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Ahmed Abdul-Malik - East Meets West (1959)


Abdul-Malik Ahmed (1927-1993), amerykański kontrabasista jazzowy. Debiutował w Nowym Jorku pod koniec lat 40. współpracował z A. Blakeyem, później także z: R. Westonem, Th. Monkiem, H. Mannem i E. Hinesem. Uczestniczył w licznych festiwalach, w latach 50. i 70. popularyzował jazz w Afryce. Od 1970 prowadził z sukcesami działalność pedagogiczną. Wybrana dyskografia: Jazz Sahara, The Music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Ahmed Abdul-Malik/Sounds of Afric, East meets west.


Ahmed Abdul-Malik was one of the first musicians to integrate non-Western musical elements into jazz. In addition to being a hard bop bassist of some distinction, he also played the oud, a double-stringed, unfretted Middle Eastern lute, played with a plectrum. Abdul-Malik recorded on the instrument in the '50s with Johnny Griffin and in 1961 with John Coltrane, contributing to one of the several albums that resulted from the latter's Live at the Village Vanguard sessions.

Abdul-Malik was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. In his twenties and thirties, he worked as a bassist with Art Blakey, Randy Weston, and Thelonious Monk, among others. He played the oud on a tour of South America under the aegis of the U.S. State Department, and performed at one of the first major African jazz festivals in Morocco in 1972. Beginning in 1970, he taught at New York University and later, Brooklyn College. In 1984, he received BMI's Pioneer in Jazz Award in recognition of his work in melding Middle Eastern musics and jazz. (Chris Kelsey)
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VA - Go Right - Jazz From Poland 1963-75


Chwała monachijskiej wytwórni płytowej Compost Records za utworzenie oddziału Jazzanova, który specjalizuje się w publikacji na płytach interesującego jazzu. Szczególnie cenny jest fakt, iż w kręgu zainteresowań wytwórni znalazł się polski jazz z lat 50., 60. i 70. Takim rarytasem jest składankowy album "Go Right - A Selection (Jazz From Poland 1963-75)".

Po trzech wcześniejszych albumach ("Formation 60", "Novi Singers" i "Polish Jazz") monachijczycy z oficyny Compost Records wydali longplay, zawierający nagrania z lat 1963-75. Bohaterami płyty są Novi Singers, którzy wykonują 10 utworów. Oprócz nich Jerzy Milian, Kwintet Andrzeja Kurylewicza, Jazz Cariers, Wojciech Karolak i Kwartet Zbigniewa Namysłowskiego.

Zwraca uwagę staranny dobór utworów na wydawnictwo oraz bardzo kompetentnie napisany tekst w książeczce. Autor tekstu nakreśla krótką, rzeczową historię polskiego jazzu w prezentowanym okresie. Duża część poświęcona jest zespołowi Novi Singers, który Daniel W. Best porównuje do najbardziej znanych formacji wokalnych wszech czasów Lambert-Hendricks-Ross czy Les Doubles Six.

Rzeczywiście, nie mam wątpliwości, że gdyby czwórka utalentowanych wokalistów miała w latach 60. okazję do zaprezentowania na Zachodzie swoich interpretacji, prawdopodobnie odniosłaby światowy sukces. Bernard Kawka, Ewa Wanat, Janusz Mych i Waldemar Parzyński, dysponujący nie tylko perfekcyjną techniką, ale czymś co jest ważniejsze - absolutnym instynktem muzycznym, brzmią także dzisiaj bardzo świeżo i oryginalnie. Utwór "My Own Revolution" miałby niegdyś szansę stać się światowym standardem.

Plejada czołowych nazwisk współczesnego polskiego jazzu w wybranych na płytę nagraniach mówi sama za siebie. Warto wymienić kolejne ważne nazwiska: Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski, Adam Makowicz, Janusz Muniak, Tomasz Szukalski, Włodzimierz Nahorny, Czesław Bartkowski, Michał Urabaniak (ciekawostka - grający na gitarze w "Torpedo & All Together" wykonywanym przez Novi Singers).

Omawiane dzieło stanowić może znakomite wprowadzenie do poznawania oryginalnych źródeł polskiego jazzu, a z drugiej strony jest świadectwem i dokumentacją wysokiego poziomu artystycznego, który prezentowali polscy muzycy już ponad 30 lat temu. (Andrzej E. Grabowski)

Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet

This is it: the first compilation spotlighting Polish jazz output from the 60's to the 70's. Poland has one of the oldest European Jazz traditions. A tradition which has been both highly respected and ignored in the past. The first Sopot Jazz Festival for example, took place in 1956. This event marked the full emergence of jazz from the underground and the music's first official recognition on a major scale in Poland. At the time jazz was a real subculture, because it did not have any concert audiences and was confined to "jam-sessions" in backrooms and cellars. The political tenor of the time was rather anti-American - cultural imperialism was seen as a big threat by many.

One of the first representatives of modem Polish Jazz is the pianist and composer Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969). He will probably be known to many, especially for writing movie scores e.g. for Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby". We want to mention him first although none of his tracks are to be found on this record. His album "Astigmatic" (1965) became a landmark for European jazz. As a musician he worked with almost all the jazz musicians presented here: Jerzy Milian (vibraphone), Wojciech Karolak (saxophone, piano and hammond), Zbigniew Namysłowski (alto sax) and Andrzej Kurylewicz (trombone, trumpet, piano).

Besides focusing on Polish jazz in general this compilation showcases the musical output of the Polish vocal group Novi Singers. We first stumbled across the Polish vocal ensemble Novi Singers (New Original Vocal Instruments) several years ago by chance and have been hooked ever since. Their second album "Novis in Wonderland" (1968) might be known to many, for it was released on the German SABA-MPS label. The vast artistic output of the group for the state-owned Polish record label Polskie Nagrania remained a well-kept secret for the Western-European countries and the rest of the world. The emergence of the CD in Poland had a detrimental effect upon the Polish Jazz scene by confining many of these excellent jazz-recordings to the vaults.

With their absolute technical perfection and their musical approach, the vocal jazz ensemble Novi Singers were at the time often compared to Lambert-Ross-Hendricks or Les Double Six.

The story of the Novi Singers begins in 1964 when Bernard Kawka, a student at the Warsaw Music Conservatory, decides to found his own jazz group with other students, choosing the voice as an ideal instrument. The original members of the group are Ewa Wanat (violin), Janusz Mych (flute), Waldemar Parzyński (percussion), Aleksander Głuch and Bernard Kawka (violin), all of whom both sang and played their respective instruments.

The opener of this compilation is bound to fill dancefloors in seconds. The tune "Wśród Pampasów" (1975) comes from an album which the vibraphone player and composer Jerzy Milian recorded with the Polish Radio Big Band from Katowice. He was closely connected to the East German jazz scene (see our compilation Formation 60). A dark, deep, uplifting track with a tight arrangement - soundtrack style meets bigband business.

Novi Singers

We continue our little musical journey with two tracks "Torpedo" (B. Kawka) and "All Together" (B. Kawka) both taken from one of the most innovative albums of the Novi Singers "Torpedo" (1969). The name "Torpedo" shouldn't frighten you off. As they put it themselves: "Torpedo -the mysterious device specially designed to obliterate musical orthodoxy, heartless craftman-ship, the smug self-confidence of those who clutch well-worn ideas and tread well-worn trails". That's a clear statement.

A very early modern jazz track "Nyamaland" (1963) follows via Andrzej Kurylewicz. With its Horace Silver piano, this 5/4 paced tune with a waltzy character sounds very American-influenced, although it's supposed to be based upon Balkan motifs. I don't know what Namysłowski would comment on this one.

Yet another track, "Misfit" comes from the Novi "Torpedo" album with its inspiring deep flute solos by Janusz Mych and mystic horns. Our favourite from the Novi Singers "My Own Revolution" (B. Kawka, 1970) with its strong psychedelic beat-touch was typical for Poland at that time. Beat music had a very big following in Poland, simular to that of former Eastern Germany. This song could have been a great pop-hit in the western world due to its enticing hook-line and Beatles flair.

Jazz Carriers

The track "Mala Septyma"- engl. "Minor Seventh" (1973) of the Polish jazz group Jazz Carriers, written by the saxophone player H. Miśkiewicz brings a different vibe to this selection. A deep percussive carpet leads this sophisticated tune into spheres of contemplation. The group was known for its polyrhythmic and polymetric structures and an experimental usage of meters. This one sounds like a typical Strata East track, due to its deep spiritual aura.

The follow-up song "It Doesn't Matter" (B. Bacharach, 1975) is the only non-original composition presented here. Recorded with the Aleksander Mazur Quartet, the Novi Singers do their vocal thing. After introducing the main theme this one opens up to a firing percussion carpet enhanced through flute and trumpet riffs.

Next up is "Christine" (B. Kawka) taken from the first Novi Singers release on a single, dating from 1965. At the time they called themselves NOVI Kwintett Vocalny, as they were a quintet at the time. Aleksander Gluch left the orginal group in 1966.

"Next, Please" (B. Kawka) from the "Bossa Nova"(1967) album shows that the jazz scene in Poland was also infected by the Bossa Nova craze of the time. By the way, it was in 1 960 that Stan Getz, who was heavily engaged in the Bossa Nova movement, visited Poland for the first time and gained widespread recognition, leaving his own musical influence in Poland by giving several outstanding concerts. He was actually the first American jazz musician to record with Polish jazz musicians.

Andrzej Kurylewicz

We ease into the rather folkloristic touch of "I Will Not Stay With You" (1967). Recorded by the Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet this track whisks away with a circus feel, rattling and pushing like a merry-go-round - very interesting beat structuring and unusual rhythm-handling.

After the initial founder Bernard Kawka left the group the remaining three members of the Novi Singers were joined by the pianist and arranger Tomasz Ochalski, who had already contributed several arrangements to previous albums. Ochalski stayed in the group until 1977. The album "Five, Four, Three" (1974) was cut in a trio formation without Kawka. The album name documents the development of the orginal group "Five, Four, Three" from a quintet to a trio. The Novi Singers sound changed slightly after Kawka left. Rock and electronic sounds entered the spectrum, as you will hear on the track "Five, Four, Three" with its electronically manipulated scats.

The following track "Choreographic Sketches" (1975) was taken from the same album as the opener from Jerzy Milian. With its strong movie score character - you could put this one on a pulpy 70's soundtrack - a musical collage with subtle variations of a theme.

Jerzy Milian

We move on to the jazz-bossa "Fair Lola", which was written and performed by the saxophone player Zbigniew Namysłowski, one of the biggest names in European jazz. His most outstanding musical performances have been highly acknowledged on an international scale. This title maybe known to many from the English longplayer 'Lola'' (1964) recorded by the Zbigniew Namysłowski Modern Jazz Quartet on Decca, the first album by a Polish jazz musician outside of Poland. This recording of the same title was recorded live by the same group at the Jazz Jamboree in an incredible sound quality. The clear melodic line of the track shows, aside from its very energetic bop style undoubtedly Polish influences. He explains his inspirations as follows:

"To be successful, it is no longer enough to play Horace Silver themes. One shouldn't play material borrowed from records (...) I founded my own quartet and created my music to play what I want to and how I want to" (Jazz Forum 5/1981).

The enchanting "Why Not Samba" (1974) was written and performed by Wojciech Karolak Known for his Hammond artistry, Karolak has often been classified as being a very jazzy player with a most original sounding timing and feel. The brazilian influenced collaboration here with the Novi Singers has an enticing string arrangement paired with a powerful Hammond-groove.

Novi Singers

The Novi Singers land on "The Runway" (W. Parzyński) with electric guitars and lift off again without taking the troubles to sing lyrics.

One of the examples of Novi Singers compositions with a strong song-character: "Oh, Woman" (W. Parzyński/A. Więcko) combines funk made in Poland with somewhat awkward English lyrics - very charming. It's a shame that the hit-potential of this song wasn't recognized at the time.

The final composition on this compilation "Jeansy" (B. Kawka/1965) comes from the same debut single as "Christine" and already proves the great potential of the group. Again we recognize the initial unorthodox jazz approach of the Novi Singers with a complex rhythmic structuring and harmonic voice-layering.

To finish things off we would like to pay our deep respect to the masterful artwork of Marek Karewicz who now at over sixty years of age still actively organizes the annual jazz festival Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw and documented the whole development of the Polish jazz scene from its modest beginnings until today. In fact the photo material featured here was provided by M. Karewicz himself for this compilation -all are original shots from his personal archives. (Daniel W. Best)
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Marconi Notaro - No Sub Reino Dos Metazoarios (1973)


Folksy psychedelia from early 70s Brazil – a wonderful little album by poet/singer Marconi Notaro, done in collaboration with the team of Lula Cortes and Ze Ramalho, with a feel that's similar to their own classic Paebiru! The feel here is quite loose at times – almost improvised percussion and guitar bits jangling together – but a few other numbers get more rock-based and electric, making for weird shifts in mood that continue to keep the record on edge. Everything's quite trippy overall, and made even more so by the production techniques – which are simple, but really effectively used to abstract out some of the best elements. Titles include "Anthropologic", "Ode To Satwa", "Symphony In RE", "I Have No Imagination To Trade Wives", "Oh Greedy Life", and "Desmantelado".



The whole album gushes forth with a sun baked spirit of the highest level, mixing tropicalia tinged folk-beat groovers, satwa style bliss trance ragas, pabiru favored lysergic jungle psych, and even a raging fuzz/wah soaked garage psych rocker. extremely mind melting from start to finish, with huge washes of rippling tape delay, electric & acoustic guitars, 12 string, tranced folk percussion, passionate yet mellow vocals, liquid electric bass, acid effects everywhere, and of course lula's mercurial & heart melting tricrdio (an instrument he made himself, something like a sitar/dulcimer hybrid). beautiful, melancholy and joyous all at the same moment, this is an album that after 33 years still sounds completely fresh & unique.
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Hans Dulfer And Ritmo Natural - Candy Clouds (1971)


In the 70's, especially in Europe, there was no shortage of groups striving to merge the worlds of jazz and rock. Often the fruit of these labors seem proggishly vulgar, pedantically over-intellectualized (looking right at you, Soft Machine), or were simply train wrecks-- the result of clueless musicians who understood neither jazz nor rock with any insight or subtlety, smashing them together like joyless stoners. So If I were to tell you that Dutchman Hans Dulfer's Candy Clouds is a Jazz-Rock masterpiece and beyond, I'd understand if you required some further persuasion.

Let's get something straight: Dulfer doesn't even belong in the Prog-jazz ghetto with acts like Alcatraz, Xhol Caravan, and all the others. Candy Clouds' mind-blowing brand of fusion has much more in common with the free/spiritual jazz scene in Europe, and can be easily to compared to the experimental fusion efforts of Archie Shepp or Gato Barbieri in the 70's. It isn't even entirely accurate to call this jazz-rock, as though the two modes of music share the spotlight equally; the music here is as Latin as it is heavy, and so this becomes a fascinating record of Spiritual Free Jazz Latin Psych. Stupendous.

I am unable to find much information on this record, or indeed much on Mr. Dulfer himself. I was inspired to do this post after Bacosco at Orgy in Rhythm dropped another sweet Dulfer joint, El Saxofon, an event which was followed by my noticing the inclusion of a 6-minute edited-down version of the title track to Candy Clouds on Jazzman's release of Spiritual Jazz Vol. 2.



That title track, split into two sections on the record and totaling nearly twenty minutes, is the heart of this fine album. Part 1 opens with a giant smash of heavy guitar that sounds like early Sabbath (forgive the obviousness of this comparison-- it just sounds like fucking Sabbath), trading lines with conniptions of free sax. They go back and forth a few times, until the whole things drops and it's a heavy psychedelic Latin jam with red hot sax burning through everything. In case I am failing to make the case, let me be blunt: it is awesome, as in awe-inspiring.

Part 2 takes its time getting started, beginning above the clouds with a long dreamy section, the sax heating up to flaming as the combo descends to earth... after six or seven minutes, your flight has landed, and that huge groove from Part 1 makes a return. Bigger, deeper, groovier even than before, Dulfer's improvisations reach a thrilling space between, say, Gato Barbieri's warm exotica shredding and Archie Shepp's emotional Fire Music-- all while electric guitars blaze in a cloud of reverb, a piano wanders off and gets lost, and a glorious cowbell abides with wisdom.

Just as good as "Candy Clouds 1&2" are the two tracks preceding it, a guitar-based groove with jungle shadows that's honestly just too cool to be believed, and a huge Latin jam with excellent flute acrobatics (the flautist is doing that Black Harold-y thing where he's sort of howling into the flute as he's playing it, whatever that's called). The Fire Music is in full force throughout.

The last two tracks sort of lose me, unfortunately. A seemingly pointless, very free jam with no groove and no flavor, entitled "Froggy", followed by a goofy Afro-Cuban/Kwela/highlife number (which does have some fleeting but awesome guitar blasts). These two tracks are short and inconsequential next to the utter majesty of what has preceded them, a lost masterpiece of many fusions, an album so crazy and cool and fun that I honestly can't believe it exists. This is the type of thing I hear in my dreams, then wake up depressed because it wasn't real and I can't even remember it anymore. So, so good.
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Doug Snyder & Bob Thompson - Daily Dance (1973)


Album nagrany przez dwóch muzyków z Ohio - gitarzystę Doug Snydera i perkusistę Boba Thompsona, którzy postanowili stworzyć coś ostrzejszego niż Stooges i MC5. W efekcie wyszedł im z tego kawał dobrej roboty, konkretna i świetnie brzmiąca mieszanka improwizacji oraz psychodelicznego hałasu.


Amazing, unique, celebrated, and genuinely rare artifact from Rural Ohio. After stepping out of a Stooges concert in 1971, Doug Snyder and Bob Thompson set up a studio in their kitchen and attempted to record a record Heavier than the Stooges. They were completely successful, and the resulting LP, their only release at the time (put out by themselves, privately, in a very limited number (500)), immediately became an underground legend and favorite amongst the likes of Carla Bley. A frenzy of distorted guitar and improvised drumming. The type of album that quickly achieves mythical status and begs so many questions yet leaves so few answers. Some songs start with a semblance of a groove or rhythm until they quickly deteriorate into a wall of pscyhedelic noise. (cantorrecords)
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Re: Nova Express - Space Khmer (1987)



Mannheim Germany, is hometown of Nova Express, an explosive psychedelic punk band that have been recording sporadically since the mid 80s. On their recordings, power-house drumming, overloaded guitars an vocals midway between Captain Beefheart and the Butthole Surfers, combine to devastating effect; but sadly, both their previous record companies went bust, making their records somewhat illusive and difficult to find. (delerium)
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George Garanian & Melodiya Ensemble - Labirinth (1974)


George Garanian (1934 – 2010) was an ethnic Armenian Russian jazz saxophone player, bandleader and composer. He was the People's Artist of Russia in 1993.

Born in Moscow, Garanian was one of the first Russian musicians who attracted attention of Western world as part of the jazz from the USSR. He belonged to the first generation of Russian jazzmen who started to perform after World War II. As a musician (alto saxophone), conductor and composer he was the leader of country's best big bands: Melodia (1970s–1980s) and Moscow Big Band (1992–1995). He led the Municipal Big Band in the Southern Russian city of Krasnodar.

George Garanian was one of the first Russian musicians who attracted attention of Western world as part of the "jazz from USSR". He belonged to the first generation of Russian jazzmen who started to perform after the World War II. As a musician (alto saxophone), conductor and composer he always was among the best Russian musicians. He was the leader of country's best big bands: "Melodia", Moscow big band the Municipal big band of Krasnodar City (Southern Russia). This orchestra, supported by the government of Krasnodar District, Southern Russia, performs nationwide.

Garanian recorded more music than any other jazz musician in Russia, performed at many international jazz festivals (Finland, India, Indonesia, Cuba etc.), toured Germany, USA, Japan, Australia, Sweden, France, Taiwan and many other countries. Frederick Starr wrote in his book about Russian jazz that Garanian is one of the best jazz musicians in Russia. Starr quoted famous American critic John Hammond, who heard George at the jazz festival in Prague, Czechoslovakia, - "George Garanian is phaenomenal". And person number one in jazz, Willis Conover, the host of "Voice of America" jazz program, invited him many times to participate at International jazz festivals in Hungary, Yugoslavia and other countries.



In year 2000 George Garanian was nominated to the Grammy Award as a conductor of the famous Tchaikovsky orchestra for the double CD album "Oregon in Moscow", which had been made together with renowned American jazz group Oregon & produced by Pat Metheny Group's Steve Rodby. In September 2004 on the main Square of Russia founded a pavement Star in honour of George Garanian as the sign of absolute recognition & gratitude for his contribution into Russia culture.

George Garanian has always been & still is one of the most "sought after" musicians in Russia. He was the only jazz performer who granted the privilege to perform 4 concerts annually at Moscow Conservatory Great Hall (the most renowned classical venue in East Europe).

In March 2010 George Garanian Fund released the album "Jazz in Tuxedos" that was recorded by suddenly gone in January Maestro

George Garanian with "Moscow virtuosi" Chamber Orchestra & classical pianist Denis Matsuev. All the tracks in the album "Jazz in Tuxedos" suggest unique arrangements, that are originally made by George Garanian. Practically in every track there is George Garanian's alto sax solo & he is the conductor always. CD became popular right after it had come out as well as the new version of George Garanian's legendary manual "Basic foundation of variety & jazz arrangement".

He died from cardiac arrest in Krasnodar on 11 January 2010 at the age of 75.
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VA - Galactic Zoo Dossier No. 9 CD Sampler


The Galactic Zoo Dossier is a hand drawn psychedelic magazine occasional going since 1995, created by Plastic Crimewave, and has been published by the good folks at Drag City since 2001. The mags originally came with cassettes and posters, but current issues come with a CD compilation of rare sounds and trading card sets of damaged guitar gods and astral folk maidens.

Issues 1-4 were self-published but were collected into a now sold-out book collection by Drag City, the GZD Compendium.

Issues 5-8 were published by Drag city but are also sold-out, except for #8, available while supplies last. Extra trading card sets from GZD #6-8 have been unearthed, check the "merchandise" section of this site for details. (source)

Galactic Zoo Dossier No. 9

After three years the ‘hand-drawn psychedelic bible’ is back, leaving no stone unturned in the quest for mind-blowing illumination. ‘Galactic Zoo Dossier #9’ has over 100 pages on overlooked freak rock bands, heady comics and populist pop-psych. Contributors include creator Plastic Crimewave, Byron Coley (The Wire), Eric Colin (Ugly Things / Shindig), Avi Spivak (Human Being Lawnmower) and Scott Wilkinson (Ugly Things, Endless Trip). Interviews with Arthur Brown, Black Widow, Poppy Family, Rodriguez and Mark Fry. Features on Egg & East Of Eden, Collectors & Folklords, Curtis Knight, John Berberian, Psyched Archie & Mad, Kirby, Texas psych scene, Kak, Moody Blues, White Witch. Trading cards of damaged guitar gods and astral folk maidens, in full colour. CD compilation of unreleased and mind-frying sounds by Mainliner, Secter Syde, Ultima Thule, Mark Fry, Daze Of Night and The Light Company, amongst others. ‘Galactic Zoo Dossier #9’ has been praised in Mojo, The Wire, Spin and Pitchfork, and the magazine has even branched out into the successful Galactic Zoo Disk LP reissue label.
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The Underground Failure (1971)


Underground Failure was a Swedish psychedelic pop band, formed near the end of the 1960s by Torstein ”Tatte” Tenmann, Stefan Wermelin and Bertil Elgeroth. During his military service, Tatte found the talented Lasse Ermalm who in turn introduced Tatte to yet more talented John Holm and Gunnar Lundestam (Johnte and Gurkan, respectively). Despite their widely varying musical skill the group worked well together, collectively sharing songwriting and performing duties. The members were great fans of Bob Dylan, and his influence is said to be obvious in Underground Failure’s music and also their name.



The group released their only album on a friend’s label Black Light, where it was issued in 130 copies. Later the same year it was re-released on the Tibet label for approximately 200 copies, and later again it was likely re-released by Musiklaget. On the album, blues guitarist Rolf Wikström guests on bass and guitar and Dick Blomberg is credited with “övrigt” (other).

After the album, the band parted ways because of their skill level differences. John Holm continued on to a successful solo career, Tatte worked on his Musikbolaget label and Stefan Wermelin is a well-known radio host on Swedish national radio. (last fm)

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Delia Derbyshire - Electrosonic (1972)


Bez żadnej przesady można zaryzykować stwierdzenie, że jest to jedna z najbardziej wpływowych osób w historii eksperymentalnej elektroniki - wiele współczesnych twórców, do tej pory uznaje ją za jedną z głównych inspiracji i wzorów dla tworzonej przez nich muzyki. Delia zrewolucjonizowała podejście do library music, dodając do niej sporą dawkę eksperymentu i musique concrète, nie rezygnując jednak wcale z jej przyswajalności dla przeciętnego słuchacza. Wyznaczyła nowe ścieżki w łączeniu elektroakustyki z analogową elektroniką, zacierając jednocześnie granice między klasycznym popem a awangardą. Bez niej i dziedzictwa, które po sobie zostawiła, powstanie muzycznej hauntologii na pewno nie byłoby możliwe. (krzeslo-elektryczne)


Though electronic composer Delia Derbyshire has been referred to as "the unsung heroine of British electronic music," it wouldn't be a stretch to expand upon the accolade and call her an unsung heroine of music, period -- regardless of nationality, regardless of field. The leading light of the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop throughout the '60s and the first half of the '70s, Derbyshire's most notorious work is the instantly recognizable theme for the infamous science fiction program Dr. Who. But Derbyshire was no mere flash in the pan. She was a great talent and a great mind, and she should be regarded with the likes of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Raymond Scott as one of the key figures to push electronic music forward. Just as important, Derbyshire wasn't secretive with her knowledge and found it necessary to pass it around freely.

Born in Coventry, England, on May 5, 1937, Derbyshire learned piano and violin in her youth and attended college at Girton in Cambridge. Starting out in mathematics, she persuaded the powers-that-were to change over to music and eventually obtained a degree. Upon finishing school, a career counselor suggested to Derbyshire that she ought to work in deaf aids or depth sounding. She began looking for employment in the music industry and was met with its inherent sexism -- Decca Records informed her of their refusal to hire women for work in their recording studios. After finally finding acceptance at the United Nations in Geneva, she discovered a more desirable position at Boosey & Hawkes, a music publisher based in London. This didn't last long either, and by 1960 she was a trainee studio manager at the BBC. Through this, she became involved with the organization's then-young Radiophonic Workshop, an enclave that, from its onset, was intended to be a service for Radio Drama, supplying their productions with incidental music and sound effects.

Early in her stint with the Workshop, Derbyshire recorded the legendary Dr. Who theme with the use of tape loops, filters, and valve oscillators. Unfortunately, she didn't receive any credit for the piece until it was released in re-edited/overdubbed form as a single in 1973. Regardless of the lack of recognition that plagues her (for much of her work) to this day, the Dr. Who theme paved the way for a constant stream of work for the composer. Her skills became very much in demand, and she did work for several programs that required her expertise in crafting music that represented unorthodox settings -- settings where electronically based compositions were favored over orchestras. Programs on arts and sciences -- both educational and entertainment-based -- required Derbyshire's singular creativity and innovation.

The Radiophonic Workshop wasn't completely supportive of her talents. Much of her work was rejected, negatively cast off for being bizarre. Often told that most of her music was either "too lascivious" for youngsters or "too sophisticated" for many adults, she set up a number of studios (Electrophon, Kaleidophon, and Unit Delta Plus) with fellow composers, including Brian Hodgson, David Vorhaus, and Peter Zinovieff, where she could develop in avant-garde circles and delve further into work for film and theater, free of restraint. One of the major works to originate from the Kaleidophon studio was 1969's An Electric Storm, a record made by Derbyshire and Vorhaus under the guise of the White Noise. Somewhat surprisingly, the record was released on Island. She also increased her social involvement as a proponent of electronic music. Along with Zinovieff and Hodgson, Derbyshire organized and performed at the Unit Delta Plus Concert of Electronic Music in 1966, a festival at Bagnor's Watermill Theater that combined electronic music with light shows. During this period, her reach extended into pop music, as she participated in many happenings. She was either associated with or collaborated with the likes of the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Anthony Newley, and Yoko Ono.

Frustrated with the state of music and the prospect of where it was headed, Derbyshire left the Radiophonic Workshop in 1972 and went to work at museums, bookshops, and art galleries. She also spent some time as a radio operator. However, she poked her head back into music two decades later and found the climate to be conducive again to her ideals. Just prior to her death on July 3, 2001 (in Northampton, England), she had been working with longtime admirer Sonic Boom on MESMA (Multi-sensory Electronic Sounds, Music, and Art), an organization with the aim to hold workshops and festivals in order to increase knowledge of electronic music. Appreciation of Derbyshire's work has continued to escalate through retrospective releases, including Doctor Who, Vol. 1: The Early Years, Doctor Who, Vol. 2: New Beginnings and also in the overt influence upon numerous bands that cite her as a crucial source of inspiration. (Andy Kellman)
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Mike Mainieri - Journey Thru An Electric Tube (1969)


Mike Mainieri  – amerykański wibrafonista i producent muzyczny. W przemyśle muzycznym obecny jest od połowy lat 50. XX wieku. Współpracował z takimi muzykami jak Paul Whiteman, Buddy Rich, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins czy Wes Montgomery. W 1979 r. był założycielem grupy Steps Ahead, wykonującej muzykę z pogranicza jazz-rocka i fusion. Z zespołem tym nagrał 11 płyt (do 2005 r.), będąc jego liderem. Na swoim koncie posiada kilkanaście solowych płyt, z których najwyżej przez krytyków oceniona została An American Diary, wydana w 1994 roku. Był producentem trzech albumów Carly Simon.

Mike Mainieri - electric vibes
Jeremy Steig - flute
Joe Beck - electric guitar
Sam Brown - electric guitar, classical guitar
Warren Bernhardt - piano, organ
Hal Gaylor - bass
Chuck Rainey - electric bass
Donald MacDonald - drums
Sally Waring - vocals



Michael T. Mainieri, Jr. (born July 4, 1938, the Bronx, New York City) is a vibraphonist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead.

Mainieri was a pioneer in introducing an electronic vibraphone, known as a "synth-vibe" and has recorded with such musicians as Buddy Rich, Wes Montgomery and Jeremy Steig. He performed for a live album by Laura Nyro, and was featured on several tracks from the Dire Straits album Love Over Gold as well as on Ride Across the River on the album Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album). He performed on the album Heart To Heart by David Sanborn and Tiger In The Rain by Michael Franks. He has also released numerous albums and videos as a leader for a variety of labels, most notably his 1980 album for Warner Bros. entitled Wanderlust, which featured Michael Brecker and other members of Steps Ahead. There is good video footage of Mainieri performing live with David Sanborn, Neil Larsen, Robben Ford, etc. on David Sanborn's Live At Montreux 1984 DVD as part of bonus footage from 1981.As a producer, he produced three albums for Carly Simon.Mainieri married singer-songwriter/harpist Dee Carstensen in 1993. They have a daughter, Ruby Anna.

Journey Through an Electric Tube is not likely to be high on anyone's list, just as Mainieri is an obscure vibist. Journey may well be a cash-in on Dave Pike's success with The Doors of Perception and similar works. Journey features excellent ideas and playing and of course Sonny Lester's top direction. You have female vocals on two tracks, bossa nova on one, some fuzztone here, and "Allow Your Mind to Wander" is a 14-minute jam. It is all low-volume, pleasant, and never-abrasive, however. Call it gently experimental, forward-looking without being too forward or pretentious. --- Tony Wilds
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The Queen's Nectarine Machine - The Mystical Powers Of Roving Tarot Gamble (1969)


From New Jersey, their album (ABC ABCS 666 / 1969) was a "Super K" production by Kasenetz-Katz, with a psychedelic side and a bubblegum side. Among its better tracks are 4th Dimension and Seance, and overall it's worth hearing. One of the tracks, The Seance started when Jeff Katz came into the studio whilst the engineer was trying to get a volume and EQ level. As usual, the band were goofin-off - playing dissonant jibberish to irritate and annoy the engineer, but Jeff thought that THAT SOUND was' just what he was looking for ' to finish the album... One track from the album, Mysterious Martha has been compiled on Psychosis From The 13th Dimension. (taken from "Fuzz, Acid & Flowers")


Jimmie Jersie - Vocals
Joe Ribaudo - Guitars
Guy Rigano - Drums
Drew Troeder - Bass

Jimmie Jersie was a member of the Queen's Nectarine Machine, who recorded the 1968 psychedelic album The Mystical Powers of Roving Tarot Gamble. The Queen's Nectarine Machine were based in Garfield, New Jersey, and released only the one album during their run.

I was fortunate enough to get a copy of it from singer Jimmie Jersie, but it is otherwise extremely difficult to find. One track from the LP, "Mysterious Martha Garoo," has appeared on Psychcosis from the Thirteenth Dimension. According to Jimmie, the trippy band name and the occult theme of the LP were the idea of their production company, Super K. The band was much more of a rock & roll band, influenced more by the Rascals, Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Still, this album is a prime example of late-1960s psych—as is the band's appearance.

Jimmie, who identified himself as "the wierdo in the flowered pants," did his part in establishing the band's look. The flowered pants? Imported from Italy. In fact, all of the shirts that the band members are wearing are Jimmie's.

Jimmie was also for a time a member of the Del-Aires, a band with a career as interesting as the Queen's Nectarine Machine. The Del-Aires appeared in the movie The Horror of Party Beach, which aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000. The website Bad Movie Planet called the Del-Aires "The Greatest B-Movie Band Ever?" The Del-Aires also were playing in the Angel Lounge in Lodi, New Jersey, on the night of the infamous killings that left two police officers dead, chronicled in David Stout's book Night of the Devil. (source)
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Sensations' Fix - Music Is Painting in the Air 1974-1977


The physical journey traveled by Franco Falsini, founding member of Sensations' Fix, is almost as scattershot as the music he ended up creating. Falsini has called various places home during his career, including his native Italy and London. But his greatest spell of creativity came in a home studio he put together in a basement in Virginia after moving to the United States in 1969. Naturally, that made him something of a trailblazer in the art of home recording, and his fondness for innovation, for exploring curious notions, for defying expectations, extended deeply into the music he made. The word that commonly comes to mind when listening to this work, compiled by RVNG from five Sensations' Fix albums, one Falsini solo record, and a series of unreleased outtakes, is "free." This work embraces a range of styles, including prog, kosmische musik, trad-rock, ambient, and psychedelia.

The open-ended approach Falsini took to his art makes it difficult to easily classify Sensations' Fix, but the disparate nature of his output is also a big part of the appeal. Anyone randomly picking up an album by the band could be transported into one of many worlds. Falsini's 1975 solo album, Cold Nose, was allegedly a soundtrack to a film about cocaine. Excerpts from it are included here, although no tangible evidence of the film's existence is forthcoming. Most of their music is instrumental and heavy on the electronics Falsini was obsessing over at the time, but there are also curios like the vocal-and-guitar driven prog-stodge of "Barnhause Effect" (from Vision's Fugitives) that opens this collection. In 1974, the band's label, Polydor, ended up releasing three Sensations' Fix albums in one year, partly due to the unusual contract Falsini had signed with them. Clearly this is a group that left a delirious trail of orchestrated and accidental confusion in its wake.



That kind of nonsensical approach, bombarding people with myriad stylistic turns over a brief span of time, explains why it's taken so long for listeners to grasp this music. Only after the dust settled did Sensations' Fix get their dues, primarily through DJ Shadow sampling them on The Private Press, but also in a gallery retrospective curated by Sonic Youth, and via Daniel Lopatin dropping a track by the band into a FACT mix. What's striking about Music Is Painting in the Air is how easily you can trace the central aesthetic of many future bands and genres through it. The bass-heavy "Left Side of Green" bears the spidery cadence of post rock; "Dark Side of Religion" is an unnervingly precise proto-Spacemen 3 cut; "Cold Nose Story" acts as a precursor to the fuzzy yearnings of Bristolians Flying Saucer Attack; "Fortune Teller" predates Ben Chasny's astral-folk projections as Six Organs of Admittance by many decades.

It might be a stretch to cast Falsini as some kind of indie rock soothsayer, but it's clear from this collection that he was testing out ground that would later be explored in a great deal of depth. He was never satisfied to run in place, to root the Sensations' Fix sound in one of many areas that was then (and, in some cases, still is now) ripe for exploration. Partly that can be explained by the era in which he was working. Falsini's liner notes explain how he was one of the first musicians to gain access to the MiniMoog, which he describes as "a tool to forward our sound into the future." That Falsini never had a clear idea what his own musical "future" held is both his biggest strength and weakness. A greater exploration of the echo-y loops that make up "Moving Particles" could surely have led to a moment of inspiration not far from Manuel Göttsching's E2-E4. The fact that he didn't get there, choosing many other avenues to explore instead, led him to somewhere incredibly fractured but no less fascinating.

There are no easy inroads into the Sensations' Fix sound-- something this compilation neatly addresses by laying everything out in a self-confessed "arbitrary yet inspired" non-chronological order. The approach to pulling everything together for Music Is Painting in the Air was as anarchic as the spirit in which it was conceived, leading to tracks like "Crossing Berlin", a pulse-heavy Arp odyssey that resembles an offcut from the Midnight Express soundtrack, nestling next to a series of broody electronics in the form of the "Darkside" trilogy from the Finest Finger/Vision's Fugitives era. There were, of course, some peers of this band. Occasionally their work brings to mind the mix of plastic pop, whimsy, electronics, and psychedelia spliced together by the United States of America. Elsewhere, the understated work of krautrock legends Cluster can easily be traced. But this is the world of a singular, often quite nutty talent, who created a puzzle whose secrets may never be fully unlocked. --- Nel Nayland
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Ivanov Down - Best Urban Technical Noises (1991)


Kolejny świetny ukraiński zespół z Kijowa. Tym razem grupa Ivanov Down, założona z początkiem lat 90-tych przez gitarzystę i wokalistę Alexeya "Maket" Degtyara, łącząca w swojej twórczości w ciekawy sposób post-punk, noise, rock psychodeliczny i eksperymentalny. 

***
Alexey aka Maket founded the band Ivanov Down in 90s. The band, having emerged from the depth of the underground, flared for a narrow circle of listeners.

At that time, without any financial investments, the culture was experiencing a very powerful underground motion that had to break through on the surface sooner or later, and Maket (the band leader) offered his sound track for the mechanical apocalypse, showing his pure destructive power. Those were not songs in their usual understanding, but rather conquering the space.

People’s minds were unable to absorb the “down rock”, as this was a clear mix of devil-may-care attitude and profanation, no fear to be misunderstood, a sharp pleasure of the provocation act, insanity and anti-musicalliness.??Their debut at the Yolki-Palki festival in January 1990, attracted special attention of the amateurs of psychedelic, and partly even hallucinogenic music, and they immediately became stars.??

The Dadaist music of ID was noticed in Europe and across the ocean (their tracks were published in various compilations of alternative rock-music). Also the band was included in the Russian collection “The 100 Tape Albums of the Soviet Rock”.


After Maket had traveled around Europe, he spent a couple of years in Moscow, and then came back to Kyiv, continuing his experiments with the electronic and computer music.??He developed different incarnations in a variety of projects: from avant-garde (Planets) and dance-oriented (DJ Maket, duo Maket&Allegra, cyberpunk soundtrack for the computer game Treasure Island) to rather commercial (Maket&Down Town, soundtracks for commercials).

Today, the band, after having survived various perturbations, is rising from ashes, reincarnates the modern music and is rapidly and permanently changing.  Having realized long ago that the chaos of our era is not something extraordinary, the guys seek to expand their horizons.

They have made musical instruments out of materials at hand, and the silent assistant Kissa is preparing the band for a trip through the Universe. Because Earth is obviously the cradle of the mankind, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever. The Space beckons! Viewers tell legends about them, and the band itself, despite being far from the stars, is capable of predicting an eclipse using palmistry. (ivanovdown)
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Hasidic New Wave - The Complete Recordings (2012)


Hasidic New Wave was a group founded in the mid-'90s by saxophonist Greg Wall and trumpeter Frank London. The pair had studied together at the New England Conservatory of Music, and later played together in Hasidic wedding bands to financially support themselves while indulging their love of jazz, avant-garde, klezmer, niggunim, and other musics with various bands in New York on the weekends. Along the way, they found a way to translate the energy of the Hasidic melodies and their love of free jazz, funk, rock, and more, into Hasidic New Wave. The group's other stable members included Aaron Alexander, Fima Ephron, and David Fiuczynski. The band began playing in earnest the same year -- 1993 -- that John Zorn had founded Tzadik; they instantly fit into his Radical Jewish Culture project, and the rest is history. Included in this beautiful box are all four of the group's original albums -- Jews and the Abstract Truth, Psycho-Semitic, Kabalogy, and From the Belly of Abraham (an album issued in collaboration with Alioune Faye and Yakar Rhythms). The fifth disc assembles live and rare recordings. The first two of these eight tracks feature the earliest incarnation of the band with Shlomo Deshet on drums and Bentsi Gaffni on electric bass, playing live in Köln, Germany in 1993. Especially noteworthy is "New York Debkas," for its experiments with tone, mode, and rhythm. The next three cuts also feature Sarah Parkins on violin and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello. Recorded live at the Knitting Factory, these are tunes of exceptional energy, varying textures, and outstanding group interplay (check HNW + Strings' "Al-Asfour Al-Majnoun"). The final three tunes are unreleased studio recordings with the last quintet with Fiuczynski, Ephron, and Alexander. While any of these selections could have been used on the records they recorded together, it is "Holem Tza'adi" (recorded to benefit the Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society) that stands out for its variation, slow modal opening, and explosive middle section. It is housed in the usual excellent Tzadik packaging, with extensive liner notes (original notes, cover art, etc., are included too). What's most remarkable, however, is how fresh and exciting and forward-thinking this music sounds two decades later and realizing once more how totally influential it has been. --- Thom Jurek
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Kollezhskiy Asessor - Koll As (1989)


Ukraiński zespół Kollezhskiy Asessor powstał w 1983 roku w Kijowie pod nazwą KGB, po dwóch latach zmieniając ją na Kollezhskiy Asessor. Zasadniczy skład stanowili: Basil Hoydenko (gitara, śpiew), Gleb Butuzov (gitara), Alexander Kyyevtsev (bas) oraz Alex Ryndenko (perkusja). Nieustannie eksperymentując z brzmieniami tworzyli muzykę jedyną w swoim rodzaju, wymykającą się jednoznacznym opisom, swoistą i niepowtarzalną mieszankę różnych stylów. Pozostawili po sobie ok. 20 różnych wydawnictw, z których najbardziej osobliwym i reprezentatywnym będzie chyba album Koll As, który nagrywali jak sami twierdzą, będąc w swojej szczytowej formie.


The band formed in 1983 under the name KGB, but changed two years later to Kollezhsky Asessor, after a high-ranking civil servant in tsarist Russia. With the new name came a scandalous image. Dressed in U.S. Navy uniforms, they played aggressive, psychedelic instrumental music. Travka filled the air at their concerts. Few people understood their music in the mid-1980s. The official press blasted them as "crazy psychopaths" and underground magazines dubbed leader Vasily Goidenko a "mad Sergeant Pepper."

Actually, Kollezhsky Asessor was playing music that was several years ahead of its time. In the late '80s Asessor, post-punk group Vopli Vidoplyasova and Rabbota Kho, performing in the style of Cure, formed a union of independent crews Rock-Artel in Kiev.

After Rock-Artel's concerts in Moscow in 1988, Kiev stole Leningrad's crown as the capital of Russian rock, and the new wave of Ukrainian avantgarde became a trans-Europe sensation.

Kollezhsky Asessor hit Program A's Top 5 on national television and a year later they did a triumphant tour of Poland and the New Beginnings festival in Scotland. It was easier to catch Asessor in Europe than in native Kiev.

When they got back from Glasgow, two guitarists suddenly quit at the peak of the band's success. Only two Asessors remained — Vasily Goidenko on vocals, guitar, music and lyrics, and Alexei Ryndenko on drums. They went underground, giving up drugs and their old lifestyles. When singer Natalya Mesyats joined them, the band changed its style and performed in a Sophoclean play, staged at Theatrical Club by the talented young producer Oleg Liptsyn.

Early in 1992, Asessor and bass guitarist Alexander Gridin recorded a new album, Lutsi Iona, in a home studio and took off to tour Austria with Liptsyn's Theatrical Club. A bootleg of one of the album's songs hit the Top 5 of the Slow Hit pop radio show. (evermusica)
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Messages - After Before (2010)


Za nazwą Messages kryją się trzy nazwiska: Taketo Shimada (tambura, bas), Tres Warren (gitara, ukelin) oraz Spencer Herbst (perkusja). Na wydanym w 2010 roku albumie "After Before" w znakomity sposób tworzą niesamowitą przestrzeń muzyczną wypełnioną dźwiękami spod znaku dronu, minimalizmu i psychodelii.



Fantastic document of higher-minded drone ritual from a trio that features Taketo Shimada. Shimada is a shadowy figure in fringe minimalism. He worked as Henry Flynt’s assistant, put together the Yoshi Wada week at the Emily Harvey Foundation, was involved with Herbert Huncke, Alison Knowles and a bunch of other Fluxus artists. Messages is an extended investigation into the eternal music concepts of Wada, LaMonte Young, Charlemagne Palestine, Pandit Pran Nath et al, with Shimada on bass and tambura, Tres Warren on shruti box, guitar and ukelin and Spencer Herbst on percussion. The first side presents a single piece that rides in on infinite waves of sruthi box supported by minimal pulsing bass and Angus MacLise-style percussion. On the flip there are two pieces, one dominated by tambura and another by ukelin. The drones are never static and they come out of genuine group interaction, with the trio playing to an odd, organic logic that by the third track sounds like some kind of weird Jandek/Can-styled groove. But really, this is a great record and a classic drone album in terms of the pre-loop pedal sound of the Lower East Side. If this hadda come out on India Navigation, Shandar or ESP back in the day (and curiously the sleeve art seems to echo Giuseppi Logan’s More ESP-Disk) it would be pretty legendary. As it is, it’s a timely reconnection to the source from three heads who know a whole bunch about killing time dead. “The baby believes the womb is the Universe. At birth there is a glimmer of light and a shifting of space. I was there, but now I am Here. Then there are still but 2 things: Me and the Universe. And then what happens is Other People. From a note sounded in 1960 and held for a long time, a continuum of Sound has been sluiced along a diagonal of personal ecstasy, and some have come to call it a Drone. Surrounding the Drone is a genre, and within, wheat and chaff often comingle all too comfortably. But with tones as thick and texturally luxuriant with spiritual resonance as their long, glorious hair, Messages are the two worthy gurus currently contributing to the echo. Messages evoke the womb. And when the womb smiles, it whispers Messages, and then there is the first glimmer of Light...” Highly recommended. (volcanictongue)
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Afro Rock. Alan Parker & John Cameron (1973)

KPM was, and still is, a provider of library music to the media industry. Back in the 70s, many television and film drama directors and producers regularly used their libraries to put temp tracks and permanent scores on the finished product. And many of the tracks were provided by some of the best composers and arrangers in the business at the time. Names like Brian Bennett, Johnny Pearson, Alan Hawkshaw and Nick Ingman are very familiar to library music lovers and they all regularly worked for libraries like KPM, Bruton, Chappell.

Many of the KPM albums are still commanding astonishing prices in the specialist second hand market but if you are up for a bit of research then you can often find some gems on various blogs related to library and other obscure music such as Italian film soundtracks and the albums of Max Bygraves. I kid you not.

Thanks then to independent label, Tummytouch, who have just re-released some of the jewels from the KPM vaults onto CD and vinyl, all spruced up and sounding magnificent.

'Afro Rock' as a title would look to the casual browser in their local music emporium as some sort of politically incorrect throwback to the early 70s - all afro hairdos and 'jungle' drums. Do not let that impression get the merest chance of forming in your mind.

The album is 15 tracks by composers Alan Parker and John Cameron. KPM describes the album as 'hard afro-pop featuring large percussive rhythm section and front line' but that doesn't prepare you for an album of hard funk and jazz, propelled by lots and lots of drums and tom-toms, wah-wah guitars, tremor-like hard bass-lines, some serious strumming on harps and dextrous keyboard work. I never knew harps could be so hot. Bung all that in with copious amounts of woodwind and you've got music that would more than suit that retro 70s night you were thinking of planning. Much of it will conjure up cars going full throttle through walls of cardboard boxes or Gene Hunt laying some heavy action on a recently captured nonce. Picture some heaving metropolis and the feverish activity of its population.

It's not all driving bass and pounding funkiness. There are two really cracking compositions by John Cameron - 'Heat Haze' where the aforementioned harps take centre stage in a track that summons up cityscapes at sundown sinking into waves of heat rising from the pavement; and - 'Sahara Sunrise' which is obviously suggesting sand dunes and nomadic tribes but with its prevailing use of woodwind reminds me of the sterling work Cameron did for Ken Loach's film 'Kes'. Very, very evocative.
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Having finally acquired the long awaited Soundtrack to cult Brit horror "Psychomania" (Number two on my ultimate wish list, right after the De Wolfe music heard in Dawn of the Dead, which was also released on Trunk Records) I was initially disappointed by the murkiness of the production but desperate to hear something, or anything, else by the amazingly funky John Cameron, I had enjoyed listening to the "Kes" soundtrack, but missed the heavy breaks and general eeriness unique to Psychomania, I was thinking it might have been a stylistic oddity in John Cameron's career. Until I found this...

Spacey flutes, heavy breaks, funky strafing basslines, syncopated percussion, all adding up to a uniquely atmospheric funk hybrid which sits right in the middle ground where Lalo Schifrin's Dirty Harry Score meets David Axelrod's Electric Prunes productions. There's even some Dorothy Ashby style harp-playing for good measure, and all produced to a crystal clarity.

Of course the six tracks by Alan Parker that comprise the first "half" of the record deserve more than a mere footnote in this review, all of them bringing more than a fair share of raw funkiness to the table.

I was expecting this release to be quite a fragmented listen but the tracks make up an enjoyably varied but stylistically cohesive whole, the vaguely "afrocentric" percussion really adding colour to the rhythms. With Alan Parker's slightly heavier approach complemented perfectly by John Cameron's more atmospheric take on funk. All in all a first rate record by two extremely talented composers. (source)
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The Vampires of Dartmoore - Dracula’s Music Cabinet (1969)


Dracula’s Music Cabinet was part of a wave of horror-themed novelty albums released in Germany during the late 60s and early 70s, all of which were seemingly inspired by the very type of horror films that Europe was producing at the time, as best exemplified by the work of our own beloved Jess Franco. The liner notes to UK Label Finders Keepers’ recent CD reissue of the album refer to it as a soundtrack to a nonexistent film, which is pretty much right on the money. Like the soundtracks to many Euro-horror films from the 60s, much of the music on Music Cabinet consists of vaguely psychedelic lounge jazz that in itself doesn’t suggest any traditional kind of horror ambiance at all.

Elsewhere, Cabinet‘s tunes veer toward the sort of jaunty, brass-heavy adventure themes that connoisseurs might associate with the work of Peter Thomas, and, with a track titled “The Fire-Dragon of Hong Kong”, even detour into orientalism. In other words, in a musical sense, the record is thematically all over the map, but all the same might serve as fitting accompaniment to the casual nudity and furtive, drug benumbed stabs at narrative coherence typical of those films that putatively inspired it.



However, where Cabinet‘s makers – session player and library music composer Heribert Thusek, working for hire with radio comedian Horst Ackerman under the name The Vampires of Dartmoore – really put an effort into driving their concept home is in their employment of sound effects and voice, um, artistry. This consists not only of library effects, but also seemingly everything the pair could find in the tool shed or pantry, all layered over the musical tracks alongside an assortment of eccentric vocalizations. This practice leads to creations like the album’s opening cut, “The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sex”, which, if I had to assign a narrative to it, I’d describe as the sound of a man having his legs sawed off in a strip club, and perhaps liking it.

Of course, the two eventually end up going a bit off topic in their use of sound effects, as well. I really couldn’t tell you what, for instance, is meant to be so scary about the sound of cellophane rustling, or the frequent appearance of something that sounds like an electric pencil sharpener – or, for that matter, why a song titled “Dance of the Vampires” would prominently feature a recurring “BOI-OI-OINNG!” sound. Fortunately, there are enough screams and sounds of people falling down stairs or being shot sprinkled throughout to reign us back into Haunted House territory, and by the time we get to the closing cut of the album proper, “Frankenstein Greets Alpha 7”, we’re also treated to the sound of an out-of-control Theremin accompanied by a heavily accented voice shouting “Frankenstein!” at us.

Dracula’s Music Cabinet makes for some pretty hilarious listening, though its reliance on audio gimmickry might somewhat limit its time on your iPod. Many of the underlying musical compositions are plenty enjoyable on their own, and, while it’s all the random moaning and shouting and pencil sharpening that gives the record its uniqueness, it takes a very specific sort to want to subject themselves to repeated listens. If that’s you, Finders Keepers has done a nice job of presenting this oddity, including a couple of bonus tracks from an unreleased project from the same crew called “Petting Party” (mainly more of the same, but with orgasmic moans replacing the screams) and liner notes that, though slight, are plenty informative when not drenched in hipsterisms to the point of being incomprehensible. Check it out.(source)

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Graeme Revell / DDAA / Nurse With Wound - Necropolis, Amphibians & Reptiles - The Music of Adolf Wölfli (1986)


Album inspirowany kompozycjami szalonego malarza szwajcarskiego Adolfa Wölfli to pomysł nowozelandzkiego kompozytora Graeme Revella (znanego m. in. z industrialnej grupy SPK), wydany w 1986 roku przy współpracy zespołów Nurse With Wound i DDAA. 


In 1986, musician and composer Graeme Revell released an LP entitled Necropolis, Amphibians & Reptiles: The Music Of Adolf Wölfli. This was on his own Musique Brut label in London in 1987. This audio compilation was based on the works of Wölfli and incorporated digital renditions of Wölfli’s compositions, with additional sound effects and ambient soundscapes added to the songs, by Revell, based on the artwork surrounding Wölfli’s musical notations. The LP was a collection of musical interpretations by Revell as well as DDAA and Nurse With Wound.

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Cheval Fou (1994)



Cheval Fou gave a first whinny as a French rock trio around the frontman and a guitarist named Michel Peteau in 1971. Michel had got pretty impressed by European Rock scene, especially the Who, and strove to make a similar impact by playing guitar, that could be crystallized as an incarnation of Heavy / Psych / Krautrock movement by three talented underground musicians in Paris - Jean Max Peteau (guitar, bass), Stephene Rossini (drums), and Michel (guitar, saxophone).

Cheval Fou had recorded some material from 1971 until 1975, that had not released in their active days. Fortunately a short-lived French independent label Legend Music compiled their material and released in 1994 (and this compilation has been reissued and rereleased via Psych Up Melodies in 2011). Michel's announced he would reform the band sooner or later. (progarchives)
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Alan Watts - This Is It (1962) / The Sound Of Hinduism (1967)


Alan Wilson Watts (1915-1973) – brytyjski filozof, pisarz, mówca. Znany ze swych badań porównawczych religii, tłumacz i popularyzator filozofii Wschodu na Zachodzie.

Napisał ponad 25 książek i licznych artykułów dotyczących tożsamości osobistej, natury rzeczywistości, wyższej świadomości, sensu życia, pojęć i obrazów Boga, niematerialnego wymiaru szczęścia. Jego książki dotyczą własnych doświadczeń w studiowaniu wschodniej i zachodniej religii i filozofi

Watts urodził się w rodzinie należącej do klasy średniej w ówczesnej wsi Chislehurst w Anglii w 1915 roku, na Holbrook Lane 3. Jego ojciec był reprezentantem londyńskiego biura firmy Michelin, matka gospodynią domową. Z powodu skromnych środków finansowych rodzice Wattsa zdecydowali się żyć w środowisku wiejskim, gdzie ich jedyny syn, Alan, dorastał, poznając otaczającą przyrodę. M.in. w dzieciństwie nauczył się nazw dzikich roślin i motyli.


Prawdopodobnie na jego zainteresowania "rzeczami ponadnaturalnymi" wpłynęła tradycje religijne ze strony rodziny matki (jej ojciec był anglikańskim misjonarzem) oraz lektura książek o tajemniczym Dalekim Wschodzie.

Watts pisał później o swego rodzaju mistycznej wizji, której jako dziecko doznał podczas gorączki. W tym czasie był pod wpływem malarstwa Dalekiego Wschodu, którego źródłem stały się pejzaże i gobeliny podarowane jego matce przez anglikańskich misjonarzy powracających z Chin. Kilka chińskich obrazów Watts zobaczył w Anglii, napisał "Byłem zafascynowany estetyką klarowności, przejrzystości i przestrzeni niektórych obrazów w sztuce chińskiej i japońskiej. Sprawiały wrażenie, że płyną ..." [opisywał w swojej autobiografii]. Te dzieła sztuki podkreślały stosunek człowieka uczestniczącego w przyrodzie, temat, który towarzyszył mu przez całe życie.

We własnych oczach, Watts miał wyobraźnię, był uparty i rozmowny. Został wysłany do szkoły z internatem (który obejmował zarówno naukę świecką, jak i religijną) od wczesnych lat. Podczas wakacji będąc nastolatkiem, Francis Croshaw, bogaty epikurejczyk z silnymi tendencjami zarówno do buddyzmu, jak i egzotyki mało znanych aspektów kultury europejskiej, namówił Wattsa na wycieczkę po Francji. Niedługo potem Watts czuł, że jest zmuszony wybierać pomiędzy anglikańskim chrześcijaństwem w którym się wychował i buddyzmem o którym czytał w różnych bibliotekach. Wybrał buddyzm i stał się członkiem loży buddyjskiej w Londynie, która została ustanowiona przez teozofów, a obecnie prowadzona przez adwokata Christmas Humphreys. Watts został sekretarzem organizacji w 1931. Młody Watts w ciągu tych lat zbadał kilka stylów medytacji.

Watts uczęszczał do King's School w Canterbury. Gdy ukończył szkołę średnią, Watts podjął pracę w drukarni, a później w banku.



Spędzał swój wolny czas w Loży buddyjskiej, a także pod opieką "guru Rascal" o imieniu Dimitrij Mitrinović. (Mitrinović sam był pod wpływem Piotra Uspienskiego, Georgija Gurdżijewa i zróżnicowanej szkoły psychoanalizy Freuda, Junga i Adlera). Watts również czytywał różne książki dotyczące filozofii, historii, psychologii, psychiatrii i mądrości Wschodu.

Pobyt w Londynie zapewnił mu znaczną liczbę możliwości rozwoju osobistego. Poprzez Humphreys poznał autorów książek o duchowości (np. Mikołaj Roerich, dr Sarvaepalli Radhakrishnan) i znanych teozofów, jak Alice Bailey. W 1936 roku, w wieku 21 lat, służył w Światowym Kongresie Wiary na Uniwersytecie Londyńskim, tam usłyszał też o Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, by potem spotkać tego cenionego znawcę buddyzmu zen. Oprócz tych rozmów i spotkań osobistych, pochłonięty był analizowaniem dostępnej literatury naukowej, podstawowych pojęć i terminologii głównych filozofii Indii i Azji Wschodniej. W 1936 roku Watts opublikował pierwszą książkę , Duch zen. Później przyznał się, że sugerował się w niej w dużej mierze pismami Suzuki.

W 1938 roku on i jego narzeczona przenieśli się do Ameryki. Ożenił się z Eleanor Everett, której matka Ruth Fuller Everett była związana z tradycyjnym kręgiem zen w Nowym Jorku. Kilka lat później, Ruth Fuller ożeniła się z mistrzem zen (rōshi), Sokei-Sasaki, służącym jako swego rodzaju mentor Alana Wattsa, który w sumie nie zdecydował się odbyć formalnego szkolenia pod jego okiem. Z jego późniejszych dzieł wynika, że w tych latach Watts doznał kolejnego doświadczenia mistycznego podczas spaceru z żoną.

Watts opuścił formalne wykształcenie Zen w Nowym Jorku, ponieważ metody nauczyciela nie pasowały do niego. Nie został wyświęcony na mnicha Zen, ale czuł potrzebę znalezienia zbytu dla swoich zawodowych filozoficznych skłonności. Poszedł do anglikańskiej (biskupiej) szkoły w Seminarium Duchownym w Evanston, Illinois), gdzie studiował chrześcijańskie pisma, teologię i historię Kościoła. Starał się wypracować połączenie współczesnego kultu chrześcijańskiego, mistycznego chrześcijaństwa i filozofii Azji. Watts otrzymał tytuł magistra teologii w odpowiedzi na tezę, którą opublikował w popularnej pozycji pod tytułem "Behold the spirit". Posiadał honorowy tytuł doktora teologii na uniwersytecie w Vermont za swoje prace z teologii komparatywnej. Watts nie ukrywał swojej niechęci do różnych aspektów religii, surowości, pogrążenia w poczuciu winy, czy wojowniczego prozelityzmu – niezależnie od tego czy zostały one znalezione w judaizmie, chrześcijaństwie, hinduizmie, czy buddyzmie.


Wszyscy widzieli go dość dobrze w roli biskupa (początek w 1945 roku, w wieku 30 lat), jednak wyjście na jaw pozamałżeńskiego romansu spowodowało wystąpienie jego młodej żony o nieważność małżeństwa. To również skutkowało opuszczeniem diecezji w 1950. W Nowy Rok poznał Joseph Campbell, jego żonę Jean Erdman i Johna Cage.

Wiosną 1951 r. Watts przeniósł się do Kalifornii, gdzie wstąpił do wydziału Amerykańskiej Akademii Studiów Azjatyckich w San Francisco. Tutaj uczył się obok Saburō Hasegawy, Fryderyka Spiegelberga, Haridasa Chaudhuriego, lama Tokwan Tada i różnych ekspertów oraz profesorów. Hasegawa, w szczególności, był nauczycielem Wattsa w dziedzinie japońskich zwyczajów, sztuki, prymitywizmu i postrzegania natury.

Watts studiował także pismo chińskie i praktykował chińską kaligrafię szczoteczką Hasegawa. Podczas studiów odznaczało go zainteresowanie buddyzmem zen, jego początkami w Chinach, szperaniem w Wedancie, "nową fizyką", cybernetyką, semantyką, procesem filozofii, historią naturalną i antropologią seksualności.

W połowie 1950 roku, po kilku latach spędzonych na Akademii, opuścił wydział, żeby rozpocząć karierę. W 1953 roku zaczął prowadzić cotygodniowy program radiowy w Radio Pacifica w Berkeley. Prowadził go aż do śmierci w 1973 roku. Podobnie jak inni dziennikarze był wolontariuszem w sponsorowanej przez słuchacza stacji. Stacja zdobyła dużą popularność w San Francisco Bay Area.



Audycje te były później realizowane przez dodatkowe stacje Pacifica, a także retransmitowane wiele razy w ciągu dekady po jego śmierci. Oryginalne taśmy, są w posiadaniu Pacifica Radio Archives.

W roku 1957, kiedy miał 42 lata, opublikowana została jedna z najbardziej znanych książek pisarza, Droga Zen, która koncentrowała się na filozoficznych eksplikacjach i historii. Ponadto w oparciu o styl życia i filozoficzne tło Zen, w Indiach i Chinach, Watts przedstawił pomysły zaczerpnięte z semantyki ogólnej (bezpośrednio z pism Alfreda Korzybskiego, a także od Norberta Wienera pioniera prac nad cybernetyką, które niedawno zostały opublikowane). Watts przedstawił analogie pomiędzy cybernetycznymi zasadami a praktyką Zen. Książka sprzedawała się dobrze, w końcu stała się klasyką gatunku i pomogła poszerzyć zainteresowanie Zen.

W tym czasie był w trasie w Europie razem z ojcem, spotkał tam znanego psychiatrę Carla Junga. Kiedy odnosił się do współczesnej psychologii, zbliżał się bardziej do Junga czy Abrahama Maslowa, niż do Freuda.

Po powrocie do Stanów Zjednoczonych podejmował próby przeżycia psychodelicznych doświadczeń, początkowo z meskaliną podaną mu przez dr Oscara Janigera. Kilka razy próbował LSD z różnymi zespołami badawczymi, prowadzonymi przez dr Keith Ditman, Sterling Bunnell, Michaela Agrona. Próbował również marihuany i stwierdził, że jest ona interesującym i użytecznym środkiem psychoaktywnym, który wywołuje wrażenie spowolnienia czasu. Książki Wattsa z lat 60. wykazały wpływ tych przygód chemicznych. Jego komentarz na temat zażywania środków psychodelicznych brzmiał: "Kiedy już otrzymasz wiadomość, odłóż słuchawkę."


Przez pewien czas Watts preferował pisanie językiem współczesnej nauki i psychologii (Psychoterapia Wschodu i Zachodu jest dobrym przykładem), znajdując związek pomiędzy przeżyciami mistycznymi i teorią wszechświata materialnego proponowaną przez współczesnych mu fizyków. Później utożsamiał mistykę z doświadczeniami świadomości ekologicznej i zwykle wybierał podejście, które najlepiej nadawało się do adresowanej publiczności.

Poszukiwania i nauczanie Wattsa przyniosło mu kontakt z wieloma intelektualistami, artystami i amerykańskimi nauczycielami w Ruchu  Potencjału Człowieka. Jego przyjaźń z poetą Garym Snyderem kultywowała sympatie dla Ruchu Ekologicznego, dla którego Watts dał filozoficzne wsparcie. Spotkał również Roberta Antona Wilsona, który powiedział, że Watts że jest jednym z jego "świateł na Drodze do Kosmicznego Wyzwalacza".

Choć nie był na długo związany z żadną instytucją akademicką, miał przez kilka lat stypendium na Uniwersytecie Harvarda. Wygłaszał wykłady na wielu uczelniach. Jego wykłady i książki dały dalekosiężny wpływ na amerykańską inteligencję 1950-1970, ale Watts był często postrzegany jako outsider w środowisku akademickim. Zapytany ostro przez uczniów w czasie rozmów na Uniwersytecie Kalifornijskim w Santa Cruz w 1970 roku Watts odpowiedział, że nie był filozofem akademickim, ale "Filozoficznym showmanem".

Watts został skrytykowany przez buddystów, takich jak roshi Philip Kapleau, John Daido Loori i Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki za rzekomo błędną wykładnię kilku kluczowych pojęć buddyzmu Zen. Kapleau napisał, że Watts oddalił zazen na rzecz tylko połowy kōanu. W odniesieniu do wyżej wymienionego kōanu, Robert Aitken oznajmił, iż Suzuki powiedział mu: "Muszę z przykrością powiedzieć, że Pan Watts nie rozumie tej historii." W tłumaczeniu Loori'ego z Shōbōgenzō, autor wspomina o tym i sugeruje, że zen w swej istocie polega na zazen, i nie można pojąć go bez praktyki.

Watts pisał często, że nawiązywał do grupy sąsiadów z Druid Heights (koło Mill Valley, Kalifornia), którzy starali się połączyć architekturę, ogrodnictwo, stolarstwo i umiejętności, aby stworzyć dla siebie piękne i wygodne życie. Druid Heights zostało założone przez pisarkę Elsę Gidlow.

Jeśli chodzi o jego intencje, można stwierdzić, że Watts próbował zmniejszać alienację, doświadczenie towarzyszące człowiekowi, że czuje się zarażony współczesnym Zachodem, oraz (podobnie jak jego koledzy Brytyjczycy i przyjaciel, Aldous Huxley), aby zmniejszyć złą wolę, która jest ubocznym produktem wyobcowania ze świata natury. Czuł że takie nauczanie może ulepszyć świat, przynajmniej do pewnego stopnia. Formułował również możliwości większego zastosowania estetyki (np.: lepsza architektura, więcej sztuki, więcej wyśmienitej kuchni) w amerykańskim życiu. W swojej autobiografii pisał: "... odnawianiem kultury jest połączenie elementów kultur" (Watts, In My Own Way). (....)

W swoich pismach nawiązywał do swojego politycznego przejścia od republikańskiego konserwatyzmu do bardziej liberalnej perspektywy prawnej i politycznej. Jednak nie ufał zarówno politycznej lewicy, jak i prawicy, więc znalazł inspirację w Chińskiej księdze Zhuangzi. Zwalczał powszechną ideę "postępu". Miał nadzieję na zmiany, osobiście wolał swojskie, częściowo izolowane enklawy społeczne obszarów wiejskich. Wierzył w tolerancję dla mniejszości seksualnych, wyrzutków społecznych i ekscentrycznych artystów.

Watts potępił urbanizację terenów wiejskich i stylu życia, który wdał się wraz z nią.

W jednym z wykładów, który Watts zatytułował The End to the Put-Down of Man, filozof przedstawił pozytywny wizerunek zarówno przyrody, jak i człowieka, który przemawiał na korzyść różnych etapów rozwoju jednostki (w tym młodzieńczych lat), potępiał nadmierny cynizm i przekorę, wychwalał inteligencję, kreatywność, dobrą architekturę i żywność. (...) (wikipedia)
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