insignificant instrumentation congregates on insignificant locations, leaving behind ghosts in a place of their own. Warbly guitars and a town hall in rural Waikato.Wheezing melodicas and a train through Tongariro. Tinny autoharps and …

In process of stocking. After two singles for Fast Product, Leeds art-punk collective The Mekons signed with Virgin Records in 1979. The band would have to borrow gear from their mates Gang Of Four to record their major label debut. In classic Mekons style, the album’s back cover featured a photo of Gang Of Four instead of themselves. As Simon Reynolds writes, “The Quality Of Mercy Is Not Strnen got a mixed reception at the time. Listening to it now, though, the first LP sounds more of a piece w…

A meeting of two mavericks - Greg Malcolm, a guitarist from New Zealand who has played with Rosy Parlane, Toshimaru Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama and Bruce Russell, as well as solo releases on his own label Corpus Hermeticum, and Stefan Neville aka Pumice - a long-running, endlessly inventive project whose shambolic music is equally reminiscent of Kiwi pop groups such as The Clean and Tall Dwarfs as well as the country's experimental noise-rock bands like the Dead C. "Who would attempt to combine cun…