EAR/Rational Update Week 41-42, 2009

This week's update contains releases by:

Anson Mak * Arthur Russell * Atone * Bear In Heaven * Bibio * Bill Madison * Bird Ensemble, The * Black Keys * Bomp! * Bruce Gilbert * Caspa * Caterina Caselli * Charles Tyler Ensemble * Christopher Hobbs * Christopher Roberts * Circulasione Totale Orchestra * Claude Vonstroke * Cococoma * Daniel Menche * Darius Jones * Dark Sunny Land * David Grubbs * David Lewis * Derek Jarman * Dirac * DJ Mehdi * Do Make Say Think * Dr. Boogie * Drama Society With Vladislav Delay * Dusk + Blackdown vs. Grievous Angel * Edward Williams * Eli Keszler * Erik Satie * Evangelista * Ex, The * Far Out * Farm Band, The * Fecalove * Foot Village * For Against * Former Ghosts * Fragment. * Francisco Lopez & Richard Francis * Fredrik Ohr * F*** Buttons * Get Back Guinozzi! * Githead * Gods Gifts * Grooms * Hawnay Troof * Heartsrevolution * Heavy Trash * Hush Arbors * Iain Matthews & Searing Quartet * Inca Ore * Inspector 22 * Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven * Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine * Joe Morris * Jos Smolders * Julia Wolfe * Karlheinz Stockhausen * Keith Rowe/Toshimaru Nakamura * Kiki Smith * Kim Fowley * Klc_nir * Koushik * Lightning Bolt * Lily of the Valley * Lisa Hammer * Lover! * Luc Ferrari * Luciano * Machinefabriek & Andrea Belfi * Magazine * Malachi Farrell * Marcus Nasty * Maurizio Bianchi * Merzbow * Mi Loco Tango * Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson * Moebius * Moondog * Mordant Music * Morning Dew * MV & EE * Nancy Elizabeth * Natural Yogurt Band * Neal Morgan * Nina Walsh * No Friends * No One Pulse * O Yuki Conjugate * Old Canes * Orenda Fink * Pelican * People * Peter J. Woods * Peter Wright * Philip Glass * Phill Niblock * Piano Magic * Portal * Pylon * Revolutionary Ensemble * Richard Youngs * RLW * Robert Turman & Aaron Dilloway * Roedelius * Roger Morris * Roto Visage * Russian Circles * Scattered Order * Shrinebuilder * Silk Road Ensemble * Simone Forti * Sin:ned * Sofia Koutsovitis * Spirit House Movers, The * Star F***ing Hipsters * Steve Gunn * Stimulus * Strong Arm Steady * Sufjan Stevens * Sun Ra * Tetuzi Akiyama + Toshimaru Nakamura * The Bomb * Throbbing Gristle * Tim Catlin And Machinefabriek * Twinsistermoon * Van Patterson Quartet, The * Vernon Chatman * Vertonen * Voltigeurs * White Mice * Xberg Dhirty6 Cru * Yan Jun * Zach Wallace

[ F E A T U R E D   R E L E A S E S ]

Derek Jarman - In Conversation, 1979-80 cassette (The Tapeworm) [TTW006CS] $7.25
This is a cassette-only limited edition of 250 copies. Released with the kind permission of Keith Collins. Cover illustration -- A Drawing For Tempest (1969) by Derek Jarman, courtesy of musician Richard Torry. Three interviews with Derek Jarman, conducted by Richard Torry in London's Soho district, in 1979 and 1980. Edited by Richard Torry in 2009. These interviews were recorded by Torry as part of research for his final dissertation at Middlesex Polytechnic, and have remained unissued since then. Their informality offers a uniquely candid insight into the filmmaker's world view. The artwork for this edition features a drawing by Jarman himself, gifted to Torry at the same time as these interviews were recorded.

Edward Williams - Life On Earth: Music From The 1979 BBC TV Series CD (Trunk) [JBH034CD] $16.00
The groundbreaking natural history program Life On Earth hit UK TV screens 30 years ago, in 1979, and this is the first time the beautiful music composed for the series by Edward Williams has been commercially issued. It's quite extraordinary that something so utterly beautiful has remained unissued until now. Jonny Trunk: "The music reminded me very much of my first encounter with library music and the magical, twinkling ambient sounds of science, nature and music for jellyfish. Some frantic letter writing followed. Edward Williams had to be traced. Eventually I tracked him down and went to meet him at his home in Bristol. It was fascinating to learn that he had connections with other important musical characters that I was dealing with, like Tristram Cary. I also learned that Edward had invented the soundbeam, an incredible musical education tool. He also told me about his extraordinary 1970s VCS 3 touring band called Uncle Jambo's Pendular Vibrations. Edward also explained the genesis of the rare and elusive vinyl album. Basically, he'd had less than 100 copies privately-pressed for any members of the orchestra who had played on the recording and wanted one. And so in late 2009, 30 years on from the day it was created, we can all enjoy some of the most beautiful music made for some of the greatest TV ever produced." The sounds composed and created for the series are quite magical. It's the sound of science, of underwater life, of progress, flight, fight, death and courtship. There are swamps, petrified forests, snowscapes and coral reefs. And of course, music composed for a wide variety of birds, animals and sea-dwellers of all shapes and sizes. Influences include Erik Satie, British pastoral composition of the post-war period and pioneering UK electronics. What's extraordinary is that Edward Williams created a sound way ahead of his time; listen to track 2 or 3, and you will hear music that could easily be mistaken for the contemporary soundtrack work of Cliff Martinez or Clint Mansell. The music itself is hard to categorize -- of course it's soundtrack music, but it hints at classical, at library music, touches on the avant-garde, and has a strong ambient feel and an unusual timeless quality. It involves over 70 musicians, with the composer placing much of the played music through his vintage 1973 VCS 3 synthesizer.

Fredrik Ohr - Falling through the Earth CD (Aleph Zero) [AZFalling] $20.87
The much awaited debut from Stockholm based musician and producer Fredrik Ohr is here. Fredrik's long background in classical piano and as a song writer is highly evident in the subtle complexity underlying his music. His physical and intellectual journeys through Asia and Buddhism are also very well felt. Falling through the Earth offers a wonderful dreamy and fresh combination of North European atmospheres and textures interlaced with Asian influences, all dipped in 70s psychedelic delicate feel. Fredrik's music has special warmth of instrumental and vocal work springing forth from sophisticated layers of electronic sounds, glitches and breaks creating an enchanting combination.

Jos Smolders - The Drone Gnome CD (Moving Furniture) [MFR005] $14.91
In general I do not like the stuff that is categorized as drone music. There are a few exceptions but often times it is about bass and noise. Sometimes the composer mixes subtleties over the basic layer. Sounds that are barely discernable. Others filter the basic layer so that modulations occur. "Listen", people tell me, "can you hear the subtleties that are mixed into the noise?". Yes, can hear them but why does it continue to do so for 20 minutes? And why not get rid of the basic layer so that I can really enjoy those subtleties? Another gripe is about the continuity of drone music. Whereas traditionally composers build a musical piece note by note, second by second, drone music is layed out and constructed with (very) large chunks of time. These large chunks are then connected with lengthy crossfades. On the one hand that makes it easier for the composer to get to a lengthy piece but on the other hand it is much more difficult than most people think. Controlling time in a musical piece and thereby keeping the listener's attention is mastered by only a few. The Drone Gnome is the result of a few investigations into drone music. I don't whether I 'succeeded', but this is as close as I could get. It's my version of drone. The way I worked is that I made chunks of sound which had some sort of similarity. Sometimes the sounds are completely electronic, at other times they are loops. I really did my best to work in a traditional 'drone' way. But it didn't really work out. Still, it is worth listening to. The first part of the first track (the one with the rising tones (drones)) is a rework of an online release at bremsstrahlung records. It is constructed using the fibonacci rule, both in frequency and in length. The other works are 'new'.

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Kontra-punkte, Refrain, Zeitmasze, Schlagtrio CD (Wergo) [WER6717] $22.75
Performed by The Ensemble Recherche. "The four works on this disc come from the first nine years of a compositional career that would span almost another half century. Yet today, one scarcely hears them as 'early Stockhausen,' but rather as a series of essential cornerstones of the emerging post-war European avant-garde on which Stockhausen, as the youngest major composer involved, exercised a crucial influence. What should strike is not what these pieces have in common, but how different they are from one another. Each exemplifies a phase of Stockhausen's early development. The Ensemble Recherche is one of the most distinguished ensembles for new music. With more than 450 premieres to its credit since it was founded in 1985, the ensemble has made a substantial contribution to the development of contemporary chamber and ensemble music."

Moondog - The German Years 1977-1999 2CD (Roof Music) [RD2433221CD] $19.00
Originally released by Roof Music in 2004, this is a 2CD compilation of recordings from the last 20 years of visionary composer Louis Thomas Hardin's (aka Moondog) life, when he lived in Germany and composed, arguably, perhaps the most vibrant and eclectic music in his whole canon. CD1 is comprised of studio recordings from 1977-1999 -- songs for pipe organ, chamber ensemble, piano and voice, string quartet, saxophone, etc., and CD2 is an exceptional recording of his last live performance from Arles, France, recorded a month before his death. Featuring pianist Dominique Ponty, who plays 34 of his pieces for piano. Includes a 44-page booklet of photos, notes, essays, interviews, lyrics, and more, housed in a deluxe hard cardboard package.

Moondog - Remixed No. 1 CD (Roof Music) [RD2445220CD] $10.75
Originally released in 2004 on Roof Records, Remixed No. 1 features three reworkings of classic tracks by visionary composer/poet Moondog (Louis Thomas Hardin). The first track is a full-on funk/groove reinterpretation of "Dog Trot" by Christian Becker, the second track as envisioned by Mr. Scruff, "Get A Move On," uses the instantly-recognizable, circular cycle of strings and sax of "Bird's Lament" to shore up a straight dance beat, and the last track by Afrobob, "The Return Of The Reimemonster" features gruff, heavy rapping by Ferris MC to the faint accompaniment of the reeds and strings theme of "Minisym I."

Moondog - Rare Material 2CD (Roof Music) [RD2633272CD] $19.00
Released in 2006, this double CD collection compiles an expansive body of songs from throughout Moondog's vast and eclectic body of work. For almost 50 years, Moondog (Louis Thomas Hardin, 1916-1999) impressed and influenced artists such as Benny Goodman, Leonard Bernstein, The Beatles, Charlie Parker, Igor Stravinsky, Frank Zappa, and others. Fascinated by the canon form as well as composing principles of tonality and counterpoint, Moondog's music always existed between the classical and the jazz world without ever belonging to any of them. He has composed over 80 symphonies, numerous chamber works, over 300 madrigals, as well as scores for brass bands, string orchestras, and organ pieces. While most of the material Moondog recorded is documented in great detail, there are also many recordings that, despite their artistic importance, were only available for a very short period of time. Rare Material is a collection of that material and reveals a remarkable musical spectrum. It extends from rather minimalist works of the early '50s, to arrangements for string quartet of the '80s, to opulent orchestrated big-band productions of the '90s. Reissued here on CD for the very first time are four tracks from Bracelli, released on Kakaphone in 1986, and two tracks from Instrumental Music, released on Musical Heritage Society in 1978. This collection comes with a detailed 24-page booklet that includes notes from Moondog about each of the tracks, excerpts from his biographical poetic impressions, and a chronology of his life. This is a lovingly compiled selection of music that provides an expansive, widescreen portrait of one of America's most compelling and unique composers.

O Yuki Conjugate - OYC25 DVD+CD (Soleilmoon) [10647] $18.00
RELEASE DATE: 11-02-2009
O Yuki Conjugate: 25 Years of Willful Obscurity.

Soleilmoon Recordings announce the release of "OYC25", a CD & DVD celebrating a quarter century of UK ambient pioneers O Yuki Conjugate.

In October 1982 the youthful O Yuki Conjugate played their first gig at the now-defunct Newshouse pub in Nottingham, England to seven people and a dog. Three incarnations, seven albums and 25 years later all members past and present got together in a West London studio to record an album in an afternoon as a way of marking this unlikely anniversary. The result - lovingly remixed by producer Rob Jenkins - is OYC25, five tracks of post-industrial, fourth world-ish, dirty ambience.

OYC25 finds the band in fine form, with an abundance of dub-like bass, micro processed rhythms and plangent pads. The package includes a full length DVD of live recordings and rare footage that offer a unique insight into the band's history, together with a complete alternate mix of the album. The whole thing comes in a gatefold sleeve beautifully designed by Fitzroy&Finn and includes a specially commissioned essay on the band by Dr Philip Shaw, Senior Lecturer in English at Leicester University.

NOTE: The DVD is a region-free double-sided disc with NTSC on one side and PAL on the other. It is compatible with all DVD players worldwide.

Pylon - Chomp More CD (DFA) [DFA2220] $13.25
To describe PYLON as ahead of their time is somewhat misleading, because it implies that there was ever a moment when music finally caught up with them. The architects of a sound unlike any of their Athens, Georgia, contemporaries and the inspiration for numerous post-punk imitators, Pylon still sounds unlike anything before or since. The B-52s and R.E.M. have both gone on record as stating that Pylon are one of the country's best bands. That's a remarkable legacy for a group that formed more than thirty years ago with the sole intention of playing one show, getting a review in the now defunct New York Rocker, and self-imploding. This CD, which features the band's 1983 sophomore album Chomp, is DFA's second Pylon reissue (following the 2007 release of the Gyrate+ collection) and offers inarguable justification for their seminal status. "K," an unlikely ode to Scrabble that opens the record, begins with drummer CURTIS CROW using his snare to tick off a beat akin to a time bomb; seconds later the song builds to a clash of jagged guitar lines, wiry bass, propulsive drumming, and VANESSA BRISCOE's startling vocals. "Crazy," which R.E.M. would later famously cover, sees guitarist RANDY BEWLEY avoiding his usual sharp angles and instead taking a jangly respite, while Briscoe veers from a moody monotone to arresting snarls and piercing yelps. In addition to remastered versions of the LP's twelve original tracks, Chomp More includes the 7-inch version of "Crazy," a "male version" of "Yo-Yo" on which Briscoe merely guest stars, Pylon's own frenzied, frenetic remix of "Gyrate," and the rarely heard single "Four Minutes"-an ineffably beautiful pastiche of homemade and seemingly found noise. These innovative songs speak to the timeless vision of four young people who unwittingly created a sound that is still innovative, fresh, and distinct. More than three decades on, Pylon continues to lead-while music, as always, lags safely behind.

Various Artists - Alan Lomax in Haiti CD (Harte Recordings) [HR103] $109.75
RELEASE DATE: 11-17-2009
Harte Recordings, together with the estate of Alan Lomax, and in collaboration with The Library Of Congress and the The Association for Cultural Equity, present ALAN LOMAX IN HAITI — a chronicle of Lomax's 1936 Haitian recording expedition for the Library. This 10-CD box-set, in the modern tradition of those lovingly created by Revenant and Dust-To-Digital, is curated from over 50 hours of field recordings by the pre-eminent Haitian scholar, Gage Averill. Besides the CD's, the set contains two books: Lomax's Haitian field journal, carefully transcribed and notated by his niece, Ellen Harold; and a hard-bound set of liner notes and essays detailing and translating all the songs in the set. The notes examine the historical context and social and cultural relevance of the music. The set also includes the complete black and white and color film footage that Alan and Elizabeth Lomax shot in Haiti, and a facsimile of Lomax's period map of Haiti covered with his handwritten notes. The box set is a unique artifact, presenting for the first time this important document of Haiti's rich cultural heritage captured in the field by the greatest musicologist of the 20th century. Anna Lomax Wood, Lomax's daughter, explains in the notes: "…[W]e can now listen in to a pivotal era in Haiti's cultural history, when the country was throwing off U.S. imperialism and embracing both its African roots and the coming influence of jazz and African-American/Afro-Caribbean popular music and dance." Lomax and his then-newlywed wife Elizabeth (aged 20 and 19, respectfully) worked in Haiti from December 1936 until April 1937, documenting music and ritual at the behest of his colleague and friend, Zora Neale Hurston, and under the auspices of the Library Of Congress. He arrived just two years after the brutal 19-year occupation by the United States Marines, when resentment against the U.S. ran high. The Lomaxes were part of an influx of talented and highly distinguished U.S. artists and anthropologists to whom Haitians opened their arms, despite still-fresh memories of the military incursion. These U.S. citizens were drawn to the island's distinctive culture, its striking musical and visual arts, and its people--as well as by a fascination with the sensationalist accounts of Vodou, the synchretistic local religion that had risen out of religious beliefs and practices originating in West Africa. In the course of his journey, Lomax recorded more than fifty hours of music, made copious notes, diagrams and drawings, and shot rare film footage. None of this material has been available to the general public before. These were the early days of field recording, and Alan recorded to aluminum disc (500 in all). When Lomax revisited these recordings in the 1970s, he deemed them unworthy of release due to the high level of sound distortion and surface noise. So they sat, along with his notes and film footage, for 30 years until the sound quality could be miraculously improved through current cutting edge technology. With recently- developed equipment never used on sound recordings before, the Grammy-award winning team at the Magic Shop in New York City were able to de-noise and bring the recordings to clear and vibrant life. The results have been thematically organized into ten volumes, each showcasing a specific style of music that Lomax encountered. "Meringue" numbers introduce the set's first volume, combining early Ellington melodies with Hoosier Hot Shot joyfulness and Sun Ra otherworldliness. The sounds of Vodou worship are well represented and further illuminated by color film footage on the next disc. The native Mardi Gras music is collected on another, capturing a glorious, bombastic musical tradition which would find its way to New Orleans and beyond. Lomax recorded hours of an angelic but otherwise completely unknown singer named Francilia, whose amazingly distinctive voice and style are heard for the first time outside of Haiti on a volume devote entirely to her. The set also contains a generous sampling of children's songs and performances of the "Troubadours," small bands of musicians who walked the streets of Port-au-Prince, much like the early cojunto groups of Texas. Ludovic Lamothe, the famed Haitian classical pianist, was recorded for the first time by Lomax playing the songs that his international reputation would be built upon, as was Zora Neal Hurston, singing songs from her youth. The final volume is filled with the "Romances," a now-extinct style of music brought to Haiti from France during its period of colonization. All these musical styles and others are thoroughly discussed in Gage Averill's meticulously-researched notes, while the making of and circumstances surrounding the recordings are detailed in Lomax's journal. In conjunction with the release of the set, the Association for Cultural Equity will repatriate the full 50-hour set of digitally restored, pre-mastered and catalogued Lomax recordings to the Haitian people as part of its Caribbean Repatriation Program and The Clinton Global Initiative For Haiti. This set is produced by Anna Lomax Wood, Jeffery Greenberg and David Katznelson. Contains: -10 CD's of Music -Extremely Rare B/W & Color footage on Disc 5 -2 Books — One is a Diary, the other is a Book of the Recordings. -Map of Haiti in 1937 with Alan Lomax's Writings -Loose photos from Alan's Trip

[ . . . ]

Anson Mak - Going Home (Or Not) CD (Re-records) [10670] $12.00
An academic audio work from the award winning phonograph artist Anson Mak (ex-AMK). In this new CD, she brings to us not only result of her long time research on the endangered sound and community of Kwun Tong (a district soon to be destroyed by the Hong Kong government's urban renewal program), but also a very personal story. Almost like a mini research. Only difference is that, this one is filled with personal significance.

Biography: Anson Mak is a film, video and sound artist. After graduated from School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University in 1991, she worked in TV stations for some time and immediately realized mainstream TV was not a place for her. She first developed her career as an art administrator, working for Urban Service Department, CrossOver Cultural Institute, Hong Kong Arts Centre in its Film/Video Dept. and IFVA (Hong Kong Independent Short Film and Video Awards). At the same time, she continued writing, making music and film/video works in the 90's. She then resumed studies at Dept. of Comparative Literature at University of Hong Kong for an M.Phil, and started part-time teaching in NGOs -- Hong Kong Arts Centre, General Education Unit at Hong Kong University. She later worked as a web site producer and right before the dotcom bomb, she joined School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong in 2000. She left to USA in 2004 with an Asian Cultural Council fellowship and continued to explore film/video art in more focus directions -- experimental ethnography, digital communities, and novelty of the medium of super 8 film in the digital era. While experimenting further in moving images and web-based platforms, she was inspired by phonography, sound art of field recording and can't go without it ever since. At present, she is doing a Doctor of Fine Art programme at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. Right before joining AVA, she taught in Dept. of Cultural for the 3 Master of Arts programmes. Since 1999, She was an invited examiner of Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Also, she was a band member of AMK and active in the indie music scene in the 90's.

File under: Field recordings, Sound art

Atone - Cet Après-Midi Là CD (Autres Directions In Music) [moulin021] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 11-16-2009
Handcrafted, handstamped & hand-numbered package limited to 250.

Angers-based Antoine Monzonis-Calvet has been an active member of the electronic / experimental / post-rock French music scene for ten years. Atone is his solo project, his most personal one.

After a promising first EP (spring 2004), Atone wrote his first whole album, which was called Un An (2006) and was full ot atmospheric layers and sad melodicas. Atone's world constantly refers to itself, conveying the image of an indestructible unity, of a singular & unique whole. Imposing, harmonious. It gave birth to an adventurous live show, where organs and computers stand face to face to a drummer, and to a remix EP (Un An Plus Tard, 2007). With his new Cet AprĨs-Midi LÄ , Atone abandoned the numerous ambient layers which composed Un An. He associated tones and acoustic sounds (piano, bass, drums, organ, melodica) with synthetic sounds to create a unique sound material. The noises of everyday life & nature, coming from the opened windows, also came to add up in his maelstrom. Nostalgy erases from this mixture, worked between sound recordings and reprocessings treatments.

In Cet AprĨs-Midi LÄ , tracks come one after the other as a series of clichés, each carrying its own subject, rhythm and sensation. Between harmony and dissonance, Atone delivers a collection of nocturnal, strange pieces. Dreamy pieces.

Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth CD (Hometapes) [HT034] $12.25
HEAVEN have trapped echoes, tremors, winds, and fading light. They've redefined time, and folded it. They've unbuttoned sound, and realigned it. Within four walls in Brooklyn, the band mined the democracy of their collaboration, plus the endless hours of stream-of-consciousness recorded documentation of rehearsals over the past years, to conceive the crystalline form of Beast Rest Forth Mouth, their second album, their exaltation. A seed planted in the Southern US years ago (all members hail from Georgia or Alabama), Bear In Heaven began as the musical arm of JON PHILPOT in 1998. Time eventually brought in a slew of players, like rickety scaffolding, that grew the sound and guided the group to morph from a 6-to-5-to-4-piece. As a four-headed organism, Bear In Heaven has now found a sonic stride unlike any in their history. Freely acknowledging the importance of the number four, the album Beast Rest Forth Mouth (think "East West North South") was a conscious product of the four compass points, of the four makers, and of the inevitable confusion that manifests from that crossroad mentality: four directions could lead you anywhere and everywhere.

Bibio - The Apple And The Tooth CD (Warp Records) [WARP190CD] $12.25
"Hot on the heels of his highest selling, critically-acclaimed album Ambivalence Avenue (Best New Music on Pitchfork), Bibio has assembled a companion album comprised of 4 all-new tracks and 8 remixes from luminaries such as Warp's own Clark, Friendly Fires' visual collaborator Rob Lee, as well as Bibio himself. From the clattering, beat-forward re-imagining of 'Dwrcan' by San Francisco's Eskmo to the babymaking, lush downtempo snap of Leatherette's 'Lover's Carvings' remix, to Bibio's own Parisienne carnival re-contextualization of 'Palm of Your Wave', The Apple And The Tooth illuminates the dramatic range of sounds and influences Ambivalence Avenue employs and portrays."

Bird Ensemble, The - Evensong CD (Happy Prince) [HPPR017] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 11-02-2009
The Bird Ensemble started it's history when Michael Hix met Kyle Williams at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee in 2005. They recorded and self-released their 1st album entitled "Migration" in 2007. After their graduation of the university, some members left the band. However the band kept their activity and released download-only mini album called "The Last Songbook". Joined by Brandon Duncan and Cara Pollock, they started making their 2nd full length "Evensong". Evensong details a renaissance in The Bird Ensemble's lush instrumentation. Assembled with echoing guitars and dream-soaked organs, each phrase and thought is delicately pieced between thoughtful rhythms -- producing compositions that unite, churn and vibrate as a barrage of soft images. Evoking the moment as a reference point for memory, longing, and reflection, Evensong manifests itself as a product of minimalism and jazz, utilizing ambient tones and conventional rock instruments in a prose-less quest. It emerges as an effort; youthful in reach and mature in grasp, to behold the beautiful in context with the present. Held to the rigid standards of their peers in music city's independent community, The Bird Ensemble triumphantly emerges bruised and withered, to present their finest release to date: Evensong.

Black Keys - ThickfreaknessPICTURE DISC LP CD (Fat Possum) [FAP371P] $20.75
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***NOW AVAILABLE ON PICTURE DISC VINYL!!! The sophomore album from Akron, Ohio duo BLACK KEYS-DAN AUERBACH and PATRICK CARNEY. Eleven tracks of stripped and meaty blues, punk, and rock flavors, delivered in grit, stomp, and holler fashion with guitar, organ, vocals and some broke-dick drums. Includes cover versions of The Sonics' "Have Love, Will Travel," and Junior Kimbrough's "Everywhere I Go."

Bomp! - 2: Born In The Garage Book (Bomp!) [BOMP2] $14.75
A heavyweight celebration of the roots of rock fandom. This is the ultimate anthology of rock 'n' roll fandom from its inception to its mid/late 1970s heyday. Born in the Garage features 300 pages of reproductions from GREG SHAW's pioneering '70s-era zines Who Put The Bomp and Bomp! Features essays from JON SAVAGE, ALEC PALAO, KEN BARNES, SUZY SHAW and MIKE STAX; obsessively detailed discographies and label listings, plus reams of readers' letters and never before published material. The sheer volume of historical information is almost mind-boggling. Also included are reprints from Shaw's obscure personal zines, Metanoia and Liquid Love, circulated in 1970-72 to just a handful of friends and fellow writers. Bomp! 2 also includes rare early work by celebrated rock scribes like KEN BARNES, LESTER BANGS, LENNY KAYE, RICHARD MELTZER, DAVE MARSH, MIKE SAUNDERS, PHAST PHREDDIE and more. Artwork from underground artists JAY KINNEY, WILLIAM STOUT and TOM KIRK. Eye-popping cover art by the immortal WILLIAM STOUT.

Caspa - Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening! CD (Fabric) [FABRIC1011CD] $10.00
"Caspa is one of the brightest and most in demand names of the exciting dubstep sound emerging from the UK. Acknowledged by XLR8R as one of the 'poster boys' of the scene, alongside Skream, Benga and Rusko, Caspa has been a key part of the first wave of UK dubstep. He has made waves in the mainstream from the ripples of the underground, with his FabricLive compilation (with Rusko) providing the entry point to the world of dubstep for thousands, whilst remixes for Depeche Mode and Deadmau5 have opened the world's ears to Caspa's bass-heavy, cutting-edge sound."

Charles Tyler Ensemble - The Charles Tyler Ensemble CD (ESPDisk) [ESPDISK1029CD] $12.75
Featuring Joel Friedman (cello), Grimes (bass), Ronald Jackson (drums), Charles Moffet (orchestra vibes). Recorded 2/4/66 in Indianapolis. "Charles Tyler, from Albert Ayler's band, makes a startling statement on his debut solo record. His group, featuring an unusual instrumentation of cello, bass, drums, orchestra vibes, and saxophone, plays through his original compositions and showcases some heated solos. Although primarily known as a baritone sax player, Charles Tyler is featured on alto sax, yet his sound and concept are fully evident on this record. The session is rich with imagination, and added to the dimension of musicians who would become the roster of ESP-Disk." Remastered CD in digipack format.

Christopher Hobbs - Sudoku 82 CD (Cold Blue Music) [CB033CD] $7.75
"Sudoku 82, a spare, beautiful, spacious piece for eight pianos, was composed utilizing systems derived from sudoku puzzles and the GarageBand computer program. It is here performed (all eight parts) by noted Los Angeles pianist Bryan Pezzone. The music is pure Hobbs (and perhaps even English by nature) in the way it simply side-steps overt emotionality, yet is quite comfortable and inviting in all aspects. 'Sudoku 82 is one of a series of pieces I have been working on since 2005. There are now over 125 of them that use Apple's GarageBand software and random procedures culled from the numbers found initially in hexadecimal sudoku puzzles and latterly from online random number generators. I choose the sounds I want and the overall duration, but then let the numbers determine what goes where, how many times, how long, how much silence, and so on. Sudoku 82 used a number of piano loops played on eight pianos at an extremely slow tempo, the result being that the pianists seem to be frozen in time. It was Jim Fox who suggested that the piece might be performed 'live' rather than using samples as I had originally done. This is therefore the first of the series to come off the computer and into the recording studio, and I am delighted with the result, which is dedicated to Jim Fox, whose music and predisposition towards slow tempos I have admired for many years.' -- Christopher Hobbs"

Christopher Roberts - Last Cicada Singing CD (Cold Blue Music) [CB034CD] $7.75
"Four serene yet deeply emotive and entrancing pieces for solo qin (a Chinese zither-like instrument). Quiet, sparse, vaguely eerie, almost Feldmanesque, almost delta-blues-like. Performed by the composer, who mastered the qin while living and teaching for many years in Taiwan. 'Chinese scholars in antiquity took their qin to the mountains to compose music in accord with the aesthetics of nature. They developed string techniques to convey the movements of birds, insects, streams, even zephyrs and mist. Gesture became music, a tactile rhetoric to describe the most distant or delicate notions. Silence was an integral motif. I was inspired by the old qin books of music notation and extended the calligraphy to include a contemporary language.' -- Christopher Roberts"

Circulasione Totale Orchestra - Bandwidth 3CD (Rune Grammofon) [RCD2089CD] $28.75
This is the sixth album by Circulasione Totale Orchestra. CTO has been going since 1984 with various members, but a couple of years ago, founding member Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad hand-picked a new band with musicians that have meant something special to him during his long career, as well as some young guns. This release is comprised of a great recording of them at the Molde International Jazz Festival in 2008, together with recordings from some European festivals. The general idea behind the band is that younger, local musicians can come together with more seasoned international players and learn something from the experience. Frode Gjerstad (leader, sax and clarinet) is a legendary Norwegian musician that has worked with improvised music for 40 years, releasing around 60 albums. Louis Moholo-Moholo (drums) is a living legend, and one of South Africa's premier musicians. He has played with Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Cecil Taylor, Steve Lacy, Keith Tippett, Archie Shepp, Evan Parker, and countless others. Morten J. Olsen (drums and electronics) is a member of MoHa! and Ultralyd. Anders Hana (electric guitar) is a member of MoHa!, Ultralyd and Noxagt. Nick Stephens (bass) has played for several years with John Stevens, and also with Dudu Pukwana and Louis Moholo-Moholo. Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) plays with numerous projects, including the Frode Gjerstad Trio. Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten (bass) has played with everyone from Peter Brötzmann to Joe Lovano, and is a member of The Thing, Atomic and Scorch Trio. Børre Mølstad (tuba and electronics) studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Sabir Mateen (sax, clarinet and flute) has played with Cecil Taylor, Hamid Drake, William Parker, and a host of other greats. Kevin Norton (vibraphone) has played with Anthony Braxton, Fred Frith, John Zorn, and many others. Bobby Bradford (cornet) played with Ornette Coleman in his pre-recording days in the early '60s and later with several jazz greats. Lasse Marhaug (electronics) is the godfather of Norwegian noise, covering a wide range, from hardcore noise and black metal to free, acoustic improvisation. Per Zanussi (bass) has played with Marilyn Crispell, Jon Christensen, Håvard Wiik, and many others. Hamid Drake (drums) is influenced by percussion music from around the world and is an explorer of early forms of drumming. He has played with William Parker, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, and Ken Vandermark, to name but a few. Bandwidth is a celebration of free improvised music that comes with the highest credentials.

Claude Vonstroke - Bird Brain CD (Dirtybird) [DBIRD030CD] $10.25
"Bird Brain is Claude VonStroke's second artist album. In true CVS style, the music is a diverse menagerie of sounds and samples, many provided by the man himself. His love for his home city of San Francisco and its people heavily influences the music of Bird Brain. The sites and sounds of the bustling Haight St. where he lives have seeped into the tracks. As has the never-ending enthusiasm of those dirty, smelly San Fran folk who just love getting down to the booty-shaking, rump-rustling bass in Golden Gate Park. These are the same party people who don't give a damn about the next house fad or the next 'big DJ' playing in Ibiza. As CVS himself puts it. 'If the last album was 'Who's Afraid of Detroit', then this is clearly 'I Love San Francisco'.' So what can u expect from Bird Brain? Well, he's taken the ready and rough edged sounds from the first album and sanded them smooth. But do not fear CVS lovers. The album is chock full of dirty, slutty, dank, funny and giggling cuts. Just with a smoother overall vibe. Less axe murdering breakdowns, but with all the quirky madness still intact. Lets call it 'VonStroke 2.0'. VonStroke and dirtybird have never been defined by genres. And with the current trend for chasing and recreating '90s deep house loops, many respected producers have been abandoning their creativity. 'Whether you like this album or not, there is no fake funk in this project. This is music from my heart.' The diversity of the album is refreshing. Heavy jackin', ultra-deep, nasty funk and inventive arrangements are all present, as are legends (Bootsy Collins) and friends (Justin Martin & J Phlip). Creating a complete guide to the musical mind of Claude VonStroke. Every nook and cranny of his feathered frontal lobe, and beyond has been visited. With warm bootsy-fied bass. Lo-ridin', piano riffin', smokers delights and genial vocal cuts sitting brilliantly alongside homages to lost D&B days and the beautiful female form. As with his debut, Claude VonStroke's Bird Brain is a must-own piece of work that expertly blurs the lines between the 'headz only' sounds of the underground, and music that your everyday 'non-dance' friends can enjoy. So few producers can tread that line with the ease of our San-Fran friend, and it is this skill, that of course, makes him King of the Dirty Birds."

Cococoma - Things Are Not All Right CD (Goner) [50GONE] $12.00
Things Are Not All Right is the second album on Goner from the Chicago bash-and-crash pop trio COCOCOMA. Comprised of husband-and-wife BILL and LISA ROE on drums and guitar, respectively, plus MIKE FITZPATRICK on bass and organ, the band is part garage, part psych pop, and all pure punk energy. Things Are Not All Right takes the catchy, spazzy push of their first album and adds depth and more realized production values without slowing down in the least. "CoCoComa's songs sound rowdy and loose-the band's reckless, infectious enthusiasm makes them feel like they could run off the rails at any time, even on a recording."-Miles Raymer, Chicago Reader

Daniel Menche - Kataract CD (Editions Mego) [DEMEGO008CD] $16.00
Editions Mego presents a limited edition release by Portland, Oregon sound artist Daniel Menche. Daniel Menche: Waterfall recordings and electronics. All waterfall field recordings were captured around the Pacific Northwest of the USA, mixed and recorded throughout 2007-2009. Another sizzling power block from Menche, this time capturing the intense force of various Pacific Northwest waterfalls to create a mind-blowing audio sculpture. This single track slices its way through a sonic spectrum of over 39 minutes of high-end processing. One hell of a beauty and a beast! Packaged in stunning, almost disturbing artwork in an edition of 500.

Darius Jones - Man'ish Boy CD (Aum Fidelty) [AUM057] $12.75
Man'ish Boy is a deeply personal work that found DARIUS JONES meditating on his life growing up in the South: not an easy life, but one suffused with familial love, hard work and self-assurance. His experiences in church, particularly hearing gospel choirs-the ecstatic combination of powerful individual voices coming together to create something greater-were a deep inspiration for this project. An abiding respect for elders and the breadth of life experience they bring led Jones to ask elder master musicians COOPER-MOORE (piano, diddley-bo) and RAKALAM BOB MOSES (drums) to be part of this project. Jones first met Moses at a performance while still in Virginia, and they have had a close relationship ever since. Jones joined forces with Cooper-Moore, a fellow Virginian and church-goer as a youth, after moving to NYC. C-M was asked specifically to also play diddley-bo on this project: a one-wire stringed instrument with roots in the deep south via Africa, only heard in a jazz context via Cooper-Moore; with it, he fully brings the organic funk.

Dark Sunny Land - Kon Taan Kor CD (Gulcher) [GULCHER702] $10.25
Boston's STEVE PAINTER is DARK SUNNY LAND. He has also recorded as half of the duo 12 CENT DONKEY, and a third of the trio JAS. Dark Sunny Land uses acoustic and electric guitars (often played in an unorthodox fashion), as well as keyboards, recorder, percussion, various household contraptions, and other found sounds. "The original idea if there ever was one was to have the sound be a lot closer to a Skip James record than how it turned out. But the feeling of the blues is still there, even if most of the blues chords and structure got turned inside out along the way. That's happened to me before. 2008 was a strange summer. I didn't have a job or much money and was pondering mortality more than usual. The recording got done mostly at night in my apartment, which looks out onto the Mass Turnpike. Trains run along the highway. While I was doing the recording I was working on some paintings. Looking back, it seems like the trains and the highway and the night affected the paintings and the songs in a big way-the mood of them, that is. I think each song is distinct though. Actually, you can hear the cars and trucks and even a train going by if you listen hard."-Steve Painter

David Grubbs - Hybrid Song Box.4 CD (Blue Chopsticks) [BLUE020CD] $12.75
"David Grubbs's 26-minute soundtrack to Angela Bulloch's Hybrid Song Box.4 picks up sonically where An Optimist Notes the Dusk left off. Grubbs brings his thick, solid-body electric guitar tone to the most relaxed of tempos, the most spacious of handlings. This instrumental soundtrack is based on a short piece for electric guitar, followed by an interstitial section created with feedback from the last note of the guitar piece. This A/B structure is repeated three times. With each iteration, the guitar composition becomes progressively more scuffed, more degraded. The interstitial section begins at its gentlest and most transparent, and the material gradually becomes stronger and more harmonically distinct over the course of its three iterations. The first composition wanes, the second waxes. Hybrid Song Box.4 is Angela Bulloch's most recent work in a series of 'Pixel Box' sculptural installations. Hybrid Song Box.4 was first shown at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum as part of the exhibition Theanyspacewhatever."

Dirac - Emphasis CD (Spekk) [kk021] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
Dirac consists of Peter Kutin, Daniel Lercher and Florian Kindlinger based in Vienna, Austria. Their music is minimal yet containing variety of imaginitive sounds from drums, guitar to field recordings. Silent emotional music.

Text by Peter Kutin (Dirac):

Our way to create a record is based on the simple principle of direct-recording -- which means the shape and form of our music is basically created within one moment. It is not only about meeting in a studio to do the recordings, but to stay together at one place with a focus on creating music and concentrated listening each day.The isolation from other musical inputs and the reduced input in general, being far off from bigger cities, far off an everyday-live takes you to the point when you don't want to sound like something you know, you just want to search, experiment and play. John Cage said, that experimental music is where the outcome can't be foreseen. These things happen through passion and not ambition.

For 'emphasis', we again went to Salzburg, where we could set up our gear in the basement of Florian's parents house for one week -- the same place we recorded our first album 'dirac'.We recorded about 4 hours everyday , experimenting with different materials and instruments. We later listened to the results at the studio garnison7 in Vienna and did more editing work in a small hut up in the snowy austrian mountains in February 2008 -- it was cold, electricity was short, but it was silent.

DJ Mehdi - Red, Black & Blue: Some Remixes By DJ Mehdi CD (Ed Banger Records) [BEC5772556] $14.75
Highly-acclaimed French hip-hop and electro producer DJ Mehdi presents a selection of his favorite remixes in anticipation of his next full-length album. Red, Black & Blue gathers classic, unreleased, and hard-to-find gems, all mixed by the man himself, DJ Mehdi. Artists include: Busy P, Murs, Joakim, DJ Mehdi & Fafi, Etienne de Crecy, Staygold, David Rubato, New Young Pony Club, Holy Ghost, Sam Sparro, Architecture In Helsinki, Seb Martel, Chromeo, Sebastien Tellier, Steed Lord, Santigold, Cassius, Manu Key, and CSS.

Do Make Say Think - Other Truths CD (Constellation) [CST062] $15.50
The sixth full-length from DO MAKE SAY THINK defiantly features four long-form tracks, three of which clock in at over 10 minutes, and all of which trace the inimitable musical arcs that have made this band justly celebrated for their unique sonic palette and vibrant distillation of compositional forms and influences into some of the past decade's most consistently rich and rewarding instrumental rock. Bucking the trend towards diminishing attention spans, immediate gratification, snappy digital singles and things that go 'pop' right out of the gate, DMST admirably stick to their roots and allow the vines that spring from their fertile musical garden to wind, curl and climb for as long as required. More than ever, the players keep their heads down, creating wonderful multi-movement instrumental works (with the occasional mantric or wordless vocal passage, courtesy of guest singers THE AKRON FAMILY and LULLABYE ARKESTRA), overflowing with attention to tone and timbre, animated by unfussy yet ornate harmony, melody and polyrhythm, shot through with ineffable soul.

Drama Society With Vladislav Delay - Drama Society With Vladislav Delay 12 inch (Drama Society) [DSR001EP] $11.50
"After six years of Drama Society's international artistic activity, Drama Society Recordings is born between Turin and Berlin. Drama Society Recordings is the brand new label founded by Sergio Ricciardone (Club To Club festival art director) and Luca Baldini (solo releasing on F-Comm, HellYeah! and many others). The triple somersault label logotype represents the will to propose a sound that can be the missing link amongst different genres: techno, experimental techno, electronic and quality house music. Aiming to mix eclectic styles and imaginaries, DSR forthcoming releases will feature various collaborations between different producers and Drama Society, anticipated by this first EP with Vladislav Delay. Believing in the void and doing triple somersaults are acts that we have to do regularly. Drama Society Recordings wants to be both the tightrope and the whirling motion."

Dusk + Blackdown vs. Grievous Angel - Margins Music: Redux CD (Keysound Recordings) [LDN014CD] $14.00
Long-rumored, this is UK dubstep ingénue Paul Meme aka Grievous Angel's full-length reworking of Dusk + Blackdown's debut full-length Margins Music. This album is an enduring and regular touchstone and is now a springboard for a whole slew of new dubplate and vinyl activity. As Grievous Angel himself explains: "For me Blackdown and Dusk were always crucial dubstep artists. They deliver tunes that simultaneously hit you in the chest, the feet, and the head, and I listened to Margins Music for months; I loved the way that it was smart, supple music that had real depth, but which would also go off in a club. It fused dubstep with many of London's newly-indigenous music, without being mere cultural tourism, venturing into London's marginal communities and working with other artists. Including, of course, rebuilding the bridge between dubstep and grime -- and not just with any old MC, but with the most vital figures on the scene. And then I got the call. They wanted me to remix the entire album. They were fans of the 'Dubstep Sufferah' series of mixes, where I re-edited and dubbed-up all different kinds of dubstep tunes with extra FX and vocals. The 'Sufferah' series was popular because it provided a widescreen listening experience that most standard DJ mixes didn't offer. I love rough, fast, live DJ mixing, but I wanted to do something different, with a lot of depth and replay value. I was influenced by albums that gave you a whole sonic world to get lost in, such as the classic dub albums of the '70s, like (Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson's) African Dub Chapter Three, the cut and paste techniques of Coldcut's Journeys By DJ, Bill Laswell's dub remixes of Miles Davis on the Panthalassa album and the symphonic, endless soul of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. I see Margins Music as a travelogue through London's post-codes and time-zones, and I wanted to bring out the mythical, narrative element of the songs. Blackdown and Dusk captured London's genius loci almost perfectly; my job was to amplify and concentrate it. London is a universal city, both concrete and symbolic, whose accretions of psycho-geography constrain and liberate the multiple diaspora that comprise its population."

Eli Keszler - Tilt CD (Rel Records) [REL010CD] $13.50
"Tilt is a special edition CD, marking the 10th release on REL. It is a reissue from an out of print CDR originally released on the UK based label Reverb Worship. A solo percussion outing, Tilt features an extra track added for the REL edition and is entirely remastered and reworked from the original. Tracked live with no electronics or modification in the winter of 2009, Tilt covers a wide area of sound from glistening, spinning crotales and stick and drum clusters to high pitched sustain and sympathetic vibration formations. All of this works together to create dense textural metal motion that piles on top of itself. Later moving to a low end, multi-bowed cymbal rumble then returning again to more angular areas. Special double digit design, Tilt features a 'mini' LP size, multi-layered silk screen cover on archival royal blue paper. The CD itself is housed in a fold out canary yellow silk screened booklet, with a vellum wrap around. Featuring multiple drawings by Eli, the inside contains notes on dark grey cardstock with full color CD printing. Released just prior to Keszler's upcoming European solo tour, Tilt is a hand numbered one time edition of 300 copies which marks the beginning of REL's new limited CD series."

Erik Satie - Music For Piano Four Hands CD (Kml Records) [KML1120CD] $21.00
"Fresh from their recent triumphs at the Proms, Katia & Marielle Labèque present their fi rst recording of the music of Erik Satie. The disc starts with the two pianists taking turns interpreting his everpopular Gymnopédie. The other solo works are divided between Katia and Marielle in consideration of their respective temperaments. The pair are finally reunited in duets from the first and last collections of Satie's pieces for four hands."

Evangelista - Prince Of Truth CD (Constellation) [CST061] $15.50
Beginning with her first Constellation release in 2006, CARLA BOZULICH's EVANGELISTA project has steadily been gaining recognition for its complex beauty and fierce, raging appeals. Bozulich has been knocking these and many other ideas into form for two decades (NEON VEINS, ETHYL MEATPLOW, GERALDINE FIBBERS, SCARNELLA). The new Evangelista album Prince Of Truth stays true to the band's uncompromising and compelling combination of delicate coaxing love and wicked cathartic awakening sonic voyage. Not so much confessional as ritual/processional and invitational.

Fecalove - Beautiful CD (Lona) [10664] $11.75
Italian ugly , filthy one man harsh noise / power electronics unit . Started in 2002 . Head of Turgid Animal Records Italian Division , also plays in Splinter Vs Stalin . limited to 60 copies

Foot Village - Anti-magic CD (Upset The Rhythm) [UTR032] $15.50
After a recent collection of singles, EP tracks and remixes on Gilgongo, FOOT VILLAGE return with their new record proper called Anti-Magic. Describing Anti-Magic as a collection of drum essays embracing the physical and rejecting the imaginary, Foot Village rise to a concept. Their first album, World Fantasy, was concerned with songs about other countries, whilst follow-up Friendship Nation documented the founding of Foot Village as a nation in it's own right. With this new album the story of the nation's first war is discussed. A war in opposition to magic and spirituality. A record about resistance to the heathen hordes of sorcerers, prophets and pretenders. This is not a story that Foot Village are telling to make them look like saviors though. It's a warning to not believe everything you're told. Contrary to a first listen to the band's run riot sound, Foot Village are decidedly anti-jam. Very few parts of the record are improvised and their songs are heavily worked on and involved. This can be appreciated on this new album more than ever.

For Against - Never Been CD (Words on Music) [WM7] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 11-10-2009
Signposts: Factory Records, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, Felt. Just one year after the release of their critically lauded SHADE SIDE SUNNY SIDE album, Lincoln, Nebraska post-punk stalwarts FOR AGAINST return with their 9th record, NEVER BEEN.

Formed a quarter of a century ago in 1984, FOR AGAINST has built a devoted worldwide following among dream pop, post-punk, shoegaze, and darkwave enthusiasts. NEVER BEEN marks the second record reuniting singer/bassist Jeffrey Runnings with original guitarist Harry Dingman III, who was a core member of the band's first three albums (Echelons, December, In The Marshes), all recently reissued by Words On Music.

NEVER BEEN showcases the depth and breadth of FOR AGAINST's sonic palate -- alternating angular, foot-stomping post-punk with lush, piano-driven ballads and dark JOY DIVISION-esque dirges, woven together by a few elegant, FELT-inspired instrumentals.

From "Antidote," an unrelenting blast of one hook after another set against a canvas of raw, wintry ambience, to "You Fade," a Closer-inspired composition of bleak lyrics, analog keys, and droning guitars, NEVER BEEN is drenched with atmosphere and hummable melodies to spare. FOR AGAINST's 9th record highlights the continued linkages between the band and the post-punk / FACTORY RECORDS aesthetic which has impacted their sound ever since their earliest recordings 25 years ago.

Former Ghosts - Fleurs CD (Upset The Rhythm) [UTR035] $15.50
FORMER GHOSTS is the synthpop inspired band formed and led by FREDDY RUPPERT (of THIS SONG IS A MESS BUT SO AM I) and consisting of JAMIE STEWART (XIU XIU) and NIKA ROZA (ZOLA JESUS). The album sweeps through you with it's sweet melodic side, sprinkling in sharp, chaotic, discordant moments-as if to punish you for having enjoyed yourself, for having let your guard down.

Fragment. - is your truth carved in the sand? CD (Happy Prince) [HPPR013] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
fragment. (written all in small letters with a period) is a solo project by Thierry ARNAL from France. He started fragment. since 2006 and has released numerous LPs and EPs from Belgium label called ConSouling Sounds and by himself. All guitars, keyboards, bass, programming and vocals are performed by this talented man. Indeed a supernova in the drone metal, shoegazer scene. "is your truth carved in the sand ?" is released by Happy Prince, known to the people for their Nadja release. For fans of Jesu, Alcest and Nadja. Packaged in a special cardboard sleeve. Drawings by Satoshi Ogawa.

Francisco Lopez & Richard Francis - Brombron 14: In De Blaauwe Hand CD (Korm Plastics) [10648] $14.25
though he started as a dj that focused on electronic sounds, ahnst anders wanted to present his own creative output to the public. so in 2003 he replaced record players with musical instruments. he now works as a stage and studio performer who merges collages of noises, organic sounds and electronic music into a inimitable blend of dark ambient and experimental music. his debut album 'dialog' was released in 2007 simultaneously with his first concert at maschinenfest. following this were various remixes, collateral sound work for art exhibitions/installations and a collaborative album with config.sys. now ant-zen presents ahnst anders' second full length album.

'many ways' is based on different field recordings of natural sources (fire, water, wind), found objects (chains, metal breakers) and different daily environments (street sounds, trains). using the inspirations received from these recordings anders transformed the raw sound into tracks that range from ambient to breaks. during the production process he kept his senses and spirit as receptive as possible, treading many paths to achieve this result. this open-mindedness to try 'many ways' named the album.

the music on this release combines ambient soundscapes with a huge variety of rhythmic patterns - from tribal breaks to slow dub-influenced cadences. ruminant keyboard layers with added field samples generate a mixture of soothing and unsettling atmospheres. (dark) ambient, musique concréte and repetitive beats offer a soundtrack for a large number of moods. as anders elaborates: "music is.. the elixir for impetus, joy, emotion.. every day we are exposed to disturbing strong sonic waves; why shouldn't we turn these into something interesting?"

F*** Buttons - Tarot Sport CD (ATP) [ATPR035] $12.75
This is the second full-length release by Bristol, UK duo, FUCK BUTTONS. Conceived by ANDREW HUNG and BENJAMIN JOHN POWER in the winter of 2004, the group was initially born as an outlet for their nihilistic-noise tendencies but quickly, the two F*** Buttons realized they could harness the use of noise as a tool to immerse and evoke. No longer afraid of melody or rhythm, the group started fusing all these elements to the point when drone becomes melody becomes rhythm. The track "Surf Solar" received a Best New Music, 8.0 tag from Pitchfork.

Get Back Guinozzi! - Carpet Madness CD (Fat Cat) [FAT0089] $13.25
Carpet Madness, the debut album from France's GET BACK GUINOZZI!, the newest addition to Fat Cat's roster, is a brilliantly playful, summery hit of outsider pop. Infectiously quirky and breezy, with a strong French slant, Get Back Guinozzi! show a wide range of influences, taking in the likes of Talking Heads, The Feelies, The Smiths, early B-52's, King Sunny Ade, Lee Perry, Rip Rig & Panic, Ariel Pink, The Slits, The Cure, Animal Collective, Jonathan Richman, and Serge Gainsbourg. Infused with the exoticism of reggae, dub, African music, Tropicalia, and Cambodian music from the '60s, the breadth of sources it draws on, allied to its singer's skewed narratives and heavily-inflected English, give the project a distinctive individuality.

Githead - Landing CD (Swim) [WM043CD] $16.25
"Landing marks Githead's fourth release (its third album) since its inception in 2004. In a short career that's boasted more 5-star reviews than most bands have had hot dinners, Landing is, without a doubt, Githead's most accomplished recording to date. For the uninitiated, Githead are Colin Newman (of Wire), Malka Spigel and Max Franken (of Minimal Compact) and Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner). However, who they are is far less important than what they are. And what they are is a band, rather than a collaboration between four individuals. Githead is a band that has developed incrementally and organically: from the Krautrock-infused roots of its 2004 debut EP, Headgit, through an expansion in style and mood on the first album, Pro-file (2005), to the self-descriptive Art Pop (2007)-- critically regarded as the band's zenith. Improbably, Landing goes one better."

Grooms - Rejoicer CD (Death By Audio) [DBA05] $9.00
GROOMS are three friends in Brooklyn who play a structurally mutilated brand of noise pop featuring blissful interplay, sonic experimentation, and song destruction. The band is rooted in the Death By Audio collective, a fertile ground for the band's expansive, forward looking catchiness. With moods that swing from the gloomy to the gleaming, Grooms craft songs filled with beauty, doom, and irony free whimsy. Stacks of Moogs pitted against auxiliary percussion, scream choirs, warm pedal steel, and a whole host of other ideas collide on Rejoicer, and the collision is a jarring and soothing 35-minute ride through what this exciting band is capable of.

Hawnay Troof - Daggers At The Moon CD (Retard Disco) [RET022] $13.75
Evading trends and falling into repetition might be career suicide for most, yet somehow HAWNAY TROOF, the solo outlet of VICE COOLER, has defied these odds and created a world of his own. Over the past four albums he has mixed drive, impulsiveness, and an ever-evolving vision to create some very dividing and interesting sounds. Avoiding all pigeonholes, Daggers At The Moon is the new album and continues the Hawnay Troof trajectory. Emotionally rawer than any previous release, Daggers At The Moon captures the mind of someone troubled yet trying to function in the normal world (Vice has been diagnosed with mental illness). Every song calls on his experience as a "free" drummer, connecting tightly to the pulse that drives the album. Vice Cooler's output on Daggers is a captivating look into one of the most creative and underrated minds America's underground. With co-production and mixing from GREG SAUNIER of DEERHOOF.

Heartsrevolution - Hearts Japan EP CD (Kitsune) [CDA023CD] $12.00
The Kitsuné label presents an exclusive mini-album by hotly-tipped New York-based electro/punk/dance artists, Heartsrevolution, with remixes from the hottest current Japanese artists, along with a selection of the band's previous singles. Heartsrevolution is a trio made up of Lo (vocals), Ben (synths/guitars) and Prince Terrence (drums). They create music that is the perfect dichotomy of energetic dance music and melodic, child-like euphoria. Since the beginning, a love story has been developing between the band and Japan -- they actually played at Summersonic Festival -- and this is where the idea of having their song "Dance Till Dawn" remixed by the crème de la crème of Japanese producers came from. 80kidz, Dex Pistols and AMWE all jumped at the project, and Heartsrevolution's Hearts Japan EP was created. Moreover, a fantasy manga video featuring the characters on the CD cover illustrates the song. As all the band's releases to date have been limited edition vinyl, the EP was completed by a collection of some of their songs -- from love ballads to dancefloor anthems -- to immerse every listener into Heartsrevolution's amazing and unique world before the release of their debut album, which is certain to set dancefloors -- and hearts -- on fire.

Heavy Trash - Midnight Soul Serenade CD (Big Legal Mess) [BLM0248] $12.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***On their third full-length record, HEAVY TRASH (JON SPENCER and MATT VERTA-RAY) continue their journey, delivering a stunning portrait of love and devotion gone good, gone wrong and just gone. The album is a slightly darker, barrel-fermented and brilliantly matured dose of Heavy Trash. On every track Verta-Ray's guitars pulsate, ooze and percolate, while Spencer croons and twangs, shakes and shudders with raw power and passion.

Hush Arbors - Yankee Reality CD (Ecstatic Peace) [E#100L] $10.25
"This is a classic, timeless, ageless American album, full of hope and yearning, beauty and melancholy, and which pours out stories like flowers. Are these rainbow-at-end-of-the-world songs? Or heart's break/heart's ease-at-the-end-of-the-road songs? Anyway, I thought of horses and acid, death sleeping in a shack, the river bursting its banks and grinning like whisky, the birdlight and fading empires. Starry, dreamlike, plaintive, gorgeous and broken, Yankee Reality is a perfect and utterly individual work, endlessly inventive yet instantly recognizable as being in a noble and generous tradition. Yankee Reality sends shivers through my body when I listen to it. I don't know where to start, because I don't know where it ends. A circular masterpiece effortlessly stationed between the sea, the sun and the moon."-David Tibet (Anok Pe/Current 93)

Iain Matthews & Searing Quartet - Joy Mining CD (Fledg'ling) [FLED3083CD] $16.00
This is the debut release by UK-born/Netherlands-based singer/songwriter Iain Matthews and The Netherland's Searing Quartet. On paper, Iain Matthews and the Searing Quartet is a strange pairing. Quartet leader Egbert Derix is an established jazz composer, and Iain Matthews has had a long-established history in the UK as one of the foremost folk singer/songwriters, especially considering he was a founding member of Fairport Convention, going on to form the highly-successful Matthews' Southern Comfort and Plainsong. However, if we break down these borders, look deeper and think in terms of quality, rather than genres, it's a musical marriage made in heaven. The pair first came together in 2003, touring with a live version of Matthews' legendary 1970 solo album If You Saw Thro' My Eyes. Plans were made at the time to forge a writing partnership, only for it to be capsized by other career commitments. But not before they had two new songs in the bag and the realization that an ease and understanding of the writing process existed between them. Fast forward five years, when Matthews extended an invitation to Derix and the Searing Quartet, to appear in his performance series, "Common Grounds." Part of the concept for the series is that the host plays two songs with his guests. Egbert suggested doing two older Matthews compositions and the result was quite astounding. It appeared to all in attendance that the two songs had been performed by this line-up many times; "I had shivers running up and down my spine," says Matthews, "It was almost a life-changing experience. I knew then that something magical was in the air." Within weeks, the pair were writing together again, and this time the result was breathtaking. Derix's finely-honed sense of melody and Matthews' carefully-crafted lyrics and emotion-laden vocals created something very precise and special -- soaring ballads supported by a well-wrought, classic jazz backbone.

Inca Ore - Silver Sea Surfer School CD (Acuarela) [nois1095] $13.50
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
The songs on Silver Sea Surfer School were culled over months of playing in her home studio on 13th Avenue in Oakland and many began as odes to her neighbors who could hear her practices clearly. They were guided by ideas of gospel and centered around emotional and spiritual themes but playfully boogie with goofy touches and punctures of highness. Infinite friendship, rebirth through love, dialing the muse, braving the rushing rapids of a lifetime - all themes cradled and polished on this disc, and stirred and mixed with a few more abstracted touches like an obsidian organ track and a couple of escapes into smeary selfness.

Inspector 22 - Hey Man, I Understand CD (Odessa) [ODE04] $12.75
Hey Man, I Understand runs the gamut of sonic exploration, from the metal machine music of "Moon Landing ,Take One," through the ambient haze of "Tea With Pazuzu" and the four-track folk of "Gone Truckin." The song cycle weaves together hypnotic instrumentals with more heavily vocal based songs. Informed by the esoteric, but always bringing it back to the familiar, it is a journey through the world of a great artist. A rare glimpse that is sometimes harrowing, often funny, and always engaging.

Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven - Incidental Music CD (Sub Rosa) [SR276CD] $14.75
Belgian composer, improviser and pianist Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven presents music for an absent film, Incidental Music -- 33 miniatures for piano and chamber orchestra taken from theater performances or documentaries. These pieces find new life here, released from their original context, inviting the listener's imagination to recreate their story, perhaps from a long-lost French film of the 1970s. As the composer contextualizes, "I was born, musically speaking, with film music. George Delerue, Philippe Sarde, Ennio Morricone, Michel Legrand, Francis Lai, Gabriel Yared, François de Roubaix, Antoine Duhamel, and many more are responsible for my first musical emotions. Those childhood evenings lying flat on my belly in front of the family's TV screen watching the films of Sautet, Lelouch, Verneuil, De Broca, Truffaut, Audiard, Almodovar and so many others were an endless spring of emotions at which -- I understand it now -- I quenched my thirst for the deepest emotions buried within myself. It is almost surprising that I have not tried earlier to practice what I have considered since childhood to be the most beautiful profession in the world: to be a composer of film music." Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven treads the career path of an atypical musician where classical, contemporary, electroacoustic, jazz and improvisation, French chanson, theater, dance, cinema, and literature coexist side-by-side. Far from being a mindlessly voracious form of eclecticism, his penchant towards diversity is the expression of a single-minded passion, an open-minded spirit which steers clear of pigeon-holing and weaves connecting threads between styles, genres and periods.

Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine - Audacity Of Hype CD (Alternative Tentacles) [VIRUS411] $12.00
Inspired by The Stooges gig on Iggy Pop's 60th birthday in San Francisco, JELLO BIAFRA laid plans for his own 50th birthday party and finally decided it was time to start a band of his own. After cramming practices for a month, the four-piece dubbed themselves JELLO BIAFRA AND THE AXIS OF MERRY EVILDOERS! and featured Biafra, RALPH SPIGHT (VICTIMS FAMILY, FREAK ACCIDENT, HELLWORMS), JON WEISS (SHARKBAIT, HORSEY), and BILLY GOULD (FAITH NO MORE). The band took the stage in a sold-out two-night stand at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. Flush from that exhilarating triumph, nine months of rehearsal and writing followed; they added ace guitarist KIMO BALL (FREAK ACCIDENT, CARNEYBALL JOHNSON, MOL TRIFFID, GRIDDLE), and christened themselves JELLO BIAFRA AND THE GUANTANAMO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. The band's twin guitar attack retains some of the space-punk overtones and spy-music-on-meth chaos of THE DEAD KENNEDYS while adding a healthy dose of Detroit-style proto-punk flavored with Weiss' industrial excursions into metal percussion. Thirty years on, Biafra solidifies and expands his uncompromising vision and updates it for the new century, with a powerhouse band that promises to be a terrifying live machine. Shepard Fairey parody artwork by SHEPARD FAIREY himself.

Joe Morris - Colorfield CD (ESPDisk) [ESPDISK4056CD] $12.75
"Joe Morris returns both to the guitar and to ESP-Disk with the long form improvisation album Colorfield. Much as the Colorfield painters simplified their compositions to evoke emotion with color, this trio emphasizes harmony, phrase, tempo and rhythm to electrifying results. Morris has been called the preeminent American jazz guitarist of our time, and, on Colorfield, his playing is characteristically intense, eloquent and melodic. The ranks of the trio are filled out by two of the most talented and skillful improvisors on the scene today, Steve Lantner and Luther Gray. Lantner's soloing on this recording has a state-of-the-art fluidity, energy, shape and dynamic variety while Gray, a master of the school of Free Music drumming, provides a constantly shifting but still driving groove that punctuates each moment with precision and invention. To see musicians of this caliber fuse their talents to create an original, dense and deeply contemplative work such as Colorfield is extraordinary. As a result, the album gets better with every listen."

Julia Wolfe - Dark Full Ride CD (Cantaloupe) [CA21058CD] $18.00
Julia Wolfe's Dark Full Ride consists of four new compositions, each written for multiples of individual instruments -- nine bagpipes, four drum sets, six pianos and eight double basses. Wolfe says, 'Like staring for a long time at a Rothko painting, I imagined each of these pieces as an exploration of one color. But in truth an instrument isn't really a single timbre. There are a myriad of worlds within each sound.' Working closely with the performers during the composing process, Wolfe uncovers a never-before-heard music. For example, while writing LAD, she uses the initial drone produced while filling the bagpipe with air as the piece's introduction. Says Wolfe, 'With each piece I tried to dive into a psychedelic landscape, at once multilayered, fractured, ecstatic, silent, driving, cacophonous and direct.'"

Keith Rowe/Toshimaru Nakamura - ErstLive 008 CD (Erstwhile) [EL008CD] $13.50
"In September 2008, legendary guitarist Keith Rowe played four sets in three nights in the AMPLIFY 2008: Light festival in Tokyo. The festival marked Rowe's fourth trip to Japan in his 40+ year career and the first time he was able to work closely with so many Tokyo musicians on their home turf. As the only non-Japanese participant in the festival, Rowe took the opportunity to both move his aesthetic towards his collaborators (in the duo sets), as well as to make a strongly contrasting individual statement in his solo set, which he later titled Cultural Templates. All four of those sets are now available in the ErstLive series: the premiere meeting of Rowe and Taku Unami; the aforementioned Cultural Templates, Rowe's first solo set ever in Tokyo; the premiere meeting of Rowe and Sachiko M, as part of the double CD Contact, and now the concluding set to the festival, Rowe's duo with his long-time partner Toshimaru Nakamura, completing the tetralogy. AMPLIFY 2008: Light was an intense and deeply immersive experience for all who were lucky enough to be present, and quite a bit of that was attributable to Rowe's four sets, which are now available for all to hear."

Kim Fowley - One Man's Garbage CD (Norton Records) [CED355CD] $12.75
"One man's garbage is another man's gold! Norton presents a Golden Decade (1959-69) of Kim Fowley's elusive, previously properly unheralded visionary escapades that reinforce the fact that Kim is.... GODHEAD! Posh gatefold LPs feature extensive liner notes from Mr. Fowley, presented in his own inimitable mega genius steeltrap-memory way! Stand now and salute the man, and each of these great records which blast right today as they did back when the chicken was the egg! Tracklist: Bruce And Jerry - I Saw Her First; Patterns - Late Late Show; U.S. Rockets - Bodacious; Rituals - This Is Paradise; Donnie And The Outcasts - Big Fat Alaskan; Renegades - Charge; Players - The Rebel; Kim And The Skippers - Daybreaker; Mo And Jo - The Yo Yo Song; Johnny C And The Blazes - Inferno; Kim Fowley - Music Is The Magic; Blue Bells - Moccasin; Althea And The Memories - Dedication Time; Kim Fowley - Underground Lady; Kim Fowley And Mars Bonfire - Surf Pigs*; Althea And The Memories - Worst Record Ever Made (* = Previously Unissued).

Kim Fowley - Another Man's Gold CD (Norton Records) [CED356CD] $12.75
Tracklist: Renegades - Geronimo; Kim Fowley - Big Sur, Bear Mountain, Ciro's, Flip Side Protest Song; Gamblers - Teen Machine; Vaqueros - Vaquero Beat; Players - Memories Of A High School Bride; Aston Martin And The Moon Discs - Fallout; Cover Girls - Gone But Not Forgotten; Daywins - Heartbeat; Rituals - Surfers Rule; Bonnie And The Treasures - Eleventh Commandment Of Love*; Renegades - Ghost Train*; Hollywood Argyles - Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack; Donnie And The Outcasts - Bounty Hunter; Althea And The Memories - Daddy Said; U.S. Rockets - March Of The Siamese Children; Rituals - Gone (* = previously unissued)

Klc_nir - World CD (Lona) [10666] $11.75
This is the artist first attempt on Guitar Soundscape/Noise. KLC_NIR make his own way on contemplating the "World". All the sounds are processed on the base of recorded guitar sounds and reflectes diversified experiments on the artist's emotions and thoughts. This "World" is not only the world we are in, but also another world in our mind that hard to perceived. Titles of all the tracks can help listeners to get some ideas of the concept about the "World" in some ways. However, listeners will have their own different feelings about the sounds that present.

Koushik - Out My Window (Instrumentals + Bonus Beats) CD (Stones Throw) [STH2217CD] $18.00
"Out My Window (Instrumentals + Bonus Beats) is a companion piece for Koushik's debut album. Following several years of building his name through a series of low-key EPs on Stones Throw, remixes for Madvillain, Four Tet, and Light In The Attic records, Koushik is ready to make a name for himself."

Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights CD (Load) [load126] $12.75
After scrapping two entire full lengths, LB is finally ready to unleash new music to the masses. Taking the lessons of extreme metal, blood-brother marrying them to expansive & explosive song form and applying it to Olympic training methods - "Earthly Delights" uses electric stimulus to shock smile technology to worldwide domes. This is what 2000 years of evolution & the invention of electric instrumentation introduced into the tank of hook force can do to you. This record has the sound of a ten piece band with a much tighter pay scale, matched with the sonics of military cartoons. Swank artwork by Brian Chippendale.

Lily of the Valley - My Secret Garden CD (Happy Prince) [HPPR011] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
Lily of the Valley hails from the northern town of Japan, Sendai. They are known to the crowds with their contribution to the great Japanese shoegazer compilation album "Total Feedback". Nozomi (vocal, keyboard, programming, etc) and Tsukasa (guitars) creates dream-pop songs which consists of multiple chorus layers, soft beautiful guitars and electronic productions. For fans of Mahogany, early-Aarktica, Cruyff In The Bedroom and Asobi Sekusu. Packaged in a special cardboard sleeve with a booklet.

Lisa Hammer - Dakini CD (Projekt) [10674] $14.50
Dakini takes the celestial voice of filmmaker Lisa Hammer and layers it with drones, ragas, tribal drums and folk music to create a roller coaster of emotions: a cultural and spiritual mix of Indian, medieval and modern ambience. Dakini is a new revelation for the fans of Lisa's previous work as vocalist for Mors Syphilitica & Requiem in White. A departure from tradition, an enlightened development in her musical path.

A dakini is an elusive tantric deity that might best be described as a female embodiment of enlightened energy - "she who traverses the sky" or "she who moves in space." She is also depicted as wrathful in that she cuts through human ego and ignorance with a vengeance. Her feminine powers are very strong: generally volatile or wrathful, though also seen as a muse (or inspirational thoughtform) for spiritual practice. Dakinis are energetic beings in female form, evocative of the movement of energy in space. In this context, the sky or space indicates the insubstantiality of all phenomena, which is, at the same time, the pure potentiality for all possible manifestations.

Lover! - No Dreams Please CD (Big Legal Mess) [BLM0246] $9.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***LOVER! is a power pop explosion fermented in the psyche of RICH REATARD (LOST SOUNDS, REATARDS, KNAUGHTY KNIGHTS, AMERICAN DEATH RAY). Teaming up with GREG ROBERTSON (ex-REIGNING SOUND), Rich drags you through his experiences in the deep south town of Nachez, Mississippi. These tunes capture recollections of friendly animal poachers, in the closet crane operators in the Gulf of Mexico and pure blood lust for the men who had kept him down when he was there. The result is a variety of songs ranging from Tuesday night despair to Friday night revenge.

Luc Ferrari - Les Arythmiques CD (Blue Chopsticks) [BLUE019CD] $12.75
"Les Arythmiques is one of the final works created by electroacoustic composer Luc Ferrari. A starting point for the piece was the challenge to represent in sound the jolt of electricity that had been sent across his heart to treat his arrythmia. The sound that he finally crafted to his satisfaction is the crackling, vaguely terrifying one that jolts Les Arythmiques into life and reappears throughout to interrupt the proceedings at the most unlikely moments. The sound environment that the electrical shocks interrupt is that of the EKG's regular beeps, the distant tolling of a church bell, and even more distant sounds resembling birds. In other words, it's the sound of enforced rest, of a patient immobilized. This relatively small repertoire of concrete sounds is examined with a disorienting repetitiveness that brings to mind the mobile-like quality of many of Ferrari's electroacoustic works. Here that quality is combined with the lightning-quick stabs associated with Erik M and Otomo Yoshihide, two artists with whom Ferrari collaborated in his final years. Les Arythmiques ultimately moves beyond the hospital room by delving into an archive of remembered sounds. Murmurings in Italian give way to the English-language interjection 'Are y'all familiar with the parts of a saddle?' -- the composer's reflection on material gathered in the American Southwest for his Far-West News series. Ferrari's characteristic humor is here, particularly in the superimposition of diverse sound environments. But Les Arythmiques also possesses a nagging unease, a persistent gravity that both listener and composer cannot shake. Les Arythmiques was included as part of the ten-CD box set Luc Ferrari: L'Oeuvre Ä?lectronique (Ina GRM). This is the first time that it has appeared as a separate release."

Luciano - Tribute To The Sun CD+^DVD CD (Cadenza) [CADENZA005CD] $17.25
Cadenza presents the second official studio album by Swiss-Chilean DJ/producer and Cadenza label-head Lucien Nicolet (aka Luciano, Lucien-N-Luciano), plus a 52-minute DVD documentary film chronicling the artist's South American tour. Since his first record Blind Behaviour in 2004, Luciano has earned his place among electronic dance music's most celebrated names. He's racked up singles for the likes of Mental Groove, Perlon, Desolat and of course, Cadenza, he's remixed everyone from M83 to Salif Keita, his mix CDs have showcased minimal house and techno at their most sensual, supple and jubilant, and his DJ sets have become the stuff of legend. At long last, with Tribute To The Sun, Luciano delivers one of the definitive highlights of his career. Not merely a "dance" or "electronic" record, Tribute incorporates musical styles from around the globe with Luciano's inimitable rhythmic sensibility. It draws upon Luciano's extensive experience as a mover of bodies and a reader of minds. Many of its grooves form an integral part of Luciano's DJ sets, having been road-tested and continually refined. Tribute To The Sun is, above all, a highly personal portrait of the artist. Informed by the ups and downs of the artist's life, its moods run from the heavenly grace of "Celestial" to the outright madness of "Metodisma" in a diverse mix of world and techno beats. Four years in the making, the album finds Luciano collaborating with a cast of musicians, including Martina Topley-Bird, known for her haunting contributions to Tricky's early classics, as well as for her solo career and collaborations; Senegal's Ali Boulo Santo, heir to a long line of griots and nephew of the legendary "King of the Kora," Soundioulou Cissoko, Switzerland's Bruno Bieri, the inventor of the Hang, a kind of steel drum with a sound like a mountain stream; and Israeli percussionist Omri Hason. Underscoring the significance of the album, Tribute To The Sun will be released as a special CD/DVD package. On the DVD, Swiss director Raphaela Sibilla documents Luciano's last South American tour in a 52-minute film called La Ruta Del Sol - Luciano's Diary, which follows him for three weeks through Lima, Buenos Aires, São Paulo and of course, Santiago de Chile, the city so crucial to Luciano's musical origins. On stage, behind the decks, and on the road, this intimate portrait of the artist makes the perfect complement to an album that's as much a personal as a musical milestone. Format: NTSC DVD; Language: VOST (English/French/Spanish); Subtitles: English; Running Time: 52 minutes.

Machinefabriek & Andrea Belfi - Brombron 15: Pulses and Places CD (Korm Plastics) [10649] $14.25
though he started as a dj that focused on electronic sounds, ahnst anders wanted to present his own creative output to the public. so in 2003 he replaced record players with musical instruments. he now works as a stage and studio performer who merges collages of noises, organic sounds and electronic music into a inimitable blend of dark ambient and experimental music. his debut album 'dialog' was released in 2007 simultaneously with his first concert at maschinenfest. following this were various remixes, collateral sound work for art exhibitions/installations and a collaborative album with config.sys. now ant-zen presents ahnst anders' second full length album.

'many ways' is based on different field recordings of natural sources (fire, water, wind), found objects (chains, metal breakers) and different daily environments (street sounds, trains). using the inspirations received from these recordings anders transformed the raw sound into tracks that range from ambient to breaks. during the production process he kept his senses and spirit as receptive as possible, treading many paths to achieve this result. this open-mindedness to try 'many ways' named the album.

the music on this release combines ambient soundscapes with a huge variety of rhythmic patterns - from tribal breaks to slow dub-influenced cadences. ruminant keyboard layers with added field samples generate a mixture of soothing and unsettling atmospheres. (dark) ambient, musique concréte and repetitive beats offer a soundtrack for a large number of moods. as anders elaborates: "music is.. the elixir for impetus, joy, emotion.. every day we are exposed to disturbing strong sonic waves; why shouldn't we turn these into something interesting?"

Marcus Nasty - Rinse: 10 CD (Rinse) [RINSE014CD] $16.00
This is the tenth edition of the Rinse label's compilation series, mixed by Marcus Nasty, founder of legendary grime collective, N.A.S.T.Y. Crew, which includes Kano, Ghetts, and D Double E. Features an almost entirely exclusive tracklisting and in-demand club smashes from producers including Crazy Cousinz, Lil Silva, and Roska. Marcus documents funky -- the most current and vibrant evolution of Britain's urban dance scene -- with an hour of all killer and no filler rump-shaker cuts. His style is unique, swift and high octane, a style he developed through his desire to hear as many different tracks as possible in one sitting. His ability to keep the dancefloor moving all night has positioned him as one of funky's most in-demand DJs and his name on a flyer brings ravers from far and wide. When Marcus first came across funky, there was no name for the music. The producers received little attention from DJs because the producers themselves (many of whom had come from grime) didn't know what they were making. Truth be told, they were trying to make house but struggled for recognition because of the difference in production style between their sound and the sanitized U.S. house sound. Marcus recognized this difference as distinctly British and understood it immediately. He called all the producers he knew that were making this new sound and told them to spread the word and to send him their music. A few years on, and Marcus, who was originally inspired by Wigman as the first to introduce the urban scene to house, has been instrumental in developing this latest incarnation of British urban music. So, Rinse: 10 is an absolute must-check for anyone that wants to know about what's going on today in the British urban clubbing scene, as once again, Rinse brings you a mix CD direct from the source. Other artists include: Fuzzy Logic, L.A. Cartier, Ill Blu, Mad One, Vato Gonzalez, Enrique Benetez, Mia Mendez, Altered Natives, Nitro + Plague, Essence, Naughty, Funkystepz, Geeneus, Jamie George, Agent X, Rudimental, May, Mark Ambiance, Perempay, Kris Baya, S-Tee, Sacha, Scotty D & Nikki Slimting, Sweet Boy Candy, Jallapino, Bass Boy, Cad, and Funkystepz.

Maurizio Bianchi - March-ex CD (Lona) [10665] $11.75
March-Ex (based on the book of Genesis, chapter 31, verse 35)

Preface: To obtain the menarchal attention of creative limits in a special synthetic subject, electro-hematic photocompositions scratched to the declivity as always different to obtain a dysmenorrheic catalyst. It was planned for soft shapes, extreme perfection, hematopoietic spirituality, however that was a simple labial menometrorrhagia. The tendinous tissue adapted the metabolism of coagulative effects, on the pestilential determination to guarantee the menorrhagic splendor among impressive recordings. Spurring the processional metrorrhagia of reformable background and concrete oligomenorrhea; between the infinite paths, our hypomenorrhagic point of view is inevitably furnished in a genuine horrors of our amenorrhagic time, mysterious of lightning along with the sanguinolent and peripheral activities. The polymenorrheic reputation or some excursions to a consequent capillarisation of hematogenous resistance. To modify the sedentary escape. This is the hemostatic defrosting of "March-ex".`

This work is not dedicated to the Dr. Hermann Stieve (22-5-1886 / 6-9-1952) LImited to 150 copies

Merzbow - 13 Japanese Birds Volume 10 CD (Important) [IMPREC270] $13.00
RELEASE DATE: 11-09-2009
Merzbow's 13 Japanese Birds is a 13 month series of releases inspired by Olivier Messaien's Catalogue D'Oiseaux. Beginning in January 2009 one volume of 13 Japanese Birds will be released each month. The 13th and final volume will be released January 2010. Each volume will be a one time pressing of 1000 copies. Available from Important Records is a deluxe hand made numbered bamboo box to hold the 13 cd collection. Cover art by Jenny Akita.

Author, activist, painter and sound artist Masami Akita had been at the foreground of experimental music for over 25 years. Inspired by psycedelic rock, free jazz, early electronic composition as well the physical arts, especial Kurt Schwitters' Merzbau, Masami Akita has created a musical language all his own.

Mi Loco Tango - Del Diablo Y Del Angel CD (Zama Recordings) [ZAMA003CD] $16.00
Award-winning Frankfurt-based tango nuevo quartet Mi Loco Tango pay tribute to Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla with Del Diablo Y Del Angel (trans. "About Devils And Angels"). This magnificent tango-innovator dedicated an entire range of original compositions to the devil and the angels and scattered them in many of his publications and compositions. Now these little stories are combined and confronted. In the middle are the two cycles "Del Diablo" and "Del Angel" -- rarely played Piazzolla pieces. The four musicians, consisting of a bayanist (chromatic button accordion player) from Russia, a violinist and a pianist from Germany and a German-French double-bass player, have already proven their virtuosity with Piazzolla's works, for which they were awarded the World Music Prize Creole 2007 & Laureate 2 at the Astor Piazzolla Festival. Through the use of their instruments, they show how devious an angel is and how magically appealing the devil can be. The violin howls like a werewolf, the double bass becomes a percussive, slashing instrument of torture, the piano is heavenly, and the bayan, at the top of its mastery, produces the deepest registers to the highest. Mi Loco Tango creates a contrasting rainbow of sounds through the work of Astor Piazzolla and is not afraid of the unexpected. For example, for the melodramic "El Tango," the quartet had the lyrics translated from the original Spanish (by the great Argentinean author Jorge Luis Borges) and invited the performer and director Willy Praml (he is the father of the double-bass player Gregor Praml) to their studio-sessions to work with him to achieve an absolutely new interpretation. Alberto Mompellio is responsible for refining the arrangements to "Adios Nonino" and "Mumuki," which, through his Italian origins, have given a completely new meaning to the genre of tango nuevo. With Del Diablo Y Del Angel, Mi Loco Tango present sweeping, quixotic theatrical amusements that clearly show that the tango they play comes from deep inside their hearts and souls.

Mi Loco Tango - Il Cinema: Il Paradiso! CD (Zama Recordings) [ZAMA004CD] $16.00
Film soundtracks evoke strong emotions but often stand back in favor of performers and stage direction. However, the music created for big orchestras remains in the memory of the viewer -- it leaves its mark, even when the movie has long finished. But what is left if one tries to dissect a complex piece of orchestral score music into its components in an effort to take every individual part seriously? The international ensemble Mi Loco Tango dared to do so. The four musicians, fascinated by the "secret" power of Italian film soundtracks, experimented with their own instruments. Is it possible to play just four instruments and create a sound experience equal to the quality of the big orchestras, and even further, to add to it? The answer is "yes," because the various possibilities of playing the instruments within the quartet, consisting of an accordion, a violin, a piano and a double bass, are taken to the limit. The soundtracks of the great Italian composers are taken further by this reduction. Special guest Franco De Gemini (harmonica) did for the harmonica what Anton Karas did for the zither with the theme from The Third Man. Nearly 40 years ago, De Gemini played "The Man With The Harmonica" for Sergio Leone's classic Western Once Upon A Time In The West, probably the most famous harmonica tune in movie history. This in-demand studio musician and composer of the virtuoso harmonica has played a part in more than 800 soundtracks. The arrangements of the pieces played by Mi Loco Tango were created with the help of Alberto Mompellio, one of the most in-demand studio musicians in Italy. Among others, he has worked with Fabrizio De Andre and Milva. His commissions for compositions and orchestral arrangements of soundtracks led him to Hollywood (e.g. Igby Goes Down, All The Queen's Men). Mi Loco Tango interpret music from Amarcord, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Once Upon A Time In The West, The Mass Is Over, 8½, Rocco And His Brothers, Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion, Life Is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, The Vikings, A Fistful Of Dynamite, The Godfather, Two Women, and The Orchestra Rehearsal.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Summer Of Fear CD (Saddle Creek) [LBJ142] $12.75
Summer of Fear is the culmination of years spent in eight-track studios, cypher-fueled jam sessions, and dicey club dates that often ended in fist fights and broken glass. Not to mention a revolving door of collaborators that helped MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON work out the kinks in his skewed pop hooks and melancholic melodies, including the GRIZZLY BEAR members (drummer CHRISTOPHER BEAR, multi-instrumentalist/producer CHRIS TAYLOR), who worked on Robinson's self-titled solo disc several winters ago. As acclaimed as Robinson's debut was when it finally received a proper pressing in 2008, the effort was meant to be a glorified demo. Summer of Fear is what happened six months prior, as life alternated between darkness and light, and spare bedroom songs blossomed into speaker-popping arrangements of sweeping strings, honking horns, and chords that cut so deeply they're bound to leave a mark. A biting cross-section of Petty and Dylan, Pavement and Fleetwood Mac, delivering a eulogy to yesterday and the curtain-drawing promise of another day. Not just any day, either; a day Robinson's determined to seize on an international stage, with a battered guitar by his side and a four-alarm fire in his chest.

Mordant Music - SyMptoMs CD (Mordant Music) [MORDANT035CD] $16.00
"Mordant Music drag a second albuMM in earnest from 2009's ruddy pancreas -- this time for choral spores one & all. Baron Mordant presents SyMptoMs as a standalone audio bollard in a field of flatly rejected flax. A symptom of itself in many ways SyMptoMs taps into the verbal hinterland of deranged solo sessions prised from Cable Hut in Abermawr, an injured hotel room in Bali & the skewed Wood Green triangulation. A dolmen here, a punctured football there. Delta coffee & no signal. These thirteen MoMents cavort in the realm known as the present & are part of an allegory that has yet to coMMence. Wrong trees can get barked at for the right reasons. SyMptoMs rides a fetid larynx and the Baron trusts that what initially turned him off eventually turns you ohm...listen to it beside yourself." -- SingalongaMMax

MV & EE - Barn Nova CD (Ecstatic Peace) [E#109C] $10.25
Still harvesting and sustaining in the deep woods of Vermont , MV & EE (MATT VALENTINE of TOWER RECORDINGS and ERICA ELDER) are following their 2008 release Drone Trailer with their feature-film-for-the-blind Barn Nova, which marks their return to the Ecstatic Peace! label. MV & EE aspire to the sort of beautifully rewarding standard in their documented output that Sun Ra or The Grateful Dead achieved. It is with Ecstatic Peace! that their most consistent works have been born and continue reach fans with THE GOLDEN ROAD, their most constant band. Together with DOC DUNN (pedal steel, rhythm guitar, vocals, drums) and MIKE SMITH (Rickenbacker 4001, vocals) who appeared on Drone Trailer as well as J MASCIS (drums, guitar, plate reverb) and WOODS' JEREMY EARL (vocal, drums), they take you on the ride now known as Barn Nova and here they jam. JUSTIN PIZZOFERRATO also appears contributing percussion, space echo and aiding once again at the controls. This album was recorded at MV & EE's own home studio Maximum Arousal Farm, as well as their current local New England rooms of choice, Bank Row (an old mid 1900's bank) and J's home studio Bisquiteen.

Nancy Elizabeth - Wrought Iron CD (Leaf) [BAY68] $13.25
Like true wrought iron, they rarely make them like this any more. In contrast to the rich tapestries of her debut album, 2007's Battle and Victory, NANCY ELIZABETH takes inspiration from silence and solitude to fuel these strangely gripping, quietly involving songs. Turning her back on the harp that provided the musical focus for her earlier work, Elizabeth employs a fresh instrumental palette for Wrought Iron-including guitar, glockenspiel, vibraphone and a hundred-year-old Dulcitone-building the album around her instrument of choice, the piano, and her warm, unaffected voice. The album is as much influenced by the minimalism of Arvo Paert and Steve Reich as by the choral harmonies of Judee Sill and the bare expression of Leonard Cohen's early records. Having recently appeared at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, Elizabeth will perform at several more festivals this summer before a headline European tour in the autumn. Expect a combination of band and solo shows, as she is known for adapting arrangements and instruments to reflect venues and audiences. In the meantime, give this bewitching, unpretentious album the space it deserves. No exports outside the USA.

Natural Yogurt Band - Away With Melancholy CD (Now Again) [NA5043] $16.25
It didn't take much: Gerald "Jazzman" Short signed a mysterious UK-based duo based on their brooding, beat-heavy, difficult-to-categorize demo, conveyed his signing's love of Galt MacDermot, David Axelrod and Ennio Morricone's '60s and '70s masterpieces to Now-Again's Egon, and the duo hatched a plan for an expanded North American issue of what had already been hailed as a fine release in keeping with the best "library music" issues of the same era. By "library music," we're referring, of course, to the production library albums from cult labels like KPM, Dewolfe, Southern, Peer and other imprints whose sole purpose seemed to be supplying talented musicians with a blank disc which they could then inscribe with sounds of their liking. It's taken well over a year, in which time the NATURAL YOGURT BAND's album has gone out of print as Jazzman's limited run was never repressed. This version comes expanded with three bonus tracks never before issued.

Natural Yogurt Band - Away With Melancholy 2x^10 inch CD (Now Again) [NA5043LP] $18.00
"This double 10" version comes expanded with three bonus tracks never before issued and comes packaged in a gatefold, thick cardboard 'paste-on' silver foil jacket. This North American version is also limited to 1,000 pieces -- once they're gone, they're gone."

Neal Morgan - To The Breathing World CD (Drag City) [NM001CD] $12.75
"To The Breathing World is, as the title implies, a debut album, as well as a letter of love to the world at large and small. Sober of voice, ecstatic in heart and mind, Neal Morgan has broken through, and coming through the polyphony of voices and blur of arms and legs and sticks and cymbals is the sound of a manifesto. You see, To The Breathing World is composed entirely of Neal's own drumming and singing -- it's a purposeful venture into the world of song from a singing drummer's perspective behind the traps. It is all Neal, all the time -- just the voices from his head and the kit under his hands. Drums captured with distorted basement thrump, adorned with sweet configurations of vocals that flutter alive above the din -- weaving and swimming, expanding... >From episodic pieces like 'Salamanders' to the rolling funk of 'Love Me World,' To The Breathing World is a sculpture -- no, a mobile, balancing on top of the turrets of the sandcastles of tradition. Or maybe it's a flag, blowing in the natural air, declaring this territory in the name of Neal Morgan. This is new music -- this particular flavor of drum and voice composition is a sound not previously presented for commercial consumption, but for Neal, it's been a long time coming. He's been drumming for twenty years. Over the past few, he's been widely heard and seen as Joanna Newsom's barefooted drummer, appearing on her EP & The Ys Street Band, as well as on tour dates around the world (and on her forthcoming album!). It was between those engagements, hacking away back home in the woodshed, that Neal found the sound he'd been listening for -- and the place to call his own that he'd always hoped to find. Drumming and singing were sacred -- but in order to write songs, he felt he needed other skills and had learned other instruments over the years with which he felt no special bond. As a result, the music never felt like it was his. What had eluded him all along was the recognition that all that he needed was just the drumming and singing!"

Nina Walsh - Bright Lights & Filthy Nights CD (Malicious Damage) [MD641] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
This new album is her most personal yet, both intimate and other-worldy, underpinned with a gamut of emotions and a healthy dose of Nina's humour. The haunting Sweetest Cure wafts in on a bed of flutey tones intertwining with Nina's guitar and classically-trained Audrey Riley's cello, one of the album's defining sounds. The psychedelic undertow of this track, appealingly-vulnerable love song Sail and gorgeous Maybe [complete with gargling rabbit chorus and theremin-like melodies] recall anything from 60s underground acid-folk mavericks like Pearls Before Swine to the log-cabin confessionals of Bon Iver as gentle melodies sigh and fizz in the distance while Nina displays her deceptively-strong, lived-through voice.

Storms, sung with Gareth Thomas, conjures an autumnal feel with Audrey's cello and subtle electronic swells, somewhat recalling John Cale's work with Nico in the late 60s. Reference points can be a bit silly but this album does evoke some of that period's overlooked but highly-influential artists. I Be-lieved In You is another atmospheric soundscape topped with eerie sci-fi melodies and heavily-treated vocals, a disembodiedly beautiful feel continued with the deep cello heaves and subtly-shifting elec-tronic melodies of Narcissist. Changing mood again, Bright Lights And Filthy Nights is a catchy, lyrically-poignant slice of urban folk, then offset by the mischievous whoopee of Love Leech, helped by Max Garrett. One of the highlights is Industrial Folk, a collaboration with Spooky's Charlie May which charts similar hallucino-folk terrain to Tim Buckley's Goodbye And Hello with its shimmering textures and ma-rimba tones.

After the brief, John Fahey bounce of No Deliverance, the defiant, spirit-hoisting Strong steams in, boasting an air-punching chorus which would be a worldwide smash if Oasis had done it [coming with whirring swamp-gas bonus remix]. Finally the gentle Goodnight My Sweet, sends the album out on a rippling bed of swirling textures and baroque subtleties. The main thing which comes over here is the personality and panoramic musical visions of a wonderful, restless spirit, hopping from mood to mood like the rabbits she loves. Timeless tackle.

No Friends - No Friends CD (No Idea) [NIR259] $12.00
So THIS is what happens when you lock TONY (MUNICIPAL WASTE) and SAM, RICHARD and ALEX (NEW MEXICAN DISASTER SQUAD) in a cement mixer! Right on!! NO FRIENDS seethes and boils with the same unbridled fury that defined mid-'80s hardcore while also drawing strongly on the melodic elements pioneered by Dag Nasty and Descendents. Cynical, misanthropic, and critical, this record exists in the gray area between a punch to the throat and a desperate hug from an old friend.

No One Pulse - E CD (Re-records) [10667] $12.00
In this second full length album from the Hong Kong electro-acoustic duo, the micro-noise improvisation journey continues. With two long live improvisation cuts and two short studio recordings, E is the place where micro-sound meets noise electronics. If the last album, LINGK, is a revelation of the quantum mechanical sonic world, E is a bold venture in testing the boundary of such sub-atomic territory.

Biography: No One Pulse is an experimental electro-acoustic duo formed by Wong Chung-fai (Sin:Ned) and Chau Kin-wai (KWC) from Hong Kong.

Their collaboration first started in 2003 for the audio/visual internet project "60 seconds" and participated in the multi-media live event "Media Jam" for Hong Kong Sound & Vision Festival in 2003.

The two formed as No One Pulse in 2006, exploring the concept of free improvisation and the world of free-from electronics that embraces randomness, chaotic structure, and microsound methodology by means of non-musical instrument and devices.

File under: Electro-acoustic, Improvisation, micro-noise, Experimental

Old Canes - Feral Harmonic CD (Saddle Creek) [LBJ140] $13.25
Drum tracks laid to tape on a snowy winter day. Perhaps surprising to imagine, given the album's warmth and unabashed exuberance, but that's how the foundation was built for Feral Harmonic, the sophomore album from OLD CRANES. The music on Feral Harmonic is bold and loud. While folk music at heart, the presentation is far from traditional, with the songs drawing elements from different influences (such as indie and even punk rock), and the rule book of contemporary recording thrown out the window. All of life's energies, contrasts and complements-strength and weakness, courage and fear, joy and despair-are in Feral Harmonic, a wild state of musical harmony and sounds as unfettered and irrepressible as the intent with which it was crafted. Beautifully packaged with a wrap-around ribbon tie.

Orenda Fink - Ask The Night CD (Saddle Creek) [LBJ139] $12.75
The latest from one-half of AZURE RAY, ORENDA FINK. Ask The Night was primarily recorded live to 8-track by STEPHEN BARTOLOMEI (Mal Madrigal) in Orenda's former Omaha basement as well as by ANDY LEMASTER (Now It's Overhead; production on Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Azure Ray) in his Athens, GA living room. The songs on Ask The Night vary in tone and style, often defying simple categorization. Subtle genre hints emerge such as old-time waltz, country, folk and haunting bluegrass, while the instrumentation includes acoustic and slide guitar, mandolin, banjo, accordion, violin, upright bass, pump organ and even saw. The album features a wide variety of players and singers, including producers Stephen Bartolomei and Andy LeMaster, ISAAC BROCK (MODEST MOUSE), DAN McCARTHY and ADRIANNE VERHOEVEN (DRI, THE ANNIVERSARY, ART IN MANILLA), among others.

Pelican - What We All Come To Need CD (Southern Lord) [LORD110] $14.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***Its been over two years since PELICANS' last album City of Echoes was released. Never content to remain stagnant over the course of their almost decade long career, 2009 finds Pelican has shifted gears once again. What We All Come To Need is Pelican through and through and the apex of their creative aspirations. It is the album that straddles most confidently the fine line between adherence to roots and the mining of the unexplored. This isn't maturation as much as it is confidence and purpose, and the latter are stamped on every note. Includes guest appearances from GREG ANDERSON (SUNN O))), GOATSNAKE), AARON TURNER (ISIS), ALLEN EPLEY (SHINER, LIFE AND TIMES), and BEN VERELLEN (HELMS ALEE).

Peter J. Woods - Fairweather Mask CD (Autumn Wind Productions) [10673] $12.50
"We tread dark waters on a day to day basis, holding ourselves up to a higher standard because of nothing more than pride. Our society has built an intricate system in which we seek out guilt, hoping to find some for ourselves in an effort to justify our existence. Past pains give us status, but we forgo the pain and jump straight to the romanticized ideal. Fairweather Mask explores this phenomenon, touching on both the forms of communication which create this system and the guilt that arises as well." A commanding presence from Peter J. woods in this theater of Noise....Power Electronic and vocal barrage, justification is what you seek for all the things you do...to yourself....Jewel Case CD limited to 1,000 copies.

Peter Wright - An Angel Fell Where The Kestrels Hover CD (Spekk) [kk022] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
Peter Wright is a highly acclaimed artist based in New Zealand known for his marvelous guitar works. He has been experimenting with the guitar for 20 years having released 7 full albums from labels around the world. Beautiful drone pieces.

Text by Peter Wright:

An Angel Fell Where The Kestrels Hover started life as the second part of a two album reflection on my emotive responses to seasonal changes, both in a personal sense and also a more social and geographical sense. My double CD Snow Blind, recorded at the same time and released earlier this year on Install, captures the foreboding darkness and gloom of winter, whilst An Angel Fell... focusses on the spring and summer months, and as a result has a generally sunnier disposition.

Obviously there's a direct literal interpretation at work here, the music is brighter and more melodic, perhaps even sensual, without as much harsh discordance that is predominant on Snow Blind. On 'Lavender Buzz' the seasonal inspiration is most literal, where the foundation of the piece is from a strategically placed microphone in the middle of a clump of lavender plants recording bees collecting nectar from the flowers. But also, as the music was actually recorded during the summer I only had to look out the window or take a walk in the nearby Streatham Common to get a sense of the type of almost lazy sounds I wanted to create. Ironically, this was also one of the wettest July's on record in the UK and the frequency of the often violent thunderstorms also tainted my creative thoughts, neatly juxtaposing light and dark textures.

Aside from the weather, location was also an important factor. I made these recordings in London, England, where my wife and myself were living at the time. This is an album heavily influenced by living in that sprawling, chaotic urban jungle, as most of my last few releases have been. Reflections on physical and mental space are frequently wrapped up in the sounds I make, even at their most abstract. London was my home for nearly 6 years and this was the last recording I made consciously referencing and musing on the city before we moved back to New Zealand in 2008. In many ways it represents the closing of a circle that started with my first UK-based recordings that appeared on Yellow Horizon (PseudoArcana, 2004).

The titles I come up with for my music can be fairly oblique, often abstract and meaningless, but they can reflect my mood at the time I make the sounds themselves. Sometimes they are socially or politically motivated, sometimes very personal and inward-looking. At their most poetic they can be a substitute for lyrics, but the titles are not necessarily designed to lead the listener into a particular train of thought when listening to the sounds. The album title, An Angel Fell Where The Kestrels Hover, was one of the first I came up with when previewing my early mixes on headphones sitting in a South London meadow watching a kestrel circling high above looking for field mice in the long grass. I could immediately see a connection to the birds movements and the way my music drifts and floats. The kestrel's hovering flight, almost like a hummingbird, beating it's wings and making minute adjustments in the wind, allowing it's head to remain absolutely still to enable it's sharp eyes to spot movement in the ground metres below is amazing to watch. And I liked the idea that maybe it could see something in the grass that us mere mortals can not, like a fallen angel.

Philip Glass - Piano Music CD (Orange Mountain) [OMM060CD] $18.00
"Continuing his long-time association with Philip Glass, this new release features pianist Dennis Russell Davies teaming with pianist Maki Namekawa in the world premiere recording of Four Movements for Two Pianos, a major work for two pianos by one of the most recognized composers of our time. The disc is enriched by Davies' performance of the six original Etudes for Piano which were written for the pianist in the mid-1990s. Rounding out the album is a solo performance by Namekawa playing three selections from Glass' Oscar(r)-nominated score to the 2002 film The Hours."

Piano Magic - The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic CD (Green UFOs) [GREEN10] $16.00
10 songs. 4 stars in Mojo. 4 stars in Uncut. !!!! · This spanish special edition contains 1 extra track "I'm The Teacher's Son" not available in Japanese version. · Includes a 12 page booklet including lyrics and information about the extra track. · PIANO MAGIC have severally played in countrys like England, Scotland, Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain. · PIANO MAGIC have done records with several of the most reputable alternative labels of the past few years - 4AD, MORR MUSIC, ROCKET GIRL, CHÄ~I, DARLA and ACUARELA, among others. · "The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic" is a fantastic album. · Most important spanish music magazine RockdeLux have already choosed the song "Saint Marie" as one of the best songs of 2003, and it will be featured in the compilation that this magazine will feature in the January '2004 issue. · "Speed The Road, Rush The Lights" and "Luxembourg Gardens" are also contained in the previous '2003 cd single "Speed The Road, Rush The Lights" (also on Green Ufos label), that obtains very good reviews and very good sales in countries like Spain, UK, Belgium, USA, Portugal. · Next Piano Magic release is a colaboration with Low and Sodastream that will be also released by Green Ufos. Green Ufos is proud to announce the worldwide release of a brand new album from PIANO MAGIC. Project Overview: There's no denying that these are troubled times for bands like Piano Magic. Out of season, out of sight, out of mind. With skinny tied, plimsolled New York New Wave youth ruling the airwaves, how are PM to get a look in with their glacial pop music? Well, they aren't. And they're all the better for it. Piano Magic have been refining their unique brand of tender, heartbroken, two-bar-fire pop music since 1996. Sonically, they're the spiritual heirs to the likes of Disco Inferno or "Faith"-era The Cure. Lyrically, not a million miles away from the blue moods of The Smiths - think "Asleep," "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" or "Well I Wonder." The combination has always only ever touched those who want to be touched. "The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic" was recorded between Winter 2002 and Summer 2003 at The Fortress Studios in London and at the band's home studio, Murder Mile. As with last year's "Writers Without Homes," the record was produced by the band and engineered by Robinson Hughes and Gareth Parton. Everything was written and recorded by full-time band members Glen Johnson, Jerome Tcherneyan, Franck Alba, Alasdair Steer, James Topham with vocal contributions from honorary band member, Angele David-Guillou. (David-Guillou sings with Ginger Ale, a French band signed to Virgin-France and also has her own solo project, Klima). Piano Magic is now truely a trans-channel unit - Tcherneyan, Alba and David-Guillou are all French citizens. "The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic" is the band's first album release for the Spanish independent label, Green Ufos, who celebrate their 10th anniversary this year. The Spanish connection shouldn't come as much of a surprise - the band tour Spain extensively every year, have played some of the country's biggest festivals, they've recorded the soundtrack to Bigas Luna's "Son De Mar" movie and previously released EPs on the Spanish independent label, Acuarela, as well as on Green Ufos. "The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic" is the perfect Winter soundtrack - all fairgrounds in snow, dark shadows on the land, icy seas. It could be their last and we'll only miss them when they've gone. Biography: Piano Magic parted ways with 4AD Records in December 2002 after releasing the soundtrack album to Spanish director Bigas Luna's "Son De Mar" film and the album "Writers Without Homes" which featured collaborations with the likes of Tarwater, Vashti Bunyan, Life Without Buildings, The Czars, and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins). "The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic" is the band's first album for Green Ufos and consists of 10 tracks. Romantic, innovative, dynamic in turns, PIANO MAGIC are one of the most inspired British bands of modern times. They've worked with several of the most reputable alternative labels of the past few years - 4AD, MORR MUSIC, ROCKET GIRL, CHÄ~I, DARLA and ACUARELA, among others. Though virtually underground in their home country, PIANO MAGIC have amassed a devout following in Mainland Europe through regular touring, particularly in cities and towns other bands would usually ignore. In Spain especially, they have become a cult band, recognised by press and public thanks to their beautiful, though dynamic, concerts and the sheer quality of their songs. The discography of PIANO MAGIC is as follows: Wrong French November 1996 - i/Che (UK) Wintersport March 1997- i/Che (UK) For Engineers June 1997 - Wurlitzer Jukebox (UK) Popular Mechanics November 1997- i/Che(UK) The Fun Of The Century May 1998 - Piao! (UK) Low Birth Weight May 1999 - Rocket Girl (UK) Music For Annahbird December 1998 - Bad Jazz (UK) Mort Aux Vaches May 1999 - Staalplaat (Holland) A Trick Of The Sea Darla (USA) Music For Rolex February 1998 - Lissys (UK) There's No Need For Us To Be Alone February 1998 - Rocket Girl (UK) Amongst The Books, An Angel September 1999 - Acetone (France) Panic Amigo > -> Piano Magic Remixed February 2000 - Morr Music (Germany) Artists' Rifles May 2000 - Rocket Girl (UK) I Came To Your Party Dressed As A Shadow March 2001 - Acuarela (Spain) Son De Mar > -> Music From The Film by Bigas Luna August 2001 - 4AD (UK) Seasonally Affective 1996-2000 A Piano Magic Retrospective October 2001 - Rocket Girl (UK) Writers Without Homes June 2002 - 4AD (UK) Speed The Road, Rush The Lights April 2003 - Green Ufos (Spain) www.piano-magic.co.uk www.greenufos.com

Portal - Swarth CD (Profound Lore) [PFL050] $12.00
An enigma within the realm of death metal, Australia's PORTAL have defined themselves, over the course of two full-length albums and a handful of demos and EPs, as a bizarre and frightening entity with a unique and unparalleled sound. No other band currently in existence has such a polarizing effect on the underground metal scene-they are regarded as either pure geniuses or incomprehensible noisemakers. Their madness and chaos is the soundtrack to a F.W. Murnau film gone terribly awry. Profound Lore Records brought Portal to the attention of the worldwide metal underground by reissuing their limited 2003 debut album, Seepia, and releasing its follow-up, Outre. Swarth, their highly anticipated new album, slowly crawls under the listener's skin and penetrates the psyche. This eight-track monolith combines the off-kilter dynamics of their debut with the surging atmospherics of Outre, taking their sound to new ungodly levels. No other album released this year is as unique or frightening as Swarth. Portal is the future of death metal. No exports to Canada or the UK

Richard Youngs - Under Stellar Stream CD (Jagjaguwar) [JAG157] $13.25
RICHARD YOUNGS' latest solo work for Jagjaguwar is a collection of neodruid hymns and chants for the minutiae of homelife and fatherhood-poetic transcendence through repetition and a focus on the (seemingly) micro. Once again proving himself a master of minimalist composition, Youngs also takes leaps forward as a lyricist on Under Stellar Stream, reminiscent of the list incantations of Allen Ginsberg. With this comes a change in Youngs' voice, now less pleading, deeper and more assured. In these atonal, spatial arrangements, each phrase is granted the room to work into the cerebral cortex-and perhaps a deeper consciousness.

Robert Turman & Aaron Dilloway - Blizzard CD (Hanson Records) [HN211CD] $12.00
"Collaboration between myself and Robert Turman (ex-NON, Z.O. Voider). Recorded in January 2009 during a horrible Ohio snowstorm which delayed one of my more recent moves. I was stuck in a freezing house with everything I owned in boxes. Night before I'm about to move...INSANE SNOWSTORM HITS....(If I remember correctly it was the same one that TOTALED AND STRANDED THE HAIR POLICE!)...drunk and missing my wife and kid who had left for Michigan a week earlier, I decided to camp out over at Turman's for a few days...On my insane drive a whopping 3 blocks away... my truck breaks down... TOTAL MISERY... Once I got there I settled in for a few days of late night recording. Myself on synthesizer and tape delays and Turman on tapes and effects. Very minimal, very slow, very cold. Frozen and stuck in the snow. Edition of 500 copies in jewel case with white tray."

Roto Visage - Where the Mandrakes Grow CD (Autumn Wind Productions) [10672] $13.50
"Where the Mandrakes Grow" is conceptualized around autoerotic asphyxiation, forming an abstract narrative into a singular autoerotic experience. A singular moment in flux within the body. The sound compositions consist of consciousness cut ups - flashes of memory and anomalies of the moment interweaving. Dark drone and experimental ambience. Mastered by the legendary Robert Rich. Beautiful 6-panal digi-CD designed by Anastasia Sarandou limited to 1,000 copies. Truly a great work of Dark Ambience. 64 minutes.

Russian Circles - Geneva CD (Suicide Squeeze) [S082] $13.25
On Geneva, RUSSIAN CIRCLES expand on what they've done best all along-the rhythm section hijacks the melody and goes cruising for trouble. DAVE TURNCRANTZ is not only an insanely lithe drummer but a great conductor as well: the dynamic control he exerts is endlessly pleasing to listen to. BRIAN COOK, now fully integrated as the band's bassist, contributes massive, earth-moving low-end and malevolent texture from bowed instruments and electric bass. Equally breathtaking are MIKE SULLIVAN's compositions: layered parts that four separate guitarists would have difficulty executing, looped in evolving patterns that rarely repeat note for note.

Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder CD (Neurot) [NR070] $13.25
It's not so much a band name as a statement of intent. Not a one-off supergroup, but rather the first chapter in what promises to be an epic narrative. More to the point, though-SHRINEBUILDER is the meeting of musical monoliths, the Justice League of underground heaviness: SCOTT "WINO" WEINRICH of SAINT VITUS, THE OBSESSED, SPIRIT CARAVAN, and THE HIDDEN HAND on guitar; AL CISNEROS of OM and SLEEP on bass; DALE CROVER of MELVINS and ALTAMONT on drums; SCOTT KELLY of NEUROSIS on guitar. And all four of them on vocals. With these four living legends in the room, the term "highly anticipated" doesn't even come close. Recorded in just three days, a sufficiently superhuman time-frame for a group of musicians who often pass for superhuman themselves in certain circles, Shrinebuilder delivers on the tacit promise of a riff-roaring Wino + Neurosis + Om + Melvins power-psych explosion, but it also delivers a sum that no one anticipated. No exports to the UK/Europe

Silk Road Ensemble - Off The Map CD (World Village) [WORLD468095] $18.00
"Over the years, the Silk Road Ensemble has evolved from a group of strangers, brought together by artistic director Yo-Yo Ma, into a close-knit band of friends. Off the Map is a testament to that transformation, as the Silk Road Project celebrates its 10th anniversary. Gabriela Frank's 'Ritmos Anchinos' transports us into the Andes, with pipa and sheng imitating indigenous folk instruments. Angel Lam's childhood memories emerge in 'Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain' -- an urban groove of Hong Kong carried by shakuhachi and bass. Creation of the world is at the center of Evan Ziporyn's 'Sulvasutra.' Written for India's great tabla player Sandeep Das, the piece is an explosion of colors -- cosmic particles uniting in the Big Bang, knowledge spreading like fi re throughout the universe. Osvaldo Golijov's 'Air to Air' invokes a Sicilian protest song, prayers to Holy Mother Guadalupe and songs from the Christian Arab Easter service, known to millions across the Middle East through recordings by the incomparable Lebanese singer Fairouz. The album features the playing of such renowned superstars as Kayhan Kalhor, Wu Man, Cristina Pato and Wu Tong, yet it is the Silk Road Ensemble's collective spirit that shines through, proving great things can happen when strangers meet."

Sin:ned - Dark Side of the Chord VII CD (Re-records) [10668] $12.00
Deeply influenced by the Tokyo Psychedelic Underground, Hong Kong experimentalist Sin:Ned created a never-ending and eternally self-referencing world of noise and extreme frequency. The two solo improvisations on modified Omnichord unleashed the full darkness hidden inside the bent circuitry of the instruments. A complex structure of razor sharp power lines running through an endless maze of psychedelic trans-configuration. Free and abstract. Forceful yet intricate. A brutal journey about the poetic of lost soul and dead spirit.

Biography: An idiosyncratic writer and a sonic artist from Hong Kong, who hacks and twists anything he can put his hands on. Used to be one of the major contributing writers of the legendary Hong Kong alternative music magazine MCB. While not writing as a pseudo-music critic elaborating his esoteric worldview, in the same idiosyncratic fashion, he spends much of his time hacking and sculpting sonic materials with his laptop and various electronic gears.

His interest ranges widely from improvisation, sound art, experimental music, and noise art to field recordings, and had taken part and performed in various festivals and exhibitions such as HK Sound and Vision Festival (2003), Get It Louder (2007), Hong Kong & Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (2008). His first two solo works, "Uroborus: A Study On No-input Device" and "60 Seconds: A Schizophrenic Manual for Eternity", were both released by Lona Records in 2006. He is also one half of the electro-acoustic concept duo No One Pulse

File under: Circuit Bending, Noise, Improvisation, Psychedelia

Sofia Koutsovitis - Sube Azul CD (World Village) [WORLD498035] $18.00
"Argentinean-born singer Sofía Rei Koutsovitis is considered one of New York's most passionate, charismatic and inventive vocalists. On Sube Azul, her World Village debut, the listener is treated not only to the depth and fullness of a riveting voice but also to her formidable skills as a songwriter and arranger. The album is a collection of mostly original Spanish-language songs that reflect Koutsovitis' immersion in modern and progressive jazz while also responding to the pull of ancestry and the appeal of organic, pan-musical connections. She brings to bear the folkloric traditions of Argentina and its regional neighbors, tying together diverse infl uences in a program full of complexity, melody and romance. Just as Sube Azul reconciles the artist's worlds, her North and South American homes, the album strikes other balances in turn -- the polish and professionalism of a seasoned artist, the hunger and wide-eyed energy of youth and the simple, sensual qualities that can spring only from the heart."

Star F***ing Hipsters - Never Rest In Peace CD (Alternative Tentacles) [VIRUS410] $12.00
STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS is a smoking-hot supergroup featuring STURG "STZA" CRACK (LEFTOVER CRACK, CHOKING VICTIM), FRANK PIEGARO (DEGENERICS), and NICO DE GALLO (CASA DE CHIHUAHUA), with members from ENSIGN, BIG ATTACK!, AWKWARD THOUGHT, and ALOKE along for the ride. Following their 2008 Fat Wreck Chords debut, the band has returned for a much fiercer second round of sonic glory! Never Rest in Peace is even crustier, combining melodic punk and metal with the token ska tune (featuring a guest appearance from CITIZEN FISH and SUBHUMANS personnel). The album is the result of a year of star-f***ing live shows, writing, and off-the-map creativity from central Hipster Stza. These tunes display a sharper edge to his rock-solid songwriting, with a couple of tracks that border on crust-core-style metal. The band has performed across the US and UK, and will co-headline an upcoming November 2009 West Coast tour with Citizen Fish that will include Alternative Tentacles' 30th Anniversary Festival.

Steve Gunn - Boerum Palace LP+CD (3LOBED 054LP) CD (3LOBED) [3LOBED054LP] $21.50
"Steve Gunn's prodigious talent for fusing traditional American song structures with a raga influence is almost criminally unheralded. Gunn's songcraft is so strong and his playing style so effortlessly beautiful that folks should be shouting his name from every tall building and mountaintop. It is with such high esteem for the man's work that Three Lobed Recordings is humbled by the association and thrilled to announce the release of Boerum Palace by Steve Gunn. Without any doubt, Boerum Palace is a staggering accomplishment and is certainly Gunn's most assured and confident work to date. Includes a limited edition glass-mastered CD presenting new, scarce and previously unheard Gunn material that is not available separately. "

Stimulus - Moments 3 CD3 (Lona) [10663] $7.00
Stimulus are from England and have been recording music together since 1995. They originally started out recording Drum n'Bass and Techno and over the years have gradually moved into more and more experimental territories as they started to become more of a live band. Recent releases and shows have included allot of improvised material utilizing live acoustic instruments along with laptop manipulation and guitar effects. Limited to 50 copies

Strong Arm Steady - Stoney Jackson CD (Stones Throw) [STH2235CD] $14.50
"The Madlib/Strong Arm Steady collaboration album Stoney Jackson came together in a flurry of creative energy over the past six months. Prompted by Madlib's stalwart DJ J.Rocc, who supplied SAS's Krondon and Phil Da Agony with 14 new Madlib beats CD, this album's conception and delivery bear resemblance to the trajectory took by 2003's Jaylib (with J.Dilla) and 2004's Madvillain (with Doom). The SAS had previously rapped over Madlib's music on their mixtape/album Deep Hearted and on the Talib Kweli/Madlib album Liberation. The Stoney Jackson album unfolds over sixteen tracks and is a brisk, exciting hip hop record. Krondon and Phil supply the majority of the vocals with the third SAS member Mitchy Slick; guest appearances include Talib Kweli, Guilty Simpson, Little Brother's Phonte, Planet Asia and a host of underground Los Angeles's emerging rap talent. Stoney Jackson represents Madlib's return to the hip-hop form and sets the state for the OJ Simpson collaborations he's finishing with Guilty Simpson."

Sun Ra - Interplanetary Melodies CD (Norton Records) [CED352CD] $12.75
"Norton recently took a rocket ride into the vaults of El Saturn Research and arrived back on Earth with a motherlode of unissued early R&B, doo wop, soul and general weirdness featuring Sun Ra and his Arkestra backing a variety of artists. This series consists of two albums of 'Doo Wop from Saturn and Beyond' entitled Interplanetary Melodies and The Second Stop Is Jupiter plus a set of totally twisted sides called Rocket Ship Rock featuring Yochanan 'The Outer Space Vocalist' (with his demented Saturn 45 Muck Muck/Hot Skillet Momma) and his way out friends backed by Sun Ra and his Arkestra! Atomic outer space genius from yet another Norton turban headed star!" Tracklist: Cosmic Rays - Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie/Dreaming*/Bye Bye/Somebody's In Love*/Summertime*; Crystals - Honey In The Bee Box*; Nu Sounds - Spaceship Lullaby*/I'm Through With You*/Africa (extended version)*/Dabba Dabba Dabba Du Day*; Qualities - It's Christmas Time/If I Only Hadn't Sunned*; Juanita Rogers - A Love Letter Full Of Promises*/Teenagers Letter Of Promise/Sun Ra - Tony's Wife* (* = previously unissued).

Sun Ra - The Second Stop Is Jupiter CD (Norton Records) [CED353CD] $12.75
Tracklist: Cosmic Rays - Somebody's In Love/Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie*/Dreaming/There's A Small Hotel*/The Second Stop Is Jupiter*; Nu Sounds - Spaceship Lullaby*/Honeysuckle Rose*/Baby Won't You Please Be Mine*/Black Sky And Blue Moon*/Dreams Come True*; Qualities - Happy New Year To You!/ She's My Moonglow*; Crystals - Little Sally Walker*; Juanita Rogers - I'm So Glad You Love Me*/I'm So Glad You Love Me; Sun Ra - Stuff Like That There* (* = previously unissued)

Sun Ra - Rocket Ship Rock CD (Norton Records) [CED354CD] $12.75
Tracklist: Yochanan - Muck Muck/Hot Skillet Momma/Rocket Ship Rock*/Is That Me?*/Hot Skillet Momma (alt. take)*/Muck Muck (alt. take)*/The Sun Man Speaks/Message To Earthman #1/Message To Earthman #2 (alt. take); Little Mack - Tell Her To Come On Home; Lacy Gibson - I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman (extended version)*; Ebah - I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman*; Don (Dino) Dean - The Space Stroll (* = previously unissued)

Tetuzi Akiyama + Toshimaru Nakamura - Semi-Impressionism CD (Spekk) [KK020] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 10-26-2009
Probably the most well-known figures in the international impro-scene hailing from Tokyo, Japan. They have toured extensively through the world leaving countless publications from labels worldwide. This is officially their 1st album as a duo based on 3 live recordings taken at Sweden and Austria.

Text by Toshimaru Nakamura: While me and Tetuzi were playing in a city called Novisad, a local journalist came up to us. He seemed pretty drunk and we wanted to keep distance from him but the guy insisted "Let me speak one more word". At first with a tweaking voice and then loudly he claims "Zen Noise". He probably meant "the Zen" noise but we were wondering what his point was at first. After few days, me and Tetuzi were on the land of Sweden. One morning, in a hotel lobby, we found a review of our performance on some newspaper. They noted our duo "Zen Impressionism". Comparing (if that is possible in the first place..) to the Zen knowledge of the average Japanese, mine is poor so I felt a little guilty being rewarded with such a magnificent word. At the same time, I felt the word "Zen" is being used so convenient and easily.. To tell the truth, we are used to playing abroad so I would say this isn't the first time being expressed in that manner. When I was young, I felt sometimes irritated being said in this way. But now, I would just think "oh, just like always" or "haven't been struck like this for a long time" and these comments wouldn't really hurt or itch myself at all. But then again, and somehow this time, we got excited with a morning coffee discussing "we must not let this go, we have to drop a message to this". So our action was to release a CD entitled "Zen Impressionist". How brave! Anyway, so it means this CD existed before the quality of the sound. We decided to express the "Zen" letter in calligraphy so we asked a calligrapher to draw the letter. Our hope was to have it drawn in a dynamic stroke to express the excellence of the word. And if it was written by a calligraphy brush, we also thought it would give foreigners an impression that they might have seen the word somewhere. When looking at the result of the drawing, we found out that the left part of the "Zen" letter was slightly different and instead formed the word "Semi (=cicadas)". Cicadas are noisy insects in the summertime. It turned out that the sample letter we provided to the calligrapher was miswritten. I guess the calligrapher also shook his head wondering why we had him write just the word "Semi".

The Bomb - Speed Is Everything CD (No Idea) [NIR260] $12.00
"NAKED RAYGUN was a huge inspiration for me. Along with Fugazi and Leatherface, they helped create the bedrock that defines the 'Gainesville sound.' As much as I discredit the root idea that such a sound even exists or is quantifiable to such a finite point, I will at least concede that there are certain key influences for many a young (at heart) local miscreant. The fact that twenty-one years after NR played a legion hall in Gainesville, we are putting out a record that not only stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best NR album, but perhaps surpasses, well, this blows me away. I have a hard time finding words that express how much (JEFF) PEZZATI's voice shakes me to the core. Crafting the music and bringing the workhorse/powerhouse ethic are JEFF DEAN, MIKE SOUCY, and PETE MITTLER, who have truly risen to the occasion. They have been in countless Chicago bands, and continue to split their time with several noteworthy, exceptional bands, including THE METHADONES and FOUR STAR ALARM. Energy. Focus. Intensity. As if it could get any better, the album was recorded by J. ROBBINS, who also makes appearances on various songs. He really brought out the best in the band and songs, amplifying and directing, especially in the vocal harmonies and melodies. Pezzati turned in vocals on the last PAINT IT BLACK, and DAN YEMIN returns the favor here. BOB NANNA also lends his inimitable pipes to the mix."-Var (No Idea). Pressed on colored vinyl. Includes a download code.

Throbbing Gristle - Gristleism (Black) CD (Industrial Records) [IR2009005B] $25.50
RELEASE DATE: 11-24-2009
Industrial Records Ltd. are pleased to announce the birth of GRISTLEISM, the newest member of the Throbbing Gristle family. Bastard offspring of now-famous ambient loop player the Buddha Machine, GRISTLEISM is part industrial sound machine, part noise instrument. Featuring 13 original and uncompromising loops, GRISTLEISM delivers a mix of signature TG experimental noise, industrial drone, and classic melodies and rhythms. Available in three colors -- black, chrome and red -- the palm-sized unit (size: w67mm x h69mm x d35mm) features a built-in speaker, volume control, pitch-shift control and loop selector switch. Note: GRISTLEISM does not feature an audio output socket or a DC power input socket. GRISTLEISM features more loops and almost twice the frequency range of the Buddha Machine. GRISTLEISM is powered by two AA batteries and is the world's first and only portable TG aural exciter! GRISTLEISM was born from a collaboration between Industrial Records, Throbbing Gristle and Christiaan Virant (the creator of the original FM3 Buddha Machines) and is packaged in an exquisite "Chinese paper-cut" wrapping, featuring a repeating TG logo pattern, foil embossing and UV ink.

TRACKLISTING

1. Persuasion
2. Hamburger Lady
3. Twenty Jazz Funk Greats
4. Thank You Brian
5. Maggot Death
6. Rabbit Snare
7. Lyre Liar
8. Wimpy Bar
9. Sex String Theory
10. Heathen Earth
11. Industrial Intro
12. R & D
13. After After Cease To Exist

More loops and almost twice the frequency range of the original Buddha Machines. "Perfect for those days when you need some background music to go along with dissecting dead animals or staring at TV static." --Pitchfork

Throbbing Gristle - Gristleism (Chrome) CD (Industrial Records) [IR2009005C] $25.50
RELEASE DATE: 11-24-2009
Industrial Records Ltd. are pleased to announce the birth of GRISTLEISM, the newest member of the Throbbing Gristle family. Bastard offspring of now-famous ambient loop player the Buddha Machine, GRISTLEISM is part industrial sound machine, part noise instrument. Featuring 13 original and uncompromising loops, GRISTLEISM delivers a mix of signature TG experimental noise, industrial drone, and classic melodies and rhythms. Available in three colors -- black, chrome and red -- the palm-sized unit (size: w67mm x h69mm x d35mm) features a built-in speaker, volume control, pitch-shift control and loop selector switch. Note: GRISTLEISM does not feature an audio output socket or a DC power input socket. GRISTLEISM features more loops and almost twice the frequency range of the Buddha Machine. GRISTLEISM is powered by two AA batteries and is the world's first and only portable TG aural exciter! GRISTLEISM was born from a collaboration between Industrial Records, Throbbing Gristle and Christiaan Virant (the creator of the original FM3 Buddha Machines) and is packaged in an exquisite "Chinese paper-cut" wrapping, featuring a repeating TG logo pattern, foil embossing and UV ink.

TRACKLISTING

1. Persuasion
2. Hamburger Lady
3. Twenty Jazz Funk Greats
4. Thank You Brian
5. Maggot Death
6. Rabbit Snare
7. Lyre Liar
8. Wimpy Bar
9. Sex String Theory
10. Heathen Earth
11. Industrial Intro
12. R & D
13. After After Cease To Exist

More loops and almost twice the frequency range of the original Buddha Machines. "Perfect for those days when you need some background music to go along with dissecting dead animals or staring at TV static." --Pitchfork

Throbbing Gristle - Gristleism (Red) CD (Industrial Records) [IR2009005R] $25.50
RELEASE DATE: 11-24-2009
Industrial Records Ltd. are pleased to announce the birth of GRISTLEISM, the newest member of the Throbbing Gristle family. Bastard offspring of now-famous ambient loop player the Buddha Machine, GRISTLEISM is part industrial sound machine, part noise instrument. Featuring 13 original and uncompromising loops, GRISTLEISM delivers a mix of signature TG experimental noise, industrial drone, and classic melodies and rhythms. Available in three colors -- black, chrome and red -- the palm-sized unit (size: w67mm x h69mm x d35mm) features a built-in speaker, volume control, pitch-shift control and loop selector switch. Note: GRISTLEISM does not feature an audio output socket or a DC power input socket. GRISTLEISM features more loops and almost twice the frequency range of the Buddha Machine. GRISTLEISM is powered by two AA batteries and is the world's first and only portable TG aural exciter! GRISTLEISM was born from a collaboration between Industrial Records, Throbbing Gristle and Christiaan Virant (the creator of the original FM3 Buddha Machines) and is packaged in an exquisite "Chinese paper-cut" wrapping, featuring a repeating TG logo pattern, foil embossing and UV ink.

TRACKLISTING

1. Persuasion
2. Hamburger Lady
3. Twenty Jazz Funk Greats
4. Thank You Brian
5. Maggot Death
6. Rabbit Snare
7. Lyre Liar
8. Wimpy Bar
9. Sex String Theory
10. Heathen Earth
11. Industrial Intro
12. R & D
13. After After Cease To Exist

More loops and almost twice the frequency range of the original Buddha Machines. "Perfect for those days when you need some background music to go along with dissecting dead animals or staring at TV static." --Pitchfork

Tim Catlin And Machinefabriek - Glisten CD (Low Point) [LP031] $13.50
RELEASE DATE: 11-09-2009
'Glisten' is the first collaborative release by Tim Catlin, a guitarist and sound artist based in Melbourne, Australia and Machinefabriek, the nom de plume of Rutger Zuydervelt from Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Whilst researching information on prepared guitar, Zuydervelt discovered the work of Tim Catlin, most notably his album 'Radio Ghosts' (released on 23five in 2007). Intrigued by Catlin's approach towards mechanically prepared guitar and the engaging sound world created by this unassuming expertise, a partnership was soon set in motion.

For the release, Catlin drew upon his range of guitar preparations and made initial recordings incorporating customised playing devices, home-built effects, electronics and modified guitar design. These tracks were then sent to Zuydervelt for the addition of extra sounds and overdubs through to final editing and sequencing.

With both artists' sharing a passion for developing upon the minutiae of the guitar, 'Glisten' is an immersive album of finely textured drones and shifting fields of sound. Throughout the running time, a palpable sense of playfulness is present, allowing the prepared guitar process to determine the course of action. Through minor touches and sleights of hand, fleeting vibrations are produced which are capable of both overwhelming intensity and pure sonic transcendence.

Twinsistermoon - The Hollow Mountain CD (Blackest Rainbow Records) [BRR150CD] $14.50
"Twinsistermoon is the solo project of Mehdi Ameziane of Natural Snow Buildings. The Hollow Mountain was originally issued by Dull Knife Records in 2009 as an LP limited to only 105 copies -- unsurprisingly it sold out in a matter of hours. Widely regarded by many Natural Snow Buildings fans as one of the best releases from their camp, this reissue has been remastered by Ben Nash, includes new artwork, and brand new unreleased material. The album has a beautiful earthy lo-fi feeling throughout which perfectly compliments its short and sweet folk songs, and occasional wanderings into psychedelic drone ambience. This is an album that really is totally beautiful and probably one of my favorites from Mehdi. The CD is packaged in a square artwork booklet and a pro-printed card wallet showcasing the superb original artwork from the LP sleeve. Limited to 1000 copies."

Van Patterson Quartet, The - Live At F.W. cassette (The Tapeworm) [TTW005CS] $7.25
This is a cassette-only limited edition of 250 copies. Who on earth are The Van Patterson Quartet? The Tapeworm stumbled upon the lost psych-rock recording, Live At F.W. by The Van Patterson Quartet, late during a sleepless night. A link started a chain of events -- the Wormery would not sleep until the answer had been found! "Who on earth are The Van Patterson Quartet?" they asked themselves. They sent out feelers via their contacts. They waited. Replies came back -- digital shrugs, all expressing a deep fascination that something sounding so splendid could remain unearthed for so long. Then, "Mr. Big" stepped in. Quite by chance, he was neighbors with one of the band members. Such serendipity. He hooked The Tapeworm up. Letters were written, requests made, permissions granted, and a few short weeks later, a copy of Live At F.W., mailed with a blurry Polaroid, landed on the label's desk. They sat back and listened properly for the first time. They were blown away. They had just been given possibly the last great unreleased psych-rock recording. Who on earth are The Van Patterson Quartet? This recording dates, apparently, from the late-'60s. It features this hitherto unknown band in full flight, live. It needs to be heard to be believed. Funky, fuzzed- up, flipped-out, f***ed and fried. Forty minutes of hallucinating Hammond and ferocious feedback. That's who they are.

Various Artists - Yo, también: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD (Elefant) [ER1147] $16.00
"YO, TAMBIÄ~IN" [ME TOO], triumphs in the San SebastiÄ¡n Film Festival: The movie was awarded two Silver Conches, for best actor for Pablo Pineda and best actress for Lola Dueıas.

YO, TAMBIÄ~IN [a new movie by Ä~Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro, starring Lola Dueıas and Pablo Pineda]

GUILLE MILKYWAY [LA CASA AZUL]: original movie soundtrack composer.

The passion we feel for music at Elefant is something logical and evident, but from the start we have also been involved in and collaborated on artistic projects that go beyond the musical realm but that also need music to complete and fill out the work and make it more personal. A few years ago, our passion for the movies brought about the creation of "Elefant Music Supervision", a project that has taken shape over time, with the goal of helping and collaborating on audiovisual projects of all kinds, offering musical supervision that would help the creators find the perfect music for their work. Shorts, documentaries, movies, commercial spots, television theme songsâ~@¦ we have found ourselves involved, sometimes directly, other times more indirectly, in a ton of national and international audiovisual projects that have used music from our company or projects that we have created with our artists' exclusive pieces. International television series like "Grey's Anatomy", "Desperate Housewives", "The O.C.", "Summerland", "Gilmore Girls", "Ghost Whisperer", "Degrassi", "Chop shop", "Exes & Ohs", "One Tree Hill" or the imminent new HBO series "Bored to Death" all use music from Elefant Records on their soundtracks. And so do Spanish series like "Gominolas", "Doctor Mateo" and "Cuestiijn de sexo", independent movies from all over the world, shorts, television commercialsâ~@¦ the list just goes on and on.

One of the projects we have been very involved in this past year is the feature-length debut of Ä~Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro, starring Lola Dueıas and Pablo Pineda. Lola Dueıas received a Goya for her role in the film "The Sea Inside", directed by Alejandro AmenÄ¡bar, and was nominated for another for her role in "Volver" (Return), directed by Pedro Almodijvar. She plays the role of Laura, Daniel's co-worker with whom he falls in love. Pablo Pineda is the real thing and plays his fictional alter ego, Daniel Sanz. Although this is his first time on the big screen, he's quite used to working with the media and has participated in numerous TV shows. From the moment we read the first draft of "Yo, También", during the hot summer of 2008, we fell immediately and irrevocably in love with the project and the story; it was so unique and special, as real as life itself where love, sadness, loneliness and frustration intermingle in a plot that also has space for vindication and for changing the rules and ways of thinking of a middle-class society that is unrealistic about the true needs and necessities of people with Down's Syndrome.

Our dedication to the project, on the musical level, has been profound and exciting; little by little everything took shape and the music selection turned out to be really varied and enriching. Guille Milkyway (LA CASA AZUL) was in charge of creating small musical brushstrokes specially made for the movie. The soundtrack is atypical, with simple, bare pieces, based on emotionally charged piano melodies that can just as easily express the greatest happiness as they can sink into the deepest sorrow and frustration. Guille was also in charge of the movie's theme song, a 70s style rumba, "Yo, También", somewhere along the lines of the first recordings by LAS GRECAS or LOS AMAYA, but with that magical touch that our great master's compositions are full of, and which make it a total hit from head to toe that will stay in everyone's head and be hummed and sung until we've had enough. All of these new compositions by Guille are proof of the great variety of styles that live inside his head, and that nothing is impossible for one of the best musical composers of the moment.

There is a lot of music in the movie, as much music as there are characters and situations. Quiet moments, sweet, quotidian, romantic, sad, exciting, fun, crazy, partying, totally out of controlâ~@¦ there is music to fit every moment and all together it makes a perfect soundtrack for understanding the movie. Guille's rumba and the songs of LAS GRECAS and MANZANITA give that Spanish touch to the movie, which takes place mostly in Sevilla, but the soundtrack also has the delicate songs of Wales' THE SCHOOL, the magnetism of CAMERA OBSCURA, the Italian romanticism of GIORGIO TUMA and FITNESS FOREVER, the delicacy of BMX BANDITS, the timeless folk-pop of Nick Garrie and RÄ"ZSÄ~DK and the strength and rhythm of LA CASA AZUL, SOUVENIR, BEEF, RIOT IN BELGIUM and THE GENTLE PEOPLE, among others.

Elefant Records will release the movie soundtrack this coming October 12th and it will be the perfect souvenir for everyone who, like us, falls for this great movie that has its impressive first showing in the San Sebastian film festival on September 23rd, and will be released commercially in movie theaters all over Spain starting October 16th.

The next big project of "Elefant Mĺsica Supervision" will be artistic musical direction for "Jelly Jamm", an animated musical comedy series that we will be telling you about soon, and that Guille Milkyway will be working on as well as a composer.

SYNOPSIS: Thirty-four-year-old Daniel is the first European with Down syndrome to have graduated from university. He starts a social services job in Seville, where he meets free-spirited co-worker Laura. They become fast friends, drawing the attention of both their co-workers and families. Their unique relationship becomes problematic when Daniel falls in love with her. But these rebellious souls refuse to bend to the rules and they find friendship and love as they have never known.

Various Artists - Silentes Anniversary 2004-2009 CD Box (Silentes) [10653] $158.50
: ANNIVERSARY SET (14xCD + EXCLUSIVE T-SHIRT + 2 BADGES... IN ANNIVERSARY BAG - SILENTES 20042009 LTD. 150 COPIES). This set consists of a bag that includes all the 13 new releases + an exclusive anniversary t-shirt and two badges... But above all, it includes "ATROCITY EXHIBITION" the DEBUT CD by a new "open-project" named MARIBOR. For this release MARIBOR were GIUSEPPE VERTICCHIO/NIMH, ANDREA MARUTTI/AMON, MAURIZIO BIANCHI/MB, PIERPAOLO ZOPPO/MAUTHAUSEN ORCHESTRA and STEFANO GENTILE. Please note that this CD (not a CD-R but a real factory-pressed CD) will ONLY be available in the anniversary set, which is LIMITED to 150 HANDNUMBERED COPIES only.

MARIBOR : ATROCITY EXHIBITION (CD SILENTES 20042009 ltd.150)
MICHAEL MANTRA / ROD MODELL : RADIO FORE (CD SILENTES 200922)
MICHAEL MANTRA : A.L.B.E. (CD SILENTES 200923)
MURIDAE : UNDER THE FABLE OF MEANING (CD SILENTES 200925)
MAURIZIO BIANCHI/M.B. & CRAIG HILTON : PU94 (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME0926)
HALL OF MIRRORS : FORGOTTEN REALM (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME0927)
MAURIZIO BIANCHI/M.B. & CRIA CRUEVOS : AZAZEL (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME0928)
NIMH : TRAVEL DIARY (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME0929)
MAUTHAUSEN ORCHESTRA : SONIC DEPRIVATION (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME0930)
NULL / DEISON : INTO (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME0931)
NIMH / MAUTHAUSEN ORCHESTRA : FROM UNHEALTHY PLACES (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITONS SME0932)
MAURIZIO BIANCHI/M.B. : LUDIUM (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME1033)
MAURIZIO BIANCHI/M.B. & MAOR APPELBAUM : MENE TEQUEL FARSIN (CD SILENTES MINIMAL EDITIONS SME1034)
BACIAMIBARTALI / WINTER LIGHT : THE MOURNFUL GLOOM (CD OLTRELANEBBIAILMARE 200902)

Various Artists - Messthetics #107: D.I.Y. '78-81 London III CD (Messthetics) [MSS107CD] $12.00
"'Messthetics returns to London - mostly to a handful of Tube-stops along the Central and Northern Lines. #107 also includes a special 7-band, 6-page feature on the legendary Dining Out label. Rough-edged new wave wonders, scrappy D.I.Y.-punk, ear-boggling home experiments?and the usual quota of accidental pop from fifth-form teens, art-school grads and committed hippies. Some recorded in actual studios, others on stand-alone cassette-decks placed just so on the squat- or church-hall floor. With ex-members of Spitfire Boys, Tax Exiles and Flying Lizards; others went on to Weekend, Alien Sex Fiend, A Certain Ratio, 400 Blows, Alabama 3, Celestial, Afro Celt Sound System, Fraff, Late Night Poker, and ..and the Native Hipsters. Plus 5 bands that got their start at Raynes Park High School for Boys, Morden. Messthetics #107 features obscure vinyl sides from Disco Zombies, Demon Preacher, Jelly Babies, Six Minute War, Stepping Talk, Occult Chemistry, The Patterns, 49 Americans, Avocados, Methodishca Tune, Jangletties, Stolen Power, Flags, The Steppes, The Insex, The Milkmen, Design for Living, Twilight Zoners, and Club Tango. Unreleased material from Disco Zombies, Buddy Hernia & the Rickets, Twilight Zoners, Milkmen, and the White Brothers. 23 songs on the CD plus 7 bonus MP3 tracks: 90+ minutes of music. 24-page booklet, extensively documented with histories, photos and artifacts."

Various Artists - Fire In My Bones 3CD (Tompkins Square) [TSQ2271CD] $25.25
Subtitled: Raw + Rare + Other-Worldly African-American Gospel [1944-2007]. "Almost 4 hours of music on 3 discs -- super-compelling, undiluted, stripped-down gospel! The majority of this music has never been reissued on CD, or in any other form (most tracks were originally released on regional independent labels). Most post-WWII compilations of African-American gospel music naturally concentrate on the astounding quartet and solo vocalist sounds made during the music's Golden Age. Fire In My Bones attempts to address and collect more neglected sounds from that era (and on to the present day). Dozens of traditions are represented. Some go back hundreds of years while others seem to have been arrived at as soon as the tape began to roll. Field recordings and studio tracks are all mashed together, with solo performances next to congregational recordings, hellfire sermons next to afterlife laments. Leon Pinson, Elder & Sister Brinson & the Brinson Brothers, Grant & Ella, Straight Street Holiness Group, Theotis Taylor, Brother & Sister W B Grate -- these artists will now be just a little less obscure. Fire In My Bones provides a small peek at the incredible diversity and power of post-war black gospel. Much of this music is raw, distorted and might sound a bit strange. But it is not presented as a novelty freak show or as 'outsider music.' This is gospel -- which we must always remember translates as "the good news" -- as it has been sung and performed in tiny churches and large programs, from rural Georgia to urban Los Angeles. It is clearly among the most vibrant, playful, beautiful and emotionally charged music in the world."

Various Artists - Edges: A New French Electronic Generation CD (Because Music) [BEC5772498] $14.75
Because Music presents the soundtrack of the new French electronic generation. In 1997, Daft Punk released their debut album, Homework, and revolutionized electronic music globally. A new order stemmed from this seminal record, paving the way for artists such as Cassius, Air and Mr. Oizo, and a new electronic generation with broad ideas (with touches of funk, pop or disco) was born. In 2007, Justice released Cross, a unifying record that reconciled electro clubbers and young rockers in slim jeans on the dancefloor. A new hybrid style of music emerged, a symbol of a generation, aptly-named "French Touch 2.0," gravitating around the Ed Banger label. But they are not alone. Over the past two years, other young producers eager to transcend genres have been working in the shadows, preparing a new electronic revolution. The Edges project captures this birth with a compilation and a live tour featuring three of the most promising artists of this scene. Among these hopefuls, the Jesus look-alike Breakbot, who produced some excellent remixes for Metronomy and Sebastien Tellier; the clubby Parisian duo Gentlemen Drivers who inevitably set the dancefloors on fire; and Nils Hartman from Lyon, whose unusual electro flirts with the experimental. This trio is an awesome representation of the current ultra-inventive, bubbling electronic music scene. In this era of blogs and easy access to the entire history of music, they are among the few French producers who still explore new paths and lay bridges between genres. These 16 exclusive or rare tracks offer a panorama of this extremely free, vital, eclectic scene. Be it Anoraak's romantic '80s electro-pop, Discodeine's quirky mental house or Chateau Marmont's cosmic, retro-futuristic universe, they all took their cue from the first wave of French Touch: musical open-mindedness, hedonism and innovation. This is a snapshot of a "family" of producers who decided not to choose between darkness and fluorescent hymns, dancefloor power and home listening, underground and mainstream. In short, here is the soundtrack of an era. Other artists include: Donovan, Dilemn, Mondkopf, Rove Dogs, Digikid 84, Djedjotronic, Spitzer, Stereoheroes, Spoek & Cerebral Vortex, Danger, and Spa.

Various Artists - Kitsuné Maison 8 CD (Kitsune) [CDA024CD] $14.75
Here is the eighth Kitsuné Maison compilation -- the "Chic and Nice" issue. The French indie-dance label mobilizes all their most passionate and exciting musical friends for this brilliant eighth edition. Two Door Cinema Club and Delphic are the latest additions to the Kitsuné family, and their respective debut albums are forthcoming on Kitsuné. It was a two-month listening marathon of sorts for this edition in Kitsuné's Montmartre offices... and everywhere else for that matter. This volume is even more of a world tour: there's vocals in French and Japanese, and releases by Finnish, Swedish and German artists -- basically everyone's invited. Heartsrevolution, Slagsmålsklubben, Beni, Chew Lips and Crystal Fighters will all also have their tracks out as singles on Kitsuné. This is the perfect mix of fashion-forward, upbeat, international pop that will cause ears to prick forward in hotly-buzzed anticipation. Other artists include French Horn Rebellion, The Drums, Siriusmo, Le Corps Mince De Francoise, Midnight Juggernauts, Logo, Moulinex, Harvard Bass, AMWE, Jolie Cherie, Alex Kapranos, Memory Tapes, Parallels, Nottee, and My Tiger My Timing.

Various Artists - Good God! Born Again Funk CD (Numero Group) [NUMERO030CD] $16.75
"The Numero Group's 2006 release Good God! A Gospel Funk Hymnal examined what seemed to be a conundrum: gospel singers performing pious gospel songs, and devoutly, but doing so amid hot, sweaty, earthy sounds drunk on the same moonshine downed by any blues singer thumbing his way up north from the Mississippi delta. If the central premise was to grapple with a 'funky' trend in gospel, forgive us for staring perhaps a bit too intently at the collision of sacred and profane we thought we saw on those LPs and 45s. This music was always sacred, and decidedly so. Four years later, Numero returns with not quite a New Testament, rather a re-examination of a weighty tome. Born Again Funk lends new ears to a joyful strain of American composers and performers unafraid of expressing their devotion with both inspiration and invention. They were faithful to a spirit, not to an ordained sound."

Vertonen - We Had A Few Sprinkles Today... CD (C.I.P.) [CIPCD23] $12.00
These recordings are the fruit of a two-year process of extracting and modifying material originally recorded in 1978. All resulting audio was solely generated from this source material. The concept behind this CD stemmed from VERTONEN's interest in reassessing the idea of "brainwashing" and how misperceptions that are easier to accept can easily and dangerously corrode-and, worse, override-the realities of the original event. For fans of John Watermann, John Duncan, Chop Shop, Nurse With Wound, Hafler Trio.

Voltigeurs - Voltigeurs CD (Turgid Animal) [CDVOLTIS/T] $12.75
Brand new project from MATHEW BOWER of SKULLFLOWER and SAMANTHA DAVIS of GYR/HARM. This album definitely demonstrates the direction in which Mr. Bower has been taking with his other projects as of late and could easily be described as Black Metal in it's purest form, but this is no Skullflower rip off. Samantha's Davis' input has certainly altered Mattthew's musical vision and it is easy to hear the sound of a true collaboration at work. Six long tracks of heavy music running in at a total of nearly 65 minutes.

White Mice - Ganjahovahdose CD (20 Buck Spin) [SPIN033] $9.50
Pun-obsessed, toilet-humored, ill-tongued, rodent-masked wackos? A weed-fueled, grinding sludge, noise-damaged, brutally super-sonic trio? Demented cheese-lovers with a beef against God? Yeah, WHITE MICE from Providence, Rhode Island, are all those things and more. Too f***ed up and unconventional for the average metalhead, too stoned, sleazy, and salacious for the hipster and punk set, the White Mice have for years existed on the fringes of every underground scene and belonged to none of 'em. After condemning the Earth with five albums and a deluge of other releases on labels like Load Records and Blossoming Noise, White Mice defile the world once more in collaboration with 20 Buck Spin. Their sixth LP, Ganjahovahdose, is the crowning drool in the band's discography, with the most stunning, searing, heavy, and beautiful sound they've achieved yet, thanks in part to the massive mixing job of one KEN "HIWATT" MARSHALL (SKINNY PUPPY). Musically speaking, one might hear traces of Godflesh, Brainbombs, or Buzzov*en, even Flipper and some of their Providence brethren, yet they stand easily apart from any proper comparison, remaining a savage beast of their own making.

Xberg Dhirty6 Cru - Die Reime Der Anderen CD (Sonig) [SONIG79] $13.25
ILL-TILL, TIGER, DER RICHTER, TRETBOTE, KNOCHENBLUT, and DJ OPFERRILLE are back with twenty massive tracks full of untouchable beats and rhymes! THE D6 CRU set the bar high with their brilliant 2008 debut Die Wichtigkeit-nobody had heard anything like it in German hip hop. The album was delivered in their trademark dhirty schoolyard rap style. But now the Cru have really let loose on life with Die Reime der Anderen, their sophomore release for Sonig. The title-track is an eavesdrop-rap set against the scene of a large-scale hip hop tapping maneuver. Or are they exposing the actual practices of the the Rap-Stasi? Have worldwide followers of the Tilluminati sent out their moles to copy the hard-disks of rappers everywhere? In any case, there's hardly one hot topic that they don't touch on this tell-it-like-it-is album. The Cru from Kreuzberg have managed to satirize the trend away from B-Boy culture toward conditioned texts via social responsibility, and they hit the nail on the head. No exports outside North America

Yan Jun - Lama Islands Diary CD (Re-records) [10669] $12.00
The first release of our On Location series. From one of the most influential Chinese sound artists of our time. A new master piece that for sure will redefine site-specific and field recordings oriented sound works. This sound diary was recorded in Lamma Island, by Beijing sound artist, Yan Jun, during his stay in Hong Kong for the AROUND sound festival in 2009. The imaginative approach of Yan Jun simply opens up a whole new world for field recordings. From now on, field recordings will never be the same.

Biography: Yan Jun, working on realm of sound and language.

Yan was born in Lanzhou in 1973, now based in Beijing. B.A. of Chinese Literature.

He works with feedback noise, drone sound, voice, field recording, site-specific sound installation, impro music, environmental sound, writing, publishing and curating. He regard them as one thing.

Yan has founded the Sub Jam and its sub-label KwanYin Records. He runs weekly enevt Waterland Kwanyin and annual festival Mini Midi since 2005.

He has published 5 essay collections about Chinese new music and 3 poetry collections.

File under: Field recordings, Sound art

Zach Wallace - Glass Armonica CD (Root Strata) [RS046CD] $13.50
"Glass Armonica is the first solo CD by musician Zach Wallace. When not counting fauna in the Montana wilderness, Zach can be seen performing across the incense sticks from Greg Davis in their stoic long form drone duo Sun Circle. Zach's Armonica, based loosely on Benjamin Franklin's 1761 design, is built entirely from thrift store bought wine glasses and has been modified to handle multiple players. The performances captured here were recorded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the spring of 2007. The results are not too far off from what you might imagine if you've ever coaxed sound waves from the rim of a wine glass with your finger. Now just imagine multiplying that sound a few times over until you arrive at a dense fog of resonant tones that hover in mid air while concurrently penetrating your pituitary glad. That's getting close. Edition of 500 in an offset white case with silver ink."

[ D V D ]

Ex, The - The Convoy Tour DVD (Ex Records) [EX118DVD] $14.75
"In November 2004, The Ex celebrated its 25th anniversary. We organized a two-day party at Paradiso in Amsterdam and invited 68 of our favourite and most adventurous musicians. Then we took 35 of them on a week long bus tour through France... Everyone came from very different countries and performance backgrounds: 71 year old Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria (playing for the first time outside his home country) and the grindcore/pop duo Zea (from Amsterdam); Japanese modern dancer, Hisako Horikawa, and French sound poet, Anne-James Chaton; Fugazi front man Ian MacKaye (who played with his new band The Evens), and blind singer Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed (who played with his Ethiopian trio and Dutch drum whirlwind Han Bennink); plus wild Italians (ZU), bizarre French (Silent Block), an opinionated saxophone player (John Butcher), 'The Ex living Jukebox' (Wilf Plum), some stubborn Dutch musicians (of course) and much, much more. To make things even more exciting, we also invited some extra guests: From Api Uiz to Thermal to the ICP Orchestra. The whole event was the result of our 25 years in the heart of new music. It was a journey of unexpected combinations and far-too-long drives; every night was packed with surprises and amazement. Here is our story of this adventure."

Kiki Smith - Squatting The Place DVD (Microcinema) [MC863DVD] $24.25
"This video takes a circular approach to an artist who works in overlapping spirals of creative energy. Smith works in her home not in a space specifically designed as a studio but on the 2nd floor of her East Village townhouse. There, amid her books, a pet bird, and small kitchen, Smith goes from drawing to collaging to modeling clay to painting plaster casts and back, again and again, moving from one discipline to another in a way that can seem aimless to a casual observer, but which is actually the modus operandi of a highly sophisticated visual artist. Over the course of the video, it becomes apparent that many of the pieces Smith is creating including sculptures, photographs, prints, and furniture fashioned from liquor boxes are intended for an eight-room installation at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice, Italy, to open contemporaneously with the 2005 Venice Biennale. We see Smith collaborating with artisans fabricating her sculptures and observe her daily interactions with her assistants. We then follow Smith to Venice and witness the complex installation of her exhibition, which proves to be an integral part of the conceptual whole. The video culminates in a detailed look at the completed exhibition, Homespun Tales: Stories of Domestic Occupation, widely regarded as one of the most successful exhibitions that summer in Venice. Kiki Smith's work in sculpture, prints and drawings has been the subject of numerous museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide. Her graphic work was celebrated in Kiki Smith: Prints, Books, and Things at MoMA, New York, and a mid-career survey, A Gathering: 1980-2005, organized by the Walker Art Center, traveled to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Whitney Museum of American Art."

Malachi Farrell - Malachi Farrell At Work - The Making Of La Gégène DVD (Microcinema) [MC939DVD] $20.25
"The documentary Malachi Farrell at Work - The Making of La Gégène retraces the steps involved in the making of La Gégène, a mixed media art work by Malachi Farrell and his team for the MAC/VAL museum in Vitry-sur-Seine (France) in 2007. Using movement, objects, images and sounds, La Gégène evokes the Algerian War and its related acts of violent torture as well as today's media deluge. Filmed in an experimental fashion, this documentary depicts the strength of this activist art work as it invites viewers to question social, political, historical, and contemporary events."

Phill Niblock - Six Films (1966-1969) DVD (Die Schachtel) [DSV001DVD] $23.75
Die Schachtel in collaboration with O' artspace proudly presents a deluxe DVD featuring six experimental films by New York-based composer, photographer and filmmaker Phill Niblock from the late-1960s. Anybody familiar with Niblock would probably characterize his work by the sound of his long, sonorous drones, producing rich overtones usually combined with a visual element -- since before moving into composition, Niblock was an active photographer and filmmaker. While he usually is known for his films from the Movement Of People Working series alongside performances of his music, Niblock's early works stand apart as unique objects. The integrity and consistency of his style is fully on display in these seldomly-seen or screened 16mm sound films wonders that include: Morning (1966-1969) from an idea by Phill Niblock and Jean Claude Van Itallie, filmed by PN, text by Lee Worley and Michael Corner, with members of the Open Theater group. Starring Lee Worley, James Barbosa, Cynthis Harris, Sharon Gans, Joseph Chaikin; text read by Lee Worley, James Barbosa, Barbara Porte, Dorothy Lyman, Michael Corner. Black & white 16mm film. The Magic Sun (1966-1968) with members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, music by Sun Ra and the Arkestra. Filmed on high-contrast black & white 16mm film. Dog Track (1969) -- a film by Phill Niblock, with a found text read by Barbara Porte. Color 16mm film. Annie (1968) -- a portrait of the dancer Ann Danoff, with a sound collage soundtrack. Color 16mm film. Max (1966-19) -- an image collage film/portrait of percussionist/sound-artist Max Neuhaus, with a collage soundtrack by Max Neuhaus. Black & white 16mm film. Raoul (1968-1969) -- a portrait of the painter Raoul Middleman, with extensive use of time-lapse film technique. The soundtrack is improvised by Raoul Middleman and Phill Niblock. Color 16mm film. Limited edition of 500 copies. NTSC, all-region DVD, stereo, 4:3 format. Run-time: 65 minutes.

Simone Forti - An Evening Of Dance Constructions DVD (Microcinema) [MC986DVD] $20.25
"In the spring of 1961 Simone Forti presented a program titled Five Dance Constructions and Some Other Things in a concert series organized by her friend, composer La Monte Young, at the New York loft studio of Yoko Ono. These radically new dances created circumstances for the performers' direct, non-stylistic actions. Each of the pieces was performed in a different place in the loft, with the audience moving from location to location to view them. Some of the pieces required elementary structures: a hanging rope, rectangular wooden boxes which were placed throughout the loft like a sculptural installation. In 2004 the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles invited Forti to re-create these dance constructions at the Geffen Contemporary space, in conjunction with the exhibition A Minimalist Future Art as Object 1958 1986. This DVD documents that evening and includes Huddle, Slant Board, Platforms, See Saw, Roller Boxes and Accompaniment for La Monte's 2 sounds and La Monte's 2 sounds. The soundtrack of La Monte Young's 2 Sounds has been re-mastered and the composer's notes accompany the video. In addition, there is a question and answer session with Forti at the conclusion of the performances."

Sufjan Stevens - BQE DVD+CD (Asthmatic Kitty) [AKR278] $15.50
SUFJAN STEVENS is proud to present The BQE, a cinematic suite inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Hula-Hoop. Commissioned by Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The BQE was originally performed in the Howard Gilman Opera House in celebration of the 25th anniversary Next Wave Festival in October of 2007. The BQE is available as a double-disc format (CD/DVD), which includes the original 16mm/8mm film (in widescreen "triptych" display), the original motion picture soundtrack, a 40-page booklet (with extensive liner notes and photographs), and the stereoscopic image reel (playable in all View-Master(r) viewers).

Various Artists - Optifonica DVD (12k) [12k041] $25.75
RELEASE DATE: 11-17-2009
Instead of creating mere objects of aesthetic seduction, a new form of art is surfacing that invites audiences to transcend the limits of habitual perception. It seeks to shift the observer's attention from the physical objects that stimulate perception to the act of perception itself.

"Concurrent with the cognitive space of apprehended sounds, a separate view can be opened onto the physical life of waves." - (R. Ganchrow, Hear and There: Notes on the Materiality of Sound)

The immersive environments presented here by 42 artists from 13 different countries incite a unique multi- sensory awareness of both physical and mental (imagined) space. Some works directly examine the slipping contours of kinetic phenomena, involving magnetism (Kanta Horio), fluid dynamics (Skoltz Kolgen), or acoustic levitation (Domnitch/Gelfand/Chartier). Others have invented an impossible phantom spatiality, stemming, for example, from brain wave interference (Ulf Langheinrich) or stereoscopically rendered interferential video signals (Bas van Koolwijk). All the pieces entail a search for hidden, transitory spaces that crosswire the perceptual spectrum. After being presented worldwide (Sonic Acts, Elektra, Sonar, Nemo...) in the form of Surround Cinema as well as in the Optofonica Capsule (a tactile audio installation), this body of work, spanning 3 years, has been painstakingly archived, preserving as much as possible the intricacies of each composition.

Founded in 2006 by artist and producer TeZ, Optofonica is a platform for immersive art-science situated in Amsterdam (NL). The works presented on this DVD (in 5.1 surround and stereo sound options) were commissioned by Optofonica to stimulate the combined research of sound spatialization and synesthetic immersion.

Optofonica #1 was assembled by curator, TeZ and is produced by Optofonica ( www.optofonica.com ) in collaboration with LINE and with the support of ARCADI (Action régionale pour la création artistique et la diffusion en Ä~Nle-de-France) and FONDS BKVB.

EVELINA DOMNITCH + DMITRY GELFAND + RICHARD CHARTIER / sonolevitation / 6.28
TELCOSYSTEMS / scapetime / 7:57
RYAN JEFFERY + SCANNER / waterfall / 6:53
RYOICHI KUROKAWA / vento ignis / 4:07
KANTA HORIO / em#3 / 7:51
JASON GRAHAM + KIM CASCONE + TEZ / raindrops #7 / 6:01
SKOLTZ_KOLGEN / ether / 3:51
KAFFE MATTHEWS / mount magnet / 6:37
MARCEL WIERCKX / black noise white silence / 3:00
MARTIJN VAN BOVEN / a thousand scapes / 10:01
OTOLAB / animula / 8:00
RAYXXXX / pulse / 7:20
LIA + @C / study #40 / 9:47
BAS VAN KOOLWIJK / fdbck/av 3d / 6:02
FRANK BRETSCHNEIDER / rhythm exp. / 5:14
DOMENICO SCIAJNO / sgf / 7:02
PE LANG + ZIMOUN / untitled sound objects / 0:47
ULF LANGHEINRICH / it would have been fantastic / 5:05
QUAYOLA + MIRA CALIX + AUTOBAM / strata #2 / 7:12
SKIF++ / skif++ / 4:52
DAVID MUTH & HIAZ / counterclockwise / 2:04
KURT HENTSCHLAGER / xscape / 7:01
NATALIE BEWERNITZ + MAREK GOLDOWSKI / life at the witch trails / 10:06

Various Artists - Ouled Bambara: Portraits Of Gnawa DVD+CD (Drag City) [DC403] $16.00
In the first release of its kind, Twos & Fews and Drag City present Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa-a presentation in sound and moving pictures of several of Marrakech's most experienced Gnawa practitioners and their individual interpretations of the deep, esoteric, and powerful tagnawit tradition. Gnawa music has been considered a kind of Ur-blues, and has also been linked to the music of voodoo and santeria. It's often described with words like "hypnotic," which it is. The Gnawa have long signified all that is mysterious and phenomenal about Morocco: mystical Sufism, trance rituals, possession rites, ecstatic music and dance. Brought north most likely from the West and Central Sahel region of Africa over several hundred years, the original Gnawa were black slaves who synthesized animist African religious ritual with classical Sufi practice. But nothing sounds quite like the music of the Gnawa, and their music and their practice have usually elided definition, if not description.

Various Artists - Optofonica DVD+Book (Line) [LINE041DVD] $28.50
"'Concurrent with the cognitive space of apprehended sounds, a separate view can be opened onto the physical life of waves.' -- (R. Ganchrow, Hear and There: Notes on the Materiality of Sound). The immersive environments presented here by 42 artists from 13 different countries incite a unique multi- sensory awareness of both physical and mental (imagined) space. Some works directly examine the slipping contours of kinetic phenomena, involving magnetism (Kanta Horio), fluid dynamics (Skoltz Kolgen), or acoustic levitation (Domnitch/Gelfand/Chartier). Others have invented an impossible phantom spatiality, stemming, for example, from brain wave interference (Ulf Langheinrich) or stereoscopically rendered interferential video signals (Bas van Koolwijk). All the pieces entail a search for hidden, transitory spaces that crosswire the perceptual spectrum. After being presented worldwide (Sonic Acts, Elektra, Sonar, Nemo...) in the form of Surround Cinema as well as in the Optofonica Capsule (a tactile audio installation), this body of work, spanning 3 years, has been painstakingly archived, preserving as much as possible the intricacies of each composition. Founded in 2006 by artist and producer TeZ, Optofonica is a platform for immersive art-science situated in Amsterdam (NL). The works presented on this DVD (in 5.1 surround and stereo sound options) were commissioned by Optofonica to stimulate the combined research of sound spatialization and synesthetic immersion." Includes a 52-page full color book.

Various Artists - Different Cinema Volume Three DVD (Microcinema) [MC948DVD] $20.25
"The Different Cinema Volume Three DVD is witness to the inexhaustible range of possibilities of contemporary filmmaking. The nine films selected for the 10th anniversary of the Festival des Cinémas Différents de Paris are linked to the heritage of experimental film and the eternal quest for renewal, causes espoused by the festival. From the historical film Césarée by Marguerite Duras to more contemporary creations, this ensemble of films showcases work using various formats (super 8, 16mm, digital video) within the fields of traditional cinema and contemporary art from which the filmmakers have emerged. Subtitles in French, English, German, and Spanish."

Various Artists - All Tomorrow's Parties DVD (Warp Records) [WARP205DVD] $29.25
"All Tomorrow's Parties is a kaleidoscopic journey into the parallel musical universe of the cult music festival of the same name. The film is a semi-found multi media bricolage shot by over two hundred filmmakers, fans and musicians over the festival's recent history, with key contributions from co-director Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation), and cinematographer Vincent Moon (The Take Away Shows, Arcade Fire)and features amongst others: Belle And Sebastian, Grizzly Bear, Sonic Youth, Battles, Portishead, Daniel Johnston, Grinderman, David Cross, Animal Collective, The Boredoms, Les Savy Fav, Mogwai, Slint, The Dirty Three, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Gossip, GZA, Seasick Steve, Iggy and the Stooges, F*** Buttons, Shellac, Patti Smith and John Cooper Clark. Produced by Luke Morris, the film is co-developed and financed by the Warp X partners, Film4, UKFC, EM Media and Screen Yorkshire."

Vernon Chatman - Final Flesh DVD (Drag City) [DC406DVD] $16.50
"NEW from Vernon Chatman, a co-creator of some of this millennium's most outre cable television programming (Wonder Showzen, Xavier: Renegade Angel and -- yeah -- Doggy Fizzle Televizzle - !) is a DVD destined to change the way we look at entertainment, pornography and probably the legal system. Final Flesh is a feature film produced in four parts: the script written by Vernon was divided up and submitted to four unique film production companies that work exclusively in the field of customized adult content. The companies' shared charter is to produce a film that explores the writer's chosen fetish -- and with this in mind, Vernon wrote with demented determination, in order to push the definition of fetish into the realm of the cosmically absurd. Then he sat back to see what his charges would deliver. The resulting film is an epic narrative for our time. Final Flesh is a surreal, apocalyptic My Dinner With Andre -- in other words, existential, sublime and ridiculous, featuring unmistakeably porno production values and shudderingly unseasoned porno actors and actresses -- but no actual sex! Chatman's sexworker hirelings applied themselves earnestly to his cerebral text (never suspecting the prank nature of the project). Working in complete isolation from each other, they made Final Flesh a cinematic 'exquisite corpse' whose fervid rottings comprise an insurgency in the field of...well, all the fields that involve people looking at other people for entertainment. Final Flesh isn't just a meta-comedic concept whose time has come -- it 's also a hot evening's entertainment filled with religion, sex, philosophy, fashion, culture and 'reality' (with all the pathos that implies), plus some really amazing dialogue. Few will sit the fence on this. Few should. Final Flesh is a confrontation and a contradiction that deserves its day in (kangaroo) court. Fortunately, it 's the way of the world that the curious and easily influenced will be drawn into the web that is Final Flesh, whether they like it or not ? thus dissolving its concepts of 'avant-garde porn' and 'comedy' into the unsuspecting mainstream, where their questionable merits will have the desired evolutionary impact. If your spirit is willing -- the Flesh will freak you!"

[ H I S T O R I C A L ]

Arthur Russell - The Sleeping Bag Sessions CD (Sleeping Bag) [TEG3319CD] $13.50
"Whether it's hip hop, its face pointed reverentially to the old school, or house stealing disco riffs by the truck load, people are increasingly intrigued by back-in-the-day. And common to both the aforementioned scenes and much more is one person, Arthur Russell, a man some regard as the best songwriter of the 20th century. In 1981 Arthur set up Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov. The first release was the album 24-24 Music as Dinosaur L. If you're wondering about the name it would appear Arthur would often use the names of extinct or near-extinct animals. On one production credit he's Killer Whale, whilst the logo for Sleeping Bag is a Koala bear! Will remembers how they came up with the name for their label. 'We were joking about names, and James Brown was on with 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my apartment and I kind of made a joke about that, and Arthur said that was a great idea for the name of the company!' The line up was pretty much the same as the Loose Joints sessions, (which boasted the Ingram Brothers rhythm section) and a similar stream-of-conscience approach was taken with the recording itself. Russell arranged the beats so there'd be a change every 24 bars (hence the title) and the band would have to improvise the songs over the top. He also made sure he went into the studio when there was a full moon! The album is again very experimental, and makes occasional uneasy listening but the same magic is very much in evidence. Arthur would continue to be involved in production and mixing duties for the label, but parted company with Socolov in 1985. Arthur sadly died of AIDS in 1992 leaving behind many songs; as one obituary put it, it was though he simply vanished into his music."

Bill Madison - Sunday Mornin' Hayride CD (Riverman Music) [BTR043CD] $16.00
Now in its first-ever CD reissue, Riverman Music presents this 1973 private-press rural-basement folk gem out of New Hampshire, remastered in a 24-bit remaster with three bonus tracks. Good-timey, jazzy, western swingin' bits ripe with weedy, gentle athmo-paint and bluesy taint. This terrific acid-cowboy-in-the-wild-west private pressing simply reeks of a rural America that probably doesn't exist anymore (and maybe never did), but Bill Madison delivers such a solid vision, that you'll be excused if you find yourself believing you've been taken on a ride in a time machine -- only the captain here's a bonafide head and won't drop you off in the 19th century without first stopping at the local freak shop for a pocketful of smoke. Comes in a handsome paper gatefold sleeve that precisely reproduces the original LP sleeve in miniature form. Includes liner notes, lyrics, and rare photos.

Bruce Gilbert - This Way CD (Editions Mego) [EMEGO102CD] $16.00
This Way, originally released in 1984 on Mute, was UK guitarist Bruce Gilbert's first solo album, realized in that brief period between Dome winding down operations and Wire reforming for the first time. A stunning study of controlled ambience and subtle minimalism which is still regarded as an all-time favorite at Editions Mego. The bulk of the album is taken up by the mighty "Do You Me? I Did / Swamp" pieces which were commissioned for a piece of the same name by choreographer Michael Clark. A grey tonal poem of amazing, bleak beauty building up to the ecstatic crescendo of the third movement. Elsewhere, short notes on the possibilities of abstract electronic noise are included in the form of "Here Visit" and "U, Mu, U," which still hold their sense of urgency a quarter of a century after being initially recorded. This is also the first time the complete album is available domestically on CD. Previous CD issues were the This Way To The Shivering Man on Mute (with "U, Mu, U" missing), and the Japan-only 3CD box with This Way, Shivering Man and Insiding previously-released by Alfa Recordings. This 25th anniversary reissue is remastered by Russell Haswell and contains a rework by Dave Coppenhall on Angela Conway's original artwork.

Caterina Caselli - Primavera CD (Riverman Music) [BTR045CD] $16.00
Riverman Music issues Italian actress/singer Caterina Caselli's rare 1974 album. Totally lush, otherworldly and semi-proggy vocal orchestral/piano-led space-ballads, sung in Italian. Housed in a limited paper gatefold sleeve edition with photos and liner notes (in Korean), and remastered in a 24-bit remaster.

David Lewis - Songs Of David Lewis CD (Riverman Music) [BTR046CD] $16.00
Riverman Music issues this extremely rare 1970 Irish album from former Andwella's Dream member David Lewis, including two bonus tracks. Songs Of David Lewis was recorded in Trident Studios London and engineered by Robin Cable, who was also Elton John's engineer at the time. The album came about as the result of extra studio time being left over after the completion of the Andwella World's End record. 500 copies were pressed and used for promotional purposes only. Two extra songs were added from the Andwella's Dream album Love And Poetry -- "Man Without A Name" and "Take My Road." A continuation of the same sort of dreamy songwritership as Andwella, but displaying the early phases of Lewis' composerly guitar/piano bent, as well. Remastered in a 24-bit remaster, and housed in a paper sleeve.

Dr. Boogie - Dr. Boogie Presents Heavy Jelly: Essential Instrumentals CD (Sub Rosa) [SR292CD] $14.75
This is the fifth volume in Sub Rosa's collection devoted to rare and lost recordings from the '20s to the '60s, following Dr. Boogie Presents Rarities from the Bob Hite Vaults (SR 271CD/LP), Oh, Run Into Me, But Don't Hurt Me! Female Blues Singers -- Rarities 1923-1930 (SR 268CD/LP), Shim Sham Shimmy (SR 279CD/LP), and Dr. Boogie Presents 26 Deranged And Smokin' Cool Cats (SR 286CD/LP). This time around, musicologist and radio personality Walter De Paduwa aka Dr. Boogie has assembled a collection of hot-shot instrumentals culled from the original 45s -- tunes mainly dominated by a sax and organ, and always backed by a strong rhythm section. The first half of the '60s was a perfect test ground for whoever wanted to make a record for a fistful of dollars. The 45 rpm was king, and among the other genres of the day, instrumentals occupied a sizeable chunk of production. The best-known instrumentals came from California in the late '50s, thanks to the surfers who quickly adopted a new guitar sound from Texas. Simultaneously, all over the United States bands started recording lots of diverse and surprising instrumental tracks. They did so for various reasons: lack of a good singer, as filler for a B-side, or for a shot at the charts with a different, jukebox-ready mix of an already-released song. The mark of a good instrumental was often a gimmick, i.e. that little something -- a riff, an intro, a repetitive chord -- that would act as the piece's signature item. The tracks here were shamelessly designed for no other reason than to fill up the dancefloor, to great effect.

Far Out - Nihonjin CD (Phoenix Records) [ASH3029CD] $16.00
Prior to metamorphosing into Far East Family Band, Japan's Far Out released this sole, space-y, guitar-drenched psychedelic prog album in 1971. Although the Floyd influences are highly apparent, the band produces an original sound which defines its own unique identity rather than being a reflection of the British and American bands that were dominating the genre. Although there is a keyboard-dominated opening, synthesizers are relegated to a supporting role, and their sparse presence is restricted to occasional sound effects. The psychedelic ambiance comes largely from the guitars, electric sitars and intelligent percussion. The original album contained just two single-sided tracks, and the intense guitar soloing, fantastic sound effects, including gongs and howling wind drones, combine to create an album of sparse beauty which effortlessly merges exotic Asian instrumentals with a psych sound occasionally reminiscent of Saucerful Of Secrets. Numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies only, housed in a unique LP-replica card wallet.

Farm Band, The - The Farm Band CD (Riverman Music) [BTR044CD] $16.00
This is the first-ever CD reissue of The Farm Band's communistic classic from 1972 -- remastered in a 24-bit remaster. In the late 1960s, Stephen Gaskin, a countercultural icon, made a name for himself teaching a weekly class on the meaning of the psychedelic experience in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District. At the start of the '70s, he led a hippie exodus to Tennessee, where he created "The Farm," just about the only successful hippie commune from that era still standing. This is the first album by Gaskin and The Farm Band, who fall somewhere between the Grateful Dead and Jethro Tull, performing long, psycho blues suites with good guitar solos, flute and violin (several tracks last more than eight minutes). They released four albums between 1972 and 1977, generating more country boogie, good-time, free-loving vibes. Housed in a handsome paper gatefold sleeve that precisely reproduces the original gatefold LP sleeve in miniature form. Includes liner notes and rare photos.

Gods Gifts - Pathology CD (Messthetics) [218] $10.25
From 1979 to 1984 other bands on the Manchester scene played larger roles, but sooner or later almost everyone who was there mentions GODS GIFT-in tones of awe or amazement. The early Manchester scene was anchored by The Fall, Joy Division, a few straight-ahead punks, and the more idiosyncratic denizens of the Manchester Musicians Collective. And Gods Gift out-did them all-in diffidence, darkness, pure feral energy and gleeful musical anarchy. Their successes were epic, but their failures, too, left indelible impressions. As much as can be said of any band in rock history, Gods Gift were the product of their day jobs: most everyone who played in GG all worked "inside" at Prestwich Asylum-then the largest psychiatric hospital in the UK. The hospital's grayness, hopelessness, and constant menace permeated not just GG's tunes and lyrics, but their very stage-presence. Messthetics' seventeen-song CD, Pathology, spans GG's career from 1979 to 1984, drawing material from their records, a Manchester Musicians Collective compilation, several demos and two full-length cassette albums. 12-page booklet with photos and extensive bio; 75 minutes of pounding, insistent, magnificent noise.

Magazine - Live & Intermittent CD (Wire-sound) [WIRESOUND001CD] $19.00
"Restored and remastered from three shows recorded in 1979 and 1980. Tracks 1 and 2 were recorded at Hurrah, New York on 02/08/79, while tracks 3 through to 9 were recorded live at the Whiskey A Go Go, Los Angeles on 01/09/79 and tracks 10 to 17 were recorded at the Family Hotel, Sydney on 20/09/80."

Moebius - Tonspuren CD (Bureau B) [BB040CD] $16.00
This is the first solo album by Dieter Moebius, recorded at Conny Plank's studio and originally released in 1983 on Sky Records. By 1969 at the latest, Dieter Moebius was synonymous with the avant-garde electronic music scene in Germany. He and Hans-Joachim Roedelius formed Cluster, a seminal electronic/ambient duo, while Moebius was also a member of the so-called Krautrock supergroup Harmonia (with Michael Rother and Roedelius), as well as collaborating on various other projects with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier from Guru Guru. Somehow, it took Moebius until 1983 to release his own solo debut album. Tonspuren is an album of minimalisms, miniatures and stringent form -- 10 consistently concise and precise pieces. Moebius develops tonal variations out of minimalistic, rhythmic, harmonic basic tracks, sometimes coming close to tangible melodies. Yet this is exactly the point at which he purposely steers clear of electronic pop criteria. Nevertheless, Tonspuren is a pop album, its radically stripped-down contents replenished with harmonious elements of prevalent popular music. Echoes of Cluster notwithstanding, the music of Tonspuren is a separate entity altogether. Moebius seems to be avoiding improvisation as the devil keeps his distance from holy water. Each piece is thoughtfully composed, as Moebius crafts his miniatures layer by layer. Spontaneous inaccuracies have no place here; noise escapades are nipped in the bud. Baroque, folklore and frivolity are not admitted into the studio when the red light is on. Thanks to Tonspuren, the keen listener now has the opportunity of direct comparison in his appraisal of the solo albums of Moebius, Roedelius and Rother. Tonspuren thus represents a vital piece of the Harmonia puzzle. Including liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

Morning Dew - At Last 1968-1970 CD (Cicadelic Records) [CIC1970CD] $14.50
"This is the second release of a two part series covering the history of The Morning Dew (the first release was Morning Dew- No More, 1966-1969). This CD contains The Morning Dew's sought after 1970 Roulette album, At Last, with the original artwork, plus their unreleased second LP masters. Pictured at left is The Morning Dew in Central Park, August 1969, during a break in recording the At Last album."

People - Ceremony -- Buddha Meet Rock CD (Phoenix Records) [ASH3027CD] $16.00
Phoenix Records reissues a digitally remastered edition of People's sole album, the legendary Ceremony -- Buddha Meet Rock, originally released in 1971 in Japan. Nobody's sure if the musicians on this recording ever performed as a group or whether Ceremony was simply a studio super-project. Certainly, guitarist Kimio Mizutani had already enjoyed a certain amount of critical exposure following stints with Love Live Life + One and Masahiko Satoh's Sound Brakers, and it is Satoh's jazzy fuzz guitar licks that help to lift this album to a higher level. Unfortunately, this was the ensemble's only output, but this conceptual album is an absolute classic. As the title suggests, this recording was an attempt to fuse a Buddhist-influenced spiritual vibe into an innovative form of hypnotic, psychedelic prog rock. All in all, a rather weird record, but the sound is mindblowing -- experimental and trippy, but never too free or over the top, and at times a more traditional Japanese style of music lurks in the background. A monumental album that's never going to go out of style. Numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies only, housed in a unique LP-replica card wallet.

Revolutionary Ensemble - Vietnam CD (ESPDisk) [ESPDISK3007CD] $12.75
"Debut recording by one of the classic avant-garde groups: the Revolutionary Ensemble. Featuring violinist Leroy Jenkins (formerly a member of the AACM), bassist Sirone and percussionist Jerome Cooper, the group was an early example of chamber music within the avant-garde format, one that emphasized subtlety within its instrumentation (string instruments instead of saxophones) and compositions. The band existed primarily from 1971-1977, building a worldwide reputation as one of the premier avant-garde groups. Vietnam was the group's first recording." Remastered CD in digipack format.

RLW - When Freezing Air Stings Like Ice I Shall Breathe Again CD (Streamline) [STREAM1008CD] $12.75
Compositions, instruments, samples, and other sounds by Ralf Wehowsky (P16/Selektion). Stunning, advanced, organized sound corridors; one of the finest documents of this German scene. "When freezing air stings like ice... is Ralf Wehowsky's third album as RLW after the work he produced with P16.D4 during the 1980s. It's available again now for the first time since it was originally released in 1996. The producers are still at a loss trying to find words to describe this unusual and challenging piece of work, but fortunately in the meantime it seems to have inspired some insightful comments from others: 'RLW works in a very clinical and precise style, offering up six slices of heavily clipped, doctored sound. A fair portion of this CD is made up of silence occasionally punctuated by tiny, near inaudible sounds, yet when listened to as a whole it soon becomes clear that the silences are as important as the sounds which they surround. This is never more evident than on the final track 'Waving Goodbye to Friendly Conceptualists,' which completely breaks the micro-tonal balance of sounds with an all-mighty blast of concrete noise, never failing to make me spill my coffee all over my lap -- a thrill indeed. Yet despite its very studious approach to sound organisation RLW does have a certain warmth and humour which gives this CD extra playability value as demonstrated in such titles as 'Strictly Untitled,' and 'Even Stockhausen knows if it's not Cage.' Hayfever, Germany 1996"

Roedelius - Wenn Der Südwind Weht CD (Bureau B) [BB041CD] $16.00
Wenn Der Südwind Weht ("When The South Wind Is Blowing") is the seventh solo album by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released on Sky Records in 1981 (also known under the title Selbstportrait IV). "Where on earth does Roedelius find such a beautiful array of notes?" wonders Asmus Tietchens in his sleeve notes for this reissue. Not an unreasonable question. Roedelius, a pioneer of ambient music, Krautrock and, arguably, synthesizer pop, member of such seminal bands as Cluster and Harmonia, revels in alien worlds on this record. This is "Music to be listened to quietly," as Roedelius advised on the LP cover. Indeed, listening at low volume enhances the sense of otherworldliness quite considerably. And yet, this album can hardly be termed "spacy" nor psychedelic in the slightest. Electronic excesses are absent, aural exotica off-limits, bizarre cacophonies non-existent. The individual tracks are compact, lined up in quick succession, like a string of pearls. Wherein lies their fascination? From what distant place do they reach out to the listener? First of all, there is the Roedelian "quietitude." Even when the music is turned up, it remains quiet in character, almost as if wrapped in cotton wool. The quiet nature of this music is inseparable from the serene and tranquil manner in which Roedelius goes about creating his typical harmonies and melodies on an electric organ of decidedly limited sonic variability. He leaves in the occasional blip and electric interference or tape hiss, but nothing can distract him from the inspiration of the moment as it feeds his music. The contrast with the perfect, yet impersonal precision of minimalism could not be greater. Improvisation is the driving force of Roedelius' music. Without a trace of exhibitionism, he externalizes himself through his music with an honesty that could move one to tears. As a member of Cluster and Harmonia, such radicalism was never open to him. Südwind is an undisputed highlight in the Roedelius canon. CD housed in a digipak with liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

Roger Morris - First Album CD (Riverman Music) [BTR047CD] $16.00
Riverman Music reissues this 1972 classic of UK roots revival rock, remastered in a 24-bit remaster and including four bonus tracks from the same era. Previously known to just a handful of collectors and experts, this record later came to the attention of many fans after being championed by a small group of music critics. Recorded in the UK in late 1971, First Album was a fine addition to the small but burgeoning British country rock scene that encompassed the likes of Matthews' Southern Comfort, Quiver, Help Yourself, and Brinsley Schwarz. Roger Morris' band on this album features some of the finest musicians of the era, including Glen Campbell, Rod Coombes, Chris Mercer and De Lisle Harper. This reissue boasts an additional four bonus tracks, which were all recorded a year after the original LP. Housed in a miniature replica paper gatefold sleeve with lyrics sheet.

Scattered Order - Prat Culture Plus CD (Klanggalerie) [10658] $18.75
CD in a limited edition of 400 copies. A fantastic album originally released in 1982 on Australia's M Squared-label. Founded in 1979, Scattered Order released three records in the early Eighties on M Squared, plus a few compilation tracks on various samplers. For this CD edition, the band have remastered the whole album and the Screaming Tree EP. As a bonus, there's some unheard stuff at the end of the CD as well! Soundwise Scattered Order fit in somewhere between Industrial and Post-Punk, think of early Cabaret Voltaire, Hula, Tuxedomoon, Faust and you get the idea. A cult item for the first time ever on CD!

Spirit House Movers, The - Black & Beautiful, Soul & Madness CD (Sonboy Records) [SONBOY003CD] $14.00
The original 1968 studio recording of Black & Beautiful, Soul & Madness by The Spirit House Movers is finally available. "After 40 years of constant chatter and occasionally a snippet heard by some radio DJ who had a copy, this record has for most people been something that they heard about but never heard. 'Beautiful Black Women' was both a love song and an anthem coming to us in the midst of the fire that was the '60s. 'Madness' was always my favorite because it spoke about the ultimate conclusion of a society going mad. It is even more relevant today than it was then. With this release, Sonboy Records continues its commitment to re-issuing the entire Jihad catalog." --Thomas J. Porter "Black & Beautiful, Soul & Madness was the first word-music record I did completely devoted to this form. One piece on a New York Art Quartet side earlier, but Black & Beautiful was recorded at my home and in the small theater my wife, Amina, and I built there The Spirit House (33 Stirling St.) shortly after I had returned home to Newark, NJ, after the implosion of the Harlem based Blacks Arts Repertory Theater-School. Spirit House, like the Black Arts, was created to present Black theater, poetry, music and political dialogue. B&B was not the only side done on those premises, under the record label we created, Jihad A Black Mass with Sun Ra & His Myth Science Arkestra was another. Sonny's Time Now with Sonny Murray and Donald Ayler the third. B&B featured Yusef Iman, an actor I met at the Black Arts who began to come to the Spirit House after the Arts folded. Yusef was a member of the Spirit House Movers & Players which we shortened to The Spirit House Movers (inspired by the dudes in a bar we went to who worked for a moving company). The singing group B&B, the Jihad Singers, was an R&B singing group that Yusef was a member of, the lead singer Freddie Johnson, who I never saw again after the record date. All the musicians were local. Singer Aireen Eternal was Yusef's wife. In our mind we wanted to create world-music that reflected the Motown vibe so popular in the late-'60s. 'Beautiful Black Women' used Smokey Robinson's 'OOOH Baby, Baby' as a model. 'Black And Beautiful' was created by Yusef & Freddie and seemed a classic R&B du-wop send-up. But we also had a clear vision of what we wanted to say regarding the Afro-American struggle for equal rights and self-determination, at least we thought of ourselves as cultural workers, revolutionary artists 'pushing the program' as some of our cultural nationalist comrades were wont to say. I think you can feel our excitement and commitment." --Amiri Baraka, September, 2009 The Spirit House Movers: Freddy Johnson (lead & tenor), Leonard Cathcart (tenor), Aireen Eternal (2nd tenor), Gilbert Monk (baritone), Yusef Iman (bass), LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) (spoken-word).

Various Artists - Psych Funk 101: 1968-1975 CD (World Psychedelic Funk Classics) [WPFC101] $15.50
Psych-Funk 101 introduces students to the global phenomenon of psychedelic funk music, and covers the "golden years" of the movement, from approximately 1967 until 1980. This compilation does not focus on American and British bands. Rather it focuses on the bands throughout the Global Village that were influenced by the innovation of American and British bands-that many times one-upped the heroes they sought to emulate. This compilation focuses on bands influenced by James Brown, The Meters, Sly and The Family Stone, Booker T and The MGs and The Bar Kays and unsung rhythmic forces such as drummers Bernard Purdie, Idris Muhammad, Earl Palmer, bassists such Carol Kaye and Jimmy Lewis. It focuses on bands who took that energy and combined it with the flair of psychedelic-rock musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and the ensemble known as Cream-as well as pop-rock acts taken by the experimental side of psychedelia such as The Beatles. But these bands added their own, unique cultural flourishes. The result is mind-bending.

Various Artists - Tumbele! Biguine, Afto & Latin Sounds CD (Soundway) [SNDW017] $16.00
From The French Caribbean, 1963-74. Often overlooked in the English-speaking Caribbean, the scattering drums and soaring clarinets of the biguine ruled the airwaves and dancefloors of Martinique and Guadeloupe in the 1960s. This album showcases the vibrancy of the scene on the islands in the '60s and '70s-a scene that would go on to develop the all-conquering sound of zouk in the '80s. Uptown bands like ENSEMBLE LA PERFECTA and LES LOUPS NOIRS combine heavy rhythms and psychedelic effects in an inimitable style. The deep and introspective sounds of MONSIEUR DOLOR and Guadeloupean hero ROBERT LOISON show the deep African roots of the music. Overlooked outside of Paris, Montreal and the French Caribbean for many years, this collection redresses the balance by presenting the vital sounds of Martinique and Guadeloupe-missing pieces of the musical jigsaw puzzle of the Caribbean. CD includes a 24-page booklet with detailed historical notes and rare photos.

Various Artists - Forge Your Own Chains CD (Now Again) [NA5046CD] $16.50
Subtitled: Heavy Psychedelic Ballads And Dirges 1968-1974. "This compilation introduces a new direction for Now-Again Records and its owner, Stones Throw Records GM, A&R and producer Egon. With the same detailed, no-stone-unturned approach he used for Deep Funk (The Funky 16 Corners, Cold Heat), he tackles beat-heavy global psychedelia with Forge Your Own Chains. 'Those of us birthed into record collecting by the Hip Hop midwife revered Jimi Hendrix as well as James Brown. We searched for albums by Mulatu Astatke and Power of Zeus with the same fervor,' Egon writes in his introduction to the comp. Forge Your Own Chains showcases music from all corners of the world: Colombia, Nigeria, Sweden, South Korea, Thailand and Iran. The focus -- in keeping with Now-Again's tradition -- is on melody, driving rhythms and accessibility. Not one song is included on this compilation because it is from a 'rare' album. Certainly, many of these songs do spring from albums that exchange hands for many thousands of dollars and many of these songs have never seen reissue. But these songs are all beautiful in their own right and work to form a coherent album. Psychedelic records, long the mainstay of older, grizzled collectors and seemingly quaint, are, in the hands of Egon and those of his generation, giving up new ghosts. And, with comps like Forge Your Own Chains, inspiring new investigations into our not so distant (and still very much alive) musical past." Artists: Top Drawer, Sensational Saints, East Of Underground, D. R. Hooker, Shin Jung Hyun & The Men feat. Jang Hyun, T. Zchiew & The Johnny, The Strangers, Damon, Ellison, Morly Grey, Shadrack Chameleon, Ofege, Ana Y Jaime, Kourosh Yaghmaei, Baby Grandmothers.

Various Artists - Piccadilly Sunshine Part Two CD (Past & Present) [PAPR2110CD] $16.00
Subtitled: British Pop Psych And Other Flavours 1966-1971. Volume two of Piccadilly Sunshine, available for the first time on CD, once again sets foot in the deep and wondrous valleys of British pop music culture. Daring to bring forth the once overlooked and sadly neglected songs that were laid to waste in a saturated wonderland of suburban teenage pop. Join us as we tip-toe barefoot and trip through the late 1960s and early '70s in Great Britain's vast and glorious cultural dustbin. Stepping amongst the 20 flower-powered trippers presented here, they have been lovingly restored to their former glory. Includes a full-color booklet with detailed sleeve notes. Artists include: K.G. Young, Sasha Caro, Gentry, Peppermint Circus, Legay, George Bean, Wishful Thinking, Suspect, Perfect People, Barbara Ruskin, Chris McClure, Bubblegum, The Kool, Alexander Bell, Roger Denison, Gervase, Bill Kenwright And The Runaways, Mike Raynor And The Condors, and Zuider Zee.

This week's VINYL update contains releases by:

&Me * 9DW * Above Smoke * Acoustic High-End Research * Adriano Filippucci * Albert Ayler * Alexander Kowalski * Allez Allez * Anarchist Republic Of Bzzz * Andrew Hill * Andy Stott * Aoki Takamasa * Appleseed Cast * Arado & Den Ishu * Arthur Russell * Basti Grub/Veitengruber * Bats * Bauhaus * Bibio * Big Zis * Bonnie 'Prince' Billy * Bonny Billy & The Picket Line * Boris * Brendon Moeller * Browns * C Joynes * Cassius * Catz 'n Dogz (feat. Pol_on) * Cex * Chandeliers * Cheapers, The * Claude Vonstroke * Click | Click * Conforce * Culver/Murder Book * D. Charles Speer & The Helix * David Keno * Delta 5 * Deniz Kurtel * Dethscalator/Hey Colossus * Detroit Grand Pubahs * Digitaline * Distance * DIY * DJ Hell * DJ Madd * Dr. Boogie * Drama Society With Vladislav Delay * Edward Williams * Esplendor Geometrico * Ex & Tom Cora, The * Excision vs. The Subdivision * Fausto Messina/Jackspot & Diego Miranda * Flamin' Groovies * Flaming Lips * Foog * Frankie Rose * Fugazi * Gaiser * Good Guy Mikesh & Filburt * Gray Matter * Greg Webster * Gregorythme * Gregorythme/Pikaya * Guilty Simpson & Madlib * Gummihz * Gus Gus * Haki R. Madhubuti * Harmonia & Eno * Heavy Trash * Helixir * Horace Andy & Ashley Beedle * Hunee * Joe Henderson * John Selway * John Tejada & Josh Humphrey * Jonesin' * Joshua Emery Blatchley * Jozef Van Wissem * Kasper Bjorke * Kenny Dorham * Kim Fowley * Klaxons/Alan Vega/No Bra * Know How/Neurotron * KRS One & Buckshot * KZA * La Peôa * Le Le * Leroy Franklin Starbird Band * Levon Vincent/Steffi * Leyland Kirby * Lil Tony * Lindstrom and Christabelle * Lizzy Mercier Descloux * Loose Fur * Lotus Eaters * Lover! * Luna City Express * LV * Magnus International * Manson Family, The * Marco Bailey * Marco Bailey & Dany Rodriguez * Marcus Carp vs. Deo & Zman * Marek Hemmann * Mark McGuire * Matthias Meyer/Wareika * Max Cooper * Mayor Daley * Merzbow * Michael Sellam * Michel de Hey * Mihalis Safras * Moebius * Monolake/T++ * Mr Gasparov/Octa Push * Naked Raygun * Neal Morgan * Nekes/Marquese * Nurse With Wound * Pattern Repeat * Pontiak * Relatives, The * Resoe * Robert Hood * Roedelius * RSD * Rui Da Silva & Craig Richards * Runaway * Ryan Trevor * Ryo Murakami * Sandwitches * Santos * Santos/Riz MC * Sascha Dive * Savvas Ysatis & Taylor Deupree * Scott Walker * Sight Below * Solomun * Soulphiction Presents Missing Linkx * Stefanie Ressin + Asmus Tietchens * Subarachnoid Space * Sun Ra * Sven Tasnadi * Sven Tasnadi/Christopher Rau * T&K * Tenchu * Teresa Rampazzi * Tolfrey & Ramirez * Tropa Macaca * Unknown * White Days * Wickeda * Widow Babies * Wrnlrd * Yakine * Yann Leguay * Yays & Nays * Ye Olde Maids * Zoroaster

[ F E A T U R E D   R E L E A S E S ]

Edward Williams - Life On Earth: Music From The 1979 BBC TV Series LP (Trunk) [JBH034LP] $16.00
The groundbreaking natural history program Life On Earth hit UK TV screens 30 years ago, in 1979, and this is the first time the beautiful music composed for the series by Edward Williams has been commercially issued. It's quite extraordinary that something so utterly beautiful has remained unissued until now. Jonny Trunk: "The music reminded me very much of my first encounter with library music and the magical, twinkling ambient sounds of science, nature and music for jellyfish. Some frantic letter writing followed. Edward Williams had to be traced. Eventually I tracked him down and went to meet him at his home in Bristol. It was fascinating to learn that he had connections with other important musical characters that I was dealing with, like Tristram Cary. I also learned that Edward had invented the soundbeam, an incredible musical education tool. He also told me about his extraordinary 1970s VCS 3 touring band called Uncle Jambo's Pendular Vibrations. Edward also explained the genesis of the rare and elusive vinyl album. Basically, he'd had less than 100 copies privately-pressed for any members of the orchestra who had played on the recording and wanted one. And so in late 2009, 30 years on from the day it was created, we can all enjoy some of the most beautiful music made for some of the greatest TV ever produced." The sounds composed and created for the series are quite magical. It's the sound of science, of underwater life, of progress, flight, fight, death and courtship. There are swamps, petrified forests, snowscapes and coral reefs. And of course, music composed for a wide variety of birds, animals and sea-dwellers of all shapes and sizes. Influences include Erik Satie, British pastoral composition of the post-war period and pioneering UK electronics. What's extraordinary is that Edward Williams created a sound way ahead of his time; listen to track 2 or 3, and you will hear music that could easily be mistaken for the contemporary soundtrack work of Cliff Martinez or Clint Mansell. The music itself is hard to categorize -- of course it's soundtrack music, but it hints at classical, at library music, touches on the avant-garde, and has a strong ambient feel and an unusual timeless quality. It involves over 70 musicians, with the composer placing much of the played music through his vintage 1973 VCS 3 synthesizer.

Merzbow - Microkosmos Volume 1 LP (Blossoming Noise) [BN042LP] $16.50
"This is the first in a five part limited edition series of LPs based around a collection of collages created by Masami Akita in 1982 & '83."

Nurse With Wound - Chance Meeting On A Dissecting Table Of A Sewing Machine 2xLP (Dirter Promotions) [DPROM071LP] $26.25
...And An Umbrella. Regular 2LP edition (boxed edition with t-shirt and badge is now deleted). Three sides of music, 1 side etched, this is the long-awaited re-issue of the timeless Nurse With Wound debut release from 1979. Described by Sounds at the time as a record that "makes The Faust Tapes sound like Carousel," nothing has changed to alter this view over the last 30 years, and to say that this work is the "Sgt. Pepper of the avant-garde" would not be hyperbole. 2LP set with the extra track "Strain, Crack, Break" (never previously available on vinyl) on side three and an etching on side four.

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&Me - On 12 inch (Front Room) [FRM028EP] $11.50
"You may not have heard so much from Andre (aka &ME) so far. Instead of the flash and glitter associated with most of his producer colleagues, he's preferred to stay in the shadows, co-producing and ghost writing for artists like DJ Hell and Terranova. Now after putting out his first solo single on Keinemusik, which was supported by all the key players (Front Room label boss Jesse Rose, Luke Solomon, Gabriel Ananda, Danny Tenaglia and Dubfire plus many more) &ME is finally ready to 'go public' as they say. He may have taken some time to figure out his own style of blending techno and house music but now he's out there's really no escape. With a name like an attention deficit child's mantra it's a wonder he stayed 'in' so long. The On EP is an excursion into the type of techno dusted pulsating minimal house that has been so big for artists like Luciano Esse and Arnaud le Texier and which is heard on heavy rotation in Berlin meccas like Bar25. With A Side 'On' ever present digital squelches (reminiscent of a Rolf Harrris style wobble board) are laid over shakers, stripped-back beat and the familiar 'on' vocal. It's not hard to understand why Tiefschwarz have been rinsing it for quite some time now as a huge afterhours groover. B Side 'Talking Days', swimming in lush deep techno elements, weaves through more melodic territory but is no less infectious."

9DW - 9DW 2xLP (Wax Poetics) [WPR006LP] $21.50
"Taking electro-fusion to the next dimension is no easy job. But Tokyo-based futurists 9dw aren't afraid to gaze beyond the limits of the Milky Way, riding on a celestial quest toward a world where the atmosphere is analog and the beat of a neon ocean washes against a beach of synthesizer sand. Building their sonic landscape on an arsenal of vintage instruments and technology, the music of 9dw is a refreshing mix of jazz instrumentals, skilled guitars, fresh breakbeats, and funky keys. With an ear to the past and their eyes on the future, this band of the Rising Sun heralds a return to the 1970s heyday of jazz originality and flavor. Not since pioneers the likes of Bob James, Herbie Hancock, or Joe Zawinul has jazz-fusion sounded this good. Although 9dw's self-titled debut has been available in Japan for sometime now, it has yet to see any form of stateside release. That's why we here at Wax Poetics Records have decided the time is right to bring 9dw into the U.S. soundscape with a limited vinyl run of 9dw. This, the sixth release from Wax Poetics Records, will come as a double-LP set pressed on high quality 180-gram vinyl. Until now, Wax Poetics Records has been strictly in the business of reissuing rare, overlooked, and long-lost albums from the past. But with 9dw, we're proud to be, for the first-time, reissuing a contemporary album worthy of the Wax Poetics seal of approval. So while we still pride ourselves on being an authority when it comes to soul, funk, and jazz music's lesser-known players of yesterday, we've also got our ears tuned to the sounds of tomorrow. Be it in Wax Poetics Magazine or on Wax Poetics Records, you can rest assured that we're digging the underground, wherever we find it." Limited numbered edition of 1500 on clear vinyl.

Above Smoke - The Fix 12 inch (Yore Records) [YORE019EP] $11.50
Javier Alvarez aka Above Smoke is a Madrid-based producer. On the first of four warm, atmospheric mood pieces, "Awfully" drapes dense synthetic winds over a grooving, bass-prodded deep house pulse. "Get Down" does exactly that with funky Rhodes chords, disco hi-hats, and synth swirls; a percolating bass line lends a propulsive charge, while crowd voices give the cut a party vibe. "The Fix" scatters fragments of the spoken line over a funk-house groove, with a nice, clapping Dubbyman remix.

Acoustic High-End Research - Running Back Presents Strada Professional Sound Effects LP (Running Back) [RBEFX001LP] $21.00
"Running Back presents: Strada Sound Effects! That's what you all have been waiting for: a record with nothing but sound tools. It pretty much does what it says: sirens, wind, water, ambience, and kids on LSD hysterically laughing. Isn't that great? Speaking of those laughing kids, that's what caught our attention during a warm and cozy Plastic People night with Ä,me's Kristian. Blessed with an original copy of this record released via Kobe's honorable Strada Records store, an email attempt in purchasing a copy ended up in a re-issue agreement as the initial run of approximately 300 copies was long lost and gone. On top of it, Kristian lost his in one of these nasty 'airport baggage clerks DJ robbery' incidents. You can use it for intros, outros, mixes, tricks and the likes. Plus: Danny 'The Dancer' Wang explains in his scientific and lyrical liner notes why YOU have to acquire this record in a 180 gram heavy plate edition with nice artwork as per usual. Limited, precious and strictly bound to wax."

Adriano Filippucci - Voices 12 inch (Einmaleins) [EINMAL049EP] $11.50
"A new generation of young and ambitious electronic/house producers from Italy have caused lot of 'rumors.' Adriano is a big great interpreter of the scene in the hearth of Italy, which is going to become the new centre for house and techno culture. .Eimaleins captures the essence of Adriano's style, releasing these two tracks which have the houzy and techy flavours, wisely mixed with solid but quite funky grooves. Adriano called his friend Matt Brown to remix his track 'Voices.' It's an amazing, super warm and smooth piece of house music."

Alexander Kowalski - In The Heat Of The Night 12 inch (Damage Music Berlin) [DMB001EP] $11.50
"Alexander Kowalski is back! After more than a year of not bringing out any new releases and leaving the Different label, the first 12" is now to appear on his own label Damage Music Berlin, DMB for short. 'The Heat Of The Night' clearly takes the former Kanzleramt flagship back to its original deep sound. This energy-laden dub-techno number is sure to make the dancers' hearts beat faster, and to make them sweat - in the heat of the night... 'It's Been A Long Way' is a typical pushy Kowalski techno track that dares the tightrope walk between rolling basses and melancholic soundscapes. As for 'Don't Judge Me (Just Because I Like The Rave),' the name says it all! This track is one of the smashers in the current Kowalski live sets and has already taken apart a number of clubs in the process. Alexander Kowalski decided to found a label of his own primarily to release his own tracks that he has either tried and tested as part of his live sets or fresh ideas straight from his studio. In time, he also wants to provide a platform for other artists to publish their music. Time to Damage!"

Allez Allez - Defeatist 12 inch (Kickboxer) [KICK025EP] $10.25
"For the past three years, Allez-Allez have developed an enviable reputation as two of London's most in demand and respected bloggers, DJs and remixers. Their weekly podcast (www.allez-allez.co.uk) has featured guest appearances from the likes of Four Tet, Nathan Fake, Ewan Pearson, Matias Aguayo, Tobias Thomas, Hot Chip, Animal Collective and Optimo to name but a few, they have played host to Kompakt's series of London parties at Plastic People including Supermayer, The Field, Gui Boratto and DJ Koze amongst others, as well as DJ dates in Berlin, Barcelona, Krakow, Cologne and beyond. They are also soon to launch their own imprint Amazing Sounds, with the first release of Harmonia & Brian Eno remixed by Shackleton & Appleblim! Well received, forward thinking Allez-Allez remixes for the likes of Fever Ray, Simian Mobile Disco, Hot Chip and Telepathe are now followed by a debut single for Cologne's highly respected Kickboxer imprint. Part of Kompakt's associated labels, the track (entitled 'Defeatist') is a growling analogue peak time stormer, backed with 'Slump' a melancholic kraut epic described by Optimo's JD Twitch as sounding 'like Chris & Cosey riding a flying hoover over the city in Blade Runner.' The package features a slamming remix by Border Community's Ricardo Tobar, which has already been rocking the crowds from the record boxes of none other than BC boss James Holden and krautronica master Four Tet now for some time! Also included are two rerubs by winners of the FOEM remix competition - Soundcaster and Karizmxxxx that twist the original into exciting new shapes for diverse dancefloors."

Anarchist Republic Of Bzzz - Anarchist Republic Of Bzzz LP (Sub Rosa) [SR285LP] $12.25
Anarchist Republic Of Bzzz is the exceptional and ephemeral reunion of two cult guitarists, Marc Ribot & Arto Lindsay and two inspired and engaged rappers, Sensational & Mike Ladd, with Seb el Zin at the helm. The group displays a level of urgency too rare nowadays. These five musicians break free from all the music rules and transcend all styles. This isn't free jazz per se, nor free improvisation or dub or hip-hop -- actually, the Anarchist Republic Of Bzzz's sonic manifesto is simultaneously all that. This album is released exclusively on LP, housed in a scandalous sleeve designed by Kiki Picasso, who is the founding member of Bazooka, the punk graphic design team that revolutionized the art of illustration as a whole in the late-'70s.

Andy Stott - Night Jewel 12 inch (Modern Love) [LOVE058EP] $11.50
Night Jewel is the first one-sided 12" on Modern Love in over a year and is also Andy Stott's biggest club track since the release of his overnight sell-out Hostile 12". Revolving around reverberating chords reminiscent of Move D at his deadliest, it's a track that just builds into a heaving mass of feel-good vibes, honed and primed for the floor.

Aoki Takamasa - RN-Rhythm-Variations 12 inch (Raster-Noton) [R-N113EP] $13.25
This is the first release by Aoki Takamasa on Raster-Noton. Aoki came to Berlin via Japan, and has been releasing music since 2001. He enthusiastically pursues an expansive variety of techniques of expression via a broad array of software and hardware. The rhythm and groove created by driving the CPU to the max may seem extreme; however, one must respect the inquiring mind that incessantly probes the roots of musical expression.

Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations LP (Graveface) [GRAVE035] $12.00
After the experimentation of the Low Level Owl series, APPLESEED CAST left Deep Elm for Tigerstyle and returned to a more structured approach. Like Mare Vitalis before it, Two Conversations is made up of a peppering of 3, 4 and 5 minute songs, only they have a twinge of the post-rock neurosis explored on Low Level Owl Vols. 1-2. This new version includes new artwork and a song not included in the original tracklisting on Tigerstyle Records. The LP comes on triple colored 160-gram vinyl with an 11"x17" poster tucked inside. This title has never been available on LP prior.

Arado & Den Ishu - Uganda Express 12 inch (Desolat) [DESOLAT005X-EP] $11.50
Three straight dancefloor-friendly tracks from Arado & Den Ishu, available only on this 12".

Basti Grub/Veitengruber - El Wedelmader/What A Day 12 inch (Merkesdir) [MERKE003EP] $12.25
"Another house-BOMB arrives us with Bastigrub and Veitengrubers 'MerkesDir 003.' Played and supported by Luciano, Loco Dice, Nick Curly, SIS, Johnny D and many, many more."

Bats - Don't You Rise 7 inch (Slumberland) [SL90] $4.50
THE BATS are legends of New Zealand music, standing tall alongside contemporaries The Clean and The Chills as linchpins of the Flying Nun label and the Dunedin / Christchurch scene. Over the course of 25 years, seven albums, and four world tours, the original line-up of ROBERT SCOTT, MALCOLM GRANT, PAUL KEAN, and KAYE WOODWARD remains intact and still creates vital, pastoral pop gems. Combining Scott's mantric-like guitar pick and strum, bouncing bass with a twist from Kean, melodic hooks from Woodward on guitar, and Grant's snappy beats, the combination of musical ingredients works perfectly-effortlessly. Don't You Rise gathers up four tunes from 1998 and 2003, helping to complete the discographical picture leading up to their most recent album, The Guilty Office. Features a guest appearance by longtime Bats collaborator ALASTAIR GALBRAITH on electric violin. Pressed on colored vinyl. No exports outside North America.

Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead (Slow To Speak RMX) 12 inch (Slow To Speak) [TEENY103109EP] $12.75
"A perfect heralding of the special morbidity that is Halloween, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'---the obscure 12"-only masterpiece from indisputable goth/rock kings Bauhaus -- finds itself under the scruple of the scalpel wielded with curious biological fascination of self-endowed surgeons slow to speak. While his body remains mostly in tact, a few 'arrangements' have been made to Mr. 'Lugosi's' corpse: the pettiness of a few vocal mishaps are swept away and the entire bone structure extended to uncanny length to produce a concentrated specimen of dark, funky percussive rock mastery. Not shying away from the allegedly childish implications of this special time, slow to speak embrace them ten-fold, blowing into their trumpets of dark calling the clear echo of gruesome display and musical fascination of aural celebration, the edit's stripped down, haunted wailings a cursed display of grotesque celebration that beckons forth the children of the night to put down their keyboards, espresso-machines and whatever other modern tools of wage-labor to march in unison to the dark calling of the equinox. Obviously this mutated savagery has made 'Lugosi's' corpse primed and ready for the party or individual autopsy, and for this purpose his remains should be exploited to the maximum effect. We can only hope that his spirit lives on through this especially limited, hand-silk-screened-sleeve release to haunt future generations unprepared for the fury of Bauhaus' exceptionally noteworthy work."

Bibio - The Apple And The Tooth LP (Warp Records) [WARP190LP] $19.00
Limited LP version in gold-foiled sleeve. "Hot on the heels of his highest selling, critically-acclaimed album Ambivalence Avenue (Best New Music on Pitchfork), Bibio has assembled a companion album comprised of 4 all-new tracks and 8 remixes from luminaries such as Warp's own Clark, Friendly Fires' visual collaborator Rob Lee, as well as Bibio himself. From the clattering, beat-forward re-imagining of 'Dwrcan' by San Francisco's Eskmo to the babymaking, lush downtempo snap of Leatherette's 'Lover's Carvings' remix, to Bibio's own Parisienne carnival re-contextualization of 'Palm of Your Wave', The Apple And The Tooth illuminates the dramatic range of sounds and influences Ambivalence Avenue employs and portrays."

Big Zis - Suure Räge Rmx Vol.2 12 inch (Nation Music) [NM081EP] $12.75
"The Swiss black music label has been broadening its musical spectrum over the past years. Just like the artist BIG ZIS, whose music could most likely be labeled 'electro pop alternative punk rap', they don't care about common conventions. While rap becomes more and more pimped out, house loopier and minimal narrow-minded, Big Zis hooks up with a top-class troupe to get it her own way. For her most recent album Und jetz ... ('And now') she worked with Marton di Katz and Valentino Tomasi (both members of Kalabrese's famous 'Rumpelorchester'), who laid the musical foundations for most of the songs. For the impulsive electro on the track 'Suure Räge' ('Acid Rain') however, BIG ZIS collaborated with the techno producer Michal Ho (Tuningspork) at the studio. 'Suure Räge' got remixed by several well-known producers: Robag Wruhme (Freude am Tanzen) and Canson (GS Zürich) are to be found on volume 1 and the soul brothers Lexx (aka Kawabata / Drumpoet) and Kalabrese (Stattmusik) successfully combat boredom on volume 2. The sound scapes of the remixes couldn't be any more diverse and cover a broad variety of styles."

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Stay 7 inch (Drag City) [DC422] $6.25
Blue. This is the sound of Bonny today. On this, his twenty-somethingth single (counting half a dozen halves at least), BONNIE PRINCE BILLY does SUSANNA WALLUMROD for the second time in the last two years. The first time was a tour-only 7-inch of duet covers sung with Susanna. "Stay," is one of four songs covered by Billy and THE BEWARE band for inclusion in their 2008 tour set. All were recorded during the Beware recording sessions. The B-side is a live version of "People Living," recorded in December 2008, and is bathed in a deep and natural reverb provided by a church outside of old Milano.

Bonny Billy & The Picket Line - Funtown Comedown LP (Sea Note) [SN017LP] $16.50
"In the wilds of greater outer Louisville Kentucky, there is a place called Funtown. You won't find it on any map, and you might just lose yourself in the woods out there trying to pin it down to the ground as well. Yet, Funtown is a place, as much as it is a place of mind. It was in this place, in a clearing and on the shores of a pond, that Bonny 'Prince' Billy and The Picket Line combined forces to play his music and their music and other people's music for a community of people to hear and watch and swing and step to. And they did! The songs of Bonny and The Picket Line and the others that they play are music for an afternoon, an evening, a night. Songs to echo off your head when you wake up the next morning -- but songs for a finite place, like Funtown; a place that you must leave behind you, and leave in your mind. So they left, and months went by, and a few more opportunities to play as one presented themselves. Including this one! Live in front of friends and family is the way of Funtown, so more and the same were invited when B'P'B and the TPL laid this one down for posterity. It was as fun as it sounds and more, in ways which have mostly been channeled down to the two sides of a groove, and presented to you here, wrapped twice in full-color sleeves. The Picket Line spark with their youth the picking traditions that some call bluegrass and some call music. They are comprised of Oscar Lee Riley Parsons, guitar and singing; Bob Dixon, electric guitar; Jonathan Kempf, mandolin; Cheyenne Mize, filled and singing; Danny Kiely, double bass; and of course, the Mayor of Funtown himself, Bradley Reinstedler, on banjo."

Boris - Japanese Heavy Rock Hits 2 7 inch (Southern Lord) [LORD108.2] $6.00
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***The second of three new BORIS 7-inches is available now! Volume Two features two newly recorded tracks. On Side A, the title track "H.M.A." is a heady slab of heavy metal tropes, alternating between spacey industrial SFX, hard-driving guitar and the mantra-like chants of the titular acronym. Side B continues with "Black Original," which echoes the spacey, electronic drive of "H.M.A.," but cuts out any pretense towards the heavy rock vibe of Boris' work, instead leaning towards a very basic electro-industrial approach. Cover features the controversial photo (a la Cold Lake era Celtic Frost!) of ATSUO. Truly grim!

Brendon Moeller - Escape 12 inch (Steadfast Records) [SFV001EP] $11.50
Brendon Moeller's seamless integration of genres along with an accomplished production style have garnered him much critical acclaim and a worldwide fanbase. This first release on Brendon's own imprint features 4 strong house tracks that possess all the groove and atmosphere necessary to keep heads bobbin' and feet tappin'. From the jazzy and disco-infused title-track to the techier electro bounce of "Phazed & Confused," this EP is solid all round.

Browns - Family History 12 inch (1928 Recordings) [192803] $10.25
The roots of GRAY GOODS, BROWNS' Family History is the only recording available by the now defunct Brooklyn three piece. The six-song EP was recorded in 2008 at Marcata in New Paltz with KEVIN MCMAHON (The Walkmen, Titus Andronicus). Includes individual prints photgraphed by ELIZABETH FRITTS.

C Joynes - Revenants, Prodigies And The Restless Dead LP (Immune) [IMMUNE007LP] $15.25
"Immune is proud to present a deluxe and limited edition vinyl version of the brand new album from British guitarist C Joynes. This is the second widely available album from Joynes (after last year's God Feeds The Ravens) and is being released simultaneously on CD by Bo' Weavil Recordings. C Joynes is a musician whose playing has consistently invoked a broad and shifting stream of inspirations. As a guitarist, there is no doubt that Joynes has been influenced by some of the most idiosyncratic finger-pickers of the last 40 years and beyond, but his music goes far beyond simply this. His recordings have always offered many dimensions for the listener to explore, be it through solo acoustic pieces, larger ensemble work, or the intimate use of improvisations and hill recordings. Building on previous albums, Revenants, Prodigies & The Restless Dead is a more expansive affair. Joined on a number of these tunes by an assortment of friends and collaborators, a range of acoustic and vintage electronic instruments all make appearances, gradually fleshing out some of the ideas and direction that Joynes clearly has imprinted in his mind's eye, adding color and hue to some of these beautiful compositions. While Joynes remains at home with English and American forms of folk music, the twelve pieces on this album continue to demonstrate the extent to which other traditions, both eastern and western, have an equal and instinctive pull on his music. Listen to the detuned and prepared guitar of 'Nyambai Sawmill,' which seems equally drawn out of late '60s classical experimentalism as it does to sounds from the Western Sahara."

Cassius - Youth, Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes Remixed 12 inch (Cassius) [CASS002EP] $12.75
"For the second Cassius Records and to carry on with the Youth Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes adventure we give you four remixes done by talented producers across Europe from Milano Italy. Reset! We met the three kids from reset! in Magazinni Generale while playing, their set was powerful but also full of respect and influences from hip hop, soul and 'dance music' in general, we finished our sets back to back and since this day love them. Their 'Trouble' mix could have been done by the jb's if they were still twenty something and into house music. It rocks and never stops. No use to present the music from Radio Slave, the big difference with a majority of other producers is that we both can recognize his tracks in a few bars only, also in the way it stretches to crazy length and takes you in a trance that could have come directly from Lagos in 1973. Matt embrace the same philosophy we all cherish at Cassius records. 'The No Boundarys Way' he's more than minimal, more than electro more than techno He stripped down 'ystc' to the max and his remix played at the good time on a good system is a true Chicagoan infused gem. Then after chaos, more chaos: The Subs' 'Juvenile' mix as the name indicates could only be done by someone who is very young or feels very young. The Subs are from Belgium, they're great producers and good friends. They did this remix, which is so loud, so diverse, so out of fashion and so tekno that we could only play it times after times when we received it. Analog to death it looks like the synth with so much cables that Jeroen uses is about to die between our ear."

Catz 'n Dogz (feat. Pol_on) - This Is What I'm Doing 12 inch (Mothership) [MSHIP025EP] $11.50
Catz 'N Dogz return to their home label. This time, the guys team up with their friend, the hot producer, Pol_On, while also featuring the candid vocals of fellow Mothershipper, Monty Luke. The sexy analog sound of the original mix will fit well within any proper house set, especially the "Drama Queen Mix," which breaks into a beautiful melodic section 3/4s of the way through. Groovy.

Cex - Bataille Royale 1 12 inch (Must Finish) [MFIX2011] $10.75
Bataille Royale is CEX's tenth full-length, split into two separate vinyl components. For this release the unpredictable Baltimoron uses experience gained from the last 9 years of trend-shredding mayhem to crossbreed his hometown's native dance music with the wicked strain of IDM that he helped pioneer at the start of the millennium. Having grown up partying to the anxious, overdriven sound of Baltimore club, Cex has little interest in trying to merely duplicate the work of the scene's titans, instead opting to push the sound to its trippiest limits by incorporating his equally long-standing passion for the exquisite European electronica of Basic Channel, Vladislav Delay, Pan Sonic, and Autechre. This highly original blend has captivated Baltimore's exploding underground music scene, where you can often find the Cexman presiding over dirty dance parties like some kind of gonzo Gandalf, playing marathon sets late into the night.

Cex - Bataille Royale 2 12 inch (Must Finish) [MFIX2022] $10.75
Bataille Royale is CEX's tenth full-length, split into two separate vinyl components. For this release the unpredictable Baltimoron uses experience gained from the last 9 years of trend-shredding mayhem to crossbreed his hometown's native dance music with the wicked strain of IDM that he helped pioneer at the start of the millennium. Having grown up partying to the anxious, overdriven sound of Baltimore club, Cex has little interest in trying to merely duplicate the work of the scene's titans, instead opting to push the sound to its trippiest limits by incorporating his equally long-standing passion for the exquisite European electronica of Basic Channel, Vladislav Delay, Pan Sonic, and Autechre. This highly original blend has captivated Baltimore's exploding underground music scene, where you can often find the Cexman presiding over dirty dance parties like some kind of gonzo Gandalf, playing marathon sets late into the night.

Chandeliers - Dirty Moves LP (HBSP-2X) [HBSP-2X-011] $16.25
As denizens of a vibrant and eclectic music scene that hinges around the Shape Shoppe recording space on Chicago's near South side, CHANDELIERS hail from the same community that includes the inventive Chi-town entities Icy Demons, Bronze, Killer Whales, Bird Names, and Mahjongg. With their 2008 debut The Thrush, the band introduced audiences to their own brand of keyboard-heavy dance rock-a sound that twisted and shifted through an array of styles and compelling rhythms and proved that the band had a lot of tricks up its collective sleeve. While listeners might've thought they'd gotten a fix on Chandeliers from what The Thrush had to offer, it now seems that we were only getting small part of the picture. The group's new "mixtape" release, Dirty Moves, offers an extended look at the multi-faceted creative energy that filters into the group's music. Selected from a backlog of practice tapes that span the group's four-year history, Dirty Moves not only charts the band's evolution, but also displays their stunning artistic flexibility. Over the course of thirty-three tracks, we hear Chandeliers digging deep into groove mode, all the while engaging in the sort of open-eared improvisational interplay that fuels the band's music, as melodic motifs get bounced around and the beat gets taken in unexpected and delightful directions. Edition of 250 copies on colored vinyl.

Cheapers, The - White Hole 12 inch (Upon You) [UY028EP] $12.25
"The travel reports of the Wilderness EP Part 1 & 2 follows a documentation of a time when The Cheapers were together in a dark vault and they were only attending the on going outer world through a 'white hole.' In Chapter A1 they report about the mundane mess that interfuses through the small opening into their facultative dungeon. They aim towards their profile and fill their surface with melody and intoxication.B1describes bass eruptions in front of the 'White House' and while buzzing, pouring oil onto the strings of their piano, to prove the efficiency of renewable sound energies. Their mission was successfully kept a secret until rising winds released the manuscript, blowing them out of the darkness to the CD of the current Groove-Magazine. Finally all parts are official and available on Upon You Records."

Claude Vonstroke - Bird Brain 12 inch (Dirtybird) [DBIRD029EP] $11.50
Here are two teaser tracks from Claude Vonstroke's Bird Brain full-length. On "Vocal Chords," CVS constructs a mad vocal pattern up and down through 4 octaves and all the vowel sounds of the live human voice. Then he creates a "chord" out of the notes all together for an even bigger surprise in the second half. On "Big N' Round" Claude makes an ultra-wide filter sweep sound like a pair of humongous tits bouncing up and down on a trampoline.

Click | Click - Panorama Bahn 12 inch (Kassette) [KASS007EP] $11.50
"The next release from Berlin's Kassette Records is ready to rock! This vinyl features three deep and absolutely groovy peak time smashers from the label head Click | Click. As a bonus the M_NUS artists Click Box from Sao Paulo add a unique and really exciting '80s flavoured remix to this mind blowing release."

Conforce - Cruising 12 inch (Curle Recordings) [CURLE021EP] $11.50
Conforce is the moniker of a bloke from The Island of Terschelling in The Netherlands. He currently lives in the city of Leeuwarden, where he works as an audiovisual designer. At the end of 2007, Rush Hour released his first 12" Our Concern, which got big support from people like Josh Wink, Rolando, Derrick May and Laurent Garnier. Junction followed in 2008, again with raving feedback.

Culver/Murder Book - Night Of The Killer Moon Split LP (Turgid Animal) [07CULVENIGH] $16.75
Brand new split LP from Gateshead drone legend CULVER and Turgid Animal's very own MUTANT APE side project MURDER BOOK. Two longs sides of blackened heavy music. There is nothing pretty about this record other than the sexy girl on the front. Limited to 250 copies on black vinyl.

D. Charles Speer & The Helix - Distillation LP+CD (3LOBED) [3LOBED072LP] $21.50
"It is a tremendous understatement to say that it is with grand excitement that Three Lobed Recordings is proud to announce the release of Distillation by D. Charles Speer & the Helix. For the last couple of years we have been continually excited by each of the fruits that have resulted from Speer/Helix collaboration. For our money, last year's After Hours album was one of the best released by anyone. Distillation only ups the ante from that prior full length by elaborating upon some of the musical themes from the late 2008 In Madagascar 7". The resulting album presents a tightly focused modern honky tonk quintet more than happy to blur the lines between country, psychedelia and the overall American musical tradition. Consisting on this album of D. Charles Speer (aka Dave Shuford from the No Neck Blues Band and Enos Slaughter), Hans Chew (last seen providing some ripping piano accompaniment on 'Fishtown Flower' from Jack Rose's The Black Dirt Sessions), Marc Orleans (Enos Slaughter, Sunburned Hand of The Man), Jason Meagher (No Neck Blues Band, Coachfingers) and Rob Gregory (the Suntanama), the Helix are a seriously experienced and talented crew. Distillation was recorded over time between the winter and summer of 2008 at the band's home away from home, Meagher's Black Dirt Studios in Westtown, New York. Includes a limited edition glass-mastered CD titled Of Snow Smoked Moose presenting a full, killer live set from the full band recorded on April 25, 2008 at the Turf Club in St. Paul, MN. This CD is not available separately."

David Keno - Feast 12 inch (Kindisch) [KD028EP] $11.50
"David Keno is going for the trifecta with Feast, his 3rd Kindisch release of the year. Following on from his excellent label debut Discoteca, and his storming Tout Le Temps collaboration with Jaxson, Keno is back with the 3-track smorgasbord that is Feast. Starting off his career with a number of releases for on Corrado Izo's 1220 label, David Keno has since cut his teeth with Morris Audio Citysport Edition and Frankie Rec, and has honed his sound into a fresh combination of masterfully constructed beats, perfectly pitched percussive elements and infectious melodies? all the right elements for dancefloor devastation! Feast shows David Keno taking a leaf out of the book of US westcoast house pioneers, and giving the sound a new perspective. 'Bonito' opens with a hint of cheeky Latin swing and demi-percussion, before breaking into a tough jacking beat and boompty house bassline. A lone, melancholy string sample in the second half define the track by injecting a touch of unexpected quirkiness into the mix. Keeping the momentum going is '808', a slightly deeper affair based on a throbbing, undulating bassline and conga-led percussion. Simplicity is the key to this drum machine tribute, as stabs of percussion are fused together with soulful scatting vocals, for a deeply funk flavoured house workout. Last but certainly not least, title track 'Feast' rides on a pulsating, low bassline, a subtle synth tone, and a haunting keys melody that build a moody atmosphere. Expertly combined this with the kind of jerky cut-up vocals and samples that get the shoulders bumping and the feet moving, Keno showcases true inventiveness with dancefloor appeal. With Feast David Keno is not cementing his place within the Kindisch family, he's also building his reputation as a young producer to be reckoned with!"

Deniz Kurtel - Whisper 12 inch (Wolf And Lamb) [WLM006EP] $12.25
"Wolf + Lamb introduce the world to the female branch of their creative tree of artists with Deniz Kurtel's inspired Whisper EP. Every once in a while an artist comes along that casually de es a medium and seems to effortlessly innovate with every project. Deniz Kurtel is one such artist. In little over a year, Deniz has begun to dazzlingly innovate with her own forward-thinking and esoteric take on deep, sultry house and techno. The Whisper EP follows up a remix for No Regular Play on Wolf + Lamb and preempts a debut artist album on Crosstown Rebels scheduled for release in early 2010. These three majestic cuts are sincere and feminine, fusing soft echoes into colourful and soothing atmospheres. Wolf + Lamb introduce the world to the female branch of their creative tree of artists with Deniz Kurtel's inspired Whisper EP. Every once in a while an artist comes along that casually de es a medium and seems to effortlessly innovate with every project. Deniz Kurtel is one such artist. In little over a year, Deniz has begun to dazzlingly innovate with her own forward-thinking and esoteric take on deep, sultry house and techno. The Whisper EP follows up a remix for 'No Regular Play' on Wolf + Lamb and preempts a debut artist album on Crosstown Rebels scheduled for release in early 2010. These three majestic cuts are sincere and feminine, fusing soft echoes into colourful and soothing atmospheres. Discovering the Wolf + Lamb parties at the now infamous Marcy Hotel in Williamsburg in 2005, Deniz became an integral part of the duo's life, parties, label and musical journey. Inspired by the label's distinctly avant garde take on underground house and techno, she turned her attention to producing electronic music and the results radiate with magnetism."

Dethscalator/Hey Colossus - Split LP (Black Labs) [UHURA1] $15.75
So here it is, the first release on Black Labs, sister label to UK label Riot Season. A limited edition 500 only split vinyl LP featuring two of the toughest cocks on the block. HEY COLOSSUS and DETHSCALATOR are two truly unhinged faces of the same rotting, mid air spinning bad apple, storming down their steaming rays of utter pitilessness, the bastards. Locking you in it's in highbeam and telling you everything you don't think you want to know, but secretly do, axes raised high, trapped voices dragging you down into the dim well. Both know the path to unbridled feedbacking euphoria and putrid atmospheric depth and are allowing the lucky few to climb inside the gungey joey pocket of fate and soar and crash over and over. Flaying victims regularly home and abroad you will do well to serve yourself a hot steaming portion immediately. UK import. Limited to 500 copies.

Detroit Grand Pubahs - BUttFUnkula & The Remixes From Earth Vol. 1 12 inch (Detelefunk) [DETELE010EP] $11.50
Detroit Grand Pubahs relaunch their imprint with a remix series of some of their favorite producers remixing tracks from their last 3 albums, eventually leading to a remix compilation featuring the finest remixes of the Pubahs' music. Robert Hood remixes the title track from the Pubahs' Funk All Y'all, while DJ 3000 takes one of Paris The Black Fu's first tracks and adds his Albanian rhythms. Finally, Samuel L Session delivers this peak-time dancefloor remix of "Dr. Bootygrabber."

Digitaline - 080808 12 inch (Minibar) [MINI019EP] $11.50
The Digitaline duo offers a must-have-EP. Side A is 12 minutes of pure Digitaline stylistic signature -- the feelings crescendo right up to take off. Side B is a new refreshment: a drop of mental bend, a peel of cadence, and a river of pace.

Distance - Twilight/V (Pinch Remix) 12 inch (Chestplate) [CHST007EP] $10.25
"Fresh from tours in the USA and Australia, Distance commits two more of his killer dubplates to vinyl, putting an evil smirk on the face of Dubstep DJs and fans everywhere. Now seven releases in, the Chestplate imprint is well and truly established as a buy-on-sight label. This time around sees a new Distance anthem on side A, accompanied by a Pinch reversion of Distance's modern classic 'V' on the flip. 'Twilight' is Distance in prime time dancefloor destruction mode. No messin'! The theremin-like spooky ambient melodies oscillate and brood, making way for the trademark Distance crunching riff. It smacks of Distance on top of his game. It slays and it dips, only to come back harder. This one should remind the Dubstep new skool that you don't have to tear your brain out to make tear out. Turn the 12 over and original badman, Bristol lynchpin Pinch, comes correct with his version of the Distance speaker wrecker 'V.' Pinch twists up and reconfigures the original into a new sonic horror show. This should be the office ambience of torture chambers everywhere. Pinch suppresses the drive and riff of Distance's version, accentuating the more unnerving elements; yes it's subtle, but it's not any less devastating. If the system packs enough punch, this one will literally turn guts. Major support comes from the crop of discerning dubstep DJs, with full blessings coming from the likes of Skream, Mary Anne Hobbs and Hatcha. Alongside contemporaries like Benga, Skream, Pinch and Digital Mystikz, Distance has been responsible for shaping the Dubstep sound as we know it today."

DIY - House Tool Vol. 2 12 inch (Tuning Spork) [TS052EP] $11.50
Belgian producers Sierra Sam & Marcus Vector return to their house-oriented project D.I.Y. (Dumb Irresponsible Youth) for a second volume of sly, sexy house-groovers. While volume 1 was purely instrumental, for volume 2, they've roped in some guest vocalists. First up is their collab with dOP. "Kilimanjaro" features D.I.Y.'s tribal bounce combined with dOP's seedy, Trent Reznor-on-opiates vocal delivery. The original of "Suck My Caulk features the voice of Big Bully, while Markus Fix brings it down into deep house territory.

DJ Hell - The Disaster (Thomas Schumacher Remix 2009) 12 inch (International Deejay Gigolo) [GIGOLOXXX] $11.50
In the wake of the unanimously-received Teufelswerk (GIGOLO 250CD/LP) album, DJ Hell sets his sight on a forthcoming remix album. In 2008, DJ Hell started to reach out to the crème de la crème of producers to handle his tracks, and the first comes courtesy of Thomas Schumacher, "The Disaster."

DJ Madd - Better With You (Akira Kiteshi Remix) 12 inch (Boka) [BOK022EP] $10.25
"Big tune alert! Boka Records hire the services of in-demand producer Akira Kiteshi to remix the recent DJ Madd hit entitled 'Better With You,' the original having been supported by the likes of 16BIT, Ikonika, Alexander Nut and Akira Kiteshi themselves. This remix is causing quite a stir on the dubstep circuit with support from N-Type, Bunzer0, Truth, and Bobby & Nihal (Radio1) who continue to support the Akira sound! 'I Know It's You' on the flip sees Madd on a low-key Burial tip, soulful sounds, cut up grainy samples and a mysterious melancholic vibe, further proof that DJ Madd can adapt to any style and always produces quality beats. Support already from Radio 1's Rob Da Bank, Bunzer0 and Tempa's TRG."

Drama Society With Vladislav Delay - Drama Society With Vladislav Delay 12 inch (Drama Society) [DSR001EP] $11.50
"After six years of Drama Society's international artistic activity, Drama Society Recordings is born between Turin and Berlin. Drama Society Recordings is the brand new label founded by Sergio Ricciardone (Club To Club festival art director) and Luca Baldini (solo releasing on F-Comm, HellYeah! and many others). The triple somersault label logotype represents the will to propose a sound that can be the missing link amongst different genres: techno, experimental techno, electronic and quality house music. Aiming to mix eclectic styles and imaginaries, DSR forthcoming releases will feature various collaborations between different producers and Drama Society, anticipated by this first EP with Vladislav Delay. Believing in the void and doing triple somersaults are acts that we have to do regularly. Drama Society Recordings wants to be both the tightrope and the whirling motion."

Esplendor Geometrico - Pulsión LP (Geometrik) [GR2115LP] $25.75
"Pulsión is the new album of Esplendor Geometrico, the influential and acclaimed Spanish duo of survivors of the second Industrial wave on the early eighties. It includes six tracks (in the LP version) recorded between November 2008 and May 2009. Some have been already played in their last performances in Leipzig, Madrid and Barcelona with great success. Esplendor Geométrico's style continues to have a unique and unmistakable mark that distinguishes them from later bands they have had an influence on. At first sight, Pulsión is pure Industrial hypnosis based on the electronic manipulation of sounds together with irresistible rhythms, repetitive, machine-like, industrial, hypnotic, sometimes tribal, sometimes danceable, that mix up voices and chants. Some of them are taken from traditional Arab and oriental musics (Mongolia, China,Tibet..) to be later electronically manipulated, others are simply speech fragments, as the one of a leader of a radical political party in Japan, Che Guevara, or an anti-occidental harangue from an Islamist leader. But the idea of EG is not to transmit any political or ideological message, the sources have been chosen for their strength and sonority. The LP Pulsion (limited 500 copies!) will contain 6 tracks: 4 from the CD version + 2 exclusive tracks: 'Metallum' and 'Lamas.'"

Excision vs. The Subdivision - Hypothermic 12 inch (Paradise Lost) [PL006EP] $11.00
"Red hot hitman Excision meets Paradise Lost label heads The SubDivision on this long awaited deep, dark funk release, the Hypothermic EP. 'Hypothermic' brings gangsta vocal licks together with the baddest of basslines and slick percussion which combine to sickening effect to devastate the dancefloor. Battered on dubplate by DJs across the spectrum, from Headhunter to Djunya to SPL and the list goes on. Flipside contains the equally sick, but totally different 'Hypothermic RMX,' from the likes of Bristol's finest, Komonazmuk, who together with Player 1 mutates the tune into a feast of warped and spaced-out basslines which give a different feeling but the same effect, devastation. This one has been cut on dub by dubstep dons throughout the U.K. and you will no doubt have heard this one at your favorite venue. Winding up the release is the ultra-dark 'Titanium,' which features heavy guitar riffs and bleak pads, making you want to punch your mother in the stomach. One for the hardcore and headstrong. Quality here, don't sleep on this."

Fausto Messina/Jackspot & Diego Miranda - Bafile Street/Muchen 12 inch (International Freakshow) [IF015EP] $11.50
"The 15th Freakshow release should seriously be on the wantlist of everybody who is searching for timeless electronic dance music that is aiming at the peaktime moments of the night. It is grooving like hell by having a minimalistic approach wrapped in carefully crafted high class arrangements, hypnotically pushing & uplifting all of your senses. On the A-side, Fausto Messina comes up with 'Bafile Street', a proper microphunk stormer slightly sounding like a tribute to Baby Ford's alltime classic track 'Make a Move.' 'Bafile Street,' is a track that is more than predestinated for being found in the peaktime moments of one of Ricardo Villalobos' dj-sets. The flipside track is a contribution coming from 2 real techno-wizards. On the one hand Jackspot, whom we know from Datapunk or Highgrade releases alongside his mate Diego. Their track called 'Muchen' slightly reminds us of evergreens in techno history from Mathew Herbert mixed with a bit of Wishmountain. All in all one must quote that IF 0015EP is crossing the borders of techno, techhouse and minimal techno, thus making it possible to satisfy the needs of a lot of deejays playing different and versatile styles of electronic music."

Flamin' Groovies - Flamingo LP (Kama Sutra/norton) [KSBS2021LP] $15.00
"Grand pact with Sony/BMG has resulted in official Norton reissue of two long out of print masterpieces on posh footlong orefered vinyl format! Flamingo (1970) and Teenage Head (1971) are delivered in full original packaging-- Flamingo with the original gatefold! We are proud as peacocks to present Mr Roy Loney and Mr Cyril Jordan, the eternal, infernal rock n' roll high masters of it all!"

Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head LP (Kama Sutra/norton) [KSBS2031LP] $15.00
"Grand pact with Sony/BMG has resulted in official Norton reissue of two long out of print masterpieces on posh footlong orefered vinyl format! Flamingo (1970) and Teenage Head (1971) are delivered in full original packaging-- Flamingo with the original gatefold! We are proud as peacocks to present Mr Roy Loney and Mr Cyril Jordan, the eternal, infernal rock n' roll high masters of it all!"

Flaming Lips - Hear It Is LP (Plain Recordings) [PLAIN111] $12.50
STILL AVAILABLE!!! A reissue of the first full-length album by one of the most well-loved and influential bands of the past 25 years. Following in the grand tradition of other great Southwestern psych bands such 13th Floor Elevators and The Red Krayola, THE FLAMING LIPS' first act mixed punk, country & western, psychedelia, goth, and pure bar-band rock and roll into their own curious creation. Sharing the weird, slanted pop sensibility of contemporaries like Meat Puppets and Butthole Surfers, this early masterpiece continues to influence bands to this day. Packaged with new liner notes written by and new cover art designed by the band.

Flaming Lips - Oh My Gawd!!! LP (Plain Recordings) [PLAIN112] $12.50
STILL AVAILABLE!!! The FLAMING LIPS' second album found the band mining the more psychedelic aspects of their unique sound with groundbreaking results. The Lip's ambitious nature began to reveal itself with overtones of Ummagumma era Pink Floyd, Mountain, and even hints of Blue Cheer. Includes "One Million Billionth Of A Millisecond On A Sunday Morning," "Maximum Dream For Evil Knievel," and "Prescription: Love." New liner notes written by and new cover art designed by the band.

Flaming Lips - Telepathic Surgery 2xLP (Plain Recordings) [PLAIN113] $21.25
Experimental, even by the FLAMING LIPS standards, the band's third album is a glorious and mind-expanding mix of heavily effected guitar solos, backwards recordings and surrealistic imagery. Again, the classic song titles keep coming with "Chrome Plated Suicide," "Hari-Krishna Stomp Wagon (F*** Led Zeppelin)," and "Drug Machine in Heaven." Telepathic Surgery became a big influence on many artists such as Mercury Rev and Beck to Grandaddy and The Olivia Tremor Control. Includes a 23-minute bonus track on Side 3.

Flaming Lips - In A Priest Driven Ambulance 2xLP (Plain Recordings) [PLAIN114] $21.25
The final pre-major label album from the FLAMING LIPS brought a huge shift in sound that would define their work over the greater part of the next decade. The first album to feature MERCURY REV's JONATHAN DONAHUE on guitar, In A Priest Driven Ambulance features more structured songwriting and tighter production. The lyrical wit and insight of WAYNE COYNE had never been better as his obsession with religious imagery moved to the forefront. Features "Unconsciously Screamin'," "Rainin' Babies," and "God Walks Among Us Now." Packaged with a bonus 12-inch.

Foog - Nino 12 inch (Mule Electronic) [MULE064EP] $11.50
Foog is a new project of Japanese veteran house music producer Yukihiro Fukutomi. His previous release on Mule Musiq was played by Michael Mayer and Cassy, amongst others, and his albums released in Japan have been supported by Carl Craig and Loco Dice. This is the first 12" cut from a forthcoming full-length. "Nino" is dark, experimental deep house. "Manya" is hi-tech Detroit techno.

Frankie Rose - Thee Only One 7 inch (Slumberland) [SL110] $4.50
As a founding member, songwriter, instrumentalist, and vocalist in VIVIAN GIRLS and drummer and occasional vocalist in CRYSTAL STILTS, FRANKIE ROSE has been an integral part of two of the most highly acclaimed and influential groups to come out of Brooklyn's still-vital music scene in the past several years. Her solo project not only reflects the earmarks of both those groups, but also reveals her as a fully-formed artist in her own right. Ms. Rose's music is haunted by the ghosts of '60s girl group Brill Building and '80s and '90s noise-pop in equal measure. It's a spooky, lovely sound-her ethereal yet affectation-free voice swirling in a sea of church-like harmonies over a bed of tambourines, bells, and propulsive drumming. Recalling in spirit groups like The Aislers Set and Black Tambourine, Rose's music is timeless and immediate, both deeply personal and completely universal.

Gaiser - Pullpush/Oolooloo 12 inch (Minus) [MINUS081EP] $10.75
Gaiser presents two pulsating peak-time cuts for M_nus. "Pullpush" gets straight down to business. The looping groove and tight elastic bass pattern sets the scene for reflective reverbs and pitch bends to tease and tear at each new element. Film samples burst through the beats, leaving trails before crystallizing into more lucid phrases as the high-end tom pattern tops it all off. The squelchy FX introduce a more pensive state during the lead-out as ghostly pads drift across the stereo field.

Good Guy Mikesh & Filburt - Cleaning Up 12 inch (Mirau) [MIRAU009EP] $11.50
"Who are these guys behind the pseudonyms? Good Guy Mikesh and Filburt are two music lovers: FULL STOP! Two independent acts that met in Leipzig and began to merge their musical creative capacities two years ago. A convolution of disco, pop and house, propagating one of Leipzig's most promising collaborative developments. Good Guy Mikesh has haunted Leipzig's contemporary underground for a long time. From the beginning of his musical career, his singles (published on Lebensfreude Records and Broque.de) have signified an eclectic mix of pop, soul and disco. Filburt - DJ, record store owner and Leipzig club scene veteran, was consequently Good Guy Mikesh's best possible accomplice in the mission to break fresh ground. This mixture of soul, disco and house-pop is IT, charged by the duo's certain something - an energy sought for not only in this town, but throughout the whole scene. Someone Told Me, their latest single, has been causing an outbreak of contagious enthusiasm in the scene since its release on Permanent Vacation. We are proud to release this fine EP, which comes with a remix by one of our UK favorites: Mark E!"

Gray Matter - Food For Thought LP (Dischord) [DIS048V] $12.75
REISSUED!!! GRAY MATTER's-GEOFF TURNER, MARK HAGGERTY, STEVE NILES, and DANTE FERRANDO-classic Food For Thought LP produced by IAN MACKAYE and BERT QUEIROZ. Nine tracks strong. Includes a download.

Greg Webster - Promised Land 7 inch (Slumberland) [SL97] $4.50
GREGORY WEBSTER has recorded for pretty impressive scene-setting labels over the past 25 years, including seminal UK indie labels Creation, Sarah Records, and The Subway Organisation, plus indie-pop bastions from Australia to the USA. Now Slumberland Records is pleased to join in the fun. Webster first emerged during the mid-'80s UK C86 scene with RAZORCUTS and then went on to THE CAROUSEL and SPORTIQUE. His debut Slumberland single is his first solo recording for almost 15 years. On "Promised Land," Webster returns to matters of the heart, utilizing the acoustic-based sound familiar to those who have seen his regular PopFest performances in recent years. Although never foolish enough to adopt the mannerisms of another culture as his own, Webster's love of American folk and country greats such as Willie Nelson and Hank Williams clearly shines through. In fact, the B-side is a radically different interpretation of Williams' lesser-known classic "Won't You Sometimes Think of Me?" Simplicity rules throughout, complementing the naked honestly of the songwriting. Webster's signature 12-string sound is augmented by haunting harmonium accompaniment from THE BIRTHDAY GIRL (VATICAN CELLARS) and beautifully uplifting vocal flourishes provided by PAM PERRY of Slumberland's own BLACK TAMBOURINE. No exports to the UK/Europe

Gregorythme - Futurama 12 inch (Cityfox) [CITYFOX003EP] $11.50
"After a short summer break Cityfox is back with its 3rd release. Gregorythme, who already released the last record as one part of Digitaline, shows us again his masterskillz on the synthesizer. The result of the close relationship to his hardware is the Futurama EP. The title track indeed sounds very futuristic, maybe retro-futuristic to quote Lee Jones: 'It sounds like a 1970's idea of the soundtrack to the future. This would be the easy listening Music piped into every monorail in the future cities.' 'Summmer' on the flip is Gregory's soundtrack to review the summer season, imagine a real hot summer day with far too much sun, maybe with a cocktail at the beach. Perfect to find 2 'hot' remixers for -- Kabale und Liebe made his interpretation together with his mate Julien Chaptal, and what else could we expect -- they made a driving club smasher out of it and Barem turned the original into a pumpy hypnotic track with his distinctive signature. 'Walking on Balls' featuring the vocals of Tigerlily is another laid back track to complete this round EP and make it a perfect next step for Cityfox!"

Gregorythme/Pikaya - UmmO/Amsterdam 12 inch (Grubenstrasse Zurich) [GS006EP] $12.25
"Gs Live is an experimental party series at Club Zukunft in Zurich. The concept entails all artists performing and improvising live - a challenging task, not only for the musicians but also for their audience on the dance floor. Grégory Poncet (Gregorythme, Digitaline), Daniel Ramm & Frank Greiner (Pikaya) originally met in this setting, connected their machines and visibly enjoyed themselves. It was in that night, when they decided to create a split EP together. Gregorythme takes the A-side. The story about the planet 'UmmO', 14.6 light years away from the earth, is mysterious and nebulous. Just like the track: full of fantastic moments, intensive and spherical. The B-side 'Amsterdam' by Pikaya is based on a faint idea that emerged from the warmth and cosiness of a hotel bed in Amsterdam. It has been recorded and arranged live with a very basic setup. The moody bass line, the fat dubby chords and the soft pads convey the sensation of a unique jam session. Superb music with live character!"

Guilty Simpson & Madlib - Coroner's Music 12 inch (Stones Throw) [STH2234] $7.25
Detroit's heavy hitting MC GUILTY SIMPSON and Los Angeles based Beat Konducta MADLIB collab for this teaser single off of the forthcoming OJ Simpson album. The title track and the needs-nothing-more-than-the-title verbal onslaught that is "Coroners Music" will remind you of the hip hop you've missed.

Gummihz - Sleepless Night Part 1 12 inch (Mobilee) [MOBILEE057EP] $11.50
Part 1 of this double 12" series is a radical departure for GummiHz and Mobilee and is a portrait of the artist from a variety of angles. "Sunshine Dub" and "Bang" fuse the samples, cut-offs, and filtered loops of French house with an almost Balearic, hypnotic twist. On the flip, we get a snapshot of GummiHz at his most somber: "Love Call," featuring vocals from GummiHz himself, has a jackin' house beat and chilling, manipulated lyrics for a cold-blooded vibe.

Gummihz - Sleepless Night Part 2 12 inch (Mobilee) [MOBILEE058EP] $11.50
This is part 2 of GummiHz' Sleepless Night 12" series. "Sleepless Nights" operates on its own level, as interlocking, hypnotic synth lines form the background for chanson-esque vocals from Malena Perez. "One Groove & Synth" is a driving, tried-and-true groove.

Gus Gus - Thin Ice 12 inch (Kompakt) [KOM202EP] $11.50
Gus Gus presents the second 12" from their 24/7 full-length (KOMP 073CD/KOM 197LP), with "Thin Ice" being revisited for dancefloor purposes. Wareika's take is an epic journey into contemporary deep house, and Matteo Esse and Sant aka Analog People In A Digital World deliver proof that they know exactly how to make dancefloors happy. Lastly, we get Ben Frost's very first dance track -- radical, modern, and possessed of a sonic austerity like Pan Sonic in an elevator with Ryoji Ikeda.

Haki R. Madhubuti - Rise Vision Comin' 12 inch (Slow To Speak) [FEED11042008EP] $12.75
"A breathtaking self-conscious free-jazz masterwork, 'Rise Vision Comin'' summarizes pre-facto 30 plus years of musical and theoretical/political expression from renowned activist/scholar/free-jazz pioneer Haki R. Madhubuti. Situated squarely in the uncomfortable strata between rigid return-to-Africa nationalism & integrationist reformism, Madhubuti chose to spread his complex & dynamic philosophical systems through the disarming & indelibly impressive poetic musicality of the new burgeoning spiritual jazz aesthetic, and his music, despite being absolutely impossible to acquire, remains timeless & unforgettable over 30 years after it's creation---the dawning of his musical and literary career. The disarming quality of Haki R. Madhubuti & Nation's music lends it's social proclamations a disarming, harmonic beauty without watering-down it's intended message---a bizarre fusion that, at once comfortable, never quite resolves itself in the dichotomy of it's choosing. Here 'Rise Vision Comin,'' Madhubuti's magnum opus, finally receives the respect it deserves with this single-sided 12" pressing w/ Japanese Obi from NYC's slow to speak---a perhaps overdue but nevertheless imperative recognition of this perfectly crafted private jazz landmark."

Heavy Trash - Midnight Soul Serenade LP (Big Legal Mess) [BLM0249] $13.50
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***On their third full-length record, HEAVY TRASH (JON SPENCER and MATT VERTA-RAY) continue their journey, delivering a stunning portrait of love and devotion gone good, gone wrong and just gone. The album is a slightly darker, barrel-fermented and brilliantly matured dose of Heavy Trash. On every track Verta-Ray's guitars pulsate, ooze and percolate, while Spencer croons and twangs, shakes and shudders with raw power and passion.

Helixir - Convultions/Let Me Drive Now 12 inch (7EVEN) [7EVEN011EP] $10.75
Second release by Helixir on 7even Recordings. Recognized as one of the most versatile of the new breed of French electronic music producers, the man from Strasbourg presents two bass-heavy productions in his own percussive style. "Convultions" is a real dancefloor weapon -- the robotic riddim subtly brings a deep sub-bass that becomes more and more insistent. "Let Me Drive Now" brings us through magical percussion, galactic synths and smoky atmospheres. Beautifully and tightly produced.

Horace Andy & Ashley Beedle - When The Rain 12 inch (Bitches Brew) [BITCH015R-EP] $13.50
"As a special little present, Bitches Brew is releasing this special Cosmo remix of Jamaican legend Horace Andy & Ashley Beedles When The Rain as a LIMITED 500 only 10-inch with hand silk-screened jackets and hand stamped labels so each copy is completely unique and a collector's item! Cosmo was commissioned by K7 to remix 'When the Rain' from their album Inspiration Information, yet K7 released her 'Cosmodelic Remix' as a digital MP3 download only so Cosmo got the rights to release it on vinyl. 'There is also an unreleased reprise version on the B-Side for those of a dubbier persuasion. Lovely, deep summer vibes all round."

Hunee - Brother 12 inch (Internasjonal) [INT010EP] $11.50
Berlin-based Hunee steps up with this fine double-header. "Brother" and "Babel" are two slow, grinding chuggers of the highest order, stuck somewhere between a tropical island bar and space.

John Selway - Shake The Snow 12 inch (Throne Of Blood) [THRONE003EP] $11.50
John Selway is a musical force to be reckoned with and a pillar of the electronic music scene. Just listen to the warm pads and delicate melodies underpinning "Shake The Snow," and listen how those same sounds transmit a whole new feeling in his "Reuptake Dub" version. For the house heads, Filippo Moscatello turns those same pads into a proper old school house workout, complete with 808 rhythms. The Beat Broker flips it into slow-burning motorik dancefloor magic.

John Tejada & Josh Humphrey - Marooned 12 inch (Palette) [PAL058EP] $11.50
Presenting Palette's newest collaboration between John Tejada and Josh Humphrey. "Marooned" joins Humphrey's modular synth work with Tejada's beats and soothing pads, the result being a slice of beat-driven melodic techno. "Melodiac" features Humphrey's modular melodies and Tejada's signature stabs and rhythms. "Concrete Safari" focuses on Humphrey's modular fm synth work that slowly evolves into a cluster of tribal sounds, modular birds and grainy goodness.

Jonesin' - Hi, We're Jonesin' LP (Turn Up) [TRNP002] $11.75
The sunny debut album from the fog city's sugar-sweet and sardonic electro-duet JONESIN''. MATT JONES and his bride to be JENNY, sing catchy tongue-in-cheek tunes about roller-skates, love, and space aliens under a haze of pot smoke and 8-bit Nintendo music tracks. The resulting ten songs playfully take you along on stupid first dates, cheating at a soda fountain and escaping San Francisco's "Bummer Summer." Like a Switched-On Sonny and Cher, Jonesin' brings the love and radiates the posi-vibes, adding in a dash of Moldy Peaches goof-ball humor, a reverence for Dolly Parton and play it all atop Matt's toe-tappin' drum machines and old-school synths.

Joshua Emery Blatchley - Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 LP (VDSQ) [VDSQ1] $18.00
The first installment in VDSQ's (Vin Du Select Qualitite) Solo Acoustic guitar series curated by STEVE LOWENTHAL of Swingset Magazine. A new voice in the Ragtime and American Primitive guitar-playing lineage, JOSHUA EMERY BLATCHLEY offers a unique interpretation of both new and traditional compositions. Blatchley performs in the band MOUNTAIN HOME with MARISSA NADLER and GREG WEEKS of ESPERS. Packaged in letterpress sleeves with a picture of the guitar used on the recording.

Jozef Van Wissem - Ex Patris LP (Important) [IMPREC267] $18.50
RELEASE DATE: 11-09-2009
Limited to 500 copies. The title Ex Patris (from the fathers) plays on the idiomatic baroque lute compositions presented here which emulate the classical repertoire. It also refers to this almost forgotten instrument, which was passed on by the fathers. The aim is to bring back and liberate the lute. The four compositions on Ex Patris form a circular narrative of interlocking repetitive melodic series. The follow up to Important release " It is all that is made" kicks off with the pro apocalyptic track "The Day is Coming". " Amor Fati" ( Love is a Religion) channels a deep interest in both love for religion and religious belief in love. Multiple palindromes are juxtaposed and linger. " Son of Dawn" consists of mirrored lute harmonics that serve as an intro to the 13 minute elegiac 'After the fire has devoured all it will consume itself '. The piece builds and releases tension and puts layer upon layer of ecstatic melody. At the end even the work itself gets devoured but it remains eternal, with no potential beginning and without end.

Kasper Bjorke - Young Again 12 inch (HFN) [HFN002EP] $11.50
"Kasper Bjørke, one of Copenhagens most renowned producers and DJs , announces his second long-player exclusively on hfn music! ?Standing on top of Utopia' will drop in February 2010, and ?Young Again' is the fi rst single to be released in anticipation of what is sure to be a momentous album. Featuring the mesmerising vocal talents of fellow dane Jacob Bellens, and bundled along with three simply unmissable remixes from WhoMadeWho, Lopazz & Zarook and Serge Santiago, ?Young Again' is a heart-warming tale of love and life, told through the eyes of a hopeless romantic. Kasper's unique instrumentation and production skills add up to him being one of the most important, young musicians emerging at the moment. This single shows off his potential for producing hit records, not only with classy, catchy melodies and re-listen-ability but with A-Class studio finesse too!"

Klaxons/Alan Vega/No Bra - Sweetheart/Speedway/Super Subway Comedian 10 inch (Blast First Petite) [PTYT026EP] $14.00
Blast First Petite continues to celebrate Alan Vega's 70th birthday with three Vega tracks, performed by the man himself, Klaxons and No Bra. The Klaxons drop a photo-realist mind bomb upside ya head. Jamie trips out on Vega's start of the '80s Ballardian ballad... with a 21st century added sugar-high hit. Sticky with lurve. Meanwhile, waaay out on the flipside, Suze Oberbeck irons IN the kinks. Wears her No Bra on her sleeve, if you get the drift. A Xerox lovingly re-Xeroxed till it hurts, then becomes a thing of beauty all its own. Twisted and tight. Front cover by Alexander McQueen.

Know How/Neurotron - Söbentein 12 inch (Ostwind Records) [OWLTD017EP] $10.25
"Ahoi dance-furious kiteflyer! There are only a few days of summer left, the autumn is near and we have exactly the right record for you! We are glad to present Know How, a young Italian duet that knows how to persuade us with its track 'Pestige' immediately! A tech house hit, sailing along laxly and twinkle-toed like a kite in the perfect gust. With its airy, concisely, catchy chords it makes sure that it wont be forgotten quickly and takes you to the dancefloor, whether you want it or not. At the B-Side the boys of Neurotron can be heard again. 'Distant Places' is a big hit par excellence. There is no better way to interpret the autumn. Damned wicked song that gets across a lot of charm, so that you can definitely leave summer behind and clutch autumn with wide-open arms and eyes. A warm groove and gentle harmonies, gliding through falling leaves on their way to nirvana. There is no record that fits to the easterly wind better than this, so we are proud to present this delicacy."

KRS One & Buckshot - Survival Skills LP (Duck Down) [DDM2120] $16.25
On the surface the album is a testament to the resiliency of two lyrical titans, but at its root Survival Skills is a blueprint for life. For instance on the infectious head-nodder "Robot," which was released 6 weeks prior to Jay Z's "The Death Of Auto Tune" track, the duo speak-out against the recent overuse of the Auto-Tune vocal effect in urban music, but under the surface the message is much deeper. Features MARY J. BLIGE, TALIB KWELI, HAVOC, SEAN PRICE, K'NAAN.

KZA - K 12 inch (Endless Flight) [EF018EP] $11.50
This is the first cut from the debut solo album (EF 004CD) by Force Of Nature's KZA. KZA is one of the most popular DJs in Japan and well known as one of the biggest vinyl collectors. For his debut he teamed up with Kuniyuki aka Koss as a production partner and this single was made with many obscure old records. "On&On&On" is b-boy style, uplifting Chicago house. On the B-side, KZA displays his favorite slow, cosmic style.

La Peôa - Volume 5 12 inch (La Peôa) [LPA005EP] $11.50
"La Peıa is back! All killer, no filler! Played by : Reboot, Ricardo, Dorian Paic and many more!"

Le Le - Slotmachine 12 inch (Magnetron) [MAGSPECIAL001] $11.50
France's Le Le is a trio of two producers and one vocalist. Originally a part of the sold-out "Le Le X Patta X Converse" shoe and clothing package, this 12" is conquering dancefloors worldwide. "Slotmachine" is stomping Chicago house with humorous lyrics in the vein of their smash-hit "Breakfast." Hammered by big DJs from Diplo to Erol Alkan, it comes in a vocal and instrumental version. "We Are Le Le" is chopped-up disco with lyrics in English, French and German -- also in a dub version.

Levon Vincent/Steffi - Panorama Bar 02/Part II 12 inch (Ostgut Ton) [OSTGUT029EP] $11.50
This is part two in a vinyl series of exclusive tracks off of Panorama Bar 02 (OSTGUT 010CD), mixed by Tamo Suma. On Levon Vincent: "I really like his rough approach to music; the deep sub-bass, his dubby touch and his epic, hypnotic arrangements. It all sounds very edgy and dirty." On Steffi : "I like Steffi's sensitivity for music ... We share a love for deep and melodic music."

Leyland Kirby - Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was 2xLP (History Always Favours The Winners) [HAFTW006LP] $22.00
Previously released on CD as part of a 3CD package, this is the second of three double vinyl editions of When We Parted My Heart Wanted To Die, Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was, and Memories Live Longer Than Dreams. This second edition features a further 90 minutes of layered drones and treated modern classical pieces from James Leyland Kirby, also sometimes known as The Caretaker. Following on from the dense atmospherics of Part 1 (which sold out in a week), this set opens up with a detuned piano lullaby, somehow reminding us of both the Twin Peaks soundtrack and the work of Thomas Köner. Side C opens with perhaps the most harrowing piece on offer throughout the set, aligning a fragile melody with tense layers of compressed drones, imbuing proceedings with an imbalanced, almost harrowing quality. The volume closes with "Not As She Is Now But How She Appears In My Dreams," a sublime solo piano piece rendered with all the nostalgia and foggy emotional resonance you'd expect. Limited pressing of 500 copies only for the world; featuring artwork by Ivan Seal and mastered at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering.

Lil Tony - Underground Sound Of Helsinki 12 inch (Running Back) [RB019EP] $12.25
"RB presents: The Underground Sound of Helsinki! Finland's hardest working DJ Lil Tony is no stranger to people who spent the last 15 years with house music. Part of Nu-Spirit Helsinki, the powerful Future Beat Investigators and the driving force of the city's pulsating club scene, this man did it right from start to finish (no pun intended). Recently, Tony started to flex his muscles as a solo artist as well with recordings for Innervisions, Versatile or Mood Music and most of all the inspired jacking re-work of Arthur Russell's 'Treehouse' that the RB office is still jealous of. Blindfolded we would have declared on oath to listen to a missing Ron Hardy rework. But to move on to pastures new, The Underground Sound of Helsinki EP is also a kind of a lost gem with its roots house approach. Three big tracks from Lil Tony: Mona evokes gentle feelings of rough classics from the vaults of Steve Poindexter, Armando and Mike Dunn or all the other cats living in oblivion - ruff, rugged and raw. 'Saturday Morning' is a perfect mood builder and does what straight house music does best, while 'Employee Only' spreads as much optimism and hope as it multiplies those feelings of melancholy just house can evoke to make sad people happy. Subterranean vault music with a fine ear for the action."

Lindstrom and Christabelle - Real Life Is No Cool LP (Smalltown Supersound) [STS159CD] $16.25
"After the release of Lindstrøm's critically acclaimed solo album Where You Go I Go Too, in 2008 and 2009's collaborative album with Prins Thomas, II, Norway's maestro of disco returns once again. This time he teams up with sultry vocalist Christabelle, to bring us Real Life Is No Cool, an edgy pop album of structured chaos and hypnotic beats. Hans-Peter Lindstrøm actually began work on Real Life Is No Cool before Where You Go I Go Too, it just so happened WYGIGT was finished first. It was his work on this new album, containing 10 short pop songs with vocals, which became the impetus behind creating the epic and colossal masterpiece, WYGIGT (with only 3 long tracks and an opening track clocking in at 28 minutes). Essentially, WYGIGT was a kind of reaction to his work on Real Life Is No Cool. When WYGIGT began making waves around the world, Lindstrøm went back into his studio to complete Real Life Is No Cool."

Loose Fur - Loose Fur LP (Drag City) [DC203LP] $14.75
2009 repress of the LP version, originally released 2003. "Dammit, Loose Fur is Glenn Kotche, Jim O'Rourke and Jeff Tweedy -- three guys playing musical songs featuring singing, aka popular music. But you didn't hear it from us. So anyway, in the dead of night, when everyone else in the f***ing world was partying, so were they -- down at the Fantasy Factory, naturally. That's what we in the biz call your everyday, average, All-American recording studio. Not Loose Fur, though. No, they just call it a recording studio, just like everyone else. Some people say we're crazy. For those of you out there in the fucking world who've enjoyed records from any of these three people who made it, Loose Fur is a record for you. It's an amazing, powerful, hypnotic release -- and everyone is going to be talking about it in the year to come -- so beat the rush and get interested now."

Lotus Eaters - Mind Control For Infants 2xLP (Taiga) [TAIGA008LP] $34.50
Lotus Eaters is Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), KTL, etc.), James Plotkin (Khanate, Phantomsmasher, etc.) and Aaron Turner (Isis, Old Man Gloom, etc.). Initially released on CD in 2002 by Neurot Recordings, Mind Control For Infants has been expanded, remixed and rearranged for this vinyl edition using alternate takes from the original recording sessions. Quietly subversive and contemplative, Mind Control For Infants features droning and silvery finger-picked guitars that conjure holy states, grumbling thunderclouds, and dark metal ambience that breathes in the stillness. This version also incorporates reconfigured material from "Marijuana," the group's contribution to The Ajna Offensive 4CD+book compilation, Infernal Proteus. This ultra-deluxe double LP release was cut direct to metal and pressed on 200 gram virgin vinyl. It comes housed in an old-style Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket wrapped in foil-stamped brown linen with an 8x8" offset print mounted on the front cover. Heavy-duty printed innersleeves with flooded pockets are also included. Presented in a limited edition of 1000.

Lover! - No Dreams Please LP (Big Legal Mess) [BLM0247] $10.25
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***LOVER! is a power pop explosion fermented in the psyche of RICH REATARD (LOST SOUNDS, REATARDS, KNAUGHTY KNIGHTS, AMERICAN DEATH RAY). Teaming up with GREG ROBERTSON (ex-REIGNING SOUND), Rich drags you through his experiences in the deep south town of Nachez, Mississippi. These tunes capture recollections of friendly animal poachers, in the closet crane operators in the Gulf of Mexico and pure blood lust for the men who had kept him down when he was there. The result is a variety of songs ranging from Tuesday night despair to Friday night revenge.

Luna City Express - Hello From Planet Earth 2x12 inch (Moon Harbour) [MHR011LP] $19.00
2x12" version. This is the debut full-length release from Berlin's Luna City Express -- the duo of Norman Weber and Marco Resmann. Beside remixes and releasing on labels such as Justified Cause and Enliven Music, Moon Harbour has truly become the home of Luna City Express, where they have played an essential part in developing the label's sound. Hello From Planet Earth brings together outstanding tracks -- from techno to experimental, going from euphoric to quiet moments. It's an eclectic album that isn't just for the club, held together by the unique Luna City Express house vibe.

LV - Don't Judge 12 inch (2ND Drop) [2NDRP008EP] $10.25
"Following in Ramadanman's supreme tribal tracks, comes South London production outfit LV. Fresh from two releases on Hyperdub and remixes for Hemlock, the quartet deliver the rootical 'Don't Judge' featuring vocals from seasoned UK rootsman Errol Bellot, who has worked with King Tubby among others. On the flip side, Wolverhampton's Fantastic Mr Fox takes the big tools to the original and refashions an epic remix with a wicked two step swing. Nuff said, enjoy! As big fans of illustration and graphics, over the last seven releases the label has commissioned some truly wonderful art from a slew of talented artists including Remi/Roughe, Uiu and Phil Blake. For 008, London based Mat Pringle was given the chance to design our first 12" sleeve. His wave and bamboo illustration is wicked and is hand printed onto just 500 limited edition sleeves."

Magnus International - Undulat 12 inch (Full Pupp) [FP022EP] $11.50
"Time for celebration! It's been a long time since Magnus International committed anything to vinyl (Kosmetisk/FP06) with the exception of his remix for YRD's Afterski. 'Undulat' has been revealed in plenty of different disguises at previous Full Pupp nights but as Magnus himself is too slow and lazy to wrap things up I gave it a good chopping here and there, voila! 'Mandass Morran Blus' is what it is, a beautiful piece of music... a taster of good things to come. On the b-side we introduce new kid on the block, Marius Circus. Friend and regular punter at our Full Pupp nights Marius fights for musician's rights as a lawyer in GRAMO(no, google it fool....), DJs around bars in Oslo at night while slowly honing his production skills." -- Thomas Oslo

Marco Bailey - Spicy 12 inch (Confused Recordings) [CON079EP] $11.50
"Marco Bailey's debut on Confused Recordings. Very strong EP which is already played by Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Dubfire etc."

Marco Bailey & Dany Rodriguez - Vision 12 inch (Mbelektronics) [MBELEK054EP] $11.50
Belgium's number one techno DJ Marco Bailey is back with a release on his own label, MB Elektronics. This time he's teaming up with Dany Rodriguez, a young and promising Belgian producer. On the flip, we find a remix from one of the biggest names in techno for many years, Ben Sims. He delivers what might be one of his best remixes ever. Definitely a release you cannot miss out on.

Marcus Carp vs. Deo & Zman - Overtighten Nut 12 inch (Acker Records) [ACKER013EP] $10.25
"Acker Records welcomes three visitors from the beautiful Hanseatic city of Hamburg: Being a passionate and innovative disc jockey since many years, the club culture of the North German metropolis can not be imagined without mister Marcus Carp. With the two gentlemen Deo & Z-Man he is accompanied not only by two equally esteemed colleagues, but also a double portion of Mediterranean temperament and love of life. Referring to a reduced but highly effective rhythm repertoire, 'Overtighten Nut' develops a bold and dirty charm. During the break, a twang double bass joins its pretty thick electronic fellow and makes the frisky bounce complete. For his interpretation, Mollono.Bass stacks up sound layer after sound layer very sensitively and subtle and so stirs up quite some expectations for a massive take-off after the short break. Those are fulfilled in every respect. Finally Rundfunk3000 rounds up the available Acker release with a rather song-orientated approach, featuring a rolling groove and playful instrumental entries."

Marek Hemmann - In Between 2xLP (Freude Am Tanzen) [FREUDE004LP] $17.25
LP version. Previously released on CD by Freude Am Tanzen, now available on double vinyl. This is the debut full-length album from Germany's Marek Hemmann, who has long been one-half of the duo Hemmann & Kaden. In Between is pure technoid material in an eclectic house-world. From classic deep-droning dub epos over frizzy house with shots of bossa nova and demanding horn-action, up to highly complex sample tone-art, this is a long, rewarding trip through techno-land. With a round of wholly comprehensive melancholy and hypnotic bass lines, this album bathes you in a type of beauty that will come over you like a sunrise.

Mark McGuire - Solo Acoustic Vol. 2 LP (VDSQ) [VDSQ2] $18.00
The second installment in VDSQ's (Vin Du Select Qualitite) Solo Acoustic guitar series curated by STEVE LOWENTHAL of Swingset Magazine. Solo Acoustic Vol. 2 features melodic ballads and new songs from EMERALDS guitarist MARK MCGUIRE that spark new innovations and memories thought to be lost. Packaged in letterpress sleeves with a picture of the guitar used on the recording.

Matthias Meyer/Wareika - Infinity 12 inch (Liebe Detail) [LIEBE029EP] $11.50
"Riding the wave of the recent success of tracks like 'Tout Va Bien' and 'Skipper,' Matthias Meyer continues his deep exploration into rolling, uplifting house bombs with 'Infinity.' A classy, hypnotizing vibe is built from the outset, with smooth chords and subtle arrangement tweaks lifting the tension higher as we approach the arrival of a very catchy hook indeed! Teasing and yet fulfilling all the while, this is truly one for those heart-stopping, timeless moments. Meyer once again pulls on our heart strings with an emotionally charged modern house classic. Wareika - 'Smiles': These three deep-afro-house experimentalists are atop a newly cast wave bound for the shores of underground stardom. After their superb debut 'Men Village' on Connaisseur last year, or the recent 'King's Child' on Motivbank, the trio have really built a unique and stand out sound for themselves. 'Smiles' is a typically trippy, wonderfully meandering cut that takes us on a mystic journey through funky jazz licks, smooth piano and synth textures, Arabic undertones and psychedelic waterfalls of richly produced sound. A treat for the ears and for the mind!"

Max Cooper - Stochastisch Serie 12 inch (Traum) [TRAUM117EP] $11.50
The title of Max Cooper's Stochastisch Serie EP refers to his use of stochastic methods, also known as non-deterministic or random methods of sound generation. The stochastic elements refer mainly to real vocal experiments matched with sampled sounds which create a rich complexity. His dancefloor rockers "Stochastisch Serie" and "Mnemonic" work in a more functional way, but do include bits of this randomness and therefore are part of the superstructure. The remix by Leeks is full of swing and groove.

Mayor Daley - Facial Expressions LP (Rotted Tooth) [RTR001] $12.00
MAYOR DALEY is a trio from Chicago who sound like Black Sabbath f***ing Magma. No joke! Very no-wave sounding with a twist. Limited to 300 hand numbered copies. All on white wax with three-color screen-printed covers.

Michael Sellam - Scratch 12 inch (Artkillart) [AKA006EP] $22.75
"'Scratch is a sound installation for which the fastest industrial robot in the world has been modified to scratch the surface of a vinyl record placed on a table. The monster machine, capable of manipulating up to 240 pieces per minute is equipped with a reading head specialized for amplifying the sound that is produced by the frenetic attacks of the metal on the record. The dynamic force of the robot's arms is impossible to follow with the naked eye. The varied and surgically precise positions and accelerations are orchestrated by a computer program specially designed for the project. The raw noise is massively distributed in the exhibition space until the moment when the robot detaches itself from the surface of the vinyl to prepare for a new cycle by practicing a series of extremely fast, circular warmup movements. Pausing only momentarily to allow for a space for silence, the sonic residue of the hypnotic hyperactivity of the robot quickly fills the space again. The heavy pressure caused by the movements of the metallic point on the surface of the record produce a series of erosion lines and remove some surface material along these markings. The mutations and transformations of these objects are direct and unique results from the work sequence, raw traces of the performance. The choice of the record remains free and arbitrary and like a sportsman at the end of his career, it is not replaced until it reaches its rupture point, its saturation.' Scratch is a sonic composition of 7min 22sec in duration, made up of recordings of the activity of the robot on vinyl records and their reading on a regular record player. The two sonic states of a same object creates a third state."

Michel de Hey - Hey Lilith! 12 inch (Lilith Recordings) [LTH004EP] $11.50
"Lilith Recordings are honoured to welcome one of techno's most respected tastemakers for the label's fourth release. Michel De Hey has been at the centre of the Netherlands' dance scene ever since he began DJing in Rotterdam in 1986; compiling the country's longest-running dance compilation series Essential Elements alongside regularly headlining Amsterdam's Mysteryland festival and the Dutch Love Parade. De Hey's commitment to his homeland was obvious from the first CD of 2007's Recorded In Rotterdam compilation -- which featured only Dutch artists -- but his influence has also grown internationally after his 1991 single Break entered the US Billboard Dance Top 10. De Hey's productions like Sylvester 3 and Catfight on his own HEY! Music label have found their way into the boxes of DJs from John Digweed to Richie Hawtin, whilst he has also issued tunes from such luminaries as Steve Rachmad and Secret Cinema on the EC Records. Those glittering credentials are burnished even brighter with De Hey's new tracks for Lilith Recordings. Co-produced with his long time studio associate MIRKO, 'Farley Johnson' is a low-slung groover where the funk flows freely through the sassy wiggle of the bassline to the sprightly melodic loops. Meanwhile, 'Rose' begins with a mysterious early morning vibe, before blooming into an electronic supernova like the sun exploding on the horizon. Coming from Johannesburg via New York, the remix add an extra global element to this release. Born in South Africa and now resident in New York, where he has become Francois K's protégé with his releases as Beat Pharmacy and A&R role at the Deep Space label, Brendon Moeller turns in a shadowy dub version of 'Farley Johnson.' Spreading their net ever further with each new release, these tracks confirm Lilith Recordings' position at the vanguard of the international techno scene."

Mihalis Safras - Interafrica Remixes 12 inch (Trapez) [TRAPEZLTD082] $11.50
Here are 3 remixes of Mihalis Safras' hit track "Interafrica." Mark Broom has done an exceptional remix, converting the percussive power of the original into a slick, techno rocker. The Glitz sticks closely to the original, but enrobes it in a hi-tek sound design for people who love modern sound aesthetics. Luciano Esse & Toni D emphasize the percussive side of the original, fusing it with a hypnotic disco bass line in the style of Carl Craig. Classic.

Monolake/T++ - Atlas T++ Remix 12 inch (Imbalance Computer Music) [ML024EP] $10.75
Imbalance releases new music from Torsten Pröfrock aka T++, an active contributor to the Berlin music scene since his first releases on Chain Reaction, and known for his work on the 2004 Monolake album Polygon Cities (ML 015CD). Side A contains a T++ remix of the Monolake track "Atlas," and side B contains a classic T++ work, with deep and complex percussion embedded in pulsating soundscapes.

Mr Gasparov/Octa Push - 1975 12 inch (Steak House Records) [STEAK001EP] $10.25
"Hanuman and Atki2's (aka Monkey Steak) Steak House Imprint will be the label to watch in the next 12 months. Steak House are about to unleash a devastating series of 12"s of pure carnival fire from both established and up and coming producers. STEAK 001 brings together the hottest Global Bass talent from the Iberian Peninsula: Octa Push and Mr Gasparov. Mr Gasparov - '1975.' Mr Gasparov is Lisbon's premier purveyor of intelligent bass music. Using graphics tablets, midi controllers and a synth made from an old McDonalds till point, Mr Gasparov makes intricate, bass heavy dub techno/two step crossovers that will destroy any dancefloor with enough detail to keep the experimental heads' attention. '1975' is a slow build 2step workout with skittery beats and thumping sub that delivers in all the right places. Think El-B meets Aphex Twin under a tropical sky. Support from Scuba, Emma Warren, Freak Camp, Conspira. Octa Push - 'Ai Nadia' & 'Laika Likes It.' Octa Push were formed when Portuguese Bass Music pioneer Conspira challenged producers Mushug and Dizzycutter to join forces and create a totally live dance music project. Their unique fusion of Bashment, U.K. garage and dubstep with other elements like afrobeat and techno has put them at the forefront of the Iberian electronic music scene with explosive performances at places like Sonar, Glade and Fabric. 'Ai Nadia' is a throbbing afro-step monster. Shuddering sub bass and chanted vocals collide to create something very special indeed. 'Laika Likes It' combines sweet female vocals, broken garage beats, and pounding bass to devastating effect. This is a tune firmly for the hips. Support from Buraka Som Sistema, TRG, Jahcoozi, Ghislain Poirier, Ben UFO, Cardopusher, BokBok, Reso, Sinden, Sub Swara."

Neal Morgan - To The Breathing World LP (Drag City) [NM001LP] $14.75
"To The Breathing World is, as the title implies, a debut album, as well as a letter of love to the world at large and small. Sober of voice, ecstatic in heart and mind, Neal Morgan has broken through, and coming through the polyphony of voices and blur of arms and legs and sticks and cymbals is the sound of a manifesto. You see, To The Breathing World is composed entirely of Neal's own drumming and singing -- it's a purposeful venture into the world of song from a singing drummer's perspective behind the traps. It is all Neal, all the time -- just the voices from his head and the kit under his hands. Drums captured with distorted basement thrump, adorned with sweet configurations of vocals that flutter alive above the din -- weaving and swimming, expanding... >From episodic pieces like 'Salamanders' to the rolling funk of 'Love Me World,' To The Breathing World is a sculpture -- no, a mobile, balancing on top of the turrets of the sandcastles of tradition. Or maybe it's a flag, blowing in the natural air, declaring this territory in the name of Neal Morgan. This is new music -- this particular flavor of drum and voice composition is a sound not previously presented for commercial consumption, but for Neal, it's been a long time coming. He's been drumming for twenty years. Over the past few, he's been widely heard and seen as Joanna Newsom's barefooted drummer, appearing on her EP & The Ys Street Band, as well as on tour dates around the world (and on her forthcoming album!). It was between those engagements, hacking away back home in the woodshed, that Neal found the sound he'd been listening for -- and the place to call his own that he'd always hoped to find. Drumming and singing were sacred -- but in order to write songs, he felt he needed other skills and had learned other instruments over the years with which he felt no special bond. As a result, the music never felt like it was his. What had eluded him all along was the recognition that all that he needed was just the drumming and singing!"

Nekes/Marquese - Apartment 4.4 12 inch (Love Letters From Oslo) [LLFO011EP] $11.50
"Label owner Nekes, will release his debut on LLFO, so as Marques, the new Oslo artist who stands with his music productions in the same level as the rest of the gang. A side: Nekes - 'Apartment4.4.' He delivers a top rolling master tool such as we have known from his Cristal EP on Oslo008. Housey bass combined with an exiting groove, pulls you right into the slowly developing track. B side: Marquese shows us what you can do with filters. giving us a amazing first class track for the extraordinary moment."

Pattern Repeat - Gauge Tension 12 inch (Echocord Colour) [ECHOCOL008EP] $11.50
This is the first record by the duo Pattern Repeat aka Kenneth Christiansen and Dennis Bøg. Christiansen is a DJ, producer and Echocord/Echocord Colour label boss, and Bøg aka Resoe is the owner of labels Baum and Baum Ltd. "Ofetriade" is a powerful techno track, reminiscent of Marcel Dettmann and Mathew Jonson, with an amazing peak-time remix by Ben Klock. "Synthese" is a mixture of dubstep and techno, for fans of Deadbeat, Martyn and Peverelist.

Pontiak - Sea Voids LP (Thrill Jockey) [THR230LP] $13.75
"Pontiak wrote, recorded and mixed Sea Voids in eight evening sessions over the course of three weeks. The brothers sketched out what kind of album they wanted to make while on a two month US tour. It would be visual, it would be expressive, and it would be inspired by what the brothers had seen. When they returned home from tour they had just four weeks to write and record the album before disembarking on a European tour. They spent many long nights, amps blazing into the summer darkness, drums echoing off the surrounding hills, working to finish. They tuned the bass and the guitar down to B, cranked their amps and let the air open up. Hardly any distortion pedals were used. It was just LOUD. Pontiak finished Sea Voids the day they left for Europe. The record benefited greatly from the work of Richard Prince and Chris Burden, and to them the band gives a huge thanks! Sea Voids is limited to 1,000 copies on vinyl only and the jackets are hand screened by Crosshair."

Resoe - Magnolie 12 inch (Baum) [BAUM006EP] $11.50
"The labelhead Resoe returns with a 3 track EP that contains a remix of 'Cosmic Blast' by Berghain resident Norman Nodge (MDR/Ostgut Ton) On the A-side Resoe delivers a floor mover with fat moving bass and dusty chords that for sure packs the floor. The first track on the B-side, Norman Nodge gives 'Cosmic Blast' his trademark touch of dirty simple techno. The breakdown in the middle will make your woofers bleed!!!! The second track on the B-side is a dub techno track with lots of elements from a 2 hour field recording Resoe did in his backyard from the studio. The track builds up slowly and ends in a smooth groovy atmosphere."

Robert Hood - The Pace/Wandering Endlessly 12 inch (Mothership) [MPM004EP] $11.50
After relaunching M-Plant with two new EPs, there has been high demand for Robert Hood's older M-Plant catalog. To answer your prayers, M-Plant unleashes a collection of remastered classic M-Plant releases, starting with 1996's The Pace/Wandering Endlessly.

RSD - Good Energy 12 inch (Punch Drunk) [DRUNK012EP] $10.25
"Punch Drunk are on fire at the moment, having just released the RSD compilation album Good Energy (A Singles Compilation) which could be described as a 'best of,' this is one prolifically great dubstep producer. These two tracks featured on the CD now grace a two track 12" vinyl release. Signature RSD, dub heavy rollers that are impossible to sit still to. Watch out for an upcoming Guido release from the Punch Drunk camp, along with the debut Peverelist LP!"

Rui Da Silva & Craig Richards - Be There 12 inch (Motivbank) [MOTIV008EP] $12.25
"Mysterious and massive! Rui and Craig are taking the world to a hidden place where we shouldn't be - THERE!"

Runaway - Caprice Drive 12 inch (Mule Musiq) [MUSIQ042EP] $11.50
"Mule Musiq proudly announced the debut release of Runaway on Mule Musiq! Title track 'Caprice Drive' has an early house sound; it's simple but effective. 'Dirty Cake' is sweet, slow-mo boogie stuff."

Ryo Murakami - Lost It 12 inch (Pan Records) [PAN000EP] $12.25
"Ryo Murakami, who's recent releases include Dessous and Moriss Audio and is known for leading the younger generation of artists, announces his newest release on his very own label Pan Records. The promo is already being heavily played on the Jus-ed radio show. The tunes of the analog drum machine coming from the bottom of the deep seas along with our friend Amr's quiet yet crazy voice sampling echoes on A1's 'Lost It' and a deep arrangement is added to the coupling track 'Dive A Elevate.' The fat analog synthesizer by Dublin's Lerosal that resembles Chicago and Detroit sounds are remixed with the rhythm machine's low range sounds. The sense of flow from beginning to end is at 90.5. The complete 4 songs are sent from Tokyo out to the world scene."

Sandwitches - How To Make Ambient Sad Cake LP (Turn Up) [TRNP001] $12.25
"The three ladies in the band have done time in great San Francisco bands like BRILLIANT COLORS, THE FRESH & ONLYS, and PILLARS OF SILENCE, and it is kind of cool how if you did put all three of those bands in a blender the sound of the SANDWITCHES can really be imagined. So many bands of late seem to be so dialed into such a narrow and small palette of sounds so it's really refreshing to hear a band who are no one trick pony, but instead cover lots of musical ground but do so with a cohesiveness that is often really tricky to pull off like The Sandwitches do on this debut. In lots of ways the record makes us think of what it would sound like for a band on Woodsist to cover Fleetwood Mac's amazing record Tusk. There is also something so honest and sincere about their delivery that you get the feeling they would play these songs with as much conviction and emotion in their living room filled with a few friends as much as they would on stage at a packed venue."-Aquarius Records

Santos - Llama Inseperada 12 inch (Figure) [FIGURE022EP] $11.50
"Italian dance music legend Santos has been producing electronic music since the early nineties, having already hit the buzz charts many times with international bombs all over the shop! Truly a gem of the house and techno world, and fresh from a new wave of studio time, the much in demand producer hurls us over a very special new treat. 'Llama Inseperada' fuses slick modern production, tight, bass heavy beats and an unstoppable hypnotic vibe that really encapsulates everything powerful about modern, reduced club music. Slow building, teasing and tension-loaded, '...Inseperada' leads us head first into an overwhelming, unbelievable break that is guaranteed to leave the big rooms in raptures. Heavy, heavy work from Santos and another surefire A&R insight from label boss Len Faki. The package is completed with the addition of a remix by Parisian rising star Paul Ritch, known for his releases on Dubfire's Sci+Tec imprint or his own Quartz label. Re-working Santos' original into a gigantic, rolling techno masterpiece, Ritch has really outdone himself on this one. Totally club-friendly, even the epic breakdown has been translated to fit seamlessly into the intense techno-house-jungle-drum journey, and we're pretty sure you won't be disappointed with the outcome!"

Santos/Riz MC - La Pineta/Don't Sleep (Tiefschwarz Remix) 12 inch (Crosstown Digital Rebels) [CDRS001EP] $11.50
Featuring two killer cuts from two forthcoming CD-R digital-only singles. CD-R sampler volume 1 features a cut from Santos' Casa Marron EP, and a Tiefschwarz remix of a track by Riz MC. "La Pineta" is primetime dancefloor fodder -- a loopy, driving, peak-time monster of a tune -- incessant and relentless. The remix twists and turns the original into an off-kilter, dark, edgy beast. Two choice cuts on one limited vinyl sampler -- get them while they're hot.

Sascha Dive - The Panther 12 inch (Deep Vibes) [DVR011EP] $11.50
Featuring the original mix and Don Melon's "Sure I Can Mix." A fat, dubby rhythm and a sample from Bernard Herrmann's Taxi Driver theme unite against the oppressive ruling class. Power to the people through deep, hypnotic grooves.

Savvas Ysatis & Taylor Deupree - Hourglass 12 inch (12K) [12K2015EP] $12.00
"Instead of creating mere objects of aesthetic seduction, a new form of art is surfacing that invites audiences to transcend the limits of habitual perception. It seeks to shift the observer's attention from the physical objects that stimulate perception to the act of perception itself. Savvas Ysatis and Taylor Deupree were at it again in Deupree's country studio, about two years after the creation of 2007's The Sleeping Morning CD-EP. They gave themselves one week to see what they could create with the studio as a blank canvas, and the two emerged with Hourglass, four songs of carefully crafted pop-infused ambient music destined for release on 12" vinyl. Hourglass follows in The Sleeping Morning's footsteps with two instrumental pieces and two vocal songs created with a multitude of acoustic instruments, analog synthesizers and very little computer aided programming. The idea of treating the computer as a tape deck instead of a programming device was vital to their process as they surrounded themselves in the studio with as many noise-making devices as possible, shunning nothing if it could be used in interesting ways. 'Clouds' opens the A-Side with a crisp and spacious arrangement fueled by Ysatis' airy vocals and a warm, driving harmonica line over a bed of bass synths and looping autoharp. Utilizing room tones, microphones and treated guitar, 'Hourglass' is a distant, longing and highly textured escape into ambient territory that the duo knows so well. Side B opens with the 2nd 'poppish' song, 'Like Ice On A Summer's Day', aptly titled for both its glistening and warm textures driven by acoustic guitar and the spacey swirls of a Jupiter-8. 'Somewhere On Earth' closes out the EP in an organic mood where the whole studio becomes a live, swirling world of improvised instruments and playful experimentation. Hourglass is the much anticipated next step for Ysatis and Deupree who have been collaborating since 1994 and have been known for embracing many different genres with their critically acclaimed catalog of releases. The Hourglass 12" is limited to 400 numbered copies and comes packaged in a beautifully printed full color jacket."

Scott Walker - Tilt LP (Drag City) [DC134] $13.25
"Tilt was SCOTT WALKER's first album following over a decade of silence, and whatever else he may have done during his exile, brightening his musical horizon was not on the agenda. Indescribably barren and unutterably bleak, Tilt is the wind that buffets the gothic cathedrals of everyone's favorite nightmares. The opening 'Farmer in the City' sets the pace, a cinematic sweep that somehow maintains a melody beneath the unrelenting melodrama of Walker's most grotesque vocal ever. Seemingly undecided whether he's recording an opera or simply haunting one, Walker doesn't so much perform as project his lyrics, hurling them into the alternating maelstroms and moods that careen behind him."

Sight Below - Murmur Ep 12 inch (Ghostly International) [GI92] $16.25
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***The Murmur EP, THE SIGHT BELOW's followup to 2008 s full-length Glider, is a bracing step forward for the reclusive Seattle-based artist, comprising two new songs and a notable remix. The Sight Below uses the Murmur EP as an opportunity for expansion, turning up the contrast on his silky tones to expose an even more deeply textured sound with a powerful emotional effect. On the Murmur EP, the textures are denser, courser-closer to Kevin Shields jagged oceans of guitar than Glider s wisps of reverb-and the beats are meatier, funkier even. The Sight Below comes close to recording a "real" dance track with "Murmur," slipping a skipping syncopation and an honest-to-god bass line into a roiling cloud of distortion. "Wishing Me Asleep" incorporates bits of strings into the mix for a touch of cinematic melancholy. The limited LP version of the Murmur EP includes a remix of Glider s "The Sunset Passage" by iconic Norwegian producer BIOSPHERE, a veteran of labels such as Touch and Apollo. Very LIMITED PRESSING on Black Marble Vinyl in Clear Plastic Jacket

Solomun - Dance Baby 2xLP (Diynamic) [DIYNAMIC003LP] $27.75
"Diynamic main man, producer extraordinaire and glob trotting DJ, Solomun, delivers his debut long-player Dance Babyfor the Hamburg based imprint in the Autumn of 2009. It is a staggeringly short time in which the Bosnian-born Croatian Mladen Solomun has exerted a considerable influence in house music. Just four years of consistent, forward thinking and innovative releases have propelled the gentle giant into the big league. His stewardship of the Diynamic imprint, parties and radio show have won him an army of fans as well as providing a platform for other notable talent such as Stimming, H.O.S.H and Ost & Kjex to become similarly influential. The brilliant debut, Dance Babysees Solomun further refine his craft and delivering an album which provides a neat but powerful insight into not just house itself, but his very personal view of the genre and it's development. Just as early house did, Dance Babydistils disco, soul, funk and electronic sounds into a heady mix which flows like a classic DJ set ? ebbing, flowing and taking in the whole spectrum of moods and energies. This flow also lends itself to home listening wonderfully, a rare trait for a house album and one that makes Dance Babyall the more endearing. Opener 'Country Song' slides you into Solomun's world with a 1 bar live bass loop doing all the work while layered keys and vocal ad-libs are scattered about the track creating a light, airy introduction. Darker edged cuts like the low slung 'Boyz in The Hood' and the incredibly tweaked out 'Blackout' create a sharp contrast but the programming means there are no moody quagmires to get caught in. As with much of his previous output, Dance Babyis oozing with classic house references, such as the Detroitian string stabs of 'Hypnotize,' Chicago 'jack' of 'DéjÄ vu' and the rabblerousing vocals of 'Cloud Dancer'. There are even touches of the oft forgotten Sheffield 'bleep' sound which resonate throughout."

Soulphiction Presents Missing Linkx - Who To Call 12 inch (Philpot) [PHP041EP] $11.50
A new live project from SoulPhiction and the mysterious MK resulted in recording these tracks, which will define the musical direction of this project. Everything was recorded live, including some minor errors. Missing Linkx kept the real moment on reel.

Stefanie Ressin + Asmus Tietchens - 3 Wishes 7 inch (Meeuw Muzak) [MM037] $8.50
STEFANIE RESSIN was one of several speakers on "Lipostudio... And So On," a "revoltingly beautiful" track by MATMOS. Here she covers Klaus Nomi with appropriately pathetic operatic singing and electro-inspired rhythm from a sequencer. For the remix treatment on the flip, ASMUS TIETCHENS reverses the vocals and feeds the rhythm through a gated reverb in the finest style of one-hit-wonder superfluous B-sides. Quite believable as an obscure '80s synth-pop record.

Subarachnoid Space - Eight Bells LP (Strange Attractors Audio House) [SAAH057LP] $19.00
"Eight Bells is the first new release from Subarachnoid Space in four years, following 2005's The Red Veil. Centered on the unfaltering cathartic vision of co-founding guitarist Melynda Jackson, the recording features an all-new lineup of Daniel Barone, Lauren K. Newman and Daniel Osborne, and was produced by Steven Wray Lobdell (Davis Redford Triad), who also performs on the album. The music of Eight Bells continues in a similar heavy lysergic vein as found on The Red Veil (SAAH025) and Also Rising (SAAH013, released 2003), but with even more frenzy and depth than ever before. Fusing wicked metallic crunch with celebratory sky-streaking guitar freakouts and some of the band's most narcotized jamming yet, Eight Bells is deep, dark and ecstatically outré - a hard-won document of SubArachnoid Space's unfurling quest to explore an otherworldly confluence, where spidery acid guitar fractals cascade headlong into post-modern metal darkness."

Sven Tasnadi - Lost In Chaos 12 inch (Cargo Edition) [CARGO012EP] $11.50
"2009 is quite obviously Sven Tasnadi's year, having already released five EPs this year on cream-of-the-crop labels like Pokerflat, Ornaments and Liebe*Detail. Each EP revealed a new facet of the eipziger, riding the nuances between the 4/4 beat. After his EP Down Under Influence with Juno6 in spring 2009, Tasnadi now dishes up his new solo EP on Cargo Edition. 'What We Do' is a classic house track -- very deep and peppered with vocal shots that hold the tension of the track over its whole length. It's smooth, yet deliciously rough around the edges. 'Amour Fou' on the B-side surprises with a very compact rhythm -- around the driving bass drum fly percussive elements, all tied together by a reduced bassline, some interspersed vocal samples and deep chords."

Sven Tasnadi/Christopher Rau - Winter/Childhood 12 inch (Smallville) [SMALL016EP] $11.50
Smallville's darling Sven Tasnadi lightens up the dancefloor with a bright, sparkling groover with new Villalobos-ish moves and a deep emotional fill. On the flipside, Dérive label-owner Christopher Rau creates a reduced, seductive track that subtly grows to total sweetness on the floor.

T&K - Mucho Swash 12 inch (Italians Do It Better) [IDIB022] $8.75
T&K is the duo of DJ KAOS and TIAGO. The music is piano and guitar filled house music that takes us back to Chicago 1991. Mellow vibes that build and build. Strictly limited edition of 750 copies , no represses. No download card. This is a RECORD.

Tenchu - Motivational Poster/Used To Be 12 inch (Dub:iouz Records) [DBZ003EP] $10.25
"Viennese producer Tenchu is no greenhorn, no newcomer prodigy. Instead the 27-year-old is one of Austria's finest having earned his stripes many times over in the country's prolific drum n bass scene. One half of producer duo Dubfiction, Tenchu graces the third release of nascent label Dub:iouz Records with two of his latest tunes. A side 'Motivational Poster' is nothing short of a killer dance floor stomper defining the label's identity. AA side 'Used To Be,' especially under the skilful treatment of none other than Hotflush Recordings owner Scuba, listeners bear witness to another genre central dubtastic IDM tune."

Teresa Rampazzi - Musica Endoscopica LP (Die Schachtel) [DIES009LP] $27.00
Following the acclaimed CD edition released by Die Schachtel in 2008, here's the long-awaited limited "silver" LP edition of Teresa Rampazzi's incredible early electronic music. It differs from the CD edition with the inclusion of "Metamorfosi," a previously-unreleased and magnificent drone piece. Teresa Rampazzi, a seminal yet very little-known female Italian composer/musician, founded the NPS - Nuove Proposte Sonore -- an experimental music collective formed in the late-'60s. She was also one of the founders and main figures of the Centro di Sonologia Computazionale, a computer music research center active from the early-'70s at the University of Padua. It would be easy to see electronic composer Rampazzi as Italy's equivalent of Daphne Oram or Delia Derbyshire, those long-neglected pioneers behind the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. But zoomed in closer, though, a more intriguing picture begins to emerge: Musica Endoscopica is in fact an immersive journey into a futurist-ic/early digital electronic music with dense, long drone pieces made of complex textures that explore the computer's capacity to produce endless variations of source material, at times anticipating some of the electro-feel to emerge in the years to follow. A welcome return of Die Schachtel's celebrated "metallic" series vinyl LP editions, dedicated to early electronic Italian composers. Housed in a deluxe silver cover with silver foil design with a custom inner sleeve and a 4-page booklet in English and Italian.

Tolfrey & Ramirez - Bounce To Me 12 inch (Phonica) [PHONICA003EP] $12.25
"The third release on Phonica Records is a no-nonsense dancefloor burner from Matt Tolfrey and D. Ramirez, with a stunning remix from Lauhaus. 'Bounce To Me' is an exquisitely stripped-back jack track, propelled along by clipped vocal samples, deep chord stabs and funked-up percussion - as the title suggests, it's all about the bounce. That's really all you need to know: this piece of music has been built for the sole purpose of dancefloor devastation and will do the job every time. Matt Tolfrey is the boss of Leftroom Recordings and one of the UK's most compelling young DJ/producers, with releases on Crosstown Rebels and Viva Music among others. D. Ramirez is of course the Sheffield-based producer behind numerous hit tracks for labels like Four:Twenty and his own Slave Recordings. The flipside remix comes from underground hero Lauhaus, a Dutch producer who's made quite a name for himself with his muscular productions for labels like Remote Area and Intacto. Here he toughens and tightens Tolfrey and Ramirez's original 'Bounce To Me' into a rolling techno groove, adding real drama and forward thrust with crisp hi-hats and staccato percussion."

Tropa Macaca - Sensacao Do Principio LP (Siltbreeze) [SB112] $13.25
Sensacao Do Principio is the third release proper from Portuguese experimental duo TROPA MACACA and their first with an American label. Their previous efforts on Ruby Red and Qbico were magnificent (though hard to find) efforts of blotted, aural sci-fi codifications somewhere between Anar Band and Blues Control. The two-track full-length continues their foray into post-psychedelic instrumental morphine, where Moolah's LP and Pink Floyd's "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict" function as templates for the greater good. In other words, you gotta hear if for yourself. Limited edition of 500 copies.

Unknown - On & On 12 inch (Idle Hands) [IDLE001EP] $10.25
"Idle Hands is a new vinyl-based electronic music label operating out of Rooted Records in Bristol, with distribution through S.T. Holdings. The focus of the label is on raw and experimental dancefloor tracks, in the best traditions of the U.K. underground. The first release is anonymous. It is comprised of two tracks. The A side sounds a bit techno, the B side has a nice skank to it. DJ Reactions: 'I've been hammering both tracks, especially the B side. Good luck with the release!' - 2562. 'I'm loving both these tracks! I will be playing these out for sure. The B side kind of reminds me of Yello, on a skanking ska tip! Full club support from me! Many thanks.' - October. 'I liked what I've heard and since you're with S.T. I gladly can guarantee you our support.' - T++ (Hard Wax)."

Unknown - Mountain009.1 12 inch (Mountain People) [MOUNTAIN009EP] $12.75
"A very special vinyl only release!!! For obvious reasons this is a black label style vinyl only release here on Mountain People. 009.1 has been around for a while and has been supported by the Drumpoet Community guys, above all by Lexx/Kawabata, who has pushed to make this a proper release. The mixdown pressed here is actually a very early raw recording which he kept (we didn't)."

Unknown - Soul Clap Pop Edits 12 inch (W+L Black) [WLB003EP] $12.25
"All it takes is a little romance to fall in love again. Light a spark with these magical edits: Fleetwood Mac 'Dreams' edit & Chris Isaak 'Wicked Game' edits. Keep those flames alive!"

Various Artists - Hyperdub 5.4 12 inch (Hyperdub) [HDB026EP] $12.25
5.4 EP contains two previously unreleased tracks: A1. Martyn - 'Mega Drive Generation' and B1. LD - 'Shake It.'"

Various Artists - Snuggle & Slap 2x12 inch (Circus Company) [CCS041LP] $19.00
2x12" version. Containing tracks from the "Slap" portion of the Snuggle & Slap 2CD compilation, previously released on Circus Company. This vinyl version snaps to attention with more insistent grooves that go straight to the heart of the label's sweet spot sumptuously detailed, swoon-worthy deep house. Whether you've been following Circus Company for the whole decade or are only just now turning on, this collection of new, exclusive material is an essential portrait of one of the most dynamic labels around. Artists include: Ark, Sety, dOP, Oleg Poliakov, Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts, Audio Werner, and Destination Danger.

Various Artists - Got To Be/Capetown River Boating 12 inch (Souvenir Music) [SOUVENIR021EP] $11.50
Souvenir Music presents two newcomers, two new remixes and four essential tracks. Here are the global vibes of Thodoris Triantafillou + CJ Jeff and M.in & Ynk with remixes by Kreon and Santé. "Got To Be" features a tribe of bongo players and vocals from an androgynous shaman. Kreon's dub remix will push the party into the early hours. M.in presents deep sensations, haunting vocals and Afro rhythms, heavily pushed by the Tiefschwarz brothers. Santé's remix takes a percussive approach with a dizzying groove.

Various Artists - 10th 12 inch (Mindshake) [MIND0101EP] $11.50
"Massive four tracks to celebrate our 10th release. Wouter de Moor & Guideon Bouwens, Lucio Aquilina, Gabriele del Petre, Alex Under, Joe Montana and Andrea Introvigne offer to us four hits for the end of the season. Don't miss "We don't Know". Tip! Big support by Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Dustin Zahn, Alexi Delano, Paco Osuna, Alex Under, Christian Smith, Edgar de Ramon, Lucio Aquilina, and many more."

Various Artists - Good God! Born Again Funk 2xLP (Numero Group) [NUMERO030LP] $19.00
"The Numero Group's 2006 release Good God! A Gospel Funk Hymnal examined what seemed to be a conundrum: gospel singers performing pious gospel songs, and devoutly, but doing so amid hot, sweaty, earthy sounds drunk on the same moonshine downed by any blues singer thumbing his way up north from the Mississippi delta. If the central premise was to grapple with a 'funky' trend in gospel, forgive us for staring perhaps a bit too intently at the collision of sacred and profane we thought we saw on those LPs and 45s. This music was always sacred, and decidedly so. Four years later, Numero returns with not quite a New Testament, rather a re-examination of a weighty tome. Born Again Funk lends new ears to a joyful strain of American composers and performers unafraid of expressing their devotion with both inspiration and invention. They were faithful to a spirit, not to an ordained sound."

Various Artists - Five - Part One 12 inch (Rotary Cocktail) [RC019EP] $11.50
"Five years of Rotary Cocktail Recordings - Part One!" Tracklist: A1. Marko Fürstenberg - Tatuet A2. Mod.Civil - Compress B1. Dreher & Smart - Guten Morgen B2. Holger Flinsch - Lichtgeister

Various Artists - Five - Part Two 12 inch (Rotary Cocktail) [RC020EP] $11.50
"Five years of Rotary Cocktail Recordings - Part Two!" Tracklist: A1. youANDme - You Know A2. Mark Broom - Let's Get Down B1. Larsson - Tomatoe Plantage B2. Mr.Statik's Can't Can't RMX

White Days - White Days 002 12 inch (White Days) [WD002EP] $11.50
"One of the hottest white labels around at the moment. After the incredible Fela Kuti EP, the second release is full of surprises too. On the A side, you will discover a massive drum tool with discrete vocal snippets from 'Love Sensation' which is specially made to create chaos in the club. On the flip side, A mountain of One's 'Innocent Line' is beautifully revisited for a mature dancefloor moment and last but not least a 'Round and Round' version which comes to challenge Danny Krivit's from a few years back. Vinyl only! 500 copies!"

Wickeda - A Nie Dvamata S Bobi Piem Kafe (Ramadanman Refix) 12 inch (Wickeda Hessle Audio) [WICKEDA001EP] $10.25
"Hand stamped limited edition of 500 180g vinyl. In early 2009, Ramadanman was approached by the British Council to participate in a cultural project between the U.K. and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian public voted for a top 10 of their favourite '90s Bulgarian pop songs, which were then offered to three U.K. producers to remix (the others being Hexstatic and Craggz & Parallel Forces). Ramadanman chose the Wickeda song 'А ние с Боби двамата пием кафе' ('And I and Bobby, We are Both Drinking Coffee'), and remixed it. The remix was premiered at a British Council organized club night in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, and beforehand, Ramadanman gave a remix workshop session to local producers. Wickeda are a Bulgarian rock band with a strong following. 'А ние с Боби двамата пием кафе' was a hit single from their first album Revolution which was released in 1999 and sold over 30,000 copies. Today, Wickeda continue to tour Bulgaria as well as Europe, with regular festival dates."

Widow Babies - Jetpacks LP (Olfactory) [OFR16] $12.00
Catching the ear of olFactory's Jim Smith at The Smell's last 21 And Under showcase, THE WIDOW BABIES have produced sounds well beyond their years. Forming in March of 2008, they released the Mike Watt EP, a tribute to the legendary LA bassist who made not only a cameo appearance, but performed at their album release party. The Widow Babies have played the underground LA circuit of venues including Pehrspace, The Smell, L'Keg, and The Echo, alongside such bands as Bad Dudes, The Mae Shi, Mika Miko and Foot Village. Heavily influenced by the vigor of Minutemen's econo jams, The Widow Babies rock intricate, jovial riffs and inspired vocals, much like prog poetess Marnie Stern. While their world music/tropical punk sounds are in close stride with fellow Smell/olFactory mates Abe Vigoda, The Widow Babies bring a style all their own. A perfect album to fuel your surf trip.

Wrnlrd - Myrmidon LP (Flingco Sound System) [FSS007] $22.25
RELEASE DATE: 10-27-2009
***The seventh and most ambitious album from WRNLRD. Taking in collaborators and a host of new instruments, the reclusive Wrnlrd has devised a crushing and intrepid recording. Wrnlrd clarified its sound: forging riffs, tightening up rhythmically, working with other musicians, new instruments and voices. Myrmidon is the sharpest Wrnlrd album to date and also sports innovative instrumentation and arrangements. Limited edition of 500 LPs pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Includes a download code.

Yakine - Maissade 12 inch (Supplement Facts) [SFR016EP] $12.75
"Supplement Facts Records is excited to welcome Yakine to the label! The hot French producer has already added the fantastic 'Zenalia' to our Supplemental Compilation You Never Walk Alone and after releases on Circus Company, Je T'Aime and Esperanza, is in the form of his life. His blend of contemporary house music, with a playful touch has seen him become a regular in the record boxes of the biggest names. He is one of the shining lights of the Parisian house scene, and has one of the brightest residencies in the city at 'Weirdo Magnet' @ Rex Club. Today we bring you his Maissade EP."

Yann Leguay - Cutter Off/Discsection LP (Artkillart) [AKA003LP] $34.50
"Cutter Off / Discsection is a noise dissection of a vinyl record. In anatomy, a dissection consists of opening up a body according to a predefined protocol. In geometry, a dissection problem involves cutting up a figure to rearrange the pieces into another given figure. A progressive mix began on a blank disc, using surgical material connected to a contact microphone. Handmade embossing cover. Handmade dissection of each record on the side A. Every piece is unique."

Ye Olde Maids - God Blesses Us, Mother Dresses Us LP (Art Fag) [AF004] $16.00
YE OLDE MAIDS is WES EISOLD of COLD CAVE's pre-Cold Cave synth-pop project. Ten electronic bedroom recordings from 2005 to 2008. Packaged in silver sleeves with two inserts. Limited to 500 numbered copies.

Zoroaster - Voice Of Saturn LP (Kreation) [KR33] $15.00
NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Voice of Saturn, the follow up to the band's critically acclaimed release, Dog Magic, has arrived. Recorded at The Living Room in Atlanta (The Black Lips, Mastodon) with engineer ED RAWLS, Voice of Saturn pushes ZOROASTER's heady mix of mammoth metal and psychotropic shoegaze to skyscraping new heights. >From the galloping post-Sabbath rock of the roll out track "Spirit Molecule" to the concrete street cleaning of "Lamen of the Master Therion" and through to the tribal percussive vertebrae of the album's "hidden" closer, Voice of Saturn administers in-the-red levels of both the band's mysticism and barbarism in spades. The record features a guest appearance from friend and fellow Atlantean BRENT HINDS of MASTODON, who contributes a searing guitar solo to the song "White Dwarf." Packaged in gatefold sleeves.

[ H I S T O R I C A L ]

Albert Ayler - Bells LP (ESPDisk) [ESPDISK1010LP] $19.75
Remastered one-sided LP on 180 gram clear vinyl with screenprinted logo. Hand-numbered, limited edition of 1000. "Bells is the celebrated set that overjoyed the audience at New York's Town Hall on May 1st, 1965. It's a ferocious, twenty-minute romp containing excellent group improvisation and Ayler's signature military-themed melodies. The performance marks an important shift in Albert's music: towards blurring the lines between composition and improvisation. It is also the debut recording of Charles Tyler. Reissued on 180 gram transparent vinyl with screenprinted Bells logo on the blank side."

Andrew Hill - Point Of Departure LP (Blue Note) [BN4167LP] $11.00
Exact repro reissue of pianist Andrew Hill's fourth album for Blue Note, originally released in 1964. Hill has been described as "the most deft avant-garde artist in jazz" (PopMatters). Featuring Kenny Dorham (trumpet), Eric Dolphy (alto sax, flute & bass clarinet), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Richard Davis (bass) and Anthony Williams (drums). "The pieces on Point Of Departure don't flow and develop, and they don't have a lot of built-in contrast; there's no crescendo or denouement in the expected places, and they don't make a journey, traveling from a home key to an away key and back. They tend to be organized into two units of the same number of measures or even, in the case of 'Flight 19,' as one constantly repeating unit. What Hill devised, though, were ingenious ways to work with static harmony. The tunes have intriguingly dark melodies, but on much of the material, when the players find the right scale to work from, they can just let it rip through their solo without having to worry about chord changes." -- Ben Ratliff

Arthur Russell - The Sleeping Bag Sessions 2xLP (Sleeping Bag) [TEG3319LP] $18.00
"Whether it's hip hop, its face pointed reverentially to the old school, or house stealing disco riffs by the truck load, people are increasingly intrigued by back-in-the-day. And common to both the aforementioned scenes and much more is one person, Arthur Russell, a man some regard as the best songwriter of the 20th century. In 1981 Arthur set up Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov. The first release was the album 24-24 Music as Dinosaur L. If you're wondering about the name it would appear Arthur would often use the names of extinct or near-extinct animals. On one production credit he's Killer Whale, whilst the logo for Sleeping Bag is a Koala bear! Will remembers how they came up with the name for their label. 'We were joking about names, and James Brown was on with 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my apartment and I kind of made a joke about that, and Arthur said that was a great idea for the name of the company!' The line up was pretty much the same as the Loose Joints sessions, (which boasted the Ingram Brothers rhythm section) and a similar stream-of-conscience approach was taken with the recording itself. Russell arranged the beats so there'd be a change every 24 bars (hence the title) and the band would have to improvise the songs over the top. He also made sure he went into the studio when there was a full moon! The album is again very experimental, and makes occasional uneasy listening but the same magic is very much in evidence. Arthur would continue to be involved in production and mixing duties for the label, but parted company with Socolov in 1985. Arthur sadly died of AIDS in 1992 leaving behind many songs; as one obituary put it, it was though he simply vanished into his music."

Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business 7 inch (Kill Rock Stars) [KRS517EP] $5.75
"Delta 5 were part of the thriving Leeds post-punk scene in the late 1970s. This 7" features the band's debut single, Mind Your Own Business, first released in 1979, backed with a remix by post-punk hero Peter Hook, best known as the bass player for Joy Division and New Order, under the name Man Ray. 'With their unusual, dub-heavy rhythmic section and acerbic stagger of triple female vocals, Delta 5 articulated a variety of textures and approaches to song structure.'" - Pitchfork

Dr. Boogie - Dr. Boogie Presents Heavy Jelly LP (Sub Rosa) [SR292LP] $14.00
This is the fifth volume in Sub Rosa's collection devoted to rare and lost recordings from the '20s to the '60s, following Dr. Boogie Presents Rarities from the Bob Hite Vaults (SR 271CD/LP), Oh, Run Into Me, But Don't Hurt Me! Female Blues Singers -- Rarities 1923-1930 (SR 268CD/LP), Shim Sham Shimmy (SR 279CD/LP), and Dr. Boogie Presents 26 Deranged And Smokin' Cool Cats (SR 286CD/LP). This time around, musicologist and radio personality Walter De Paduwa aka Dr. Boogie has assembled a collection of hot-shot instrumentals culled from the original 45s -- tunes mainly dominated by a sax and organ, and always backed by a strong rhythm section. The first half of the '60s was a perfect test ground for whoever wanted to make a record for a fistful of dollars. The 45 rpm was king, and among the other genres of the day, instrumentals occupied a sizeable chunk of production. The best-known instrumentals came from California in the late '50s, thanks to the surfers who quickly adopted a new guitar sound from Texas. Simultaneously, all over the United States bands started recording lots of diverse and surprising instrumental tracks. They did so for various reasons: lack of a good singer, as filler for a B-side, or for a shot at the charts with a different, jukebox-ready mix of an already-released song. The mark of a good instrumental was often a gimmick, i.e. that little something -- a riff, an intro, a repetitive chord -- that would act as the piece's signature item. The tracks here were shamelessly designed for no other reason than to fill up the dancefloor, to great effect.

Ex & Tom Cora, The - Scrabbling At The Lock LP (Ex Records) [EX051LP] $16.50
"Back on vinyl... The Ex + Tom Cora's masterpiece from 1991! Tom Cora - cello. Terrie - guitar. Andy - guitar. Katherina - drums, vocals. Luc - bass. G.W. Sok - vocals. Guests: Cathérine Jauniaux - vocal improvisations on 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10. Marion Coutts - trumpette on 5."

Fugazi - Margin Walker 12 inch (Dischord) [DIS035V] $10.25
REISSUED!!! FUGAZI's beloved Margin Walker recorded in December of 1988. Six tracks-"Margin Walker," "And The Same," "Burning Too," "Provisional," "Lockdown," and "Promises." Includes a free download.

Fugazi - 3 Songs 7 inch (Dischord) [DIS043] $5.75
REISSUED!!! Three classic FUGAZI songs-"Song # 1," "Joe # 1," and "Break In"-recorded at Inner Ear Studio in July 1988.

Harmonia & Eno - '76 Remixes 12 inch (Amazing Sounds) [AMSO001EP] $11.50
In the late summer of 1976, Krautrock and electronic music pioneers Harmonia (Michael Rother, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Dieter Moebius) collaborated with Brian Eno to create the seminal Tracks & Traces release. Now, Allez-Allez have commissioned two fresh re-interpretations by modern day innovators Shackleton and Appleblim with Komonazmuk for a tripped-out 21st century dancefloor. This first release on Allez-Allez's new Kompakt-distributed label Amazing Sounds is released on limited edition white vinyl with artwork by famed illustrator/designer James Joyce.

Joe Henderson - Mode For Joe LP (Blue Note) [BST84227LP] $11.00
Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1966. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's first album with a group larger than a quintet: Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Cedar Walton (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums). "At a time when far too many Coltrane clones roamed the Earth, Joe Henderson shined as a personal, distinctive stylist with a brawny, instantly recognizable tone. Walton's delicate and gently swinging Mode for Joe brings out the softer, lyrical side of these Blue Note heavyweights. Henderson contributes one of his more subdued solos on record. Though less aggressive than normal, his solo is still harmonically adventurous and surprising. His melodicism is juxtaposed by sudden bursts of frantic clusters of notes. Hutcherson is in top form -- once again proving he is the most expressive of all vibraphonists. A great addition to any collection."

Kenny Dorham - Whistle Stop LP (Blue Note) [BN4063LP] $11.00
Exact repro reissue, originally released in 1961. "Whistle Stop is a high-quality Hard Bop date that is particularly noteworthy for featuring seven forgotten but superior Kenny Dorham compositions, tunes that today's Hard Boppers should be inspired to revive. Dorham is heard in prime form in a quintet with Hank Mobley, pianist Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones."

Kim Fowley - One Man's Garbage LP (Norton Records) [ED355LP] $12.00
"One man's garbage is another man's gold! Norton presents a Golden Decade (1959-69) of Kim Fowley's elusive, previously properly unheralded visionary escapades that reinforce the fact that Kim is.... GODHEAD! Posh gatefold LPs feature extensive liner notes from Mr. Fowley, presented in his own inimitable mega genius steeltrap-memory way! Stand now and salute the man, and each of these great records which blast right today as they did back when the chicken was the egg! Tracklist: Bruce And Jerry - I Saw Her First; Patterns - Late Late Show; U.S. Rockets - Bodacious; Rituals - This Is Paradise; Donnie And The Outcasts - Big Fat Alaskan; Renegades - Charge; Players - The Rebel; Kim And The Skippers - Daybreaker; Mo And Jo - The Yo Yo Song; Johnny C And The Blazes - Inferno; Kim Fowley - Music Is The Magic; Blue Bells - Moccasin; Althea And The Memories - Dedication Time; Kim Fowley - Underground Lady; Kim Fowley And Mars Bonfire - Surf Pigs*; Althea And The Memories - Worst Record Ever Made (* = Previously Unissued).

Kim Fowley - Another Man's Gold LP (Norton Records) [ED356LP] $12.00
Tracklist: Renegades - Geronimo; Kim Fowley - Big Sur, Bear Mountain, Ciro's, Flip Side Protest Song; Gamblers - Teen Machine; Vaqueros - Vaquero Beat; Players - Memories Of A High School Bride; Aston Martin And The Moon Discs - Fallout; Cover Girls - Gone But Not Forgotten; Daywins - Heartbeat; Rituals - Surfers Rule; Bonnie And The Treasures - Eleventh Commandment Of Love*; Renegades - Ghost Train*; Hollywood Argyles - Long Hair, Unsquare Dude Called Jack; Donnie And The Outcasts - Bounty Hunter; Althea And The Memories - Daddy Said; U.S. Rockets - March Of The Siamese Children; Rituals - Gone (* = previously unissued)

Leroy Franklin Starbird Band - Star Bird 7 inch (Heavy Light) [HLR001EP] $8.25
"In 1981, Leroy Franklin went into the San Antonio studio of Manny Guerra with a group of session musicians to record his 2-sided masterpiece, 'Star Bird.' The A-side, a spiritual, funky slice of modern soul, is reason enough for DJs and collectors to put this 45 in their box. The flip, a spontaneous anti-drug rap over Star Bird's instrumental track is a dancefloor filler. Recorded just over a year after 'Rapper's Delight,' 'Star Bird II' is quite possibly, the first rap record ever recorded in Texas."

Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Press Color LP (Ze Records) [ZE002LP] $15.25
2009 repress. LP version. Classic debut album, originally issued by Ze in 1979; with the awesome Rosa Yemen Live In N.Y.C July 1978 mini-LP added, plus 4 bonus tracks (including her stellar 1995 duet with Patti Smith "Morning High", as released by Bill Laswell). Straddling the cultural canyon of no-and-new waves like nothing else, this is one of the most romantically hypnotic albums of the era.

Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Mission Impossible 12 inch (Ze Records) [ZE1204] $9.50
"Before getting french national fame in 1984 with cult hit, 'Mais où sont passées les gazelles', Lizzy was in 78 a French boyish poetry cute girl singer living in New York and used to play in No Wave band Rosa Yemen. She also used to write in Rock News, one of the very first French 'Punk' magazine. Her first album Press Color was recorded in New York with Eric from Marie & Les Garçons. Her covers of 'Mission Impossible' and Arthur Brown's 'Fire' became club cult from New York, Tokyo to London. Press Color was released in 10 countries. Her second album was recorded in Nassau Bahamas in Island Studio Compass Point with collaboration of Walli Badarou and Tom Tom Club's Chris Stanley. Here's a 12'', a taster of both albums featuring the tracks 'Fire', 'Funky Stuff' & 2 versions of 'Mission Impossible".

Manson Family, The - The Manson Jams LP (Neue Asthetik) [10657] $27.00
Recordings of the Manson Family from 1970, remastered by EXEMTUM. Limited edition picture lp with artwork from Adam Parfrey (Feral House) and Robert N. Taylor (Changes). Includes a postcard with liner notes from Charles Manson and Neil Young.

On this record is an impressive, the long-overdue end of the so-called flower power movement documented. One might argue about whether the Rolling Stones at Altamont and the Manson murders of the flower children, the death-FAMILY transferees. For the design we were allowed for the A-side a picture of Adam Parfrey And for the B-side by ROBERT N. TAYLOR. The following family members were involved in these recordings: Steve Grogan (Clem) - guitar and vocals Brenda (gold), Sue Singing, Catherine Share (Gypsy) - Violin

Moebius - Tonspuren LP (Bureau B) [BB040LP] $16.00
This is the first solo album by Dieter Moebius, recorded at Conny Plank's studio and originally released in 1983 on Sky Records. By 1969 at the latest, Dieter Moebius was synonymous with the avant-garde electronic music scene in Germany. He and Hans-Joachim Roedelius formed Cluster, a seminal electronic/ambient duo, while Moebius was also a member of the so-called Krautrock supergroup Harmonia (with Michael Rother and Roedelius), as well as collaborating on various other projects with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier from Guru Guru. Somehow, it took Moebius until 1983 to release his own solo debut album. Tonspuren is an album of minimalisms, miniatures and stringent form -- 10 consistently concise and precise pieces. Moebius develops tonal variations out of minimalistic, rhythmic, harmonic basic tracks, sometimes coming close to tangible melodies. Yet this is exactly the point at which he purposely steers clear of electronic pop criteria. Nevertheless, Tonspuren is a pop album, its radically stripped-down contents replenished with harmonious elements of prevalent popular music. Echoes of Cluster notwithstanding, the music of Tonspuren is a separate entity altogether. Moebius seems to be avoiding improvisation as the devil keeps his distance from holy water. Each piece is thoughtfully composed, as Moebius crafts his miniatures layer by layer. Spontaneous inaccuracies have no place here; noise escapades are nipped in the bud. Baroque, folklore and frivolity are not admitted into the studio when the red light is on. Thanks to Tonspuren, the keen listener now has the opportunity of direct comparison in his appraisal of the solo albums of Moebius, Roedelius and Rother. Tonspuren thus represents a vital piece of the Harmonia puzzle. Including liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

Naked Raygun - Understand? LP (Haunted Town) [HTR34] $14.00
REISSUED!!! Out of print on vinyl for 20 years. NAKED RAYGUN's fourth album, the 1989 Chicago punk classic back on wax! All original tracks remastered and sounding better than ever. Includes a great Government Issue cover as a bonus. Packaged with a two-sided 12"x18" full-color poster full of rare and unreleased photos and more. Pressed on colored vinyl.

Relatives, The - Don't Let Me Fall LP (Heavy Light) [HLR001LP] $16.50
"Heavy Light Records was founded by Charisse Kelly and Revenant Records alum Noel Waggener to present obscure and previously unreleased recordings spanning the 1950s -- '80s. Both releases feature lavish silk screened packaging, detailed historical notes and unpublished photos. Call it gospel funk! In truth, the sound of The Relatives is so much more. Brought together by veteran gospel singer Gean West in 1971, their sound bridges the gap between traditional gospel, soul and psychedelia. Over a span of four years, The Relatives recorded three obscure 45s and a session with legendary North Texas engineer Phil York. These powerful, genre-busting recordings stand up alongside the best group soul and funk recordings of the 1970s -- and give praise to the Lord like you've never heard before! Heavy Light Records is proud to bring together all of The Relatives' singles and five previously unreleased tracks for their first-ever full length release, Don't Let Me Fall."

Roedelius - Wenn Der Südwind Weht LP (Bureau B) [BB041LP] $16.00
Wenn Der Südwind Weht ("When The South Wind Is Blowing") is the seventh solo album by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, originally released on Sky Records in 1981 (also known under the title Selbstportrait IV). "Where on earth does Roedelius find such a beautiful array of notes?" wonders Asmus Tietchens in his sleeve notes for this reissue. Not an unreasonable question. Roedelius, a pioneer of ambient music, Krautrock and, arguably, synthesizer pop, member of such seminal bands as Cluster and Harmonia, revels in alien worlds on this record. This is "Music to be listened to quietly," as Roedelius advised on the LP cover. Indeed, listening at low volume enhances the sense of otherworldliness quite considerably. And yet, this album can hardly be termed "spacy" nor psychedelic in the slightest. Electronic excesses are absent, aural exotica off-limits, bizarre cacophonies non-existent. The individual tracks are compact, lined up in quick succession, like a string of pearls. Wherein lies their fascination? From what distant place do they reach out to the listener? First of all, there is the Roedelian "quietitude." Even when the music is turned up, it remains quiet in character, almost as if wrapped in cotton wool. The quiet nature of this music is inseparable from the serene and tranquil manner in which Roedelius goes about creating his typical harmonies and melodies on an electric organ of decidedly limited sonic variability. He leaves in the occasional blip and electric interference or tape hiss, but nothing can distract him from the inspiration of the moment as it feeds his music. The contrast with the perfect, yet impersonal precision of minimalism could not be greater. Improvisation is the driving force of Roedelius' music. Without a trace of exhibitionism, he externalizes himself through his music with an honesty that could move one to tears. As a member of Cluster and Harmonia, such radicalism was never open to him. Südwind is an undisputed highlight in the Roedelius canon. CD housed in a digipak with liner notes by Asmus Tietchens.

Ryan Trevor - Introducing: Ryan Trevor LP (Galactic Zoo Disk) [DC419LP] $14.75
"Wow...we can't seem to figure out the true story of Ryan Trevor - we're not sure he even knows it! Is he an industry guy who pitched songs to Barry Manilow, wrote songs for Sesame Street, and roadied for infamous germaphobe Robin Trower? Is he a sensitive loner-folker who lived in England and all over the globe? Is he an ex-60's Indiana garage band kid who rocked in 'The Blue Glue?' Or did he simply replace his friend Paul McCartney when he 'died' in 1968? It just might be all of the above, though working closely with Trevor (well, as closely as we can get to New Zealand -- it's about eight thousand miles away) has shed remarkably little light on the man - even his exhaustive autobiography ends in the early 70s, just before he started recording music! The usually in-depth Acid Archives has a mere one sentence listed about the man. Is this a conspiracy? What we do know is that he produced one incredibly rare and homespun pop LP in 1977, Introducing: Ryan Trevor. It may have been merely a demo for a never-materialized Warner Brothers album (though we question the veracity of this claim), or a definitive concept album statement (are there any non-concept albums that begin with an 'Overture')...but we'll let the music speak for itself. A privately-pressed bit of psych-pop perfection, Introducing: Ryan Trevor at last answers the question on ALL of our minds: 'What if R. Stevie Moore and Emitt Rhodes recorded an album with Joe Meek's ghost in the late 70s?' Whatever the case, what you have in your hands is a near-exact repro of an insanely catchy song cycle of Macca-melodies, subverted by copious amounts of phase, fuzz, and a bedroom production ambience that would certainly make Bob Pollard, Ariel Pink or The Godz jealous. Drag City/Galactic Zoo Disk is proud to get this incredible rarity back into circulation, where it can soon after be filed next to your Rundgren and Brian Wilson records in the 'loner genius' section."

Sun Ra - I Am Strange/I Am An Instrument 7 inch (Norton Records) [45153EP] $5.50
"Sixties spoken word mysticism from Saturn, with otherworldly instrumentation! Absolutely brain bending and everso essential!"

Sun Ra - Interplanetary Melodies LP (Norton Records) [ED352LP] $12.00
"Norton recently took a rocket ride into the vaults of El Saturn Research and arrived back on Earth with a motherlode of unissued early R&B, doo wop, soul and general weirdness featuring Sun Ra and his Arkestra backing a variety of artists. This series consists of two albums of 'Doo Wop from Saturn and Beyond' entitled Interplanetary Melodies and The Second Stop Is Jupiter plus a set of totally twisted sides called Rocket Ship Rock featuring Yochanan 'The Outer Space Vocalist' (with his demented Saturn 45 Muck Muck/Hot Skillet Momma) and his way out friends backed by Sun Ra and his Arkestra! Atomic outer space genius from yet another Norton turban headed star!" Tracklist: Cosmic Rays - Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie/Dreaming*/Bye Bye/Somebody's In Love*/Summertime*; Crystals - Honey In The Bee Box*; Nu Sounds - Spaceship Lullaby*/I'm Through With You*/Africa (extended version)*/Dabba Dabba Dabba Du Day*; Qualities - It's Christmas Time/If I Only Hadn't Sunned*; Juanita Rogers - A Love Letter Full Of Promises*/Teenagers Letter Of Promise/Sun Ra - Tony's Wife* (* = previously unissued).

Sun Ra - The Second Stop Is Jupiter LP (Norton Records) [ED353LP] $12.00
Tracklist: Cosmic Rays - Somebody's In Love/Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie*/Dreaming/There's A Small Hotel*/The Second Stop Is Jupiter*; Nu Sounds - Spaceship Lullaby*/Honeysuckle Rose*/Baby Won't You Please Be Mine*/Black Sky And Blue Moon*/Dreams Come True*; Qualities - Happy New Year To You!/ She's My Moonglow*; Crystals - Little Sally Walker*; Juanita Rogers - I'm So Glad You Love Me*/I'm So Glad You Love Me; Sun Ra - Stuff Like That There* (* = previously unissued)

Sun Ra - Rocket Ship Rock LP (Norton Records) [ED354LP] $12.00
Tracklist: Yochanan - Muck Muck/Hot Skillet Momma/Rocket Ship Rock*/Is That Me?*/Hot Skillet Momma (alt. take)*/Muck Muck (alt. take)*/The Sun Man Speaks/Message To Earthman #1/Message To Earthman #2 (alt. take); Little Mack - Tell Her To Come On Home; Lacy Gibson - I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman (extended version)*; Ebah - I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman*; Don (Dino) Dean - The Space Stroll (* = previously unissued)

Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra Vol. 1 LP (ESPDisk) [ESPDISK1014LP] $19.75
Remastered on 180 gram vinyl. Hand-numbered, limited edition of 1000. "The astonishing sessions that went light years beyond 'free jazz' improvisation to create a music of deeply felt, explosive and gentle gesture made from sound itself without reference to previous notions of melody or harmony are now reissued on 180 gram vinyl with Sun Ra's original, self-created cover art. Recorded by Richard Alderson on April 20, 1965, this set of tunes finds Sun Ra breaking ground by using synthesizers and having the Arkestra musicians double on percussion."

Various Artists - Dirty French Psychedelics LP (Born Bad) [BB019] $22.25
"Now Dirty Sound System is back with a new compilation dubbed Dirty French Psychedelics, which you guessed it centers around 'classic rock radio with names our parents would recognize.' As usual, though, there's a lot more going on under the surface than above: Psychedelics is a hallucinated sonic odyssey that transcends the established definition of 'psychedelic' in an attempt to open listeners' ears to what the music of 1960s France was really about (we're still mulling over that last bit, but we'll get there someday soon, provided we down enough acid and slip back into our bell bottoms)."-Nik Mercer, Anthem Music

Various Artists - Electric Holyland LP (Lysergic Sound Distributors) [LEP12822LP] $18.00
"12 cuts from some of the rarest and most fuzz-drenched Jesus Rock obscurities from the 1960s and '70s. Artists are: The New Folk, Barrie Hobbie, Johann Black & Sweet Destiny, First Revelation, Wild Olive Branch Band, Earthen Vessel, Shekina Glory, The Jesus Band, The Ark, Children Of The Lamb, Renacimiento, Paul Clark and The Four Corner Gospel Experience.It's a limited (500 copies) press, all hand-numbered, of some of the rarest, most obscure & most fuzz-drenched Jesus Rock from the 1960s & '70s. There's 12 cuts from 12 different bands, all authorized, restored & re-mastered. The cover is an eye-popping throwback to the best of the '60s Fillmore posters and leaves no doubt about the nature of the music."

Various Artists - Forge Your Own Chains 2xLP (Now Again) [NA5046LP] $18.00
Subtitled: Heavy Psychedelic Ballads And Dirges 1968-1974. "This compilation introduces a new direction for Now-Again Records and its owner, Stones Throw Records GM, A&R and producer Egon. With the same detailed, no-stone-unturned approach he used for Deep Funk (The Funky 16 Corners, Cold Heat), he tackles beat-heavy global psychedelia with Forge Your Own Chains. 'Those of us birthed into record collecting by the Hip Hop midwife revered Jimi Hendrix as well as James Brown. We searched for albums by Mulatu Astatke and Power of Zeus with the same fervor,' Egon writes in his introduction to the comp. Forge Your Own Chains showcases music from all corners of the world: Colombia, Nigeria, Sweden, South Korea, Thailand and Iran. The focus -- in keeping with Now-Again's tradition -- is on melody, driving rhythms and accessibility. Not one song is included on this compilation because it is from a 'rare' album. Certainly, many of these songs do spring from albums that exchange hands for many thousands of dollars and many of these songs have never seen reissue. But these songs are all beautiful in their own right and work to form a coherent album. Psychedelic records, long the mainstay of older, grizzled collectors and seemingly quaint, are, in the hands of Egon and those of his generation, giving up new ghosts. And, with comps like Forge Your Own Chains, inspiring new investigations into our not so distant (and still very much alive) musical past." Artists: Top Drawer, Sensational Saints, East Of Underground, D. R. Hooker, Shin Jung Hyun & The Men feat. Jang Hyun, T. Zchiew & The Johnny, The Strangers, Damon, Ellison, Morly Grey, Shadrack Chameleon, Ofege, Ana Y Jaime, Kourosh Yaghmaei, Baby Grandmothers.

Deluxe gatefold jacket containing extensive and detailed liner notes and annotation by Egon, rare photos and other ephemera.

Yays & Nays - Yays & Nays LP (Groovie) [GROO021LP] $27.00
"Monster rare USA private pressing from 1968, rated with 6 stars in the Hans Pokora 3001 book. The Yays & Nays were a groovy, hip group comprised of three guys and three girls. This is a truly unique sounding album, full of creative songwriting and vocal arrangements and a style that defies any categorization. There's some fab garage folk-rock on it (the opening track 'Gotta Keep Travelling' is really astounding!), and also some tracks in a bizarre crooner-lounge 'Incredible Strange Music' vein. Reissued for the first time, in collaboration with band members, and with original artwork."