howdy all….
well, finally my shipment shows up, two hours late. which is ok, cuz now i’m done this news letter. some sweet new slabs in this week from across the pond. as well as many other sweet tunes. it never seems to end!!!
…..pick of the week…..
andrzej korzynski – secret enigma – finders keepers – lp
– 22 rare and unreleased vintage tracks from the secret vaults of one of the most enigmatic composers in 60s/70s/80s european cinema. originally recorded in the best studios in poland, italy and france for experimental film, political allegories, lost television shows, sound libraries and radio – these tracks have been hidden behind the iron curtain on lost master tapes and film reels until now! secret enigma is the first ever dedicated anthology of this great composer’s work. “originally released exactly 30 years ago in artistic cinema andrzej korzyński’s unique experiments with jazz, pop, rock, orchestral and electronic music make his name synonymous with the most praised (andrzej wajda) and the most provocative (andrzej zuławski) polish filmmakers (counting many more in between). as an early patron of the polish new wave and a key exponent of the development of conceptual polish pop music his expansive portfolio has remained commercially unreleased and untravelled (like many of the original socialist era polish made films) and has yet to find its deserved place next to the work of ennio morricone, françois de roubaix and john barry. now enhanced by a renewed interest in vintage art house film and a subculture of open minded music collectors many easter european artists, such as krzysztof komeda (poland), zdeněk liška (czechoslovakia) and now andrzej korzynski,have finally begun to earn their place alongside their central european peers. for lovers of film music and experimental pop this debut anthology and appraisal of andrzej korzyński’s work is well overdue, and is stylistically, probably never more relevant.”
…..new arrivals…..
anthroprophh – s/t – rocket – lp
– the debut album by the heads’ lead guitarist and songwriter, paula allen. anthroprophh’s music originates in the evolutionary field work of both his endless 33.333 rituals and near-mythical status as one of the uk’s greatest underground acts; the heads. the six tracks unearthed follow the krautrock tradition of at times being anarchic, at others mystical, magical, or utopian. heavy on planetary rhythms and laced, percussive, half-man, half-machine grooves, anthroprophh is concerned with all aspects of musical behavior; past, present, and with an eye to the future like the sonic output you would find on labels such as blackest rainbow and not not fun. so “join inn” anthroprophh’s ancestral hunter and gatherer sanctuary with his satellitic-dependence astralwerks — human, humanoid, or human-like, this is the sound of the mind burning out.
asiko rock group – s/t – superfly – lp
– “long-awaited superfly reissue of the ultra collectible legendary nigerian funk lp, includes the massive club favorite ‘solo mon an doan’ and the killer psychedelic tune ‘everybody get down,’ but the whole lp is a treat. as usual, beautiful quality repress with paste on covers made in japan and 180 gram vinyl, limited to 1000 copies.”
frank n dank – 48 hours – delicious vinyl – lp
– “some records are steeped in mythology. frank n dank’s 48 hours is just such a recording. there are nearly more questions about this album than cuts on it. but according to frank, ‘contrary to popular belief there was never an ‘original version’ of 48 hours. we started recording songs to sample driven beats of dilla’s and we got 80% of the album done and dilla decided to change the beats to all the songs.”‘as freud once said, ‘sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.’ in the case of 48 hours, it’s one hell of a tasty cigar. 48 hours is now at last ready for the respect and proper release it has deserved all along. as frank reminds us, ‘this is the exact version of 48 hours that we (frank n dank and dilla) turned in to mca and the way dilla intended it to be!'”
fusioon – absolute fusioon – finders keepers – lp
– too good to edit… the giant dayglo green amphibious creature floats above its bright orange backdrop like the last slice of peel on a melicoccus bijugatus spanish lime. as your focus blurs, the black letters in the fumetti speech bubble emanating from the acid croc’s gob offer nothing in way of an explanation for his bizarre portrait. you frightfully race to the end of a long line of 12” plinths desperate for images of hammond organs, longhaired hippies, guitar peddles, outsize afros, pastoral landscapes or the comfort of a very normal roger dean cosmic battle scene of a solarised keef macmillan ghost face. as cyrillic and greek typefaces spelling out badly translated double dutch flash before your eyes alongside non-stop images of giant eggs, melting skulls and oversize eyeballs you can’t escape the gaze of the big green gator while his wobbling words – “fusioooooooooon!!!” – echo through the next crate of psychedelic unknowns. you are struggling through a huge european record fair and the enigmatic and unforgettable record sleeve that is embedded in your memory could strike again at any turn. in time you will grow to know it and trust his familiar toothy grin. recurring copies of this successful unidentified mediterranean monster will act as a familiar bright orange beacon back to central european shores and one day when you are feeling brave enough you might even step closer to his beady eye, stretch out his gatefold tail and listen as he opens his gaping jaws and sings. crocodile? alligator? lizard? dinosaur? all four? fusioon, as the name suggests, are a very unique band. from the foundations of the calalonian rock laieta movement, fusioon are an uber-legendary exponent of Ibiza’s 1970 psychedelic club scene. an essential for fans of freak funk and symphonic jazz rock with no egg-ception. imagine a spanish mutation somewhere between goblin and the stake reality. featuing tracks from the cosmic studio of joes llobell (enterprise/oliver’s planet). snap it up while you can… an absolute belter.
hartmut geerken – at the face – holidays – lp
– “hartmut geerken is a writer, a composer, a musician, a film-maker, an actor, and also a lumberjack. he traveled the world and lived in egypt where he founded — together with salah ragab and edu vizvari — the cairo jazz band and the cairo free jazz ensemble. he also played with embryo, in a trio with john tchicai and don moye (with whom he made an extensive tour in africa), and also with the art ensemble of chicago. he worked with sunny murray, don cherry, okay termiz, peter kowald, takehisa kosugi, toshi ichiyanagi, michael ranta, and so many more. this longplayer captures two very different moments of his work. on side a — recorded in 1994 — he wildly plays the legendary sun harp, which sun ra gave him in egypt in 1971 as a guarantee for the money hartmut lent him to fly back to the states. sun ra promised that ‘he would buy it back from him one day’ but this never happened and he’s still the owner of this magical instrument. the last track of this side is joined by eight basses building an enchanting chorus. on the flip, a highly meditative song split into three chapters recorded in a cave on the island of gavdos in greece in 2007, playing a flexible roll piano.”
don gere – werewolves on wheels – finders keepers – lp
– b-movie junkies, gather round and prepare yourselves for what could only be described as a cinematic speedball. take a combined hit of two of the most potent strains of toxic cinema, dress it up in ritualistic robes and make it dance to the beat of a stoned, motoric, country commune soundtrack. until this point, don gere had been a pop folk songwriter and a country music devotee, but while riding with the werewolves, don gere became a disjointed psych rock stoner making ritualistic commune country with more coincidentally in common with germany’s emerging krautrock scene or the more localised stoner psych of skip spence (whose radically ahead of its time lp oar was recognised by columbia records as their lowest selling record in the company’s history). imagine guitarist sandy bull jamming with munich’s amon duul I or some swedish prog outfits like trad, gras och stenar or a sedated kebnekaise.
googoosh – s/t – finders keepers – lp
– the east’s best kept secret? despite being a national treasure to generations of free-thinking iranians and one of the most well-known and loved songbirds from the east, faegheh atashin (most famously known as googoosh or gougoush) is ironically also the performer of some of the rarest unheard pop music in the world. originally pressed on the diminishing vinyl format in the mid-1970s her songs and performances were banned after the iranian revolution of 1979 resulting in her records, and millions of others, being forbidden, hidden and destroyed. finders keepers’ first googoosh release focuses on a handful of these lesser-spotted tracks – the ones that didn’t get away. herein many will find the singer at her beguiling best with an urgency and yearning in her voice that is arguably unrivalled by so many contenders under the often disposable femme-pop umbrella.
local natives – hummingbird – french kiss – lp
– “much has happened between the band’s critically-acclaimed, best new music debut album, gorilla manor, and the imminent release of hummingbird. from rave reviews to brilliant television performances, gorilla manor launched the band onto the global stage, saw them headlining theaters throughout america and europe, opening for bands like arcade fire and the national, winning them lauded slots at major festivals around the world, and selling over 100,000 albums in the u.s. alone. upon their return home from the road, the band built out a rehearsal space/studio in an abandoned bungalow in silverlake, allowing them to try writing in different ways, and freeing them up to work extensively on tones and arrangements. this ultimately led to their experimenting with new instruments and sounds, bringing a broader musical palette to the table, and challenging them to grow from the comfort space of their established aesthetic.”
jar moff – commercial mouth – pan – lp
– commercial mouth is the debut lp from jar moff, an athens-based artist working in collage forms. following on from his previous remix on the harald grosskopf synthesist/re-synthesist lp on rvng, and a digital release for leaving records, this is his first full-length album. both his visual and aural oeuvre take the form of cut-up and reformations in the manner of previous pan stablemates like joseph hammer and ghedalia tazartes, remodeling the past in order to create something new out of the modern detritus, and nestles in nicely alongside the recent diversions release from lee gamble. the result is a baffling-yet-functioning head-on collision between early plunderphonics and an abstracted futuristic hip-hop aesthetic.
orchestre national de mauritanie – s/t – mississippi – lp
– “recordings of mauritania’s first modern musical group with some never before released material. formed in the 1960s, the orchestre nationale combined folk instrumentation with brass sections and electric guitars. dreamy and hypnotic sessions are reminiscent of other post-colonial west african orchestras, but diverge with experiments in mauritanian classical tradition. all but vanished into obscurity in the ensuing decades of military dictatorship, these recordings slated for destruction were salvaged during a 1978 coup d’état. comes with extensive liner notes. a co-release with the mighty sahel sounds label.”
pye corner audio – hum – tape worm – cs
– the head technician writes: “these two pieces are an exploration of the setup i use for my live shows. i wanted to come at it from a more compositional angle however. using only a looping delay pedal and two synthesisers, they became a meditation on the sounds that surround us, but often go unheard.” – the head technician, 19 september 2012
bruno spoerri – teddy bar/lilith – cache – lp
– comprising two of the most complete bodies of work from innovative swiss electronic jazz pioneer bruno spoerri this combined archival release delves into a deep vault of commercial and experimental film music revealing the vibrant versatility of the composer in collaboration with two important swiss directors. mastered from original studio tapes this compendium comprises an expanded range of instruments and studio techniques placing the artist on either side of his comfort zone parameters. utilising vocals in both a treated/experimental form as well as in a formal song based capacity this release instantly reveals two new sides to spoerri’s personality. the two soundtracks also reveal the natural progression of bruno’s interaction between live bands and jazz musicians working alongside industrial field recordings and concrète tape experiments. enjoy at best with an open mind with eyes open or closed for a wider perspective on this one man music machine.
bruno spoerri – gluckskugel – finders keepers – lp
– repressed!! finders keepers presents the first ever collection of musical works of bruno spoerri, the mythical character who worked with members of legendary krautrockers can, composed music for engineering companies and made motivational music for industrial sites and factories utilising concrete techniques, primitive sampling techniques and contemporary experimental psych-rock and funk musicians. bruno also composed embryonic pre-nintendo sprite-themes for the germanic equivalents of it’s a knock out and various takeshi’s castle style fantasy sporting events – as well as educational robot sex films and art school cinematic anomalies.
spray paint – s/t – s-s records – lp
– “debut album from spray paint. eleven songs of killer avant punk aggression that measures up with anything stomping around today. what hit our ears is eleven sonic booms: great songs, ace playing, good ideas, and smart construction. nothing is too long, nothing too short. like the best punk rock ‘n’ roll albums, spray paint’s debut is all meat, no fat, a compact punch with angular power. limited to 500 copies. like their two 7″ releases, the jackets have been painted on front and stamped on the back — no two are the same.”
ghedalia tazartes – check point charlie – holidays – 2lp
– “born in paris in 1947, ghédalia tazartés started singing when he was twelve years old, creating his own language. he began a professional career in dance, theatre, and cinema while still giving some occasional concerts and publishing a few albums, each one of them an acclaimed masterpiece. recorded in 1989 and originally released by aaya in 1990, check point charlie is the first work by tazartés conceived for the compact disc format and its different time boundaries. the result is a 60 minute long collection of layered field recordings combined into a polyphonic ceremony filled by his typical multi-tracked vocals, between a gibberish scream and the muezzin’s call to prayer. a unique record that — after almost 25 years — is finally enjoyable with the depth of sound that only a vinyl release can give.”
ghedalia tazartes – voyage – hot releases – lp
– “reissue of the cd originally released by demosaurus in 1997, paired down to a lean lp length with the approval of the artist. this edition is an instance of the recorded material translating beautifully to the vinyl format.”
various – assiyo bellema – mississippi – lp
– “all hits compilation of late 1960s to early 1970s ethiopian soul and r ‘n’ b. very intensely groove oriented material by some of ethiopia’s top musicians. includes songs by mulatu astatke, seyfou yohannes, ayelew mesfin, getatchew kassa, and the mighty abbebe tessemma. nonstop party.”
various – man chest hair – finders keepers – lp
– 17 blasts of unreleased testosterone from the 1970’s mancunian rock underground. unissued studio demos and rare tracks of hard rock, hairy funk, heavy, prog from the toughest unknown rock groups of greater manchester, england. man chest hair liberates 17 heroic outbursts of rare and unreleased northern testosterone from mancunian pops awkward coming of age purple period. the hairy funk and hard rock foundations of manc punk and metal laid down by the self-sufficient post-beat unsignables. man chest hair documents the missing stink between the hollies, the hermits, hamburg, hannett and hotlegs with a heavy emphasis on dirty drums and filthy fuzz from beneath the black rainclouds of greater manchester.
various – short life of trouble – mississippi – lp
– “compilation of truly great sorrowful american ballads recorded between 1927 and 1943. songs mostly about murder, death, and broken hearted-ness. lots of intense minor chords and stark gritty vocals. artists include emry arthur, bascom lamar lunsford, red hot old mose, the dezurik sisters, shortbuckle o’rourke and family, jimmie tarlton, mississippi john hurt and more. mountain bluesmen and songsters presenting their darkest & most intense work.”
various – spikey dread: issue one: punky reggae & post punk dub – rongorongo – lp
– the first release from new label rongorongo shines a light on the grey area between punk and reggae. spiky dread is the result of a few years of hunting by wrongtom and ed zed, who sifted through a plethora of punk and post-punk oddities, picking their favorite approximations of dub and reggae — a side of punk which is largely overlooked.
various – united sacred harp convention – mississippi – lp
– “the first stereo recordings of the fiery choral sounds of sacred harp singing! recorded by alan lomax at corinth baptist church in 1959. over 300 singers performing shape note music, shaking the walls & doors. very intense & beautiful performances. liner notes by nathan salsburg with excerpts from essays by alan lomax. limited one time pressing.”
various – your victorian breast – three:four – 2lp
– “named after an 1988 unreleased supreme dicks song, your victorian breasts is a collection of 20 unreleased tracks by the likes of alastair galbraith, black to comm, arp, pigeons, ignats, alvarius B, william thyler, supreme dicks, filipe felizardo, hamilton yarns, & circuit des yeux. it also hosts 3 new collective projects: mendrugo (feat. josephine foster joining forces with husband victor herrero, jose luis herrero, jose luis rico & takuhiko nochimoto); raajmahal, the reunion of pat murano (no-neck blues band), carla baker, & santa wolanczyk; & syracuse ear, a 1st class improv gathering feat. david maranha, chris corsano, manuel mota & margarida garcia.”
…..restocks…..
at the drive in – vaya – lookout – lp
franco battiato – l’arca di noe – emi – lp
franco battiato – caffe de la paix – emi – lp
beatles – rubber soul – emi – lp
beatles – white album – emi – lp
black sabbath – paranoid – nems – lp
blind boy fuller – truckin’ – yazoo – lp
captain beefheart – doc at the radar station – 4 men with beards – lp
bo carter – banana – yazoo – lp
sam cooke – tribute to lady – doxy – lp+cd
miles davis – on the corner – music on vinyl – lp
destroyer – rubies – merge – lp
feelies – crazy rhythms – barnone – lp
flying lotus – until the quiet comes – warp – lp
grouper – dragging a dead deer up a hill – kranky – lp
grouper – the man who died in his boat – kranky – lp
*isaac hayes – black moses – 4 men with beards – lp
etta james – at last! – doxy – lp
king tubby – meets the rockers – get on down – 3×10″
moondog – snaketime series – moondog – lp
*mystic siva – s/t – klimt – lp
nina simone – sings the blues – 4 men with beards – lp
simply saucer – cybords revisited – get back – lp
andy stott – luxury problems – modern love – lp
*wicked witch – chaos – em – lp
various – beat from badsville vole 2 – stago – 2×10″
thanks for listening…
listen records
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t5n 1r7
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