Buscar:desert

In den letzten 15 Jahren hat sich Ryan Gustafson von THE DEAD TONGUES zu einer der markantesten Stimmen des modernen Folk entwickelt. So eigenwillig und gespenstisch seine Songs manchmal auch sind, Gustafson hat seine Visionen und Verse immer mit der Art von Hooks verknüpft, die man wie Talismane aufbewahrt und im Notfall hervorholt. "Dust", "Unsung Passage", "Desert": Die Alben von THE DEAD TONGUES gehören nach wie vor zu den fesselndsten und kuriosesten Werken in diesem Bereich in diesem Jahrhundert. Das magnetische "Body of Light" und das diskursive und wunderbar elliptische "I Am a Cloud", besteht aus 16 kompletten Stücken, die sich auf verschiedene, miteinander verwobene Alben verteilen. Auf den Alben sind Auftritte von Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Bon Iver), Mat Davidson (Twain), Matt Douglas (The Mountain Goats), Joe Westerlund (Califone, Megafaun), Jeff Ratner (Bing and Ruth) und anderen zu hören. Gustafson wollte die Zeit im Studio nutzen, um nicht nur Songs aufzunehmen, sondern auch etwas Neues zu schaffen, mit neuen Improvisationen. Die beiden Alben, die digital als eigenständige Veröffentlichungen erschienen sind, vereinen sich im physischen Format zu einem wunderschönen, luxuriösen Doppelalbum. Das 2LP-Paket enthält ein sorgfältig geprägtes Cover und wunderschöne, individuell gestaltete Innenhüllen für jedes Album.

Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Slowly Rolling Camera's sixth studio release, 'Silver Shadow,' is inspired by the dynamic interplay of film montages—infused with soul-stirring rhythms, magnetic melodies, and a lush spectrum of emotional tones.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2013, Cardiff's Slowly Rolling Camera has crafted a distinctive niche in the European jazz tapestry, effortlessly weaving together soul-stirring rhythms, magnetic melodies, and a rich palette of emotional hues. Known for alchemical compounds of jazz finesse, cinematic gravitas, and electronic flair, Slowly Rolling Camera fashions sound, perpetually pushing the boundaries of musical creativity.

"This album reflects our fascination with the cinematic approach, not just in sound, but in how we construct our music". SRC’s latest album, 'Silver Shadow,' delves even deeper into that cinematic realm. Inspired by the visual and musical interplay infilm montages, 'Silver Shadow' centers around a fictional protagonist, encapsulated both in the album’s narrative arc and its striking artwork. The tracks, concise and emotionally consistent, mark a departure from earlier long-form composition, aiming instead for more immediate impact.The core trio of Dave Stapleton (keys), Deri Roberts (sound design & production), and Elliot Bennett (drums) drive the band's collective ethos, further ornamented by a vibrant ensemble of collaborators including Jasper Høiby on bass, Josh Arcoleo onsax, Stuart McCallum on guitar, and Verneri Pohjola on trumpet. The band’s genre-defying approach and profound emotional depth has earned comparison with iconic groups The Cinematic Orchestra and GoGo Penguin and captured the hearts ofmany thousands of fans worldwide.

Tomin is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, bioinformatician, and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His primary instruments are the flute, trumpet and alto clarinet, and he participates in the creative music scene as a performer, improvisor, composer and fan. Outside of music, he works in computational genetics, with a focus on oncology. Flores para Caramina y Verene compiles recordings that he self-released across 2020 and 2021.

Tomin is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, bioinformatician, and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His primary instruments are the flute, trumpet and alto clarinet, and he participates in the creative music scene as a performer, improvisor, composer and fan. Outside of music, he works in computational genetics, with a focus on oncology. Flores para Caramina y Verene compiles recordings that he self-released across 2020 and 2021.

Waking Season is the third full-length album from Beverly, MA post-rock quintet Caspian. The 10-song set was co-produced by Matt Bayles, former keyboard player from Minus the Bear and producer for such seminal albums as Isis’ Oceanic, Botch’s We Are Romans and Mastodon’s Blood Mountain. Waking Season is the follow-up to Caspian’s 2009 album Tertia. 2LP pressing from Triple Crown Records. Guitarist/keyboardist Philip Jamieson on working with Bayles, “We wanted to shake things up and work in a different type of environment, the kind of environment where it wasn’t just us calling the shots all the time. Working with someone who had the credibility to challenge the way we heard the songs outside of our own bubbles was extremely important to us for this record. Matt has a way of pulling the pieces together to make them sound crystal clear, sharp and balanced without removing any raw energy from a track. Working with him was a humbling and enlightening experience and we feel like it really benefited the album.”

Experimental black metal from Brooklyn featuring members of Pyrrhon, Krallice, Sigur Rós, The Glen Branca Ensemble, Steve Reich. Recorded by Colin Marston (Dysrhythmia, Krallice, Liturgy). Follow-up to the bands well received 2022 debut Aveilut. The Promise Of Rain, the sophomore album of the experimental black metal band Scarcity, is an embodiment of the hard-to-believe truth that burdens are easier to bear when distributed, a realization Brendon Randall-Myers (conductor of the Glenn Branca Ensemble) grappled with extensively while writing this record. This is a sweat-drenched album about dispersion, about spreading, about the collective relieving of burdens through shared experience: one doesn’t have to go through everything alone. When Scarcity’s debut album Aveilut was written in early 2020, Randall-Myers and vocalist Doug Moore (Pyrrhon, Weeping Sores, Glorious Depravity, and Seputus) never expected to be able to play their songs live. The cathartic experience of playing something that came from a place of isolation out to people in a live setting is the root of the intensity in The Promise Of Rain. The Promise Of Rain begins where the craziest climaxes of Aveilut end, and is the first Scarcity record to include Tristan Kasten-Krause (Sigur Ros, Steve Reich, LEYA) on bass, Dylan Dilella (Pyrrhon) on guitar and Lev Weinstein (Krallice) on drums. Rather than building density with the quasi-orchestral layering on Aveilut, Scarcity challenged themselves to document what five people in a room could do, recording most of The Promise Of Rain in one or two takes, capturing the physical effort and urgency of a live performance. Scarcity forges a completely fresh sound in The Promise Of Rain with their alarming guitar work and melodic arpeggiating, shedding dead skin and breaking ground with sheer vulnerability. The lyrics for The Promise Of Rain were inspired by a trip Moore took to the high deserts of southern Utah in 2023. “To thrive in the desert is an act of abnegation—” he observes, “you do right by the land and receive its gifts, or it does away with you.” The necessity of adaptation is as evident in the desert as it is to the landscape of the human experience. The transformation of ideas and beliefs, the grief of losing relationships that had to end, and the fear involved in forming new ones under the grip of mental illness is conjured over and over again on this panoramic album.

Asmaa Hamzaoui stands out as a pioneering female figure in the traditionally male-dominated realm of Gnawa music. With her group, Bnat Timbouktou, she brings a dynamic and spiritual dimension to the genre, infusing it with the vibrant energy of desert blues. Despite the essential role women have played in Gnawa rituals, female musicians have historically been underrepresented. Hamzaoui, however, is at the forefront of changing this trend. Born into a family deeply entrenched in Gnawa traditions in Casablanca, Hamzaoui was immersed in this musical heritage from a young age. Her father, a master musician, and her mother, a dancer, provided a rich environment for her early education in music. She learned to play the guembri, a three-stringed lute central to Gnawa music, and began performing with her father's band on the qraqeb, metal castanets used in Gnawa music, and in the choir. Encouraged by her father, she eventually formed her own group, Bnat Timbouktou. The group's debut album, "Oulad Lghaba," recorded in collaboration with the Swedish label ajabu! Records, was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Songlines Music Award. This album, along with their upcoming release "L'bnat," showcases Hamzaoui's commitment to preserving and revitalizing Gnawa music. "L'bnat," will emphasize the female traditions and spiritual aspects of Gnawa culture. Hamzaoui's performances are characterized by her powerful voice and the rhythmic, percussive playing of the guembri. Her music not only pays homage to the spiritual and healing qualities of Gnawa but also aims to keep the tradition alive by introducing it to new audiences worldwide.

A holy grail for fans of French boogie, early hip hop, Arabic funk and Balearic bops,"Ettika" has been seriously sought after since Vidal Benjamin found it in the 1€ bin back in 2006. Teasing the ears of the underground via Vidal's 'Balearic Nightmare' mix for Noncollective, copies of the original were soon snapped up completely, and the later adopters were sated by a Blackdisco edit from Alexis Le-Tan (himself gifted Vidal's second copy), which is now also rare as hen's teeth. The fervour for the track is easy to understand. Underpinned by an endlessly buoyant bass groove, chanted female vocals dart out the speakers like a post- modern mantra while synth vamps flare in stuttering stereo.

Middle-Eastern motifs add an air of mystery, but this truly belongs in a dance floor utopia. That the track was the product of a 'back-to-work' scheme aimed at unemployed immigrant youth in Rouen only adds to the appeal. Led by teacher Bernard Guégan, a quartet of students delivered lyrics in French and Arabic inspired by their rejection letters, serving a little social commentary and a lot of funk. If you're mad on Ahmed Fakroun and Shams Dinn, or even those folks in the Bush of Ghosts, then this is a must have for you.

Archeology isn't just about excavation, there should be interpretation too, and in this case it comes from Italian duo Hear & Now and Leeds' The Veteran Delinquents. The former furnish the 12" with two radical takes, the dreamy downtempo stroll of their French Remix - all unhurried percussion, Gilmour-riffing and coastal élan - and the peaktime pump of their Arab Remix, which transports the original vocal into a land of desert new beat and Balearic trance with a little space left for some frazzled fretwork. If you've followed their work with Claremont you know the quality on show.

The Veteran Delinquents, the collaborative vehicle of Leeds stalwarts Craig Christon and Tim Hutton, condense a lifetime of club experiences into their remix, establishing the infectious groove of the original before subverting with chugging bass and winking acid, all augmented with their own slick synth work. The original was an all time classic at Craig's Joe's Bakery nights way back when, and this new interpretation is both respectful and revolutionary.

Air is the central element in Antonina Nowacka's third solo album Sylphine Soporifera. The title names an imaginary species and the land they inhabit, inspired by the unreal desert landscape of Paracas and the undulating tree-less hills of the Outer Hebrides, and comes from the writings of Rudolf Steiner, who describes creatures called Sylphs as the spirits of the air, and the Latin word sopor which means deep sleep.

As with all her releases, Nowacka's other-worldly vocals coming as if from beyond the veil, at once haunting, alien and utterly entrancing. "The voice is the most beautiful and resonating instrument,” she says. “When I sing I feel I create a field in between myself and the air in front of me," she explains. "It is not just that I'm singing – something in the space in front of me is happening, and I merge with this sphere.”

She conjures and is inspired by open environments and infinite landscapes: places full of light and air, manifested here in the sound of ocarinas from Budrio in Italy, whistles from Mexico, simple bamboo flutes from Nepal, alongside tremulous zithers, synthetic Hawaiian sounds from a vintage organ and the uncanny wind instrument presets from a 90s synth.

Nowacka’s first album was informed by vocal sketches made in caves in Indonesia, later recorded at a fortress in Poland; she studied Hindustani music in India with vocalist Shashwati Mandal, fell in love with early Cumbia in Mexico and Peru, and has more recently found inspiration in the landscapes of Italy. Hers is a new New Age soundworld that finds its origins everywhere and nowhere. Sylphine Soporifera gathers these sounds, visions and experiences into an album permeated with a sense of hope and fulfilment, that feels like sitting in an enlivening white beam of afternoon sunlight, as dustmotes swirl in the stillness.

2024 Re-Release
Newly formed archival label Fresh Hold presents one of Australia’s most mysterious jazz long players - Singing Dust, in collaboration with Efficient Space. Almost bound for obscurity from its inception, the eponymous creation of Queensland-based jazz pianist Robert Welsh was originally issued in 1986 on Melbourne independent label Cleopatra Records. Rich in compositional sophistication and expressive performance, Singing Dust resembles a unique fusion of Indian devotional song, the jazz piano styles of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, English folk and Debussey’s tonal impressions, bearing little similarity to the dominant commercial and subcultural music of its time.

Representing a culmination of Welsh’s influences in and outside of music, the dynamic collection of seven compositions accompany the Ghazal devotional poems translated by Australian poet Francis Brabazon. While Singing Dust sits loosely within the spheres of exploration that many jazz players took into world fusion in the '80s, it stands alone in its bright searing light of truth, love and austerity.

A true work of dedication and posterity that will appeal to many serious music lovers, the album has finally been transferred and remastered from original tapes by Dan Elleson, superseding the imperfect 1986 pressing and fully realising Welsh’s expansive vision.

Für Fans von QOTSA, Red Fang, Elder, Black Sabbath'

"Es gibt Dinge, die passen einfach zusammen. Und manchmal ist auf den ersten Blick gar nicht so klar, warum die eigentlich so gut zusammen passen. Eines dieser Phänomene ist Stoner und Desert Rock aus Skandinavien. Es braucht keinen akademischen Abschluss in Geographie um zu erkennen, dass die Heimatstadt von Slomosa Bergen recht weit von der Wüste entfernt ist. Und dennoch kommen gerade aus den skandinavischen Ländern einige der besten Wüstenrock Bands unserer Zeit. Dozer, Greenleaf, Brutus und Spiritual Beggars sind nur einige Beispiele dafür. In dieser Reihe darf sich nun auch Bergen's Quartett Slomosa wähnen. Die vier Musiker aus der zweitgrößten Stadt Norwegens platzten in diesem Sommer mit ihrem selbstproduzierten und selbstbetitelten Debut auf den Musikmarkt (…) Dabei reichen die Einflüsse von den schwerfälligen Desert Rock Giganten Thin White Rope über den krachigen Desert Fuzz à la Sloburn bis zum zackigen und melodischen Skandivavien Blues, wie Brutus ihn spielen..." (Silence)

Das ist schon ein historischer Moment: Exile On Mainstream bringt erstmalig eine Wiederveröffentlichung einer Platte, die seit Jahren restlos ausverkauft ist und am 25. April 2008 nur auf CD erschien. Erstmalig auf Vinyl, remastered: Heavy Zooo von BEEHOOVER. Die Band schreibt dazu: "Endlich! Oft gewünscht, drüber nachgedacht und wieder verworfen. Aber jetzt, endlich, kann mit Hilfe unseres Lieblingslabels Heavy Zooo so kommen, wie wir uns das die letzten 15 Jahre gewünscht haben: auf Vinyl!" Ist es Metal? Ist es Stoner Rock? Ist es Jazz oder gar Avantgarde? Weißt du was? Vergiss doch einfach mal die ganzen Schubladen in deinem Kopf und beantworte folgende Frage: Wann hat das letzte Mal jemand versucht, die Melvins zu klassifizieren? Oder Primus? Siehst du! Ladies & Gentlemen - der Heavy Zooo öffnet seine Tore! Treten sie ein und bestaunen sie eine Sammlung der unglaublichsten Geschöpfe dieses Planeten. Schimären aus Groove und Intelligenz. Sounds, so vertraut und doch so neu. Nichts hier ist eindimensional. Nur mit Bass und Drums schaffen Beehoover die Quadratur des Kreises - verrückte Arrangements mit Arsch, die dir das Tanzbein zucken lassen, dich aber trotzdem große Augen machen lassen. Damit sind die Eckpfeiler gemauert, zwischen denen sich die Sounds einer der wohl außergewöhnlichsten deutschen Bands dieser Tage spannen. Eine Kategorisierung erscheint unmöglich, wenn auch Beehoover Einflüsse aus traditionellen Stilen miteinander verweben. Im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes - das Ergebnis ist ein Teppich aus Bass und Drums, aus emotionalen Ausbrüchen und psychotischer Melancholie. Claus-Peter Hamisch (Drums) und Ingmar Peterson (Bass) versuchen dabei konsequent herkömmliche Strukturen zu vermeiden und neue Wege zu gehen, ohne jedoch den Song aus dem Auge zu verlieren. Ihre Herangehensweise ist avantgardistisch, das Ergebnis aber trotzdem melodisch. Ihre Auseinandersetzung mit Sounds ist intelligent und Kopf-betont. Das Resultat hingegen geht direkt in den Bauch - eine Wirkung, die heute nicht viele Bands erzielen können. Die Presse schrieb im April 2008: Dieses Duo ist ein echter Geheimtipp! ... ein echtes Original! ... Einfach nur großartig! (Eclipsed) Ein erneut bärenstarkes Album! (Rock Hard) Amtlicher Irrendoom, nur mit Ballerbass und Drums fabriziert. Ein herrlicher, fachmännisch fröhlicher Krach. Funktioniert eins a, absolut nicht zu klassifizieren.(Intro) ... die schwäbische Antwort auf die Melvins ... brachial-tighte Riffmaschine unter Dampf ... fette Prog-Schwarte, nie affektiert oder klugscheißend, sondern immer mitreißend komplex. (VISIONS) _ eine Mischung aus der Verrücktheit und technischen Brillianz von Primus, dem feinsinnigen Humor und der Vielseitigkeit der Melvins, der Heaviness und Brachialität von Neurosis und der Rhythmik von Kyuss (METAL HAMMER) Beehoover sind sie der lebende Beweis dafür, dass ein Bass, ein Schlagzeug und ein gepflegter Testosteronüberhang ausreichen, um die Musikgeschichte auf Lightning Bolt, Led Zeppelin, Melvins und Unsane einzudampfen und dein Trommelfell inklusive allem was dahinter liegt in die ewigen Jagdgründe zu schicken. (VICE) _ Es grenzt an ein Wunder ... Heavy Zooo steht als untrüglicher Beweis dafür, dass musikalischer Minimalismus tatsächlich maximale Brachialität und Wirkung erzielen kann (Legacy)

King Of None is a stoner rock group from Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 2013, their signature sound fuses heavy riffs and raspy vocals with progressive elements and psychedelic soundscapes. With three self-released ep’s, the group's sound has evolved from having a ‘90s desert stoner rock feel to include more wide-ranging psychedelic and progressive influences from their own musical pasts, while maintaining the same riff-worshipping attitude. They have received international attention in the underground stoner rock scenes and became known for their energetic and captivating live performances.

TIPP! :)

For the latest Cognitiva release the label present the 4th release of their Point of View series which focuses on dance floor-oriented sounds, this time they invite the marvellously talented Dr. Sud to deliver a wondrous, jazz laden odyssey, which entices as much as it delights - with some expert remixes to boot….
Dr Sud is the main alias of Gregorio Marigliano, an Italian music maker who was raised in Berlin. Marigliano’s music revolves around the principles of Jazz-meets-Dance music, drawing up the rich tradition that has come before in bringing a high level of musicality and ingenuity within his tunes. Moving fluidly between rhythms and feels, as Dr Sud he captures the imagination with thought provoking and captivating sequences, striking a fine balance between depth and danceability. Harmonies and groove play a key part within his music, such as was highlighted on his 2023 EP ‘Heading South’, coming courtesy of the Q1E2 imprint. This record really highlighted his profound abilities and deep set affection for instrumentation but also mood and tone, and it left many waiting for his next release with baited breath.

‘Point of View 4’ continues forth with the supreme feels that permeated through ‘Heading South’, with the key movement onwards being the inclusion of some killer remixes from Gary Superfly, Broke One, Turbojazz and Reekee. Two original cuts, ‘Breakfast Sun’ and ‘Desert Wind’, lead Sides A and B respectively, and do much to help create a distinctive balance and bookend kind of feel to the record. ‘Breakfast Sun’ begins with a wondrous polyrhythm to get things going, a lone vocal sample thrown in for good measure, and before long we are joined by some delicate but hyper precise melodic features. The slow drawn out chords contrast superbly with the short sharp stabs, acting in accordance with the drums, with the first breakdown providing space for the keys to really flourish and take over. The breakout back into the core rhythm allows for a lead synth line to emerge, and provide those bountiful feels we were all yearning for. The remixes do much to add flavour and some diverse alternative perpectives on the original, with the Turbojazz/Broke One remix taking things in a house-y leaning direction, with the hats and kicks shifting the rhythmic perspective towards sun kissed horizons. The Gary Superfly remix however takes things into a much more cosmic space, with a punchy acid line weaving within the underbelly of the track, providing that late night dance feel for club land scenarios.

On the B Side, ‘Desert Wind’ kicks things off, and once again the drums here start us off in a winning space. The groove is so delicate, poised and perfected, and when the first breakdown arrives the chords come into view, and its glorious to say the least. This track focuses on a much more smooth melodic sequence, with a greater emphasis placed on the lead line, but its just as impactful and soulful as the EPs opener. Delicate waterfall style keys shift in and out of view, providing an overall picture of sonic beauty that we can get behind time and time again. To wrap things up, the Reekee remix of ‘Desert Wind’ comes into view, with this track again moving into dance floor realms with a swinging garage beat that feels unstoppable, shifting and moving between the lines with a joyous ease.

Dr Sud may be a producer to keep a keen eye on, with this latest EP certainly doing that sentiment a great level of justice. This EP provides not only two beautiful original cuts from the man himself, but some imaginative remixes that honour the originals and provide us with an record that will linger long in the memory. For home use, down by the rivera, or in the club, this one has the lot…..

"La Misma Fuente" is an album that could have only come from the mind of Yemanjo, and the music here reveals producer/musician Ben Harris in the full bloom of his artistic promise.

Translating as "The Same Source", the staggering variety of genre, sound design and featured artists here all relate to the concept that the world's diversity manifests out of an essential unity.

With guest singers and musicians from Mali, Colombia, Argentina, Hungary and beyond, "La Misma Fuente" pulsates with an irresistible combination of cracking electronic beats, hypnotic synths and bass, traditional acoustic instruments and vocals in many languages.

In the title track, Yemanjo's own harmonized Spanish vocals roil over a relentless dembow groove; elsewhere Malian vocalist Mariam Koné shines in both the mid-tempo house track "Juru Fô" and the Reggae-meets-Desert Blues anthem "Janfa". The instrumentals are no less captivating; "Bululú" is a combustible club banger with shades of kuduro, afrohouse and zouk rhythms, "Suena La Quena" is a bouyant uptempo house track with soaring Andean flute melodies, "Baobab" mesmerizes with interlocking ngoni licks, and "Bridge to Bamako" is a spacious trip-hop groove that finishes the record like a breath of fresh air.

Thematically diverse, melodically complex and rhythmically compelling, "La Misma Fuente" is a testament to the relentless wanderlust of its author, and a fine addition to the already legendary catalogue of Wonderwheel Recordings.



Ben Harris: sound design, arrangement, vocals, charango, trumpet, digital percussion

Mariam Koné: vocals on #2, #6

Fredy Velasquez: vocals on #5

Alex Nero: guitar, charango on #7, charango, quena, zampoña on #9

Onanya: ngoni on #2

Cosmic Nomad: ngoni on #4

Julia Gyulai: lead vocals on #8, back vocals on #5

Endre Molnar: guitar on #8, back vocals on #5



Mixed and mastered by Chris Cox at Veritas Mastering

Additional record engineering by Akos Varnai

‘Danse Cette Zik!’ by Parbleu is the debut LP from this enigmatic group of musicians and is a multi-cultural fever dream, wherein energized expanses of dynamic disco, futuristic funk, and cinematic jazz fusion are colored over by warming vibes of Caribbean dub, Latin tropicalia, and sunshine Afrobeat. Evocative instrumentals intertwine with breathtaking vocal performances, which move between sleepy-eyed soul serenades, mystical melodic chants, and expressive diva enchantments while pads swell in support—sometimes sparkling like ocean glass, other times raining down like a Morricone symphony.

Pianos and guitars converse via funk flourishes, reggae riffs, and jazz rock solos as blazing fusion synthesizers set the air aflame. Drums move between kinetic dancefloor urgency and islander rhythm relaxation and hand percussions both organic and electronic evoke rainforest ceremonials while basslines revel in 70s fusion fire and Italo synth-funk squelch. And the entire experience has been expertly captured and magically crafted by the sorcerers of sound at the West Hill Studio, resulting in a thrilling adventure of imagined exotica, one equally adept at scoring coastal paradises, filmic deserts, riviera cruises, or nightclubs sweltering in the light of a mediterranean moon.

(Words by Octagon Eyes)

Shall Not Fade celebrate their 8 year anniversary with a double LP featuring brand new music from their label family!

2024 Repress

Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-Shirt is the first solo record by John Frusciante. Between 1990 and 1992 the guitarist made a series of 4-track recordings, which at the time were not intended for commercial release. After leaving the band Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1992, Frusciante was encouraged by friends to release the material that he wrote in his spare time during the Blood Sugar Sex Magik sessions.

Originally released on Rick Rubin's American Recordings label in 1994, Niandra LaDes is a mystifying work of tortured beauty. Frusciante plays various acoustic and electric guitars, experimenting with layers of vocals, piano and reverse tape effects. Channeling the ghosts of Syd Barrett and Skip Spence, his lyrics are at once utterly personal and willfully opaque.

Frusciante's rapidfire, angular playing shows how key he was in the Chili Peppers' evolution away from their funk-rock roots. His cover of "Big Takeover" perfectly deconstructs the Bad Brains original with laid-back tempo, twelve-string guitar and a fierce handle on melody.

The album's second part - thirteen untitled tracks that Frusciante defines as one complete piece, Usually Just A T-Shirt - contains several instrumentals featuring his signature guitar style. Sparse phrasing, delicate counterpoint and ethereal textures recall Neu/Harmonia's Michael Rother or The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly.

On the front cover, Frusciante appears in 1920s drag - a nod to Marcel Duchamp's alter-ego Rrose Sélavy - which comes from Toni Oswald's film Desert in the Shape.

This first-time vinyl release has been carefully remastered and approved by the artist. The double LP set is packaged with gatefold jacket and printed inner sleeves.

Stag-O-Lee präsentiert hier Teil 7 der äusserst erfolgreichen Trashcan Records Serie, die sich obskuren und vergessenen Vinyl Schätzen aus den 50er und frühen 60er Jahren widmet. Die originalen 45er stammen aus der stattlichen Sammlung von Fedor, einem Sammler und Jäger aus Amsterdam, der sich in den letzten 25 Jahren durch tausende von Kisten mit Gebrauchtvinyl auf Flohmärkten der holländischen Metropole wühlte. Diese Veröffentlichung ist wie gewohnt thematisch gegliedert. Seite 1 ist "Wacky Weirdos" betitelt und durchaus ein Sammelsurium an obskursten Schrägheiten, die einem einerseits ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern und andererseits die Frage aufwirft, was man alles ungestraft auf Kleinvinyl pressen durfte. Seite 2 ist mit "Moody Instros" genau das. Instrumentals zwischen Mod Jazz und Rhythm & Blues, vom Lo-Fi Spuk bis zu sanften Kriechern. Natürlich alles megarar und bis dato auf keiner der zahlreichen anderen Compilations zu finden.