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.”
well, that didn’t seem like 31 days, but here we are, the end of january already, ugh. not quite as much in this week as last week, but some really great slabs for your listening pleasure!
…..pick of the week…..
three picks this week, but all from the same artist as new label fauni gena reissues all six of these six french mega rare mind benders! *igor wakhevitch – logos – fauni gena – lp
– in tomorrow…”subtitled ‘rituel sonore pour group pop (triangle), choeur mixte et bande magnetique’ and originally recorded as music for a n. schmucki ballet premiered at festival d’avignon 1970, this is the perfect introduction to wakhevitch dark, powerful and often menacing sound world. an unlikely mixture of 20th century classical avant-garde, both orchestral and electronic and psychedelic rock courtesy of french psych-prog band triangle. a strong piece which pairs epic choral parts with wakhevitch’s taped electronics and triangle’s hypnotic jamming to form, in typical wakevitch occult fashion, an ode to man’s relationship with sound forces, with the composer acting as a medium between the magical forces of sound and listener. the text inside the wonderful red gatefold cover holds some keys to the composer’s universe. it mentions to early 20th russian mystic/thinker georges ivanovitch gurdjieff and also kabbalistic and alchemical traditions are coupled with wakhevitch’s vision of a cosmic art for the 20th century, aligning himself to similar efforts by william sheller and guy skornik. no surprise since this record sits comfortably next to other period pieces like sheller’s ‘lux aeterna,’ skornik’s ‘popera cosmic,’ jason havelock’s ‘pop symphony’ or even vangelis papathanassiou’s ‘fais que ton reve soit plus longue que la nuit.’ french post-mai ’69 orchestral avant-pop vibes galore.” gatefold sleeve with insert.
*igor wakhevitch – docteur faust – fauni gena – lp
– in tomorrow… “housed in a fantastic and menacing sci-fi cover courtesy of druillet and bearing the famous dedication: ‘a mes grands amis robert wyatt et mick rattledge,’ wakhevitch’s second album was a step beyond it’s predecessor into a music alchemy that defies categorization and the one that started to define his trademark sonic collage of styles and moods. like the previous record, this was the music for a norbert schmucki ballet ergonia, premiered at festival d’avignon 1971, and featured top french players of the era like janick top on bass. oozing darkness and mystery, wakhevitch displays a wide array of mind-bending tricks that take the listener to a wild and trippy ride into occult zones starting from the spoken word passages and open drum break of ‘aimantation’ to the psyched-up delirium of ‘sang poupree.’ elsewhere delirious acid passages, hypnotic bass riffing, stoned funk beats, wild free-rock freak outs, avant-garde orchestral drama, dubbed-out passages, and wakhevitch’s trade-mark collage and sound manipulation make up to a really unique listening experience that submerges and puzzles the unexpecting listener. a psychedelic kaleidoscope full of intense moods, from stoned to thrilling drama, from meditative and mystical ritual trance to way out tape and synth manipulation that in spite of all contrast, holds together well. much like the similar collaged, contrasting, and now much revered opus ‘l’enfant assasin des mouches’ by jean claude vannier or some of faust’s work. originally released by pathe marconi in 1972, it has become over the years wakhevitch’s hardest to find album and one that’s been chased also because of his striking cover-art, made by no-other than jean-pierre druillet, one of the top exponents of french 70’s sci-fi comics school together with the great jean henri gaston (better known as moebius) which revolved around the seminal metal hurlantmagazine.”
*igor wakhevitch – hathor – fauni gena – lp
– in tomorrow… subtitled ‘liturgie du souffle pour la resurrection des morts,’ this is probably wakhevitch’s most esoteric and occult-influenced work. some sort of dark ritual for synthesizer and orchestra inspired by kabbalistic writings, where igor’s trademark bottom heavy electronics pulse, whizz, and sweep to a backdrop of heavy tribal drumming. elsewhere, menacing and majestic spoken word passages open us the doors to the netherworld, leading into an esoteric sound ritual that sounds spooky, virulent, powerful, droning, entrancing, and mystical at the same time. again wakhevitch brings together disparate elements, bridging apparently unrelated musical forms and integrate them in order to deliver another unique work that sounds strangely prescient and recalling at the same time works from mort garson (black mass), ruth white (flowers of evil), terry riley (surgery persian dervishes), stockhausen (stimmung), tangerine dream (zeit), and early klaus schulze (irrlicht).” gatefold sleeve with insert.
