Folk /
Via Lattea
Via Lattea is the new recording project of the music and performance research ensemble Enten Hitti. The work takes inspiration from research on the “feminine” and from the matrilineal transmission of life. It is the result of various research trips to the places where the culture of the “sacred female” took shape over 4000 years ago: Cyprus, Crete, Turkey, Ireland, South Africa, Indonesia … The historical and geographical suggestions have been freely reinterpreted and transformed into musical pi…
Tender Revolutions
Expansive and ambitious, Tender Revolutions is the latest from Vietnam-born, Portland-based multimedia artist Dao Strom. A fluid album, existing between genres—part ambient folk, part sound collage, part spoken word, part post rock—it blurs the line between the work of an experimental composer and the work of an accomplished singer-songwriter. Instruments slip in and out (guitar, piano, synthesizer, strings, drums, percussion) amid field recordings and samples, all anchored by Strom’s singular v…
Anxthelic Onghesont
Dervish-like guitar spirals by Ghent-based musician Benoît Monsieurs, following two excellent releases on Kraak under his Venediktos Tempelboom moniker. Ecstatic music that takes cue from psychedelism, modern and ancient - from Hildegard von Bingen to Vincent le Masne et Bertrand Porquet. Splendid stuff.
Unlike France, Belgian underground scenes never ceased to be consistent since the early 1970's and onwards, constituting vast, sprawling networks, that reaches present days via very active label…
Language at an Angle
Language At An Angle by Sam Wenc is a reflective exploration into the interface of sound, text, and performance, redefining the emotional and spatial possibilities of instrumentation. Renowned for upending genre expectations, Wenc crafts ambient textures and avant-folk motifs that subtly coalesce, inviting listeners into a contemplative sonic environment. The album distinguishes itself by merging Americana atmospheres with experimental nuance, embodying a distinctive voice within contemporary mi…
Water & Rock Music Vol. 5 & 6
Edition of 200 copies Another wonderful album by this Swedish-based guitarist/carpenter. This is the fourth (and I believe final, at least for now) addition to Collin’s series of site-based outdoor recordings. The first three were stellar examples of Jon’s finger-thinking, and this one is as well. He seems to have embraced a romantic form of melodicism over the course of these albums, contrasting with some of the harsher blues evocations he’s explored recently. And as much as I enjoy everything …
Hamewith
A Happy Return’s Hamewith distills a quietly radiant folk minimalism that feels both homespun and transcendent. Built from acoustic sketches, tape hiss, and pastoral fragments, the record reflects on belonging, landscape, and impermanence—its short pieces flickering like field recordings of emotion, half-remembered but deeply intimate.
Syncreticl (LP)
Fusing classical Indian traditions with contemporary sensibilities, Syncretic unites Bhairavi Raman and Nanthesh Sivarajah in a vibrant dialogue of melody and rhythm. This release bridges cultural and musical worlds, offering listeners an intricate tapestry of artistry defined by nuance, texture, and emotional depth.
Orange
*300 copies limited release* Originally released in 2010 on limited edition CD, Orange is a singular, kaleidoscopic statement from Vermont-based Kurt Weisman – multi-instrumentalist, hermit mystic, and founding member of cult supergroup Feathers (with Kyle Thomas/King Tuff, Asa Irons, Ruth Garbus, and Chris Weisman). “If a homesick alien were to fall to Earth, meet a girl, pick up a guitar, and retreat to a cabin in the woods, it’s possible his first record would sound a lot like Kurt Weisman’s …
On Beacon Hill
On Beacon Hill: at twilight we find Anthony Moore, roots winding backwards to the halcyon days of Slapp Happy and the ‘70s progressive art rock scene, at guitar and piano. With the atmospheres and accompaniments of AKA & Friends, he breathes infernal new life into songs from his six decades of multivarious music making. This new delivery system is unto a séance, a communal incantation, twining Anthony’s avant and pop traditions together in a darkly radiant coil of folky chamber music; a rope to …
Angel
Acclaimed Welsh composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Cerys Hafana's third album Angel, is a deep exploration of minimalism, traditional and avant-folk music and Hafana's primary instrument the Welsh triple harp. The album alternates between vocal songs (all sung in the Welsh language) and instrumentals, often buoyed by a deft trio of sympathetic and exploratory musicians (drums, double bass, alto sax).
The uncommon breadth and innovation of Angel soundly confirms Hafana as one of the UK's …
Piwal
Other Minds is pleased to present Piwal by the Balinese composer and gamelan musician Putu Septa. Septa represents a new generation of maverick Indonesian composers, “evident,” as ethnomusicologist Oscar Murakami-Smith writes in his liner notes, “from the title of the multi-movement piece presented on this album—Piwal, a Balinese word which may be defined as ‘rebellion,’ ‘resistance,’ ‘disobedience,’ ‘denial,’ or ‘deviation.’” Piwal is Septa’s attempt to square the traditional lineage of gamelan…
The Story Of Valerie
2025 Stock. The discovery of a cassette of Carola Baer's early 90s private home recordings was the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Made as a one off mixtape of newly recorded songs, and given away to a long-since forgotten recipient, this cassette was found in 2017 at a Goodwill "bins" location in Portland, Oregon. These chaotic, by the pound thrift stores contain 1000's of unsorted items in constant flux, which are only available for the public to buy for a limited time before th…
Eye
*250 copies limited edition* Mariska Baars, aka soccer Committee is a force to be reckoned with: whoever heard one of her albums, or was lucky enough to see her live, knows that no one masters the art of peeling away every unnecessary layer of a song like she does. From the very first notes of 'Eye, it’s clear that Baars is at the peak of her powers. The most traditional songs here remind us why we fell for her songwriting in the first place: they’re delicately strong and quietly fierce. Other p…
In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper
"Širom fashion maximalist avant-garde soundscapes from antique acoustic instruments like the balafon and hurdy gurdy. Their artfully rootless roots music makes an impassioned statement both aesthetically and, more opaquely, politically too.” - Uncut The Slovenian avant-folk trio Širom are back with a sonically and thematically expansive 5th album; a thrilling follow-up to their widely praised 2022 release The Liquified Throne of Simplicity. Navigating almost two dozen instruments (some of which …
Pantilde
We at EM Records love to transport our listeners to new worlds, other worlds; "Pantilde", this magical new album from Cornish avant-folk performance artist The Worm, is indeed an ethereal new world: otherworldly, but somehow rooted; an imaginary oral and musical story of everyday village life in an alternative Celtic landscape. The music here is strange yet familiar, fantastical and enchanting while remaining simultaneously attached to the earth. Amy Lawrence, aka The Worm, plays cello, harp, re…
The Sun Is Not True
"David Nance’s doom spiral tour of the supermarket. The spectral glade fashioned by the Spatulas in “Heaving Chimes." The hazy, chattering, crypt-riot of Bruce Russell and Peter Wright’s Escalation. The warmth and momentum of Liam Grant’s barn dance. These intensely physical spaces are all conjured through song, an unexpected venue for such somatic expression. It’s a bracing, welcome tangibility, a mark of exceptionalism shared by this music. But what do these songs have in common, beyond their …
Is Noise Vol. 1
TAKAAT (pronounced tuh-cot), meaning “noise” in the Tuareg language Tamashek, is the trio of Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim, also known as the rhythm section of Mdou Moctar. TAKAAT is sonic chaos, improvisation, freedom of exploration, and the punk styles of bands such as Fugazi and Unwound, all mixed together with the guitar music from the Sahel.
TAKAAT started during soundchecks while on the road with Mdou Moctar when the trio indulged their shared love for amps crank…
Batch #6 - Party
40girls by Ya Tosiba: Rooted in folk music’s storytelling spirit the album introduces a dynamic conversation between generational memory and progressive innovation. It is crafting a soundscape that feels feminine, elusive and powerfully transformative. The album opens with delicate samples of the Şüştər and Rahab makams with its soft and ethereal textures intertwining with subtle, noisy experimentation. Kita Koun Kan by Sabou-Gnouman De Kita: Kita, a small town in the West of Mali was once consi…
Land Of Plenty
Two of the most exciting visionaries in contemporary guitar music, Bill MacKay and Ryley Walker, announce the reissue of their seminal debut album, "Land Of Plenty." Originally released in August 2015, this instrumental masterpiece will be available again on vinyl on September 26th via Drag City, giving new listeners and longtime fans alike a fresh opportunity to experience a milestone in the modern guitar canon.
Recorded live over a month-long residency at The Whistler in Chicago, "Land Of Plen…
Kajyadhi Fu Bushi
"This was traditional, transformative music, and music that made so much sense coming from EM's epicenter."― Matt Werth
Printed on special paper embossed with matte silver aluminium foil. Please consider the jacket illustration as an image as the texture of the original cannot be reproduced graphically. The disc is a translucent coloured disc with the image of the Okinawa sun.
A charming set of double transformations on this 7 inch. "Kajyadhi Fu Bushi" is a traditional Ryukyu minyo (Okinawa fol…