EAR/Rational Update Week 3-4, 2012

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This week's update contains releases by:

+DOG+ * 1000schoen * Andre & Gildas * Anthony Pateras * Atom Heart * Attilio Novellino * Austin Buckett * Ballin' Jack * Batuhan Bozkurt * Beth Jeans Houghton and Her Band The Hooves Of Destiny * Bobby Bare * Boutros Bubba * Bushman's Revenge * Bvdub * Candlesnuffer/Lukas Simonis * Cardinal * Celer * Coen Oscar Polack * Current 93 * Daphne Oram * Demdike Stare * Desario * Deutsch Nepal * Dick Curless * Dirty Three * Drowner * El Doom & The Born Electric * Elika * Elton Dean's Ninesense * En Nihil * Erdem Helvacioglu & Sirin Pancaroglu * Eric Lunde * Erland Dahlen * Eux Autres * F.C. Judd * Father Murphy * Felicia Atkinson * First Human Ferro * First Human Ferro feat.Albireon * Fjernlys * Food Pyramid * Francisco Lopez * Frank Riggio * Gareth Dickson * Goh Lee Kwang * Gone Bald * Gonjasufi * Good Weather for an Airstrike * Harald Bjork * Heaven & Earth * Herbst 9 * Hobo * Holiday Crowd * Hospitality * Hubble * Hypsiphrone * Ian Boddy * Jazzanova * Kapotte Muziek * Karantamba * Kasper T. Toeplitz / Z'EV * Katadreuffe * Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi * Kleefstra / Pruiksma / Kleefstra * Known Rebel * Knuckleduster * Kosmonaut * Kufuki * Kutin * Larry and His Flask * Le Super Borgou De Parakou * Lee Burton * Lee Fields * Leila * Listening Mirror * Maetrik * Manuel Mota + Jason Kahn * Marc Behrens * Marcus Fischer * Marinos Koutsomichalis * Mario Diaz De Leon * Matsuo Ohno * Maurizio Bianchi * Mi & L'Au * Mighty Sparrow, The * Mirrorring * Mugo * Mustapha Skandrani * Night Sun * Nude On Sand * Of Montreal * Orchestra Peter Thomas * Oval * Patrice Sciortino * Peal * Pete Namlook/Various Artists * Phelios * Phil Blankenship * Phogmasheen * Pinch * Piroth * Plug * Porter Ricks * Pyramids/Horseback * Radiophonic Workshop * Rapoon * Reformed Faction * Roger Doyle * S.E.T.I. * Sabes * Sachiko & Rinji Fukuoka * Scent of Soil * Sektor 304 * Shindig * Shulman * Sissy Spacek * Sly & Robbie * Spheruleus * Steve Peters & Steve Roden * Stonemans, The * Sun Ra * Sutekh Hexen * System 7 * Talvihorros * Terra Sancta * Terry De Castro * The Protagonist * The Sound * Tom Dissevelt/Kid Baltan * Tornado Rider * Ustad Abdul Karim Khan * Voices from the Lake (feat. Donato Dozzy and Neel) * Wedding Present, The * Wendy Rene * White Gold * Whomadewho * Wiley * X-O-Dus * Yann Novak * Yannick Dauby * Yannick Franck * Yannis Kyriakides * Yeti * Z'ev

[ F E A T U R E D R E L E A S E S ]

Atom Heart - Cold Memories 2CD (Sahko Recordings) [SAHKO026] $17.00
RELEASE DATE: 01-30-2012
Cold Memories is Atom Heart's contribution to Ambient City radio project realized first time in Helsinki in 1994. The original DAT-tape was compiled by Atom Heart from dubs and versions of his previously released tracks such as "Holon", "Data Haiku", "One Atomsecond" and "Ode to b.g." among others. Tracks were mixed together with unreleased songs making all together 2 hours continuous music that was devided into two parts for the double CD issue. Cold Memories is together with Aphex Twins' Ambient Works the cleanest and most crystallized samples of the ambient techno movement in Europe in early 90's.

Austin Buckett - Stuttershine CD (Hello Square) [cube051] $15.00
Perhaps known for his work with Pollen Trio and Kasha, Austin Buckett is a piano player who also composes modern classical music. 'Stuttershine' is a forty five minute piece for piano and string quartet, performed here by the Silo String Quartet. Now I spoken out before on the subject of modern classical music: as much as I sometimes (!) like it, I am not really the right sort of person to talk about it, simply because I lack the knowledge about it. I never know the right lingo to describe what I hear. Buckett's piece is very modern, to each ears, with sustaining notes, bending strings and it all sounds, at times, like its all going through some sort of computer processing, which might not be the case, but shows the craftsmanship of these five players - Buckett himself is at the piano. Quite a nice piece, I thought, but a bit out my reference, but as far as I can judge quite alright. - Frans de Waard - Vital Weekly

Candlesnuffer/Lukas Simonis - Nature Stands Aside CD (Hello Square) [cube049] $15.00
Also on the HellosQuare label, but from a totally different angle is the release by Candlesnuffer, also known as David Brown, who is part of the trio of with Anthony Pateras and Sean Baxter (see also Sean Baxter solo album this week). Together with Lukas Simonis he recorded an album in 2009, which is now released, no doubt in conjunction with mister Simonis' recent visit to a land down under. Although the cover doesn't specify this, I assume both Brown and Simonis play guitar and perhaps (no: surely) a whole bunch of effects. In his solo work Brown uses also bandoura, banjo and ukelele, but perhaps not here. This is all improvised music, as can be expected from Lukas Simonis, who has a long history in that field, including a recent album with Anne LeBerge. This is wild stuff, with lots of strong plucking, hitting and preparing, or rather, torturing the six strings. Lots of violent abuse of the guitar, but occasionally also coming alive into fine small melody or even a carefully constructed piece such as 'Hottentot Venus'. It never leaps into the world of true noise, which is a good thing. It has the raw power of punk, combined with its energy and the sheer musical experimentation of improvised music. A great work with a nice cover: printed at Extrapool, which unlike what the website says, is not really based in Amsterdam, but in sunny, lovely Nijmegen. (FdW) - Vital Weekly

Celer - Sunlir CD (Con-V) [CNVCD004] $15.68
All music by Will Long and Danielle Baquet-Long Recorded in 2005-2006 at home in Huntington Beach, California Originally self-released as a limited, handmade edition new master by m.a.tolosa, Madrid 2011 I am a frame. I am the frame looking at me, sleeping. I am a frame In a dream crooked, at me. I am a frame shrugging Without movement. I am hanging In a triangle, a knot Not a tie, I am a frame. Wall habitude. I am the frame looking at me, sleeping I am a frame In a dream even, at you. I am a frame off the wall With movement; falling,. I am crooked, Spun off course by a hand, The worth of suffering Is in time, we place ourselves between The moss of recency

Erdem Helvacioglu & Sirin Pancaroglu - 'Resonating Universes CD (Sargasso) [SCD28064] $19.00
'Resonating Universes' is a new collaboration between Turkish artists Erdem Helvacıoğlu and Şirin Pancaroğlu that brings together traditional Turkish harp (Pancaroğlu) with sound-sculpting electronica (Helvacıoğlu) into one continuously evolving soundscape. This is their first project together. Şirin Pancaroğlu is one of Turkey's best-known harpists and has been involved in a wide range of musical projects, from classical to traditional and from jazz to experimental. She studied first in Switzerland, and then in the US, at Indiana University, following the teachings of legendary harpists, Jamet and Renie. She has also participated in projects that specialize in the 'çeng', a traditional Near-Eastern harp, which is featured on 'Resonating Universes', together with the concert, and electric harps. In order to capture the widest possible range of sounds from the harp, a range of different microphones and microphone techniques were used - like special drum kick mics used very close to the bass strings, stereo mics used right at the top of the instrument, a microphone inside the instrument, etc. thus mixing classical music and pop music production techniques. Helvacıoğlu explains: "for the initial recording stage, we tried to use every possible gadget imaginable on the strings, from bows to Ebows, from ropes to knives. At a certain moment Şirin and I were both at either end of a rope scratching the strings of the harp while also punching the low strings. I remember getting so tired of punching the instrument!... The philosophy of this timbre exploration was to find new ways of expressing emotions using experimental recording techniques." The result is a superbly sophisticated and expressive work that blends contemporary experimental vocabulary with traditional, Turkish sensibilities — A timeless sonic journey. This CD was produced in collaboration with the Association for the Art of the Harp and realized with the support of the Promotion Fund of Turkey.
REVIEW: Experimental harp music. Ya, you read that right. Think of John Cage's prepared pianos and apply it to the harp. The music is still rich and full as you would a think a harp to be - it is a big instrument, it should make big sounds. There sounds to be bowing, plucking and strikes on the instrument. Overall, I feel this is a mix of music box music for the demented or sometimes a lead up to the scary part of a horror movie. It sounds like at least 2 harps are played at a time, or multiple people playing the same one together. Certain points do lose the whole sound of the harp and it becomes more truly experimental with scraping and odd sounds that I am not entirely sure on how they generated them - almost sounds like sounds you would hear in a parking garage - lots of reverb and metallic sounds. A rich and engaging recording - experimental but it doesn't have the aggressive or harsh angle that so much experimental music has. A very mature recording. --Don Poe

Father Murphy - ...And He Told Us To Turn To The Sun CD (Boring Machines) [BM-andsun] $15.68
This album is available in two different colours: Red Sun on the packaging means red cd inside, Black Sun is black cd. The music is the same. Choose your favourite when you order it.
REVIEW: Beautiful packaging - wrapped in various ways with Renaissance styled monks praying adorn the cover. The music is a rich evolution of prog rock to today's stylings. These guys have gone out on a limb with this. People don't make music that sounds like this anymore - and it is a shame they don't. They have given the music some real attitude and personality. I can hear Faust and other Krautrock bands in here, as well. The singing is strong and the instrumentation is diverse. Want some new old music? Here it is! I'd love to see this live. --Don Poe

Goh Lee Kwang - and Vice Versa CD (Herbal) [Herb1103] $19.50
Yesterday I fell asleep while playing this new CD by Goh Lee Kwang, which in the world of John Cage is probably a compliment. It happened during the long piece 'Weightifwax', which is curious ambient piece for electronic insects and mild feedback like sounds. An excellent piece I think. Not because I fell asleep, but something I noted when fully awake. Its not easy to say what Goh Lee Kwang is doing here, in relation to what I heard previously by him - turntable and no-input mixer - but the general quiet mood worked excellent. As said its a long piece, well over thirty-seven minutes, after which 'Touchpoint' works as a nasty wake-up call. Although not as noisy as some of his previous work, this loud block of high pitched sounds, nervous, is not so much my cup of tea. The other main tour de force, although 'just' fifteen minutes, is 'Weightofdust', which is even more subdued and sounds like metal wires being played which an extended use of reverb, pushed to the far end quiet side of the sound spectrum. 'Endless' closes down the CD with a strange bouncing rhythm that slows down over the course of the piece, and is a bit like a cover version of Alvin Lucier's 'Clocker'. Plus there are two more pieces that are so short they go by hardly noticed. Without that 'Touchpoint' intermission, I think this is by far the best work I heard from Goh Lee Kwang. A great variety in approaches to sound material, resulting in some very fine and refined music. Maybe a bit more info on the cover wouldn't do no harm though. - Frans De Waard in Vital Weekly

Goh Lee Kwang - Hidden CD (Lunhare) [zzz-16] $16.50
Another long research in the multiple possibilities of sound. Goh Lee Kwang here alternates nearly silent microsounds to noise bursts.

Kapotte Muziek - Interaction 2CD (Lunhare) [zzz-17] $20.00
Previously issued in 1990 as two separate tapes to be played at the same time, here enhanced by one new double track composed and performed by Freiband.

Kosmonaut - The Dilation of Mother Cosmos cassette (Ethereal Mother Tapes) [ParkDMC] $10.00
Kosmonaut's debut album chronicling the epic story of the galactic dilation of the cosmic cervix, resulting in the regeneration and propagation of a new cosmos.

Manuel Mota + Jason Kahn - Espírito Santo CD (Mazagran) [maza-santo] $14.00
"Espírito Santo" was recorded one October day in Lisbon in the cellar of the "Espírito Santo" building. Formerly a bank, this building had been empty many years and was recently opened again for artists to use as studio and exhibition space. The room we recorded in, resembling at first glance more a cave than a cellar, is remarkable for its acoustics. With eight-meter high ceilings, brick walls and concrete floor we found ourselves dealing with a very responsive space. In addition to this, the local subway line ran adjacent to the building and its vibrations could be felt (and heard) during the recording. Manuel suggested we record in this space. In the end, as much our musical interaction as our relationship to the acoustical qualities of the space shaped how we played and how these recordings ultimately sounded. It would be an exaggeration and perhaps a cliché to once again invoke the name of Fernando Pessoa with reference to Lisbon, but for me there is definitely something to the pace and feeling of these recordings which reminds me of Pessoa's endless lifetime opus "The Book of Disquiet". The music progresses slowly and at times verging on a dreamlike momentum. While recording these pieces I soon lost my sense of time, floating in the catacomb of sound we were creating. —Notes Jason Kahn

Plug - Back On Time CD (Ninja Tune) [ZEN177CD] $15.50
"In 1996 Blue Angel Recordings (later Blue Planet) an imprint of the legendary Rising High label released the Drum 'N' Bass for Papa album by Plug AKA West Country king of kitschtronica Luke Vibert. Fast fast forward 15 years and the news was met with much merriment and joy from the Ninjas when in early 2011 Luke Vibert said that he had just found some never heard before DATs dated 1995-1998 and entitled Plug. Now after years in hiding this long-lost material can finally be heard on Back On Time."

Porter Ricks - Biokinetics CD (Type) [TYPE100CD] $14.75
Techno isn't a genre that has birthed many classic albums, and the dub techno subgenre even less so, but one indisputable classic is Porter Ricks' debut Biokinetics. Originally issued on the legendary Basic Channel sub-label Chain Reaction in 1996 following a trio of 12"s, Biokinetics was the first of the label's album releases, and still stands as its crowning achievement. The duo was made up of dark ambient pioneer Thomas KÄ¶ner and sound engineer Andy Mellwig, and between them they re-framed the techno sound, imbuing the spacious ambience pioneered by label bosses Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald with a frosty, isolated experimental bent, and combining it with the sort of haunted minimalism of early Plastikman. What separated Biokinetics from other albums at the time was its unwavering narrative -- the exact sound has been interpreted countless times since, but the immersive qualities of this singular record have rarely been touched. Maybe it is down to the silvery underwater concept that ties each track together -- the bubbling pads, sub-aquatic basses and muffled kick drums. But as with any great album, it's hard to exactly put your finger on what makes it a classic. Simply put, Biokinetics is one of the most important records in the genre, and it is Type's pleasure to make it available to the world once again. Features new artwork.

Radiophonic Workshop - The Seasons CD (Trunk) [JBH043CD] $16.00
At long last the rarest and most peculiar of all Radiophonic Workshop albums is available. Originally issued in 1969, The Seasons has become almost mythical over the last few years. With its mix of unexpected electronics, percussion, tape manipulation and austere poetry, it sounds like no other. The Seasons has also become a major influence on bands such as Broadcast and a key reference in the development of Ghost Box and the whole "hauntology" soundscape. It is seen and heard very much now as an important and lost classic. And after over one year of detective work and rights investigation (which is a lot in this modern world of instant communication), this impressive, strange and wholly unique album is seeing the light of day once again. Originally made as part of the BBC's Drama Workshop broadcasts, this album was meant for educational purposes. Coming in the later period of what is commonly known and remembered as "Music and Movement" or "Movement and Mime Classes," the album was issued briefly as a teaching aid for the modern thinking 1960s classroom. The idea was to play the album and get the school children to dance, improvise, think and create to the sounds and words. The music was originated by one of the early pioneering Radiophonic musicians, David Cain. Very little of his music has ever been made available (except on the classic BBC "pink" album) but to some followers of early British electronics, he is the forgotten master. And for this release he has been interviewed by Julian House (The Focus Group) with a fascinating Q&A, which will appear in the new sleevenotes. As for the poet Ronald Duncan, he is now deceased, but had an interesting and inspired life. A born pacifist, he famously wrote the libretto for Britten's opera The Rape Of Lucretia, wrote the script for Girl On A Motorcycle, and started the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. His poetry was published by Faber And Faber by T.S. Eliot, who became a friend. Duncan's 16 featured poems were specially written in 1969 just for this project. The album sold in tiny quantities when it came out and was quickly deleted by the BBC. Even the BBC Archive doesn't have a copy. In fact the album's scarcity has only added to its mythical status. A handful of originals started appearing in bargain bins throughout the mid-1990s, and as interest in British electronics and the Radiophonic Workshop started to grow, the album's reputation began to gain a little momentum. The album rarely surfaces, but Jonny Trunk and fellow collector Martin Green found three copies at back in about 1998, one of which was passed on to Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis has subsequently played a track at the start of each month ("January" in January etc.) on his 6 Music radio show over the last year. The album also appeared on the Trunk Recommendations pages back in the Spring of 2003 and as a result requests to hear the album started slowly coming in. These requests became regular, and the album started popping up on want lists, on blogs, even on YouTube. Prices for original copies of the album then started to hit three figures. So, in 2010, Jonny Trunk started looking into a reissue. It has taken one and a half years and has been a labor of love for all involved. Sleevenotes include contributions already mentioned, a piece by Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle), and Trunk has even traced two of the four mysterious slides mentioned on the original sleeve, that could be ordered back in 1969 via the BBC as a further aid to dance and projection. These slides are featured in the CD booklet. Also worth noting is that this album has been remastered from the original Radiophonic Workshop tapes.

Shulman - ALive CD (Aleph Zero) [AlephZ19] $18.29
The much awaited new Shulman album, entitled, ALive, is finally here. The album contains live arrangements of known Shulman tracks that were made for the special Shulman live band shows. The recordings were done with live musicians: a drummer, guitar player, bass player and keyboardist, and wind instruments: saxophone, shehnai, zorna & ney, and of course the Shulman duo working their electronic magic on computers and synthesizers. It presents unique sound textures combining the usual Shulman incredible compositions with ethnic elements, psychedelic rock, jazz and other eclectic musical touches. The outcome is an out of this world journey into Shulman's weird universes, but with more organic and alive feel to it that makes it all seem very real. The album contains collaborations with Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Steve Shehan, Ishq, Sub6 & Michele Adamson and Lee Triffon (Eatliz).

Sun Ra - The Eternal Myth Revealed: The Story Of A Universal Being And His Music Vol. 1 - 1914-1959 CD Box (Transparency) [TR0316] $117.50
The first box set collaboration between Transparency and MICHAEL D. ANDERSON of THE SUN RA Music Archive features nearly 17 hours of unreleased and ultra-rare studio and live music plus definitive Sun Ra spoken autobiographical commentary. Fifty sides from 78 rpm records were recently transferred for this project at Rutgers University. The sound quality on every track is perfect. Volume One examines Sun Ra's early 1920s blues vocal and 1930s big band influences, his first recordings in 1946 as a piano sideman, his arrangements and compostions, Sun Ra as a singer in the late 1940s, his trio in 1949, creating sound for vocalists LAVERNE BAKER and JOE WILLIAMS, coaching THE HAMBONE KIDS in 1952 and the late 1940s Afro-Cuban influence of Perez Prado and other reare facts and musically unheard inclusions. Includes fourteen CDs and a 5"x10" paperback book (128 pages) in a large box.

System 7 - Point 3: Fire CD (A Wave) [AAWCD002CD] $15.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-03-2012
System 7's third album — Point 3 — was released in two separate forms:- the Fire Album and the Water album. The Water album had mostly the same titles mixed almost entirely without drums. Originally released in October 1994 777 the Fire Album was recorded at producer Youth's legendary Butterfly Studios in London, and features collaborations with Laurent Garnier, Youth, DJ Lewis Keogh, Derrick May and The Drum Club. Opening track "Sirenes" featuring Steve Hillage's iconic space guitar is one of two tracks co- written and co-produced with top French techno DJ Laurent Garnier, and was also released as a big club single with remixes by Detroit legend Carl Craig and Chicago hero Marshall Jefferson. One of the two tracks produced by System 7's Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy was later remixed by Richie Hawtin (Plastikman) and became System 7's biggest ever single, still selling to this day on vinyl and on Beatport download. There is also a strong ambient element intertwined within the techno beats of the Fire Album, and more featured on the more downtempo tracks like "Dr Livingstone I Presume" and "Batukau" and the psy-trance influenced "Gliding On Duotone Curves". The ambient element also features some sounds and effects recorded in Bali by System 7.

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan - 1934-1935 CD (Important Records) [IMPREC346CD] $13.50
"More than seventy years since his death in 1937, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan retains his reputation as one of the greatest singers India ever produced. Possessed of an elastic, honed voice that poured out like mercury, he influenced generations of singers including Mohammed Rafi, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, and Pandit Pran Nath. Born at the end of the 19th century to a family of musicians that extended back in time for centuries, his art was formed in the culture of the courts of the maharajas under British colonialism but was changed by his genius and imagination and a life marked by sacrifices for love, unsatisfied ambition, abandonment and heartbreak. These performances were culled from sessions made during his peak final years 1934-35, newly transferred and restored and with extensive notes by Ian Nagoski."

Yannick Dauby - Sounds of HORSE CD (Kalerne) [Kal-horse] $21.55
Since 2008, I am doing sound design for Taiwan's contemporary dance company, Horse. We have realized together the following project : Bones (2008), Growing Up (2009), I (2010) and Faceless (2011). This year we decided to gather make a selection of these sound works and create this gorgeous double-cd.

Yannick Dauby - Tai-pak thia sa pian CD (Kalerne) [Kal-tai] $18.61
Since four years I live in Taipei, and I am both enjoying and hating the noisy/fascinating soundscape of this city. The only way for me to tame this urban environment has been to record it. And since my arrival, I tried to compose with it. I had three commissions dealing with the environment of Taipei : "Nous, les défunts" (2008 - SilenceRadio), "Taipei 2030" (2010 - PositiveSoundscape) and "Ketagalan" (2011 - Parisonic). Now, these three compositions are available on CD, reflecting three listening of Taipei.

Yannick Franck - Memorabilia CD (Idiosyncratics Records) [stx.15] $18.29
"An awesome ambient work that will make even insomniacs drift into a hypnotic state of sleeping." VITAL WEEKLY Silken Tofu is proud to present the debut album of Belgian sound artist Yannick Franck, known as the founder of electroacoustic noise project Y.E.R.M.O. and head of Idiosyncratics Records. Seven dreamlike, deep and highly trance inducing soundscapes evolve in a subtle, oceanic progression through intense yet obscure atmospheres. Electronically processed instruments, voice, field recordings and samples form the basis for this truly evocative, inspirational soundtrack. "Memorabilia arises from my fascination with the relation between memory and present, dreams and existence - the grey areas where inner and outer life merge." Yannick Franck, May 2011 'Memorabilia' is limited to 500 copies and comes in a 6-panel ekopack.

Yannis Kyriakides - Airfields CD (Mazagran) [maza-air] $18.29
Airfields is a large scale work in 12 moverments for ensemble and electronics. "I use satellite images from various sources and rendered them into electronic soundscapes, fascinated by the idea that one could translate an aerial image into sound, as a way of mapping space onto time and then back again. I have often thought of my compositions as a musical environment where one can wander through in a relatively open time scale, so the idea of using a map of a physical space as a direct analogy to a musical score became the starting point for the work. The instrumentalists are put into a metaphorical orbit. The idea was to trace some kind of movement with varying speeds through the sonic landscape, as if they were floating across it. The result being that the material which is played by the musicians, is characterized by differing velocities and rates of change, as if each instrument is orbiting around the material. Harmonies dissolve into one another and the musicians trace the contours of the sonic landscapes as if scanning the world below. Airfields, uses brass placed on the balconies of the concert hall to echo and feedback from the ensemble of 11 remaining musicians on stage. The structure of this work oscillates between movements for the whole ensemble and movements for particular soloists; violin, bass clarinet, piano, cello, flute, in which the off-stage brass contribute at various times. This version of the piece was premiered at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ in Amsterdam, with Köln based ensemble musikFabrik in February 2011, and the recording presented here is of that performance." Y.K.

[ A G X I V A T E I N L A B E L ]

Batuhan Bozkurt - Laconicism CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX04] $13.06
This is a cdr-Rom, carton sleeve, plastic envelope) (compatible with mac os X 10.5+ computers.
This collection of sound entities are presented to you with a simple idea in mind: 'Organized Sound', once realized by its creator for distribution, does not necessarily have to be locked to definite micro or macro event sequences in the time domain. The works presented in this software are compositions and/or designs of 'sound processes', which provide a recipe for computers to generate sounds utilizing various sound synthesis techniques on the fly. These are not designs of 'exactness and perfection', instead, the artist merely defines limits for a sound-event space. REVIEWS 'one of the coolest things ever [..] totally f***ed electronic noises that you can make sound like a swarm of bees, a glitchy blip orgy, a crumbling wall of static, or a minimal 20 BPM snooze fest [..] the most unusual piece of music I have in my collection' Anti-Gravity Bunny

Francisco Lopez - Fango de Euripteridos CD3 (Agxivatein) [AGX05] $13.06
Eurypterids were the largest Arthropods that have ever existed. Now extinct, these "Giant Sea Scorpions" were formidable predators in the oceans and lakes of the Earth some 300-400 million years ago. "Mud of Eurypterids" is one of the last sound pieces Lopez created with a reference to arthropods, some twenty years ago, at a time when his research work in entomology was fading away in favor of ecology. It was recorded and mastered at Messor Studios (Madrid) in the Spring of 1990, and originally released on a cassette edition of only 50 copies by the now disappeared underground label Hyades Arts (Spain). REVIEWS 'a brutal and uncompromising piece of industrial pound and grind' Ian Holloway (Wonderful Wooden Reasons)

Kasper T. Toeplitz / Z'EV - Fleur de peau CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX07] $13.06
Z'EV (skins/symphonic bass drum) and Kasper (bass|computer) were recorded live in Sleaze Art studio, Paris, January 2010. Kasper mixed and assembled 'Fleur de peau' out of these recordings the follow-ing weeks. 'Fleur de peau' (literally: flower of skin) could be interpreted as 'ex-tremely sensitive'. REVIEWS 'Excellent.' Frans De Waard (Vital Weekly 802)

Marc Behrens - Apparatus CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX08] $15.02
Composed April-May 2010, using basic sound material recorded 2005-2010 in Austria, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Namibia and South Africa. The installation 'Apparatus' was presented in a four-channel setup (two channels via open headphones, two via ceiling speakers) May 28 - June 10, 2010 as 9/12 in the 'Phonebox' series at IMO, Copenhagen, Denmark. REVIEWS 'Tout simplement excellent !' Jerome Noetinger (Metamkine)

Marinos Koutsomichalis - Peripatetic CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX02] $13.06
Peripatetic. adjective. 1. Travelling from place to place, esp working or based on various places for relatively short periods. 2. with reference to the Aristotle' s practice of walking to and fro while teaching. (Oxford American Dictionary). REVIEWS 'Personally I love it' Ian Holloway (Wonderful Wooden Reasons) 'a cryptic travelogue' (The One True Dead Angel)

Marinos Koutsomichalis - Trevor Jones Studio Sessions CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX01] $13.06
A series of generative pieces that were performed in the control room of the Trevor Jones Studio in York, UK, in four improvised sessions (02,03,18 and 20 of March). The focus was on how sound alters the aesthetic and physical qualities of the site and how it challenges its functionality. It was an attempt to establish a sonorous architecture within the room. All these efforts were scholastically recorded, so one could end up with brand new stand-alone fixed media works. REVIEWS 'powerful in all its roughness but also in all it's silence [..] forces itself upon the listener and pierce in your head. Great!' Frans de Waard (Vital Weekly) 'first ask yourself how far you're willing to go into the realm of sound for its own sake, and realize this is about as far in as it's possible to go' Josh Landry (Musique Machine)

Marinos Koutsomichalis - Malfunctions CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX03] $13.06
Obscured or unwanted sounds one usually does not pay attention to, or even tries to eliminate as annoying are the focus of this album. Koutsomichalis tries to interfere with various systems and trigger hidden mechanisms - mechanisms that were not meant to be, so he could acquire on purpose all sorts of malfunctions and explore arbitrary ways of interaction between them. Those parasitic innovations, as consequences of an unpredictable and totally ambiguous side-being, erode the system' s functionality to transform it into something completely different (most of the times considered undesired, too) but definitely present and not less genuine. Using found electronic devices, coils, custom electromagnetic and ultrasonic transducers along with various hardware hacks and feedback techniques, he meditates on all those sounds-that-were-not-meant-to-be. REVIEWS 'f***ing turn it UP and you just have one of the best noise albums of the year' Anti-Gravity-Bunny

Z'ev - Live in Athens CD-R (Agxivatein) [AGX06] $13.06
Z'ev performed for an audience of about 50 Athenians at Knot Gallery in October 2010 in a concert curated by agxivatein label. The concert was recorded using a pair of spaced DPA 4060 omnidirectional microphones by Nikos Kyriazopoulos. Cover photos by Marinos Koutsomichalis. REVIEWS 'a reflexive mediation on power and restraint, precision and negation' Animal Psi

[ H I B E R N A T E L A B E L ]

Felicia Atkinson - The Driver CD (Hibernate) [HB25] $15.75
Felicia Atkinson is a sound and visual artist, born in Paris, France (1981) currently residing in Brussels Her work is a result of her interest in chance and improvisation. Whether it be sound or in her drawings, everything is recorded in one shot and occasionally edited slightly after the improvised session has finished. Atkinson's music has seen her collaborate with the likes of Sylvain Chauveau, Louisville and Stechandrelax and as an artist, she draws inspiration from landscapes, travel, movies and reading. With a collection of instruments found and borrowed, Atkinson sets about crafting immersive sound collages she summons from the objects of her inspiration. Atkinson's past discography lists Spekk (Japan) and Kaugummi (France) as outlets for her music and soon, a record inspired by Oregon State is to be released by Home Normal. In the meantime, her solo album 'The Driver' out here on Hibernate is inspired by her four month trip with her boyfriend to the United States last spring/summer. Unable to drive, Atkinson was driven throughout the trip by her boyfriend. Particularly on the Route 101 from Portland to San Francisco, she became aware of a strong sense of being literally 'driven' by the person that she's in love with through some of the most breathtaking scenery she had ever seen. The sequoia trees, the pacific ocean, sea lions and the ancient rocks that tell tales of the years gone by. Brimming with new-found inspiration from her travels, she set about recording 'the driver' in her attic bedroom back home in Brussels, watching the clouds pass the ceiling window, acknowledging that the wonderful summer trip had gone by...

Good Weather for an Airstrike - Underneath the Stars CD (Hibernate) [HB038] $15.75
For the first album of this new year on Hibernate, we are proud to present Good Weather For An Airstrike's 'Underneath the Stars'. The man behind the project is Tom Honey from Hampshire in the UK, who started recording at the beginning of 2009. His work is influenced by the many post-rock and ambient sub-genres and particularly by artists such as Sigur Ros, Eluvium, Hammock and Stars of the Lid. Tom has previously released EPs through Rural Colours and Sonic Reverie as well as a self-released CDr and an album on his own Hawk Moon imprint. His work draws on all of his musical influences and presents itself as a rich tapestry of lulling drones that hints at a diluted form of post-rock. It is deliberately soothing as Tom originally set up his Good Weather for an Airstrike to help ease the tinnitus problems he suffers from. 'Underneath The Stars' is perhaps his most accomplished work yet, melding dreamy strings with hints of fragmented guitar tone, soft drones and a set of subtle field recordings. We are told that Tom used more field recordings in 'Underneath the Stars' than in any of his previous projects and in the opening two tracks you can easily discern the rumble of thunder and the pitter patter of raindrops. A glance at the track titles and you'll guess that conceptually this album is loosely based around sleep patterns. Again, this has come about from the original intention behind Good Weather for an Airstrike - to help ease tinnitus and induce a relaxed state amongst the listener. Not all of the titles are simple sleep pattern reference points however - the moments in between give space for interpretation and allow the mind to wander. Throughout this coming New Year, the work of Good Weather for an Airstrike intends to extend to the live scene as well as a forthcoming split album with Inachus.

Kleefstra / Pruiksma / Kleefstra - Deislieper CD (Hibernate) [HB37] $15.75
The Kleefstra brothers, Romke and Jan are members of the Dutch improv band Piiptsjilling along with Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek) and Mariska Baars (Soccer Committee). In 2008 Piiptsjilling recorded its first acclaimed, untitled album and since the brothers have worked and recorded together with several other musicians. Their music invariably involves the experimental guitar playing of Romke in combination with the spoken word in Frisian, an old European minority language by Jan. Sometimes dreamy, melancholic and melodic, sometimes dark, haunting and noisy, but always instant music, both in the studio and on stage. In 2009 they published their album Wink, with guitarist Chris Bakker from The Netherlands. In 2010 Piiptsjilling returned with the album Wurdskrieme on Experimedia, while in 2011 the brothers published several albums and split releases on labels such as Home Normal, Rural Colours and Whitebox with Gareth Davis, Peter Broderick, Machinefabriek, Nils Frahm, Heather Woods Broderick, Greg Haines and Danny Saul. In addition they shared stages, in Europe and Japan with all of these. Meanwhile Romke and Jan also collaborated with multi-percussionist Sytze Pruiksma, who is known in The Netherlands for innumarable multimedia projects of which 'Lân' led to a fascinating cd and a great performance on the Governors Island near New York. Pruiksma is also a member of the Dutch improv group NoDo. Together with Pruiksma the Kleefstra's played several gigs in The Netherlands and Germany, partly with Greg Haines and Nils Frahm, on prestigious festivals like CTM (Berlin), Into The Great Wide Open (Netherlands) and Approximation (Düsseldorf) in 2011. By then they already recorded their first album together, called 'Deislieper' (which is the Frisian name for the nightjar and literally it means 'day sleeper'), released here on Hibernate.

Spheruleus - Voyage CD (Hibernate) [HB34] $15.75
'Voyage' is the latest album from Lincolnshire based sound designer Harry Towell. Released under his Spheruleus guise, this album utimately provides a soundtrack to a doomed sea-voyage. Through eight different movements, 'Voyage' chronicles everything from the immense pride felt as the ship sets sail to depicting the horror and heartache of its sinking. The album then closes with detailed passages that portray the decomposition of the ship as it begins to rot deep under sea. This album is well researched with Harry having explored his chosen subject thoroughly. For the two years in which the album has been in the making, the young sound designer studied the history of great sea disasters and also took inspiration from soundtracks such as Gavin Bryars' 'The Sinking Of The Titanic' and Gareth Hardwick's 'Of The Sea And Shore'. Although the Titantic's infamous fate was naturally a strong influence on the project, 'Voyage', does not refer to any particular sinking ship. Instead, its purpose is to sonically depict the various emotional aspects that lie within a failed sea voyage, as felt by all those who are affected by it. Once the concept for 'Voyage' had been born, Harry revisited one of his old demos from early 2010 and decided to make this the spine of the album. He then used his instrument collection including; guitar, violin, trumpet, bugle, zither and keyboard to add several layers to the demo. In doing so Harry has been able to develop his chosen theme and create the character required to turn this forgotten treasure into the album it is today. As a poignant exaggeration of the events that unfold through the track 'She Sinks', there is a contribution from Russian pianist Alex Tiuniaev that opens and closes this dramatic track. He also performs on the track 'Clouds Swarm', as it heads into a crescendo. Aside from his solo production work, Harry also records with brother Stuart under the name Paper Relics and runs the Audio Gourmet netlabel, which specialises in 15 minute EPs designed for shorter 'tea-break' listening. His work as Spheruleus has seen him release through netlabels such as Test Tube, Resting Bell, Earth Mantra, Audio Gourmet and in March 2010, his first physical album 'Frozen Quarters' was released on CD format by the Under The Spire imprint.

Talvihorros - Descent Into Delta CD (Hibernate) [HB32] $15.75
A year passes by and finally Talvihorros is back with his latest album Descent Into Delta to be released on both vinyl and CD. The man behind this one man guitar driven excursion is London based Ben Chatwin who in addition to hibernate has had material released through Benbecula, My Dance The Skull and our sister label Rural Colours. Despite only recently forming the Talvihorros project in 2008, Chatwin has been experimenting with sound ever since he first picked up a guitar as a teenager. His live performances have seen him share a stage with the likes of Tim Hecker, Stephan Mathieu and Ian Hawgood to name just a few. Chatwin has to this point juggled live performances and studio work as two separate entities with studio material being culled from sounds derived from as many different instruments as possible and live performances being restricted to just guitar and pedals. Descent Into Delta marks the blurring of the lines which separate these two disciplines. It was live performance that ignited the production of this record, which began life as a series of live improvisations, these were then selected and edited over a long period of time. During the mixing process the concept to Descent Into Delta was born and it slowly developed through many hours of editing and arrangement. Chatwin became interested in different states of mind, realising it actually produces frequencies or waves - much like sound, itself. When the mind is alert, awake or anxious, these waves are Gamma, at the other extreme, during deep sleep, Delta waves are produced. It was in turn Chatwin's intention that the sounds of Descent Into Delta would loosely depict a journey from Gamma through to Delta, as a kind of experiment to see whether the listener could be subconsciously encouraged to trace this path through sound. Towards the last few moments of the album on the last track 'Delta', Chatwin was joined by viola player Anais Lalange who added a subtle but effective impact to the closing stages of this record. The addition of this instrument brings a whole new dimension and texture to the guitar explorations of Talvihorros.

Yann Novak - Presence CD (Hibernate) [HB35] $15.75
Yann Novak is a sound, video and installation artist living and working in Los Angeles. His work utilizes different forms of digital documentation as a point of departure. Through the digital manipulation of these sound and image files, his works serve as a translation from documents of personal experiences into an open ended autobiographical narrative. By choosing subject matter that is also relatable to the audience, Novak's work creates a hybrid state, balancing between his own personal history and that of the audience. Yann has had previous works released on Line, Infrequency, White Line Editions. In addtion Yann manages the label Dragon's eye which has seen numerous works by the artist released. Presence originated as a sound performance at an event curated by VOLUME at the Torrance Art Museum (June 2010). The original sound performance used a mixture of recordings taken with a cell phone of sounds that altered ones perception. These recordings were then digitally enhanced there unique characteristics. During the original performance, multiple artists also performed and interacted with the space. There unexpected interventions influenced the outcome and this unexpected interaction has become central to the pieces development. Presence explores the trajectory from uneasy to breakthrough that can happen when unknown variables are combined. Through the use of digitally enhanced recordings, all chosen for there ability to altered ones perception, Presence moves smoothly through the a number of emotional and physical states. Evenly paced passages drift slowly from one into another, beginning in dissonance and slowly shifting into complimentary over the duration of the piece.

Listening Mirror - Resting in Aspic CD (Hibernate) [HB39] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-21-2012
At the beginning of 2010 Listening Mirror was the collaborative ambient/drone project of Jeff Stonehouse and Kate Tustain, a hybrid of their various disciplines and an attempt to extract some beauty from the noise that surrounds us all every day. Early material was composed of field recordings, combined with improvised piano and vocals. Throughout 2010/11 highly limited editions and now sold out/deleted ep's appeared on DIY labels such as Rural Colours, Heat Death, Audio Gourmet and also a postcard on the Hibernate series. Resting in Aspic is a compilation of some of the earlier material plus one unreleased track. RIYL: Harold Budd / Windy & Carl / Celer / Chihei Hatakeyama.

[ L O V E E A R T H M U S I C ]

+DOG+ - Forced Morality CD (Love Earth Music) [LEM-FM] $9.50
No description available at this time.
REVIEW: Harsh and heavy noise, just this side of Merzbow. Maybe a little closer to Whitehouse without lyrics. I like the feedback rhythms of the track "Delocated (Rules)" as it pumps into my chest and vibrates me. Generally, this is in the lower frequency range, though, compared to Whitehouse. The ear-piercing high notes are short and stabbing.--Don Poe
En Nihil - The Absolute CD (Love Earth Music) [LEM-ABS] $9.50
No description available at this time.
REVIEW: Ultra heavy beats set to noise. This label is the cousin to Cold Meat Industries. I do like this, hidden voices crying, extreme distortion and lots of rolling motion. Some tracks border on Merzbow, with more open space allowing the noise to blare, then a quick release to let the noise sink in. If you like Brighter Death Now, as I do, this is up your alley. One of my co-workers was running around the office trying to see what that 'sound' was... it was this disc. He shook his head and turned around. --Don Poe

Phogmasheen - 23 Duets CD (Love Earth Music) [LEM-23D] $9.50
No description available at this time.
REVIEW: This really is a bit of a hard listen - in the way that difficult music should be. Abrasive beats, odd rhythms, and a strong stance on what music should sound like. Strange loops, tense electronics, all stuff that Alec Empire wishes he could do but is done so much better here. Sirens distorted dement what Public Enemy did with Bring the Noise. I can see myself blaring this album as I drive across the country at 3 AM and I am trying to stay awake. And yes, I do hear birds chirping in one of the tracks. This would be quite a live show. --Don Poe

[ N A R R O W M I N D E D L A B E L]

Boutros Bubba - Ridiculous Wrists CD (Narrowminded) [nm057] $15.00
Ridiculous Wrists is the second album of the noiserock trio formed around Multi-instrumentalist / Absurdist Spoelstra. Contrary to their previous album the band wanted to have as much control possible over the production process. Together with engineer Geert van den Berg they've locked themselves in a large empty house in the middle of nowhere for nine days. Their aim was to make a recording that would be a realistic representation of how the band sounds. The nine songs that wound up on Ridiculous Wrists vary a lot in style but together create a clear image of a band with the ambition to surprise the listener again and again. Ridiculous Wrists is limited to 100 CD's. The artwork, done by Spoelstra, is entirely in 3D and comes with a pair of 3D goggles.

Coen Oscar Polack - Spectral Churches CD (Narrowminded) [NM048] $15.00
The work Spectral Churches (Uncharted Territory I) was commissioned by the StreetCanvas festival and was performed during the first edition of the festival on October 7, 2010, in the middle of the Oude Groenmarkt in Haarlem, The Netherlands. The music on this cd is a multi-tracked live recording of the performance. Only sounds from the bells in the carillon of the Grote of St. Bavokerk in Haarlem are used in this piece. The piece is based on the mechanical bell sequence De Damiaatjes that plays every night from 9 p.m. for approximately 26 minutes. Spectral Churches is an extrapolation on the sequence and was performed during its course. The work was presented as a structured improvisation in a six-channel electronic environment alongside live, unamplified playing on the carillon in the belfry of the Grote of St. Bavokerk, and the mechanical bell sequence.

Gone Bald - Waiting It Out CD (Narrowminded) [NM055] $15.00
After The Ex, Gone Bald takes a good second place as the longest existing Dutch underground rock band. Driving force behind the group is Razorblade Jr, who founded the band in 1994 in Zagreb (Croatia). Since then, Gone Bald has given the world nine albums full of idiosyncratic, confrontational guitar rock. The band has toured extensively throughout Europe. The band has known various line-up changes through the years. In the years after the release of 100 Ways to Become Cool, the previous Gone Bald album/book/dvd from 2007, the bass player and drummer left the band to focus on solo projects like Spoelstra and Garçon Taupe. Gone Bald is now a duo consisting of main man Razorblade Jr on guitar and vocals and the new recruit Sultan Battery on drums. The new cd Waiting It Out was recorded last winter at the Kozmo studio in Zagreb. Using only guitars and drums Gone Bald found a way to sound like a full-blown noiserock bigband. The tempo of the long and stretched out pieces is a bit slower than on previous albums and creates an extra dramatic feel to a band that has always made very personal albums.

Katadreuffe - Period CD (Narrowminded) [NM058] $15.00
Although its title might suggest otherwise, the new EP by Katadreuffe is by no means a declaration of finality. Nor is it a definitive statement in terms of identity. If anything, it is an expression of powerlessness; a temporary exercise in resignation; a subjective subjection subject to change. And while this might seem to point to a dismissal of all responsibility, Katadreuffe have done just the opposite by keeping the EP's realization as close to home as possible. This has resulted in a collection of four songs which represent the band's character in its most immediate and versatile form. At times straightforward and unforgiving, the music will just as easily twist and turn in the comforts of its own surroundings. And while the band willingly refuses to let go of the inherent tension between instruments, the songs retain a feeling of keeping their options open, as if meaning to say, albeit in its best possible connotation and in all its ambiguous glory: this isn't it. Period.

Peal - III CD (Narrowminded) [NM059] $15.00
Some things time can not eradicate. Peal is one of them. Slow but steady, staying true and on course. Based in the International City of Justice and Peace, the band's aim is to make music that is slightly unconventional without losing sight of melodic and rhythmic themes. Peal started out in the nineties and went through a couple of line-ups before deciding to focus on instrumental music just before 2000. During that time Peal was influenced by varying types of music (from noisecore to post-rock) and by many bands (from Nomeansno to Don Caballero). All influences and a growing experience in making music, led to the decision to make instrumental noisecore. Today Peal is Bart Lut on guitar (and occasionally Crumar), Maurice Trompert on bass guitar and Alain de Jager on drums. An unintended three-year recording cycle led to the new record: III. It features four tracks and forms another step in an effort to strike a balance. Balance between circles and angles, between light and shade, between groove and staccato. This third record is (once again) recorded by Oscar Bor with visual artist Ibrahim R. Ineke supplying artwork.

[ N I T K I E L A B E L ]

1000schoen - Yoshiwara 2CD (Nitkie) [PatchSeven] $22.00
Esoteric realism is the good term for 1000schoen works. With every new album, the meaning of this wordplay is getting more obvious, though also unexpected at the same time. "Yoshiwara" is not exception, it was first released by Kafue Systems in 2007, in very limited run on CDR with handmade photographic cover. The title should be familiar for those who knows the famous movie "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang, it was the nightclub where the main character Maria was working as the dancer. But it's also the red light district name, in 17th century Tokyo. However, the music we can find here can be hardly imagined as the soundtrack for the new version of "Metropolis". It's a trademark ambient symphony, with melodies dwelling somewhere on the edge of harmonic spheres. Both in short and long tracks, the impact is incredible - for the fans of experimental ambient sounds, it's another adventurous listening experience. This re-edition includes the second CD with two new and previously unreleased tracks, recorded in 2011

First Human Ferro - Stardust CD (Nitkie) [PatchNine] $16.75
…Dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the manned flight into space a Russian label Nitkie presents... a new recording by a Ukrainian project First Human Ferro - "Stardust" …"Stardust" is an ambient anthem tribute to the scientists, engineers and space pilots who contributed to the remarkable date. Their earthly dust is drifting like particles of god in the infinite space now, endlessly multiplying through the mind's eye of the enthusiasts to come and carry the banner of scientific and technological revolution further. The album was recorded in 2004 - 2010 and featured by collaborations with Claustrum, Oda Relicta, and Louisa John-Krol.

First Human Ferro feat.Albireon - Prosa Profana CD (Nitkie) [PatchEight] $18.00
"Prosa Profana" is a follow-up to "Guernica Macrocosmica" and the 2nd post mortem dedication by Olegh Kolyada collaborating with Albireon neo-folkers this time. A low-key unison of dissonant ex-Soviet schlager melodies and forefront Italian vocals in a tender naive manner offer a unique nostalghic experience. The release comes in a beautiful digipak with a 12-page booklet. Tribute: Dedicated to my father Vasyl O. Kolyada (1950-2008).

Maurizio Bianchi - Apokalypsis XXIII CD (Nitkie) [PatchSix] $16.75
In August 2010, Maurizio Bianchi officially announced his retirement from musical scene. "Apokalypsis XXIII" is his last ever electronic music album, recorded in Summer of 2010. All the latest albums appeared after that are in fact re-issues of older works or the collaborations with other artists using his sound sources. Like other solo albums of Maurizio Bianchi, "Apokalypsis XXIII" has religious roots and consists of four long tracks, each of those divided into further sections titled after verses taken from "Book of Revelation", the most mysterious and most scary part of New Testament. Many artists found the inspiration around these themes, apocalyptical images were used by painters and sculptors during the crisis periods of mankind history: Middle Ages, Renascence, end of XIX century etc. Hopefully, this album will drive attention to the world around us, and especially if keeping in mind the most recent accidents and disasters, these days it becomes more actual than ever. Comes in golden foil embossed cover.

[ T R A I T M E D I A W O R K S ]

Eric Lunde - Mimefistofele CD (Trait Media Works) [tmw030] $14.50
analog audio tape degradation recordings

Eric Lunde - Music is Meat CD (Trait Media Works) [tmw021] $14.50
analog audio tape degradation recordings, spoken word, broken word, processed electronics, rock and noise

Eric Lunde - Music is Meat Combo Book+CD (Trait Media Works) [tmw021BCDBOOK] $22.00
analog audio tape degradation recordings, spoken word, broken word, processed electronics, rock and noise with 250 page book

Eric Lunde - How close one is to the center CD (Trait Media Works) [tmw021CLOSE] $14.50
analog audio tape degradation recordings, spoken word, broken word, processed electronics, rock and noise

[ . . . ]

Andre & Gildas - Kitsuné Parisien II CD (Kitsune) [CDA043CD] $14.75
French label extraordinaire Kitsuné releases Kitsuné Parisien II, a colorful and exciting collection of tracks from the latest emerging bands and acts on the vibrant Parisian scene(s) and beyond. Rich from its experience and contacts, Kitsuné -- a great Parisian export -- is, of course, well-placed to encounter the new breed and single out talented hopefuls. This is precisely what the Parisien series aims to do, gather and present to the world some of the romantic city's freshest players, whether they rehearse in damp cellars, compose on their laptop in the kitchen or record in state-of-the-art home-studios. Of course, it's not just about Paris, as a few artists here don't actually live in the capital, but they're all French and have a Parisian connection going (not least for having been welcomed in the extended Kitsuné family). Covering the many bases of electro-pop, indie-dance and everything in between, Parisien II -- selected by Kitsuné chef Gildas LoaÄ«c and designed by night bird/graffiti artist André -- offers a lively snapshot of what is cooking up for 2012 in Paris and further afield. Artists include: Tomorrow's World, Juveniles, Owlle, LESCOP, About The Girl, Nameless, Birkii, BeatauCue, We Are Knights, Wolfpack Beartrack, Slowdance, Exotica, LA//KVLKD and Pyramid.

Anthony Pateras - Errors Of The Human Body CD (Editions Mego) [EMEGO140CD] $14.75
Errors Of The Human Body is a feature film shot at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, Germany. Written and directed by Eron Sheean, it stars Michael Eklund, Karoline Herfurth, TÄ³mas Lemarquis and Rik Mayall, with music by Editions Mego stalwart Anthony Pateras. In the early 2000s, Sheean met Pateras in Melbourne, and they have worked together ever since, Pateras scoring three of Sheean's short films which have all been screened a numerous festivals worldwide. Errors Of The Human Body OST is the musical results of their first feature-length collaboration. Instrumentation includes strings, winds, brass and a broad arsenal of percussion performed by Melbourne's magnificent Speak Percussion. Pateras' distinct keyboards and electronics permeate throughout, evoking the film's key themes of isolation, scientific intrigue, ambiguous ethics and hallucinatory metamorphosis. This album covers a lot of ground, incorporating elements of alien synthesis, lush textures, odd, layered rhythms and wild production. There is even a club track with tape-delayed string orchestra, contrabassoon and cowbell. No one can decide whether they like it. Quite possibly being the only record this year incorporating ARP2600 and thumb piano, it features Pateras' electronic language with contemporary experiments with orchestration, glued together with a determination to test the edges of the film music medium. Vinyl edition contains liner notes by Anthony Pateras. Music performed by: Anthony Pateras (piano/prepared piano/organs/electronics), Anna McMichael (violin), Erkki Veltheim (viola), Judith Hamann (cello), Brock Imison (bassoon), Liam Kinson (clarinet) and Andrew Young (horn). Speak Percussion feature Eugene Ughetti and Matthias Schack-Arnott with Elizabeth Welsh (additional strings).

Attilio Novellino - Through Glass CD (Valeot) [valeot014] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 03-13-2012
Attilio Novellino is an Italian soundartist born in Catanzaro in 1983. He started to make music under the moniker of "Un vortice di bassa pressione", under which he has released "Anonymous said" (2009, Inglorious Ocean), a mainly electronic-ambient work with some post-rock echoes. He also curated and contributed a track to "Underwater Noises" (2010, Ephre Imprint / Lost Children), a compliation album about the theme of water, which contains tracks by 15 Italian artists. A onetrack EP called "Lost Days" will be released in January by Small Doses. Attilio is also a member of Sentimental Machines.

Through Glass emerged from thoughts about the power of the light filtered through glass: as the light, so the sound can be reflected in a thousand directions, giving rise to previously inaudible material, with a mysterious and intense charm. Attilio Novellino explores the intersection between noise, dissonance and melody, with a physical and emotional approach to his compositions, aiming to create an unconventional and uncontrollable beauty. Guitar, electronics, deep basses, field recordings, piano and harsh distortions are used to build dreamy and melancholy soundscapes, to draw floating layers and to launch drone textures that become noise, streaked by misty romanticism, characterized by a pronounced emotional side that combines post-industrial visions, deep-sea creature lights, nocturnal glows, blurred pictures and old memories.

Over the last years, Attilio Novellino has performed at festivals and art events such Flussi Festival and Diagonal Jazz / Diagonal Visual, playing, during the last edition, a fully improvised set with Ahleuchatistas, as a duo with his live partner Leastupperbound.

Beth Jeans Houghton and Her Band The Hooves Of Destiny - Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose CD (Mute) [MUTE9509CD] $14.50
"With her honeyed vocals and whimsical sensibility, the Newcastle-born 21-year old Beth Jeans Houghton and her band The Hooves of Destiny quickly became 'ones to watch' in their native UK, particularly after a fabled stage appearance with Devendra Banhart, support slots for Bon Iver and an EP released in 2009. Dubbed as 'a legend in the making' by NME and hailed as 'the new Jean Genie' by The Independent (UK), Beth + the Hooves are often described as sparkly acid/psych-folk. Beth's also become known for eccentric stage costumes, flamboyant wigs, striking photographs and an ever-changing appearance. Compared to Florence, Natasha Khan, Laura Marling and Vashti Bunyan, Beth is actually incomparably unique and stands to make a huge impression on the musical landscape with her debut album in 2012."

Bushman's Revenge - A Little Bit Of Big Bonanza CD (Rune Grammofon) [RCD2123CD] $16.00
This is the fourth album from Bushman's Revenge, and their third on Rune Grammofon. It's no secret that the label has a soft spot for this fabulous group and would wish nothing less than world domination for them. What they do seems to be an almost lost art when it comes to making records. Basically, meaning great musicians playing together in a proper recording studio, interacting and playing off each other. The tracks are mostly first or second takes, there is no editing and just a couple of overdubs on the whole album. And while guitarist Even Helte Hermansen is the natural focal point, there are no big egos at work here -- this is a solid unit where all members are equally important for the end result. Just listen to the "loose but tight" interplay on the opening track, an energetic and joyful interpretation of Sonny Sharrock's "As We Used To Sing." Bushman's Revenge was founded by Even and Gard back in 2003 in their hometown of Skien, a couple of hours south of Oslo, while Rune joined from the northern town of BodÄ¸. Even was a member of Shining and grew up listening to Kiss, Pantera, Sepultura, Faith No More, Frank Zappa and John Coltrane, while Gard and Rune met at the Jazz Academy in Trondheim, breeding ground for renowned musicians such as Arve Henriksen, StÄ¥le StorlÄ¸kken, Nils Petter MolvÄ¦r and many more. Gard also plays with pop sensation Susanne SundfÄ¸r and in Puma with Ä~ystein Moen (Jaga Jazzist) and guitar experimentalist Stian Westerhus. It was recorded and mixed in Athletic Studio in Halden, Norway in summer 2011.

Bvdub - The First Day CD (Home Normal) [HN031] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-21-2012
bvdub's second Home Normal release, 'The First Day', will be out February 21. On the same date we will also offer a second edition of his classic 'Tribes at the Temple of Silence' which was released in early 2011 an sold out by mid year. Both of these will be printed on Home Normal's new 2l / dvd insert package series 'Made in Japan' which uses recycled paper made from a local company they love based in Fukushima and Itabashi.

Bvdub - Serenity + Don't Say You Know limited edition 2CD (Darla) [DRL252] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 03-20-2012

First 500 copies come with limited edition bonus CD entitled Don't Say You Know.

Though bvdub's work is always firmly entrenched in the realm of memory, Serenity, his newest full-length, sees him reaching further back through his history than ever before while still gazing far beyond the horizon. His most (and possibly only) overtly optimistic work, Serenity is a story of elation and freedom from times when music didn't yet know derision and arrogance... when all it knew was beauty. This is the soundtrack to 7am, when only the true remained and nothing else mattered.

While being more beat-driven than any bvdub album in the last five years, it is nevertheless still an ambient one. Its rhythms are memories of times pastâ~@¦ when music simply told of peace we all hoped to find... and gentle reminders of the times that can still come, if we let them. There was a time when music only sought to take you to a better place. It wanted nothing more and asked for nothing in return. But we don't have to only look to the past to find it againâ~@¦ it's still the future -- and always has been.

Current 93 - Dawn 2CD (Durtro / Jnana) [D/J97] $18.75
No description available at this time.

Current 93 - In Menstrual Night 2CD (Durtro / Jnana) [D/J98] $18.75
No description available at this time.

Current 93 - Live At Bar Maldoror 2CD (Durtro / Jnana) [D/J96] $18.75
No description available at this time.

Daphne Oram - The Daphne Oram Tapes: Volume One 2CD (Young Americans) [YOUNGAM003CD] $22.25
2CD version. Daphne Oram, founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, died in 2003 leaving a colossal archive of reel-to-reel tapes and documents behind. This important collection of material eventually made its way to Goldsmiths College, London, who have been administering it on behalf of the Daphne Oram Trust for the last few years. The collection holds over 400 tapes made by Oram during her lifetime, and 211 of those have been archived and catalogued by the college so far. The Daphne Oram Tapes: Volume One is the result of almost two years spent trawling through the archive in an attempt to piece together a coherent document of one of the most pioneering and genuinely experimental characters in electronic music history. Although some of Oram's recordings have surfaced on the Oramics compilation (YOUNGAM 001LP), this compilation reveals a complex, dark and sometimes disturbing body of work which has, until now, been partially obscured by the more recognizable Radiophonic bleeps and whirrs the Workshop is best known for. This first volume focuses on Oram's love of experimental forms, of musique concrÄ¨te, of the science and mystery of sound and composition. It comes at a time when her work is only just starting to gain wider acknowledgment in scholarly as well as popular circles. The "Oramics" machine (the first electronic musical instrument in history to be designed and built by a woman) has gone on display at the Science Museum in London, an important step in what will no doubt be a sustained effort to assert Oram's rightful position as one of the most important figures in modern music. Working through the archive has been a life-changing experience, revealing a wealth of musical treasures that include recordings and sound effects made for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jack Clayton's The Innocents, all the way through to field recordings made in Africa. This first volume, put together with the help of Goldsmiths and Daphne's family, is the first in a planned series that will, for the first time, make Oram's most important and personal recordings available for public consumption. The audio has been carefully mastered and cut by Lupo at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. Deluxe 2CD edition comes in a 6-panel oversized digipak.

Demdike Stare - Elemental 2CD (Modern Love) [LOVE077CD] $22.25
It's been almost a year since Demdike Stare finished their Tryptych of releases, and in the intervening months, Miles Whittaker and Sean Canty have been busy touring and gradually piecing together sounds for this new series: Elemental. After four limited edition vinyl installments, Elemental is now released as a 2CD album, including different versions of tracks that have appeared on the vinyl editions, plus extensive additional material -- making for a two-hour trip through dark, post-industrial terrain. Mastered and cut at Dubplates & Mastering, the packaging features specially-commissioned artwork by Andy Votel and comes as an oversized gatefold/6-page digifile.

Desario - Mixer CD (Test Pattern) [TPR03] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 02-28-2012
Desario returns to follow up their Darla Records debut, Zero Point Zero, with the release of a fresh new offering, Mixer. Built on layers of jangling guitars accentuated with bursts of synths and percussion, this collection of gazey pop doesn't disappoint. Mixer takes its name from the collaborative process used in the writing of the record and, just as with the members' previous projects (Holiday Flyer, California Oranges, and Rocketship), is overflowing with captivating hooks and interweaving melodies. Mixer was produced and engineered by guitarist Mike Yoas in their hometown of Sacramento, CA, and mixed by Larry Crane (Elliot Smith, Go-Betweens, Holiday Flyer, Tape Op) at Jackpot Studios in Portland, OR.

Desario is John Conley (vocals / guitar), Jim Rivas (drums / percussion), Mike Yoas (guitar / synths), and Mike Carr (bass).

RIYL: Nada Surf, Death Cab for Cutie, The Cure, New Order, The Horrors.

Deutsch Nepal - Live in Saint-petersburg 261206 CD (Aquarellist) [11934] $21.75
Live recording of performance Deutsch Nepal in club Orlandina, Saint-Petersburg, Russia on December, 26th 2006. Limited edition, 150 copies. Mastering by Uak-Kib (www.kshatriy.ohms.ru) 1 track, 44.31 * vocals and keyboard Vicki Bain

Dirty Three - Toward the Low Sun CD (Drag City) [DC511CD] $13.00
"Dirty what then? Ohh...Dirty Three. Right! Jesus f***ing God--it's been seven years since the last Dirty Three album. It's like, to paraphrase one of their new songs, sometimes we forgot they were gone. And not just because they were never really gone, if you were a card-carrying underground-rock type of the gay 90s, you know it's because the Dirty Three are always inside us...eeyuuucchhh. Bad image, sorry. We mean that the tones and tunes of these guys are always floating around in our head and our soul: Warren's always sawing away at something that kind of tightens our chest and gives us that ol' thousand-yard stare; Mick wanders hollow-bodied from abstract and dreamy to punishing hard chord rock in the space of a breath, never sacrificing a sense of the awesome along the path; Jim--don't get us started! There's drummers and time, and then there's Jim White. He's doing something that no one else does back there. Plus, he's drumming! Returning to the basic formula for the band, the labor and decision-making is divided evenly and democratically as they improvise themselves into the heart of the moment. The sounds of traditional music are glimpsed in Warren's violin while Mick and Jim blow clouds that envelop the picture. Each takes the lead as the untidy trio trip lightly and jazzily from etude to still life to exploding the air into flames around us with just a violin, electric guitar and trap kit. Don't shade your eyes! Look Toward the Low Sun and you will know once again the burn of the Dirty Three. The crusty troika are back, for the first time ever on Drag City Records."

Drowner - Drowner CD (Saint Marie) [SMR0102] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 03-13-2012
Drowner is a band from Houston, Texas whose big, oceanic, atmospheric sound draws on influences as varied as shoegaze, post rock, noise pop and dream pop as well as bands like The Cure, R.E.M., My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai. Drowner is Darren Emanuel on guitar/drums/keys, Sean Evans on guitar, Mike Brewer on bass and Anna Bouchard on vocals.

Drowner began as a side project of Darren Emanuel (Swimming In, Apples to Earth). Darren's increasing use of the guitar in both of his previous bands led him to an interest in the sounds of a resurgent shoegaze scene and some of the post rock music happening both in Texas and elsewhere. In 2008, he started writing demo tracks to test some new guitar sounds. The early tracks had a soaring, oceanic feel with strong melodies and heavy use of the Roland Space Echo, drenched in fuzzed-out reverb.

In 2010, Darren worked with a few different singers on the project before finding the perfect counterpoint in longtime friend Anna Bouchard. After some discussion of the project, Anna and Darren began writing in their respective studios and sending demos and tracks back and forth via the internet. Anna brings not only beautiful vocals to Drowner, but a deep lyricism. In late summer 2011, Sean and Mike joined the band. In instrumental work and vocals, music and lyrics, Drowner attempts to embody the power of music to overwhelm and transcend.

El Doom & The Born Electric - El Doom & The Born Electric CD (Rune Grammofon) [RCD2122CD] $16.00
Debut album from "young veterans" of the Norwegian heavy and progressive scenes, fronted by singer, guitarist, writer and producer Ole Petter Andreassen. This is classic, heavy, guitar-driven and melodic progressive rock, the playing and production being top notch with a natural mix of solid riffs, intricate instrumental passages and great hooks. The core of the band, apart from Andreassen, is Hedvig Mollestad on guitar and Hammond organ and brothers Brynjar and Haavard Takle Ohr from El Cuero on lead guitar and drums, respectively. Guests include Nikolai HÄ¦ngsle Eilertsen from Elephant9 on bass, StÄ¥le StorlÄ¸kken from Elephant9 and Supersilent on Hammond, Mikael Lindquist on Hammond and Mellotron and veteran Jon Eberson on guitar. Jazz guitarist Eberson, now 60 and more vital than ever, arrived at the studio, insisted on not hearing any music, plugged in, burned his way through "It's Electric" and "The Hook" and was home in time for an early dinner. Eilertsen and StorlÄ¸kken are widely recognized to be two of Norway's top instrumentalists in any category and HÄ¥vard Takle Ohr is probably the best rock drummer in the country at the moment. All the material is written by Andreassen, with some help on four of the tracks. He has been involved in around 20 albums and most notably been a member of Thulsa Doom and The Cumshots, but this is the first album where he is in total control. He is also owner of Caliban Studio, home to many great-sounding Norwegian albums. He has been nominated for four Norwegian Grammys and won two.

Elika - Always The Light CD (Saint Marie) [SMR0072] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 03-06-2012
Where ominous, fuzzed-out textures and energetic, geometric electronics meet, you'll find Brooklyn's Elika. The power duo of multimedia artists Evagelia Maravelias and Brian Wenckebach have quietly recorded and released a torrent of adventurous music since 2006, earning recognition the old fashioned way. It paid off. Elika have toured internationally, and were recently handpicked to support shoegazers Asobi Seksu and revered dream-electro musician and producer Ulrich Schnauss, who went on to describe Elika as "an incredibly exciting, radical fusion of shoegaze and electronica elements."

Their previous effort saw XLR8R raving "every musical note seems as carefully placed as a comma in a novel, and Maravelias' voice soars through a collection of intelligent lyrics centered on lost love." Elika's latest, Always the Light, offers the group's clearest musical vision yet: Finding a path through [Love] + [Tragedy] + [Defeat].

The tracks sounds are bold and wild indeed yet very technical proving their skills. No doubt, you can get visceral satisfaction out of this excellent official debut album leaving you with a feeling wanting to know more what this band is about.

Frank Riggio - Psychexcess I - Presentism CD (Hymen) [y798] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-14-2012
frank riggio is a sicilian-french musician who now lives near toulouse in france. Having been an electronic music lover since his childhood, he began to mix acid music with turntables at the age of sixteen. at 18, he bought his first hardware and later on he formed his own label, sagaloops, on which he produced fifteen vinyl ep's and also collaborated with other projects on various labels. after closing down sagaloops in 2005, he took a new direction into more intellectual, jazzy and experimental electronic sound collages, forming the project that takes his own name. in 2007 he produced his incredible debut album 'visible in darkness', while he was also producing music for the french tv channel canal+. since then he has released a couple more full-length albums and ep's, showcasing the same high standard he has set throughout the years. currently, frank works on multiple art projects, in a great variety of fields such as sound manipulation, music, and mastering engineering.

with 'psychexcess I - presentism' frank riggio introduces the first part of the psychexcess trilogy which is designed to be similar to a three movie series in an aural format, including a constant spoken narrative, arcs of suspense, and even 'cliffhangers'. the fusion of 'psyche' and 'excess' was created from the idea that there is something astral we can not control, which we are not even aware of in our psyche or mind - something out of our physical entity but basically connected with our 'soul' at the same time. the human individual is captured in an entanglement of fears and theoretical dualities in his judgements and deeds, which can be entirely changed by accepting the choices to avoid the pretended 'pre programming' of the mind. frank riggio's intention is wanting the listener to explore something else in their 'person', something that is beyond words or even basic mechanical thoughts - possibly even some kind of astral trip? to create the cinematic atmosphere of the trilogy's music, frank riggio used his skills as a passionate sound designer, collecting a multitude of field recordings, percussive noises and more. he also bestowed great care on the instrumentation using acoustic and custom built equipment, self made synth presets, and by adding experimental sound manipulation such as morphing, vocoding, filtering and layering techniques. to prevent the music from getting unnatural and inorganic, he also enlisted compositional help from fellow musicians on some of the melodic work. focusing deeper on frank riggio's music, it proves hard to classify his unique blend of inspirations into certain genres like idm, downtempo, glitch and experimental. rich textures utilized in a masterful way, together with deep ambience and a solid yet very human drumming as well as the excellent use of acoustic instruments, make his work stand out in many ways. he shapes up his own musical path through a magnificent mix between darkness, mystery and ethnic soundscapes. this album carries its very own mixture of beautiful, oneiric, psychedelic moods and sounds that touch you somewhere in your spirit or your heart and which will undoubtedly stay in your mind for a long time.

'stop a moment with dualities and fears, enjoy the gorgeousness of the unknown, the psychexcess.'

Gareth Dickson - Quite A Way Away CD (12k) [12k1070] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 02-21-2012
To say that the last few years of Gareth Dickson's life have been tumultuous would be an understatement. In 2007 he fell in love with a girl from South America, packed up a few essentials from his life in Scotland, and moved to the Argentinian countryside. It didn't turn all fairy tale at that point, however. While there he was shot at, attacked by dogs, and was involved in a very close call when the passenger plane he took to a little town in the Andes was forced down after an engine caught fire. The bullet missed, the aircraft landed, and the dog bites healed; he survived intact, albeit a little more aware of his own mortality, and a good bit more anxious.

"The bullet in all honesty was never meant to hit" he states calmly, it was a robbery gone wrong and he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The incident in the aircraft was far more terrifying because there was the agonizing time to think and reflect during the plane's unintended descent. "It's interesting to find out how you would react in that situation." Dickson says. "Faced with the possibility that it's really time up, I felt an overwhelming sense of this having been destiny, that it was impossible that I had boarded this aircraft by chance."

These adventures are the reason that in the last 4 years Gareth has not managed to record a new album; the last two releases (Collected Recordings, Drifting Falling, 2009, and The Dance, Sleeping Man, 2010) being old material recorded before the trip. They are also the reason that a feeling of heightened alertness and anxiety pervades this new work. If Collected Recordings was in some way a study in melancholy, Quite A Way Away is a decidedly more anxious affair. "Adrenaline," the first track on the album, opens with the lines "Distant beat, advancing feet, each of us wound within." and in "Get Together" there is something of confusion, if not paranoia, in the speaker wondering "Who was here before now, were there only you and I all night?"

Given the episodes that lead up to Quite A Way Away it's only fitting that the album lands on 12k, whose road from stark, synthetic post-techno, 14 years ago, to the textured electro-acoustic ambience of today has been a gradual but well-documented voyage. The label's flirtations with song structures being fused into its experimentations have defined the label as one to skirt the edges of boundaries and genre labels. But no release has quite stepped out of 12k's bounds like Quite A Way Away. Yet despite the fact that Dickson's music is classified as "singer/songwriter" and there isn't an electronic gadget to be heard anywhere on the album, it's remarkable how well it seamlessly blends into 12k's existing catalog. The minimal, fragile, and engrossing sounds of 12k's well-established brand of experimental music is ever-present in Dickson's quiet finger-picked guitar and breathy vocals that hang on the edge of disintegration. Quite A Way Away is somehow as much "12k" as it is a step in a totally new direction.

Dickson, who hails from Glasgow, often gets comparisons to Nick Drake but it's important to mention the influence he takes from experimentalists like Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, Bert Jansch, and Glenn Gould. His music is characterized by an intimacy gleaned from his dream-like approach to singing and playing guitar as well as the immediacy of being captured shortly after being written by whatever recording device is closest at hand, be it a cassette machine, handheld recorder, or 4-track. His use of analogue delays and reverb add to this soft, spacey vibe. The lo-fi nature of his sound harbors all of the cracks, flaws and rough edges of humanity, soul, and the deeply personal circumstances that surround the creation of art.

Up until this point Gareth had been traveling as one of the mainstay's in Vashti Bunyan's touring band which took him around the world playing some of the great venues along the way, such as the Carnegie Hall in New York and The Barbican in London. Vashti invited him to join her after she heard one of his tracks on the FatCat records website. He was also asked by Max Richter to record some guitar for a film soundtrack and has recorded and toured with Juana Molina.

Gonjasufi - MU.ZZ.LE CD (Warp Records) [WARP223CD] $14.25
"MU.ZZ.LE although short in length, is long on message - political, social and spiritual interpretations that define him as an artist. Written on the road, it was an outlet for Gonjasufi to challenge himself. It's the response to all the adrenaline, aggression and anger he felt traveling the world, it's a spectrum of his creativity and a testimony of how one man's passion and determination is often misunderstood as anger. 'There's a duality that exists and to deny it, is the biggest mistake'. The albums down tempo strings, heartbreaking soul, reanimated hip-hop and crackling haunting vocal stylings are stitched as a running thread throughout each song like a patchwork quilt. It's a lonely journey that will take you through the innermost thoughts of Gonjasufi's darkest hours. He recorded and mixed it on his own in his home studio surrounded by his family and the stark contrast of the Mojave Desert. The end product is his outlet and realization for who he is, a way for him to feel comfortable in his own skin again. Akin to discovering a gramophone recording fraught with emotive compositions, it's like finding that hidden gem, the one you can truly relate with. It's the way of dealing with the issues of modern man; oppressed by power, freedom of speech, living your life by a book, dealing with the MU.ZZ.LE that's firmly attached around your mouth." Approx. 25 minutes long.

Harald Bjork - Bigfield CD (Kranglan Broadcast) [KLN001CD] $16.00
Harald BjÄ¶rk grew up in a Stockholm suburb surrounded by musicians and nature. His interest in recording sounds started when he, as a child, stumbled upon his father's old tape recorder, a machine that quickly became his favorite toy. Lots of mixtapes and a Nirvana-influenced punk band soon followed. As a teenager, Harald bought his first decks and started DJing hip-hop. Soon, he got in touch with the early Swedish techno scene. A creative year in Berlin resulted in releases on Deep Focus, Traum Schallplatten and Apparillo Music. After moving back to Stockholm, Harald started working on various music projects as well as touring live. At the end of 2009, his own record label KrangIan Broadcast was born, releasing the mesmerizing Kranglan EP as its first output. In 2010, Harald played at some of the biggest festivals and clubs in Sweden. The time has come for Bigfield, his debut album for Kranglan Broadcast. Harald BjÄ¶rk's music is a naive and emotional, melodic type of techno with a melancholy Scandinavian touch. His music can be described as a mixture between the playfulness of Aphex Twin and the poppy electronica of early RÄ¶yksopp spiced with techno beats Ä la Berlin and Cologne. Harald's tracks are often appreciated by followers of labels like Border Community, Kompakt and Cocoon. His records are played by DJs like James Holden, Sven VÄ¤th, Miss Kittin and Four Tet, amongst others. In his live performances, Harald uses a computer brimful of chopped-up, raw emotion and an army of machines and controllers used to build up atmospheres of innocent love and sweet frustration. Bittersweet melodic adventures escalate into explosive breakdowns, winding up into motorik beats. Listening through Bigfield, it's clear why many people consider Harald one of the finest producers of electronic music today. Every single sound is pure perfection, the colors are vivid, the arrangements to the point yet never less than enigmatic. What's more important is that he's got soul, oceans of it. Harald is a true romantic artist, constantly returning to the same themes of nostalgia, understated euphoria and sunshine over snowy landscapes. Bigfield is one of those rare albums that will make listeners dance, weep and smile in equal parts.

Herbst 9 - Usumgal Kalamma 2CD (Loki Foundation) [11924] $21.75
What began with the previous releases, "Buried Under Time and Sand" and "The Gods Are Small Birds..." comes now to the final chapter and climax, with an epic double album, U?umgal Kalamma: "The written word that has come down to us through the discovery of the ancient civilizations of Sumer and Akkad and the deciphering of their languages and writing systems speaks of flourishing city-states, their holy places, their great rulers, their deeds in peace and war, their gods and demons, their rituals, their tales of creation and much more." U?umgal Kalamma is a huge and rich soundwork, divided into two parts that transport the listener into the realms of the archaic world. It is an invitation to explore a mythic age in history whereby the inventions of these people are still connected with us today.

Hobo - Iron Triangle CD (Minus) [MINUS118CD] $14.75
M_nus introduces a new name to its artist family: Hobo. Iron Triangle is a stunning take on the stripped-to-the-bone essence of electronic dance music. Joel Boychuk aka Hobo takes us on a tour of the Iron Triangle -- a destination point for the techno artist whose very name embodies both the restless spirit of his productions and his journey from being one-half of the former M_nus duo Tractile, to being a recognized star performer in his own right. With this album, Boychuk intends to encapsulate the unique atmospheres of the three geographical points and spaces in between that have influenced both his musical output and his outlook as a person. What is the Iron Triangle, and how has it influenced his approach to making his first full-length album? "The Iron Triangle is both a simple concept and complicated percept -- kind of abstract but also very simple. In it's simplest form it's an area between three places where I come from, covering a bit of Canada and the U.S. -- three places which are connected by a lot of history and three important train lines that once ran between them, hence the 'iron.' Where it begins to stretch into a much more abstract and complicated territory is in how I relate to the iron triangle: sometimes I'm there, sometimes I'm not there and sometimes I wish I was or wasn't there. At the end of 2010, I had been away from the triangle for much longer than usual and mentally, I was as far away as ever. I reflected on past experiences and looked forward to new ones as inspiration for the album: All of the tracks are based around experiences I've had at this place, sometimes just an image or memory. My approach to production changes frequently: sometimes I produce just because I enjoy doing it; other times I view it as something that needs to be done for the purposes of clearing the mind; and sometimes it's just done for raw musical experimentation. I think my sound went back to its earlier roots while making this record, at times playful and weird with a tinge of darkness. In that respect, some of the tracks on the album share exact influences with other previous tracks of mine, so I can infer from that the evolution in the album's sound directly reflects my evolution as a producer."

Holiday Crowd - Over The Bluffs CD (Shelflife) [LIFE081] $10.50
With style, wit and mellifluousness, THE HOLIDAY CROWD give proper nods to the once hallowed rock & roll ideals of cool aesthetic and jangly melodies. Self described as minimal and stripped-down, The Holiday Crowd's sound & lyrics arise from all manner of experience-summer afternoon camaraderie, introspective reveries and a few shapely "inspirations along the way." From their haircuts to their shoes and with a nonchalant but forceful attitude, the band truly "send" the listener to that place in the sun.

Hospitality - Hospitality CD (Merge) [MRG431] $12.75
No description available at this time.

Hubble - Hubble Drums CD (Northern Spy) [NSCD015] $13.50
No description available at this time.

Hypsiphrone - And the Void Shall Pierce Their Eyes CD (Malignant Records) [11922] $11.25
Debut album from this one man project from Greece, and a new entry into the Black Plague roster, fitting right in with label mate~Rs Sewer Goddess in its ability to create innately evil and impure sounds, integrating elements of doom metal, black metal, and dark experimentalism into the pure industrial horror that constitutes the majority of this release. The result is nothing short of absolute and abject dread; 8 tracks spanning an hour worth of material...an auditory overload that~Rs completely immersive, and at times overwhelming , where heaving masses of percussive doom collide with shuddering machinery dirge, ghoulish and nightmarish ambience, torturous screams, and cinematic depravity, the sounds layered into a tangled and abstract tapestry of something completely epic and nearly majestic in its scale. Fans of Gnaw Their Tongues, Abruptum, and ~SNecrose Evangelicum~T era BDN will do well to wallow in the oozing blackness and unbridled malevolence Hypsiphrone has created. Lmtd 500 copies, in 6 panel digipak..

Ian Boddy - Pearl 2CD (DiN) [11927] $17.00
Superb trans-Atlantic Power Electronics / Death Industrial face-off between Wisconsin's Burial Hex and Birmingham's Iron Fist Of The Sun. Burial Hex presents 2 "pre-industrial" conceptual compositions. Aside from one synth at the end of the first track, this music was all made with acoustic sounds. Intense Power Electronics, but without using amplification or electronically generated sounds. Just like how many industrial artists have flirted with depicting sounds and atmospheres from the first and second World Wars, these pieces were composed imaging atmospheres closer to the American Civil War era. IFOTS's 4 tracks were recorded at Crushing Obelisk, Birmingham, England. Dedicated to betrayers of family / faith / country. 40 minutes. Ltd x 500 copies.

Jazzanova - Upside Down CD (Sonar Kollektiv) [SK232CD] $15.50
"From the left or the right side? Straight ahead or upside down? No matter how you look at it - but it seems to be about time that all the remixes for Jazzanova that have been done over the last few years need to be bundled up in a nice big shiny package. After the first collection of remixes from 2003 (Remixed, JCR040-2) now's the turn for Upside Down, some of dance music finest key figures' interpretations of selected Jazzanova tunes from the last eight years. And be assured, the line-up is as massive as the Berlin quintet's worldwide reputation. From fellow Berliner Henrik Schwarz, Ye:Solar and Ä,me to Atjazz and Mr. Scruff from the UK, Motor City Drum Ensemble from Cologne, Glasgow's Midnight Mauraders and Soldiers Of House from Pretoria in South Africa this is a top notch international heavy weight affair. Inspired by these outstanding reworks of their original material Jazzanova member and DJ Alex Barck and Jazzanova Live! band member Stefan Ulrich (under his Neve Naive moniker together with Alexa Voss on vocals) also got upside down and delivered each a remix to this prosperous project. Besides these two brand new and unreleased remixes the ones by Soldiers Of House and Midnight Mauraders are as well first time available to the public."

Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi - Imikuzushi CD (Black Truffle) [BT007CD] $16.00
"The yearly summit of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi continues with Imikuzushi, which finds the group extending the power-trio strategies of 2011's highly-praised In A Flash Everything Comes Together As One There Is No Need For A Subject (BT 005LP) and bringing to them a newly-sustained intensity. For this performance, Haino limits himself to electric guitar and vocals, forming complex networks of slashing rhythm work, noise squall and chromatic shredding, moving at times to near-silent passages of howled vocals and isolated, hanging guitar strums. The tendency towards driving free-rock which surfaced on moments of the trio's last release is cemented here, with O'Rourke's fuzzed-out, non-linear bass riffing moving the music into almost garage-rock areas, combining with Ambarchi's drums to form a bedrock of hypnotic, metronomic pounding which transforms itself effortlessly into passages of flowing free-time. Like all of Haino's best work, the trio transcends any 'rock' genre exercise to enter a non-idiomatic zone of ritual intensity, creating a music formed purely out of instrumental and group-mind possibility. Presented as four unedited excerpts salvaged from an epic show that lasted well over three hours, the sometimes raw nature of the recording only adds to its directness and harshly emotive quality." --Francis Plagne, Melbourne, November, 2011; Released as a 6-panel digipak CD. Design by Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))) with high quality live shots by Ujin Matsuo and stunning images by Tokyo-based photographer and sound artist Shunichiro Okada.

Known Rebel - Hollow CD (Tympanik Audio) [11903] $14.25
Employing a variety of styles of electronic music such as glitch, ambient, breaks, and electronica with expert subtlety and control, Known Rebel craft their sounds into breathtaking movements of auditory emotion that build elegantly and flow into marvelous finales. Poignant melodies, rich basslines, and lush synth measures serve as the undercurrent for wondrous atmospheres that embrace the listener, allowing plenty of room to breathe.Charming melodies, graceful fluidity, and an illuminating depth make 'Hollow' a must-have for those who appreciate classy bedroom IDM. Includes remixes by Jaime Irles and Mothboy plus bonus remixes by Roel Funcken (Funckarma), Lucidstatic, 2methylBulbe1ol, and Access To Arasaka. Available on compact disc and digital formats December 13th, 2011 from Tympanik Audio.

Knuckleduster - Nuukoono CD (Gusstaff) [GRAM1201] $16.00
Knuckleduster, the trans-atlantic collaboration of electronica/sound artist Robert Lippok (Germany) and trans-cultural pioneer Debashis Sinha (Canada/India) began through a mutual fascination with sound and sound production. Based on long discussions in Toronto, Berlin, and via internet, Lippok and Sinha created a foundation for music making based on the respect of each other's work. Their first collaboration, a live concert in Toronto in 2007, went so well that they decided to make the duo a continuing international performance project. Their first CD, Nuukoono, was recorded in Berlin at the famous Studio P4 and at Studio Bleibel by Bernd Jestram of Tarwater.

Robert Lippok is on the bleeding edge of the Berlin minimal electronic scene with releases on some of the most innovative labels in existence today. He is a founding member of To Rococo Rot, now twelve years old and internationally known, bringing conceptual art, installation, and improvisation to the post-rock scene, refining and perfecting their concept of instant composition. As a solo artist, he has created sound installations and performed internationally, releasing recordings to critical acclaim on the Monika, Staubgold and Raster-Noton labels.

Debashis Sinha has been involved with the world music scene in Canada for over 10 years, garnering multiple Juno nominations along the way. Deeply trained in traditional rhythmic systems from various cultures, Sinha has begun to turn to the world of improvisation and sound art to further explore his traditional percussion instruments. Through questioning the context of world music, he has found a voice that uses traditional techniques coupled with extended techniques of western improvisation and electronics.

Kufuki - Kufuki CD (Wonderyou) [WNDU0062] $14.75
KUFUKI is Pop Psychedelic trio consists of Konno(Electronics), Saito(Analog Synthesizer), Tosimasa(Vocal) from Tokyo, Japan.

Their music is constructed using tribal rhythms around the world + vintage tones of the KORG analog synth MS-10 + laid back vocals which brings an overwhelming feeling of joy and comfort that makes you wonder about the universe, or your parents - recalling all those things that you love, leaving you with plain happiness.

The field recordings inserted between the tracks are messages from their friends all around the world saying "I love KUFUKI" with their national languages, and also a field recording document of the cheerful Japanese summer festival.

Neil Campbell (Vibracathedral Orchestra, Sunroof!, Astral Social Club) is also a big fan of their music and instantly provided 2 remixes for them which one is included in this album and the other uploaded on this Wonderyou label's Soundcloud page.

Mastering was done by the world famous Japanese drone artist, Chihei Hatakeyama.

Kutin - Ivory CD (Valeot) [valeot013] $16.00
RELEASE DATE: 03-13-2012
'Ivory' is the third solo-record by Vienna-based 'soundworker' Peter Kutin. The guitar is the instrument that creates / triggers most of the sound we can hear on this record, real-time transformed by Peter's laptop. Only for three tracks other instruments were used additionally: a viola, a korg synth and a double bass, the latter being played by Matija Schellander on the sparkling 'after the plague' (#4).

'Ivory' developed while Kutin was writing music for old silent movies for the Austrian film archive. Somehow one can still hear the filmscore, the cinematographic idea within the music. The album offers sounds that will thrill our ears, allows journeys through different sonic spaces, creates pictures inside the listeners head; 'world without end' might be the only track that almost reaches the format of a 'pop-track', while most of the other tracks want and need you to listen closer. The minimal final anthem 'lonesome monster' seems to move only in its spectrum, not in metrum. The partial-tunes sing the song. A piece of music that stretches time, positioning itself somewhere besides Stars of the Lid's orchestral style.

Peter Kutin's works range from modern compositions / installations presented in neat gallery places to live-noise performances in dirty clubspaces. At solo live performances as 'Kutin', he creates impressive, sparkling sonic glooms, dense soundscapes and walls of sound mainly using guitar and laptop.

Besides his activities as solo musician, he founded the band 'dirac' that released acclaimed records on labels such as Spekk (Japan), U-Cover (Belgium) and Valeot. His solo works were released on U-Cover and Karate-Joe (Austria) so far. He further works on the projects 'Mimu', Kutin-Roisz (with Billy Roisz) and composed music for theater-companies such as 'God's Entertainment' or for the Austrian film-archive as well as for various film-directors. Kutin worked and collaborated with artists like Billy Roisz, Dieb13, Heribert Friedl, Taku Unami, Kazuhisha Uchihashi, Manuel Knapp, Martin Siewert, Glim (Andreas Berger) and many more.

Larry and His Flask - All That We Know CD (Silver Sprocket) [SILVER036] $10.00
NOW AVAILABLE!!! The debut full-length from LARRY AND HIS FLASK features a blurry blend of lightning fast string-band picking, gorgeous nods to old-school country, and sublime multi-part harmonies, all presented through a prism of punk chaos. These country boys from Bend, Oregon, are gloriously physical displays of live music's sheer power. Touring 2012 with Rev. Horton Heat and Lucero.

Le Super Borgou De Parakou - The Bariba Sound CD (Analog Africa) [AACD071CD] $20.75
Lost sounds are the archives of a forgotten history. The raucously raw, Vodoun-inspired rhythms of Cotonou have confirmed Benin as a mecca of '70s Afro sounds and revived the story of its people, but the unopened vaults housing the country's catacombs of musical riches are endless. With this as a compass, Analog Africa charters its fifth expedition to Benin, traveling far north to delve deeper into the obscured repertoires and tales of the Bariba and Dendi people. Originating from the Kwara state of northwest Nigeria, the Bariba -- a predominantly Islamic people -- now dominate the Borgou department of Benin with the market city of Parakou at its heart. The rhythms of their culture constitute just one domain of the Islamic Funk Belt -- a distinct musical swath of land encompassing northern Ghana, Togo and Benin. Once frequented by Muslim merchants and traders, the belt has yielded a rich harvest of talent. The most powerful band from Parakou is Orchestre Super Borgou, who were first introduced to the West via Analog Africa's defining release, African Scream Contest (AACD 063CD/AALP 06€). The birth of modern African music in Parakou is inextricably linked to Super Borgou. The progressive-minded father of the band's founder, Moussa Mama, imported modern music -- which he learned while working as a goldsmith in Accra, Ghana -- to the region in the '50s. His return to Borgou and subsequent teachings spawned countless bands from villages across the department. Super Borgou developed their own musical identity by reinventing traditional songs and rhythms. With Benin's foremost drummer, Bori Borro, in their ranks, Bariba and Dendi linguistic folklore -- alongside melodies of an Islamic ilk -- fused with soul, pachanga, breakbeats, rumba and Afro-Beat, Orchestre Super Borgou de Parakou manufactured a sound of penetrating and unpolished directness, blurring the line between the erstwhile rhythms of the devout village and the modern grooves infecting the forward-thinking city. Their reinvention redefines what contemporary audiences classify as the "Afro" genre. Performing live at the bar Congolaise, the high-octane live performances of Parakou's finest troupe also captured the imagination of Celestin Houenou Sezan, co-founder of Albarika Store (Benin's most important music label), and Super Borgou were, in fact, the legendary label's very first EP release. Apart from Albarika, Discadam -- and its sub-labels Impressions Sonores du Nord and Echos Sonores du Borgou -- were the band's major backers who helped galvanize the sound of northern Benin. Armed with a keen sense of philosophical observation, multi-instrumentalist Moussa Mama and rhythm guitarist Menou Roch, through their lyrics, reported on the socio-economic ills of their time -- the rampant inequalities they saw around them -- which established the band as noteworthy commentators on top of their gift of unique rhythm. Analog Africa's Orchestre Super Borgou anthology opens an entirely new chapter of lost and resurrected Afro sounds. Remastered to recreate the energy of their legendary live performances and accompanied by a stunning full-color booklet, the story of this remarkable ensemble and the traditions of the people of Northern Benin are set to be revealed and documented like never before.

Lee Burton - Busy Days For Fools CD (Klik Records) [KL077CD] $16.00
Lee Burton aka Liberto released his debut album Lullaby for Klik Records in 2006. His warm, deep tech-house sound received high praise in the Greek and international music press alongside the interest of some of the most important names in the electronic music scene. As a result, the following years were productive for Liberto, with releases, remixes and collaborations with labels such as Trapez, Plastic City, Material, Playmobil, Syndikaat and the co-foundation of the record label Material with Michael Safras. In 2009 he started releasing music under the name Lee Burton, making recordings for labels such as Orpheas, Material and Plastic City in addition to making appearances in festivals and clubs. In 2012, Lee Burton returns with his second album project, Busy Days For Fools. Burton manages to escape from the sound of Lullaby, creating a unique output that combines the sound of German electronica with a Greek temperament and a South American laid-back feeling. Busy Days For Fools is the stoner side of electronica. Lee Burton produced the album himself, spending a whole year in his personal studio using new production techniques and recordings such as various kinds of microphones, ranging from the classic condenser microphone, cell phone microphone and even the microphone from a VHS camera. Electronic sounds were created with vintage analog equipment but also with live recordings of noises using various objects as well as music instruments. The result is a warm, natural and analog-sounding album, drawing from influences from across the electronic scene and also pulling ideas from lo-fi rock, blues, folk, jazz and everyday life.

Lee Fields - Faithful Man CD (Truth & Soul) [TSCD018CD] $17.25
"Since the late sixties Lee Fields has amassed a prolific catalog and has played and toured with such legends as Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip-Huggers, O.V Wright, and many more. With a career spanning 43 years, it's mind-blowing that the music he's making today with Brooklyn's Truth & Soul Records is the best of his career. While drawing comparisons to the Moments, the Delfonics, the Stylistics, and--of course--James Brown, Faithful Man is able to create a space of its own due to the group's desire to interpret and further the formulas of good soul music rather then imitate them. Chalk that up to Truth & Soul producers and co-owners Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels. These are the same individuals that co-wrote, produced, and played on Aloe Blacc's global smash 'I Need A Dollar,' and have provided the back drop for records by Adele, GhostfaceKillah, and Jay-Z to name a few."

Leila - U&I CD (Warp Records) [WARP220CD] $15.50
"U&I is the fourth album from the avant garde electronic producer Leila. Also know for touring and engineering with Bjork, Leila's U&I follows up Blood Looms & Blooms, her well received 2008 release."

Maetrik - Live At Cocoon Ibiza CD (Cocoon) [CORMIX038CD] $16.00
Even after more than 30 years of living the lifestyle of electronic dance music, techno is still sometimes looking for a matching form and sound language to transfer the special thrill of a live event to a club night adequately. So, Sven VÄ¤th and his crew were even more excited about the live set of Eric Estornell aka Maetrik at Cocoon's Closing Party at Amnesia/Ibiza in 2011. For the finish of a season that once again explored the limits of party culture, Maetrik celebrated an extraordinary energetic state of emergency for more than one hour. The resulting live CD reflects that matchless mixture of pumping deep house, energetic soul and adrenaline-enriched noise that Maetrik presented already on such renowned labels as Treibstoff, Dumb-Unit and Audiomatique, and which is, with timeless tracks like "Snorkel" and "Crush On Me," also an important part of Cocoon's current label portfolio. The Texan that lives in Valencia, Spain delivers a brilliant performance with ten tracks or remixes (among them Silicone Soul and Popof), including four unreleased tracks. Estornell's distinctive style stamps the night with his hallucinogenic vocals and deep hypnotic beats, illuminating the club with an energy that is literally everywhere. Thanks to the preacher vocals in "The Poem," a longing, subsonic pulse in the "Jazzersize" remix of the soul anthem "3am," the reduced, pumping funk of "The Pressure" or the programmatic, Maetrik-style definition "Particle House" with his breathless house mantra, the limits of time and space are overridden effectively, before the final "Crush On Me" -- one of the best club tracks in 2011 -- provides the set with a conclusive climax.

Marcus Fischer - Collected Dust CD (Tench) [TCH05] $12.25
Marcus Fischer is a musician and multimedia artist currently based in Portland, Oregon. Field recordings, chance, and DIY instruments, coupled with acoustic instrumentation and visual art, define what has become his minimal signature. His uncanny ability to sculpt delicate beauty from the simplest of sound elements results in compositions that are both intimate and expansive.

From January 2009 through January 2010, Marcus kept a blog called Dust Breeding to document the results of his goal to complete one creative project a day for 365 days. These projects included photographs, field recordings, design, illustration, sewing, videos, DIY electronics experiments and music. He reached his goal of one full year of daily entries and has continued to add entries over the last few years, though less frequently.

Each piece on Collected Dust first appeared in its original form on Dust Breeding. After being selected for this collection by M. Ostermeier, each piece was updated and refined further by Marcus. The patient, reflective, and peaceful style found on Collected Dust's seven tracks inhabits a space somewhere near that of his debut CD for 12k, Monocoastal, which landed on many best-of-2010 lists, and his recent In a Place of Such Graceful Shapes collaboration with Taylor Deupree, who mastered this recording.

Mario Diaz De Leon - Hypnos CD (Shinkoyo) [SHIN040] $12.00
NYC composer and multi-instrumentalist, MARIO DIAZ DE LEON creates "hypnotic walls of shimmering sound" whether his medium is electric guitar, electronics, or acoustic instruments. Influenced by Scelsi & Ligeti, underground metal, and power electronics, Hypnos finds Diaz de Leon focused on his style of hallucinatory electronic music.

Maurizio Bianchi - Apokalypsis XXIII CD (Aquarellist/Nitkie) [11935] $19.75
Apokalypsis XXIII was recorded in the summer of 2010 and is Maurizio Bianchi's last ever electronic music album. The four long tracks are inspired by verses from "The Book of Revelation", the final and most mysterious part of the New Testament. Limited edition of 500 copies in a golden foil embossed digisleeve cover. On the Nitkie label. Distributed by Aquarillest

Mi & L'Au - If Beauty Is A Crime CD (Important Records) [IMPREC269CD] $13.50
"While making the album, both musicians noticed the spectre of familiar melodies and rhythms haunting their work; the inspiration wasn't from a specific song or melodic line, but from a mood or an idea buried somewhere in their past. As they investigated this anomalous influence, they uncovered a shared memory of films enjoyed during their childhood, specifically those scored by French composer FranÄ§ois de Roubaix. Responsible for the music in well over 30 films, de Roubaix was known, among other things, for his use of synthesizers and drum machines, and for his use of folk elements in several projects. The connection between his work and their current endeavor was obvious. Subsequently, Mi and L'au immersed themselves in his music, even as they continued to produce their own. Whether by fate or by coincidence, his music found its way into their lives just as they were beginning to explore what electronic sounds could do for them. So, in the end, they dedicated If Beauty is a Crime to Francois. Through their newly discovered electronic voice something older and more familiar sounded out, and the result is a stunning fusion of ideas and feelings that completely redefines Mi and L'au's sound."

Mirrorring - Foreign Body CD (Kranky) [KRANK162CD] $13.00
"Mirrorring is Jesy Fortino, who has recorded under the Tiny Vipers moniker, and Liz Harris, better known as Grouper. The recordings on this album came about through a songwriting session in Portland, Oregon. The resulting sounds are contemplative, reflective, and introspective, creating a feeling as much as a song, a mood as much as a tune. One could try to assess what part of the album each artist was responsible for, but that would prevent one from seeing the proverbial forest for the trees. Foreign Body was recorded and produced in 2011."

Nude On Sand - Nude On Sand CD (Sofa) [SOFA537CD] $16.00
Sofa has, during its 11 years of existence, presented many artists who have pushed the boundaries of voice: Sidsel Endresen, Phil Minton, Maja Ratkje and Anita KaasbÄ¸ll, among others. With Nude On Sand, it is perhaps the lyrics that lead the music in unexpected directions. The project started off in a series of commissioned works, and slowly developed into this fascinating duo. Free-folk perhaps? Taku Sugimoto, Shirley Collins, Lou Reed and Diamanda Galas meet up to share blood, and the blood hits the ground to become a little weed called Nude On Sand. Musically, their debut album is stripped, but not minimalist. There are few formal restrictions, allowing the music to shift with a SNAP from naive blues, spoken word and completely fragmented pop songs. The lyrics follow these abrupt shifts with endearing absurdity, representing the blogosphere as much as poetry. The result is essentially vulnerable, exposing a youthful, Beckett-like nakedness. Members include Jenny Hval (guitar and voice) and HÄ¥vard Volden (guitar).

Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks CD (Polyvinyl) [PRC233] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 02-07-2012
***Paralytic Stalks' musical and lyrical directions are infinitely more personal than anything OF MONTREAL frontman KEVIN BARNES has written since 2007's Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? Recorded at Barnes' home studio in Athens, Georgia, Paralytic Stalks is a stimulating array of densely packed ideas presented with stunning agility. Each track feeds off the last in what seens a singular album-long movement that never allows you to rip your ears away. Paralytic Stalks at times resembles modern classical with its intricate compositions, while at others echoes of neo-prog, pseudo-country and '60s pop. Double-LP is pressed on 180-gram yellow vinyl and includes a download and 12"x24" pull-out poster.

Phelios - Passage CD (Malignant Records) [11919] $14.75
A re-release of debut Phelios cdr long sold out and impossible to find with four previously unreleased tracks. Now in CD format, packaged in a special cardboard gatefold.

Phil Blankenship - Sex Magik CD (Troniks) [TRO282] $8.75
A legacy-destroying new low. A single session spoken word interpretation of the complete lyrics to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' landmark album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. All audio stumbles, mispronunciation and apartment squeal preserved. Edition of 100.

Pinch - FabricLive.61 CD (Fabric) [FABRIC122CD] $16.75
"In addition to his output on his own labels, including his 2007 debut artist album, which included vocal and instrumental versions. Pinch has released on a plethora of seminal electronic labels, including Planet Mu, Soul Jazz, and most recently Honest Jon's, who recently released his collaborative album with fabric 55 artist Shackleton to critical acclaim. FABRICLIVE 61 includes a track from said album and a host of other collaborations with such names as Photek, Loefah and Quest, as well as a host of previously unheard forthcoming Tectonic releases. Ever an innovator, Pinch commences the mix half-way though a track, finishing at the same point in the same track, allowing the mix to be played on a continuous loop. Subtle sounds and vocals were layered throughout the mix in post-production, affording FABRICLIVE 61 a rare coherence and attention to detail that will reward listeners for years to come."

Piroth - Piroth Remixed CD (Kranglan Broadcast) [KLN002CD] $16.00
Electronic, danceable pop meets industrial, dark techno. It's the first time you can hear the folk-pop songs of Piroth in these free interpretations. Piroth Remixed is a collaboration between the Swedish label Kranglan Broadcast and Oma Gusti Records. The release consists of six remixes of songs by the Swedish folk-pop duo Piroth. The remixes are made by some of the finest electronic producers such as Popnoname (Kompakt/Firm/Italic), DisRelatedKin (Ministry of Sound/Kitsuné), Harald BjÄ¶rk (Kranglan Broadcast), Studio Barnhus (Petter Nordkvist, Axel Boman, Kornél KovÄ¡cs) (Studio Barnhus/Border Community/Pampa Records/Ourvision Recordings), Clara Moto (Infiné) and Nathan Fake (Border Community). The mastering was done by Stefan Echinger aka Lopazz. The artwork and cover design was done by Kheira Linder at Meedchen.de.

Pyramids/Horseback - A Throne Without A King CD (Hydra Head) [HDH229CD] $14.25
"A sprawling beast of unique nature - at once beguiling, terrifying and completely immersive. A more successful pairing of experimental-metal-drone-ambient-krautish-noise-rock collaborators you are unlikely to find, in our reality or any of its parallel relatives. Exclusive individual tracks from both participants, combined with their 45-minute collaborative sonic mass in four parts."

Rapoon - Messianicghosts CD (Aquarellist) [11933] $19.75
Reissue of a long time lost classical Rapoon album published in 2002 by the Austrian label Klanggalerie. Remastered and extended re-release of Rapoon's CD-R only release "Messianic Ghosts" on Syntactic, plus the Birethen and Amüz 7" tracks from the Syntactic 7" plus two brand new tracks as well.

CD, ltd. 430 in 4-panel digipack with two cards

Rapoon - Stray CD (Soleilmoon Recordings) [SOL181CD] $18.25
"Improvisational, acoustic, electronic, and artfully arranged, the music of Rapoon is the auditory manifestation of impressionism. Robin Storey paints his songs with small details and fleeting impressions that evoke a mood or place in the listener's imagination. Stray opens with a simple recording of a women's choir, then in the next two tracks Storey transforms and transmutes the voices, adding pastel tones and rough shadows until the original canvas has been completely repainted. The fourth piece sprinkles tropical songbirds over distant drones and off-world rhythms, moving east until again, after two more songs, an entirely different atmosphere has emerged. The last three songs take up half of the album, and include two long pieces that comprise entire worlds unto themselves, from bedrock to mountaintop. Transitory, ephemeral clouds of sound flow down imaginary frozen canyons, pouring across weathered rocks and running to windswept shores, carrying sand, pollen and promises of spring's renewal. Taken together, the nine songs on Stray are as gorgeous as they are oblique and engaging. Stray is presented in lavishly printed CD slipcase and folder with vellum overwrap. In a world of generic music sold in dull packaging, the exquisite cover created for this CD makes it an object to treasure, yet it is typical of the high standards of Soleilmoon. This edition of Stray is limited to 333 copies."

Reformed Faction - The War Against... CD (Soleilmoon Recordings) [SOL153CD] $10.50
"It may be difficult for some to acknowledge, but the cold war is over. In its place: People. We have chosen to create new folk devils and to instill new, more insidious moral panics as a consequence. The War Against what or who? Reformed Faction is a new band featuring Robin Storey and Mark Spybey. The War Against... is their second CD, following Vota (KIanggalerie, 2006). This new album was cultivated from hours of improvisations made whilst watching Werner Herzog movies and drinking red wine. Spybey would record Storey and then manipulate the sounds, combining rough mixes of the pieces with sounds of his own. Although the most of the music was recorded over the course of a weekend, it took several months to assemble the album. Themes from the recording sessions were played in live concerts and then reworked for the final version of the album. This 2012 reissue of The War Against is presented in a tastefully screenprinted slipcase."

Reformed Faction - The World Awake/11 Stuck 2CD (Soleilmoon Recordings) [SOL197CD] $19.75
"The World Awake/11 Stueck is a new double album from Reformed Faction, the duo of Robin Storey and Mark Spybey. The World Awake! was originally intended for a vinyl release and recorded from improvisations made on one day in November of 2009. 11 Stueck was compiled from improvisations made on December 1st 2009, with drummer Christian Alderson and bass player Oscar Ruiz Fernandez. The Austin Texas based musician Tony D'Oporto, aka Gnome, also appears on one track. The work references the writing of Henry Miller, in his aptly entitled essay, 'With Edgar Varese in the Gobi Desert.' This first edition of The World Awake/11 Stueck is presented in a high-quality screen printed sleeve with printed slipcases for each disc. It is limited to 444 copies."

Roger Doyle - Chalant - Memento Mori CD (Psychonavigation) [PSY052] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 03-27-2012
After the haunting narrative tale of Cool Steel Army in 2009, Psychonavigation Records is proud to present the latest project by Ireland's godfather of Electronica Roger Doyle. When speaking about the project recently Roger said "I have composed music around telephone answering machine messages left on my machine from the late 1980s: from my now-deceased parents, my son when he was ten (he is now a father himself), Jonathan Philbin Bowman, and the morning after the opening night of Oscar Wilde's Salomé at the Gate Theatre, for which I composed a 2 hour onstage piano score. There's a presence, an atmosphere of nostalgia around these messages. Perhaps it is something to do with irretrievable time and the distance of 24 years that has passed since they were left."

These intimate verbal time capsules have been interspersed with instrumental compositions evoking a world of an ancient race memory, giving a hint of exotic imagined cultures. Both ideas are forms of time signatures. In 2011 The NOVA programme presented by Bernard Clarke on Lyric fm broadcast a one hour profile of these new works of Doyle. The programme which is built around Chalant was then chosen as one of the Top 5 winners in the prestigious Prix Europa awards in Berlin.

S.E.T.I. - Baikal CD (Loki Foundation) [11926] $15.00
'The aural world of BAIKAL evokes a crystalline landscape full of huge and breathtaking images, guiding the listener to arcane places, lakes and steppes.This new output of Andrew Lagowski aka S.E.T.I. is the result of the examination with the idea of old and sunken crafts being hidden in lakes while surfacing through the water in abandoned areas where only few people would live and survive. Calm and smooth soundscapes and atmospheric synth waves loaded with digitized voices and textured layers of noises and samples. BAIKAL is another step further in S.E.T.I.'s history of deep sounding ambient music. An evolving, moving and skittering Masterpiece! LOKI-PAS 31

Sabes - Diesel Charm CD (Ant-zen/Hymen) [11937] $18.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-27-2012
info: sabes a.k.a. sebastian mich started at young age as an acid / hard techno dj and decided to follow this path into the study of music technology, which prompted him to move from his native poland to the uk. he was both fascinated and alienated by the unfamiliar culture he found and he wanted to channel this disorientation and anger in an artistic fashion - and thus, sabes was born. the project's name is both an acronym of s. mich's first name spelled backwards and 'knowing' in spanish - the key word emphasising the focus of awareness , being aware of the whole world around you - being aware that you are alive. right from the beginning sebastian's ambition was to merge the distortion of rhythmic, noise-oriented industrial music with technoid beat and bass structures. influenced by classic industrial projects of the 90s like asche, imminent, synapscape and iszoloscope, sabes accomplished a high energetic blend of blasting beats, complex sequencer patterns, unsettling samples and crushing power noise textures. a thrilling combination of ramming beats, organic bass lines, harsh industrial surfaces and interspersed dark ambient sound spheres. an album that combines excellent contemporary industrial, raging techno dancefloor attacks and horrifying dark atmospheres into black mastery.

Sachiko & Rinji Fukuoka - Atomsum CD (Music Atlach) [MA010] $16.00
Cello, violin and electronics intertwine with the vocal drones of these OVERHANG PARTY and MAJUTSU NO NIWA veterans. Recorded live in Japan, the passionate sound and ambiance, which includes RINJI FUKUOKA's radio waves, offers "a glimpse of unbearable reality," while the Paris recording, made at the church Eglise Saint-Merri, uses solemn drone loops a la Overhang Party's "Prayer of a Fool."

Scent of Soil - Scent of Soil CD (Hubro) [HUBRO2513CD] $16.00
The band Scent Of Soil is fronted by vocalist Kirsti Huke and saxophonist Tore Brunborg. On this, their first album, they make use of material from a critically-acclaimed commissioned work they wrote together for the Vossa Jazz Festival in 2010. The nine powerful and visually rich songs they present here are all related to nature, each in its own way. Most of the lyrics were written by Huke, while the texts for two of the songs come from two of America's most prominent poets: Robert Frost wrote "Breeze" and Emily Dickinson was the author of "Necklaces." Kirsti Huke has worked in both rock and jazz genres, and has released two highly-praised albums under her own name. Her voice has been described as both "a honey jar" and "a powerhouse," which indicates the breadth of her approach to jazz standards, pop and rock. Tore Brunborg is undoubtedly one of the most important Norwegian saxophonists in the generation that followed Jan Garbarek. He had his breakthrough in the 1980s with the group Masqualero, which also featured Nils Petter MolvÄ¦r, Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen. During the past few years, he has worked with Mathias Eick, Manu Katché, the Tord Gustavsen Ensemble and Ketil BjÄ¸rnstad. He also plays a key role on two of Mats Eilertsen's records on the HUBRO label: Radio Yonder and Sky Dive. Scent Of Soil's music ranges from energetic rock to tender ballads in which the group's jazz roots emerge more distinctly. Huke and Brunborg have put together an exciting band with musicians who have all worked extensively with boundary-defying music, and their references to the alternative rock scene are very much in evidence. Guitarist Petter VÄ¥gan is also known Oas a member of Marvel Machine, Eyewaterlilies, Vertex and Petter O Hanna. Bassist Rune Nergaard and drummer Gard Nilssen have performed together in several different bands, but are perhaps best known from the free rock band Bushman's Revenge. Nilssen also plays with Susanne SundfÄ¸r, Puma and Mathias Eick. Scent Of Soil's debut album is both exciting and accessible -- a record abounding in musical high points.

Sektor 304 - Subliminal Actions CD (Malignant Records) [11921] $12.75
Subliminal Action not only compliments Soul Cleansing, but takes the Sektor 304 sound to new heights, delivering yet striking record sure to solidify their standing as one of premier, truly industrial acts in operation today. 10 tracks, totaling 63 minutes, in 6 panel digipak, mastered by James Plotkin.

Shindig - Shindig! Quarterly No. 4 Magazine (Shindig) [SHINQ04] $10.00
"Mott the Hoople: Joining a fan club: in the shadow of the last great '70s rockers by Kris Needs; The Twilights: Australia's legendary '60s pop pioneers come clean; The Alan Bown Set: From mod club routes to psychedelia and funky rock; Noel Harrison: The darkness behind the windmills of his mind; Paul Brett's Sage: Journeyman guitarist's acoustic prog project revisited; The Committee: Existential Swinging London film noir madness; New York Dolls; The Critters; Xl Records; The Association and so much more!"

Shindig - Shindig! No. 25 Magazine (Shindig) [SHIN025] $8.50
"On the cover: The Bee Gees: Rare, precious & beautiful: from brilliance to burnout in the 1960s. The first of an exclusive two-part insight into the all-conquering brothers Gibb's '60s success; Jason Falkner: Perfect pop wunderkind spills the beans; Jerry Yester: Farewell Aldebaran, Modern Folk Quartet and Lovin' Spoonful; Mighty Baby/Chilli Willi: Out of the festivals and into the pubs; The Mind Garage: Psychedelia goes to church. Plus Jerry Shirley, the M-80s, the Leopards, Mary Epworth, Kaleidoscope and so much more..."

Sissy Spacek - Harm CD (Troniks) [TRO296] $8.75
A lo-fi garage clash by PHIL BLANKENSHIP, JESSE JACKSON, CHARLIE MUMMA, CORYDON RONNAU and JOHN WIESE, recorded during preparation for the December 2011 SISSY SPACEK tour. Thudding sickness, black-souled vocal retch, and thrashing violence turn to blistering white out. Recorded direct to tape and straight to hell at F-House. Edition of 200.

Sly & Robbie - Blackwood Dub CD (Groove Attack) [GAP113CD] $14.75
Groove Attack presents Blackwood Dub, Sly & Robbie's first flawless dub album in years. This release was realized with long-time companions including Mikey "Mao" Chung (guitar) and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion) and others. The album was recorded in 2011 at the legendary Harry J Studio (which also recorded the first Bob Marley & The Wailers albums for Island Records) in coordination with the producer talent of Alberto "Burur" Blackwood and Gilroy "Rolex" Stewart. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare are by far the worldwide most known and most successful Jamaican musicians, responsible for countless essential recordings for local artists and producers that have made real reggae history. The duo remain engaged as drummer and bass session players for celebrities of the international rock/pop circuit, never failing to support new young talent coming from the ghettos of Kingston or the Jamaican countryside. CD is housed in a 6-fold digipak, including a sticker. Featuring: Sly Dunbar (drums/percussion/Syn drums), Robert Shakespeare (bass/guitar), Mikey "Mao" Chung (guitar), Dalton Brownie (guitar), Dougie Bryan (guitar), Daryl Thompson (guitar), Robbie Lyn (keyboards), Hansel Collins (keyboards), Sticky Thompson (percussion) and Skully (percussion).

Sly & Robbie - Blackwood Dub PIC. DISC CD (Groove Attack) [GAP113PIC] $20.75
Groove Attack presents Blackwood Dub, Sly & Robbie's first flawless dub album in years. This release was realized with long-time companions including Mikey "Mao" Chung (guitar) and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion) and others. The album was recorded in 2011 at the legendary Harry J Studio (which also recorded the first Bob Marley & The Wailers albums for Island Records) in coordination with the producer talent of Alberto "Burur" Blackwood and Gilroy "Rolex" Stewart. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare are by far the worldwide most known and most successful Jamaican musicians, responsible for countless essential recordings for local artists and producers that have made real reggae history. The duo remain engaged as drummer and bass session players for celebrities of the international rock/pop circuit, never failing to support new young talent coming from the ghettos of Kingston or the Jamaican countryside. CD is housed in a 6-fold digipak, including a sticker. Featuring: Sly Dunbar (drums/percussion/Syn drums), Robert Shakespeare (bass/guitar), Mikey "Mao" Chung (guitar), Dalton Brownie (guitar), Dougie Bryan (guitar), Daryl Thompson (guitar), Robbie Lyn (keyboards), Hansel Collins (keyboards), Sticky Thompson (percussion) and Skully (percussion).

Steve Peters & Steve Roden - Not A Leaf Remains As It Was CD (12k) [12k1069] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 02-21-2012
In 1995 Steve Peters and Steve Roden toured as a trio with singer Anna Homler; sometimes they would vocalize behind her, and they liked the way their voices blended together. They then spent about 15 years saying that "someday" they should record a voice-based project together. Aside from the physical distance between them, the problem was always: What would we sing? Neither wanted to write or sing lyrics.

Inspiration came in the form of a book of Japanese jisei -- poems allegedly written by monks on their death bed -- printed in both English translation and Romanized Japanese. Phonetically pronouncing the Japanese reminded Peters of the technique Roden has used of systematically chopping up the syllables in English texts to transform them into sound poems. Since neither of them speaks Japanese, it seemed like a good place to begin.

The two of them applied for a residency at Jack Straw, a non-profit recording facility in Seattle that gives grants of studio time. They had no exact plans other than they intended to avoid electronic instruments, or directly referencing the poems' literal meaning, or imitating any Japanese musical idioms or "Zen" stereotypes. Culling some of the poems that made references to sound and noting them on 3x5 cards, Peters and Roden sorted the cards into four groups according to the seasons of the year that the poems represented, divided the cards between them, and taped them to their music stands. They then sang random fragments from the various cards - a word here, a line there, maybe backwards, maybe the English translation. They made no effort to keep the poems intact or retain any of their meaning, instead treating the material simply as phonemes to put in their mouths.

All of the music was improvised in the studio, built up one track at a time. They worked intuitively, with no structural guidelines beyond using the texts. Three days later they emerged from the studio, not quite sure what they had done. After letting the material rest for several months Peters and Roden determined that Doug Haire, who recorded the sessions at Jack Straw, was the obvious choice to do the mixing. The album was completed in the fall of 2011.

12k is known to be a label of understatement and restraint, however, Not A Leaf Remains As It Was is arguably the most hushed and delicate record in the label's catalog. Every sound on the album's four tracks, be it the artists' voices, a pump organ or melodica hangs by a thread, played ever so slightly, with utmost care. Noises, created from turtle shells, leaves, and bells shuffle and flutter, as if they are quietly alive, in the background providing a textural backdrop to the sublime tones and ghostly voices.

Sutekh Hexen - Larvae CD (Handmade Birds) [HB034CD] $11.25
"Bay Area black metal/blacknoise duo, who in recent months have garnered a whole lot of hype, based on a flurry of killer (albeit insanely limited) releases. The stretches of ambience are darkly effective, as are the weirdly mournful clean guitar parts, the band obviously capable of creating mood and mystery, and when the buzz kicks in, none of that mood or mystery is lost, instead, it's absorbed into the frenzied black chaos which transforms the sound into something more than noise, more than black metal, it's a darkly epic, strangely textured assemblage of buzz and blast, howl and pound, the sound a living black entity, sonic chaos given form, this is the real transcendental black metal, all should be worshipping before the altar of the priests of Sutekh Hexen."

Terra Sancta - Sunken|Buried|Forgotten CDEP (Malignant Records) [11920] $9.00
A brand new CDEP from Terra Sancta, originally planned as part of the next full length release, but the tracks here are significantly different from the newer material being recorded as to warrant a separate release. Sunken|Buried|Forgotten should be seen as a sort of bridge between Terra Sancta's past and future recordings, the three tracks here (total time roughly 23 minutes) representing the heavy droning sound found on particular parts of Disintegration; swaths of roughly textured, post-industrial drift, propelled forth with a massive back weight into a crescendo of epic turbulence, leaving a wake of swirling cosmic debris in its path. Once again, Terra Sancta shows an innate ability to push the limits of what is traditionally considered dark ambient. 4 panel digipak, limited to 500 copies..

Terry De Castro - A Casa Verde CD (Scopitones) [TONECD026] $12.25
Terry de Castro takes a novel approach to her solo debut, one that is especially charming, likable, and well, curious. She's chosen to take a wonderfully unusual course and recorded an album comprised entirely of cover versions, but these are not necessarily well-known songs by famous artists.

Each song is a story unto itself, and all of the songs hang together in a vivid and illuminating way. Nationality comes into play here as well: A Casa Verde is replete with the intrinsically soothing and unmistakably American strains of steel guitar and banjo, among other instruments.

"A low key delight (8/10)" [NME]

"I like de Castro's voice a lot" [Pennyblack Music]

"A glorious alt-pop gemâ~@¦ this is one of the most intimate and affecting records in years" [Rock 'n' Reel]

"A winningly intriguing collectionâ~@¦ in a word: magical" [Rock-A-Rolla]!

The Protagonist - A Rebours CD (Ant-zen/Hymen) [11939] $18.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-27-2012
info: â€˜a reboursâ€™, the novel by joris-karl huysmans, is certainly a very important piece of literature, a landmark of symbolist aestheticism - and of language itself. released in 1884, it still amazes readers today, and really: how would you guess someone back then could have thought up a hyper-materialistic decadence that still potentially shocks you today, even though quite a bit of it has become commonplace dealing in our times? â€˜a reboursâ€™, consequently an ambitious title for a music album for sure, and especially for an artistâ€™s debut. but when cold meat industry released this in 1998, it seemed all appropriate, for it was met with high expectations, after magnus sundstrÄ¶m (the creative spirit being the protagonist) had featured on some high profile compilations. and really, the album, was excitedly greeted and well received by the dark industrial crowd. the sheer power of the orchestral, cinematic, imaginative pieces, the obviously talented compositions are all too convincing. various guests on the (mostly spoken) vocals and playing additional instruments, mostly strings add depth and variation to the albumâ€™s tracks. right in the opening track the huysmans reference is openly revealed in a recitation that expresses the praise of imagination - any possible misconception of what â€˜a reboursâ€™ is about is from now on passé. throughout the album, artifacts of european culture repeatedly serve as a source of inspiration: thorakâ€™s sculptures, riefenstahlâ€™s film art, poeâ€™s and shelleyâ€™s poetry, as well as the ancient zoroastric religion (the first monotheistic faith known to mankind). among all those heavy notions there sticks out one dominant feature: a prevailing sense of romanticism, maybe most clearly expressed in â€˜mutabilityâ€™, featuring the beautiful vocals of marks st. john ellis aka elijahâ€™s mantle. some tracks, like â€˜kÄ¤mpfende pferdeâ€™ or â€˜zoroasterâ€™ are driven by military style kettle drums, most parts of the album are dominated by orchestral complexity, others appear a bit more subdued and introspective - all in all, 47 minutes barely ever seem so short as when you listen to this emotionally sweeping album. â€˜a reboursâ€™, a title for a timeless classic? it has proven to be in literature, and now it does so in music: 13 years after the original release, this album seems to have matured instead of aged. a celebration of western culture, of ambition, intelligence and the power of the mind, a celebration of beauty - thanks to raubbau it is now revealed to a new generation of listeners, and to those who missed it the first time around.

The Protagonist - Songs of Experience CD (Ant-zen/Hymen) [11940] $18.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-27-2012
info: in 1794, william blake published â€˜songs of experienceâ€™ as an addendum to â€˜songs of innocenceâ€™, to complete the picture of â€˜the two contrary states of the human soulâ€™ - the state in question here being the constriction of the human spirit, the suffocation of creativity by the force to conform. after magnus sundstrÄ¶m aka the protagonist had released his debut â€˜Ä reboursâ€™ in 1998, the sky seemed the only limit for this musical entity. but, to much disappointment within the industrial scene, for the next seven years only a couple of compilation appearances would be heard from the protagonist. then, in 2005 two cds came out via cold meat industry: the aptly titled â€˜interimâ€™ ep and the album â€˜songs of experienceâ€™ (which was actually not entirely a new album, but in parts consisted of reworked versions of the aforementioned compilation tracks and a couple of tracks from the previous ep). the music on â€˜songs of experienceâ€™ resolved all doubts: the protagonist is a devoted artist, putting quality over quantity, and the result had been well worth waiting! as if no period of inactivity had ever discontinued the creative flow, the protagonist reassumed the path of the debut: orchestral splendour, rigid drumming, dramatic string works and an increased presence of haunting, eerie atmospheres, pushing the album towards the darker edges of the neo-classical spectrum. vocal deliveries are rather sparse and restricted to short spoken parts this time around, but feature prolific guests again: tomas petterson of ordo rosarius equlibrio lent his unmistakeable voice to the protagonistâ€™s most well-known track, â€˜strifeâ€™, a truly bombastic marching tune. jonathan grieve of contrastate can also be heard on one track, the heart-shattering â€˜sick roseâ€™. among all the opulence, romantic leanings all over, though the whole composition takes a decidedly bleak direction. the adapted literature features not only blake, but also baudelaire (hereâ€™s the symbolist theme again) and no other than the master himself, mr. william shakespeare. all in all, music and content combine into one impressive libertineâ€™s manifesto, proclaiming the power of free thought and the mistrust of authorities! for this well-timed re-release, raubbau gathers together not only the original album, but also the exclusive tracks from the â€˜interimâ€™ ep, thus presenting the entire bundle of cmi-released protagonist tracks. until today, the protagonist stands out unique among neo-classical artists for the sheer brilliance of composition and the authenticity of his preoccupations - he is really serious about seriousness. history has been revealed, let beauty unfold!

Tornado Rider - Jark Matter CD (Silver Sprocket) [SPRING035] $10.75
NOW AVAILABLE!!! TORNADO RIDER is a cello-led punk/metal ensemble whose unique sound leaves audiences feeling victorious, mischievous, and full of wonder. The band exists somewhere around the edges of Gogol Bordello and AC/DC to make a sound that is chaotic, intense, and some would even say mystical. Truly, their live show is unlike any other and must be seen in order to fully grasp the Tornado Rider experience. Packaged in eco-friendly Arigato Paks which fold out to reveal a map of the band's mystical land of Sneth, and include a set of six post-cards, and exclusive pin, lyrics, and an original story by cellist/vocalist RUSHAD EGGLESTON.

Various Artists - Tally Ho! Flying Nun's Greatest Bits 2CD (Flying Nun) [FNCD517] $13.25
No description available at this time.

Various Artists - Zelphabet L CD (Zelphabet) [L01] $10.00
The latest in the GX JUPITTER-LARSEN-curated, 26-part noise series. With LASSE MARHAUG, LEATHER BATH, LEE GAMBLE, LEGENDARY PINK DOTS, LETICIA CASTANEDA, and LIONEL MARCHETTI.

Various Artists - Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics CD (Nublu) [NUB029CD] $13.25
"Compiled by renowned DJ Baris K, this is a 14-track compilation featuring Turkish classics from the '70s -- from rock stalwarts Erkin Koray and Cem Karaca, to disco folksters Baris Manco, Nazan Soray, and psy-funkers Mogollar and Kamuran Akkor."

Various Artists - Michigan Mixture Volumes 1 & 2 2CD (Particles) [PART4009CD] $21.50
Originally issued in a tiny vinyl run over 20 years ago, these two legendary compilations are gathered here on CD for the first time and digitally remastered, together with rare pictures and background notes. Many of the featured bands shared stages with the legends of the time, but failed to make it big, meaning that their 45s now change hands for vast sums. If you ever assumed that the late '60s Michigan scene was all about The Stooges, MC5 and The Amboy Dukes, one listen to these snarling, fuzzy classics will blow your mind for good. Artists include: The Up, Sweet Cherry, Pitche Blende, The Glass Sun, Dick Rabbit, Popcorn Blizzard, The She-Devils, Renaissance Fair, The Orange Wedge, Clinging Hysteria, 9th Street Market, Ruby, Cambridge, B.C. & The Cavemen, The Chevron's V, The Herd, The Soul Benders, Bottle Company, The Rainy Days and Geyda.

Various Artists - The Best Of 200 Records 2011 CD (200) [200002CD] $16.00
200 Records has selected the best tracks from its seven releases in 2011. Featuring Till KrÄ¼ger, Nhar, Soukie & Windish, Constantijn Lange, Pazul and Alex Q. As if the 200 Records owners Dirk Middeldorf and Kai Sasse had planned this from the beginning, this year's compilation flows delicately, similar to a well-balanced DJ set. It opens with the first release of the year; Till KrÄ¼ger's "Last Track," the deep production that laid the foundation not only for this compilation, but also for the other releases that graced the label throughout 2011. French producer Nhar joined 200 with two EPs in 2011 and did an unforgettable performance at 200 Club celebrating the release of "Bluedrop," the second track on this compilation, followed by Soukie & Windish, who returned to 200 in 2011 with their second EP Duster/Flott. "Flott" brings back warm memories of summer, and works as a smooth transition into Constantijn Lange's slightly more uptempo release of "Morning Dew." Pazul also made his 200 Records debut with "Soundgarden," which included a stunning remix from Alex Q. The original version maintains the lightheartedness of the first half of this compilation. The remix transitions into the second half with something more befitting a dark nightclub as opposed to a summery outdoor event. Till KrÄ¼ger's "Deciduous" comes next; with a colossal kick drum, lengthy pads, and hypnotizing melodies, KrÄ¼ger sets things up for Nhar with two of the label's biggest tracks of the year. The Motionless/Betrayer EP not only concludes the compilation, but also finishes up the year of releases for 200 Records. Includes a download code to get a free 200 best-of mega mix by Till KrÄ¼ger.

Various Artists - GetDarker Presents: This Is Dubstep 2012 2CD (Aei Music) [GD006CD] $20.75
GetDarker presents This Is Dubstep 2012. The series, respected as one of the most popular yet credible dubstep compilations is back with an album to define the sound of 2012. An upfront and up-to-date selection brings forth 40 of this year's freshest tunes. GetDarker is respected as one of the most popular yet credible brands throughout dubstep, an endorsed independent online magazine devoted to dubstep music and UK underground culture. Evolving from an original site launched in 2003, GetDarker has since expanded beyond its London, UK roots and now has strong support from a global audience. GetDarker has bolstered its brand as an award-winning leader in dubstep via the TV-advertised compilation series This Is Dubstep, weekly GetDarkerTV webcasts, a Top 15 podcast, merchandise and exposure at UK festivals and international tours. Showcasing the full spectrum of the genre, these multimedia platforms have provided exposure to up-and-coming artists as well as brought the audience closer to the scene's biggest stars. Artists include: Nero, Chase & Status, Tinie Tempah, Skream, Modestep, Torqux & Twist, Benga, Flux Pavilion, Goth-Trad, Icicle & Distance, Mala-Digital Mystikz, Cutline, Belle Humble, Kromestar & Dark Tantrums, Cyrus, Phaeleh, Tunnidge, Benny Page, Benton, DJG, MRK1, Plastician, Tunnidge, Mr. Lager, Von D, Lee Scratch Perry vs. Mala, Ed Sheeran, Gemini, Jess Mills, Distance, Tes La Rok, Skream, 16bit, Author, Ed Thomas, Horsepower Productions, Truth, V.I.V.E.K, J:Kenzo, Gemini, Kryptic Minds, Psy:Am & Stinkahbell, Jakes, Biome, Lost, Sigma, Funtcase, Sleeper & District, Above & Beyond, Zoe Johnston and Synkro.

Various Artists - Space Is King: From Dub To Dubstep CD (Echo Beach) [EB087CD] $16.00
Explore the fiery and fierce force of mixing desk experimentation and smoking grooves that led into the bewitching masterclass of future-dub -- and a STEP further. Echo Beach presents the first volume of Space Is King, a superb compilation that documents the logical development of modern dub to dubstep. In this volume, the remixers focus on London dub legend Adrian Sherwood, the Birmingham circle of dub producers around G.Corp/Groove Corporation and the Bristol "connection" around Rob Smith with his past and future projects (Smith & Mighty, Rob Smith's Blue And Red, RSD). Special guests from the world of dubstep and dub include Big Youth, Carl Douglas, Martha & The Muffins, Ragga Twins, Lee Scratch Perry, Sara Lugo, The Ruts, Dubblestandart, Noiseshaper, Waterhouse Rock, Dreadzone, Jim Screetchy, Red Hands Common, Koe DNB, Dubmatix, Jason "DJ Shine" Spanu, Devon D, Tom Watson and El Wharton.

Various Artists - West Indies Soul: Volume 1 CD (Trans Air Records) [TRA424006CD] $18.25
"After taking listeners on a funky, dance floor fueled journey through the West Indies with Disc'o'Lypso and their West Indies Funk compilations, the San Juan Puerto Rico based Trans Air Records marks their triumphant return with a softer side of island offerings. Sail away with us on West Indies Soul as the warm sounds and breezy rhythms of the islands come to life on sixteen choice cuts from a selection of the region's top talent. Standouts include cover versions of Dyke & The Blazers -- 'Funky Broadway' and Lou Rawl's venerable 'Love Is A Hurting Thing.' These tropical ballads will melt even the coldest of hearts. Trans Air Records is proud to present West Indies Soul, with audio remastered from the original analog tapes for optimum sound quality. West Indies Soul is guaranteed to be a staple of your BBQs and cookouts for years to come. Crack open a bottle of coconut rum, relax, and enjoy."

Various Artists - The Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 2 CD (Stones Throw) [STH2281CD] $12.00
"Minimal Wave: underground DIY electronic music from North America and Europe in the late '70s-80s. Characterized by '70s synth and drum machine production and home recording, most of these tracks were privately released on limited-edition cassettes or vinyl and known only to a handful of people over the years. New Yorker Veronica Vasicka has spent the past five years painstakingly building the Minimal Wave catalog and a label of the same name that specializes in digging up and reissuing the music. Partnering here with Stones Throw, the recordings have been officially licensed, remastered from their analog source tapes and compiled here by Vasicka and Stones Throw's Peanut Butter Wolf."

Voices from the Lake (feat. Donato Dozzy and Neel) - Voices From The Lake CD (Prologue Music) [PRG001CD] $16.00
Voices From The Lake is an intensely personal project borne out of the long-standing friendship between two Italian DJ/producers, Donato Dozzy and Neel. The project extends and deepens their explorations of ambient techno, with an emphasis firmly placed on the "techno" component. Listening to Voices From The Lake is an immersive experience, as the textured beats and carefully-crafted rhythms have a deeply hypnotic effect. The open, fluid structure of the music gives it an organic, natural feel, transporting you to more peaceful surroundings. With the music of Voices From The Lake there is a completely natural progression and flow, nothing is forced or hurried. The sounds develop and unfold at their own pace, creating a powerful sense of tranquility. The genesis of the Voices From The Lake album can be found in the mountains of Japan, where the duo made their live debut at The Labyrinth festival in 2011. This album recreates and refines that performance. For 2012, they are preparing a new live performance for a series of special shows.

Wedding Present, The - Valentina CD (Scopitones) [TONECD037] $12.25
RELEASE DATE: 03-20-2012
The Wedding Present release their much-anticipated eighth studio album, 'Valentina'. It was recorded in France, California and England during 2011 and mixed by Andrew Scheps [whose past credits include Metallica, Iggy Pop and Johnny Cash].

Valentina comes four years after 2008's 'El Rey' and is performed by David Gedge [singing, guitars & percussion], Graeme Ramsay [guitars, piano, harmonium & co-writer with Gedge of all but one of the songs], Pepe le Moko [bass & backing vocals] and Charles Layton [drums & percussion].

Following an album launch event at the 'South By Southwest' music festival in Austin, Texas, the band will be embarking on a tour of North America. This tour will be extra special because, as well as celebrating the release of Valentina, the band will be playing their classic album 'Seamonsters' live, in its entirety. Following the North American dates the band will be moving on to Australia, Japan and Continental Europe before bringing the whole event home with an extensive tour of The United Kingdom and Ireland in the autumn.

The Valentina track listing is: You're Dead / You Jane / Meet Cute / Back A Bitâ~@¦ Stop / Stop Thief! / The Girl From The DDR / Deer Caught In The Headlights / 524 Fidelio / End Credits / Mystery Date

White Gold - White Gold CD (Troniks) [TRO297] $8.75
A JOHN WIESE / PHIL BLANKENSHIP maelstrom at maximum f***ing pressure. Over forty minutes of new harsh electronics from the duo behind LHD. A white hot sheet of deafening sound recorded August 2011. Edition of 150.

Whomadewho - Brighter CD (Kompakt) [KOMP097CD] $14.75
WhoMadeWho may lack a question mark after their name, but their music will certainly have you asking after them. The Copenhagen, Denmark trio is difficult to pin down, but their music sounds as effortless as it is stylistically and sonically adventurous. Having formed in 2003, the genre-bending trio made up of Jeppe Kjellberg, Tomas HÄ¸ffding and Tomas Barfod honed their skills on stage and in the studio, releasing a series of best-selling records on Gomma, topped off by their Kompakt-released 2011 mini-album Knee Deep (KOM 230LP). They remain one of Europe's most cherished live acts, performing alongside the likes of LCD Soundystem, Daft Punk, Azari & III, and they have been staples of the summer festival circuit with a breakthrough performance in 2011 at the legendary Roskilde Festival. It must be said that Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age loves the band so much that he even did a cover of "Space For Rent." WhoMadeWho have truly succeeded on their mission to eschew convention. Fusing pop and disco memes with punk paraphernalia, they now return with the sublime full-length Brighter. The album operates as the missing link between the radical playfulness of the band's previous full-length The Plot (GOMMA 120CD) and the introspective focus of Knee Deep, bridging their early work with a newly-founded sense of sincerity and musicianship. "The Sun" has already proved itself as a crowd favorite -- cocky, bold and catchy, this is THE hymn that fans new and old will be screaming to over the summer months. "Below The Cherry Moon" submerges the band in pop perfection, revealing a matured depth and lyrical brilliance. Other songs such as "Inside World," the hard-hitting "Never Had The Time" or existentialist groove-study "Running Man" feature the accessibility as well as the edginess that describe both ends of the same passion: Kjellberg's characteristic vocal hits the pop-nerve in the verses while HÄ¸ffding's soft falsetto holds the song together, giving the album its constantly-evolving flow. Another instant classic that will rule our hearts and minds.

Wiley - Evolve Or Be Extinct CD (Big Dada) [BD187CD] $15.50
"What is the true mark of the wayward genius of Wiley? Is it that, less than six months after the release of his last full album, 100% Publishing, he has another record all set for release? Is it that he has insisted that it is released on his birthday, Thursday January 19th 2012? Or that he initially refused to release a single from it? That he has made so much music that his fans will receive two CDs, the second with at least eight further tracks on it? Or even that one track on the album has no music ('Customs')? No, it's not any of these. It's that we can say, without fear of contradiction (or without much fear), that Evolve Or Be Extinct is the best album (so far!) of this unique artist's career. Dark, funny, wild and exhilarating, this is a record which shows just what Wiley is capable of when he forgets the minutiae of recording contracts and concentrates on the many weird and wonderful facets of his life."

Yeti - #12 Book (Yeti) [YETI012] $13.00
New Yeti format with exclusive GROUPER track on the 7 inch! "The first issue in the new format: 8" square with a hard-vinyl 7" stapled inside the back cover. On the hard-vinyl 7" EP: Four archival, killer, never before heard songs: Mississippi Fred Mcdowell (two unreleased 1959 Lomax recordings). The Tiki Men's blown-out cover of Duane Eddy's 'First Love, First Tears,' ca. 1994. Plus a new recording by dreampop slayer grouper of Dead Moon's 'Demona,' recorded just the other month! Inside the 8" by 8" book: Awesome cover by Carson Ellis. Portfolio of photographs from Alan Lomax Archives ca. his 1959 'Southern Journey.' Translator/poet Margarita Shalina's personal look at the NYC 1980s hardcore punk scene (she was there, man). Kim Spurlock's heavily annotated trove of Neal Cassady ephemera. Jamaican Gospel 7" label scans. Great drawings by Tim Miller, James Trotter and Jana Cleveland. Killer photos by Nina Dudoladova of Long-Abandoned Forts in Kaliningrad, Russia. A monumental, look at the work of Sacramento, CA's forgotten '90s surf band the Tiki Men. An interview with translator and author Susan Bernofsky (best-known for her work with Robert Walser). A great story by Mimi Lipson. Image-heavy interview by Chris Kirkley (Sahel Sounds) with contemporary African sign-painter Thiam Bellou."

[ D V D ]

Oval - OvalDNA DVD+CD (Shitkatapult) [STRIKE134CD] $18.25
In many ways, O, released on Thrill Jockey after a nine-year break, was a second debut album for Markus Popp aka Oval. A radical break with old concepts and methods, a new beginning. While Popp's artistic approach in the 1990s and early 2000s was more of a structural, theoretical nature, O was just about the music itself. Themes such as the means of production, limitations, dogma and concept took a back seat to a musical sensibility. Instead of writing new software to synthesize and process sounds, for O, Popp dove into the heart of our preset-culture. He acquired a standard PC and only used the pre-installed sounds and plug-ins. With this ready-to-play machine and conventional musical instruments like the guitar and drums, a new chapter in the story of Oval was written. DNA is a mountain of an album: an audio CD with 25 tracks, each about three minutes long. Some are no longer than a minute. Here you'll find a collection of rare Oval pieces and 12 previously-unreleased tracks. DNA is a mixture of music from Markus Popp's various creative phases. It's surprising how old and new meld seamlessly together, and how, for Oval, formalism and musicality have produced similar results. Markus Popp has found an unmistakable musical language and declined it from A to Z. DNA, so to say, is the accompanying dictionary. Originally, this album was supposed to appear before O and conclude the "electronic" phase of Oval. DNA is intoxicating and wonderful. There is the intensive guitar work of the new pieces, an eruptive bundle of sounds, the sparkle and shimmer of high tones. The simultaneousness of countless events, unbelievably dense and at the same time secretly light. Disc 2 of DNA is almost something like an Open Source Manifesto: It contains the SoundBrowser/Sequenzer-Software OvalDNA and more than 2,000 Oval Sounds from various phases of Popp's work as individual AIFF files. The software and sound files are intended for music producers and are available to all without restrictions. Also included is a video documentation of PlayGroundTV/Madrid, the Glass UFO music video by AmberleyProductions/Berlin and 10 bonus tracks for the OvalDNA album as WAV files.

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

Ballin' Jack - Ballin' Jack CD (Get On Down) [GET52189CD] $14.50
"Seattle Washington's horn rock legends, Ballin' Jack originally formed in 1969 after witnessing the success of their childhood friend blossom and then explode. Who was this childhood friend? Well none other than the one and only Jimi Hendrix. While Ballin' Jack never reached the same Olympian heights that Hendrix did, their self titled debut garnered critical acclamations and respect amongst horn rock aficionados. Most of the material from their self titled debut album was played on tour with Hendrix, when they joined him in 1970 on his 'Cry of Love' tour. Ballin' Jack scored modest mainstream success with their single 'Super Highway,' peaking at #90 on the US Billboard Singles chart. Hip hop fans will recognize Ballin' Jack for a different reason. The song 'Found A Child' was famously sampled for Young MC's enormous hit 'Bust A Move.' Get On Down is proud to present Ballin' Jack's self titled debut as it was intended to be experienced, with a beautiful new digital transfer from the original analog tapes."

Bobby Bare - Hard Time Hungrys/The Winner...and Other Losers CD (Omni Recording Company) [OMNI156CD] $19.25
"Built around a concept and songs supplied by maverick songwriter Shel Silverstein, Bobby Bare's Hard Time Hungrys is an astounding and affecting chronicle of economic depression and the people most buffeted by it. Recorded in 1975, the album is timelier than ever with its moving and good humored tales of the disenfranchised and their plight. From light-hearted odes to the life of poverty ('Warm And Free') to earthy tales of the hard scrabble ('The Farmer Feeds Us All,' 'Two For A Dollar') the album is profound and friendly. The following year Bare cut The Winner?And Other Losers an engaging set that features many highlights including one of the most bizarre spirituals ever committed to wax, 'Dropkick Me, Jesus.' Remastered from the original RCA Victor mastertapes in 2012. 24 track CD. All original recordings. Twenty page full colour booklet with exclusive liner notes and rare photos."

Cardinal - Hymns CD (Fire) [FIRE216CD] $18.25
"Eighteen years after the release of their landmark self-titled debut, Cardinal -- the recording collaboration between Richard Davies and Eric Matthews --are preparing to unveil their long awaited new album. The new record, entitled Hymns, picks up where their debut left off -- well-crafted, layered orchestral pop, with Matthews' multi-instrumental talents enhancing Davies' sublime songwriting gems. Hymns comprises ten new originals, another milestone in the band's quest to provide the missing link in chamber pop history, following the Beatles and Bee Gees and before Belle & Sebastian, and a worthy follow up to their self-titled debut, a record lauded then, and now, as one of the most important albums of the '90s. Ushering in an era of appreciation for the orchestrated pop music the 1960s, with a modern approach, Cardinal's debut opus, originally released in 1994, seemed to come out of nowhere with its layered textures and delightful melodies, swimming against the tidal wave of grunge."

Dick Curless - The Long Lonesome Road CD (Omni Recording Company) [OMNI152CD] $19.25
"Known as 'The Baron of Country Music,' Dick Curless was a commanding vocal and physical presence. Possessed of a magnificent rumbling baritone, standing an imposing 6' 3" and eye-patched (due to genuine health problems) Curless battled drug and alcohol addictions for much of his life yet left a compelling catalog of music. The 1968 LP The Long Lonesome Road is perhaps his greatest album and is presented here in its entirety (including the bleakly autographical hit 'Bury the Bottle with Me') with 19 astounding extra cuts. They range from Curless' chilling trucker anthem 'A Tombstone Every Mile,' the stark 'Foggy Foggy Dew' to rollicking barroom laments like 'Loser's Cocktail' and the haunting anti-war ode 'Old Bob Burton.' Remastered from the original master tapes and presented with exclusive liner notes and rare photos. Twenty-nine track CD. All original recordings. Many tracks first time on CD."

Elton Dean's Ninesense - The 100 Club Concert 1979 2CD (Reel Recordings) [REELR02425CD] $22.25
For the many friends and fans of the late saxophonist and composer Elton Dean, this poignant 2CD release is the debut presentation of a complete concert performance from Elton's ensemble of Brit-jazz firebrands known as Ninesense. Elton Dean was a consummate musician, widely-recognized for his indelible sound and serpentine solos on alto sax and saxello. From his roots in the R&B styling of Long John Baldry's Bluesology, through The Keith Tippett Group, Soft Machine, and Just Us, Elton founded Ninesense from London's finest jazz upstarts: Alan Skidmore, tenor & soprano saxophones; Mark Charig, cornet & tenor horn; Harry Beckett, flugelhorn & trumpet; Nick Evans & Radu Malfatti, trombone; Keith Tippett, piano; Harry Miller, bass; Louis Moholo, drums. Joining Ninesense during their second set is American trumpeter Jim Dvorak. Throughout The 100 Club Concert 1979 Ninesense deliver staggering renditions of Elton's magnificent charts, two of which, "Bounce" and "Marks" are hitherto unrecorded. Also unique to this concert is Nick Evans' elegant "First Born." Elton's colorful compositions are cast across a harmonically rich canvas, and noteworthy for featuring each soloist in deep with the volcanic Tippet/Miller/Moholo rhythm team, amounting to an unfolding series of molten-hot trios. Thirty-three years later, it is simply extraordinary that Italian Riccardo Bergerone captured this exhilarating concert in stereo during his stay in London that winter. Ninesense: The 100 Club Concert 1979 includes Riccardo's private photographs and personal notes, honoring the musician who remained his life-long friend -- the great Elton Dean.

Heaven & Earth - Refuge CD (Lion Productions) [LION114CD] $18.25
"This reissue has been a long time coming, in no small part because we wanted it to be perfect. We're happy to finally be able to announce the re-release of this psychedelic folk/funk beauty from 1973, featuring the gorgeous voices of Pat Gefell and Jo D. Andrews (and produced by Space Age percussionist/composer Dick Schory for his short-lived but influential Ovation Records imprint). At one time this was an album completely unknown outside of Chicago, where the label was based; but these days, word gets around, and tracks like 'Feel The Spirit' and 'Jenny' have been making the rounds on the DJ circuit. No matter what your musical taste is--psych-folk, funk, soft rock--this LP seems to have something special to offer. This is due in part to notable backing from veterans like bassist Phil Upchurch (Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, Stan Getz, Groove Holmes, and Cannonball Adderly), and space age pop maven Bobby Christian on drums and percussion. But primarily it is due to the clear voices and intelligent songs crafted by Gefell and Andrews. Our Lion Productions replica LP version comes in an old style tip-on gatefold jacket with lyrics printed inside, and includes an insert packed with band history and rare photos. It is a quality vinyl pressing, newly mastered from the original tapes. The deluxe mini-LP sleeve CD version has two booklets--one packed with rare photos from the Ovation Records archives; the other with musings by both members of the group on their time spent as Heaven & Earth. Better yet, the CD version has fifteen bonus tracks, including both sides of the duo's two singles, as well as alternate takes and some never before released songs plucked from the vaults."

Karantamba - Ndigal CD (Teranga Beat) [TBCD015CD] $18.25
Teranga Beat proudly presents Bai Janha alias "Sweet Fingers" and his psychedelic steamroller, Karantamba. Composer, arranger, guitar player in Guelewar and Ifang Bondi, Bai Janha is undisputedly the most important musician to have come from Gambia. Band leader of the groups Black Star, Whales Band, Fabulous Eagles and Supreme Eagles, founder of the group Alligators who later became Guelewar, Bai is the one who created the unique psychedelic sound in the region of Sene-Gambia, mixing traditional compositions with soul. His musical innovations contributed to the domination of Afromanding music in West Africa for more than a decade. This record presents Bai Janha with his last group, Karantamba, a school for young musicians, in a totally unreleased recording, recorded in ThiÄ¨s (Senegal) at "Sangomar" Club in 1984. The double gatefold LP's liner notes and CD's booklet include more information and photographs, outlining the living legend's musical career and the wicked percussive rhythms and compositions of this album.

Matsuo Ohno - I Saw The Outer Limits 2CD (Em Records) [EM1098CD] $25.75
Mind-stretching analog synth wizardry from the legendary Matsuo Ohno, sound designer for Astro Boy and many other Japanese films and TV programs. His first non-soundtrack release, from 1978, is a massive, undulating galaxy re-released here on CD with a bonus mini-CD reissue of a rare 1970 flexi-disc Play On Animals, rated as one of 2011's top releases by Byron Coley of The Wire. This reissue of his stellar 1978 LP I Saw The Outer Limits presents him at the peak of his powers, combining his mastery of classic analog tape music techniques with then-state-of-the-art analog synthesizers. This is a true under-recognized classic, a masterfully recorded, massive-sounding poetic construction of unearthly sound, a breathing behemoth, with Ohno's galaxy moving beyond "sounds that already exist" in search of new sonic spaces. Matsuo Ohno was born in Kanda, in central Tokyo, in 1930. The relentless bombing onslaught of the war years, the near-apocalyptic conditions, were defining, formative forces. As a youth he was interested in Surrealism and philosophy, and was uninfluenced by music and musicians -- an exception being the electronic works of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Other early influences were the film director Fumio Kamei and the dramatist Michio Kato; rather than viewing himself as a musician, and never studying under any masters, Ohno forged his own path as the original "onkyo sound" artist, defining himself as an "onkyo designer" in the 1960s. His innate independent streak manifested itself early on, when, chafing under creative restrictions, Ohno left a prestigious post at NHK, Japan's national broadcaster. But of course, his skills were in high demand and he was extremely busy as a freelance sound designer for a wide range of films, television shows and radio programs, developing his ear and his technical savvy. In 1963 he began his most famed efforts, providing sound design for the legendary Japanese animation series Astro Boy, with Takehisa Kosugi as his assistant. I Saw The Outer Limits was the first full-length non-soundtrack release by Matsuo Ohno. The record was a huge step for him, being non-programmatic music, designed to stand alone, free of visual imagery. Ohno himself has stated that he was uninterested in notions of message, expression and representation. Shinji Hinoki, a producer at Toho Records, approached Ohno with the offer of releasing an album; Hinoki perhaps envisioned something to cash in on the popularity of the synth-driven elements of Pink Floyd -- what he got was something much more abstract and otherworldly. Hinoki supplied both title and subtitle, including the latter's variant spelling of "marijuana," a ploy to evade Japanese censors. On these recordings, made at Sogosha in Tokyo, his private studio, Ohno used the EMS Synthi AKS, which at that time in Japan carried a price close to that of a family car, the newly-released Roland System 100 (three of these, in fact), and a custom-made synth. He combined these synthesizers with his virtuosic control of analog tape recording techniques, resulting in a magnificent LP. The original vinyl release was, however, somewhat marred by 50 Hz hum generated during the mastering process at Toho Studios. This EM CD reissue restores the masterpiece to its primal, clear, massive glory. Housed in a foldout thick paper sleeve. Liner notes and biography in Japanese with an English translation. The bonus disc is pressed on a mini-CD (8cm) and packed in a triple foldout sleeve, in the same style as the original 1970 issue, and is inserted in the EM 1098CD sleeve.

Mighty Sparrow, The - Sparrowmania! 2CD (Strut) [STRUT090CD] $17.25
Subtitled: Wit, Wisdom And Soul From The King Of Calypso 1960-1974. "Strut presents a brand new retrospective of one of the Caribbean's most towering musical figures, Mighty Sparrow, covering 1962 to 1974. During a career of over 40 years, Sparrow has been an unmatchable figure in the world of calypso and a constant backdrop to Caribbean life, recording over 300 albums and winning eleven Calypso Monarch and eight Road March titles at the annual Trinidad Carnival during one of the most competitive times in its history. Scoring his first hit, 'Jean And Dinah', aged 20, Sparrow's style drew on influences from US street harmony quartets to crooners like Nat King Cole, jazz greats -- Ella, Sinatra -- and the early calypso generation including Lord Melody and Lord Kitchener. By the late '50s and in his early '20s, he was already an influential figure, encouraging Trinidad's people to pay taxes with Carnival hit 'P.A.Y.E.' and highlighting cruelty to animals on 'Russian Satellite'. This new collection hones in on Sparrow's most creative years as he effortlessly surfed musical styles from calypso party jams to hard-hitting boogaloo and soul. He had become a confident political commentator, tackling subjects as varied as domestic economic hardship ('Ah Diggin' Horrors'), slavery ('The Slave') and the Cuban missile crisis ('Kennedy And Kruschev'). Other tracks serve as a vital reference point for today's music. On 'Picong Duel', we hear Sparrow and fellow calypso legend, Lord Melody, trade insults, a direct forerunner to later mic battles in hip hop culture. Elsewhere, Sparrow just plain rocks the party ('Calypso Boogaloo', 'Jook For Jook') and turns in the odd choice cover -- we feature here his lilting version of Otis Redding's 'Try A Little Tenderness' with Byron Lee."

Mugo - United CD (Kay-Dee Records) [KDCD004CD] $14.50
"It was in June 1971-near Washington D.C., eight students at Mckinley Tech High were daydreaming of national fame. They spent countless hours in band practice, combining a highly energetic mass of instrumentalization, vocals and multi layered soul music calling themselves the Sound Affect Band at first. Later the group changed their name to Mugo Kenyatta meaning wise musicians in Swahili. They eventually shortened it up to just Mugo. Mugo hit the streets by the mid-1970s. Though slated to be the first of many releases on United World Records the single featuring 'Organize' and 'Space Travel' were the only releases. Their following music never left the master tape. By the 1980s the group disbanded. And now in 2012 Kay Dee Records has put together these recordings making it an almost all unreleased album of material with the help of Kevin Coombe and Dave Griffiths. Featuring mixes from Kenny Dope at his Kay Dee studios."

Mustapha Skandrani - Istikhbars and Improvisations CD (Em Records) [EM1096CD] $19.00
Mustapha Skandrani: besides having an excellent name, this man, a luminary of Algerian music, possessed a unique musical sense, able to transcend the borders of musical cultures to create a distinctive fusion of Arabo-Andalusian and European styles. Istikhbars And Improvisations, recorded in 1965 in Paris, is a solo piano album presenting a trans-Mediterranean crossover based on traditional Algerian vocal pieces known as istikhbars. Playing these istikhbars (which have roots in the Islamic Arabo-Andalusian culture which flourished in Spain) on the piano, that quintessentially European instrument, Skandrani was greeted with derision by some purists. Skandrani's powerful musical vision, however, perceives the European element involved in Arabo-Andalusian musical culture, a world of exchange and co-existence, and his decision to play this music on the piano reminds us of this European influence. Skandrani's modus operandi on this release is to present each istikhbar, modal in nature, then to play an improvisation based on the istikhbar and its attendant mode. This A/B alternation continues throughout. The pellucid clarity of Skandrani's playing on this album may remind the listener of a modal Goldberg Variations, Bach and Glenn Gould transplanted to Andalucia. Other ears will hear the Arabic/Maghreb elements more strongly. Skandrani's precise touch and clear, symmetrical rhythmic sense links both worlds, assuring us that the Mediterranean is not a barrier, but a unifier, and that the differences between the cultures are not vast. This is an admirable achievement, resulting in beautiful music of a rare charm. Mustapha Skandrani was born in Algiers in 1920, and died there in 2005. He mastered a number of instruments at an early age, and his musical prowess led him to work with the great singers and ensembles of his day, in live performances, recordings, and radio broadcasts. Later in his life, he devoted much energy to education. Istikhbars And Improvisations comes with liner notes in English and Japanese. Housed in a gatefold cardboard sleeve jacket (embossed print) with inserts.

Night Sun - Mournin' CD (Second Battle) [SB041CD] $21.00
"A great heavy-progressive Krautrock band in the vein of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin with twin guitars, organ, bass and drums. Mournin' was produced by Conny Plank in 1972 at the Windrose Studio, Hamburg."

Orchestra Peter Thomas - Orion 2000 CD (Omni Recording Company) [OMNI149CD] $19.25
"The highpoint of a career that boasts the legendary Space Patrol (Raumpatrouille) and Chariots Of The Gods soundtracks, Peter Thomas' Orion 2000 is a near-mythical release that was only ever pressed in minuscule amounts as a German library LP (in 1975) and has never been available commercially before now. Drums pound, basses buzz, horns flail and star-maidens wail. Berserk electronic and musique-concrete effects collide with manic energy. There is nothing on this world (or any other) that sounds like the 'blaxploitation-kraut-jazz-in-space' sound of the Orchestra Peter Thomas. Remastered from the original master tapes and presented with exclusive liner notes, the original artwork, three extra previously unreleased tracks (15 total) and rare photos."

Patrice Sciortino - Chronoradial CD (Omni Recording Company) [OMNI150CD] $19.25
"In the world of sound library and production music French Avant-garde composer Patrice Sciortino is both unique and universal. His astounding late 1960s and early 1970s recordings for the prestigious Musique Pour L'Image and PSI labels receive their first serious reissue and reappraisal here. Reissued for the very first time is his landmark 1970 LP Chronoradial plus a swathe of beautiful yet confronting, and incredibly rare, late 1960s French library cuts. Thirty-six track CD. All original recordings. First Official release on CD ever. Twenty page full color booklet with exclusive liner notes and rare photos. Ultra-rare French production music workouts that bare comparison to Bernard Herrmann and Ennio Morricone at their best."

Stonemans, The - All In The Family CD (Omni Recording Company) [OMNI151CD] $19.25
"Founded around 1920s Hillbilly recording star 'Pop' Stoneman, by the mid-1960s the group comprised Pop and five of his thirteen children. With a dizzying sound that melded old-timey traditions, sunshine pop and breakneck bluegrass jams, The Stonemans hit the country charts often but are now strangely forgotten. Mini-skirts and mandolins mutate through quasi-psychedelic visions of space ('The Five Little Johnson Girls'), identity fraud ('Christopher Robin') and suburban delirium ('West Canterbury Subdivision Blues'), while instrumentals like 'Bluegrass Ramble' cut and sear. For the very first time all of their chart hits and many astounding LP cuts are presented on this 34 track CD, remastered from the original master tapes and presented with exclusive liner notes and a treasure trove of fabulous photos."

The Sound - Jeopardy CD (1972) [IF52] $13.25
No description available at this time.

The Sound - From The Lions Mouth CD (1972) [IF53] $13.25
No description available at this time.

Tom Dissevelt/Kid Baltan - Song Of The Second Moon CD (Omni Recording Company) [OMNI155CD] $19.25
"Perhaps the most influential recording in the history of electronic music, Song Of The Second Moon is far more than an historical curiosity. For the very first time electronic music was conceived as popular music, an incredibly listenable mélange of jazz and concrete stylings. Composed by Dutch Philips Research Laboratories employees Tom Dissevelt and Dick Raaijmakers (Kid Baltan) between 1957 and 1961, Song Of The Second Moon's dynamic and playful futurism would inspire legendary figures from Jean Jacques Perrey to Glenn Gould. For its premiere reissue we present the rare stereo version of the album with a multitude of outtakes, alternate and mono versions. 20 tracks, all original recordings. Remastered from the original Philips/Limelight master tapes in 2012. Twenty page full color booklet with exclusive liner notes and rare photos."

Various Artists - Glimpses Volumes 3 & 4 2CD (Particles) [PART4008CD] $21.50
At long last, this legendary series of moody '60s punk and garage compilations is available on CD again. Originally issued in the early 1980s, and featuring some of the greatest and rarest 45 sides of the 1960s (from all over the U.S. and elsewhere), it's downright essential for fans of heavy rock and roll, and is presented here with a booklet offering biographical information on all artists, plus rare pictures. Artists include: Los Shakers, Donnie Matchett, The Primates, The So... But So What, The Book Of Changes, The Pattens, Canned Heat, The Fugitives, The Accent, The Restless Feelin's, The British Road Runners, Larry & The Paper Prophets, Hunger, Mad River, The Traits, The Electras, Bobby Dee & The Crestliners, The Gee Tees, Kack Klick, The Four O'Clock, The Quantrill Raiders, The Cave Dwellers, The Third Bardo, Magic Swirling Ship, The Purple Canteen, Phorenbach Delegation and The Fabulous Apostles.

Various Artists - Piccadilly Sunshine Part Seven CD (Particles) [PART4004CD] $16.00
Subtitled: British Pop Psych And Other Flavours 1966-1970. Part Seven of this exciting series continues to illuminate and celebrate the mistakenly overlooked and truly obscured artifacts of illustrious noise that emerged from the British psychedelic era and beyond. The celebrated Piccadilly Sunshine series introduces many listeners to a brave new world of audible delights, offering a precious glimpse into the floral heavens of Great British psychedelic pop. Many gems that have eluded the grasp of compilers before will grace deserved ears and should serve to establish Piccadilly Sunshine as the stalwart series in the inflated contemporary maze of re-issues. Artists include: Loose Ends, Peter Fenton, Paul Young, Bobcats, Chris Kerry, Situation, Magic Lanterns, Mud, Peeps, Pinkerton's Assort' Colours, The Act, The Koobas, Deuce Of Hearts, Harbour Lites, Monopoly, Dead Sea Fruit, Barry Fantoni, Rising Sons and Barley Bree.

Various Artists - TensiÄ³n: Spanish Experimental Underground 1980-1985 CD (Munster Records) [MR319CD] $16.50
It happened during the peak of the media excitement over the countercultural movement known as "Movida MadrileÄ±a." That DIY spirit, that in Spain was awakened later than in others due to the political ballast of nearly 40 years of dictatorship, had but one stage where not all of its protagonists could fit. Still, some even preferred to move away from the spotlight. Between 1980 and 1985, through the width and breadth of all of Spain, groups began to emerge that captured the fundamental essence of underground acts from other parts of the globe. New York's No Wave, the avant-garde pop of The Residents, the possibilities of technical manipulation or the less exhibitionist side of post-punk were adopted with the radical imagination, passion and freedom that comes from not having to answer to anyone. The success of those bands lay with breaking with the past and never looking back, burning their boats with each recording; they gave everything without expecting anything, making tension the criterion for quality. At a time when certain kinds of records weren't easily available in Spain and the chances to see the most fearless foreign bands live were scarce, a number of people and small collectives, inevitably centered around Madrid and Barcelona, created a diverse scene of bands, labels and fanzines which slowly and bravely developed and gained followers across the whole country. Cities like New York, London and Berlin served as examples to follow. Within this varied group of artists there was room for industrial sounds, daring post-punk, out-rock, mutant funk, dark wave, weird dance music and pure experimentalism. TensiÄ³n is the first comprehensive compilation of this most daring side of the early '80s Spanish music scene. Most tracks reissued for the first time, plus two previously-unreleased tracks. Sleeve notes written by César Estabiel, illustrated with original artwork and memorabilia.

Various Artists - Personal Space: Electronic Soul 1974-1984 CD (Chocolate Industries) [CHLT075CD] $18.25
"If the independently-pressed record made the galaxy of recorded music that much larger, the burgeoning home studio became the black hole from which little escaped. Flowering in the mid-to-late '70s, affordable high-quality tape recorders, synthesizers, and simple drum machines permitted the aspiring artist to never leave his home, never request the assistance of another human being. In the world of American black music, name artists such as Sly Stone, Timmy Thomas, and Shuggie Otis had experimented with rudimentary electronic soul with a modicum of success, but on record what remains is scant. This collection presents the unheard underground of the self-produced, often solo, electronic soul world of the '70s and early '80s, offering a view into an ocean of sound that is in turn peaceful, bizarre, funky, and often humbly ahead of its time. Available as a high quality 180 gram double LP or deluxe bound book CD and features arial photography by NASA astronaut Donald Pettit."

Various Artists - Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1967-1974 CD (Light In The Attic) [LITA081CD] $15.00
"Over a five year period in Oakland, CA -- archivist Pat Thomas befriended key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, dug through Huey Newton's archives at Stanford University, spent countless hours and thousands of dollars on eBay, and talked to rank and file Black Panther Party members, uncovering dozens of obscure albums, singles, and stray tapes. Along the way, he began to piece together a time period (1967-1974) when revolutionaries were seen as pop culture icons: Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael -- and musicians were seen as revolutionaries; Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Bob Dylan, John Lennon and others. As a result, Thomas wrote a 70,000-word hardcover book entitled Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power -- to be published by Fantagraphics in early 2012 -- which also includes some 200 full color images of obscure recordings that encompass rock, soul, jazz, comedy, poetry, and even religious sermons blended with Black Nationalism. Light In The Attic Records presents the companion 'soundtrack' to the book. For the time first ever, Black and White artists share space on a definitive anthology of the Black Power era. Listen, Whitey! is cross-cultural overview that sees Bob Dylan's out of print 1971 single 'George Jackson' reissued for the first time along with several selections from Motown's long forgotten 'Black Forum' label -- Motown's early '70s Black Power militant imprint that has never been documented until now with provocative recordings from SNCC spokesman Stokely Carmichael, outspoken African-American poet Amiri Baraka, and Black Panther Party singer/songwriter Elaine Brown." CD housed in digipak and 36 page booklet.

Various Artists - Aimer Et Perdre: To Love & To Lose Songs, 1917-1934 2CD (Tompkins Square) [TSQ2653CD] $25.50
"This is one from the heart. The unique pre-war music of the Cajun bayous, the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine and Poland, and the American rural countryside has been collected to narrate the human odyssey of love gained and love lost. Early songs of unbridled anticipation and desperate longing color the canvas of love, courtship, dejection and marriage -- a never ending cycle. The accompanying 60-page booklet features many rare, previously unpublished images and comprehensive lyrical translation. Three original artworks Robert Crumb provide a backdrop for these sublime songs of passion and despair. Respectfully crafted by Christopher King and Susan Archie for Tompkins Square. Thirty-six songs on two CDs."

Wendy Rene - After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-1965 CD (Light In The Attic) [LITA080] $15.00
RELEASE DATE: 02-07-2012
***Born MARY FRIERSON in Memphis, Tennessee, home of Stax Records, WENDY RENE was christened by OTIS REDDING on signing to Stax as a teenager in 1963. Back then, she and brother JOHNNY FRIERSON, both singers at the Church of God In Christ, were determined to make it in music. Forming singing quartet THE DRAPELS with two friends, they took the bus to 926 E. McLemore Avenue, auditioned for Stax co-founder JIM STEWART, and won a deal on the spot. Both Drapels and Wendy began recording with the greats-that's The MGs on the group's "Young Man", BOOKER T. JONES playing organ on "After Laughter" and STEVE CROPPER playing guitar on the dance craze-inspired "Bar-B-Q," the success of which caused Wendy-then a teen bride-to leave school. The Drapels dissolved almost as quickly as Wendy's first marriage, partly due to the attention lavished on youngest member Wendy's solo career. But a real hit eluded the singer, and in 1967, with a growing family with second husband and Stax employee JAMES CROSS, Wendy decided to retire from the business. Wendy was due to perform one last show with Otis Redding and the BAR-KAYS, but changed her mind at the last minute. It was an auspicious decision-that weekend, Redding and four Bar-Kays died when their plane crashed in Lake Monona. Features eleven singles, nine rare tracks and two unreleased songs.

X-O-Dus - English Black Boys CD (LTM) [LTM2568] $14.75
RELEASE DATE: 04-02-2012
LTM presents the first CD by Manchester reggae band X-O-Dus, best known for their Dennis Bovell produced single 'English Black Boys' on Factory Records in February 1980.

Formed by Moss Side teenagers Honey and Leddy Ricketts in the late 1970s, X-O-Dus elected to play a more political/progressive style of reggae, free from the religious dogma typical of other reggae bands at the time. Talent spotted by Joy Division/New Order manager Rob Gretton, the group were invited to record for fledgling indie Factory Records, with leading producer Dennis 'Blackbeard' Bovell (Matumbi, Slits, Pop Group) hired to mix down 'English Black Boys' and 'See Them A Come' as an extended dub single. In true Factory style the 12" was released a year late, and stands as the only reggae record sleeved by feted designer Peter Saville.

Though X-O-Dus performed at live events such as 'Zoo Meets Factory Halfway' and 'Factory By Moonlight', the group found it hard to make headway on an experimental art label, and disbanded in 1981 without releasing an album. Digitally remastered, this archive collection includes both sides of the lengthy Fac 11 single along with seven album demos recorded in 1980.

'Factory and Rob were always obsessed with the black music scene in Manchester,' Tony Wilson explained later. 'As we all know, black music is the heart of rock n' roll. But we put out English Black Boys and X-O-Dus then broke up -- typical!'

This week's VINYL update contains releases by:

23 Skidoo * Actress * Aggregation, The * Al Kent * Alberto Pascual * Andrew Liles * Anthony Pateras * Archie Shepp * Army of God * Audience * Audision * B-Tracks * Ben Frost & Daniel Bjarnason * Benedikt Frey * Beth Jeans Houghton and Her Band The Hooves Of Destiny * Boddika & Joy Orbison * Bosco Delrey * Boys Noize * Bushman's Revenge * Cardinal * Carmen Maki & Blues Creation * Catholic Boys * Champs/The Rumblers, The * Claro Intelecto * Commodo * Creation, The * Cruise Family * Cuticle * Danava * Darkside (Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington) * Darling Dears, The * Dillon * Dirty Three * DJ Hidden/Broken Note/Niveau Zero/Balkansky * Django Django * Django Reinhardt * Eden's Children * El Doom & The Born Electric * Elias Rahbani * Elika * Ellipsis * Enola/Nhar * Erland Dahlen * ESG * Eux Autres * F.C. Judd * Fau & Deam * Flower Travellin' Band * Fluxion * Galliard * Garbage and The Flowers * Gerry Read/23hz & Numaestro * Gesaffelstein * Giant Sand * Glenn Gould * Golden Calves * Gonjasufi * Gorje Hewek & Izhevski * Handbraekes * Harald Bjork * Heavy Hawaii * Hecq * Hey Today! * Holiday Crowd * Horrid Red * Hospitality * Hubble * Iron Lung * Jazzanova * Jesse Mae Hemphill * Joaan * John Cage/Terry Fox * John Talabot * Karantamba * Karen Dalton * Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi * Kevin Ayers * Kollektiv Ost/Schaufler & Zovsky * Kristoffer Nystroms Orkester * Kyoka * Larry and His Flask * Last Waltz * Le Super Borgou De Parakou * Lee Fields * Leila * Lilacs & Champagne * Locked Groove * Lonely C & Baby Prince * Lost Sounds * Lustmord * M.E.B., The * Marc Houle * Marc Romboy vs. Kink * Martini Bros * Maxmillion Dunbar * Megafortress * Merzbow & Marhaug * MF Doom * Michael Chapman * Micronaut, The * Mighty Sparrow, The * Minilogue * Mirrorring * Mistreaters * Mops, The * Moveclean * Mustapha Skandrani * My Best Fiend * Napolian * New Riders Of The Purple Sage * Nicolas Jaar * Nina Simone * Nitin * Of Montreal * Om * Organs Of Love * Ozgur Can * Pascal Nuzzo & Max D-Loved * Patrick Chardronnet * Peaking Lights * Perispirit * Pharaoh Overlord * Plug * Pollyester * Portraits * Proxy * Punks On Mars * Radiohead * Radiophonic Workshop * Raucherecke * Ravi Shankar/Ali Akbar Khan * Roberto Clementi * Rummelsnuff/Shambhu and The True Love Hearts * Saga * San Proper * Sbtrkt * Scent Of Soil * Sei A * Sewer Election * Shlomi Aber * Silvia Kastel/Ninni Morgia/Gary Smith * Slant Azymuth * Sleep Over * Sly & Robbie * Soft Machine * Spam Chop * Stefan Goldmann * Strategy * Tadeo * Television * The Doozer * Tini * Tomorrow's Gift * Trans Am * Vazz/La Bambola Del Dr. Caligari * Wasserfall * Whomadewho * Wiley * Wooden Shjips * Zzt (Zombie Nation & Tiga) * ZZT (Zombie Nation & Tiga)

[ F E A T U R E D R E L E A S E S ]

Lustmord - Monstrous Soul 2xLP (Vaultworks/Burning World) [11932] $28.75
Burning World Records is proud to present the second installment in the Lustmord vinyl re-issue series... The Monstrous Soul, originally recorded and released in 1990. The Monstrous Soul was conceived in Sheffield in 1990 by B. Lustmord and Clock DVA founder Adi Newton. First released by London label World Serpent, it followed the seminal and highly influential dark ambient album Heresy. Although the release dates were barely a year apart, The Monstrous Soul marked a turning point for Lustmord, one that mapped the future more than it mirrored the past. Much more digital magic and electronic processing was employed this time.The Monstrous Soul dedicated itself to creating a environment of gloom in which the listener was totally enveloped by an hour long soundscape best described as a journey through a frozen hell. At the time The Monstrous Soul was recorded, the legendary B. Lustmord resided in a squat in London, near the Oval cricket ground, just around the corner from David Tibet, founder of Current 93. It takes little imagination to connect the bleak visual landscape of south London's worst slum to Lustmord's grim electronics. This wasn't simply a fantasy video game soundtrack, it truly reflected the environment from which is came. Housed in a gatefold sleeve.

Merzbow & Marhaug - Mer Mar LP (Editions Mego) [DEMEGO025LP] $19.00
Japanese noise artist Masami Akita aka Merzbow and Scandinavian noise artist Lasse Marhaug have been working together since the mid-'90s. The first release on Marhaug's (now-deleted) label Jazzassin Records in 1995 was the First Rock split single. In 2001, Merzbow and Jazzkammer (Marhaug's project with John Hegre) released a live album. Later, Akita and Marhaug executed several live collaborations, but often with other artists such as Hair Stylistics and Jim O'Rourke. In 2010, they finally got together to record as a duo. Recorded at GOK Sound Studios in Tokyo, the results can now be heard as Mer Mar. Made using a combination of scrap metal screeching, analog synths and enough effects pedals to make you overweight with most airline companies, Mer Mar is a tour de force for both of these noise veterans, hinting at some classic '80s Merzbow jams such as Material Action. Recorded at Studio GOK Sound, Tokyo, April 7, 2010 by Hamamoto Yohei. Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. Cover design by Lasse Marhaug.

Pete Namlook/Various Artists - The Ambient Gardener: Spring DTS+CD (Fax) [PKPWPS7] $27.00
RELEASE DATE: 01-30-2012
Pete Namlook releases this compilation to document the starting point of the label and the beginning of a 'long and winding road' to come. The tracks on this album which have been edited and remastered are like seeds that Pete as 'The Ambient Gardener' puts into the field of electronic music in 'spring'. The music is presented as a mix in one go and one can easily feel the deep and intense spirit of these tracks which have started so many won- derful 'specimen'. DJ Criss, with whom Pete started the label, compiled the track listing and so the "return to the future" feeling was perfectly preserved. Enjoy the birth of the prolific label that is one of a kind, releasing an abundance of high quality music which was never watered down by commercial interests--these are plants of true organic growth and purity of spirit.

Plug - Back On Time 2xLP (Ninja Tune) [ZEN177LP] $20.00
2LP version with download code. "In 1996 Blue Angel Recordings (later Blue Planet) an imprint of the legendary Rising High label released the Drum 'N' Bass for Papa album by Plug AKA West Country king of kitschtronica Luke Vibert. Fast fast forward 15 years and the news was met with much merriment and joy from the Ninjas when in early 2011 Luke Vibert said that he had just found some never heard before DATs dated 1995-1998 and entitled Plug. Now after years in hiding this long-lost material can finally be heard on Back On Time."

Radiophonic Workshop - The Seasons LP (Trunk) [JBH04€] $18.25
At long last the rarest and most peculiar of all Radiophonic Workshop albums is available. Originally issued in 1969, The Seasons has become almost mythical over the last few years. With its mix of unexpected electronics, percussion, tape manipulation and austere poetry, it sounds like no other. The Seasons has also become a major influence on bands such as Broadcast and a key reference in the development of Ghost Box and the whole "hauntology" soundscape. It is seen and heard very much now as an important and lost classic. And after over one year of detective work and rights investigation (which is a lot in this modern world of instant communication), this impressive, strange and wholly unique album is seeing the light of day once again. Originally made as part of the BBC's Drama Workshop broadcasts, this album was meant for educational purposes. Coming in the later period of what is commonly known and remembered as "Music and Movement" or "Movement and Mime Classes," the album was issued briefly as a teaching aid for the modern thinking 1960s classroom. The idea was to play the album and get the school children to dance, improvise, think and create to the sounds and words. The music was originated by one of the early pioneering Radiophonic musicians, David Cain. Very little of his music has ever been made available (except on the classic BBC "pink" album) but to some followers of early British electronics, he is the forgotten master. And for this release he has been interviewed by Julian House (The Focus Group) with a fascinating Q&A, which will appear in the new sleevenotes. As for the poet Ronald Duncan, he is now deceased, but had an interesting and inspired life. A born pacifist, he famously wrote the libretto for Britten's opera The Rape Of Lucretia, wrote the script for Girl On A Motorcycle, and started the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. His poetry was published by Faber And Faber by T.S. Eliot, who became a friend. Duncan's 16 featured poems were specially written in 1969 just for this project. The album sold in tiny quantities when it came out and was quickly deleted by the BBC. Even the BBC Archive doesn't have a copy. In fact the album's scarcity has only added to its mythical status. A handful of originals started appearing in bargain bins throughout the mid-1990s, and as interest in British electronics and the Radiophonic Workshop started to grow, the album's reputation began to gain a little momentum. The album rarely surfaces, but Jonny Trunk and fellow collector Martin Green found three copies at back in about 1998, one of which was passed on to Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis has subsequently played a track at the start of each month ("January" in January etc.) on his 6 Music radio show over the last year. The album also appeared on the Trunk Recommendations pages back in the Spring of 2003 and as a result requests to hear the album started slowly coming in. These requests became regular, and the album started popping up on want lists, on blogs, even on YouTube. Prices for original copies of the album then started to hit three figures. So, in 2010, Jonny Trunk started looking into a reissue. It has taken one and a half years and has been a labor of love for all involved. Sleevenotes include contributions already mentioned, a piece by Jon Brooks (The Advisory Circle), and Trunk has even traced two of the four mysterious slides mentioned on the original sleeve, that could be ordered back in 1969 via the BBC as a further aid to dance and projection. These slides are featured in the CD booklet. Also worth noting is that this album has been remastered from the original Radiophonic Workshop tapes.

Various Artists - Simla Beat 70 LP (Particles) [PART4001LP] $20.75
Particles is delighted to present the first of two legendary compilation albums released to commemorate the All-India Beat Contest, instituted in 1968 by Simla ("the oldest cigarette company with a young heart"). Featuring acts from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras and Bangalore, the music bears clear Western influences, but with a distinctive Eastern twist, and is presented here complete with original artwork and remastered sound. This legendary Indian garage, beat and psych record comes pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Artists: Confusions, Dinosaurs, X'Lents, Innerlite, Genuine Spares and Great Bear.

Various Artists - Simla Beat 71 LP (Particles) [PART4002LP] $20.75
Particles is delighted to present the second of two legendary compilation albums released to commemorate the All-India Beat Contest, instituted in 1968 by Simla ("the oldest cigarette company with a young heart"). Featuring acts from Shillong, Poona, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Cuttack and Panjim, the music bears clear Western influences, but with a distinctive Eastern twist, and is presented here complete with original artwork and remastered sound. Pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Artists: The Fentones, Nomads, Hypnotic Eye, Mini Beats, Velvette Fogg, The Black Beats, The Eruptions and Brood Of Vipers.

[ . . . ]

Actress - Meets Shangaan Electro 12 inch (Honest Jon's Records) [HJP062EP] $10.75
Honest Jon's Records presents Actress' insidiously inventive take on the Shangaan style and the most eagerly-awaited installment in this 12" series.

Aggregation, The - Mind Odyssey LP (Sweet Dandelion) [SWDDL725LP] $27.25
"Finally we are proud to offer a reissue of this cult US psych album which is faithful to the original release. Known and desired by collectors for decades, it is today considered as one of the key albums to understand the genre. This concept album makes use of a visit to a theme park as a metaphor for a Psychedelic Journey. Interestingly, The Aggregation where one of the few rock bands playing in Disneyland (!!!) at the time. The music is psychedelic, dreamy, sophisticated and controlled, there's flute and saxophone as well as the use of psychedelic effects, and the double-sided lyrics cleverly draw the line between their clear psychedelic intentions and the young audience of Disneyland." Reissued for the first time with its original foldout cover and remastered sound.

Al Kent - The Best Of Disco Demands 2xLP (Bbe) [BBE173ALP] $23.00
Gatefold 2LP version, part one of two. "The Disco Demands series started sometime in the early 2000s - I couldn't give you an exact year because it didn't feel like a big deal, so I never noted it. I simply wanted to put out a compilation of some records I really liked and maybe make a little of the money back I was spending on them. Buy some food and stuff. There's always been Disco comps around of course but there was rarely anything that strayed too far from the standards, the same songs kept appearing over and over again, or the comps would feature records you could pick up anywhere for little money. I've never seen the point in that. I gave up judging a record on its value or rarity a long time ago but surely there's more to disco than Exodus, Martin Circus, Mass Production and all those Salsoul, West End and bloody Prelude records. So it was a nice surprise to find that there were other people out there who thought the same way. Volume 1 was pretty straightforward - just some nice records, with the only edit being an instrumental of Disco Socks; a strange, thinly veiled reference to the disco sucks movement."

Alberto Pascual - Vertigo 12 inch (Plus 8) [PLUS8124EP] $10.75
Alberto Pascual presents his debut EP for Plus 8. A skilled DJ and live performer, Pascual has been producing since 2004, with over 30 releases to his name. It's much the same on the title track, which hits loopy depths immediately. Dramatic FX, crunchy hats and tension-mounting hisses fill out the spaces between the beats. "Truchas Rancias" is more reserved: Economical arrangements characterize the techno eeriness this time. "Continuous Learning" is more unhinged, with swirling synths, dripping water sounds and shadowy voices.

Andrew Liles - First Aid Box 7 inch box (Ultra Mail Productions) [11895] $68.50
Ultra-Mail prod present:

Andrew Liles / First aid Box 4 x 7" vinyls

Deluxe Black velvet box,with black foil on front cover.

6 full color postcards

1 folded poster

Disc One : side A : Cervical Conization side B : Precordial Thump

Disc Two: side A : Hemilaminectomy side B : Kinesiotherapy

Disc Three: side A : Tracheal Intubation side B : Lithotriptor

Disc Four: side A : Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation side b : Palliative Care

Limited to 300 copies only!

Anthony Pateras - Errors Of The Human Body 2xLP (Editions Mego) [EMEGO140LP] $25.75
Errors Of The Human Body is a feature film shot at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, Germany. Written and directed by Eron Sheean, it stars Michael Eklund, Karoline Herfurth, TÄ³mas Lemarquis and Rik Mayall, with music by Editions Mego stalwart Anthony Pateras. In the early 2000s, Sheean met Pateras in Melbourne, and they have worked together ever since, Pateras scoring three of Sheean's short films which have all been screened a numerous festivals worldwide. Errors Of The Human Body OST is the musical results of their first feature-length collaboration. Instrumentation includes strings, winds, brass and a broad arsenal of percussion performed by Melbourne's magnificent Speak Percussion. Pateras' distinct keyboards and electronics permeate throughout, evoking the film's key themes of isolation, scientific intrigue, ambiguous ethics and hallucinatory metamorphosis. This album covers a lot of ground, incorporating elements of alien synthesis, lush textures, odd, layered rhythms and wild production. There is even a club track with tape-delayed string orchestra, contrabassoon and cowbell. No one can decide whether they like it. Quite possibly being the only record this year incorporating ARP2600 and thumb piano, it features Pateras' electronic language with contemporary experiments with orchestration, glued together with a determination to test the edges of the film music medium. Vinyl edition contains liner notes by Anthony Pateras. Music performed by: Anthony Pateras (piano/prepared piano/organs/electronics), Anna McMichael (violin), Erkki Veltheim (viola), Judith Hamann (cello), Brock Imison (bassoon), Liam Kinson (clarinet) and Andrew Young (horn). Speak Percussion feature Eugene Ughetti and Matthias Schack-Arnott with Elizabeth Welsh (additional strings).

Army of God - Salvation 12 inch (Army Of God) [AOG001EP] $12.25
The Army Of God are on the march. Glorious slow-mo dark wave vibes on this debut cut, "Salvation." The original is followed by a re-structured dub version. Spaventi D'Azzuro turns in a sophisticated re-make all over the flip -- simultaneously exposing his Italian roots and the era he grew up in. Limited edition.

Audision - Up & Away EP 12 inch (And Music) [AND016EP] $11.50
Audision's Up & Away is two back-number tracks which were recorded four years ago. They had been searching for the right moment to release them up to now. In 2011, Robag Wruhme did an edit for the track "Yellow Sunset." As he played it during the summer, the reactions were amazing. Finally, he decided to combine these three tracks and release them together on this 12". Some nice stickers and a beautiful postcard attached.

B-Tracks - Come Back 12 inch (Supply) [SUPPLY002EP] $12.25
B-Tracks aka John Barera and Soren Jahan present their second release on their own Supply Records imprint. The title track opens the EP with a grooving, stripped-down house cut for the dancefloor. "The Next Step" rounds out the A-side with a driving piece of deep house and techno music. On the B-side, "When The Time Comes" is a raw, barebones techno track with analog soundscapes. "Crisis" finishes on an upfront melodic note.

Ben Frost & Daniel Bjarnason - SÄ³laris LP (Bedroom Community) [HVALUR012LP] $18.25
LP version. Ben Frost and DanÄel Bjarnason are two composers used to shrugging off the distinction between experimental sound art and deeply-felt melodies. Frost's vast, blackened post-industrial works often crystallize in moments of quiet beauty before disintegrating in pure visceral noise; Bjarnason's orchestral music marries brutal modernism to classical aesthetics one moment and soaring ethereal harmonies the next. And yet here, on the tail of two widely-acclaimed releases; Bjarnason's Processions (HVALUR 007CD) and Frost's By The Throat (HVALUR 006/LP), we are given something altogether new. A unique collaboration, SÄ³laris is a quiet, stilled and all-consuming symphonic suite at once as affecting and uncanny as the science-fiction classic that inspired it. The power of Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris is not in its futuristic sets, or in the hypnotic shots of the alien planet's weird, fluid surface, it's in the way the auteur juxtaposes his alien, futuristic elements against the intimately familiar. This is a future not just of flashing lights and video screens, but of wood and wool and leather, of dogs and horses, books and photographs. In Frost & Bjarnason's SÄ³laris, we do find the futuristic, gaseous atmospheres and pulses one might expect from a sci-fi soundtrack. Here they are carved instead from the warm, fragile sonorities of Sinfonietta Cracovia; one of Europe's leading orchestras, a gently prepared piano whose harmonies warp and melt before transforming again -- and waves upon waves of guitar. Created through a unique series of processes, Frost & Bjarnason's initial sketches -- improvised to the film -- were fed through software designed to correct music which tried to turn their dense and distorted sonic input into a digital sequence of raw musical data. Working from data riddled with error and misunderstanding, a human score was orchestrated; the whole process deftly mirroring the very core of the film's own narrative of memory and loss, alien doppelgÄ¤ngers and emotional feedback loops. Brian Eno -- who consulted closely in the creation of SÄ³laris -- also used the same film to create a video accompaniment to this music in another strange loop of computer-generated distortion. But here the score stands on its own. SÄ³laris is a journey into an internal world; into the self; a flux of wonder, horror, sorrow and tenderness; and a ravishing sensory experience.

Benedikt Frey - Fairytale 12 inch (Mule Electronic) [MULE086EP] $14.75
Mule Electronic presents the fantastic new artist Benedikt Frey. The title track features super-deep Detroit house sounds with smoky male vocals. Should be especially fascinating for fans of Theo Parrish or Moodymann or even DJ Koze. All the other tracks are also high quality stuff. Featuring contributions from Chris Cox and Simon Mager.

Beth Jeans Houghton and Her Band The Hooves Of Destiny - Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose LP (Mute) [MUTE9509LP] $17.25
"With her honeyed vocals and whimsical sensibility, the Newcastle-born 21-year old Beth Jeans Houghton and her band The Hooves of Destiny quickly became 'ones to watch' in their native UK, particularly after a fabled stage appearance with Devendra Banhart, support slots for Bon Iver and an EP released in 2009. Dubbed as 'a legend in the making' by NME and hailed as 'the new Jean Genie' by The Independent (UK), Beth + the Hooves are often described as sparkly acid/psych-folk. Beth's also become known for eccentric stage costumes, flamboyant wigs, striking photographs and an ever-changing appearance. Compared to Florence, Natasha Khan, Laura Marling and Vashti Bunyan, Beth is actually incomparably unique and stands to make a huge impression on the musical landscape with her debut album in 2012."

Boddika & Joy Orbison - Swims 12 inch (Swamp81) [SWAMP017EP] $13.00
"Boddika & Joy Orbison deliver two mixes of Swims pressed on 180 gram vinyl."

Bosco Delrey - Everybody Wah LP (Mad Decent) [MAD128] $12.00
BOSCO DELREY, the stylish purveyor of electronic-tinged rockabilly, is prepared to release his debut full length album Everybody Wah on Mad Decent. Hailing from New Jersey by way of Memphis, Bosco's sound references the sounds of Sun Studios-era recordings, updating the lo-fi guitar twang with the use of an MPC drum machine and vintage synthesizer emulators to create a wall of distorted dance/grunge, with other apparent influences ranging from southern rap to church hymns and dancehall. He spent the past summer in Memphis, TN recording the 13 tracks with DOUG EASLEY. With the first whistle of "Baby's Got A Blue Flame" Everybody Wah transports you into Bosco's classic future rock world where any musical influence is fair game. "Get Outta Dodge" starts off as an acoustic ballad eventually building into swirls of psychedelic fuzz. Bosco let's his rockabilly influences shine on "Don Haps" with its twangy guitar driven beat building up to lush organ and vocal harmonies. "Lovely Sleepy Dead" is a punk rock anthem taking influences from The Ramones and The Clash. "Expelled Spelled Expelled," "Down We Go" and "Insta Love" show Bosco's craftsmanship for a the ballad, taking cues from classic rock and 50's doowop. "Afterlife" grooves with a mellow dancehall beat followed by "Cool Out's" hyper speed drum and bass proving there's no musical territory Bosco's afraid to touch. "20 Flight Dub" ends the record sending it off on dreamy synth pads and a light reggaeton beat over Bosco's bedroom soul vocals. Every track on the record brings together new ideas and influences, making Everybody Wah an entirely refreshing entry into the current music scene.

Boys Noize - Adonis Remix EP 12 inch (Cocoon) [COR090EP] $12.25
There is hardly any other track so closely connected to Sven VÄ¤th's twelfth Ibiza season than "Adonis" by Alex Ridha aka Boys Noize. With his fusion of energetic disco, massive percussion and Chicago memories, "Adonis" perfectly fit into the intensive late summer. DJ and producer Mark E skillfully transfers "Adonis" into a hypnotic house opus with a recognizable Detroit pinch.

Bushman's Revenge - Never Mind The Botox LP (Rune Grammofon) [RLP2125LP] $20.75
This is the companion to the Bonanza album, recorded and mixed during the same sessions in Athletic Sound in summer 2011. Here they cover some of their personal favorites, fully showing the diversity of artists that is so typical for the listening habits of young Norwegian musicians not subscribing to specific genres. Meaning, you will find Black Sabbath and Pixies side-by-side with Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra. And with "Bushman Rock," they also cover themselves. This song was left off the Jitterbug (RCD 2097CD/ RLP 3097LP) album, but they recorded a vastly improved version for this album. And their take on Sabbath's "War Pigs" is absolutely blazing. This is a vinyl-only release and comes with a free mp3 download of the whole album.

Bushman's Revenge - A Little Bit Of Big Bonanza LP (Rune Grammofon) [RLP312€] $20.75
This is the fourth album from Bushman's Revenge, and their third on Rune Grammofon. It's no secret that the label has a soft spot for this fabulous group and would wish nothing less than world domination for them. What they do seems to be an almost lost art when it comes to making records. Basically, meaning great musicians playing together in a proper recording studio, interacting and playing off each other. The tracks are mostly first or second takes, there is no editing and just a couple of overdubs on the whole album. And while guitarist Even Helte Hermansen is the natural focal point, there are no big egos at work here -- this is a solid unit where all members are equally important for the end result. Just listen to the "loose but tight" interplay on the opening track, an energetic and joyful interpretation of Sonny Sharrock's "As We Used To Sing." Bushman's Revenge was founded by Even and Gard back in 2003 in their hometown of Skien, a couple of hours south of Oslo, while Rune joined from the northern town of BodÄ¸. Even was a member of Shining and grew up listening to Kiss, Pantera, Sepultura, Faith No More, Frank Zappa and John Coltrane, while Gard and Rune met at the Jazz Academy in Trondheim, breeding ground for renowned musicians such as Arve Henriksen, StÄ¥le StorlÄ¸kken, Nils Petter MolvÄ¦r and many more. Gard also plays with pop sensation Susanne SundfÄ¸r and in Puma with Ä~ystein Moen (Jaga Jazzist) and guitar experimentalist Stian Westerhus. It was recorded and mixed in Athletic Studio in Halden, Norway in summer 2011.

Catholic Boys - Psychic Voodoo Mind Control LP (Dusty Medical) [DMR32] $13.50
REISSUED!!! Dusty Medical & HS!BF Records are proud to co-present the 2011 remastered reissue of the classic Psychic Voodoo Mind Control-the one and only full-length LP from NE Wisconsin misfits the CATHOLIC BOYS. The foursome spawned from the Ripoff-worshipping TEENAGE REJECTS, of whom JON, PAUL and ERIC were all members. NICK had played in the garage blues trash outfit the STRONG COME ONS-together they created some of the weirdest & spazziest punk rock anyone had ever heard, and set out all over the rust belt in the early '00s, touring with England's The Real Losers and Green Bay pals the Mystery Girls, playing festivals like the Horizontal Action Blackout. They recorded with people like Justin Perkins and Alicja Trout and released 7" after 7" on labels like No F***in' Chance Records outta the Netherlands, Michigan's Bancroft Records, and the storied Wisconsin label Kryptonite Records, but just one LP-issued on Australia's Dropkick label in an edition of 500 copies, along with a domestic CD version on Green Bay's Trickknee label. The vinyl edition quickly disappeared and has been unavailable since. Now in 2012 the record returns with a new master derived from Justin Perkins's original tapes, and new artwork made from the original source material used in the first pressing.

Champs/The Rumblers, The - Club House/Blockade 7 inch (Tt Shaker) [TTSHAKE101EP] $10.75
Jazzman presents a brand-new Jazzman oldies subsidiary. This new series of limited run 45s will focus on the wild and insalubrious sounds of the late '50s and early '60s. Each release will feature unique label artwork, and all are limited to 500 pressings. The Champs are the genre's Beatles. "Club House" is one of the best Champs sides, but for some inexplicable reason it never saw an issue on 45rpm, until now. Side B features a track by The Rumblers.

Claro Intelecto - Second Blood EP 12 inch (Delsin) [DSR091EP] $12.25
Three deep techno tracks from Claro Intellecto. The title track is a lazy, scuffed and romantic-sounding deep dub cut that lurches from one beat to the next. Plenty of echo and reverb have it drifting off into the distance as warm pads and rising strings add subtle tension. "Heart" is just as lateral -- dubwise and soothing, melting your mind into a dreamy state of hypnosis before "Voyeurism" lifts you out of your trance with a firmer kick drum, claps and groove.

Commodo - Dokument/Eastern Bloc 12 inch (Origin Audio) [ORG003EP] $12.25
"Origin Audio announces its highly anticipated third release from up and coming producer Commodo. Both tracks have received support from the likes of Youngsta, Distance, Cyrus, Darkside and Tunnidge. Expect heavy weight sub and tight percussion as Commodo demonstrates just why he is such hot property right now. With this release Origin Audio continues to grow its reputation as one of the most credible and exciting labels in dubstep."

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RELEASE DATE: -
No description available at this time.

Cruise Family - We're In Heaven 12 inch (Not Not Fun) [NNF247EP] $13.50
"Vinyl debut by this Viennese rave abstractionist boils down pulsing LED beats and deep synth strobe FX into a cavernous laser-streaked fog. In blinding Alex Grey-style acid-body artwork by Mr. Cruise Family himself."

Cuticle - Mother Rhythm Earth Memory 12 inch (Not Not Fun) [NNF251] $13.50
The NNF debut (after an EP on 100% SILK) by this Iowa City electronic maximalist. M.R.E.M. is the first purely solo CUTICLE release, after working with a series of part-time collaborators, and it's freed him to let loose his wildest and weirdest impulses.

Cuticle - Mother Rhythm Earth Memory 12 inch (Not Not Fun) [NNF251EP] $13.50
"NNF debut (after an EP on 100% SILK) by this Iowa City electronic maximalist. M.R.E.M. is the first purely solo Cuticle release, after working with a series of part-time collaborators, and it's freed him to let loose his wildest and weirdest impulses."

Danava - Hemisphere of Shadows LP (Kemado) [KEM042LP] $16.00
"One of the early signings that helped put Kemado Records on the map, Danava now return with the long-awaited Hemisphere of Shadows, their first new album in three years. From their initial appearance on Kemado's famed Invaders comp, Danava turned heads with a bombastic '70s sound that melded blazing psych-metal with glam-rock flair. Upon the release of the band's self-titled debut EP in 2006, Pitchfork hailed Danava as true leaders, calling them 'the sole working owners of this sound, an almost glam-rock, Hawkwind thing' and Guitar World lauded their 'chaotic psych-metal brew.'"

Darkside (Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington) - Darkside 10 inch (Clown & Sunset) [CS008EP] $14.75
Dave Harrington and Nicolas Jaar are Darkside. This EP begins innocently enough, but as it progresses, it feels like searching for pleasure where you know you shouldn't. The beat in this clandestine affair has just enough restraint, and you know the catharsis is worth the sin. "...from dreamy electronic music inflected with impressionist piano, gently digitized French singing, lobby-jazz, and cave sounds to the terse, rugged dub-funk of Darkside, all while still sounding totally Jaar: nocturnal, cerebral, sensuous, paradoxical, and intuitive." --Pitchfork (8.0)

Dillon - Tip Tapping/Abrupt Clarity Rmx 12 inch (Bpitch Control) [BPC242EP] $11.50
"For those who know" remixes by a versatile range of artists -- from Tel Aviv we have the house maestro Chaim, hot'n'coming dubstep producers Kodiak, as well as the disco-house duo Call Super from London and the hit sensation Catz 'N Dogz.

Dirty Three - Toward the Low Sun LP (Drag City) [DC511LP] $16.75
"Dirty what then? Ohh...Dirty Three. Right! Jesus f***ing God--it's been seven years since the last Dirty Three album. It's like, to paraphrase one of their new songs, sometimes we forgot they were gone. And not just because they were never really gone, if you were a card-carrying underground-rock type of the gay 90s, you know it's because the Dirty Three are always inside us...eeyuuucchhh. Bad image, sorry. We mean that the tones and tunes of these guys are always floating around in our head and our soul: Warren's always sawing away at something that kind of tightens our chest and gives us that ol' thousand-yard stare; Mick wanders hollow-bodied from abstract and dreamy to punishing hard chord rock in the space of a breath, never sacrificing a sense of the awesome along the path; Jim--don't get us started! There's drummers and time, and then there's Jim White. He's doing something that no one else does back there. Plus, he's drumming! Returning to the basic formula for the band, the labor and decision-making is divided evenly and democratically as they improvise themselves into the heart of the moment. The sounds of traditional music are glimpsed in Warren's violin while Mick and Jim blow clouds that envelop the picture. Each takes the lead as the untidy trio trip lightly and jazzily from etude to still life to exploding the air into flames around us with just a violin, electric guitar and trap kit. Don't shade your eyes! Look Toward the Low Sun and you will know once again the burn of the Dirty Three. The crusty troika are back, for the first time ever on Drag City Records."

DJ Hidden/Broken Note/Niveau Zero/Balkansky - Existence / Obey 12 inch (Ad Noiseam) [adn155] $9.75
Four confirmed, veteran Ad Noiseam artists and a myriad of versions, edits and corrections ping-ponged between all of them. "Existence" and "Obey" are the carefully laid-out, detailled and fresh results of musicians having fun with each other's material and proving how at ease they are with both dubstep and drum'n'bass. DJ Hidden's sharpness, Broken Note's epic proportions, Niveau Zero's clever open-mindedness and Balkansky's meticulousness: yes they managed to pack all of this in these two highly cohesive tracks. A must-have for anybody into any of these acts.

Django Django - Django Django 2xLP+CD (Because Music) [BEC5161106] $23.25
Django Django have been busy doing great things in the East London bedroom slept in by their drummer, producer and de facto leader, David Maclean. The result of those great things is a great self-titled debut record. "Time gives you options, and we had plenty of that," says Vincent Neff, the singer and guitarist who -- along with bassist Jimmy Dixon and synth operator Tommy Grace -- completes Django Django. The quartet, who met at art school in Edinburgh, first came to peoples' attentions after a gradual migration to London a couple of years back. 2009's double A-side single Storm/Love's Dart laid the blueprint for a confident, adventurous and psychedelically-bruised strain of art-rock that melds intangible electronic flourishes to the visceral rub of live instrumentation. The time since has been spent holed away, expanding upon that blueprint, seeing where they can push it. The impression one gets of Django Django is of a band laying down the first, meticulously-measured borders on some vast map of a world that only they are privy to. Correspondent to that, each track is like its own nation of harmonies, rhythms and textures. What that means in practice is the swooning, bucolic Beach Boy-isms of opening track "Hail Bop," the sterner, questing Bo Diddley beat guitars of "Life's A Beach," the industrious, go-getting tattoo verses of "Firewater" and the sleepy cowboy sighs of "Silver Rays." "Default" and "Waveforms" are future singles. The former sounds like an uprising in a Mexican gun factory, the latter The Glitter Band's "Rock And Roll Part 2" disappearing from sight like a particularly successful Kongming lantern. By banging together their thirst for adventure and their exacting high standards, Django Django produced an album that seems to have everything, but on which everything never seems too much.

Django Django - Default 12 inch (Because Music) [BEC5161107] $12.25
Django Django present the first single from their self-titled debut album. The band's story looks set to be a long and compelling one, going by early response to their debut record. By banging together their thirst for adventure and their exacting, high standards, they have produced an album that seems to have everything, but on which everything never seems too much. Remixes from Dan Carey, Tom Furse and JD Twitch.

El Doom & The Born Electric - El Doom & The Born Electric 2xLP (Rune Grammofon) [RLP3122LP] $24.75
Debut album from "young veterans" of the Norwegian heavy and progressive scenes, fronted by singer, guitarist, writer and producer Ole Petter Andreassen. This is classic, heavy, guitar-driven and melodic progressive rock, the playing and production being top notch with a natural mix of solid riffs, intricate instrumental passages and great hooks. The core of the band, apart from Andreassen, is Hedvig Mollestad on guitar and Hammond organ and brothers Brynjar and Haavard Takle Ohr from El Cuero on lead guitar and drums, respectively. Guests include Nikolai HÄ¦ngsle Eilertsen from Elephant9 on bass, StÄ¥le StorlÄ¸kken from Elephant9 and Supersilent on Hammond, Mikael Lindquist on Hammond and Mellotron and veteran Jon Eberson on guitar. Jazz guitarist Eberson, now 60 and more vital than ever, arrived at the studio, insisted on not hearing any music, plugged in, burned his way through "It's Electric" and "The Hook" and was home in time for an early dinner. Eilertsen and StorlÄ¸kken are widely recognized to be two of Norway's top instrumentalists in any category and HÄ¥vard Takle Ohr is probably the best rock drummer in the country at the moment. All the material is written by Andreassen, with some help on four of the tracks. He has been involved in around 20 albums and most notably been a member of Thulsa Doom and The Cumshots, but this is the first album where he is in total control. He is also owner of Caliban Studio, home to many great-sounding Norwegian albums. He has been nominated for four Norwegian Grammys and won two.

Elika - Always The Light LP (Saint Marie) [SMR0071] $19.75
RELEASE DATE: 03-06-2012
LP comes with download coupon.

Where ominous, fuzzed-out textures and energetic, geometric electronics meet, you'll find Brooklyn's Elika. The power duo of multimedia artists Evagelia Maravelias and Brian Wenckebach have quietly recorded and released a torrent of adventurous music since 2006, earning recognition the old fashioned way. It paid off. Elika have toured internationally, and were recently handpicked to support shoegazers Asobi Seksu and revered dream-electro musician and producer Ulrich Schnauss, who went on to describe Elika as "an incredibly exciting, radical fusion of shoegaze and electronica elements."

Always the Light places catastrophic personal events into an ocean of complex programmed rhythms a la Lali Puna and M83, with an emphasis on honey-coatedvocals and washes of distant, dreamy synths and guitars. Nowhere is this more evident than on album lead-off, the instantly hummable "Stay Beside Me," and the Curve-incarnate anthem "No One Gets Lost." Providing extra dimension to Always the Light, Elika explores more cavernous, ambient IDM-informed concepts on "Never Touch the Sky," "Waiting Room," and "All My Wishes." The many facets of Elika combine in top form with "We Had It All" -- soaring choruses, a celestial crescendo, and visceral electrogaze vibes done right.

Ellipsis - People/Gregory Moore 7 inch (Jazzman Records) [SOUL7024EP] $10.75
Another super soul rarity fully licensed and restored from the original master tapes, limited to only 500 copies worldwide. Record maths is simple: good + rare = high price. The Ellipsis 45 is a classic example. Not only has it been huge on the Northern Scene, but funk and disco heads have been tapping their feet to its infectious rhythm and charming melody, too. It's time this amazing 45 was revisited on its original format -- the 7" vinyl 45.

Enola/Nhar - Slowmotion EP 12 inch (Correspondant) [CORR005EP] $11.50
Enola is the project of French DJ Matthieu Monnin, previously one-half of Noirdegout. Matthieu finds his niche in melodious techno, taking inspiration from the sounds of the '90s. He has done work with the likes of Rodriguez Jr., Anoraak, and Arno Gonzalez, and now he joins Correspondant with "Slow Motion." On the flip, Nhar turns the darkness into light with his best remix to date. If the original is for 5a.m., Nhar's remix is for 5p.m.

Erland Dahlen - Rolling Bomber LP (Hubro) [HUBRO3512LP] $20.75
Rolling Bomber is the solo debut of drummer Erland Dahlen. He has played on over 130 records since the mid-1990s, and has toured with an impressive list of top-ranking Norwegian artists in a variety of genres: Kiruna, Mike Patton/Kaada, Ingrid Olava, Eivind Aarset Sonic Codex Orchestra, Mathias Eick, Serena Maneesh, Arve Henriksen, Hanne Hukkelberg and Marit Larsen, to name just a few. He is probably best known as the drummer in the successful band Madrugada for the last years of the band's life, and as the drummer in Nils Petter MolvÄ¦r's explosive new trio. The idea of doing a solo project had to mature for ten years before Erland finally went into the studio for three days in February and April 2011. The album is named after the special drum set Erland plays on the album, a Slingerland Rolling Bomber kit from World War II, which he bought from free-jazz drummer and collector Roger Turner. The mechanical parts of this set are made of rosewood, as the arms industry appropriated all available metal during the war. "When a drum has so much wood in it, it gets a very warm sound, which appeals to me a lot," says Erland. In addition, he uses an instrumentarium consisting of a variety of percussion instruments, electronic instruments and specially-constructed instruments. Erland has played the saw for many years, and the saw is an important melodic instrument on Rolling Bomber. The album has a playful, richly visual mood, but is also quite dark and menacing in places. Elements of Krautrock, drone music, ambient music and contemporary music are woven together with rock-inspired energy. Erland produced the record himself along with Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard W. Hagen, who form the electronica duo Xploding Plastix. Erland has worked with them for nine years. The dark second cut on the album, "Funeral," is a remix by Hallvard W. Hagen. The album was recorded in an abandoned coffee factory that Erland rents in central Oslo. It was mixed by Jens Petter Nilsen at tinfoilaudio and mastered by Helge Sten at Audio Virus Lab.

Eux Autres - Sun Is Sunk LP (Bons Mots Records) [BONLP009] $11.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-28-2012
Garage-pop wizards Eux Autres return with this compact set of infectious songs. If the Field Mice met Black Flag in a dark alley and teleported them to a Francoise Hardy show, the songs they'd be humming together on the ride home would sound something like this.

F.C. Judd - Electronics Without Tears LP (Public Information) [PUBINF00€] $22.25
"Public Information presents the first ever compilation of the lost work of British electronic music pioneer Frederick Charles Judd. Electronics Without Tears represents a mammoth undertaking between Public Information, film artist Ian Helliwell and F.C. Judd's widow Freda and son Peter. Trawling through his tape archives Public Information have pulled almost an hour's worth of material into a sonic whole that easily stands alongside that of Judd's better known peers, Delia Derbyshire, Daphne Oram and John Baker. Fred pursued a career marked by innovation, invention and exploration, disseminating his new electronic music across the country through lectures, radio and writing. The 35 tracks on Electronic Without Tears highlight a prolific and thrilling era in Fred's life, next generation music and sound entirely made at home, with self-built equipment."

Fau & Deam - Life Act 12 inch (Dubporn) [DUBPORN009EP] $10.75
Warsaw-based producer and DJ Fau has already released a string of dubstep, future garage, and techno tracks for the Subtopia and Apparition labels. Together, Fau & Deam have produced the Life Act EP. Comprised of six deep dubstep and future bass tracks, Life Act is lush, beautiful and unforgiving. It is also the first foray into vinyl for Dubporn, who have fast made a respected name for themselves with a series of fine digital releases in the bass music field.

Fluxion - Traces EP 1/3 12 inch (Echocord) [ECHO054EP] $11.50
Echocord proudly releases the first EP from the new Fluxion album. This work is about his travels in music -- the sounds, influences and aesthetics, alongside the musical influences deriving from them. "No Man Is An Island" is an unreleased Dennis Brown vocal version and "Desert Nights" sounds like desert rock meeting dub on a road movie. "Butiama" is an actual place, where variations and consistency in rhythm is within people's DNA. This EP also includes a remix by Thomas Fehlmann.

Garbage and The Flowers - Stoned Rehearsal LP (Quemada) [LPGARBASTON] $17.50
BACK IN STOCK!!! The fragile and melodic pop of THE GARBAGE AND THE FLOWERS sways and stumbles just enough from its center to avoid calcification. Stoned Rehearsal risks falling apart, but the deviations always drift back to the song. The opening anthem is followed by a nice and slowly sentimental whiskey-sippin' number; and of course you can't end the side without getting revved up first. Side two starts with an almost baroque take on "River of Sem," followed by the sweetly casual "Elizabeth" and a breathtaking dirge to wrap things up. Originally released as a cassette (Near Tapes 2008).

Gerry Read/23hz & Numaestro - Roomland (Distal Remix)/Zumo (Sully Remix) 12 inch (2nd Drop) [2NDRP016EP] $14.25
"Sometimes you can't keep a good remix down, and we certainly felt that with these two beastly versions by two very exciting producers of bass music. First up is an exciting producer 2nd Drop have been talking to for over a year now, Atlanta's Distal has been making a lot of noise across the bass scene with releases on Tectonic and ? Alongside putting a vast array of music on his own Embassy Label. Inspired by Gerry's original, Distal has produced something truly brilliant. In stark contrast to the sublime 'Youandewan' remix and Gerry Read's killer original, Distal grabs the key elements and transforms them into an awesome juke workout. Drawing on an arsenal of stunning original features, this hyperkinetic version is bursting with character, energy and color. On the flip, we welcome back Sully, who first saw wax on 2nd Drop with the anthemic 'Give Me Up' in mid 2008. As a big fan of 23hz & Numaestro's original, Sully asked to remix Zumo soon after its release in early 2009. Failed hard drives and a quiet 2010 for the label sadly meant this remix with its shifting syncopated beat patterns and moody El-B-esque swing, was sat on. Until now. Beautifully placed to carry on the Sully sound after his critically acclaimed album on Keysound in September, this long overdue remix now gets the release it deserves."

Gesaffelstein - Conspiracy Pt. II 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO106EP] $11.50
Gesaffelstein represents a double-breasted jacket of nostalgia for everything from the power of industrial and '80s new wave to the Gigolo-glam of early Kittin & the Hacker, Steril, Vitalic, Fixmer, and yes, Tiga.

Giant Sand - Glum LP (Fire Fidelity) [FF176LP] $29.25
"1994's Glum was to be Giant Sand's largest record and in order to make it so, Howe Gelb invited everyone along to the party. This carnival help create Giant Sand's best record to date and Glum is now proudly re-issued by Fire Fidelity. Howe Gelb explains Glum's story, 'This was our best record for a long time. It had Malcolm Burn producing it with me and it was done up at Daniel Lanois' studio in New Orleans. Since it was our first big budget session, I tried to get everyone who ever took part on a Giant Sand record to come to Dan's mansion and stay and be on the record somewhere. This made the atmosphere in the house more entangled then it had to be, but seemed like the way it should be. For some reason I began singing like an old man on this record, or maybe was inspired too much from my new talking distortion pedal on my guitar."

Golden Calves - Collection: Money Band + Century Band 2xLP (Woodsist) [WOODSIST056] $19.75
No description available at this time.

Gonjasufi - MU.ZZ.LE 2x10 inch (Warp Records) [WARP22€] $20.00
"MU.ZZ.LE although short in length, is long on message - political, social and spiritual interpretations that define him as an artist. Written on the road, it was an outlet for Gonjasufi to challenge himself. It's the response to all the adrenaline, aggression and anger he felt traveling the world, it's a spectrum of his creativity and a testimony of how one man's passion and determination is often misunderstood as anger. 'There's a duality that exists and to deny it, is the biggest mistake'. The albums down tempo strings, heartbreaking soul, reanimated hip-hop and crackling haunting vocal stylings are stitched as a running thread throughout each song like a patchwork quilt. It's a lonely journey that will take you through the innermost thoughts of Gonjasufi's darkest hours. He recorded and mixed it on his own in his home studio surrounded by his family and the stark contrast of the Mojave Desert. The end product is his outlet and realization for who he is, a way for him to feel comfortable in his own skin again. Akin to discovering a gramophone recording fraught with emotive compositions, it's like finding that hidden gem, the one you can truly relate with. It's the way of dealing with the issues of modern man; oppressed by power, freedom of speech, living your life by a book, dealing with the MU.ZZ.LE that's firmly attached around your mouth." Approx. 25 minutes long.

Gorje Hewek & Izhevski - Nomdetemps 12 inch (Pro-Tez) [PROTEZ022EP] $11.50
Deepmix Moscow Radio heroes Gorje Hewek & Izhevski present modern house par excellence on Pro-Tez records. "Aureol" evolves around gorgeous, arpeggiated padded piano keys and perpetual house percussion layered with elegantly uplifting stings and moody Vocal snippets. "Inspire" is more bass driven, with daintier, mesmerizing keys and slow-burning atmospheres. Not to be missed.

Handbraekes - #1 12 inch (Boysnoize Records) [BNR072EP] $12.25
Boys Noize and Mr. Oizo finally collide. They joined forces and created a duo called Handbraekes. Their first track "Callgurls" was already premiered on Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) in 2012 and is an eye-opener of what you can expect of two geniuses clashing their machine parts together: 100% a #1. These four tracks will set a new benchmark in the EDM scene. Full-throttle on Handbreakes!

Harald Bjork - Kranglan EP 12 inch (Kranglan Broadcast) [KLN001EP] $12.25
The Kranglan EP by Harald BjÄ¶rk is the first record to be released on Kranglan Broadcast. The record holds three productions of pure naÄ¯ve emotions that together summarize memories of childhood surroundings and its environmental changes. The record is manufactured in a production of 500 and comes with a full-color LP-sleeve. The artwork is made by the German illustrator Kheira Linder. The artwork is based on an idea by Harald BjÄ¶rk and pictures of the Nacka nature reserve taken by photographer Jesper Tengwall.

Heavy Hawaii - Super Bowl Xxix 7 inch (Art Fag) [AF015] $8.25
No description available at this time.

Hecq - Enceladus 12 inch (Ad Noiseam) [adn149] $9.75
A follow-up of sort to "Sura", "Enceladus" is another evolution for Hecq: his pristine dubstep gets enriched here with even more encompassing soundscapes and humane melodies. Collaborating with Skyence on the title track, Hecq has given birth to a very coherent record mixing cinematic atmospheres, huge percussions and a light nod to retro tonalities. Add to this a mischievous crunk remix by Knight Riderz and a dancefloor explosion by Mobthrow, and you get a compact yet exhaustive snapshot of Hecq's unmissable talent.

Hey Today! - Talk To Me 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO078EP] $11.50
2010 release of Hey Today!'s totally mental single that brings the worlds of Detroit and Rotterdam together. Busy P does the remix. On yellow wax.

Holiday Crowd - Over The Bluffs LP (Shelflife) [LIFE081LP] $13.75
With style, wit and mellifluousness, THE HOLIDAY CROWD give proper nods to the once hallowed rock & roll ideals of cool aesthetic and jangly melodies. Self described as minimal and stripped-down, The Holiday Crowd's sound & lyrics arise from all manner of experience-summer afternoon camaraderie, introspective reveries and a few shapely "inspirations along the way." From their haircuts to their shoes and with a nonchalant but forceful attitude, the band truly "send" the listener to that place in the sun.

Horrid Red - Celestial Joy LP (Terrible Records) [TR10] $16.50
RELEASE DATE: 02-07-2012
***HORRID RED first appeared in 2010, emerging from the ongoing German / Cali Kraut-Punk institution that is TEENAGE PANZERKORPS (est. 2001). While that band is known for its violently propulsive sound, Horrid Red was established to explore the more elegant and arcane aspects of post-punk & pop. Centered around grandiose bedroom productions of San Franciscan EDMUND XAVIER and the incantations of BUNKER WOLF beamed in from Aachen, Germany, Horrid Red is in full bloom for 2012. Celestial Joy is the debut full-length for Terrible Records, following three EPs released on Soft Abuse & Holidays. The album also features CLAY RUB of BURIAL HEX, who contributes heavenly keys and noise detail to many of the tracks.

Hospitality - Hospitality LP (Merge) [MRG431LP] $17.25
No description available at this time.

Hubble - Hubble Drums LP (Northern Spy) [NSLP015LP] $16.50
No description available at this time.

Iron Lung - Sexless / No Sex LP (Prank) [PRANK092] $10.00
RESISSUED!!! Destructive power violence hardcore, the second album from Seattle-via-San Francisco-via-Reno's IRON LUNG showcases the band's abrasive blend of low-end crushing heavyiness and completely devastating and inventive fast thrash. Twenty soul destroying tracks featuring ex-members of ARTIMUS PYLE, GEHENNA, GOB and VAE VICTUS. Packaged with cover artwork by NICK BLINKO of RUDIMENTARY PENI.

Jazzanova - Upside Down 1 12 inch (Sonar Kollektiv) [SK229EP] $10.50
12" single, part 1, with Jazzanova tracks remixed by Alex Barck & Dima Studitsky.

Jazzanova - Upside Down 2 12 inch (Sonar Kollektiv) [SK230EP] $10.50
12" version, part 2. With remixes by Manuel Tur & DPlay and Motor City Drum Ensemble.

Joaan - Nocturnality/Out Of Slang 12 inch (7even) [7EVEN021EP] $11.00
"Second release by Joaan on 7even Recordings after his acclaimed 'Splendor In The Grass/115 State' debut on the label last year. Strong from his recent releases on Claude Von Stroke's Dirtybird and Boys Noize's BNR Trax imprints under his Maelstrom alias, the versatile French producer comes back in style with the House infected number 'Nocturnality' and the Halfstep 'Out Of Slang' cut."

John Talabot - Fin LP+CD (Permanent Vacation) [PERMVAC089LP] $17.25
LP+CD version of John Talabot's debut album. If there is one person who has been causing a stir on the international club circuit recently, it is Barcelona's Talabot. His debut My Old School on Permanent Vacation in 2009 and the single Sunshine, which he put out on his own Hivern Disc imprint, made him one of the most promising musicians of the Spanish electronic scene. And those two releases also already set the mark for John Talabot's unparalleled music: raw, loopy, heavy on the kick drum, sample-based, moderate on the tempo, distorted on the drums and light years away from the clean and ever revolving house sound of today. This unique style, which also blends influences from Afro beat, Detroit techno, Chicago house and cosmic disco, but also northern soul or the energy of flamenco, immediately turned some heads around. James Murphy, Ä,me and Aeroplane started including Talabot music in their sets like it was the most natural thing. However -- and this is quite rare -- he not only gained legions of fans in the house and disco community, but also amongst the leftfield pop and indie rock followers. NME and Resident Advisor both had "breakthrough" features on John Talabot and he can be proud of a "Best New Music" dubbing on Pitchfork. At the same time, he drew the attention of like-minded artists like James Holden and Luke Abbott from Border Community, Blondes and Delorean, which led to a bunch of fertile collaborations. While staying true to his sound, John Talabot has nevertheless shown a constant evolution as a producer since his first release. He has traced a solid musical path that has turned him into one of the big references of European house and has made him also a highly in-demand remixer. This progression now crystallizes in Fin, his first full-length album for Permanent Vacation -- a record in which the Barcelona mastermind sets aside danceable immediacy to expand his stylistic palette more than ever. For that purpose, Talabot melts all the elements that have constructed his distinctive sound until now and makes them emerge from a new perspective in which the construction of complex song structures, intricate rhythms and super-positions of ever-evolving melodies and atmospheres pick up the baton of the "a kick-drum and a sampler" philosophy of his initial productions. The result brings us 11 tracks dominated by dark ambiances, gaseous textures and bittersweet moods that, above all, reveal a kind of vivacity that's really hard to find in contemporary electronics. Fin is far from being a track collection. From the majestic opener "Depak Ine" to its solemn ending with "So Will Be Now," one of the two tracks that features Talabot's soul- and label- mate Pional, each song traces an overall dialogue with the rest, culminating in a highly emotional journey through Talabot's always compelling and unique musical vision.

Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rourke/Oren Ambarchi - Imikuzushi 2xLP (Black Truffle) [BT007LP] $24.75
"The yearly summit of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi continues with Imikuzushi, which finds the group extending the power-trio strategies of 2011's highly-praised In A Flash Everything Comes Together As One There Is No Need For A Subject (BT 005LP) and bringing to them a newly-sustained intensity. For this performance, Haino limits himself to electric guitar and vocals, forming complex networks of slashing rhythm work, noise squall and chromatic shredding, moving at times to near-silent passages of howled vocals and isolated, hanging guitar strums. The tendency towards driving free-rock which surfaced on moments of the trio's last release is cemented here, with O'Rourke's fuzzed-out, non-linear bass riffing moving the music into almost garage-rock areas, combining with Ambarchi's drums to form a bedrock of hypnotic, metronomic pounding which transforms itself effortlessly into passages of flowing free-time. Like all of Haino's best work, the trio transcends any 'rock' genre exercise to enter a non-idiomatic zone of ritual intensity, creating a music formed purely out of instrumental and group-mind possibility. Presented as four unedited excerpts salvaged from an epic show that lasted well over three hours, the sometimes raw nature of the recording only adds to its directness and harshly emotive quality." --Francis Plagne, Melbourne, November, 2011; Released as a 6-panel digipak CD. Design by Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))) with high quality live shots by Ujin Matsuo and stunning images by Tokyo-based photographer and sound artist Shunichiro Okada.

Kollektiv Ost/Schaufler & Zovsky - Landstreicher EP 12 inch (3000 Grad Records) [3000GRAD007EP] $11.50
Four exciting musical adventures are captured on this split 12" from Kollektiv Ost and SchÄ¤ufler & Zovsky. In his housey remix of "B1000," Andre Kronert piles up layers of harmonic pads and light melodies. The minimal plot of the original by Kollektiv Ost roams twilight sceneries and explores sounds and effects. SchÄ¤ufler & Zovsky's "Leafs" combines dreamy melodies with functional rhythms. In his own version, Mollono.Bass concentrates on a catchy groove and creates a deep and hypnotic atmosphere.

Kollektiv Ost/Schaufler & Zovsky - Landstreicher 12 inch (3000 Grad Records) [3000007EP] $11.50
Four exciting musical adventures are captured on this split 12" from Kollektiv Ost and SchÄ¤ufler & Zovsky. In his housey remix of "B1000," Andre Kronert piles up layers of harmonic pads and light melodies. The minimal plot of the original by Kollektiv Ost roams twilight sceneries and explores sounds and effects. SchÄ¤ufler & Zovsky's "Leafs" combines dreamy melodies with functional rhythms. In his own version, Mollono.Bass concentrates on a catchy groove and creates a deep and hypnotic atmosphere.

Kristoffer Nystroms Orkester - Overlook Hotel LP (Malignant Records) [11923] $20.25
Overlook Hotel heralds the return of the mighty KNO, the collaborative project between Swedish industrial legend Peter Nystrom (Megaptera, Negru Voda), and Norwegian up and comer Kristoffer Oustad (V:28, Plague Machinery). 5 years after the highly acclaimed brakeHEAD CD, KNO welcomes you into the Overlook Hotel, where every room has a ghost, and every room has a story to tell. Travel the hallways and explore, as you venture into a more cerebral musical state than what brakeHEAD offered, where ghostly transmissions and hypnotic layers of surreal, ethereal atmospheres intersect with disembodied voices, clattering, furnace blasting percussion, and of course, healthy injections of true, old fashioned industrial noise and sweeping doom, done in the best Scandinavian style (imagine if Deutsch Nepal had continued in the same path laid down by Benevolence and you start to get the idea). The pacing of the album is truly impeccable, flowing seamlessly from to track, as if moving from room to room in a hazy, dream state, the layering and cohesiveness on a whole nothing short of meticulous. This lmtd 217 (one for every room at the hotel) contains 10 tracks in total, 2 of which are exclusive to the record, one of which is a backwards version of what will be on the CD released later in the Winter. Don't miss a chance to grab what is unequivocally one of the most well conceived and well executed records in the history of Malignant.

Kyoka - Ununpentium/iSH 12 inch (Raster-Noton) [RN115EP] $13.25
The fifth release in the Raster-Noton Unun series is a 12" release by Kyoka, known for her chaotic, direct approach and heavy/rough sound, resulting in a broken pop-beat with experimental yet danceable rhythms. Produced by Frank Bretschneider. Berlin, June/July 2011. Remix for "HADue" by Atom TM. Photo by Sylvia SteinhÄ¤user. Live drum by Tetsuya Yamasaki, Turkey. Ryuichi Sakamoto on Kyoka: "it sounds like a toy box turned upside down. How can she make such pretty & chaotic sounds!? I love it!"

Larry and His Flask - All That We Know LP (Silver Sprocket) [SILVER036LP] $11.75
NOW AVAILABLE!!! The debut full-length from LARRY AND HIS FLASK features a blurry blend of lightning fast string-band picking, gorgeous nods to old-school country, and sublime multi-part harmonies, all presented through a prism of punk chaos. These country boys from Bend, Oregon, are gloriously physical displays of live music's sheer power. Touring 2012 with Rev. Horton Heat and Lucero.

Last Waltz - Tangiers 12 inch (Endless Flight) [EF041EP] $14.75
Last Waltz are Geoff Leopard, El.Dee and Mick Rolfe, three DJs/musicians/producers who have all been heavily involved in the northeast UK underground musical scene for many years. After working and playing together, and also as hosts of the UK's more discerning parties, the trio finally releases their own music into the wild. The original version of "Tangiers" is a bluesy Balearica track and the Cottam version is a more clubby slow-house remix.

Le Super Borgou De Parakou - The Bariba Sound 2xLP (Analog Africa) [AALP071LP] $24.75
Lost sounds are the archives of a forgotten history. The raucously raw, Vodoun-inspired rhythms of Cotonou have confirmed Benin as a mecca of '70s Afro sounds and revived the story of its people, but the unopened vaults housing the country's catacombs of musical riches are endless. With this as a compass, Analog Africa charters its fifth expedition to Benin, traveling far north to delve deeper into the obscured repertoires and tales of the Bariba and Dendi people. Originating from the Kwara state of northwest Nigeria, the Bariba -- a predominantly Islamic people -- now dominate the Borgou department of Benin with the market city of Parakou at its heart. The rhythms of their culture constitute just one domain of the Islamic Funk Belt -- a distinct musical swath of land encompassing northern Ghana, Togo and Benin. Once frequented by Muslim merchants and traders, the belt has yielded a rich harvest of talent. The most powerful band from Parakou is Orchestre Super Borgou, who were first introduced to the West via Analog Africa's defining release, African Scream Contest (AACD 063CD/AALP 06€). The birth of modern African music in Parakou is inextricably linked to Super Borgou. The progressive-minded father of the band's founder, Moussa Mama, imported modern music -- which he learned while working as a goldsmith in Accra, Ghana -- to the region in the '50s. His return to Borgou and subsequent teachings spawned countless bands from villages across the department. Super Borgou developed their own musical identity by reinventing traditional songs and rhythms. With Benin's foremost drummer, Bori Borro, in their ranks, Bariba and Dendi linguistic folklore -- alongside melodies of an Islamic ilk -- fused with soul, pachanga, breakbeats, rumba and Afro-Beat, Orchestre Super Borgou de Parakou manufactured a sound of penetrating and unpolished directness, blurring the line between the erstwhile rhythms of the devout village and the modern grooves infecting the forward-thinking city. Their reinvention redefines what contemporary audiences classify as the "Afro" genre. Performing live at the bar Congolaise, the high-octane live performances of Parakou's finest troupe also captured the imagination of Celestin Houenou Sezan, co-founder of Albarika Store (Benin's most important music label), and Super Borgou were, in fact, the legendary label's very first EP release. Apart from Albarika, Discadam -- and its sub-labels Impressions Sonores du Nord and Echos Sonores du Borgou -- were the band's major backers who helped galvanize the sound of northern Benin. Armed with a keen sense of philosophical observation, multi-instrumentalist Moussa Mama and rhythm guitarist Menou Roch, through their lyrics, reported on the socio-economic ills of their time -- the rampant inequalities they saw around them -- which established the band as noteworthy commentators on top of their gift of unique rhythm. Analog Africa's Orchestre Super Borgou anthology opens an entirely new chapter of lost and resurrected Afro sounds. Remastered to recreate the energy of their legendary live performances and accompanied by a stunning full-color booklet, the story of this remarkable ensemble and the traditions of the people of Northern Benin are set to be revealed and documented like never before.

Lee Fields - Faithful Man LP (Truth & Soul) [TSLP018LP] $19.75
"Since the late sixties Lee Fields has amassed a prolific catalog and has played and toured with such legends as Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip-Huggers, O.V Wright, and many more. With a career spanning 43 years, it's mind-blowing that the music he's making today with Brooklyn's Truth & Soul Records is the best of his career. While drawing comparisons to the Moments, the Delfonics, the Stylistics, and--of course--James Brown, Faithful Man is able to create a space of its own due to the group's desire to interpret and further the formulas of good soul music rather then imitate them. Chalk that up to Truth & Soul producers and co-owners Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels. These are the same individuals that co-wrote, produced, and played on Aloe Blacc's global smash 'I Need A Dollar,' and have provided the back drop for records by Adele, GhostfaceKillah, and Jay-Z to name a few."

Leila - U&I 2xLP (Warp Records) [WARP220LP] $23.00
Gatefold 2LP version with download code. "U&I is the fourth album from the avant garde electronic producer Leila. Also know for touring and engineering with Bjork, Leila's U&I follows up Blood Looms & Blooms, her well received 2008 release."

Lilacs & Champagne - Lilacs & Champagne LP (Mexican Summer) [MEX106LP] $1.00
"As the producing-team behind Grails, Alex Hall and Emil Amos have hybridized and warped various cultures' versions of psych music over the past decade. With their new project Lilacs & Champagne, they've created another umbrella under which to tweak hip-hop, tape-collage and the darkest creases of '70s film-soundtracks with their lysergic and perverse style of head-music. The project's name and imagery evoke a strange thrift-store mystery LP you might come across, unsure if you've discovered an exotic dub record, a flowery Bacharach AM radio classic or something by an obscure duo of Swedish avant-techno producers. The record began under the influence of Madlib's production style, which had suggested that writing songs using an Akai MPC sampler would force the two to stretch their legs and explode any expectations created by records they've made in the past. But rather than sampling the funk and soul canon of traditional hip hop, they pulled from disparate sources such as Polish private press hippie records, indistinguishable radio noise or the chopped and reversed sounds of Jayne Mansfield's head being decapitated. Layers of instruments and found sound were then painted over the original samples until entirely new directions were created and taken to their logical conclusion, creating something simultaneously alien and familiar, something like the sound of Nurse with Wound collaborating with J-Dilla. Release date 1/31. First pressing of 1000. Vinyl includes digital download."

Locked Groove - Rooted 12 inch (Hotflush Recordings) [HFT020EP] $11.00
"Hotflush presents the debut 12" from Belgian newcomer Locked Groove aka Tim Van de Meutter. The young producer delivers three hypnotizing and genre bending tracks that expertly weave the sounds of Berghain, soulful house and UK garage into a single crushing package. The Rooted EP draws you in with the title track, bouncing along to an acid baseline, then moves onto 'Drowning,' a moody techno track that was included on Scuba's DJ-Kicks mix compilation, filled with drum and ambient samples taken from field recordings. Lastly, 'Change,' a production that smartly melds classic house grooves with industrial techno, demonstrates Locked Groove's rhythmic finesse and long-term promise as an artist."

Lonely C & Baby Prince - Not So Lonely Remixes 12 inch (Wolf And Lamb) [WLM019EP] $11.50
Wolf + Lamb Records revisits the warm and enthralling productions that make up the Not So Lonely EP from the formidable duo Lonely C (Charles Levine, half of Soul Clap) & Baby Prince (the "lamb" half of Wolf + Lamb). Tanner Ross remixes "I Remember Those Days," Art Department's Kenny Glasgow aka "The Talent" reworks "Just Be Yourself," Voices Of Black also take on "I Remember Those Days," and Zev goes to "Your Mom's House."

Lost Sounds - Lost Sounds 7 inch (Goner) [75GONE] $6.25
No description available at this time.

M.E.B., The - Il Principal/M5-M6 12 inch (Let'S Play House Records) [LPH002EP] $11.50
Let's Play House returns with its first release of 2012: a couple of original house jams by Chicken Lips' Dean Meredith, teaming up with Ben Shenton and Tim Silver and a couple of remixes courtesy of Chicago Damn and production guru Brennan Green. "Il Principal" features atmospheric washes but quickly morphs into spastic boogie. Chicago Damn's take is deeper. "M5-M6" picks up the pace and Brennan Green's remix adds more bells and whistles to great success.

Marc Houle - Undercover 12 inch (Items & Things) [ITEM011EP] $11.50
For his EP Undercover, Items & Things co-founder Marc Houle jumps in his time machine. Destination Chicago: 1987, and a face-to-face with Master C&J, exploring the mysterious power of plunging basslines and moody synths. On remix duties, Miro Pajic sneaks in, charting a decidedly bleepier course while Bruno Pronsato delivers his signature romantic techno sound. What more can you ask for? This new edition of Items & Things is weird and wonderful with more bounce to the ounce.

Marc Romboy vs. Kink - Sampledelics EP Vol. 1 12 inch (Ovum) [OVM218EP] $12.25
Marc Romboy teams up with Ovum new-breed, Strahil Velchev aka KiNK. The Sampledelics Vol. 1 EP sees the pair turn in three choice cuts of, as the name suggests, sample-led house. A perfect selection of tools for the most discerning of DJs.

Martini Bros - Big and Dirty 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO024EP] $11.50
2004 release of this tech house banger, with a remix by Tiga.

Maxmillion Dunbar - Polo (Versions) 12 inch (Live At Robert Johnson) [PLAYRJC016EP] $12.25
Maxmillion Dunbar hangs out in the vague territory between slow-motion house with a hip-hop feeling or dubby and dubious music. "Polo" has cautiously been modified, fine-tuned and extended for its label home. The only kid able to throw down the remix gauntlet is Phillip Lauer (Arto Mwambe, Brontosaurus, etc.), who turns "Polo" into one of his trademark, sluggish bass line-barrage tracks with falsetto synths and sharp snares. Get your vogue brogue out.

Megafortress - Megafortress 12 inch (Software) [SFT006EP] $14.25
"Megafortress is New York musician Bill Gillim. The project was conceived as a series of fictional field recordings, and has transformed into a collection of gorgeous vocal meditations. His debut self-titled release for Software Recording Co., Megafortress is a lucid and open effort combining homebrewed and studio recording elements into a dynamic cloud cover, using only sparsely layered and processed voice, sampled bells, and touches of synthesizer. At times, it feels like Gillim is concocting a new strain of (secular) devotional music; a contemplative, nascent music. Bill's obfuscated lyrics hint at a resonant, universal sphere where identity is formed but never hardens. Considering how simple and unadorned Gillim's setup is, the envisage is a testament to how powerful this music is. Megafortress begins with 'My Favorite Girl,' on which Gillim's veiled falsetto is propelled forward through a hall of delays, accented by simple but completely unpredictable moments of synth vamp, while 'Green Child' is the definitive exit music for the vocal segment of the EP, a contemporary dirge that wouldn't feel out of place if installed at the emotional/architectural nodes of Fallingwater, year 2012."

MF Doom - Dime Box 7 inch box (Metal Face Records) [MF1105_7] $20.50
"The next component of Doom's Operation Doomsday reissue series. This set features a 7-inch picture disc of Rhymes Like Dimes with the look and feel of an oversized 7" dime. Included with this one-of-a-kind 7" vinyl is a 150 piece puzzle of Jason Jagel's original cover art."

Michael Chapman - Rainmaker LP (Light In The Attic) [LITA079LP] $18.25
Deluxe gatefold LP version; on 180 gram vinyl.

Micronaut, The - Friedfisch LP (Acker Records) [ACKER001LP] $17.25
LP version. Just as different types of fish can be found in different waters, so, too, do the acoustic tales of The Micronaut take place in different regions of the emotional landscape: sometimes warm, sometimes fresh -- sometimes calm and stagnant, sometimes lively and floating. And just as all fish are connected by the water surrounding them, also this album has its connecting element: a very individual and independent groove. This groove comes with a lot of surprises. For instance, when a guitar chord from the acoustic band atmosphere of "GrÄ¼ndling" suddenly gets tangled up in a loop and introduces an unexpected but coherent change into the direction of broken, electronic beats. Or when the emotional world music elements of "Schleie" mix up with exciting halfstep rhythms. Sophisticated arrangements, unusual instrumentations and intense emotions -- these are the main attributes of Friedfisch. Though the experimental character of this work does not really aim for the dancefloor, it still keeps its connection to this place. Includes two remixes by Mollono.Bass.

Minilogue - Let Life Dance Thru You Remixes 12 inch (Traum) [TRAUM147EP] $12.25
Traum presents some top remixes of tracks from Minilogue. The "Drop The Mask Of Self Protection" remix of Dominik Eulberg is a bit of an adventure, kicking off a relaxed percussive and deep house groove and undergoing quite an explosive transformation. With a lot of skill and finesse, Mr. Eulberg pulls the strings with accuracy and makes the transfer of what unfolds to be a heavy, big-pounding techno rocker. Other remixes from Microtrauma and Spada.

Mirrorring - Foreign Body LP (Kranky) [KRANK162LP] $13.00
"Mirrorring is Jesy Fortino, who has recorded under the Tiny Vipers moniker, and Liz Harris, better known as Grouper. The recordings on this album came about through a songwriting session in Portland, Oregon. The resulting sounds are contemplative, reflective, and introspective, creating a feeling as much as a song, a mood as much as a tune. One could try to assess what part of the album each artist was responsible for, but that would prevent one from seeing the proverbial forest for the trees. Foreign Body was recorded and produced in 2011."

Mistreaters - Mistreaters 2xLP (Dusty Medical) [DMR31] $31.50
Forming in 1998 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, THE MISTREATERS played their first show that New Year's Eve. Over the next few years they built a reputation as one of the Midwest's most celebrated underground rock and roll bands due to an explosive live show and relentless touring. The band released a 7" in 1999 on Buffalo, NY's Big Neck Records, and their debut full length for the same label the following year. They released several more singles on labels like Flying Bomb (Michigan), Goodbye Boozy (Italy) and Yakisakana (France). Cross country treks and appearances at the Rust Belt Revolt, Horizontal Action Blackout and South By Southwest solidified the band's following and in 2003 the legendary Estrus Records released their sophomore album. That year also saw the band make their maiden voyage to Europe. Over the next few years, more singles and another trip to Europe followed, and the band released a live LP on guitarist KEVIN MISTREATER's label Dusty Medical Records. On December 30, 2011 the band played their final live show, at Milwaukee's Cactus Club. A few months prior, they got together to record the last 4 songs from their repertoire-songs written when the band was still playing regularly but had not gotten down on tape. These songs form the nucleus of their swan song The Mistreaters-a compilation of hard-to-find 7" and compilation tracks, as well as a couple other previously unreleased songs. At 26 songs in all, this collection spans the band's entire career, going back all the way to their first demo tape. Packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeves in an edition of 325 copies.

Moveclean - Moveclean01 12 inch (Moveclean) [MOVECLEAN001EP] $13.25
Moveclean is an anonym project. Let the music speak for itself.

My Best Fiend - Higher Palms 7 inch (Warp Records) [WAP324EP] $8.50
"New York five-piece My Best Fiend deal in epic, hypnotic melodies that cross the emotional and experiential spectrums. The band's current incarnation was formed in 2009, and since then, they've been winning over audiences with their live sound and dynamic performances. Higher Palms is a mesmerizing new track, not designed to shrink into the background, with each note, chord and vocal demanding your full attention. The 7" is backed with a remix from new jack Young Montana (Alpha Pup) who's fresh off an acclaimed debut LP, giving MBF his beat chop style on a hypercolor canvas, saturated with soul and lit with innovation."

Napolian - Rejoice 12 inch (Software) [SFT009EP] $14.25
"Software Recording Co. is proud to introduce Napolian, 19-year-old producer and chief visionary behind LA-based production crew Renaissance Music Group. His debut release, Rejoice, is stately, direct, and stylistically interwoven. Rejoice runs the gamut of computer funk, ambient, and trance, but always retains a hard, synthetic R&B core. The same way Napoleon III urged porcelain designers to reflect the historic images of the day as opposed to generic landscapes and classical nudes, our Napolian's commanding dionysia of electronic music histories are dream-coated in digital resins and fabricated in the manner of a visionary metal worker. What's immediately evident in Napolian's craft are the anthemic leads that tear across the conductor rod of 21st century hardware-based production. Napolian's cyclonic smack of disparate yet logical influences sets him apart from the contemporary sidechain scene. The Harold Faltermeyer/Dr. Dre continuum on Rejoice's 'False Memories' or the wormhole connecting Marcus Miller to Alice DeeJay on 'Rejoice' represent a couple of the Napolian's unprecedented stargates. The songs of Rejoice aren't fleeting screen grabs, rather riffs hard-ripped by hand on time-tested, Ikutaro Kakehashi-approved gear. It made us cry and it shook our skulls."

Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise LP (Circus Company) [CCS0552LP] $19.75
LP version. Second edition with amended tracklisting (the track "I Got A Woman" has been deleted). Four years after his debut EP on Wolf + Lamb, Nicolas Jaar, the New Yorker by way of Chile returns to Circus Company with Space Is Only Noise, an uncompromising manifesto on traces of the past, love lost, and spectres of the future. Jaar has made it quite apparent over the course of his nascent catalog and increasingly sought-after live sets that challenge is an intrinsic part of his creative discourse. Few are the producers of any age with the guts to ride a sub-100-bpm tempo at peak-time in the techno Mecca of Berlin, and fewer still are those who receive an ecstatic hands-in-the-air response for their precocious efforts. It is precisely this sense of risk which elevates Space Is Only Noise beyond the realm of valiant first effort or crossover dance music oddity. Those looking to wade through the sea of Jaar's potential influences will quickly find themselves in the deep waters of golden age Factory records, the home-spun digitalism of Mille Plateaux, Endtroducing-era DJ Shadow and Eric Satie. Jaar gently coaxes his listener into the experience from the opening sounds of rolling waves on "Äªtre," but quickly transitions into the sophisticated percussion and meandering melodies that characterize his sound. Jaar seeks, and often finds, beauty in melancholy on the first few tracks of the album. As the album begins to accelerate with "Too Many Kids Finding Rain In The Dust," Jaar confronts us with the often forgotten reality that our sadness is not mutually exclusive on the dancefloor. Suddenly, on "Keep Me There," Jaar's voice appears over the delicious, rumbling melody. Though your hips stir to the relentless bass line and the sexiness of the voices, your heart is jolted out of its luxurious malaise when horns erupt seconds later. "How can you talk about a landscape without showing the sky and the earth?" a voice asks, translating from the French on "Äªtre." So Jaar concludes, revisiting the same track to end the album. Complete landscapes such as these are only realized in contrast -- the indulgent against the reserved, the sky against the earth; lightness and darkness. Space Is Only Noise is a tour de force with few modern equals, and a great sign of things to come from one of electronic music's most exciting producers.

Nitin - Latenightlife Remixed 12 inch (My Favorite Robot Records) [MFR045EP] $11.50
When it was released early in 2011, Nitin's Latenightlife EP instantly became one of the biggest singles to date. Its mix of deep, dubby house and otherworldly electronica saw rave reviews across Europe's press and had DJs lining up to play cuts from it. This brand new package includes re-edits and remixes from Nitin (featuring Sexteto Tabala), Anthony Collins, Subb-an and Brett Johnson. This is a truly heavyweight package from a label who are undoubtedly serious contenders.

Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks 2xLP (Polyvinyl) [PRC23€] $16.75
RELEASE DATE: 02-07-2012
***Paralytic Stalks' musical and lyrical directions are infinitely more personal than anything OF MONTREAL frontman KEVIN BARNES has written since 2007's Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? Recorded at Barnes' home studio in Athens, Georgia, Paralytic Stalks is a stimulating array of densely packed ideas presented with stunning agility. Each track feeds off the last in what seens a singular album-long movement that never allows you to rip your ears away. Paralytic Stalks at times resembles modern classical with its intricate compositions, while at others echoes of neo-prog, pseudo-country and '60s pop. Double-LP is pressed on 180-gram yellow vinyl and includes a download and 12"x24" pull-out poster.

Om - Live At Jerusalem LP (Southern Lord) [SUNN865] $15.25
AVAILABLE AGAIN - LAST COPIES - NEW LOWER PRICE!!! In December of 2007 the mighty duo that is OM made a pilgrimage to Israel to play for its people. Their pinnacle performance unfolded at 4 Aristobolus Street in Jerusalem the site of Uganda Records. The band played for over 4 hours on this evening! The tracks: "Flight of the Eagle" and "Bhimas' Theme" were captured and the transmission of these recordings were flown back to the United States where the vinyl lacquers were made by BOB WESTON. Southern Lord in cooperation with OM present you the listener with this 180-gram black vinyl transcendental offering, Limited to 3,000 machine numbered copies.

Organs Of Love - Bone 12 inch (Optimo Music) [OM015EP] $11.50
Organs Of Love are the power-sleaze duo of James McKinven (organs, love) and Alicia Matthews (vocals, love). McKinven played synth in electro band Berlin Blondes and Altered Images. After that, he worked in Genetic Studios learning from producer Martin Rushent (Human League, The Stranglers, The Buzzcocks). He then went on to form One Dove and worked with Andy Weatherall. He and Alicia Matthews embrace a '70s theatrical, musical performance, where live music and art combine for something beyond the rock gig vibe.

Ozgur Can - Washed Out 12 inch (Colourful Recordings) [COLOUR006EP] $11.50
A chuggy, discofied burner with a massive remix sporting an infectious, percussive groove and a driving lead. Ä-zgÄ¼r Can, Sweden's undisputed champ of slow techno, steps up to serve up his first offering on the Stockholm-based imprint. A really hot package from the Colourful camp. Includes a remix and a drum tool from Orange Muse.

Pascal Nuzzo & Max D-Loved - Mahon 12 inch (Intacto) [INTAC038EP] $11.50
Intacto Records welcomes musical duo Pascal Nuzzo & Max D-Loved. Nuzzo (aka p8) is a DJ, producer and label owner who had some big success in 2011 after his bootleg remix of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," after which he decided to focus on underground techno productions using his real name. Max D-Loved has been charted by the likes of Pete Tong and Ministry of Sound Radio. "Mahon" is a white-knuckle techno wave, while "Tenesi" features club-tested, just-squeezed beats.

Patrick Chardronnet - Karma 12 inch (Boxer Recordings) [BOXER087EP] $12.25
This is the first solo release on Boxer Recordings from Patrick Chardronnet. As soon as you hear the first sounds of "Karma," your feet begin to tap along within the rhythm, you will lift your hands in the air, and your whole body will start dancing in the light breeze of the sounds. And although "Shanti" on the B-side may paint a picture of tranquility, serenity and happiness, it is spiced with enormously deep bass lines and a pushing groove.

Peaking Lights - 936 Remixed 12 inch (100% Silk) [SILK014] $13.50
Ponies from the SILK stable turn 936 dub-a-dub lullaby groovers into full-on synth-sex, acid-bubble, twinkle-starshine dance ditties on this remix redux. Beat it with the chic vocal pitch n' bounce and metallic/mechanic swing of Ital's take on "Marshmellow Yellow." Bring it on baroque with XANDER HARRIS' Sly and Dario giallo-reggae revision of "Birds of Paradise." INNERGAZE hi-five the minimal wave of "All The Sun That Shines," transforming the original into a syncopated psych-out dark-disco-dose FX fest. And CUTICLE's got the bleary bleep-bloop best of sweet serenade "Tiger Eyes" with Casio keyed-up flourishes, hi-hat space jams, and damp ramp-up breakdowns. Even beater than the real thing; let the Domino fall for 936-gone-nightlife.

Perispirit - Spiritual Church Movement LP (Digitalis) [DIGI038LP] $17.25
Perispirit is the duo of Ricardo Donoso and Luke Moldof and they have been haunting the Northeast of the United States for a couple of years now. After a slew of releases on Prurient's Hospital Productions label and Ricardo's own Semata Productions, Spiritual Church Movement has Perispirit taking an unexpected turn as they unleash their most cohesive and accomplished work to date. Spiritual Church Movement is the sound of two worlds colliding and forming something entirely new in the aftermath. In this case, digital and analog systems are turned against each other. Moldof's analog source material was blitzed and manipulated while Donoso worked his sorcery via digital matrix, showing that both approaches can win the prize. Squalid sonic debris spill out and melt together with beats that are barely there and melodic shrapnel to create this weirdly compelling, utterly disjointed composition. And if you thought Moldof and Donoso were concerned about expectations, Spiritual Church Movement is proof it was the last thing on their minds. Synthesizers are mauled by digital processes, battered down to bare bones, turning passages of melody into disease-stricken organisms paired with fractured, plodding rhythms, at times sounding like Autechre attempting to make a noise record: it's well and truly f***ed. The expertise with which everything is constructed, though, is what makes these pieces excel. Everything is where it should be and the combination is almost religious in its attention to detail. But before the duo gets too close to the sun, everything is burned to the ground and the process starts over. Just when you think you have it figured it out, Spiritual Church Movement is off on another disfigured tangent. Over the course of these two sprawling sides, the cult of Perispirit is born. Ricardo Donoso and Luke Moldof carry with them the conviction that anything is possible and nothing is out of bounds. Spiritual Church Movement is their manifesto. Mastered by Brad Rose and cut to vinyl at Dubplates + Mastering, Berlin. Limited to 500 copies only.

Pharaoh Overlord - Lunar Jetman 2xLP (Sige) [SIGE012LP] $25.50
"Though originally incarnated as a fire breathing serpent of riff encrusted Krautrock, subsequent mutations have generated an entire host of enchanting aural beasts. Seemingly adept at myriad forms of fringe music - hypnotic stoner freakouts, improvised art rock, ambient hymnals, cyclic minimalism - the sprawling reach of the big P.O. seemingly knows no bounds. Most recently, these gentle gods of Finnish thunder brought forth a massive missive of stadium metal, aptly titled Out of Darkness proving once again the potency of their Midas touch and their mastery in the realm of the rock. To what astral horizons their trajectory would lead them from there was a mystery as large as the cosmos through which they've traveled, but now the light of a new moon is upon us."

Pollyester - Concierge d'Amour/Voices Remixes 12 inch (Permanent Vacation) [PERMVAC080EP] $11.50
Tribal rhythms, energetic Krautrock, disco strings and witch-house moments featured heavily on Pollyester's debut album Earthly Powers. Two of the stand-out tracks "Concierge d'Amour" and the cover version of the Russ Ballard song "Voices" get the remix treatment here. Prins Thomas adds disko craziness to "Concierge d' Amour" while the Permanent Vacation boys explore the deeper side of the Pollyester sound. Pional strips down "Voices" to its infective melody and Baris K gives "Voices" the Bosporus cosmic treatment.

Portraits - Portraits LP (Important Records) [IMPREC345LP] $17.25
"Beautiful new full length LP featuring Jefre Cantu-Ledesma (Root Strata, Tarentel), Evan Caminiti & Jon Porras from Barn Owl, Lisa McGee (Higuma), Gregg Kowalsky (Date Palms), Marielle Jakobsons (Date Palms), Maxwell Croy (Root Strata/EN) Steven Dye & Tony Cross (Tarentel alum) and Michel Elrod, who plays tambura with Date Palms, Barn Owl & The Alps among others. Edition of 500. Screen printed jackets. This large group is somehow able to focus and refine their sounds into sublime acoustic drone full of deep tones, rich harmonics, and an overall lush blend across a wide range of frequencies. Recorded & mixed by the Normal Conquest who also worked on the recent Barn Owl/Infinite Strings Ensemble."

Proxy - Decoy 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO042EP] $11.50
2007 release. Russian producer Proxy earned respect and awe from such heavyweights as Justice, Soulwax, Boys Noize and Erol Alkan.

Proxy - Dance In Dark EP 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO053EP] $11.50
Minimal techno from Russian producer Proxy. The track on the B-side is longer than its title suggests.

Punks On Mars - Hey! Tiffany 7 inch (Zoo Music) [ZM011] $6.25
No description available at this time.

Radiohead - Bloom (Jamie XX Rework Part 3) 12 inch (Young Turks) [YT077EP] $12.25
"Two months after we posted Jamie XX's first Radiohead remix, another take on "Bloom" has surfaced. The first half of "Rework Part 3″?did we miss a part two??features an otherwise unexplored deep house side of Jamie XX, before transitioning halfway into more familiar vaguely zen chimes and sliding ghost reverb."

Raucherecke - Papierfabrik EP 12 inch (Treibstoff) [TREIB097EP] $12.25
Treibstoff welcomes the Cologne-based duo of Sebastian Habben and Joschka Tschirley aka Raucherecke. Moving away from their minimal approach to techno, the boys now display their affection for dancefloor-driven music with this EP. "Der Tropfende Kessel" flows with deep emotion, augmented by a spine-tingling melody. "Drei TÄ¶pfe" presents clear drum sequencing and droning synths. "Papierfabrik" is a tribute to the Cologne warehouse club. With emotive chords, expressive pads, and driving percussive lines, Raucherecke revives some fond memories.

Ravi Shankar/Ali Akbar Khan - The Master Musicians Of India LP (Doxy) [DOZ418LP] $22.25
"Seminal recording by the two men most responsible for opening the West to Indian music. Master of the sitar, Ravi Shankar (age 91) is, of course, famous for his legendary influence on the Beatles, but this recording was made for the American jazz label Prestige prior to their meeting. Perhaps lesser intertwined with the pop music world, Ali Akbar-Khan is nonetheless one of India's greatest musicians, and the world's best sarod player. Shankar and Khan play together on both ragas, backed by a tabla player and a tamboura player. The tamboura player is Nodu C. Mullick on side A, a highly respected instrument maker who made Shankar's sitar)."

Roberto Clementi - Stage 1 12 inch (Steadfast Records) [SFV014EP] $11.50
Roberto Clementi hails from a small town in Italy. His tunes range from deep and lush to uplifting and party-pumping -- often fueled by minimal subby basslines, retro-ish melodic elements, elegantly cut-up vocals, and an overall warm, analog feel. His debut EP for Steadfast features three techno tracks ranging in mood and atmosphere but all sharing a perfect dancefloor sensibility and top-notch production. Brendon Moeller's reshape ain't half bad either.

Rummelsnuff/Shambhu and The True Love Hearts - Sadness/Machen Wir Den Tanz! 7 inch (Ostgut Ton) [OSTGUT050EP] $9.75
Ostgut Ton offers their anniversary release to two artists of the extended Ostgut family: Shambhu, the undisputed Queen of the Berghain bar ladies (she regularly holds court every Saturday upstairs at her very own Gitter Bar) and Rummelsnuff, the Germanic Hulk of the Berghain/Laboratory bouncers. Shambhu And The True Love Hearts got their teeth into Steffi's "Sadness," creating a new version full of grit and raw power, while Rummelsnuff tackles "Makes Me Wanna Dance" by Prosumer & Murat Tepeli. Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies.

San Proper - Groundfloor Afterlife 12 inch (Studio Soulrock) [STUDIOS006EP] $12.25
Two new house tracks from San Proper on the Studio Soulrock label. After capturing the hearts, minds and ears of audiences worldwide with his celebrated Hupsers & Kletsers For Life EP, San is back to rock your world with a Studio Soulrock solo. Taking his field recorder on a journey through sound to capture those ever-elusive imperfect harmonies, he has crafted a thrilling, spherical release.

Sbtrkt - Braiden/Lil'Silva Remixes 12 inch (Young Turks) [YT075EP] $12.25
Young Turks brings together two of the best producers in the UK to give their perspective on the work of SBTRKT. This musicological take on SBTRKT's "Pharaohs" recontextualizes Roses Gabor's Afro-futuristic vocals in a more genuinely space-age industrial club sphere. Lil'Silva's treatment of "Living Like I Do" takes Sampha's vocal and adds a jerk discord to a dramatic vocal performance. His trademark two-note bassline presents itself with its usual menace. Also includes a remix by Braiden.

Scent Of Soil - Scent Of Soil LP (Hubro) [HUBRO351€] $20.75
The band Scent Of Soil is fronted by vocalist Kirsti Huke and saxophonist Tore Brunborg. On this, their first album, they make use of material from a critically-acclaimed commissioned work they wrote together for the Vossa Jazz Festival in 2010. The nine powerful and visually rich songs they present here are all related to nature, each in its own way. Most of the lyrics were written by Huke, while the texts for two of the songs come from two of America's most prominent poets: Robert Frost wrote "Breeze" and Emily Dickinson was the author of "Necklaces." Kirsti Huke has worked in both rock and jazz genres, and has released two highly-praised albums under her own name. Her voice has been described as both "a honey jar" and "a powerhouse," which indicates the breadth of her approach to jazz standards, pop and rock. Tore Brunborg is undoubtedly one of the most important Norwegian saxophonists in the generation that followed Jan Garbarek. He had his breakthrough in the 1980s with the group Masqualero, which also featured Nils Petter MolvÄ¦r, Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen. During the past few years, he has worked with Mathias Eick, Manu Katché, the Tord Gustavsen Ensemble and Ketil BjÄ¸rnstad. He also plays a key role on two of Mats Eilertsen's records on the HUBRO label: Radio Yonder and Sky Dive. Scent Of Soil's music ranges from energetic rock to tender ballads in which the group's jazz roots emerge more distinctly. Huke and Brunborg have put together an exciting band with musicians who have all worked extensively with boundary-defying music, and their references to the alternative rock scene are very much in evidence. Guitarist Petter VÄ¥gan is also known Oas a member of Marvel Machine, Eyewaterlilies, Vertex and Petter O Hanna. Bassist Rune Nergaard and drummer Gard Nilssen have performed together in several different bands, but are perhaps best known from the free rock band Bushman's Revenge. Nilssen also plays with Susanne SundfÄ¸r, Puma and Mathias Eick. Scent Of Soil's debut album is both exciting and accessible -- a record abounding in musical high points.

Sei A - Lazers 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO082EP] $11.50
2010 release from Sei A. "Lazers" is a dark, mounting stormer, whatever that means. Jori Hulkkonen offers an excellent remix of "Rebel Without A Cause."

Sei A - Flux (Martyn Mix) 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO115EP] $11.50
This EP from Sei A snaps things back onto a futuristic grid of bass-driven club madness. "Break The Pattern" is a techno zap-fest featuring a killer hook, precision, laser-cut drums and a rough, rolling groove. "Flux" blends retro video game sounds with vocal samples, laid out against a psychedelic cha-cha rhythm. This one received early support from Martyn who weighs in with a strong remix, driving the 8-bit riff into a frenzy, backed by iron-clad beats bouncing atop a megaton sub. Guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Sewer Election - Vittra Sonder LP (Throne Heap) [LPSEWERVITT] $21.25
Nothing but fine, fine, fine tape manipulation and metal abuse punctuated by primitive organ melody and sparsely placed percussive stabs. Dark grooves where the musique truly meets the concrete. Edition of 300 copies.

Sewer Election - Vittra Sonder LP (Throne Heap) [THOS002LP] $18.50
"Tape manipulation and metal abuse at its absolute finest. A few minutes of primitive organ melody mark the A-side of this LP, while the flipside features some percussive stabs so sparsely placed that they could nearly be counted on one hand. Although these musical passages are brief, they are worth mentioning as they significantly compliment the overall mood & pacing of the album. Deep within the dark grooves of Vittra Sonder the musique truly meets the concrete. Recorded at Utmarken Gothenburg, Sweden 2010 - 2011. Mastered for vinyl by Viktor Ottosson. Edition of 300 in pro-printed jackets."

Shlomi Aber - In Dancetrippin 12 inch (Be As One) [BAO034EP] $12.25
Written and produced by Shlomi Aber.

Silvia Kastel/Ninni Morgia/Gary Smith - Brand LP (Ultramarine) [UM012] $20.50
Heavyweight improviser, stereo guitar pioneer, and AUFEHOBEN guitarist GARY SMITH has you covered in the multiple layering, complex grainy textures, dense counterpoint, influences of birdsong department. Fused with this is the guitar of free improv innovator NINNI MORGIA, which floats between minimal movements of primordial electronics, pre-war slide blues and Hendrix-esque feedback. La Barbara and Torchia protege SILVIA KASTEL's moaning, screaming and howling alternates with her delayed, bubbling, glitchy or round bass synth. It's a dense sound for three people-not just visceral and intense, but articulate and defined, and in some instances very delicate. It's got the deep taste of fearlessness of tempo, pulse, more conventional musical devices, or pushing to unpredictable extremes. Includes free download card.

Slant Azymuth - Slant Azymuth LP (Pre-Cert Home Entertainment) [VHSX004LP] $19.00
Slant Azymuth expand on the concepts shared on 2011's virtually unobtainable series of releases on Andy Votel and Demdike Stare's Pre-Cert Home Entertainment label. Slant Azymuth is more than likely a joint venture between label heads Demdike and Votel, once again exploring fake-loric nonlanguage/electric codes and forbidden information to create an archive of sonic and poetic commentary (evidence) concerning corruption in pre-war local industry, perverted belief systems and scientific invention. Part music concrÄ¨te, part folklore, part-pulp-fictitious, part Neorealism -- this indulgent patchwork of mechanical folk/pop and non-music combines essential influences of electric Smithsonian releases, sound poetry, Zdeněk Liska, Ilhan Mimaroglu, basic Carnatic music, Lettrism, Pierre Henry, Oramics in Ardwick, Massiera, Lloyd M. Williams, Stella Crenshaw, Bruno Nicolai, Suzanne Ciani, Eastern European fiction, AgitProp, L.S. Lowry, J.G. Frazer, Gurdjieff, Kommune pop groups and futen theater. Limited to 700 copies. Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.

Sleep Over - Forever LP (Hippos In Tanks) [HIP012LP] $15.50
"While listening to Sleep Over, the brain in humans and other mammals experience periodic intervals of dreaming, hallucinations, and other murky forms of brain activity. Forever, the debut LP from Austin-based Stefanie Franciotti, is a record of pastoral psychedelia, swirling texture, and unforgettable vocal strains, combining both synth landscapes and pop architecture to create an unfolding sense of yearning. Her voice weaves in and out of brethren synth and guitar timbres, unfolding over time outlined by minimal drum machine pulse, creating tape-saturated pop gems and ominous moments of synth shimmer that recall both dream pop and industrial urgency. Her synth work tends towards the warbly atmospheres - they bend and fuse like crusts of dried REM tears - and the songs have a dusty arc, with stark melodies that recall the spacious melancholia of Julee Cruise. Forever possesses an earthy, melting quality, reflecting Stefanie's Texan roots in HD -- hi-fi meets lo-fi, night meets day -- dreams documented in brilliant long player fashion."

Sly & Robbie - Blackwood Dub LP+CD (Groove Attack) [GAP11€] $18.25
Groove Attack presents Blackwood Dub, Sly & Robbie's first flawless dub album in years. This release was realized with long-time companions including Mikey "Mao" Chung (guitar) and Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion) and others. The album was recorded in 2011 at the legendary Harry J Studio (which also recorded the first Bob Marley & The Wailers albums for Island Records) in coordination with the producer talent of Alberto "Burur" Blackwood and Gilroy "Rolex" Stewart. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare are by far the worldwide most known and most successful Jamaican musicians, responsible for countless essential recordings for local artists and producers that have made real reggae history. The duo remain engaged as drummer and bass session players for celebrities of the international rock/pop circuit, never failing to support new young talent coming from the ghettos of Kingston or the Jamaican countryside. CD is housed in a 6-fold digipak, including a sticker. Featuring: Sly Dunbar (drums/percussion/Syn drums), Robert Shakespeare (bass/guitar), Mikey "Mao" Chung (guitar), Dalton Brownie (guitar), Dougie Bryan (guitar), Daryl Thompson (guitar), Robbie Lyn (keyboards), Hansel Collins (keyboards), Sticky Thompson (percussion) and Skully (percussion).

Spam Chop - The Cuckup 12 inch (Mimm Recordings) [MIMM002EP] $10.75
Lukas Cole aka Spam Chop has been a long serving proprietor of wonky, complex and intricate music. So MiMM have decided it's about time the left-of-center techno producer brought his own tunes to the table. "Cuckup" operates in the realms of the cinematic, with stunning chords dripping and bending their way through a soft terrain. On the backside, there's the dancefloor-driven duo of "Blergzz" and "Frames." Ultra-limited pressing of 200 copies only on colored vinyl.

Stefan Goldmann - Emptying The Vaults Vol. 3 12 inch (Victoriaville) [446085EP] $11.50
Part 3 of the series of three EPs unraveling unreleased classic house tracks by Stefan Goldmann. The main tracks here are pure dancefloor material, with "Electric Bazaar" centering on in-depth drum design. "Zobel Network" provides a prime example of neurofunk. Hidden on the A-side, "Chapter 2" is an early hint at Stefan's experimental edge. Revisiting the years 2000-2005, Emptying The Vaults highlights the era of Stefan Goldmann's UK years. Restored from the original master tapes and cut by Dubplates & Mastering's Rashad.

Strategy - Boxy Music 12 inch (100% Silk) [SILK021EP] $13.50
"Prince of Portland Paul Dickow turns his no-nonsense Nudge-sludge awesomeness into revved-up, avant tech-house arousal as Strategy. The moniker has found Dickow checking out hooks in his Community Library and niche-in'-out nooks on Kranky. With SILK he separates: 'Skanking Stabs' stomps with reverb canned-can drums, bouncing in a dancehall vault. 'Feel The Earth' is not your daddy's acid jazz, with its bouncing house arresting piano bar tipped jar. 'Starry Day' soft serves up a swirl of '80s vamp funk, contempo computer chocolate chips, and haywire Cyberdyne scheming sequences. The dueling 'Bolly Valve' tracks mix Arabic woodwind skill scales with whisper sizzle clatter data. Limited edition, with hot pink pop art Neu-bout-town jackets designed by the artist. Strategic move for winning your love."

Tadeo - Futurism 12 inch (Cyclical Tracks) [CYCLICAL018EP] $11.50
Tadeo presents techno capitalized in a hypothetical trip to the future, illustrating visions of a world that is to come. "Futurism (Edit And Signals Mix)" are two tracks of sci-fi techno, while "Spaceship Alarm" is a track composed for the dancefloor, great for the more energetic moments of the best DJ sets. "The Message" speaks of the consequences of our current behavior. If we do not care about our planet, a dark future will be closer. This is techno from that future.

The Doozer - Keep It Together LP (Woodsist) [WOODSIST055] $14.50
No description available at this time.

Tini - Smooh's Raisin Theory 12 inch (Dissonant) [DISS008EP] $11.50
"Smooh's Raisin Theory," tINI's debut for Dissonant, is a fresh, funk-driven number, and her youth as a drummer and the early influences of Moodymann can all be heard in the warm rhythms of the original. Label boss Marc Antona takes the original on a trip with his "Outback" mix, creating an ethereal atmosphere with his deep, pulsing drums and bringing the vocal to the fore. Re-UP keeps the funk and drive while adding an array of crisp, clean percussion.

Tomorrow's Gift - Tomorrow's Gift 2xLP (Second Battle) [SB017LP] $39.75
"Tomorrow's Gift rare and sought after debut double-LP. The female singer reminds sometimes of early Frumpy works. Great progressive item from Germany. Coming with the original foldopen-cover on 180 gram vinyl. Laminated high glossy cover. Limited edition 1000 copies. Attention: Another pressing of this title has been announced. Everyone who knows Second Battle knows that only here he will get the correct quality this title deserves. So beware of any bootlegs!"

Trans Am - The Surveillance LP (Thrill Jockey) [THR054LP] $15.00
"1998: Trans Am's third studio album The Surveillance is released. Out of print on vinyl for years we are happy to finally offer it again. Pressed on high quality virgin vinyl and including all original artwork - a fully artworked inner sleeve and for the first time a download coupon."

Various Artists - Soul Safari Presents Township Jive & Kwela Jazz (1940-1960) LP (Ubuntu Publishing) [UP2011_004LP] $19.00
LP version. Ubuntu Publishing celebrates the third year of the Soul Safari blog with this great compilation of South African jive/Kwela 78s. All titles on this compilation have been hand-picked from the ILAM Archives (the International Library of African Music), in Grahamstown, South Africa. The tracklisting represents a wide variety of styles from the golden era of jive and Kwela, originally released on 78 shellac discs from small independent record companies. This compilation also features rarities by the big names obviously, but presents mostly obscure material from a long-lost past, music that was popular in the '60s. Recorded from the original 78 rpms and professionally restored/mastered with artwork to match.

Various Artists - WPH/Lany Summer Special 2011 12 inch (We Play House/Lany Recordings) [WPHSS2011EP] $12.25
This is a split-label, split-distribution release between We Play House Recordings and Lany Recordings, between Rush Hour and Clone. The WPH side kicks off with a remix Russ Gabriel did for outfit Norken + Deer. FCL does a second track with an old rave sound in a drum machine. On the Lany side is two more tracks, the first a remix Lemakuhlar and Red D did for Rebirth, and the second is from label-boss Maxim Lany, reworking his mighty "Cuncambias" to great effect.

Various Artists - West Indies Soul: Volume 1 2xLP (Trans Air Records) [TRA424006LP] $19.75
"After taking listeners on a funky, dance floor fueled journey through the West Indies with Disc'o'Lypso and their West Indies Funk compilations, the San Juan Puerto Rico based Trans Air Records marks their triumphant return with a softer side of island offerings. Sail away with us on West Indies Soul as the warm sounds and breezy rhythms of the islands come to life on sixteen choice cuts from a selection of the region's top talent. Standouts include cover versions of Dyke & The Blazers -- 'Funky Broadway' and Lou Rawl's venerable 'Love Is A Hurting Thing.' These tropical ballads will melt even the coldest of hearts. Trans Air Records is proud to present West Indies Soul, with audio remastered from the original analog tapes for optimum sound quality. West Indies Soul is guaranteed to be a staple of your BBQs and cookouts for years to come. Crack open a bottle of coconut rum, relax, and enjoy."

Various Artists - Laid 16 12 inch (Laid) [LAID016EP] $11.50
Here are some fireworks to start the house music year with another Various Artists EP on Laid Records, Dial's lovely subdivision. Palisade aka Redshape comes up with an outstanding journey into avant-garde, based on the feedbacks of John Cage's "Pendulum Music." Moomin is back with another lovely tune -- simply on-point, direct to the heart. Lastly, RNDM begs the question: when will the first RNDM album finally be released? These three tracks prove that house music is here to stay.

Wasserfall - Thursday EP 12 inch (Greta Cottage Workshop) [GCW002EP] $16.50
Wasserfall creates organic electronic music using an array of tools -- including a Nord Modular G2X, a Roland TR 909, a Roland SP 404 sampler and an Apogee Ensemble -- but don't think that it's all about the gear -- field recordings also feature heavily in his work. This EP is house music for the heads -- nothing lightweight, just the heavy goods. Long time coming on vinyl, so don't miss out on this strictly limited pressing.

Whomadewho - Inside World 7 inch (Kompakt) [KOM244EP] $8.25
WhoMadeWho, the genre-bending trio of Jeppe Kjellberg, Tomas HÄ¸ffding and Tomas Barfod fuse pop and disco memes with punk paraphernalia. The first single from their upcoming full-length Brighter is prime stuff as expected, with Jeppe Kjellberg's characteristic vocal hitting the pop-nerve while Tomas HÄ¸ffding's soft falsetto holds the song together. The exclusive flipside features a grandiose acoustic version of "Inside World" graced by the warm baritone of John Grant, former lead vocalist with The Czars.

Whomadewho - Brighter 2xLP+CD (Kompakt) [KOM254LP] $21.50
WhoMadeWho may lack a question mark after their name, but their music will certainly have you asking after them. The Copenhagen, Denmark trio is difficult to pin down, but their music sounds as effortless as it is stylistically and sonically adventurous. Having formed in 2003, the genre-bending trio made up of Jeppe Kjellberg, Tomas HÄ¸ffding and Tomas Barfod honed their skills on stage and in the studio, releasing a series of best-selling records on Gomma, topped off by their Kompakt-released 2011 mini-album Knee Deep (KOM 230LP). They remain one of Europe's most cherished live acts, performing alongside the likes of LCD Soundystem, Daft Punk, Azari & III, and they have been staples of the summer festival circuit with a breakthrough performance in 2011 at the legendary Roskilde Festival. It must be said that Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age loves the band so much that he even did a cover of "Space For Rent." WhoMadeWho have truly succeeded on their mission to eschew convention. Fusing pop and disco memes with punk paraphernalia, they now return with the sublime full-length Brighter. The album operates as the missing link between the radical playfulness of the band's previous full-length The Plot (GOMMA 120CD) and the introspective focus of Knee Deep, bridging their early work with a newly-founded sense of sincerity and musicianship. "The Sun" has already proved itself as a crowd favorite -- cocky, bold and catchy, this is THE hymn that fans new and old will be screaming to over the summer months. "Below The Cherry Moon" submerges the band in pop perfection, revealing a matured depth and lyrical brilliance. Other songs such as "Inside World," the hard-hitting "Never Had The Time" or existentialist groove-study "Running Man" feature the accessibility as well as the edginess that describe both ends of the same passion: Kjellberg's characteristic vocal hits the pop-nerve in the verses while HÄ¸ffding's soft falsetto holds the song together, giving the album its constantly-evolving flow. Another instant classic that will rule our hearts and minds.

Wiley - Evolve Or Be Extinct 3xLP (Big Dada) [BD187LP] $23.75
"What is the true mark of the wayward genius of Wiley? Is it that, less than six months after the release of his last full album, 100% Publishing, he has another record all set for release? Is it that he has insisted that it is released on his birthday, Thursday January 19th 2012? Or that he initially refused to release a single from it? That he has made so much music that his fans will receive two CDs, the second with at least eight further tracks on it? Or even that one track on the album has no music ('Customs')? No, it's not any of these. It's that we can say, without fear of contradiction (or without much fear), that Evolve Or Be Extinct is the best album (so far!) of this unique artist's career. Dark, funny, wild and exhilarating, this is a record which shows just what Wiley is capable of when he forgets the minutiae of recording contracts and concentrates on the many weird and wonderful facets of his life."

Wooden Shjips - Remixes 12 inch (Thrill Jockey) [THR01249EP] $13.50
"To follow up the release of their critically acclaimed Thrill Jockey debut West, Wooden Shjips return with a limited 12"EP featuring three exclusive cuts and remixes from Andrew Weatherall, Sonic Boom (Pete Kember of Spacemen 3), and Kandodo (Simon Price of The Heads). Limited to only 2,500 copies worldwide."

ZZT - The Worm 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO058EP] $11.50
2008 single, featuring an extended rework from Erol Alkan.

ZZT (Zombie Nation & Tiga) - Work Pt. I (Nautiluss Remix) 12 inch (Turbo Recordings) [TURBO116EP] $11.50
The latest single off of ZZT's Partys Over Earth album (TURBO 033CD/LP) romances the grindstone with 5 Â½ minutes of hard labor in the analog mines. "This extended 12" version is meant to honor the spirit of the Working Man. It is the product of two pairs of hands getting hands-on with the machines, pumping out the jam and punching out the clock," says Tiga, the man who puts the "T" in ZZT. Also features a remix by Nautiluss, the new techno alias of Thunderheist's Graham Zilla.

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

23 Skidoo - Seven Songs 2xLP (LTM) [LTM25281] $18.50
RELEASE DATE: 04-02-2012
LTM is proud to announce a deluxe double vinyl reissue of Seven Songs, the seminal debut album by 23 Skidoo, originally released in February 1982.

Originally released on Fetish Records as a mini album, Seven Songs topped the indie charts and immediately established 23 Skidoo as a groundbreaking musical force on the post-punk landscape. "Intoxicating -- one of the most exciting records I've heard since Unknown Pleasures" (Paul Morley, NME, 1982); "23 Skidoo conceived of funk as a sinister energy, and Seven Songs still sounds blood-curdlingly intense" (Simon Reynolds, Rip It Up & Start Again, 2005)

Digitally remastered, this deluxe 2x12" set contains an additional 35 minutes of material, including cult single The Gospel Comes To New Guinea/Last Words (issued on 12" in 1981) and their only radio session for John Peel, broadcast in September 1981 and featuring four exclusive tracks never recorded elsewhere.

Following the release of Seven Songs, Skidoo issued a series of hugely influential records fusing post-punk, dub, industrial, world and hip-hop styles, including the singles Tearing Up The Plans, Coup and Language, and albums such as The Culling Is Coming and Urban Gamelan. In 2000 the group returned with a self-titled album, 23 Skidoo, and 24 March 2012 will perform at Electrowerkz (London) at the launch event for Metal Dance, a compilation curated by deejay Trevor Jackson.

Archie Shepp - The Magic Of Ju-Ju LP (Impulse!) [IMP9154HLP] $16.75
Gatefold 180 gram reissue of tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp's 1967 "tour de force." "...combining free jazz tenor with steady frenetic African drumming. Shepp's emotional and fiery tenor takes off immediately, gradually morphing with the five percussionists -- Beaver Harris, Norman Connor, Ed Blackwell, Frank Charles, and Dennis Charles -- who perform on instruments including rhythm logs and talking drums. Shepp never loses the initial energy, moving forward like a man possessed as the drumming simultaneously builds into a fury." --All Music Guide

Archie Shepp - Live At The Donaueschingen Music Festival LP (Mps) [MPS20651HLP] $16.75
Gatefold 180 gram reissue. "One For The Trane" taking up both sides, with Roswell Rudd (trombone), Grachan Moncur (trombone), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Beaver Harris (drums). Recorded in 1967.

Audience - Audience LP+CD (Lilith) [LR332LP] $26.75
"London art rock band that rose from the ashes of mid-sixties mod band Lloyd Alexander Real Estate. Adding sax, acoustic guitar and woodwinds to the mix, Audience soon became very popular on the club circuit, landing a residency at Ronnie Scott's and a record deal with Polydor. Their 1969 self-titled debut was a solid effort, but nonetheless was soon deleted, making original copies of this LP highly collectible. Featuring new 'positive image' cover photo plus 3 bonus tracks, including the theme from their soundtrack to the 1970 skinhead classic Bronco Bullfrog."

Cardinal - Hymns LP (Fire) [FIRE216LP] $21.00
"Eighteen years after the release of their landmark self-titled debut, Cardinal -- the recording collaboration between Richard Davies and Eric Matthews --are preparing to unveil their long awaited new album. The new record, entitled Hymns, picks up where their debut left off -- well-crafted, layered orchestral pop, with Matthews' multi-instrumental talents enhancing Davies' sublime songwriting gems. Hymns comprises ten new originals, another milestone in the band's quest to provide the missing link in chamber pop history, following the Beatles and Bee Gees and before Belle & Sebastian, and a worthy follow up to their self-titled debut, a record lauded then, and now, as one of the most important albums of the '90s. Ushering in an era of appreciation for the orchestrated pop music the 1960s, with a modern approach, Cardinal's debut opus, originally released in 1994, seemed to come out of nowhere with its layered textures and delightful melodies, swimming against the tidal wave of grunge."

Carmen Maki & Blues Creation - Carmen Maki & Blues Creation LP (Phoenix Records) [ASH305€] $20.75
Released at about the same time as Demon And Eleven Children, the album the beautiful Carmen Maki recorded with the band Blues Creation, this 1971 heavy rock guitar monster reminds us that ...Eleven Children isn't the only heavy album from this ensemble. Maki was probably one of the strongest voices of Japanese rock and is featured here doing her finest Grace Slick impression. Lots of brutal, non-stop wailing guitar but some mellow, bluesy psychedelic rock numbers, too. Maki went on to form her own band, Oz, but this is the collaboration for which she will be best remembered. Highly recommended. Features the original LP cover. Digitally remastered.

Creation, The - Creation LP (Klimt) [MJJ329LP] $20.50
"Originally released in 1975, this album was the culmination of Japanese ax-hero Kazuo 'Flash' Takeda's post-London musical efforts. Takeda spent the early 1960s soaking in the sounds of American blues, psych and British invasion rock bands, eventually forming his own band--the aptly named Blues Creation--in 1969. The band released three albums, including their now legendary Demon & Eleven Children; before Takeda took off for London in 1972. During this time he played on a number of sessions and made friends with many musicians, particularly the American hard rockers Mountain. When he finally returned to Japan the following year, he was ready to start a new band with himself on lead guitar and vocals. Now simply called Creation, the band released its self-titled LP in 1975, produced by the Flower Travellin' Band producer Yuya Utchida and featuring a cover photo of a group of naked boys peeing. Creation's next album would be recorded in the US with Felix Pappalardi. Takeda went on to release over 20 albums and now lives in L.A. as a session guitarist."

Darling Dears, The - I Don't Think I'll Ever Love Another 7 inch (Orivious/Now-Again) [OR001EP] $8.25
"Now-Again is happy to launch New York funk/soul researcher and archivist David Griffith's Orivious Records with a masterpiece: the sole document of a lost and unlikely teenage 'sweet-funk' collaboration between Rochester, New York vocalists the Darling Dears and backing band Funky Heavy. Originally issued in 1972, the record never made it beyond the city's west side. Today, this rare and exquisite blend of fragile female harmony atop an unexpected bed of raw, plodding funk commands four figures at auction when it appears in its original form."

Django Reinhardt - Rhythm Futur LP (Monk) [MOK106LP] $20.50
The Hot Club of France was a kind of jazz appreciation society based in Paris in the 1930s and DJANGO REINHARDT-perhaps the greatest jazz guitarist of all time-and his quintet (featuring STEPHANE GRAPPELLI on violin) swiftly became its main attraction. In an era when it was commonly believed that in order to play jazz you had to be African American and from somewhere like New Orleans, Reinhardt managed to single-handedly debunk this myth, and in the process become the first international European jazz star. Although Reinhardt played in the jazz idiom, he did not try to mimic his American counterparts, but developed his own distinct style of playing (on an instrument that was not even an accepted jazz solo instrument at the time and with two crippled fingers on his left hand)! His pre-war recordings for HMV and Swing became wildly popular, selling to audiences eager to hear what this new 'European jazz' was all about. These recordings (1936-1940) chronicle a time when Paris was the centre of the world-and the legendary night clubs of Montmarte, Pigalle and along the Champs- Elysees were filled with jazz bands-but with the onset of WWII, all this changed and gypsies like Django Reinhardt were systematically being rounded up and sent to the death camps. During this time Reinhardt found himself literally having to play and record in order to stay alive. As long as he was a star, he was safe. Amazingly, Reinhardt still managed to compose and record some of his best material during this dark era, and songs like "Oriental Shuffle," "Mystery Pacific," "Bricktop," "Minor Swing" and "Nuages" still represent some of his best work.

Django Reinhardt - Swing De Paris LP (Monk) [MOK107LP] $20.50
The Hot Club of France was a kind of jazz appreciation society based in Paris in the 1930s and DJANGO REINHARDT-perhaps the greatest jazz guitarist of all time-and his quintet (featuring STEPHANE GRAPPELLI on violin) swiftly became its main attraction. In an era when it was commonly believed that in order to play jazz you had to be African American and from somewhere like New Orleans, Reinhardt managed to single-handedly debunk this myth, and in the process become the first international European jazz star. Although Reinhardt played in the jazz idiom, he did not try to mimic his American counterparts, but developed his own distinct style of playing (on an instrument that was not even an accepted jazz solo instrument at the time and with two crippled fingers on his left hand)! His pre-war recordings for HMV and Swing became wildly popular, selling to audiences eager to hear what this new 'European jazz' was all about. These recordings (1936-1940) chronicle a time when Paris was the centre of the world-and the legendary night clubs of Montmarte, Pigalle and along the Champs- Elysees were filled with jazz bands-but with the onset of WWII, all this changed and gypsies like Django Reinhardt were systematically being rounded up and sent to the death camps. During this time Reinhardt found himself literally having to play and record in order to stay alive. As long as he was a star, he was safe. Amazingly, Reinhardt still managed to compose and record some of his best material during this dark era, and songs like "Oriental Shuffle," "Mystery Pacific," "Bricktop," "Minor Swing" and "Nuages" still represent some of his best work.

Django Reinhardt - Are You In The Mood? LP (Monk) [MK104LP] $21.00
"The Hot Club of France was a kind of jazz appreciation society based in Paris in the 1930s and Django Reinhardt--perhaps the greatest jazz guitarist of all time--and his quintet (featuring Stephane Grappelli on violin) swiftly became its main attraction. In an era when it was commonly believed that in order to play jazz you had to be African American and from somewhere like New Orleans, Reinhardt managed to single-handedly debunk this myth and in the process become the first international European jazz star. Recorded in Paris in 1936-37."

Django Reinhardt - Swingin' With Django LP (Monk) [MK105LP] $21.00
Recorded in Paris in 1937. "Although Reinhardt played in the jazz idiom, he did not try to mimic his American counterparts, but developed his own distinct style of playing (on an instrument that was not even an accepted jazz solo instrument at the time and with two crippled fingers on his left hand)! His pre-war recordings for HMV and Swing became wildly popular; selling to audiences eager to hear what this new 'European jazz' was all about."

Eden's Children - Sure Looks Real LP (Sweet Dandelion) [SWDDL724LP] $27.25
"Follow up to their seminal 1968 debut, this brings you another example of what the Eden's Children are known for, and why they are openly (even back then) acclaimed as the best Boston band. Led by Richard 'Sham' Schamach's fine guitar playing and backed by the tight rhythm section of bassist Larry Kiley and drummer Jimmy Sturman, the children unload in this album another twelve songs of fuzzy psychedelic sounds. Some people argue this to be even better than their first, but we'll let the listener judge." Original foldout cover artwork, remastered sound and limited to 500 copies.

Elias Rahbani - Mosaic of the Orient LP (Arabesque Records) [ARABESQUE1001] $27.25
"The Rahbani Brothers are acclaimed composers, producers and arrangers, and also responsible for bringing western sounds into Lebanon (at that time the music and artistic capital of the Arab world) and the whole Middle East. Elias, the youngest brother, who at this time was recording music for films, is regarded as the godfather of modern Lebanese music, as he wrote music for virtually all Lebanese bands/artists singing in English or French in the 1960s. As the original liner notes for Mosaic of the Orient read, 'Elias has brought together instruments of East and West to give an exotic eastern flavor against a background of westernized rhythm.' Mosaic of the Orient was originally released in the mid '70s in two volumes (first one in 1974); here we bring you the best of both albums in one single release. The music is a mix of eastern sounds and western rhythms, with haunting melodies, nice drum breaks and using instruments like the nai (a type of Arabic flute), bouzouki, flute, guitar, double flute, kanoun, tabla, drums, tambourine, electric organ and an oriental rhythm section. Limited to 500 copies."

ESG - ESG LP (Fire Fidelity) [FF222LP] $29.25
"When ESG's debut EP hit the streets in 1981, no one suspected the profound impact these songs would have on the history of music, particularly 'UFO' (which soon became one of the most sampled songs in the history of hip hop) and 'Moody' (which was a huge hit on the downtown post-punk music scene), and the ripple effect of these songs have been felt ever since. After their label, 99 Records, folded in 1984, ESG maintained a low profile until making a comeback in 1991 with this self-titled LP. This release featured the two original smash hits from their 1981 debut, plus three cuts ('A New Day', 'Standing In Line' and 'Crash') from their obscure 1987 Bam Bam Jam EP, along with some previously unreleased material."

Flower Travellin' Band - Anywhere LP (Phoenix Records) [ASH3054LP] $20.75
First album from the legendary Japanese rockers fronted by Yuya Uchida. Although an album consisting mainly of cover versions, 1970's Anywhere still exhibited many of the musical traits that were to come to the fore on the band's next release, the classic Satori, an album of original material delivered with panache by the increasingly confident Uchida. An album made memorable by its risqué cover as well as its ground-breaking approach to Western rock music. Features the original LP artwork and includes the original Japanese insert.

Galliard - New Dawn LP (Sweet Dandelion) [SWDDL726LP] $27.25
"Formed in the English Midlands as a six-piece band in 1969, Galliard released their second LP New Dawn in 1970. The album has a strong progressive flavor, with an interesting brass section and great, strong melodies. It also features the great sitar breakout 'Ask for Nothing,' certainly one of the highlights here, a trippy nine minute long sitar raga. Although their first album Strange Pleasure is widely known, New Dawn has remained somewhat unknown to collectors and is reissued on vinyl here for the first time." Original artwork and remastered sound. Limited to 500 copies.

Giant Sand - Black Out LP (Fire Fidelity) [FF190LP] $29.25
"Fire Fidelity re-issues the rare and regarded Black Out recording from 1993. Forged from the embers of the recording session which was Purge & Slouch, and wholly acoustic, this collection of takes was originally released only in Germany. Black Out sits proudly amidst the Giant Sand re-issue project. 'When we gathered for the grand experiment of Purge & Slouch, Howe Gelb recalls, 'the idea of which was to record without having written anything prior for it. Some actual songs did pop out, perhaps for the sake of warm-up or while mics were being wired maybe just for the sake of vigorous deployment. Re-living some old songs there and then, we bundled 'em up after the fact for what would become Stromausfall instead. This was a limited batch release on a small German label that took my original title Black Out and translated it. The idea being that this is the sound that would happen during one... songs without electricity attached.' Since then, most of that original pressing made in Germany has mysteriously self destructed so it is with pleasure we have the opportunity to release the album."

Glenn Gould - Bach: The Goldberg Variations LP (Doxy) [DOZ419LP] $22.25
"Born in Toronto in 1932, Glenn Gould was one of the most celebrated pianists of the 20th century. Particularly known for his interpretations of Bach, his version of The Goldberg Variations is considered to be the finest ever recorded. In fact, many fans consider it to be the very pinnacle of Gould's recorded work. However, Gould was nothing, if not an eccentric and it was well known that he had the habit of humming softly to himself while playing, including on this recording. Some have harshly criticized Gould for this, claiming that it 'ruins' the piece, while many others, particularly his fans (who are legion) simply accept this as a side-effect of great genius. Originally published in 1741, this piece was one of the few to have been published in J.S. Bach's own lifetime. Although it is believed that John Gottlieb Goldberg may have indeed been its first performer, it is now considered to be pure fantasy the old story that tells how Bach wrote the Variations as a sleep inducer for an insomniac Count."

Jesse Mae Hemphill - Feelin' Good LP (Sutro Park) [SP101€] $17.25
"Jessie Mae Hemphill was at the peak of her recording and touring career when these tracks were recorded in 1987. Those who were lucky enough to catch one of her live performances saw something utterly unique in the world of blues. Jessie Mae-The She Wolf--was the Queen of Hill County blues and Feelin' Good was the quintessential recording, finding her in the studio with legendary musicologist David Evans and Otha Turner band member RL Boyce. The result was one of the great Hill Country records, full of loose, infectious grooves and great, gritty song writing. Jessie Mae Hemphill came from a long line of blues greats, including her grandfather Sid Hemphill, who Alan Lomax recorded. Feelin' Good never felt so good."

John Cage/Terry Fox - HighFidelity 2xLP (Edition Rz) [RZ9006/7LP] $73.50
2008 release put out in conjunction with the Marzona Collection exhibition in Berlin. Housed in a gatefold sleeve with a 36-page catalogue. The first LP is John Cage Speaks MUREAU by John Cage, its title assembled from the first syllable of the word "music" and the author's name "Thoreau." Malte Hubrig writes "The performance of Mureau -- its letters, syllables and words read by John Cage in a uniform intonation of the voice -- frees language of its meaning and opens it to sound." The second LP is Terry Fox's Culvert, a performance that took place at the University of Montana in 1977. "The performance lasted 24 hours and was divided into two unequal parts: in the first 3 hours Fox, accompanied by two students, took the rowboat to the middle of the 100-foot long, 6-foot high culvert, where they improvised on the instruments. In the remaining 21 hours, Fox stayed alone in the rowboat running a wooden baton around the rim of a saucepan lid to the point of exhaustion... The mutual dependencies of sound and surroundings -- the space itself is a resonant body -- constitute for Fox the fundamental esthetic concept of the musical sculpture. The sculptural treatment of sound -- which, in its immediacy, dialectically carries the concrete spatial situation over into the dimension of time -- opens a continuous progression in which the acoustic sculpture as a process unfurls."

Karantamba - Ndigal 2xLP (Teranga Beat) [TBLP015LP] $24.75
Teranga Beat proudly presents Bai Janha alias "Sweet Fingers" and his psychedelic steamroller, Karantamba. Composer, arranger, guitar player in Guelewar and Ifang Bondi, Bai Janha is undisputedly the most important musician to have come from Gambia. Band leader of the groups Black Star, Whales Band, Fabulous Eagles and Supreme Eagles, founder of the group Alligators who later became Guelewar, Bai is the one who created the unique psychedelic sound in the region of Sene-Gambia, mixing traditional compositions with soul. His musical innovations contributed to the domination of Afromanding music in West Africa for more than a decade. This record presents Bai Janha with his last group, Karantamba, a school for young musicians, in a totally unreleased recording, recorded in ThiÄ¨s (Senegal) at "Sangomar" Club in 1984. The double gatefold LP's liner notes and CD's booklet include more information and photographs, outlining the living legend's musical career and the wicked percussive rhythms and compositions of this album.

Karen Dalton - 1966 LP (Delmore Recordings) [DEL02€] $19.75
LP version housed in tip-on jacket, with four page heavy insert, exclusive color portrait and download card.

Kevin Ayers - Joy Of A Toy LP (Vinilisssimo) [MRSSS51€] $23.25
In 1968, after a U.S. tour with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Soft Machine's founding member Kevin Ayers decided to leave the band. Unsure about their artistic direction, worn out by an exhausting schedule and reluctant to become another part of the music business, he sold his bass to Noel Redding and moved to Ibiza. However, soon after he started writing the songs that would make up his first solo LP, Joy Of A Toy. His departure from The Soft Machine had been amicable and Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper all took part in the recordings at Abbey Road in July 1969. The resulting album meanders in and out of its own affecting mood, taking wonderful pop, folk, psych and prog turns during its course. It starts with the joyful, circus-like title track and veers from the gentle beauty of "Girl On A Swing" and pastoral gems like "Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)" to ominous, experimental moments like "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong," based on a Malaysian traditional song, and the driving jam of "Stop This Train." It also features "The Lady Rachel," a beautifully-arranged track with a haunting atmosphere and one of Ayers' most representative tracks.

Mighty Sparrow, The - Sparrowmania! 2xLP (Strut) [STRUT090LP] $23.00
Subtitled: Wit, Wisdom And Soul From The King Of Calypso 1960-1974. "Strut presents a brand new retrospective of one of the Caribbean's most towering musical figures, Mighty Sparrow, covering 1962 to 1974. During a career of over 40 years, Sparrow has been an unmatchable figure in the world of calypso and a constant backdrop to Caribbean life, recording over 300 albums and winning eleven Calypso Monarch and eight Road March titles at the annual Trinidad Carnival during one of the most competitive times in its history. Scoring his first hit, 'Jean And Dinah', aged 20, Sparrow's style drew on influences from US street harmony quartets to crooners like Nat King Cole, jazz greats -- Ella, Sinatra -- and the early calypso generation including Lord Melody and Lord Kitchener. By the late '50s and in his early '20s, he was already an influential figure, encouraging Trinidad's people to pay taxes with Carnival hit 'P.A.Y.E.' and highlighting cruelty to animals on 'Russian Satellite'. This new collection hones in on Sparrow's most creative years as he effortlessly surfed musical styles from calypso party jams to hard-hitting boogaloo and soul. He had become a confident political commentator, tackling subjects as varied as domestic economic hardship ('Ah Diggin' Horrors'), slavery ('The Slave') and the Cuban missile crisis ('Kennedy And Kruschev'). Other tracks serve as a vital reference point for today's music. On 'Picong Duel', we hear Sparrow and fellow calypso legend, Lord Melody, trade insults, a direct forerunner to later mic battles in hip hop culture. Elsewhere, Sparrow just plain rocks the party ('Calypso Boogaloo', 'Jook For Jook') and turns in the odd choice cover -- we feature here his lilting version of Otis Redding's 'Try A Little Tenderness' with Byron Lee."

Mops, The - Exit LP (Phoenix Records) [ASH3050LP] $20.75
One of the innumerable bands to emerge from the post-Beatles Japanese tour of 1966 with Fab Four pretentions. The Mops were a Tokyo quintet led by drummer Mikiharu Suzuki who had cut his musical teeth in a Ventures-style combo in the previous spring. The line-up was augmented by the arrival of Suzuki's older brother, Hiromitu, a lead vocalist with an Eric Burdon obsession who added hugely to the band's fuzzy garage soul sound. Not just a Merseyside homage turn, The Mops were a dedicated family whose love of garage rock and the nascent psychedelia would help them to create some of the most urgently deranged and musically disruptive music of the entire Group Sounds-era. Exit, a live recording, features in its entirety the band's 1974 last concert at Nakano San Plaza. Features the original LP artwork and includes the original Japanese insert. This is the first 180 gram vinyl reissue.

Mustapha Skandrani - Istikhbars and Improvisations LP (Em Records) [EM1096LP] $30.75
Mustapha Skandrani: besides having an excellent name, this man, a luminary of Algerian music, possessed a unique musical sense, able to transcend the borders of musical cultures to create a distinctive fusion of Arabo-Andalusian and European styles. Istikhbars And Improvisations, recorded in 1965 in Paris, is a solo piano album presenting a trans-Mediterranean crossover based on traditional Algerian vocal pieces known as istikhbars. Playing these istikhbars (which have roots in the Islamic Arabo-Andalusian culture which flourished in Spain) on the piano, that quintessentially European instrument, Skandrani was greeted with derision by some purists. Skandrani's powerful musical vision, however, perceives the European element involved in Arabo-Andalusian musical culture, a world of exchange and co-existence, and his decision to play this music on the piano reminds us of this European influence. Skandrani's modus operandi on this release is to present each istikhbar, modal in nature, then to play an improvisation based on the istikhbar and its attendant mode. This A/B alternation continues throughout. The pellucid clarity of Skandrani's playing on this album may remind the listener of a modal Goldberg Variations, Bach and Glenn Gould transplanted to Andalucia. Other ears will hear the Arabic/Maghreb elements more strongly. Skandrani's precise touch and clear, symmetrical rhythmic sense links both worlds, assuring us that the Mediterranean is not a barrier, but a unifier, and that the differences between the cultures are not vast. This is an admirable achievement, resulting in beautiful music of a rare charm. Mustapha Skandrani was born in Algiers in 1920, and died there in 2005. He mastered a number of instruments at an early age, and his musical prowess led him to work with the great singers and ensembles of his day, in live performances, recordings, and radio broadcasts. Later in his life, he devoted much energy to education. Istikhbars And Improvisations comes with liner notes in English and Japanese. Housed in a gatefold cardboard sleeve jacket (embossed print) with inserts.

New Riders Of The Purple Sage - Dawson, Nelson & Friends LP (Vinyl Lovers) [VL901271LP] $23.00
"When the Grateful Dead met country music men Dawson & Nelson, the New Riders of the Purple Sage were born! Recorded in 1968-69, side A features the only known recording of the band's original line-up (John Dawson, David Nelson, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart), plus two even earlier pre-NRPS tracks, while Side B represents Dawson's resurrection of the band in 1989 with an entirely new line-up."

Nina Simone - Lamentations LP (Versatile Records) [NED1120LP] $11.00
Exact repro of this 1977 album. A live date with an 11 minute version of "Gin House Blues." Other songs: "Trouble In Mind," "After You've Gone," "Nobody," "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" and "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl."

Saga - Saga LP (Acid Nightmare) [ANM005LP] $27.25
"This is the cult Swedish heavy progressive rock group Saga super rare lone album released back in 1974. Saga was formed by members of the heavy psych/prog band November who released two brilliant albums before disbanding in 1973. Sage are not as famous as November but musically stay one step ahead, with their rich blend of prog/fusion, heavy acid blues and dark folk-rock, making this a must-have in any collection of '70s proto-metal and prog-rock as well. Acid Nightmare Records is proud to present this reissue, limited to 400 copies, in remastered sound and original artwork."

Soft Machine - Live at Het Turfschip, Netherlands, 31 January 1970 2xLP (Vinyl Lovers) [VL901240LP] $34.75
"Recorded live in Breda, Netherlands in January of 1970, this double LP represents the only existing recording of a very rare and short-lived quintet version of the band. Sax/flute player Lyn Dobson was the fifth member here, left over from the band's days as a septet. Just three months later Dobson would move on, leaving the classic Ratledge-Dean-Hopper-Wyatt line-up in place. Dobson's contributions to a 22-minute long version of Hopper's 'Facelift' as well as 'Backwards' are of particular interest here, as is a tentative version of 'Out-Bloody-Rageous', which was still a work in progress at this stage. Includes liner notes by band member Brian Hopper."

Television - Television LP (Vinilisssimo) [MRSSS512LP] $23.25
After disbanding in 1978, following two essential albums such as the legendary Marquee Moon and Adventure, the four members of Television continued their music careers as solo artists, in the case of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and through diverse collaborations. Fourteen years later, the original line-up reunited to record this third, eponymous album. Often overlooked when compared to their first two LPs, Television's 1992 comeback is another fantastic record, featuring songs such as "Call Mr. Lee," "1880 Or So," "In World" and "No Glamour For Willi" which rank among the best of the band's material. The guitar interplay between Verlaine and Lloyd is as mesmerizing and unique as ever, and the rhythm section of Fred Smith and Billy Ficca backs them up imaginatively and subtly. Unlike many other reunions, Television built on the band's previous work and added to their stellar legacy.

Various Artists - Inventionen I LP (Edition Rz) [RZ3002LP] $22.25
Last copies of this 1985 release. Featured works: Boguslaw Schaeffer's Berlin 80 II (composed in 1980 for piano, synthesizer and 4-track tape); Ricardo Mandolini's Fabulas II (composed in 1980); Sukhi Kang's "Inventio" (composed in 1984 for piano and tape).

Various Artists - Inventionen II LP (Edition Rz) [RZ300€] $22.25
Last copies of this 1985 release. Featured works: Takehito Shimazu's Zytoplasma (composed 1980 for tape); Boguslaw Schaeffer's Maa'ts (composed 1981 for vocals and electronics); Rolf EnstrÄ¶m's Fractal (composed 1984 at EMS Stockholm for tape and 10 slide projectors).

Various Artists - Tension: Spanish Experimental Underground 1980-1985 2xLP (Munster Records) [MR319LP] $24.00
It happened during the peak of the media excitement over the countercultural movement known as "Movida MadrileÄ±a." That DIY spirit, that in Spain was awakened later than in others due to the political ballast of nearly 40 years of dictatorship, had but one stage where not all of its protagonists could fit. Still, some even preferred to move away from the spotlight. Between 1980 and 1985, through the width and breadth of all of Spain, groups began to emerge that captured the fundamental essence of underground acts from other parts of the globe. New York's No Wave, the avant-garde pop of The Residents, the possibilities of technical manipulation or the less exhibitionist side of post-punk were adopted with the radical imagination, passion and freedom that comes from not having to answer to anyone. The success of those bands lay with breaking with the past and never looking back, burning their boats with each recording; they gave everything without expecting anything, making tension the criterion for quality. At a time when certain kinds of records weren't easily available in Spain and the chances to see the most fearless foreign bands live were scarce, a number of people and small collectives, inevitably centered around Madrid and Barcelona, created a diverse scene of bands, labels and fanzines which slowly and bravely developed and gained followers across the whole country. Cities like New York, London and Berlin served as examples to follow. Within this varied group of artists there was room for industrial sounds, daring post-punk, out-rock, mutant funk, dark wave, weird dance music and pure experimentalism. TensiÄ³n is the first comprehensive compilation of this most daring side of the early '80s Spanish music scene. Most tracks reissued for the first time, plus two previously-unreleased tracks. Sleeve notes written by César Estabiel, illustrated with original artwork and memorabilia.

Various Artists - Personal Space: Electronic Soul 1974-1984 2xLP (Chocolate Industries) [CHLT075LP] $21.75
"If the independently-pressed record made the galaxy of recorded music that much larger, the burgeoning home studio became the black hole from which little escaped. Flowering in the mid-to-late '70s, affordable high-quality tape recorders, synthesizers, and simple drum machines permitted the aspiring artist to never leave his home, never request the assistance of another human being. In the world of American black music, name artists such as Sly Stone, Timmy Thomas, and Shuggie Otis had experimented with rudimentary electronic soul with a modicum of success, but on record what remains is scant. This collection presents the unheard underground of the self-produced, often solo, electronic soul world of the '70s and early '80s, offering a view into an ocean of sound that is in turn peaceful, bizarre, funky, and often humbly ahead of its time. Available as a high quality 180 gram double LP or deluxe bound book CD and features arial photography by NASA astronaut Donald Pettit."

Various Artists - Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1967-1974 2xLP (Light In The Attic) [LITA081LP] $23.00
"Over a five year period in Oakland, CA -- archivist Pat Thomas befriended key leaders of the seminal Black Power Movement, dug through Huey Newton's archives at Stanford University, spent countless hours and thousands of dollars on eBay, and talked to rank and file Black Panther Party members, uncovering dozens of obscure albums, singles, and stray tapes. Along the way, he began to piece together a time period (1967-1974) when revolutionaries were seen as pop culture icons: Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Angela Davis, Stokely Carmichael -- and musicians were seen as revolutionaries; Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Bob Dylan, John Lennon and others. As a result, Thomas wrote a 70,000-word hardcover book entitled Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power -- to be published by Fantagraphics in early 2012 -- which also includes some 200 full color images of obscure recordings that encompass rock, soul, jazz, comedy, poetry, and even religious sermons blended with Black Nationalism. Light In The Attic Records presents the companion 'soundtrack' to the book. For the time first ever, Black and White artists share space on a definitive anthology of the Black Power era. Listen, Whitey! is cross-cultural overview that sees Bob Dylan's out of print 1971 single 'George Jackson' reissued for the first time along with several selections from Motown's long forgotten 'Black Forum' label -- Motown's early '70s Black Power militant imprint that has never been documented until now with provocative recordings from SNCC spokesman Stokely Carmichael, outspoken African-American poet Amiri Baraka, and Black Panther Party singer/songwriter Elaine Brown." CD housed in digipak and 36 page booklet.

Vazz/La Bambola Del Dr. Caligari - Whisper Not/The Wrong Holiday LP (Forced Nostalgia) [FN004LP] $18.25
The Forced Nostalgia label continues to expand and inform with the release of this split release featuring 1980s outfits Vazz and La Bambola Del Dr. Caligari. The A-side features six tracks from Glasgow's Vazz, a duo consisting of Anna Howson and Hugh Small. Whisper Not was recorded at the legendary Hellfire Club in Glasgow in 1982 and was eventually released on limited edition cassette, before the band were signed up to appear on the 2LP compilation Antelopes & Alligators on Operation Twilight -- a sub-label of Belgium's infamous Les Disques Du Crépuscules. For one reason or another, the compilation never materialized -- but the reference to Crépuscules should give you some idea of where Vazz figure in the scheme of things. Whisper Not really is an astonishing collection of tracks -- a small but perfectly-formed companion-piece of sorts to Antena's Camino Del Sol (which appeared in the same year), with Anna Howson's distinctive voice accompanying guitars, bass, drum machine, percussion and the Casio MT-30 keyboard -- a classic configuration. But what set Vazz apart from their contemporaries is Hugh Small's forward-thinking production signatures -- something that's most evident on "Cast Reflections" -- the standout track on this mesmerizing set. The way the drum machine and guitar have been treated and compressed sounds like something from The Cure's Faith album reworked in a current electronic studio -- it's just a profoundly beautiful and affecting piece. It really is hard to believe that these tracks have languished in the archives until now. The B-side features Italy's La Bambola Del Dr. Caligari and five tracks recorded between 1983 and 1986. The band were a short-lived minimal synth trio from Bologna, Italy, consisting of the exotically named Judy Asquith (voice), Aurelium Spitty (sound engineer, synth, drum machines, effects) and J.R. Ewing (keyboards, effects). They recorded their first demo tape in early 1984 and sporadically played live in 1985/1986, eventually arranging the soundtrack for an installation at the art gallery Number Zero (Bologna) in Feb. 1986. Several self-produced tapes were recorded over the years but were never properly released. In 2005, Roberto Napoli mastered all the recordings from the analog tapes and kindly assisted in editing the selections made by Forced Nostalgia. The result features some of the finest lost-and-found musical gems from the '80s gloom-pop era, finally available for public consumption 25 years after they were recorded. 500 copies only, cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.