Arg! A big list and a few family commitments today, so this is running way late. Anywho… here you go.. come buy some hot new wax yo!
…..pick of the week…..
Arthur Russell: World of Echo (Audika) LP
Ok, if for some daft reason you still don’t own this record, this is your chance to rectify your complete failure at record collecting. The fine folks at Audika have repressed this masterpiece again, so don’t sleep this time, BUY IT! “Arthur Russell’s most extraordinary work, World of Echo is reissued in this remastered vinyl edition by Audika Records. 18 tracks are featured including drumless versions of his disco classics ‘Let’s Go Swimming,’ ‘Tree House,’ and ‘Wax The Van’ along with four previously unreleased tracks. Originally released in 1986, World Of Echo is a deeply intimate and meditative work of awe-inspiring grace and remains a timeless work of sublime beauty. Arthur’s aim was to achieve what he calls ‘the most vivid rhythmic reality,’ with just cello, voice, and echoes. Arthur achieved all of this and more on one of the most incredible albums you will ever hear.”
File Under: Ambient, Electronic, Experimental, Essential
Listen Here
…..new arrivals…..
Ai Aso: Lone (Ideologic Organ) LP
Tokyo’s Ai Aso is a Japanese psychedelic pop singer-songwriter whose work has a whisper-thin acid-folk quality to it. She started performing as a solo singer around 2000. Her solo work, infrequent collaborations with White Heaven members You Ishihara and Michio Kurihara, Yurayura Teikoku, and Boris bring a level of fragility and hypnotism to the stage, recalling lost memories, small flavors of Coil, and serial playing on the verge of evaporation. As for her recent activities, she has performed on bills together with Sunn O))), Boris, Masaki Batoh (Ghost), Touri Kudoh, Kim Doo Soo, Mark Fry, Simon Finn, etc. Cut by CGB at Dubplates & Mastering.
File Under: Psych, Pop, Ghost, Japanese
Listen Here
Broken English Club: Jealous God #4 (Jealous God) LP+CD
Includes postcard & mix CD by Taylor Burch of DVA Damas** Oliver Ho aka Broken English Club is the latest consort to Jealous God, the beautifully curated label administered by James Ruskin, Juan Mendez and Karl O’Connor. Miles away from Ho’s best known output as Raudive and under his own name, his ‘Jealous God 04’ dices with depressive and awkward post-punk, new wave and industrial memes over five icy cuts laced with speed-tweak noise and his own, blunted vocals. From the primordial no wave dub beginnings of ‘A Square Shaped Room’ the session takes shape with the drugged, sluggish electro-wave ace ‘Boxes’ and the dry, rasping delivery of knowing vocals and dissonant drones in ‘Birth Control’. B-side, ‘Casual Sex’ is the record’s most obvious dancefloor tune, mustering a muggy but lucid chug hypnotised with adder-charming whistle and Genesis-aping vocal beside the suffocating, skin-crawling atmosphere and malformed wriggle of ‘Plastic Bag’. Best Jealous God yet? It’s a toss up with the Powell remix…
File Under: Electronic
Listen Here
John Butler Trio: April Uprising (Because) LP
2014 repress; 2010 release. Limited French edition, includes two bonus tracks not available elsewhere. John Butler began his career as a musician in the streets of his country, Australia. Independent since his beginnings, his career was built from his own label Jarrah Records. With April Uprising, a brand-new chapter opens for the group: “The preparation for the recording and the repetitions were a true pleasure. I would say that the sounds, the general spirit and the energy of this album are summarized in these words: free, melodic, funky, powerful and rock. There is unquestionably more aggressiveness in this album than in the precedents. It is probably because of our superior engagement and conviction in term of writing and production. With Nicky and Byron, I found a degree of complicity which really serves the songs in all their aspects.”
File Under: Indie Rock
Listen Here
Celer: Voyeur (Humming Conch) LP
*Edition of 300* A few years ago I was commissioned by a film company in California to create a musical score for a film inspired by the Hitchcock 1954 film Rear Window, but with a more surrealist, two-sided viewer plot. As filming hadn’t begun, I was given the screenplay and timeline, and asked to make specific music that might fit with the themes in those pages, which also included an overture, intermission, and exit music. I recorded the music at home and in a studio provided by the film company in Silverlake, California, and finished a week before the first draft deadline was to be submitted. Surprisingly, before I even delivered any of the music, I was informed that the entire project was cancelled. Several years later, the score for the film of the same title is finally seeing the light of day. It is available on vinyl in an edition of 300 copies by the label Humming Conch from Berlin, with cover art by Peter Lograsso.
File Under: Ambient
Listen Here
Cut Hands: Afro Noise Volume 3 & 4 (Dirter) LP
Dirter Promotions presents two more volumes of Cut Hands material, containing reworked and remastered versions of some tracks from his Afro-noise project. Comes in a two beautiful special edition on 180 gram vinyl mastered by Noel Summerville and featuring the magical vévé artwork of Mimsy DeBlois, in a one-off pressing of 750 copies. The entire 750-limited pressings of Volume 1 and Volume 2 sold out on release day, so don’t miss these! A reclamation of the conscious through 16 pieces (split between vols. 3 + 4), from the opening ceremonial burning rush of the brand-new “Vaudou Take Me High” to the final entrancing morbid spell of “Nine-Night.” Reworked or remastered versions of “Madwoman” and “Immersion” are included along with all the vinyl-unreleased tracks from 2011’s Black Mamba CD.
File Under: Industrial, African, Experimental, Whitehouse
Listen Here
Deadbeat & Paul St. Hilair: Infinity Dub Sessions (BLKRTZ) LP/CD
Deadbeat. Tikiman. Infinity. Dub. A quadrangle of such obvious statement and perfect musical inference may very well never have been uttered for those of the wholly weeded-out persuasion. Indeed, when the great book of dub music is written, the names Scott Monteith and Paul St. Hilaire will undoubtedly figure highly in its chapters devoted to recent years. Monteith, the last great prodigal son of the doctrine handed down from the Blue Mount of Lord Scratch and King Tubby, St. Hilaire the undisputed voice of a generation, those fanatical warrior monks, followers of the most Holy House of Ernestus and Von Oswald incarnate. Having developed a fast friendship from their very first meeting in Montreal at the premier Micro Mutek event a decade ago, Deadbeat and Tikiman’s occasional collaborative performances have since blown the minds of audiences from Berlin to Tokyo and many points in between. No great surprise then that their first album-length venture is a tour de force of dub music of the highest order. Nearly a year in the making, the genetic code of Deadbeat’s Infinity Dubs series gets shot through with a dreader-than-dread Kingstonian logic, hi-hats dropping back from the three to the one, Tikiman at his most militant, poetic, fierce, and flowing. These are the recordings of two lions uncaged, and none who bear witness shall escape their fiery judgment. If music is truly eternal, here be two voices which shall echo in infinity with all the weight, reverence, and dire power unleashed with every tectonic bass hit, and every whimsical turn of phrase. And if these eight burnt offerings are any indication of what happens when these two sit down for a session of smoke and reasoning, here’s hoping they choose to do it frequently. Dub without end. Ad infinitum.
File Under: Electronic, Dub, Tikiman
Listen Here
Bryce Dessner & Jonny Greenwood: St. Carolyn/There Will Be Blood (Deutsche Grammaphon) LP
Deutsche Grammophon is proud to announce the release of orchestral works composed by Bryce Dessner, known to many from acclaimed rock band The National, as well as a complete Suite from the soundtrack of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 masterpiece There Will Be Blood, composed by Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead. Never before have classical and rock converged in such an organic, compelling and sensual way as they do here in these orchestral performances by conductor Andre de Ridder and the Copenhagen Phil. Dessner is known to many as one of the guitarists with American indie rockers The National, a band who are famed for their full guitar sound and their lead singer’s distinctively seasoned baritone voice, who sell out the largest venues in the US and have long since conquered Europe as well. But what many of their fans may not know is that guitarist Dessner originally studied classical music (earning a master’s degree from Yale University), and absorbed the influences of composers such as Morton Feldman and Steve Reich when he came to New York. These days, as well as playing with The National, he regularly collaborates with contemporary artists such as Bang on a Can and the Kronos Quartet. Dessner presents three pieces of modern classical music, written from the perspective of a rock musician who is keenly aware of the raw emotional impact music – any music – can have on an audience. He draws on elements from Baroque and folk music, late Romanticism and modernism, minimalist music and the blues, among others, as well as referencing the work of such legendary figures as John Fahey, La Monte Young, Bela Bartok, Glenn Branca, Benjamin Britten, Morton Feldman, Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Despite this broad spectrum of influences, his voice remains individual and distinct. The works performed here with Andre de Ridder show Dessner to be a composer of surprising independence of mind. The same is true of Jonny Greenwood, the composer of a suite of six miniatures for the soundtrack of There Will Be Blood which rounds out the album. The pairing of Dessner and Greenwood on the album didn’t come about by chance, but because André de Ridder likes programming their music together, for live concerts too. The defining strand of the collaboration is not so much the similar musical backgrounds of Dessner and Greenwood, but more their mutual preoccupation with quintessentially American themes such as the vast expanses of the country’s landscape, or a sense of nostalgic longing; themes which, previously, were largely the domain of other musical genres. With this album Dessner and Greenwood open up a new frontier for symphonic music. “For any classical musician who’s been born since 1960, the music of the era around them is popular music,” says Dessner. “You find that in many variations: former rock musicians who end up going the classical route, or very academic composers who are perhaps re-setting a text by Bob Dylan. You find all kinds of various strands of this. Someone like myself or Jonny Greenwood, we’re actually part of a new generation of composers where our education, our background, our interests are so diverse that you can’t really say ‘oh, that’s a guy from a rock band who writes classical music’. You should say the opposite: Jonny Greenwood was a classical violist who became a guitarist with Radiohead. But the music he’s interested in is still Penderecki and Ligeti.” “Bryce Dessner is without doubt one of the most exciting contemporary composers working anywhere in the world today. We welcome his daring, his passion and his unique creative vision to the Yellow Label, and look forward to working with him.” – Mark Wilkinson, President Deutsche Grammophon
File Under: Modern Classical, OST, National, Radiohead
Listen Here
Donato Dozzy & Nuel: Aquapiano Sessions (Spectrum Spools) LP/CD
When the Aquaplano records were first released in 2008 and 2009, emerging out of Hardwax with little fanfare, they were distinctly out of step with the way techno appeared to be heading. The minimal detour was reaching its logical endpoint, and producers were returning to the 1990s for inspiration, with Berghain and Sandwell District at the vanguard of a new techno movement. What the Aquaplano sessions shared in common were slower BPMs and finding inspiration in the 1990s, but there they parted ways. The influences these Italians were drawing on were rather different, returning to tribal rhythms and ambient textures to sketch out a much more heady, psychedelic form of techno. The results were a perfect balance of hypnotic beats and swirling atmosphere geared for a broken-in dancefloor or the hazy afterhours. Across these two records Donato Dozzy and Nuel would go a long way towards creating the template for a brand of deep, atmospheric techno that has become much more prominent in the years since. And while many have sought to imitate this sound, few — if any — have matched what first emerged from the Aquaplano sessions. After only being available in a very limited run, it is fitting that the sonic blueprints provided by Dozzy and Nuel are now available again — and much more widely — at a time when their influence is as strong as it has ever been. All music produced and mixed by Donato Scaramuzzi and Manuel Fogliata at Nautical One Studio in San Felice Cireco, Italy, between 2007 and 2008. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, December 2013.
File Under: Electronic, Techno, Voices from the Lake
Listen Here
Efdemin: Decay (Dial) LP
Efdemin is back on Dial Records with his third full-length album, Decay, following his self-titled debut in 2007 and Chicago in 2010. Once again he offers a stunningly seductive stream of music written in his very own hand. After three years of extensive touring as a DJ, Phillip Sollmann took the chance to compose his third album under his Efdemin moniker while spending three months in an artist residency in Kyoto, Japan. Living next to the Kamo River, surrounded by temples, shrines and the ever-present blue mountains, he started working in the late summer, facing typhoons and intensive heat, and finished the album in the early mild days of winter. Thus mainly assembled in autumn, his favorite season of year, the 10 tracks on Decay express the paradoxical relationship between beauty and decay. The production procedure was a dichotomous one. Recording was done in his recently finished new Berlin-Wedding studio, “The Meadow,” mostly on analog equipment, while the final production took place in Japan. The result is an album of intriguing rigor and a certain beauty hidden within. It marks a big step towards the deeper side of techno and lets many of his early influences in ’90s techno shine through (from early Cologne minimalism, M-plant and Axis to Terrence Dixon) as well as his love for drone music. Although at a first glance it might seem that this album is a somehow more distant and less melodic than the previous output, it provides the full unique range of Efdemin’s vocabulary, which he is known and loved for. Decay sounds in certain parts like a process of correction, revaluation, and re-alignment, making room for new things to come. There is beauty within decay.
File Under: Electronic, Techno
Listen Here
Ensemble Dissonanzen: Dissonanzen (Die Schachtel) 5CD
When the Ensemble Dissonanzen asked Die Schachtel in 2013 to publish a massive retrospective edition of some of their most representative works to celebrate their 20th anniversary, the label knew it would be a challenge. They were — and still are — quite conscious of the fact that the work of an all-acoustic New Music ensemble with a heavy dose of improvisation may appear out of place within the more electronic/experimental Die Schachtel catalog, but then they listened to the music — and all of a sudden they were glad to embark on the operation. Dissonanzen, born in Naples in 1993, is one of the most reputed and internationally-acclaimed Italian New Music ensembles. They have always carried out important work on the modern and contemporary repertoire, performing pieces by composers such as Berio, Cage, Crumb, Dallapiccola, Feldman, Henze, Ives, Kagel, Maderna, Petrassi, Rzewski, Scelsi and Stockhausen, to name a few. They regularly collaborate with many musicians, composers and artists within the framework of the concert series of the Associazione Dissonanzen. The recordings contained in this 5CD box set, curated by Ciro Longobardi and Tommaso Rossi, present the most important steps in their life, covering a period of about six years (from 2003 to 2009) and shedding a significant light on their relationship with improvisation, which spans over a wide variety of productions, from repertoire to sheer improvisation to multimedia projects (as in the case of the “post-scoring” of the Man Ray movies). The close working relationship between the players, and the emphasis placed on extremely subtle investigations of their instruments, makes these recordings an invaluable document of the life of one of the most creative musical experiences emerging from Italy, as well as an immersive and rewarding listening experience. From the liner notes: “The aesthetical key of our work consists in the meeting of different personalities, coming from diverse musical trajectories. The Ensemble Dissonanzen has always carried out very serious work on the modern and contemporary written repertoire, while engaging with various possibilities in the area of improvisation. We have always experimented in new directions, also through our collaboration with outstanding guest artists belonging to different musical areas (Cristina Zavalloni, Marc Ribot, Michel Godard, Markus Stockhausen, Adam Rudolph, Alvin Curran, Stefano Scodanibbio, etc.).”
File Under: Experimental, Improv, Italian, Avant-Garde
Listen Here
Future Islands: Singles (4AD) LP/CD
Future Islands are set to release Singles, their 4AD debut and their boldest and most immediate work to date. Despite the kind-of-just-a-little-bit-confusing title, it is not a collection of singles but is, in fact, a completely new full-length record. The Baltimore trio known for their “cathartic” (NPR) energy consists of enigmatic frontman Samuel T. Herring, bassist/guitarist William Cashion, and keyboardist/guitarist/ programmer Gerrit Welmers. Herring’s deeply poetic tales of heartbreak, love, and loss are finally up front and in high fidelity, thanks in part to a newfound creative partnership with producer Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear). Singles follows 2011’s On The Water (Thrill Jockey) which earned a Best New Track nod from Pitchfork for the song ‘Balance’ and 2010’s In Evening Air (Thrill Jockey) which the LA Times praised for its “icy synth-pop melodies [and] lo-fi soul.” The band played an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, the main stage at 2013’s Hopscotch Music Fest.
File Under: Electronic, Pop, Synth Pop
Listen Here
Kenneth Graham: Small World of Sammy Lee (Trunk) LP
This is the beautiful unreleased British jazz score to the classic Anthony Newley ’60s Soho underworld thriller. Recorded in 1963 and never issued, the master tape was discovered in the loft of Kenny Graham’s daughter’s home by Jonny Trunk. Don’t ask what he was doing up there, but he found the tape. Little is known about this jazz score, apart from the fact that it comes from one of the great early ’60s London movies, and was written and performed by one of the more important jazz mavericks of modern times. Kenny Graham was a jazz musician like no other. He’d formed an Afro Cuban band in the early 1950s, made an album of Moondog covers in 1957 (Moondog and Suncat Suites), been commissioned for advertising music, library music, jazz compositions and film scores, too. But he got little in return, so he’d turned his back on music by the late ’60s, never to write or perform again. A true maverick and simply too far ahead of the jazz crowd to get noticed, this charming little score demonstrates just what a great composer he really was. The opening theme alone is one of the more sublime, early morning jazz numbers you could ever wish to hear. The vinyl will probably sell out really fast and get stuck back on the market by those horrid record flippers for about four times the price.
File Under: Jazz, OST, Trunk
Listen Here
Charles Hayward: Smell Metal (Kemal) LP
Berceuse Heroique’ Kemaa sublabel swiftly follow that excellent side of Greek fire-walking music with this deluxe reissue of percussive tributes to Mark Rothko by This Heat’s Charles Hayward, backed with JD Twitch and Maxmillion Dunbar remixes. ‘Smell of Metal’ gives a first vinyl issue of the title track and ‘Lopside’ from Hayward’s 1990 CD for Sub Rosa, unleashing two tense, minimalist pieces of rolling drums and etheric drones that sound like the missing link between 1980s post punk and ’90s electronic experimentation. ‘Lopside’ steps to a skinny, prickling groove rent with panned electronics and icy keys, awash with the clang of metal objects and helmed by Hayward’s tight, shuffling hi-hat and kick syncopation. ‘Smell Of Metal’ is slower, with spectral vibes reminding of Basquiat’s Gray unit, while JD Twitch’s take on ‘Lopside’ is squashed to a late night bump and fleshed out with shimmering chords, and Beautiful Swimmers’ Maxmillion Dunbar rolls ‘Smell Of Metal’ into a more fluid, dizzied disco-no-disco groove. Featuring artwork by Will Bankhead, it’s another excellent package from this promising label.
File Under: Percussion, Drumming, Post-Punk/Electronic, This Heat, Disco-No-Disco
Listen Here
Hellvete: Ode (Deep Distance) LP
Also up for February release on Deep Distance is the new LP from Glen Steenkiste’s Hellvete project. Arguably best known as one of the founding members of Belgian collective; the incredible Sylvester Anfang and it’s SAII recent incarnation. “Ode” is his third LP following previous, always amazing, sold out cassettes, cdrs and wax on labels as diverse as Kraak, Sloow Tapes, Funeral Folk, Blackest Rainbow and SicSic tapes to name but a few. “Ode” continues Glen’s recent slant towards longer compositional pieces with 2 sidelong drones, which in his own words “document the ongoing search for sustained notes, flickering overtones and blissful environments”. Recorded prior to his last LP ” Sint-Denijs” in 2011 and is “in praise to all things that bring and inspire great joy. A quest for focus in an impulse overloaded age. Like a weaver combining all the yarns into one delicate woven lace”. A beautiful LP on both the ear and the eye- wonderful sleeve art and an edition of 300 only on ultra clear vinyl. Expected to move fast, as per previous output for label and artist.
File Under: Drone, Ambient, Sylvester Anfang
Kassel Jaeger: Toxic Cosmopolitanism (Editions Mego) LP
Kassel Jaeger is a Swiss-French artist based in Paris, France, and is a member of the GRM (Groupe de Recherches Musicales). Toxic Cosmopolitanism is his second full-length release for Editions Mego — a release which explores and questions the very nature of the material experiments contained within. Each side consists of two clearly-defined sections based on the same material. Side A comprises of “Toxic Cosmopolitanism,” a large-scale work based on distinct sounds of different cultures, instruments such as the balafon, tremolo, gnbri, gee, Tibetan gongs, pan flutes and the like are all deployed but rendered of the sonic properties identifying them to a specific region. The question that lies at the heart of this experiment: is such a swirl a creative process or a destructive one — this is the ambiguity of toxic cosmopolitanism. “Exposure Scales 1-4” use sounds exclusively derived from the “Toxic Cosmopolitanism” material. Whereas “TC” is more about subjecting sounds to structure, “Exposure Scales” builds almost static textures. The results are an honest exploration of both culture and form. At once cerebral, enlightening and immensely rich in scope and sonic vision.
File Under: Experimental, Avant-Garde, GRM
Listen Here
Kangding Ray: Solens Arc (Raster-Noton) LP
A stone thrown, just to watch it fly. A projectile launched for the sole purpose of drawing a ballistic trajectory in the sky. The Solens Arc is what remains after the subtraction of the goal; a simple parabolic curve defined by gravity, impulse and starting angle. No target to hit, no catharsis to wait for, just the beauty of the flight. Solens Arc is Kangding Ray’s fourth album on Raster-Noton and the follow-up to The Pentaki Slopes EP. The twelve tracks of this record are assembled in the form of four “arcs.” The different sequences are arranged seamlessly into dense, evolving compositions, while keeping their autonomy, and their role in the global dramaturgy. Pointillist serial loops and disintegrated melodic textures morph into abrasive rave anthems, broken club rhythms are refitted into uneven patterns, like deconstructivist sound architectures. Industrial techno stompers dissolve into granular sound waves and filtered space pads, before being overtaken by cinematic drums and rising arpeggios.
File Under: Electronic, Raster-Noton
Listen Here
Martoc: Music for Alien Ears (EM) LP
“RECORD OF THE YEAR: Martin O’Cuthbert: B.E.M.S (Esoteric Records) ‘Seriously, when I played this record, an object on the wall started to vibrate very quickly, and I have witnesses to prove it. Martin O’Cuthbert is either a very evil person (just listen to the record) or a total fool (just listen to the record). Probably be big in Japan, and at a guess I’d say the whole thing comes off a Yamaha organ cos no synthesizer could sound that bad, could it?'” –John Lydon (PiL), New Musical Express, July 22, 1978. Martoc aka Martin O’Cuthbert, has been making alien and alienated synth-pop in the UK since the post-punk period. This compilation gathers six songs released on 7″ EPs during the years 1978-1980, plus four songs released during the first decade of this century. The tracks show a distinctive stylistic unity, inspired by fellow spirits like Fad Gadget, The Normal, John Foxx, and Kraftwerk. Across the decades Martoc has maintained both his close relationship with his synthesizers and an arms-length relationship with society, resulting in an appealingly quirky and individualistic iciness, informed also by his love of science fiction writers such as J. G. Ballard and Iain Banks. One of the songs included here, “B.E.M.S.,” was chosen as record of the year by John Lydon in New Musical Express in 1978; John Peel was also a supporter. Despite these and other accolades, Martoc and his simultaneously catchy yet disturbing music has hovered resolutely under the radar, an alien craft avoiding detection by an unaware and perhaps unprepared world. Gathered together here, this collection of tracks offers an excellent opportunity to investigate an alien explorer. Compiled by Tamotsu Mochida, the author of Industrial Music for Industrial People (2013). Newly mastered.
File Under: Experimental, Synth, PIL
Listen Here
Joe McPhee Quartet: Underground Railroad (Bo Weavil) LP
First time vinyl reissue of Joe McPhee’s classic CJR LP from 1969. Exact repress of the original artwork. Trumpeter and saxophonist Joe McPhee’s first album, Underground Railroad, has been virtually impossible to find on vinyl, issued in an edition of 500 copies on Craig Johnson’s CJR label — it was recorded next to Johnson’s house at the Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York. It sold out and was never reprinted on vinyl until now. Underground Railroad is comprised of three pieces, the title-track, “Harriett,” and “Message from Denmark.” The band features McPhee on cornet, pocket trumpet, and tenor, Reggie Marks on tenor, soprano, and flute, bassist Tyrone Crabb, and Ernest Bostic on drums, and is a scathing fire music release. There are wild, ecstatic interactions between McPhee and Marks, while the rhythm section harness the moaning, screaming, crying, and wailing done by the front men. On “Harriett” and “Message from Denmark,” the music takes on a decidedly more spatial feel. This is McPhee at the height of his powers of improvisation and composition. As far as vintage ecstatic free jazz goes, it doesn’t get much more nail-biting than this. Limited to 500 copies. Joe McPhee (trumpet, pocket cornet, tenor saxophone); Reggie Marks (tenor and soprano saxophone, flute); Tyrone Crabb (bass); Ernest Bostic (drums, percussion, vibes). Recorded on April 13, 1969, West Park, NY.
File Under: Free Jazz
Joe McPhee: Nation Time (Bo Weavil) LP
First time vinyl reissue of Joe McPhee’s classic CJR LP from 1970. Exact repress of the original artwork, limited to 500 copies. “What time is it?” Joe McPhee shouts at the opening of this classic LP. Time at last for a vinyl reissue of the highly sought-after, ultra-rare Nation Time. Why this wasn’t done years ago is anyone’s guess. Nation Time catches the exuberance of the master in his youth, playing a glorious to-the-wall mixture of R ‘n’ B and free jazz motifs, with a great deal more thrown into the mix. Two of these three long tracks were recorded at a concert at Vassar College on December 12, 1970: “Nation Time” and “Scorpio’s Dance.” Featuring the electric piano of Mike Kull and the relentless percussion of Bruce Thompson and Ernest Bostic, there is a definite hint of rock. On Nation Time McPhee also plays with a burred R ‘n’ B tenor tone elastic enough to blend with the searching, spaced-out solos from Kull and McPhee himself. “Shakey Jake,” recorded in a studio the next day, adds an alto saxophonist, an organist, and an electric guitarist, and is far and away the full-on dancefloor cut of the LP. Free at the fringes, booty-moving at the core. Call it what you want; free jazz, free-funk, fire music, or simply great music.
File Under: Free Jazz
Listen Here
Joe McPhee/Harold E. Smith/Mike Kull: Trinity (Bo Weavil) LP
First time vinyl reissue of Joe McPhee’s classic CJR LP from 1972. Recorded on November 28, 1971 in the Parish Hall, West Park, New York. Exact repress of the original artwork. This excellent trio recording of blues-inflected out-jazz from ’72 follows up on the hugely successful Nation Time, which was actually recorded a year Later. McPhee says it was not only a turning point in his music, but a turning point with his tenor sax as well: “With Trinity, I began to feel more comfortable with the instrument. Not having a bassist also removed me from a normal ‘jazz’ context, let the music just be what it was… The larger space provided by the trio gave me more time to explore the instrument, the colors became more clear, the area I wanted to work became more defined.” Even for Joe McPhee, Trinity is a far-reaching record, as broad as you can possibly imagine. McPhee delivers animalistic howls, plaintive melodies, and bluesy ramble. The group sound spans from free-range “space” music with vocals to high-intensity energy laid down over kicking drums. Each duo combination is explored at length, winding in and out of trio improvisation. Group improvisations guide this record, a simple conversation between three strong musicians with strong ideas. Joe McPhee (tenor and soprano saxophones, trumpet, pocket cornet); Mike Kull (piano and electric piano); Harold E. Smith (percussion).
File Under: Free Jazz
Joe McPhee & John Snyder: Piece of Light (Bo Weavil) LP
First time vinyl reissue of Joe McPhee’s classic CJR LP from 1974. Repress of the original artwork. Another reissue of ultra-rare, ’70s McPhee vinyl. In 1974, Pieces of Light was recorded and released by the CJR label. McPhee had picked up on the growing electronic music movement, and recorded a set of duos on saxophone, trumpet, E-flat alto horn, flute, modified Nagoya harp, chimes and voice with John Snyder, who played an ARP analog synthesizer. The result is a stunning six-part meditation on how best to combine acoustically and electrically-driven sounds. McPhee at times anticipates and complements the limited wave forms of his playing partner, but the two don’t try to mimic or play on top of each other. They shift, meld, and counter each other. McPhee at times plays extremely jazz-tinted phrases, in alien vistas created by Snyder’s synth, without ever coming off as quaint. Definitely something a little different from the fire music of the time. Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone, trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, alto horn, flute, chimes, harp, voice); John Snyder (synthesizer).
File Under: Free Jazz
Listen Here
Melodien: Participation Mystique (Deep Distance) LP
Next up for Deep Distance following killer full lengths from Expo 70 and NWW’s Colin Potter, comes the amazing debut full length from MELODIEN. The solo project for Liverpool based moog and synth head Harry Sumnall. Offering up a teaser to the full length on the labels’ 2013 Record Store Day “Grasshopper Mind” 10″, the full length is just stunning and more than exceeds expectations. Nine amazing tracks that veer from kosmische slow burners a la Schulze, Froese and co. via the minimal approach of Terry Riley with passing nods to Giallo Soundtracks and latter day heroes like Umberto, Bitchin’ Bajas and The Emperor Machine etc. A stunning array of styles and moods- that knit perfectly over the course of a full length…. Harry himself confesses to key influences being as much from filmic and literary backgrounds as any musical heroes; Jan Nemec and Hermann Ungar amongst them and the LP has a definite cinematic feel in parts. Pressing of 300 on vinyl only, dressed in total killer Ivan Liechti sleeve art, this is an extraordinary record. get on it!
File Under: Kosmische, Minimalism, Synth
Listen Here
Metronomy: Love Letters (Because) LP+CD
Limited edition deluxe vinyl version of Metronomy’s highly-anticipated fourth album. On Love Letters, Joseph Mount has tried to do fresh things in an old-fashioned way, using richer methods of recording and injecting them with tight electronics and experiments in sound. Instead of constructing his music on computers, he used classic, slower techniques that forced him to take his time in the best possible sense. By recording onto tape, he was also forced to think about his music more purely, constructing it with more finesse. Melancholy still lurks in these hooks; loneliness still gleams along their edges. These are songs that carry you up and down in tides of feeling, in waves of pure sound. They also inject modern situations with timeless sentiments. “The Upsetter” is about having no reception when you want to send a message to someone special, for instance, and about the memory of listening to music when you were young. “Monstrous” is about holding on tight to everything you love, in a world you don’t understand. “Reservoir” is about a place near where Mount’s parents live, where glittering keyboards mimic “heartbeats drifting together.” “Month of Sundays” shimmers its emotions through bright, shining guitars. All show the warmth, richness and depth being added to the Metronomy sound. New musical spirits inhabit this album, too. “I’m Aquarius” was inspired by Diana Ross and The Supremes’ 1969 album, Let the Sunshine In, full of psychedelic atmospheres and gorgeous backing vocal shoop-shoops. Mount nearly left the song behind because he thought it didn’t sound like him, before he realized his style was naturally growing and changing. This was also the time to start having new adventures, he quickly realized. “Boy Racers” came next, the spoken-word song he’d always wanted to write (but then ditched the spoken-word part because “it didn’t sound very good”). Then came “Call Me,” driven by glittering organ lines, and the exhilarating title-track, with a four-to-the-floor beat, skipping between Motown and Northern Soul. These songs go places Metronomy have never been before, and they do so spectacularly, all on a record where old friends take our hands, and lead us somewhere new. Love Letters is a classic electronic pop album which sends its message straight to your heart. Deluxe gatefold with hot colors & multi level embossing (front & back). 180 gram audiophile pressing; includes the album on CD. 50 cm x 35 cm poster-insert and printed innersleeve.
File Under: Synth Pop, Electronic
Listen Here
Ti Paris: Ti Paris et sa Guitare (Little Axe) LP
“A true masterpiece by one of the legends of Haitian music. The debut album by Haiti’s favorite troubadour reissued for the first time on vinyl. Beautiful guitar playing with the minimal rhythmic accompaniment of maracas. Haitian blues music at its best. Tip-on cover. Limited edition of 500 copies.”
File Under: Haiti, Guitar, Blues, World
Listen Here
Bo Anders Persson: Love Is Here to Stay (Subliminal Sounds) CD
The early works by Bo Anders Persson presented on this record were written between 1965 and 1967, before he started the experimental rock band Pärson Sound. The CD version is housed in a digipack sleeve including a booklet with in-depth, informative liner-notes and pictures. All but one track is previously-unreleased. What is the origin of this strange, un-place-able music? What is its place in history, in the unfolding of important conceptual ideas, turning musical modernism into something wider, more mysterious and blurred? From where comes the lightness of touch, and how does the transient nature of the sounds correspond to the sense of mourning hidden within the music? What makes the music so exciting and loaded is the feeling of change, both in the actual performances and in the atmosphere of the rooms where the pieces are played. The sounds move freely within the minimal, repetitive structures. There are spaces for breathing and dreaming, turning inside and outside, and a sense of being in between positions. Suddenly, the doors are wide open and radical experiments can take place.
File Under: Drone, Avant-Garde, Experimental
Listen Here
Colin Potter: Two Nights (Deep Distance) LP
Next up on Deep Distance following the quick fire sell out of the recent Karen Novotny X and Samantha Glass releases, comes what some might term something of an underground classic. The first in a series of vinyl reissues to Colin Potter’s revered body of home recorded, cassette only releases between 1980 and 1982, presented by Deep Distance and Sacred Summits over the coming months. Colin has worked within the fields of electronic and experimental music for over 30 years, collaborating with the likes of Current 93, Ora, Organum, Andrew Chalk and most notably as a key part to Nurse With Wound alongside Steven Stapleton. He started the esteemed ICR (Integrated Circuit Recordings) label in 1981 releasing the incredibly rare minimal synth comp “We Couldn’t Agree on a Title” LP before releasing a clutch of wonderful home recordings of his own over half a dozen small run cassette only releases. The vinyl reissue project kicks off here with the incredible “Two Nights”. Recorded as the title would hint at, over 2 evenings at home in Sutton-On-The-Forest, North Yorkshire. Two epic side long pieces recorded as a first time, live experiment, albeit in the studio, which as Colin describes in the sleeve notes, consisted of; “some synths, a sequencer, a drum machine and some basic effects then, with a vague plan in mind, I picked up a guitar and pressed ‘record’. I did this on 2 consecutive nights (hence the clever title) and what you hear is exactly what happened, no editing, which explains the bum notes here and there”. Bum notes or not, the results sound remarkably fresh and relevant today. A fabulous album finally seeing a vinyl release after 30 odd years. Packaged with the usual Deep Distance / Great Pop Supplement eye for detail, in this case a diecut sleeve revealing a half red / half green LP beneath! Looks just stunning…. 2014 sees ace releases from Umberto, Jonas Reinhardt, Eat Lights Become Lights and more from Colin Potter of course, amongst others, following an entirely sold out back catalogue featuring the likes of JD Emmanuel and Expo 70. This one’s a beauty and ready 2nd week of December. Expected to sell out quick so get on it!
File Under: NWW, Synth, Experimental, Kosmische
Reign Ghost: s/t
(Out-Sider) LP
Propulsed by Bob Bryden’s fuzzed-out guitar and Lynda Squires’ powerful vocals, Reign Ghost were the leading ’60s underground psychedelic band from Canada. This is their rare and sought-after debut album from 1969, originally released on the collectable Allied label (Plastic Cloud, Folklords). An absolute psych classic with all the right ingredients: fuzz guitar, swirling organ, male-female vocals, studio effects, weird lyrics, etc. Tracks like “Travels of Blue Paradox” or “Reaching” are a must for any psychedelic rock fan. First-ever legit vinyl reissue. Remastered from the original master tapes. Includes a fold-out insert with rare photos, memorabilia and detailed liner notes by band member Bob Bryden.
File Under: Psych, CanCon
Reign Ghost: Featuring Lynda Squires (Out-Sider) LP
In late 1969, legendary Canadian psych band Reign Ghost recorded their second album, released the following year just when the band had ceased to exist and some of their members had formed prog/psych band, Christmas. This is a fine example of West Coast-styled psych-rock with reverberating/fuzz-wah guitar and male/female vocal harmonies, including absolute psych classics like the monster 9-minute long “Enola Gay.” One of the rarest and most expensive Canadian psych albums ever, officially reissued on vinyl for the first time. Newly remastered sound from the original tapes. Includes a fold-out insert with rare photos, memorabilia and detailed liner notes by band member Bob Bryden.
File Under: Psych, CanCon
Listen Here
Jean-Claude Risset: Music from Computer (Recollection GRM) LP
Recollection GRM presents computer works from French composer Jean-Claude Risset. “Sud” (1985): This work was commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture, from a project initiated by the GRM, where it was produced circa 1984-1985. The piece mainly uses sounds recorded in the Massif des Calanques, south of Marseille, as well as sounds synthesized via a computer (again in Marseille). These sounds were then treated via another computer at the GRM. The natural and synthetic sounds are first presented separately. Along the piece, they increasingly merge, through mixing and processing. Thus real bird songs, as well as synthetic bird-like or insect-like sounds, have been spatialized. In the third movement, the filtering of birds’ caws first appears as a colored echo, later as a genuine bird’s “raga” using the defective scale. The origin of the many sounds deduced from the germinal material can be ascribed to a “family tree” displaying the sonic proliferation and resembling a rhizome. (J-C. R.) “Mutations” (1977): Piece for a two-track tape, computer-synthesized in 1968 at the Bell Laboratories. Commissioned by the GRM and premiered at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1970. This work attempts to explore (particularly within the harmonic order) some of the possibilities offered by the computer to compose at the very level of sound — to compose sound itself, so to speak. The title refers to the gradual changes that occur throughout the piece, including the shift from a range of discontinuous heights to continuous frequency variations. (J-C. R.) “Computer Suite from Little Boy” (1968): This piece, composed in 1968, is one of the first significant works entirely produced via a computer: all sounds were synthesized using the MUSIC V program. The piece features several experiments on Sounds Synthesis I produced between 1964 and 1968, while working with Max Mathews at the Bell Laboratories. (J-C. R.) Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, November 2013.
File Under: GRM, Early Electronic, Avant-Garde
Listen Here
Silent Servant: Jealous God #3 (Jealous God) LP+CD
*Clear vinyl, mix CD, postcard, Button, and newsprint zine.* Silent Servant’s ‘Lust Abandon’ is a rework from a cassette-only release from early 2013; backed with a fantastic remix from Powell. “Following his recent production assistance with the Vatican Shadow project and a handful of remixes in 2013, Juan Mendez aka Silent Servant plays ice cool with the low key swagger and noirish minimal wave atmosphere and voices of ‘Lust Abandon’ sounding like a prime offcut from his stunning ‘Negative Fascination’ LP. In contrast, Powell’s reconstruction incorporates slivers of the original into a completely new piece bearing only trace resemblance to the original, coming off like a modded-out muscle car groove welded together from some psychobilly’s scrapyard in a Mad Max future – all pollutant bass revs, cranking drums and shuddering electronics angled with shark-eyed swerve.
File Under: Electronic, Sandwell District
Listen Here
Sleepy Sun: Maui Tears (Dine Alone) LP
Northern California’s Sleepy Sun has announced their fourth LP, Maui Tears. Along with seven brand new songs, the album features both tracks from Sleepy Sun’s recent 7″, “11:32” and “The Lane”. Known for their incessant touring, Sleepy Sun has toured with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, the Black Angels, and most recently, City and Colour in The States.
File Under: Indie Rock
Listen Here
Imarhan Timbuktu: Akal Warled (Clermont) CD
At dance clubs and private parties in Northern Mali, Imarhan Timbuktu had provided much of the grooving soundtrack to life there over the past 10 years. Local favorite and featured artist at the legendary Festival au Desert along with their sister group, Tartit, Imarhan Timbuktu have toured Europe and North America, bringing the contemporary music of their culture to world audiences. Grounded in traditional Saharan repertoire, Imarhan Timbuktu developed their unique sound to clearly represent an authentic Tuareg contemporary expression in music influenced by the sounds of the world. This is a connected generation. You’ll find them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You will find them engaged with local issues as those issues have become world issues. As witnesses to the incredible political forces shattering their world, Imarhan Timbuktu create riveting music. Their electric instruments mix with traditional hand drums. The chorus breathes notes of nostalgia, loss, celebration and pride. The many experiments and collaborations with which the group members have been involved over the years have moved this Tuareg desert blues to fresh coordinates. The group’s leader, Mohamed Issa Ag Oumar El Ansari, with his searing guitar and clear voice, takes Imarhan Timbuktu into a swirl of rhythmic variations. Backing him is younger brother, Ousmane Ag Oumar El Ansari, who solidly slashes rhythm lines across the entire aural universe of their music while underneath, the insistent tinde hand-drumming of their sisters, Fadimata Walet Oumar and Zeinabou Walet, establish the foundation under it all. Their contrapuntal propulsion and vocal shouts drive the cadence forward. Add bass and calabash, and the group brings everyone to their feet. This is dance music. It is protest music. It is music that affirms a culture under siege. Imarhan Timbuktu represent a new wave of Tuareg music, proud of their heritage and bravely looking forward to the future. Imarhan Timbuktu is Mohamed Issa Ag Oumar (lead vocal, lead guitar); Ousmane Ag Oumar (rhythm guitar, backup vocal); Fadimata Walet Oumar (tende hand-drum, backup vocal); Zeinabou Walet Oumar (tende hand drum, backup vocal); Baba Traore (bass); Alpha Ousmane Sankare dit Hama (calabash).
File Under: Desert Blues
Tobias.: A Series of Shocks (Ostgut Ton) LP
A Series of Shocks is the second solo album from accomplished Berlin-based producer Tobias Freund. Continuing his exploration into “non-standard” electronic music, and expanding on the rich sound palette charted in his first LP, Leaning Over Backwards, this new chapter presents 10 versatile tracks taking us ever further into the purist, evolving sonic world of Tobias. A warm wash of synthetics begins it all with opener “Entire,” a lush synthesizer sequence with additional contributions from NSI.’s Max Loderbauer, the track casually flaunts the sheer depth of sound and sense of space awaiting the listener. Varied, playfully contrasting moods then follow, with great finesse and an ever-present attention to detail. Freund’s live shows, where the use of either the Roland TR-808 or TR-909 has become an integral part, have clearly played a role in the development of the Tobias. sound manifesto, and a large proportion of A Series of Shocks has the 4/4 structure at its heartbeat — indeed, track two takes this as its namesake, in a submerged and tense exercise. Exceptions to that steady throb are also a joy to be found, with the frenetic techno syncopations of “Testcard” offering an early moment of broken-beat hypnosis, and the brash dub of “If” proving there are indeed complex systems at work. Reaching for more energetic zones, fans of classic Tobias. jams like “Street Knowledge” or “Dial” will be pleased to find several well-honed and on-target club tracks, like the textural “Instant,” “He Said,” or the more meditative, but no less visceral “Ya Po.” Snaking, arpeggiated synth patterns are Freund’s go-to tool to build paranoid, yet at once funky and complex moments of mystery. Repeat listening will reward the listener by unearthing even more subtleties beneath these undulating elements. For an album produced largely with machines, the end result is in fact anything but rigid; a multitude of dynamics breathe life into every track. Synth elements swim in tension, build and recede with grace, and intertwine themselves into oblivion. Warm, natural drums state their presence, but do not overpower, letting the sum of the parts create the power, rather than merely the kick alone. The resonant sting of “The Scheme of Things,” matched with its smooth undertones, illustrates this perfectly. With clarity of sound and a conscious mind to allow each element its place, Tobias. has found a maturity and a true art in controlling the lively dance of the constituent parts. A master at the mix-down, everything gels; nothing is left in-concluded. This sense of togetherness continues until the very final bars of “Fast Null” leaving us in a suspended moment of wonder, and appreciation. What becomes apparent is that this album carries not only 61 and a half minutes of inventive contemporary electronic music, but also decades of experience, knowledge and passion for an artform that can only grow through the work of activists such as Tobias Freund.
File Under: Electronic
Listen Here
Unwound: Rat Conspiracy (Numero Group) 3LP
Rat Conspiracy, its name a one-time working title for Unwound’s 1993 debut – the earliest Kill Rock Stars LP – brings the roiling, watershed Fake Train into natural integration with its sibling record, 1994’s New Plastic Ideas, on which the band “branch[ed] out into propulsive odd meters…and traumatic contrasts between loud and soft, pulling the arty riffage into much tighter focus.” [Trouser Press]. Both get exacting remasters and replica sleeve treatment, while the set’s third LP tracks Unwound’s restless work toward synthesis with the Mkultra and Negated 7″ material, previously unissued radio sessions, indie comp rarities, and the spidery Minutemen cover ‘Plight’. This chapter intros the Olympia, Washington, noise-punk trio anew, kicking off with hi-hat thwaks on ‘Dragnalus’ from drummer Sara Lund, whose lockstep partnership with Justin Trosper and Vern Rumsey marked the forging of a 1990s indie-rock legend. The band’s advancing threat is captured in 32 tracks, a trove of house-show b&w period photographs, and a vivid 10,000-word narrative by latter-day Unwound diarist David Wilcox.
File Under: Punk, Archive, Numero
Listen Here
Voices From the Lake: Velo di Maya (The Bunker) 12″
Voices From The Lake are Donato Dozzy and Neel. In July of 2012, Voices From The Lake came from Rome to Brooklyn to present a special night of music at The Bunker in the back room of Public Assembly. Their tremendous six-hour set consisted of two separate live sets, and back-to-back DJ sets. None of the music from the either of the hour-long live sets had been released, so The Bunker immediately got on them about their plans for the tracks. They agreed on their favorite segments, and they produced live studio tracks based on those excerpts.
File Under: Techno, Electronic
Listen Here
Weekend: The ’81 Demos (Blackest Ever Black) 12″
Blackest Ever Black is pleased to present the first vinyl edition of the legendary demos recorded in 1981 by Weekend — the trio of Alison Statton, Spike Williams and Simon Booth. The four demos were released as a stand-alone CD by Vinyl Japan in 1995, and included as bonus tracks on Cherry Red’s CD reissue of La Varieté; however, until now they have never appeared on vinyl. Licensed from Cherry Red, The ’81 Demos is a 12″ limited to 1,000 pieces, mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy and housed in an LP sleeve printed on reverse board stock, with printed inner featuring liner notes by Spike Williams, Alison Statton and Simon Booth.
File Under: Indie Rock, Cherry Red
Listen Here
Various: Beat from Badsville Vol 3 (Stag-o-Lee) 2×10″
Brought up on the radio shows of the legendary rock ‘n’ roll DJs, the moondogging Alan Freed, Mad Daddy and, later, the ghostly Ghoulardi, it was hardly surprising that The Cramps’ Lux Interior and Poison Ivy began trawling the thrift stores for juvenile delinquent tunes, lip-curling bad boy rock ‘n’ roll, strange exotica, bizarre novelty 45s, dysfunctional doo-wop, psychedelic weirdness and instrumentals made by madmen. In America in the 1950s and 1960s, there seemed to be small town versions of such vinyl madness everywhere that, by the 1970s, were remaindered and to the majority of people, unwanted. To the fledgling Cramps, this was nothing short of heaven. The duo filled their house with novelty memorabilia, schlock horror furniture and a record collection to die for. Lux eventually gravitated to his own Purple Knif Radio Show and the Cramps delivered their versions of some of the stuff they’d found. The duo name-checked many a 45 along the way and seeking them out and sampling their eccentricities is nothing short of mind-blowing. This 24-track collection positively effervesces with eccentricity. Again, the vinyl only double-10″ is divided into four themes: “Life’s a Scream,” “Crazy Guys, Food, Prison and a Guide to the Female Persuasion,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” and “Wild and Wilder Boppin’ Girls.” Every track pirouettes dangerously, and at times, haphazardly, around the expected. These are songs for strange times by what can definitely be considered strange people. Gems and nuggets that sparkle even more bright in today’s manufactured music maelstrom. The population of Badsville welcomes you aboard. Artists include: Bunker Hill, Ralph Nielsen, Ron Thompson His Rowdy Guitar And The Brougham’s, Vince Taylor & Ses Play-Boys, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Lord Luther And The King’s Men, Teddy Rich And The Rockets, Fabian, The Moroccos, Richard Berry And Group, Jimmy Witter And The Shadows, Charlie Baker, Buddy Bow, Glenn Reeves, The Playboys, Jape Richards And The Echoes, The Loafers, The Charts, The Bobbettes, Wanda Jackson, Annette, Sparkle Moore, Stormy Gayle, and The Storey Sisters. Housed in a gatefold sleeve.
File Under: Punk, Cramps, Exotica, Etc
Various: Bush Taxi Mali (Sublime Frequencies) LP
Bush Taxi Mali: Field Recordings from Mali is an aural tour through the heart of Mali. These field recordings were made by Tucker Martine in 1998 while traveling throughout the West African country. This blend of bluesy ngonis, clamoring street sounds, the stunning voice of Jalimusa Amanita Diabaté (of the famous Diabaté family), passing radios, Fulani flutes, runaway sound systems, and chants from the Dogon country creates a unique portrait of Mali’s rich musical heritage. Eventually Martine found himself in the backseat of a beat-up Peugeot on his way to the village of Kela, a Jeli village, where the songs and traditions of the Mande people have been scrupulously preserved. Some of the musical performances heard on this LP were made during that visit. Bush Taxi Mali is a strikingly original tapestry of the ancient traditions of Mali in the modern era. Limited edition LP reissue of the original 2005 CD in a heavy-duty tip-on jacket with gorgeous, redesigned front and back cover photos, including a two-sided insert featuring liner notes by producer Tucker Martine and his photographs of the musicians.
File Under: Field Recordings, Mali, World
Various: Heavenly Ethiopiques (Heavenly Sweetness) LP
The first “Best of” LP release from the Ethiopiques series. Francis Falcetto, founder of the 28-edition CD series, and THE specialist of Ethiopian music, has selected all tracks. Francis opened his large collection of photos, LPs, and memorabilia to make the artwork of this double LP gatefold. The perfect introduction to the world of Ethiopian music.
File Under: Ethiopiques, Ethio-Jazz, World
Listen Here
Various: Inner City Beat! (Soul Jazz) CD
Soul Jazz Records new release Inner City Beat: Detective Themes, Spy Music and Imaginary Thrillers 1967-1975 is a unique 2LP release that comes with an exclusive limited-edition, specially created 60-page graphic novel (by the mysterious cult 1960’s pulp-fiction writer Mark ‘Badly’ Antringham). The music on the album is a killer selection of funky, deep, rare, exciting and dance floor heavyweight spy themes, detective music and thrillers from the 1960s and 1970s. The music spans heavyweight break-beat funk, deep and heavy jazz, super-catchy mod themes, imaginary super-charged orchestral soundtracks and more. These tracks are put together from British library music companies (DeWolfe, KPM, Conroy, Amphonic) all of whom supplied music regularly to television and film around the world during this period, often for use in detective and spy programmers, series and films. To accompany this unique album, Soul Jazz has commissioned the creation of a special 60-page graphic novel which features the stunning artwork of the elusive illustrator John C. Pattereson in partnership with the celebrated 1960’s pulp fiction cult novelist Mark ‘Badly” Antringham. The graphioc novel is set in the imaginary seedy streets of East London in the 1960’s, in a world full of corrupt police, political intrigue and violent sadistic criminals. This unique limited-edition graphic novel comes free with the initial run of the album Inner City Beat.
File Under: OST, Library
Listen Here
Various: The Jerk! Boom! Bam! Greasy Rhythm & Soul Vol 2 (Jerk! Boom! Bam) LP
Volumes One and Two are all Male Groups/Artists belting out dance-floor fillers and wild party winners – Killer sound, killer packaging, killer Hits: Billy Lamont ‘So-Called Friends’/ Bobby & Expressions ‘Sloopytime’/ Albert Collins ‘I Don’t Know’/ The Rivals ‘Make Yer Mind Up’/ Jimmy Raye ‘Hey Let’s Dance’/ Sam Baker ‘The Bump’/ Gene Burke ‘Monkey Man’/ McKinley Mitchell ‘You’re Not Gonna Break My Heart’/ Danny White ‘The Twitch/ The Pyramids ‘What Is Love’/ Marv Johnson ‘Come On & Stop’/ Tony & Tyrone ‘Turn It On’/ The Isley Brothers I Say Love’/ Allen Wayne ‘Chills & Fever’/ The Ideals ‘Go-Go Gorilla’/ Wilbur Reynolds ‘Tenderiser’. Prepare to swing baby!.
File Under: Soul, Funk, RnB
Various: Jim Jam Gems Vol 3 (Stag-o-Lee) 10″
Like Vol. 1 and 2, volume 3 of Jim Jam Gems is compiled by Stuttgart-based DJ (Club Miaow), record collector and illustrator Duke Jens-O-Matic. All tracks from vintage vinyl selected from his own archive. If you up fo’ shooting craps or bustin’ at Black Jack, that’s all in the back, but in this living room you gotta get social man, drink, smoke, bounce to the snappy sounds or smooch to them blues. Artists include: Cootie Williams, Bonita, Willie Mabon, Jesse Allen, Sonny Boy Williamson, Tony Middleton, Pete Johnson, Babs Gonzales, Big John Greer, and Bea Foote.
Various: Jim Jam Gems Vol 4 (Stag-o-Lee) 10″
Stag-O-Lee presents volume 4 in their Jim Jam Gems series, again compiled by Stuttgart-based DJ (Club Miaow), record collector and illustrator Duke Jens-O-Matic. All tracks from vintage vinyl selected from his own archive. This one leads us deep into the field of ’50s exotica — visions of the far and fantastic put a spell on us and feed our longing for that unfulfilled exotic dream. Be it the half-naked flower of the islands, winding her body in sultry gyrations, or the tribal call of the drums, reminding us of our most primitive needs — each of these songs is an exciting invitation to dance under the stars to haunting rhythms. Artists include: Lecuona Cuban Boys, Cab Calloway, Sugar Boy Crawford, Jimmy Van Eaton, Kishore Kurma, Dinah Washington, Wilmoth Houdini, Sondi Sodsai, Latin Allstars, and Julie London.
File Under: Exotica, RnB, Blues
Various: Luke Vibert’s Nuggets Volume 3 (Lo) LP
With releases to his credit on labels such as Warp Records, Rephlex, Planet-Mu and Ninja Tune, it’s fair to say that Luke Vibert knows a thing or two about electronic music. Now he returns to Lo Recordings for the third installment of his acclaimed ‘Nuggets’ series, this time delving into the archive of the Bruton Music Library to unearth some of the production music studios’ choice moments. Founded by KPM’s Robin Phillips in 1977, Bruton Music represented a significant break from the till now established mores of the library music industry. Moving away from the generic sleeves of much ‘library music’, Bruton presented its catalogue in a series of beautifully designed, colour coded sleeves and eschewing neo-classical compositions for synthesizer heavy sonic miniatures, it had exotic, vibrant music to match. Featuring the work of some of the industry’s leading composrs, such as Alan Hawkshaw, Brian Bennett and Francis Monkman, ‘Nuggets Vol. 3’ brings together 26 gems with titles such as ‘Bass Drive’, ‘Macrochip’ and ‘Galaxy (I’m The Ruler)’. Packed full of Sci-fi funk jams, truly cosmic disco and robot rock this was music designed to soundtrack the future, or at least a bright and optimistic early eighties vision of what the future might be. Almost impossible to find in their original formats, ‘Nuggets Vol. 3’ is an invaluable resource for sample spotters, beat diggers and anyone who thinks that it’s 2013 and we really should be driving hover cars and disco dancing in orbit round the moon by now.
File Under: Library, OST, Rare Groove
Listen Here
Various: Rajasthan Street Music (Sublime Frequencies) LP
“Swathed in hundreds of miles of snaking hinterland, the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan is a giant canvas for the imagination of the wanderers it gives home to. Through the stark reaches of the vast Thar Desert, Rajasthan shares borders as well as bloodlines with the Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Punjab to the west and the Indian state of Gujarat to the south. The state’s rough history and harsh environment is heavily reflected in the Rajasthani people and Marwari tribal culture; centuries of continuous invasions, epic battles, brutal slaughterings and various rulings by Scythians, Mauryans, Satraps, Gurjars, Mughals, Rajputs and the British have left their traces in local folklore in the shape of storytelling, songs and plays. In Rajasthan’s modern-day avatar, daily life is controlled by power failures, lasting droughts, dried-out or diverted rivers and an ever-advancing desertification. These hardships of the past and present have equipped the Rajasthani people with their notoriously resilient and proud character and are clearly voiced in the music of the region. This compilation has been recorded in various cities, villages and remote regions of Rajasthan as part of a two-month road trip seeking found folklore, of which one month was spent in the holy town of Pushkar, where we experienced different aspects of Rajasthani cultural and Hindu religious life. Flexible improvisation, good chance and often pure luck allowed these recordings to happen when musicians of different ages and castes crossed our path along the way. This collection does not focus on the contextual technicalities of musical lineage, castes or styles, and is neither an exhaustive folkloric research project nor an ethnomusicology study; rather, it presents the musical landscape of contemporary Rajasthan on the street level as it was found in 2007-2008, a cross-section of aural environment outside of the academic approach to Rajasthani music that many Western and Indian scholars have already covered in intricate detail. The most important criteria for recording these musicians in their homes (or on the streets) was the personal beauty of raw power in their music.” –Seb Bassleer; Limited edition 2LP in a full-color heavy gatefold jacket with images of the musicians and detailed liner-notes by compiler and producer Seb Bassleer.
File Under: Field Recordings, Ethinic, World
Listen Here
Various: Schnitzelbeat Vol 1: I Love You, Baby! (Digatone) LP
Subtitled: Twisted Rock-N-Roll, Exotica & Proto-Beat Unknowns from Austria 1957-1965. Genre collectors (rock-n-roll, exotica, beat, garage punk) and friends of incredibly strange music will find an awesome collection here, restored to best possible sound quality and accompanied by an extensive booklet full of great stories and pictures. Comes with a 12-page LP-sized booklet, photos, and liner notes. Features artists Werner Gavac, Frank Roberts Und Die Bongo Band, Die 4 Bambis, Uzzi & Bill Grah’s Olympia Band, The Hubbubs, Johnny & The Shamrocks, Franco Runa, Ferry Graf, The Austrian Evergreens, Dolf Kauer & The Charly-Combo, Errol Ribeiro & The Vienna Beatles, The Tramps, Jerry & The Cannons, Hannes Patek, and Rockie Jackson.
File Under: Exotica, RnR, Beat, Garage
Listen Here
…..restocks…..
Acid Mothers Temple: La Novia (Prophase) LP
James Blake: s/t (Atlas) LP
Glenn Branca: Lesson No 1 (Superior Viaduct) LP
Chrome: Half Machine From the Sun (King of Spades) LP
Luciano Cilio: Dell Universo… (Die Schachtel) LP/CD
Deafheaven: Sunbather (Deathwish) LP
Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism (Barsuk) LP
Deltron 3030: s/t (Deltron) LP
Drive Like Jehu: s/t (Hedhunter) LP
Fennez: Endless Summer (Editions Mego) LP
Fleet Foxes: s/t (Sub Pop) LP
Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop) LP
Gorillaz: s/t (EMI) LP
Grimes: Visions (Arbutus) LP
Scorched Earth Policy: Going Thru A Hole (Siltbreeze) LP
Shellac: At Action Park (Touch & Go) LP
Shellac: Terraform (Touch & Go) LP
Silent Servant: Negative Fascination (Hospital) LP
Omar Souleyman: Dabke 2020 (Sublime Frequencies) LP
Timecrimes OST (Mondo) LP
Vox Populi!: Funk Off (A Stable Sound) LP/CD
War On Drugs: Lost in the Dream (Secretly Canadian) LP
White Stripes: Elephant (Third Man) LP
Women: s/t (Flemish Eye) LP