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Koji Asano - Rabbit Room Reservation Center (2005)


One of the world's most imaginative composers, Koji Asano defies simple categorization. A native of Japan who now resides in Barcelona, Spain, Asano has composed tunes for dance performances, film soundtracks, and video art exhibitions. Solo pianists, guitar bands, computers, string quartets, and his own Tokyo-based group the Koji Asano Ensemble have performed his compositions. According to the San Francisco Weekly, Asano "eschews the well-worn path of familiar music making contexts for a less traveled route involving feedback, computers, and electronics." Asano has collaborated with a diverse range of musical and visual artists. In 1997, he provided accompaniment for exhibitions of sculpture and painting in Moscow, Pushkin, and Latvia. Two years later, he composed a string quartet for a presentation of Bruno Letort's Megapoles project, featuring the Smith Quartet at the Vingtième Théâtre in Paris. In October 2001, a new composition was premiered by Banda Municipal de Barcelona. (Craig Harris)


After a certain lull, Koji Asano was due for a strong release of new music, and this is it. Rabbit Room Reservation Center deserves a place among his five best albums of sound art. It seems that the piano serves once again as the main sound source here, but electronic treatments overpower it completely, letting the acoustic instrument surface only sporadically. The album consists of three pieces of ten, 23, and 24 minutes, presented as movements or variations of a single work. "Rabbit Room Reservation Center I" exposes the material: piano notes shrouded in digital decay that gives birth to aural illusions. There is much room for silence and a certain majesty to the music. The second piece brings listeners down a couple of octaves, with the notes grainy gongs instead of small bells. A thicker soundscape emerges, but there is still a large element of spatialization, as if belfries were calling each other over a particularly echo-prone valley. The third piece pushes the transformation further, straight into harsh noise territory, the piano -- and its computerized bell/gong persona -- drowned out by the ripples of digital reverb. The sound swells up to the size of a full-fledged harsh noise band. The process underpinning the whole album may be simple, but Asano has obviously paid a lot of attention to the composition of these stark pieces. Don't pass this one by. (François Couture)

Please support the blog of 3 EUR, mail to us and get the download link.


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VA - Burmese Folk and Traditional Music (1953)


The 16 tracks on this collection feature traditional music from the Southeast Asian nation of Burma, also known as Myanmar. Drums, cymbals, bells, and a harp are some of the instruments featured―as are the Western violin and guitar, with strings tuned differently. Liner notes explore the characteristic tempo and scale used in Burmese music, and provide notation and background on the songs. (folkways)
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The Holy Ghost Reception Commitee #9 (1968-1969)


Dennis Blair Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Vocals
Rich Esposito Guitar, Vocals
Elmer Gordon Producer
Bob Kearney Guitar, Vocals
Mark Puleo Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals

Christian psychedelic quintet the Holy Ghost Receptive Committee #9 was the brainchild of Anthony Myers, a teacher at New York City's Regis High School -- assigned circa 1967 to work with students to write and perform contemporary minded songs that could be played at Mass. He assembled guitarists Dennis Blair, Rich Esposito, Bob Kearney and Mark Puleo, along with bassist Larry Johnson. The project proved so successful that Myers landed the group a recording contract with ecumenical publisher Paulist Press, and in 1968 the Holy Ghost Receptive Committee #9 (so named by a fellow student) issued its first LP, Songs for Liturgical Worship. After a 1969 follow-up, The Torchbearers, the group dissolved; Blair later enjoyed a career as a stand-up comic, opening for the legendary George Carlin for over a decade.




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Rictus - Christelle Ou La Découverte Du Mal (1981)


Daniel Corbont : Bass
Daniel Aizier : Guitar
Marcel Bony : Guitar
François Corbont : Drums
Pierre Pomet : Drums
Jean-Claude Schmidt : Singer
Rol Brultey : Keyboards

Christelle is a 6 year old girl. She is happy. One day she meets an Evil Genius who makes her have bad hallucinations. Each song is one of her hallucinations.

Reissue of a rare, 250 copy private press progressive rock album from France, rated 5 stars in the Pokora Books. Recorded on a 4 track Akai in the small town of Luxueil-les-Bains, this album was only sold at a few shows and in one local shop. Pressed at the small Le Kiosque D’Orphee pressing plant, this was truly a private offering with the band having made and glued the covers themselves. A long album, including the 14+ minute progressive gem ‘Theme Guerre’, the music spans from lo-fi fuzz laden numbers to strong progressive songs with numerous bridges and changes.

Conceptually a Rock Opera, but plays like a full length progressive album that could rival anything from France at the time.

Remastered with wonderful sound quality, this is sure to open the ears of many who’ve overlooked the band until now. (source)



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Lol Coxhill & Morgan Fisher - Slow Music (1980)


Recorded in 1980, this collaboration between master tape manipulator Morgan Fisher and legendary improvisational saxophonist Lol Coxhill sees the two explore a mutual interest in treating their work as mere raw material for further experimentation and re-modeling. Working in Fisher’s Notting Hill home studio, Coxhill’s performances (including Handel’s ‘Largo’ and his own ‘Pretty Little Girl’) were recorded and reworked using a number of innovative studio techniques to create entirely new material, some of which was used as a background for further performances by the pair, the rest treated to further manipulation via tape delays, synthesiser filters and other electronic equipment, resulting in multi layered tape loop pieces, drones and sound collages. (cherryred)

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Sros Lords - Slimernetik Punk from Detroit


Savage Saints,

Sros Lords has been a band 5 years. We are from Detroit.

The original lineup was 4 members . 
jamie Drums
morgan  guitar/vox
al synth 
phil bass

But now it`s 3 members 
jamie drums 
morgan guitar /vox
cait synth 

Now we have a synth with bass low-end. We are signed to Earyummy records from Chicago. We are a Slimernetik punk band. Were into many things...................................................................... We love eating pasta and pizza. Also we don`t use bandcamp or soundcloud. We have our own site... sroslords.com     .............   That has a song on it from our album ...Rule......... called Slow Death


"It's hard to write objectively about our songs or our sound, but I do think that I can say what our intentions are from the start. Generally that tone is pretty vicious, which is how youhave to play when you're playing weird gigs. you never have too much time to setup and breakdown, and that's a big part of a show. The brevity of the songs has to do with two things things I think. We don't want to bore the audience with repeating ourselves too often, and I just can't write good lyrics fast enough. This brevity is also reflective of our punk rock childhoods and the garage rock that's so deeply rooted in detroit."

Jamie on how SROS Lords started:
"SROS Lords was started around 2010, and we got the name from the building I lived at for 10 years in downtown detroit. its the legendary bagley optical, at one point named Site Rite Optical. We added Studios for our friends' place where we did the first single for Urinal Cake. I've been playing guitar for a long time, probably since I was 16. For the last decade I've been playing the same guitar, although I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the band or anything like that. Jamie is a really adventurous player, who frequently breaks his drums and even severs electrical cords sometimes. Cait has played bass and guitar in several bands too, and does sound engineering. Her sound reflects her taste in both older and newer technologies."
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Jesse Graves (1972)


Great early 70s country blues private press album. Mr Graves has a great taste and picks some real nice traditionals and choice artists to play. The whole album has a raw or ‘from the basement’ tone; rough vocals, harmonicas, bottlenecks, foot stomps and hand claps.


TOP RATE BLUES

GRAVES WAS A CLOSE FREIND OF REV. GARY DAVIS AND FRED MCDOWELL

A WHITE BLUES MAN OF TOP QUALITY WHO PERFORMED FOR AND WITH SOME OF THE GREATEST BLUES FIGURES SUCH AS "SON" HOUSE WHO TAUGHT HIM TO PLAY THE BOTTLENECK.  HE EARNED EVERYONES RESPECT AND RIGHTFULLY SO

AN EXTREMELY HARD LP TO FIND .  NOT MANY MADE
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The Ahmad Jamal Trio - The Awakening (1970)


A collaboration of all the styles encompassed throughout Jamal's career, The Awakening makes an excellent relaxing album, showing off Jamal's piano chops with some excellent rhythmic grooves.
If there was ever a man that never received the credit he deserved, that man was Ahmad Jamal. Jamal played jazz piano differently from everyone else. He had the classical chops to play all over the place and use his jazz knowledge to run across the piano with all kinds of different scales, but Jamal was smarter than that. He knew that 32nd note runs for 8 minutes straight would get boring and tiring. He used space and silence so well that it inspired much of Miles Davis’ playing. However, the world gives Davis the credit for revolutionizing that style of playing. The general public doesn’t even list Jamal in the top ten jazz pianists of all time. Obviously, that means nothing to Jamal, as displayed in his track title I Love Music. That’s really all that matters, and that mindset shines through brilliantly on The Awakening.

The Awakening is about twenty years past when Jamal inspired Miles Davis so directly. Jamal himself seems to have made an evolution in his sound, allowing himself to show off his incredibly fast piano chops in variation. He still plays with his trademark sparseness, but not to the degree of Miles on his works like Sketches of Spain and Kind of Blue. Being the only instrument capable of handling melody for any length of time, Jamal forces himself to give some variety in his style of playing. Also, being limited to only one sound, his style of playing and the feel of the entire trio needs to be the main sources of variation to keep the album interesting. To a considerable degree, Ahmad and his trio pull it off well. Ranging from straight up swing to a completely authentic bossanova style to a jazzy, Bill Evans-esque piano solo, the variation in style is remarkable. Despite Jamal going all over the place on the piano with all kinds of great rhythmic and harmonic intricacy, the rhythm section locks itself in place and never lets anything speed up or slow down.

However, Jamal is the star of the show, especially since I Love Music is the best song on the album. The majority of the song is just Jamal, showing off all of his piano skills. Despite the rhythmic speed and complexity, the real focus is in the harmonic structure. It is beautiful in so many ways, through its tasty chords and seemingly frantic jumping around. Still, even in all its complexity, Jamal manages to create memorable melodies and motifs. As a result of his traditional sparse style, Jamal feels the need to create a true melody, which makes I Love Music all the more enjoyable. Near the end, the rest of the trio enters, allowing Jamal to lay back a bit. The song stands as a jazz piano epic, far reaching and complex while still showcasing some of the simplest moments on the album.

While I Love Music sweeps up the listener in its gorgeous rubato and wavering tempos, Patterns lays down a great groove with a descending melody. The bass plays along with Ahmad for the head before jumping into a quick yet groovy bassline. It takes the stylings of Miles Davis on his earlier electronic recordings such as Filles de Kilimanjaro and puts it with an upright bass. It gives the atmosphere a slightly older feel, much more acoustic. In 1970, entirely acoustic music was beginning to die away, so The Awakening came as a breath of old, yet still fresh. The ending of the song has the greatest climax possible for a song as laid back as Patterns, a giant slowdown with epic piano chords that Jamal still plays with a delicacy. Hammering them and filling the recording would simply destroy the mood of the song. Patterns shows the mix of an old atmosphere with modern harmonization and grooves

Ahmad Jamal and his trio make excellent jazz music that draws together the best of both worlds. Utilizing many different grooves, including swing and a funkier fusion style while mixing it with modern harmonies and a timeless instrumental atmosphere, The Awakening is certainly worth a listen. The album shows more than just Ahmad Jamal. His rhythm section lays down fantastic grooves, no matter what style they are in. They prove to be excellently trained jazz musicians and able to keep up with Jamal’s piano. Although known for his sparseness and usage of space, Jamal takes a turn showing many huge runs. Still, he creates memorable melodies that keep the album interesting and immediately listenable. (source)


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Hapshash & The Coloured Coat - Featuring The Human Host And The Heavy Metal Kids (1967)


Hapshash and the Coloured Coat is the name of an influential British graphic design and avant-garde musical partnership between Michael English and Nigel Waymouth, producing psychedelic posters and two albums of underground music. The silkscreen printed posters they created, advertising underground "happenings," clubs and concerts in London, became so popular at the time that they helped launch the commercial sale of posters as art, initially in fashionable stores such as the Indica Bookshop and Carnaby Street boutiques. Their posters remain highly sought after, and the original artwork for a poster advertising Jimi Hendrix's 1967 concert at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, depicting the guitarist as a psychedelic Native American chief with a hunting bow in one hand and a peace pipe in the other, was sold in 2008 by Bonhams at $72,000. Between October 2000 and January 2001, the Victoria and Albert Museum, where the originals of many of their posters are in the permanent collection, mounted a retrospective exhibition of their work titled "Cosmic Visions–Psychedelic Posters from the 1960s." Their first album of psychedelic music, produced by a collective in early 1967 and including many famous names, is now seen as being influential on the early works of Amon Düül and other pioneers of German Krautrock, as well as inspiring sections of the Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request album.

Michael English (born Michael Jeremy English, 5 September 1941, Bicester, Oxfordshire–died 25 September 2009) had studied art under Roy Ascott at Ealing Art College in West London between 1963–1966. He took part in Ascott's revolutionary Groundcourse, the first year of which focused on changing preconceptions and involved exercises such as students being subjected to continuous pulses of light and darkness in the lecture theatre before being asked to walk over a floor covered with glass marbles. Ascott would later recall that one of the aims was to create disorientation "within an environment that is sometimes unexpectedly confusing, where [the artist] is faced with problems that seem absurd, aimless or terrifying... Pete Townshend sat on a trolley for three weeks, because he wasn't allowed to use his legs and [Brian] Eno went around with a bag on his head."

After graduating, English briefly worked for an ad agency but, having become "captivated by the pop movement," was soon selling his pop art designs – "a potent mix of art nouveau with hard-edge sci-fi applied to disposable items such as union flag sunglasses" – direct to London's trendy boutiques including Gear on Carnaby Street. As a freelance graphic artist he was also producing artwork for counterculture newspaper the International Times.

Nigel Waymouth had graduated from University College London where he had studied Economic History, and had also studied art at several London colleges. Following a period working as a freelance journalist he opened a boutique at 488 King's Road, Chelsea in partnership with his girlfriend Sheila Cohen and John Pearse, a Savile Row–trained tailor. They acquired the premises in December 1965 and opened as Granny Takes a Trip (GTT) in February 1966, initially selling Edwardian and antique clothes "with an up-to-date feel that appealed to the young hippie denizens of what was becoming known as Swinging London." They also sold their own designs – "very decadent, flowery and over the top, but without being totally tasteless" – which were soon in demand with bands such as The Beatles (photographed wearing GTT clothes on the back cover of Revolver), the Rolling Stones (front cover of Between the Buttons), Cream, The Animals and Pink Floyd.


In December 1966 English and Waymouth were introduced by Joe Boyd and John "Hoppy" Hopkins, co-founders of the UFO Club on Tottenham Court Road, who asked them to collaborate on posters advertising the club, believing that their combined talents "would result in something special." Waymouth said: "They wanted a distinctive style. The idea was to pair us off and see what happened." The pair worked well together, with Waymouth saying "The chemistry between us was brilliant," and English describing how their combined talents "created a very interesting melange of visual delights." At first they worked under the name Cosmic Colors but only produced one poster before changing the name to Jacob and the Coloured Coat, producing two more works. In March 1967 they chose the name Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, which suggested both hashish and psychedelic patterning (Joseph's "coat of many colors"). They set up a small studio on Princedale Road, Holland Park, close to the Oz offices, and where, according to the magazine's editor Richard Neville, "their sole inspiration was LSD and their regular 'tripping partner' was Pete Townshend." The posters were then printed and distributed by Osiris Visions, owned by the International Times, in the basement of the Indica Bookshop in Mason's Yard (off Duke Street), St. James's.

The posters they designed for the UFO Club and Oz magazine drew on elements of Mucha, Ernst, Magritte, Bosch, Blake and Dulac, pulling them together in a style that art critic George Melly called "Nouveau Art Nouveau" and Time was beginning to call "Nouveau Frisco". They also designed posters for the Middle Earth club, Pink Floyd (who were the resident band at the UFO), The 5th Dimension, The Move, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Soft Machine and the Incredible String Band.

While other designers at the time opted for "an indiscriminate use of rainbows and any clashing colour combination, [Hapshash] strived for maximum colour effect without sacrificing balance or harmony," and frequently used expensive gold and silver metallic inks, which previously were rarely seen on advertising posters. They also introduced a new technique to screen-printing which allowed them to "gradate from one colour to another on a single separation."

They also released two albums, Featuring the Human Host and the Heavy Metal Kids (Minit: MLS 40001) in 1967, and Western Flier (Liberty: LBS 83212) in 1969. By this time English had left, and Waymouth strangely is mentioned in the liner notes as having decided to "record" the album, but not listed as one of the musicians.

The track "Blue Narcissus" appears on the United Artists Records 2004 sampler All Good Clean Fun CD re-package (Liberty 8660902), but was not on the original 1971 LP.
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Zygmunt Krauze - Spatial Music (2013)


Inspiracje unizmem Władysława Strzemińskiego i funkcjonalizmem stoją u źródeł pierwszej w Polsce instalacji dźwiękowej zrealizowanej w Galerii Współczesnej w Warszawie, pod którą podpisani są: architektka Teresa Kelm, kompozytor Zygmunt Krauze i rzeźbiarz Henryk Morel. Praca była kontynuacją poszukiwań zainicjowanych przez Morela i Krauzego w 1966 roku w ramach zrealizowanego wspólnie z Cezarym Szubartowskim i Grzegorzem Kowalskim działania zatytułowanego 5x.

Praca została zrealizowana już po śmierci Morela, co spowodowało rezygnację z pierwotnie planowanych elementów rzeźbiarskich. Odbiorca otrzymywał możliwość kontrolowania docierających do niego dźwięków i kolorów. Swobodnie poruszając się pomiędzy przestrzeniami budował swoją wersję kompozycji używając zaoferowanych przez artystów narzędzi. Dla twórców był to sposób walki z kanoniczną, bierną formą odbioru w sali koncertowej. Nie możemy jednak ograniczać inspiracji dla tej realizacji tylko do polskiej awangardy międzywojennej. Artyści oddali słuchaczowi władzę nad jego audiosferą, a źródeł takiego podejścia można szukać w doświadczeniu obróbki taśmy magnetofonowej. Modularność kompozycji powoduje, że poszczególne ścieżki można z łatwością łączyć i separować. Wyzwolenie słuchacza od biernej pozycji łączy się więc tutaj z przemyśleniem zasad rządzących narzędziami do nagrywania i miksowania.

Gdyby Zygmunt Krauze poprzestał na tej jednej realizacji trudno byłoby tą z gruntu modernistyczną realizację połączyć z innym konceptualnym źródłem jego pomysłu. Właśnie ono zabiera głos w późniejszej o sześć lat Fête galante et pastorale. Kompozytor wraca niejako do genezy muzyki przestrzennej i wykorzystując istniejącą architekturę barokowego zamku Eggenborg osadza instalację dźwiękową w otoczeniu, które zmusza do przemyślenia pojęcia muzyki kameralnej. Kompozycja zostaje skontekstualizowana nie tylko dzięki konkretnej przestrzeni, ale również poprzez segmenty stylizowane na muzykę sięgającą daleko poza dwudziesty wiek. To co w Kompozycji było abstrakcyjne i ukazywało w założeniu uniwersalne psychofizyczne warunki odbioru dźwięku, zostaje przełamane przez skojarzenia z muzyką dworską i ludową, które budzą poszczególne ścieżki.

Zestaw oferuje więc podróż dość paradoksalną i absolutnie achroniczną. Dwie wersje Kompozycji przestrzenno-muzycznej różnią się znacznie. Obie powstały w 2012 roku z wykorzystaniem oryginalnych taśm. Stanowią więc ponowne podejście do kompozycji po 44 latach. Pierwsza z nich została nagrana w Muzeum Sztuki w Łodzi w architekturze zbudowanej do wystawy Dźwięki elektrycznego ciała (kuratorzy: David Crowley i Daniel Muzyczuk). Arszyn skwapliwie podporządkował się instrukcjom twórców i nagrał własny miks instalacji, który uderza ekspresją usłyszaną w tym z założenia medytacyjnym utworze. Ten sam materiał źródłowy stoi również za studyjnym miksem wykonanym przez kompozytora. Fête galante et pastorale prezentujemy tutaj w nagraniu oryginalnym z 1974 roku, które jednak ze względu na stylistykę składających się na tą kompozycję segmentów ciężko osadzić w konkretnym czasie. Jest ona zarazem źródłem i konsekwencją utworu z 1968 roku. Jest konsekwencją ponieważ praca z architekturą zaczęła się dla Krauzego dużo wcześniej. Pozostaje natomiast źródłem swej poprzedniczki gdyż odsłania barokowe inspiracje instalacji dźwiękowych kompozytora. (Daniel Muzyczuk)

***

Władysław Strzemiński's unism as well as functionalism are to be found at the roots of the first sound installation in Poland. Prepared for Galeria Współczesna in Warsaw, it is a piece signed by an architect Teresa Kelm, composer Zygmunt Krauze and sculptor Henryk Morel. "Spatial-Musical Composition" is a follow up of Morel's and Krauze's explorations initiated in 1966 together with Cezary Szubartowski and Grzegorz Kowalski which resulted in an action titled "5x".

The sculptural elements of the previous one are lacking in the realization due to the fact of its premiere after Morel's death. Still, audience was given an opportunity to control the sounds and colors of the installation. Moving freely between the spaces, one could build up his or her own version of the composition using the tools delivered by the artists. For the latter ones, it was a way to overcome the canonical, passive reception inscribed in the concert hall. But there is more for the inspiration of the piece than just the polish avantgarde of the interwar. By assigning the audience freedom for their own audiosphere, the artists reveal their debt in magnetic tape processing. Modular character of the composition makes it easy to separate and blend the tracks and so freeing of audience in the installation is based on acknowledging the principles of recording and mixing tools.

If it was the only installation by Zygmunt Krauze, it would be difficult to see the conceptual background of the modern composition. But it is the conceptual force that drives his six years latter piece "Fete galante et pastorale". Composer takes a detour to get back to the very origins of spatial music making use of the architecture - namely Eggenborg castle. He inscribes the music in space which pushes one to rethink the notion of chamber music. The piece is contextualized not only thanks to particular space but also because by its internal structure which consists of segments echoing pre-20th Century music. What was abstract in "Spatial-Musical Composition" revealing universal psychophysical conditions of sound reception, here becomes concrete by associations with court and folk music triggered by consecutive tracks.

The album is a journey just as much paradoxical as absolutely achronic. Two versions of "Spatial-Musical Composition" differ significantly. They were both realized in 2012 with the use of original tapes. Thus, they are both an attempt at performing the piece after 44 years. One was recorded in architecture built for Museum of Art in Łódź during the exhibition "Sounding the Body Electric (curators: David Crowley and Daniel Muzyczuk). Arszyn willingly followed the artists instructions and recorded his own mix of the installation - surprisingly expressive in this meditative composition. The same source material was used for the studio mix. "Fete galante et pastorale" in between the two versions is an original recording from 1974. However, placing the composition in historical chronology seems dubious because of the segments styles. It seems at the same time a source and a result of "Spatial-Musical Composition" from 1968. It is its result because Krauze's interest in architecture dates far back in time. It is its source as well displaying Baroque inspirations in composer's sound installations. (Daniel Muzyczuk)
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Neu! - '72 Live In Dusseldorf (1972)


Kraftwerk's initial trio of still unavailable long-players aside, it was Neu!'s back catalogue that was most eagerly welcomed. Out-of-print since the late 1970s, due partially to a protracted loss of contact between founder duo Klaus Dinger & Michael Rother, the widespread availability of the Germanafon editions meant that many thousands of potential sales were forfeited before an official reissue programme could be launched. To make matters worse, Dinger - "in an act of despair" according to Rother - authorised the release of the below-par Neu! 4 (in actuality a rather mediocre session of October '85 vintage) & Neu! '72 Live In Düsseldorf via renown Japanese psychedelic label, Captain Trip. Rother, understandably upset at his consent not being sought, effectively delayed the official C.D. reissue of the original Neu! trilogy for a further half-decade - though when they did eventually appear, c/o Grönland / Astralwerks in 2001, I'm sure I'm not the only Neu! fan who bought the lot all over again. One condition of the licensing agreement was that both Neu! 4 & '72 Live be deleted forthwith &, though the former has since been remixed (arguably to it's detriment) by Rother following Dinger's death, the latter has remained tantilisingly out of reach.

Truthfully, '72 Live wasn't actually a live album at all. It was, instead, a mid-fi recording of an hour or so's worth of rehearsals for a handful of imminent European live dates, or as Dinger's sleeve note clarified: "From the K.D. historic tapes collection this is Neu! '72 Live! in Düsseldorf 6 May at  congregation hall of St. Maria Unter dem Kreuz (tanx) in Düsseldorf - Unterrath. As non-public test / self-audition for a series of 6/7 concerts later in '72". Heavily edited extracts from all 3 tracks were remastered & remixed by Rother for inclusion in Grönland's limited edition deluxe vinyl box-set in 2005. Though the sound thereon was a noticeable improvement on the Dictaphone-quality Captain Trip disc, the loss of so much fascinating incidental material - brutal tape splices, band discussions & disagreements, the shakily improvised performances falling apart & back together again, etc - meant that the unadulterated Dinger-advocated bootleg has since attained significant historical importance. (source)
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Mushroom with Gary Floyd - Mad Dogs & San Franciscans (2003)


I'm slumped over at the Beauty Bar, my head ducking the plastic hair dryer dome as beehive designs surround me, when this voice starts coarsely bunting up against my skull. There are wicked edges to each syllable, but there's a viscous soul to it that seeps in where the barbs have already drawn blood. Which is peculiar, as the song itself is a nasty, bashing sort of punk number, the lyrics asking, \x93Are you stupid, or just a faggot?\x94 It's the Dicks, of course, one of the most powerful Texas punk bands ever to arise, at the same time as the Big Boys and the Butthole Surfers, before singer Gary Floyd-- the gargantuan punk-rock queen from which this powerful voice emanated-- pulled up stakes to the more accepting climes in San Francisco. With the less chain- gang Sister Double Happiness, he preceded the grunge genre by a few years, keeping a soulful edge to their sludgy rock. A touchstone for the likes of Nirvana, the Jesus Lizard, and Mudhoney (the last two covering Dicks' songs), Floyd has lain low the past few years, as punk cred don't exactly pay Pacific Gas.

That he's paired now with Mushroom, a bunch of left Coast groovers and movers, is less a respectful resurrection than an inspired match. Comprised of players who've dabbled with folks such as Beth Orton, Beck, Faust, and Kevin Ayers, they have always been capable of summoning speed-crisped 60s soul, 70s fusion synth stacks, and 90s Tortoise wax buffing all the crags to a sheen, but with Floyd, they fill in that missing decade of the 80s, with his hardcore heart. Happy enough to contemplate their omphalos while zoning out to Herbie Hancock's Headhunters or Daevid Allex92s Gong, Mushroom veers more towards early seventies AM Gold with such a formidable front man, while still trudging up the old Fillmore West in all its incestuous glory and excess.


Divining Joe Cocker, Floyd gives you just enough time to hit the black lights and crash into the bean bag before Mushroom takes off with the cringingly titled \x93The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, but It Will Be Auctioned Off on eBay\x94. That it works better than it reads by lava lamp is crucial, for they do take their sweet-ass time reaching expansion, wading through flute and trumpet morass before revealing their secret weapon: Monoshock and Glands of External Secretion tweaker Doug Pearson. Pearsox92s synthesizer is the x-factor for most of the tracks, extracting the psychoactive purities that lace their originals and covers, coating it all in electric Kool-Aid meltdown. On Curtis Mayfield's \x93Pushermax94 he is both street-level truck brakes and uncut space dust, squirting tracers around Floyd's falsetto and leather take on the gay hustler, concerned more with his own tricks than on ruining the ghetto. That the signature conga line drops into a lock at the end with the Can patter of Patrick O'Hearn Thomas (also doubling as producer of the sessions) gives their cover a much more potent effect.

\x93Even the Beatles Had Beards\x94, the other Mushroom original, decelerates into a Traffic jam, with harmonica and organ cutting through with the Doppler effect of late-night ambulances, smoothing away all memories of a front man, but when Floyd belts back at the ARP blats of the Who b-side \x93Water\x94, his presence pulls the proceedings back from the tarpit of noodling these chops always teeter over, saving the group from falling in with the other dinosaurs. That Carrie Nation nymphets could be reborn to shimmy for the likes of the Spencer Davis Group, Steppenwolf, Leon Russell and Randy California is less about the Mushroom's session-cat ability to cough up long-haired balls of past glories than the dollar bin detritus coursing through Floyd's rough, corrugated throat, scuffing it up just enough to take hold on the way down. (source)
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VA - Ameridian Music of Chile: Aymara, Qaqashqar, Mapuche (1975)


In Chile today there are three indigenous groups who are direct descendants from pre-Hispanic dwellers of America: the Aymara, the Qawashqar (also called Alakaluf), and the Mapuche (also called Araucanian). The Aymara inhabit the Andean mountains and Altiplano located in Chile’s two most northern provinces, Tarapaca and Antofagasta; the Qawashqar are one of the oldest of the original inhabitants of the southernmost region of this planet, the Tierra del Fuego; the Mapuche live mainly in the region called "the Frontier" or the "Araucania" in central Chile, located in the provinces of Malleco and Cantín. (folkways)
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Imperial Pompadours - Ersatz (1982)


Visionary artist Barney Bubbles was the graphic designer and creator of such classic sleeves as Hawkwind’s “X In Search of Space,” “Doremi Fasol Latido” and “Space Ritual” as well as innumerable Stiff Records covers. But his vision also extended to light shows, choreography and this record, “Ersatz.” Collaborating with friend Nik Turner, Robert Calvert, Inner City Unit and whoever else was in the studio at the time, they produced a record under extreme economic conditions. Barney even designed the sleeve in affordable black and white, and kept the band (and himself, as was his wont) completely anonymous in the credits. Saving on the expense of studio time, they would record first-take versions of songs from a favourite mix tape of his after one play apiece. They would listen then record, listen then record twelve times in one quick session.

And the songs on Barney’s tape? “The Crusher” by The Novas, Little Black Egg” by The Nightcrawlers, “Brand New Cadillac”, “Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots” by The Cheers. But what wound up on the album were a string of versions rendered by a band that had little or no previous knowledge of these songs! “The Crusher” is slowed down as to render the vocals practically belching or vomiting, not sung, over spartan backing of pot’n’pan percussion, drill noises and dinky organ. “See You Soon Baboon” is all frantic LSD-rockabilly, heavy on the vocal reverbing. In fact, the reverb’s in the red on half the tracks here and if it’s not the vocals, it’s the damn guitar or some bicycle spokes being played with a knitting needle. From the “Pebbles” archive comes a classic freakout on The Fee-Fi-Fo-Plus Four’s “I Want To Come Back (From the World of LSD)” with its barked out chorus of “A-C-I-D! A-C-I-D! A-C-I-D!” over variable delay speeding. The whole thing reeks of low budget experimentalism at all times, especially when an egg timer is used as percussion on one track. “Light Show” is pure anarchy: an almost “Baba O’Reilly” type anthem synthesizer intro, but (“POW! POW!”) in breaks a buzzsaw Keith Levene riff -- sans backing -- then Nik Turner gives it some Hawkwind-styled intonation over a spare and tortured mini psycho-punk bombardment until it all degenerates into a woman shrieking over and over: “LIGHT SHOW! LIGHT SHOW! LIGHT SHOW!”

On the back cover legend “Play it LOUD you turkeynecks” the word “LOUD” takes up half the space of the jacket but you run a real risk if you make good on this suggestion and live adjacent to intolerable neighbours. Because one song can suddenly rocket into the stratosphere all noised-up after a real quiet passage. Side two is “Insolence Across The Nation” and is a surefire rent-breaker at any volume: An album side’s length of collaged sound effects, samples of Wagner and brief instrumentals backing a multi-perspective narration of the life of Adolf Hitler. It’s psychedelic/punk cabaret action, for sure and one of the narrators is most definitely Robert Calvert, slipping into “Captain Lockheed” meets “Steppenwolf” psychotic, Teutonic ranting and frothing at the mouth. The whole deal is just so twisted and unpolished, this album and the year it came out – 1982 -- are completely incongruous. An utterly twisted album of variety and creativity.(source)



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Orange Wedge - No One Left But Me (1974)


The 1976 follow up to Wedge was No One Left But Me. Due to the lack of offers the Orange Wedge also released their second LP as a private pressing that was to be sold at gigs and local shops, and it sold like hot bread making this one an elusive piece among hard rock collectors. Their sound here is still 100% high energy, though an evolution has been made and the band sounds a bit more sophisticated. It was their best selling album at the time with a pressing of 1000 copies that hardly made it out of Baltimore, so here's a very good chance to rediscover this amazing piece of pure rock power. Here at Wah Wah we have respectfully worked on its reissue to offer you a killer release in thick cardboard paste-up sleeve, and featuring an insert with the story of the band and lots of cool photos gently provided by original Orange Wedge guitarist and composer Joe Farace. (source)
 
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Factrix ‎- Scheintot (1981)


Arguably the most prescient band of the entire late 70's San Francisco underground, Factrix released just one 7-inch and two pioneering LP's in the early 80's. Formed in 1978 by Cole Palme (one-time member of the LAFMS group Airway) and Bond Bergland (later of Saqqara Dogs), the two initially called themselves Minimal Man and performed a handful of shows along with Patrick Miller (who would go on to have a great solo career under the MM moniker). Soon they enlisted bassist Joseph T. Jacobs (Bay of Pigs) and emerged from their Mission-district basement with their own unique take on the burgeoning English and New York post-punk scenes. The results were throbbing walls of damaged electronics, grim lyrical musings, droning bass, piercing guitar, and a modified Roland CR-78 played at 1/4 its slowest speed.


Factrix's sole "studio" album, 1981's Scheintot, is a dark, moody, and penetrating work that grows more contemporary every year. Genuinely disturbing at times and often disorienting, it filters the influence of peers such as Cabaret Voltaire and DNA through the sonic and structural sensibilities of The Velvet Underground. An underappreciated masterpiece of the early industrial/No Wave era, Scheintot is a record that compels the listener to lift the needle from the run-out groove and listen again and again. Julian Cope describes it best: "Factrix's Scheintot deserves to be experienced several times, preferably in the darkness and in a state of near exhaustion (and/or informed by psychoactive chemicals)." (superiorviaduct)
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Balanda Didjeridoo Duo - Terra Incognita (2015)


Balanda Didjeridoo Duo czyli Rafal "Ruffus" Libner & Lukasz "Luka" Hołuj, jest jednym z pierwszych i z całą pewnością najdłużej działającym polskim zespołem opierającym swe brzmienie na australijskim didjeridoo. Formacja powstała w 1998 jako "Nell' Ambiente" w 2004 zmieniła nazwę na "Balanda" co w języku australijskich Yulungu oznacza po prostu białasa... w swojej muzyce duet stara się połączyć przestrzenne i rytmiczne style gry na didjeridoo aby poprzez interakcje i rezonans 2 instrumentów stworzyć nowe przestrzenie pomiędzy muzyką archaiczną i nowoczesną, etniczną i miejską. Powolne sferyczne drony przenikają się w ich muzyce z pulsującymi rytmami tworząc przestrzenne harmonie. 


Balanda Didjeridoo Duo - Ruff Libner and Luka Hołuj band was formed in 1998 as the "Nell' Ambiente" in 2004 changed to "Balanda". One of the first polish didjeridoo bands … main musical idea is connection and interaction between two didjeridoos, transition between spherical drones and pulsating rhythms; since 1999 band played a lot of concerts and live acts. 
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Rod St.James - Has Anybody Seen The Superstar (1972)


A superb slice of the swinging seventies as seen through the eyes of one contender to the throne...Rod St James. Originally released on the small budget label Paula (cat numberLPS 2218) in 1972, this obscure psych/soul/folk rock album is a superb example of years gone by and lost in aging summer sands with flairs and sunglasses to match. Very little is known about Rod..information is thin on the ground but those who have heard this album always rate it extremely highly. Contains some great heavy guitar work (wailing fuzz and wha -wha), funky percussion, Trippy organ, with laid back cool phased hippie vocals. The second half of the album showcasing a more “folky” feel. One of the more mainstream sounding albums to be released on Radioactive but if you’re after a sound that sums up an era ..this is the album ! ! ! Think Donovan meets James Taylor. (source)


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The Whiskey Predicament - Escape From the Meat Market (2014)


The Whiskey Predicament is Nate Fey's one-man band based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has produced multiple records of lo-fi original tunes since its inception in 2010. The garage folk rock project is influenced by the Velvet Underground, Dylan and the Doors, and often plays dark and divey venues in the Charlotte area. Its third full length record "Escape From the Meat Market" was released in 2014, and its fourth LP "Cold and Free" is expected this coming winte.

The Whiskey Predicament is Nate Fey and his twisted version of happy go unlucky acoustic rock played through a gramophone. It’s a kitsch way of dealing with music that allows you to embrace a very DIY approach to recording and then run with it and Nate makes it shine... Nate’s voice has a warm and floaty feel to it, as if there were a few whiskies involved in the recording process! This however adds to the pub-like ramshackle way of enjoying grass-roots music and only adds to the atmosphere... One for downing pints to.
- Simon Smith, Higher Plain Music

"Lovely garage folk... Play repeatedly."
- Space Rock Mountain

All songs written, performed and recorded by Nate.

This record is dedicated to Ma.

PS. Nate freely admits to being a big fan of the Savage Saints blog and recommends it to all serious consumers of obscure punk, folk and psychedelic sound mediums.

WITH LOVE NATE




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Pere Ubu with Sarah Jane Morris - Long Live Pere Ubu (2009)


This album is the centerpiece of a project, two years in the works, which is an adaptation of the Absurdist stage play that gave the band its name - Alfred Jarry's "Ubu Roi" (King Ubu). The songs are the backbone of a theatrical production, "Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi", which premiered in 2008 over two days at London's prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall. A Radio Play was recorded as an audio storyboard for a proposed film by The Brothers Quay, who created animations for the theatrical production.

"Ubu Roi" premiered in Paris in 1896 provoking riots in the theatre and a national scandal. It was banned after only two performances. The story was a re-telling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and is a vicious satire of the bloated and corrupt state of pre-World War I Europe.

"Brutal, lacking charm, and without redeeming values, this is an album for our times," Pere Ubu founder David Thomas says. "It is, in fact, the only punk record that's been made in the last 30 years."

"Long Live Père Ubu!" is not background music. It's not "fun" music. It's an intellectual and conceptual challenge and as viciously satirical as Jarry's original. "If you're not going to listen to this with the same effort you'd devote to a literary novel, you're wasting your time," Thomas says. "It's long past time for rock music to grow up and move past the simpering platitudes or Tom Joad cant that passes for serious thought. All hail the survival of the Unfit!"

Every moment of the sound has been carefully crafted as a narrative voice in its own right according to Thomas' hyper-naturalistic™ recording methods. For more than a decade, working in partnership with engineer Paul Hamann, Thomas has accumulated an array of "junk-o-phones" to replace studio microphones. These include speakers salvaged from broken devices, wooden boxes, metal horns, panes of glass, even doors, wired into specialized electronics, likewise salvaged from castaways.

David Thomas, of course, is the voice of Père Ubu. Sarah Jane Morris (Communards, Happy End) was recruited to sing the role of Mère Ubu. Pere Ubu's soundman, Gagarin, an ambient electronica recording artist in his own right, guests on the album and joins the band on stage. The rest of the band, unchanged from the last studio album, Why I Hate Women, sing other roles. They are Keith Moliné on guitar; Robert Wheeler on EML synthesizer, theremin; Michele Temple on bass; and Steve Mehlman on drums.

"Long Live Père Ubu!" and selected out-takes are available as a digital download from Pere Ubu's own online "store" - hearpen.com, which is operated in partnership with Smog Veil. The cd is a Hearpen Records release (HR149) in the USA.

Cooking Vinyl has simultaneously released it in the Rest Of The World.



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Master and Pupil - Balinese Gender Duets (2011)


I Wayan Sula, master and I Dewa Gede Adi Kusuma Triananda, pupil.

Gender is a traditional Balinese and Indonesian ten brass-bar metallophone with bamboo echo chambers under the bars, an instrument which normally forms part of a larger gamelan orchestra. Gender is more rarely played as a duet of two instruments with the two players sitting face-to-face. That is the case here: these are two music lessons of master and pupil as a duet running through the same core repertoire twice, mostly sacred music for tooth-filing ceremonies.

Digital stereo recording and cover photo by Dave Sez with kind permission of the artists and our host at Rumah Putu Panca, Denpasar, Bali.
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Futuro Antico - Live [unreleased]


FUTURO ANTICO was a short collaboration founded in Italy, between Walter Maioli and Riccardo Sinigaglia, plotted right after Maioli departed from the classic and artistic band AKTUALA. Apart from these two artists, three more musicians (from India and Africa) played or were invited, Gabin Dabiré being himself a titan of the instrumental experimentation and interpretation himself, Kala and Oiseau featuring as percussionists.

The three main artists are mostly experienced in different music attitudes and aptitudes, despite that their collaboration brings forth a few common musical interests (powerfully achieved) rather than combining diversity in a language of usual sense. Walter Maioli is the experienced multi-instrumentalist, with particular studies in music and its origins, acoustics and its archetypal or psychedelic motions, nature and its vivid sound richness - and so. Riccardo Sinigaglia is the electronic player, having experimented from operas to interferences for a long time. Gabin Dabiré finally adds his singing, percussive and traditional talents. The instrumentality evolves accordingly, from the oldest tricks of synthesizers and processers to the unique sets of ethnic natural instruments.

The band lived shortly mainly because of an insignificant label interest. Maioli produced only 350 copies of the original album and, ten years later, a re-release of 1000 more (an illegal bootleg of the material appearing from nowhere, in between). In comparison with AKTUALA, the second seems to be a winner of taste, concept and popularity.

FUTURO ANTICO left, nevertheless, a precious fruit of music, mainly based on a superior use of the expressions and the experimental values, plus focused on a subtle and mysterious essence, culminating mostly into the field of electronic, world music (having an artistic and ethnic connotation, not a simple ambient or visionary one), raga-like meditations and psychedelic sound aesthetic. Right to this day, their obscure "D'ai primitivi all'elettronica" can be considered an eclectic blend of composition, starting acoustic and technical, natural and cosmic, minimal yet exhaustive beliefs of expression, and persisting on electronic's space of music (though not entirely), world music's atmosphere and influence, sound-acoustic's savant exploration or, last but definitely not least, on the mused relation with feelings, culture(s) and conventionalisms being bent (the last one, of course, linked properly with avant-garde, but also with the new discoveries of music).

25 years after their project withstand, FUTURO ANTICO recorded a material titled "Intonazioni Archetipe", rich in the same brand that was artistically shaped in 1980.

(some notes taken from main or adapted biographical sources)


The following are three untitled tracks taken from a live show in the early 80s.
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Michael James - Runaway World (1978)


Michael James' locally released 1978 LP "Runaway World" (ASI) has gathered many admirers among aficionados of non-mainstream psych and hardrock in recent years.

Michael is still active in the music scene in Minnesota, but found time to discuss his career and the 1978 album in particular when we made contact a few months ago.

Q: Was "Runaway World" your first recording session, or had their been earlier work? Were you in bands before?

MICHAEL JAMES: I was lead guitar player for the Grasshoppers after they had their top 40 hits like "Sugar & Spice". They wanted to keep up with the heavy sounds that were taking over in the 70s. I also played with a local (Minnesota) acid rock cover band called "Inner Sanctum" where I wrote the half dozen original tunes we did, including "She's Got You" & "Thank You Ted". Runaway World was my 1st real studio recording, otherwise we used 8 channel Teacs w/10 inch reels to record demos and prep for studio time.

Q: Were there any records released from the Inner Sanctum period?

MICHAEL: No official recordings, but I have several 10 inch reels with other versions of  "Runaway World" and many unused songs and comedy sketches spanning 15 years and all 3 bands from the 70s and 80s. We're trying to find a machine that will play them and the original 1/2 track of "Runaway World". When we get caught-up recording the new CDs we'll get back to figuring all that stuff out. I also have sci-fi stories I've written and had 2 publishers interested in a 3 story book titled "Children Of The Risk"! They wanted me to reformat the stories and re-submit them, but a divorce and other endeavors got me off track. We have a college student working on putting them all together (they're on an old word processing program and come out all run together so it's a several month project) and will most likely publish ourselves and look for a book(s) deal.

Q: The "Runaway World" LP is an elaborate work that sounds like some time and $$$ went into it. How did it come about, and what were the circumstances during which the LP was made?

MICHAEL: A friend (Rick Dwinnell) was really into controlling sound both live and recording, and he became our "Tech Master". My cousin (Bob Berg) loved acid rock and had cash so he became our Producer. The drummer, bass and keyboard players were friends from the band "Natural Life" also on ASI label. I wrote (half were tunes we were doing and half were new) and we practice recorded all day (and often night) for 6 months to get ready. The actual studio time was 1 week! 95% of the tracks are 1st and only run. The mix took the longest as usual.

Q: Did you play live around this time? Was any of the LP material performed?

MICHAEL: Mostly party or bar performances with "Inner Sanctum" and then later with the popular hard rock cover band "City Knights".

Q: The "Guatemala" references on the LP are a bit puzzling... anything that can be thrown light on today?

MICHAEL: Besides being another country that the USA Gov't and Corperations have screwed over, we needed an elusive, exotic and erotic place to base our fake radio/advertising operations from and cop our weed from etc...

Q: "Sleepers" is an interesting track with it's psychedelic effects -- any particular comments on that one?

MICHAEL: Ya, they still need to F**king wake up! I'm still writing about it today.....

Q: Another great track is the closing "Listen, freedom is at hand" -- what are the lyrics about? Any other thoughts on it?

MICHAEL: People tend not to like my answer to this, but it's a spiritual song about a "near death experience".

Q: Any other tracks on the LP you like to comment on? How do you feel about the album all over today?

MICHAEL: I think the song I like best today and still play in an updated form is "You Don't Walk On My Street". It's still a rock classic to many fans and me.

Q: The LP has a cool front cover; could you say something about it?

MICHAEL: My father was a newspaper and then an advertising photographer and he took all the shots (a 10 hr session, he was such a perfectionist!). It took 7 overlays for the front and 3 for the back. The planet is a greased cue ball and the ship is an "Arid deoderant spray top", a circular tube kitchen light and a 12" JBL speaker from my "Fender Twin Reverb" amp.

Q: How many copies were pressed, and how was the LP distributed? Did you promote it in any way?

MICHAEL: I had 1000 made and had several stations play cuts in MN. We also had it in several local "Head Shops". I don't know exactly how many ASI made and distributed for sure, but we believed it was in at least 16 cities. I have heard from people in several other countries that it made it's way to and several stations that played it.  We sued ASI and won, but the bank claimed "off-set" so we couldn't get cash out of them. The owner died a few years later and the company folded, so we'll never know.

Q: Did the LP receive any recognition at the time of the release? Was their any media coverage?

MICHAEL: Limited local coverage other than what ASI might have done elsewhere. He was a cheap SOB.....

Q: What would you say were your major influences at the time of "Runaway world"?

MICHAEL: The Moody Blues, Santana, Captain Beyond, The Litter, The Amboy Dukes, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Iggy Pop, etc...

Q: Did you work full-time as a professional musician?

MICHAEL: Off and on, as much as possible, it was usually wanting more equipment than the bands or I could afford that drove me to other employment when I did outside jobs.

Q: Could you say something about your musical career and work during the 1980s & 1990s?

MICHAEL: I played with a bar band called "City Knights", wrote several songs, recorded a solo cassette in the mid 80s as "Michael James" just before CDs took off.

Q: What are your current activities in music?

MICHAEL: I am CEO of Empath Records Inc and have a band called "Children Of The Risk". My brother is running distribution and we're working with a new "Tech Head" who will also be performing live with us when we get done recording. We have 16bit demos out now and will be recording 2 new CDs (1 w/Children Of The Risk and 1 w/Michael Yonkers from SubPop) starting in August 2004 when we get delivery of our new "Alienware" Pro Digital Studio. We have some popular MP3 download sites and a couple of labels waiting for our "next level". We're also looking into cutting LPs next year, but we need to do the new recording and get the next CDs out 1st.


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Kuni Kawachi - Love Suki Daikirai (1972)


“Beginning his career in the Group Sounds act The Happenings Four, keyboard player Kuni Kawachi will nevertheless probably always be best remembered for his writing contributions to Tokyo Kid Brothers version of THROW AWAY THE BOOKS, WE’RE GOING OUT ON THE STREETS, and also for his prescient employment of Flower Travellin’ Band members on his first LP KIRIKYOGEN. Indeed, despite the strung out elegance of that solo record having spanned several genres, the appearance on lead vocals of Akira “Joe” Yamanaka has guaranteed KIRIKYOGEN a rightful place in rocknroll history, and a more genuinely listenable Japrock art statement you’d be hard pressed to find. Moreover, Kawachi’s early version of Flowers Map is, to some ears, even better than the later “original”. For his second LP, 1972’s LOVE SUKI DAIKIRAI, Kawachi turned to the ubiquitous Jun “Kimio” Mizutani, former teen raver with garage band Out Cast, whose lead guitar had informed such legendary LPs as People’s BUDDHA MEETS ROCK and LOVE WILL MAKE A BETTER YOU by Love Live Life +1. Mizutani’s own highly rated solo album A PATH THROUGH HAZE was co-written by Masahiko Satoh along with Kawachi, whose painting is featured across the gatefold inner. In his later years, Kawachi moved north to become a farmer in Hokkaido, keeping his musical hand in writing TV commercials. A couple of years ago, his old Group Sounds band reformed, and are said to have played Kawachi’s KIRIKYOGEN in its entirety. -Julian Cope


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Baba Scholae (1969)


In 1967, when he was 20, Jean-Yves Labat de Rossi founded the group Baba Scholae. In 1969, in London, the musicians recorded a progressive rock album. Officially, this album does not exist. Yet, the "Strange Experience of Music" Internet site has no trouble in considering this work as one of the major productions of 1969 and hopes for an edition which can only be strongly encouraged.
The wildest rumours have circulated about this group led by Jean-Yves Labat de Rossi who was to become Mr. Frog a few years later on the other side of the Atlantic. Only three copies (acetates) of the disc where made. You will agree that, from the start, the venture had all the elements of a fantastic tale.
And now, "69", this long expected Baba Scholae album is finally released! Jean-Yves Labat de Rossi explains its birth and eventful growth. So, let's go back to the sixties… (source)

Steve Baylis: drums
John Arthur Holbrook: lead guitar, keyboards, vocals
Alan Jones: bass
Jean-Yves Labat de Rossi: flutes, sazophone, bombard, keyboards, vocals
Jules Vigh: guitar, melotron
Woody Woodbine: lead vocals


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VA - Tribal Music of Australia (1949)


This 1949 field recording features songs from several aboriginal tribes in Australia, most of which feature the didjeridu (didgeridoo), a wind instrument which produces a low, droning sound, and rhythm sticks. Each song is led by a "Songman," who either inherited the song or composed it himself. In aboriginal Australian culture, it is not permissible to sing or perform a song without the consent of the tribe's "Songman." The liner notes explain song meanings and contexts, and provide translations and descriptions of the dances that accompany the music. (folkways)
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Akpatok - Through the spruce gate into the snowy forest (2015)


Elektroakustyczny projekt Dawida Adrjanczyka, w ramach którego poszerza on dotychczasowe działania na polu minimalizmu, eksperymentu i muzyki improwizowanej. Medytacyjne kompozycje Akpatok, powstające przy użyciu preparowanej gitary, elektroniki, taśm oraz instrumentów akustycznych, stanowią wynik muzycznych i duchowych poszukiwań artysty, osobisty zapis doświadczenia Natury, odosobnienia i kontemplacji.


Dawid Adrjanczyk is an avant-garde performer, composer and sound artist. His works often focus on the interaction between music and nature, archaic forms of sound experience, emptiness and stillness. Rooted in minimalism, he interprets the idiom of contemporary musical forms and the meditative potential of Early Music and Eastern European modality. His compositions and performances are mainly electro-acoustic. He combines traditional instrumentation, prepared guitar, vintage wind organs with electronic sound, field recordings and tapes. He also focuses on instrument preparations to explore unique tuning schemes and harmony based on micro-tonality and organic relationships of intervals.

A founder and a leader of the Akpatok Ensemble. He cooperates with The Magic Carpathians Project, the project Tundra and with his wife Nina, with whom he performs archaic songs from Eastern Europe, as well as experimental freak folk compositions. (adrjanczyk)
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Vox Populi! ‎- Half Dead Ganja Music (1987)


core of a very fluid group, approximating a sort of a Parisian ethno-industrial His Name Is Alive: a beguiling mixture of weird experimentation, eccentric stylistic detours, and sublime beauty delivered by a revolving cast of characters.

In fact, VP's line-up even varies over the course of this album, as the first half is devoted to Mithra and Axel's studio recordings (with a little help from Arash and Pacific 231), while the second half is culled from a series of live performances with Francis Manne.  I am not normally a fan of live albums at all, but this one is a pleasant exception, as the live material is virtually indistinguishable from the studio material.  Also, these eleven pieces somehow cohere into quite a surreal and coherent whole that is generally considered to be one of VP's best releases by fans (and tentatively by me as well, though I have yet to fully absorb their three-decade discography).

Curiously, the 11 songs on Half Dead Ganja Music are all fairly brief, with only one clocking in at over 4 minutes.  For the most part, that was a great move, as it means that Axel's more bizarre experimental pieces end before they start to seem indulgent.  However, that brevity is a little exasperating for the lush and dream-like drone pieces like "Schmacht" and "Gole Mariam," as they end before I am able become fully immersed in them.  I suspect that sketch-like aesthetic was probably intentional, as drifting from one strange interlude to another is a large part of what makes this album such a unique and appealingly hallucinatory experience, but it would have been nice if Mithra and Axel had allowed themselves time to stretch out a bit when they hit upon something particularly beautiful or striking.  Fortunately, they hit upon such moments with surprising regularity–it seems like they had more than an album's worth of great ideas, but condensed them into a single album anyway.


The album's clear highlight is "Fassle," recorded during a 1987 performance in Ravensburg, Germany (absolutely no one rocks Upper Swabia like VP).  Built upon little more than an eerie, pulsing synth pattern and Mithra's melancholy, sacred-sounding vocals, it encapsulates everything that is great about Vox Populi! in just 3 minutes: strong, yet understated melodic sense; haunted-sounding, otherworldly beauty; uncluttered simplicity; and something that sounds a lot like heavily processed (and vaguely menacing) recordings of some ducks. "Golnessar" also reaches similar heights with similar components, combining a dense, queasily shimmering drone with more ethereal vocalizing and primal animal squawks.  As for low points, they basically do not exist: while some pieces are certainly more melodic and composed than others, the whole album is essentially a well-orchestrated and appropriately phantasmagoric mind-fuck.

My sole critiques are both quite minor ones.  The first is that there is not much in the way of development within individual songs, as each piece is basically just a single theme that starts, continues for a few minutes, then ends.  However, that same charge could easily be leveled against nearly every great post-industrial band of the period and Vox Populi!'s themes are much better and more effectively realized than most.  My other quibble is just that the sequencing could have been a bit better, as the closing abstract trilogy of "Taghmanantes/Gin Gina/Un Jour" feels like a bit of a meandering anticlimax after the brilliance of "Fassle."  However, for an album culled from a mix of studio recordings and three separate live performances, Ganja Music is still sequenced remarkably effectively.

If it gets heard, this album should go a long way towards belatedly establishing Vox Populi! as one of the best and most original bands to emerge from the shadowy post-industrial cassette milieu of the '80s, which is great, since they are still active and around to appreciate it.  In fact, it is very easy to imagine an alternate reality where Vox Populi! got signed to 4AD and became huge, as some of Ganja Music's best moments sound like a more experimental, industrial-damaged This Mortal Coil or Dead Can Dance (perhaps they should have considered doing some Big Star covers to grab Ivo's attention).  Happily, there are some rumblings of a possible Vinyl-on-Demand retrospective in the future, but this is as excellent an introduction to Axel and Mithra's aesthetic as anyone could hope for. (brainwashed)
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Vincas - Blood Bleeds (2012)




You would think that because only about 60 miles separate the cities of Athens and Atlanta, Georgia that maybe the same sphere of influence would affect both. In the past decade, Atlanta has seen the growth of a creatively sustainable music scene, and we sort of forgot about our neighbors up the road. There is no shortage of great bars, restaurants and clubs in Athens, but it’s been a little while since an Athens band made me want to jump in my car and make the trip. Vincas have given me that much needed excuse. Blood Bleeds is a monster of a record. They are playing dark and heavy songs that at once will draw Birthday Party and Gun Club comparisons. I’d bet they have some later Scientists records in their collections too as there is a discernible element of swampishness weaving itself throughout the record. It’s sexy in a super-bitter dark chocolate kind of way and has a pounding cohesiveness throughout. Vincas demonstrate total control from start to finish, and it’s pretty clear that they didn’t just stumble onto a style of music like this. We truly hope the folks over in Athens realize what they’ve got on their hands. (douchemasterrecords)
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VA - From Kuno to Kebyar: Balinese Gamelan Angklung (2011)


This album is the first devoted exclusively to gamelan angklung, the ancient and ubiquitous Balinese ensemble that plays in religious processions, at temple and cremation ceremonies and for dance theater performances. It presents music played by seven of the finest ensembles of the 1960s from north and south Bali. Recorded and annotated by Ruby Ornstein, these compositions range from kuno to kebyar—from traditional ceremonial music to angklung versions of virtuoso kebyar music. 73 minutes. Extensive notes, include photos and glossary. (folkways)
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Pete Shelley - Sky Yen (1980)


Vinyl 12 inch LP released in March 1980 in an edition of 1000. Recorded in March 1974 and performed on a purpose built oscillator.

Long forgotten is the first solo release from Buzzcocks lead vocalist and songwriter. 'Sky Yen' was recorded six years before it was released for the purpose of supporting a film by Howard Devoto. The soundtrack was released by Shelley on his own label (Groovy records) during the time that Buzzcocks were becoming more angst ridden, abrasive and less 'pop'. This was a period when the band were experimenting with sound (Martin Hannett's 'tin' production on their final parts 1-3 singles) and concepts (shapes defining sides of singles rather than letters).

The Groovy records label released very few recordings. Those that came out included an LP '£3.33' (which was also the retail price) by 'Free Agents' (a loosely based group of musicians including Eric Random, Barry Adamson and Francis Cookson), a surrealist film soundtrack album called 'Hangahar' by Sally Smmit (Sally Timms) and Lindsay Lee, and 'Sky Yen' itself. The label operated in parallel with New Hormones records in central Manchester, UK, and was linked to the Secret Public (name given to Buzzcocks appreciation society and mail outs) whose staff and cohorts included Jon Savage and Linder Sterling (Ludus).

'Sky Yen' is one piece - split over two sides at 33rpm. The instrumentation is solely oscillator based with the device altering pitch and timbre throughout the recording. The modular sound often builds into layers. During the session listening to this record again, I've come to realise, even with the intense sound, that it is not a painful process, as the sound emitting gravitates between low and high end frequencies without any motivation for sonic weaponry on the agenda. Whether this was the idea, I'm not sure....but the production sound suggests otherwise. Sometimes the oscillations even produce rhythmical pulses which add new dimensions in places. However, that's not to suggest in any way that the piece develops a popular form. On the contrary, any anchors that seem to appear are quickly changed or drowned out by more oscillations. The composition remains in a state of flux throughout the duration.


If there is one criticism about the record, it is that Shelley put too many twists and turns into the piece, often making it sound cluttered and wayward. It works better when the pace is slowed to allow resonances to develop. This happens mainly on side two.

Comparisons with other artists would include John Cage and even Whitehouse, but having said that, the piece does remind myself of the more experimental elements of early Kraftwerk (i.e. Von Himmel Hoch) and Neu (opening 10 secs or so of 'Super 16'). Furthermore, it has been documented before that Shelley was appreciative of Can (see footnote).

'Sky Yen' also has a strong resemblance in sound and appearance, to the many stereo test records that were released in the 1970's to test bias and channel correction and phasing. In fact, the infamous 'Hi-Fi sound' (Howland West) featuring the 'needle' sleeve (which Stereolab stole for the sleeve of one of their own records) was released in 1974 and was packaged in a similar coloured sky blue sleeve to 'Sky Yen'.

Pete Shelley was always interested in the future. I remember writing to him and receiving back a letter explaining in great detail how the ZX Spectrum computer code containing an earlier graphics idea similar to todays' windows media player was transposed onto the vinyl edition of his later album 'XL1' and the studio effort that went into making this possible. When 'Sky Yen' came out in 1980, Buzzcocks' fans spoke about whether Shelley had lost the plot. He hadn't of course and was only following a similar lineage (in a more low key way) to the likes of Lou Reed (Metal Machine Music) and David Bowie (Low)......pop stars alienating part of their audience.

It's now thirty years since 'Sky Yen' was recorded and it's great to think that this 30 minute sound piece was composed by the same man that gave us the perfect 3 minute pop song.
    Serpent.pl