The original 12" versions officially reissued for the first time, licensed directly from Greg Henderson, remastered and cut at 45 rpm. A standout choice on any playlist, Master Force’s 1979 release ‘Hey Girl’ c/w ‘Don’t Fight The Feeling’ has become a staple classic across generations tuned into the soul-funk-disco sounds of late 70’s New York and all its makings. Originally released on both 12” and 7”, both singles had different mixes and are equally sought-after.
The lovely, longing ‘I Still Think About You’ was a regular highlight of the band’s earliest live sets and was one of the first songs they wrote together. “We wrote it three years ago, before we had released any music,” explains the band’s Ben Easton. “It had a certain youthful optimism that we loved, but after a few road tests we decided to shelve it. However, we knew that there was still something in it, so we brought it back earlier this year and we’re chuffed with the result.” “We wanted to capture the purity of wanting to see someone again, hoping they appear around the corner, or in your local park or pub, without any form of doubt that creeps into one’s mind as we grow older,” adds singer Dottie. “We enjoyed exploring and challenging ourselves to achieve a softer and uplifting narrative – it’s possibly the most joyful thing we’ve ever written.” On the flip side, the ‘No Ordinary Love’ reframes the slick R&B of the original as a dark and delicious dreampop / trip-hop crossover. “The original was pretty much on repeat during our tour late last year and we thought it’d be an interesting thing to try,” explains the band’s Ben Easton of the decision to cover the song. “It’s a good representation of where we’re going, sonically, and it was also our first recording experience with Harry Catchpole on drums and so we particularly focused on what he brings to the table. We experimented with different snares, mics and other effects to create our own kind of drum sample which is something that feels important to the deary sound going forward.”
Clear[25,17 €]
Things just get heavier and heavier in Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich’s career and his short-lived classic band The Hidden Hand is no exception. Formed in 2002 and already disbanded in 2007 the trio featured Wino, Bruce Falkinburg on bass/songwriting/vocals and drummer Dave Hennessy.
If The Obsessed, St. Vitus, Shrinebuilder, Probot and Spirit Caravan aren’t enough to bring Wino's CV to legendary status, stop reading now.
LINER NOTES from WINO:
"When I returned from California after The Obsessed Columbia record deal fell apart, I didn't have any gear at all and after we put together (SHINE) which became Spirit Caravan, I was hustling to put a guitar rig together. I discovered ATOMIC MUSIC a super cool store in MARYLAND that encouraged trades, and had a lot of cool shit there,we had met another cat Sonny, who being the gregarious friendly cat he was befriended us (the band) and introduced me to his friend who's recording studio shared space with Atomic Music, Bruce Falkinburg and Phase recording studio. Bruce was a very interesting and hyper intelligent guy, bassist, knowledgeable in all things but specializing in recording rock music. We had decided to diversify our recording process and parted ways with one of my old friends Chris Kozlowski and PolarBearLair studios who had recorded everything Spirit Caravan had done so far.
I hired Bruce to record the version of Darkness and Longing that was our song on the Sixty Watt Shaman -Spirit Caravan split single. We liked what he did on that recording and decided to record more with Bruce at Phase and so we did ;the last SC single -" So Mortal Be/ Undone Mind" and recorded three tracks that were eventually released on "The Last Embrace." Bruce and I had firmly cemented our friendship and when shit fell apart with Spirit Caravan , we decided to form a band. Out of a very interesting list of possible band names Bruce's idea" The Hidden Hand " seemed to resonate the most and once Bruce had recruited Dave Hennessy (guitarist for OSTINATO) to play drums it was ON. Over the next couple years and a couple different drummers, The Hidden Hand would record one single, one split ep ,one compilation song and Three full length albums. Knowing Bruce, and working with everyone in The Hidden Hand realm enriched my life greatly . Bruces enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity, intellect and musical abilities remains an inspiration. Thanks Bruce, Sonny, Louis and Eric and all at ATOMIC MUSIC, Dave Hennessy,Matt and Jeremy Osinato ,Evan Tanner, J Robbins, Mcarthyism records, Andreas at Exile from Mainstream records, Greg Tubevision, 930 club ,Black Cat, Gussound, Diana W, Woody, Stinking Lizaveta, Jadd Schickler and Meteor City, Southern Lord records and extra special thanks to Gianluca and Improved Sequence for keeping this music alive!"
Wino - summer 2024
Things just get heavier and heavier in Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich’s career and his short-lived classic band The Hidden Hand is no exception. Formed in 2002 and already disbanded in 2007 the trio featured Wino, Bruce Falkinburg on bass/songwriting/vocals and drummer Dave Hennessy.
If The Obsessed, St. Vitus, Shrinebuilder, Probot and Spirit Caravan aren’t enough to bring Wino's CV to legendary status, stop reading now.
LINER NOTES from WINO:
"When I returned from California after The Obsessed Columbia record deal fell apart, I didn't have any gear at all and after we put together (SHINE) which became Spirit Caravan, I was hustling to put a guitar rig together. I discovered ATOMIC MUSIC a super cool store in MARYLAND that encouraged trades, and had a lot of cool shit there,we had met another cat Sonny, who being the gregarious friendly cat he was befriended us (the band) and introduced me to his friend who's recording studio shared space with Atomic Music, Bruce Falkinburg and Phase recording studio. Bruce was a very interesting and hyper intelligent guy, bassist, knowledgeable in all things but specializing in recording rock music. We had decided to diversify our recording process and parted ways with one of my old friends Chris Kozlowski and PolarBearLair studios who had recorded everything Spirit Caravan had done so far.
I hired Bruce to record the version of Darkness and Longing that was our song on the Sixty Watt Shaman -Spirit Caravan split single. We liked what he did on that recording and decided to record more with Bruce at Phase and so we did ;the last SC single -" So Mortal Be/ Undone Mind" and recorded three tracks that were eventually released on "The Last Embrace." Bruce and I had firmly cemented our friendship and when shit fell apart with Spirit Caravan , we decided to form a band. Out of a very interesting list of possible band names Bruce's idea" The Hidden Hand " seemed to resonate the most and once Bruce had recruited Dave Hennessy (guitarist for OSTINATO) to play drums it was ON. Over the next couple years and a couple different drummers, The Hidden Hand would record one single, one split ep ,one compilation song and Three full length albums. Knowing Bruce, and working with everyone in The Hidden Hand realm enriched my life greatly . Bruces enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity, intellect and musical abilities remains an inspiration. Thanks Bruce, Sonny, Louis and Eric and all at ATOMIC MUSIC, Dave Hennessy,Matt and Jeremy Osinato ,Evan Tanner, J Robbins, Mcarthyism records, Andreas at Exile from Mainstream records, Greg Tubevision, 930 club ,Black Cat, Gussound, Diana W, Woody, Stinking Lizaveta, Jadd Schickler and Meteor City, Southern Lord records and extra special thanks to Gianluca and Improved Sequence for keeping this music alive!"
Wino - summer 2024
Salamanda is the collaborative alias of South Korean producer/DJ duo, and close friends, Uman Therma (Sala) and Yetsuby (Manda). Together they create avant-garde electronic music inspired by minimalist concepts, harmonious rhythms and the work of American composer Steve Reich.
Across the eight tracks of Sphere, their debut for Small Méasures, the pair conjure spherical worlds inspired by bubbles, refracting light and planet earth. Soundscapes laden with percussive elements ebb and flow as arpeggiated stanzas cede to misty synths and shimmering plates, conjuring images of solitary temples sat in vast open plateaus.
“For Sphere, we came up with an abstract concept and image to explore more diversity and encourage imagination. Each track is related to different kinds of sphere we found or imagined. From the big round planet embracing every creature to dancing little bubbles underwater, fragments of ideas floating around, exploding tomatoes, and movement of lights flashing and tickling the eyes…
Or the tracks can be about completely different types of spheres in other people's perspective. We hope Sphere can unleash the imagination and take you on a delightful journey of music.’’
- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE
- MIKE OLDFIELD'S TUBULAR BELLS IS INSPIRED
BY THIS ALBUM
- FEATURED IN GRAND THEFT AUTO IV ON THE
RADIO STATION 'THE JOURNEY.'
- 50TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION OF 500 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON TRANSPARENT VINYL
Keyboard virtuoso Terry Riley started experimenting with different instruments in the '50s. One of his electronic music landmarks is his third album A Rainbow in Curved Air. Through the use of overdubbing, he recorded all the instruments to feature on the title track. The composition consists of three movements, each representing another part of his musical influences. As the song progresses, its structure goes through frequent changes. It's an colorful, psychedelic, atmospheric and revolutionary song. The second track consists of a loop of saxophones and is the dreamy and calm opposite of the title track. Fans of electronic music, such as Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, would love this record. Taking inspiration from Hindustani classical music and jazz techniques, Riley's masterpiece influenced many musicians, from the likes of Brian Eno to Emeralds.
A Rainbow in Curved Air 50th anniversary limited edition is available as 500 individually numbered copies on transparent vinyl.
ATA Records is pleased to announce the release of Early Works 2: Funk, Soul & Afro Rarities From The Archive, a compilation of tracks recorded in the fledgling days of the label paired with some rediscovered treasures from more recent years. While the majority of the album is previously unreleased material several tracks have appeared on different formats.
This is a rare chance for listeners to experience the birth of the ATA's enduring concept and recording techniques from the comfort of their own home.
In 2020 label founder and musician Neil Innes decided to destroy the studio he had spent 14-years building, destroy it and rebuild it from the ground up.
Once the studio began to take shape again and Innes was finally able to take a breath he began rooting through the label's archives, pulling out reels that had been propping up tables, holding open doors and generally lurking in nooks and crannies for years.
His trip down memory uncovered a wealth of dusty musical treasures and also got him thinking about tracks from newer artists, nuggets to compliment the archive gold.
Along with the first airings of tracks by The Harmony Society, The Disarrays this 11track comp includes appearances by studio favourites: The Magnificent Tape Band, The Sorcerers, The Mandatory Eight, Ivan Von Engleberger's Asteroid and long time collaborator Chris Dawkins (recording under Earl Dawkins).Also on the comp is Joe Tatton's Bang Bang Boogaloo, previously only released on 7 inch and greatly desired by record diggers everywhere.
Roughly two years after the release of their initial statement of intent, debut single “Toutpartout PT2” with its hypnotic ripples, Andi Haberl and Florian Zimmer aka Bella Wakame have successfully channeled the magic of a 2024 live recording (captured at Berlin’s Donau115 & Silent Green) into their first proper studio offering. You can hear inspirations ranging from Bitchin Bajas, Jeremiah Chiu to Groupshow (Jelinek, Leichtmann, Pekler), the hypnotic, intricate battle between form and freedom (the fun of momentary formlessness) continues to unfold over the course of 10 new tracks, featuring album guest Indra Dunis (Peaking Lights). Their first single "Shadows of Nambei" was very much inspired by the wonderful band Spirit Fest and their song "Nambei".
You can either shorten the reins, or you can loosen them – and give things more slack. With Bella Wakame, it’s definitely the latter. Constantly challenging each other, they’re tapping a whole new energy. Tons of different energies.
Based on the impulsive, propulsive interplay between drums/sensory percussion (Andi Haberl) and modular synthesizer (Florian Zimmer), the frenzied, free-form results take listeners into completely new dimensions – sonic worlds that don’t really sound anything like their other musical outlets (The Notwist, SUN, Saroos, Driftmachine etc.).
Whereas most bands tend to notoriously overthink names/monikers, these guys obviously only care about the ecstatic push-and-pull that occurs once their instruments meet and overlap: it’s wildly explosive textures with a booming heart. Moving restlessly between motorik club, electro-acoustic jazz experiments, ambient excursions, and fast-paced instrumental anthems that seem to explode at the seams, one can immediately tell how much they enjoy the newfound freedom, the turbulent encounters born on the spur of the moment.
It’s all about a quick-paced exchange of friendly blows, a chasing of tails into ever-new musical terrains. Relying on just enough form for that wildness to blossom within, their just-in-time dashes continually unfold, refold, return, grow bigger – and leave you startled.
Jordan Passmore, an electronic music and sound producer based in Indianapolis, USA, has spent two decades crafting original songs, remixes, and live performances. His work is characterized by the use of both vintage and modern synthesizers and drum machines, creating a unique blend of house, wave, techno, and more.
Over the years, he’s been known for producing finely textured tracks that nod to early electronic traditions while pushing into new terrain.
In his latest release, KEEP IT E.P., Passmore continues to push the boundaries of his sound. This EP features a variety of tracks that range from acid techno to mellow new wave, showcasing his ability to intertwine different genres seamlessly. Each song presents a distinct mood and pacing, reflecting a more experimental approach compared to his previous works.
The EP is a kaleidoscope of styles and moods—an interplay of acid techno grit, minimal wave introspection, and rhythm-driven synthscapes. Each track carries its own personality, from the pulsing tension of “Keep It (Short Version)” to the warped funk of “Wired Access Panel” and the dreamy, cinematic sway of “Angelica and Persephone.”
KEEP IT keeps a listener in motion, in thought, and in rhythm.
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance-disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its fateful maiden voyage.
Upon its release on December 19, 1997, Titanic achieved critical and commercial success. Nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, it tied with All About Eve (1950) for the most Oscar nominations and won eleven, including the awards for Best Picture and Best Director, tying Ben Hur (1959) for the most Oscars won by a single film. With an initial worldwide gross of over $1.84 billion, Titanic was the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark.
Titanic is available as a 25th anniversary edition of 10,000 individually numbered copies on silver & black marbled vinyl and includes an 8-page booklet, XL fold-out poster and a print replica of the historical newspaper front page. The 2 LPs are housed in a deluxe heavyweight gatefold sleeve with alu-brush finish and metallic embossing.
The ‘Split EP’ is a collaborative release with James Hayford and BiggaBush, as well as labels Filtered Deluxe and Tru Thoughts Recordings.
The collaboration commenced several years back, when Glyn ‘Bigga’ Bush reached out to James (known for his Shoes Edits series), one conversation led to the next, and a remix exchange was initiated.
In 2022, James contributed a remix to BiggaBush’s ‘A Different Style’ remix collection, released on Tru Thoughts Recordings - followed by Bigga’s version of James Hayford’s ‘Flower Of Thy Womb’, released via Filtered Deluxe Recordings in the spring of 2025.
The ‘Split EP’ is presented as a vinyl-only release, including the previously unreleased ‘Come To Crunch’ by
BiggaBush.
-
James Hayford is a sample-based producer best known for his unparalleled series of Shoes edits (feat. Al Green, Miles Davis, Roy Ayer, and more), plus remixes released under his own Shoes and Plimsoll labels - as well as for the Numero Group.
James continues to release original downtempo and leftfield dance music on labels Filtered Deluxe Recordings, and Growroom Productions.
Glyn ‘Bigga’ Bush launched his career as half of Rockers Hi-Fi, and co-founded the Magic Drum Orchestra. He’s
released as BiggaBush and Lightning Head through the ever-evolving Tru Thoughts Recordings, and many more.
His influences range from afrobeat, dub and funk, to library music and soundtracks - as well as electronic, Latin, and jazz music.
Tough Love brings to vinyl for the first time April Magazine's Sunday Music For An Overpass, a nine track collection originally issued on cassette in vanishingly small number by Paisley Shirt in 2021. The kind of mythical recording you might have once needed to know the band to own. Alas, no longer... Can the universe have two centres? Because if it's not Gothenburg it's San Francisco... It's impossible for me to think about what's going on in that particular part of the west coast right now without immediately being drawn to April Magazine, a comparatively loosely assembled three (sometimes four) piece centred around artist/musician Peter Hurley, who seem to simultaneously operate at both the heart and the margins of the current Bay Area underground. On the one hand they share members with many other bands, their guitarist/singer runs a gallery that functions as some kind of focal point/social space, and Cindy even have a song named after them. On the other hand, their music is resolutely lo-fi and invariably couched in a mysterious haze, the live footage available online seems to suggest that they sound slightly different each time they play, and there are reports they have dozens of songs (possibly albums?) that have not and may never be released, hidden inside their own private universe. On its initial release, Sunday Music For An Overpass was an early attempt to drag the group a little closer into the light, yet inevitably made them feel as endearingly enigmatic as ever. Typically, this vinyl reissue some four years later only goes part way in clearing that alluring fog. April Magazine channel the greats - Spacemen 3, The Pastels, early B&S, Mary Chain, Rainy Day/Opal/Mazzy et al - but submerge their obvious melodic capabilities within seemingly infinite spray can hiss, as if the songs are being pulled backwards through some vortex to the past. Half of these tracks are instrumentals, and it's in those moments that the band are perhaps at their most expressive, suggesting a very inviting melancholy that can't quite be figured out. Though the LP remasters the original recordings and is a little cleaner sounding as a result, no secret is being given away. The appeal is that the more you hear from them, the less you really know, and all the better for it. Maybe, then, it's that April Magazine are here to show there is no centre to the universe, that instead it's always just off to the side...
After coming up in different bands in the Long Island and Brooklyn DIY scene in the late '00s and early 2010s, the indie rock outfit Freezing Cold came together in 2017 and settled into its current lineup in 2019. Featuring lead vocalist/guitarist Jeff Cunningham, formerly of Bridge And Tunnel, bassist/vocalist Leanne Butkovic, formerly of Never, and Angie Boylan, formerly of Aye Nako and drummer for Sleater-Kinney — Freezing Cold is coming into their own now more than ever as a dynamic trio.
After playing shows in support of Algernon Cadewalder, Radiator Hospital, and Screaming Females over the past year, the band is sharing their strongest, most fully formed work yet with the album Treasure Pool, due out August 1 on Don Giovanni Records. The 10-track record builds upon the group's extensive DIY experience, while finding an equilibrium where each member shines and moves beyond the early punk resonant in their past projects and toward something more mature.
The new release was recorded in 2023 at Asbury Park's Lakehouse Recording Studios, with production from Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females and Eric Bennett. It follows the band's 2019 debut Glimmer, produced by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Jawbreaker) and released before Butkovic filled out the group, and 2021's Stuck on Hold/Drawn to Scale EP.
Since its founding back in 2014, Blume has carved a unique place in cultural landscape, issuing free-standing works, spanning the historical and contemporary, that represent singular gestures of creativity within the field of experimental sound. Joining their broad efforts in building networks of context and understanding that already includes the works by Werner Durand, Sarah Hennies, Bruce Nauman, John Butcher, Jocy de Oliveira, Mary Jane Leach, Valentina Magaletti, Alvin Curran, Julius Eastman, Alvin Lucier, and following the first ever vinyl release to attend to James Tenney's legendary Postal Pieces, the label now presents the first LP published by the visionary Swiss composer Jürg Frey. Drawing from the transformative power of breath and resonance, this release represents one of the most profound explorations of musical metamorphosis to emerge from the contemporary experimental landscape.
The completed work represents a "conjunction of these two artists" that has "activated a transformative form of experimentalism." These renderings "dance with an airy lightness, humour, and play, imbuing them with a beauty and emotiveness that can be rare within experimental music." They exist as "breaths, carrying the curiosities of life, belonging to no time and all time, to no one and everyone: a human music to be inhaled and pondered, for which the outcome remains unknown." In this liminal space between composition and interpretation, between breath and resonance, Zurria and Frey have created something that transcends the boundaries of experimental music itself, offering what might be called a metaphysical cartography of sound in its most essential form. As Bradford Bailey observes in his penetrating liner notes, "music is rarely a fixed entity," existing instead in a state of perpetual flux, "taking on the influences of its interpreters and performers." This fundamental truth finds its most eloquent expression in the transformative collaboration between Italian flutist Manuel Zurria and Frey, longtime member of the Wandelweiser Group. Where conventional recordings might preserve a definitive version, this release activates what Bailey calls "states of unknowing and continued experimentation," allowing Frey's compositions to evolve into entirely new dimensional territories. The original string quartet and piano works dissolve into breath-carried architectures of sound, where "the original remains in a constant dialogue with its transformation." This is not mere arrangement but ontological metamorphosis - an alchemical process through which crystalline harmonies are reborn as atmospheric phenomena.
The metaphysical dimensions of this transformation become clear through detailed analysis of the musical result. Where Frey's original compositions operate through what he calls "basic confidence in the clear and restricted material," Zurria's interpretation activates entirely new perceptual territories. Space holds almost atomic sense of weight against the airy punctuations of timbres, textures, and tones, creating "suspensions of time within which questions and identities posed by instrumentation fade." The Extended Circular Music pieces - each comprising "a small number of bars to be repeated an undetermined number of times" - become organizations of sound that defy being definitive or fixed. Originally scored for different combinations of violin, viola, cello, and piano, these works now exist as pure phenomena of breath and resonance, where "hanging, breath-length utterances dance and intertwine amongst complex harmonic clusters and conjunctions."
The philosophical implications of this transformation illuminate a lineage of composers who have moved "away from abstraction and responding to the need to create" something beyond mere technique. Drawing parallels to Morton Feldman's understanding of non-functional harmony, Zurria's approach represents "a transformative form of experimentalism" that activates what Frey calls the "thaumaturgic power" of music - its capacity to heal and transform consciousness itself. The result is "a radical reimagining of ambience: sprawling sonorities and resonances adrift in space, carrying the liberated traces of the work's former incarnations and their truths." In Zurria's interpretation, Frey's String Quartet n.3 becomes something approaching "an organ played in slow motion, its seals leaking," while the Extended Circular Music pieces transform into "glacial chords from a diverse palette of voicings, harmonies, timbres, and tones."
Performed by Manuel Zurria. Recorded and mixed by Zurria at BigCardo, Catania between 2022-2024, with mastering by Bruno Germano at Vacuumstudio, Bologna, this Blume release represents a profound exploration of musical transformation.
This new "Experimental Chapter" by DJ Narciso comes as no surprise, really. Autonomous in the motorization of his music, pushing for progress within the framework of an undeniable (inescapable?) heritage. Twisting and bending sound every step of the way, Narciso definitely keeps in touch with the dancefloor, offering the always much needed transcendence through distinctive, non-linear melodies and patterns. The artist pursues a direct link with bodies in motion but seldom in the expected, institutionalized way club culture is being largely promoted.
This is challenging dance music, proud statements of difference. Narciso's previous record was named "Diferenciado". Now we get "Dificuldades", a track that simultaneously carries the weight of being somewhat odd and the difficulties of life. Check how the piano is venting, freestyle, communicating a feeling, and then lets itself get stuck in a loop, but that's exactly when the groove really starts flowing. And then another layer. It's like direct speech.
A common assertion of pride is found in the origin of the artists. The ghetto as a place where any transformation projects more power precisely because of... inherent difficulties. As others (including himself) did in more or less obvious ways, Narciso clearly states "I come from the ghetto" ( "Não Sabes" ). Twice the value. At least. Almost every segment of music in this album ends up sounding heavily emotional, reaffirming what may be - perversely - a well-known characteristic of Portuguese music: melancholy.
"Não Quero" begins side B as a march maybe more significant than a thousand words, such is the ominous tone of its texture. Next track is another lunar tarraxo, pulling down the shades. Then, "Dor de Barriga" lets things loose again, steering clearly off road, shouting this way and that until a peaceful resolution comes. In "Livra-me Desta", vocal snippets blend into synth snippets, disembodied voices abandon all traces of humanity and finally mutate into different entities that, towards the end, again sound vaguely human but now we find ourselves doubting. Closer "Bob" is a rather classic percussion track with plenty of echo, reverb and an unconscious nod to dodecaphonic music. Unlikely? No, the structural ADN of this music is made up of elements western and eastern, southern and northern. To say all-over-the-place is usually not flattering but in this case the expression translates as wonder, surprise, The Unexpected, and reveals Narciso perfectly at ease inside the nucleus of creation.
Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Plays with Authoritative Tonality, Airiness, and Clarity:
Pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl and Strictly Limited to
3,000 Numbered Copies
1/4” / 15 IPS Dolby A analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe
Joni Mitchell is the only artist who could’ve made Hejira. The legendary singer-songwriter said as much when discussing the album decades after its release. Yet that fact seemed obvious from the moment the gold-certified effort streeted in fall 1976. An adventurous travelogue, probing narrative, and offbeat homage to freedom, Hejira remains an inimitable entry in the catalog of recorded music — a spare, gorgeous, meditative series of sonic vignettes comprised of floating harmonic pop, cool jazz, soft rock, and sensitive vocal elements that beckon feelings of motion, discovery, and self-examination.
Sourced from the original analog master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents the record ranked the 133rd Greatest of All Time by Rolling Stone with definitive detail, richness, accuracy, and directness. Marking the first time the revered LP has received audiophile treatment, it's one of six iconic 1970s Mitchell records Mobile Fidelity is reissuing on vinyl and SACD.
Playing with a virtually nonexistent noise floor, dead-quiet surfaces, and superior groove definition, this collectible reissue reproduces in enveloping fashion the tones, textures, and craftsmanship that help Hejira function as the equivalent of a liberating trip down an open road with nothing but blue sky, natural landscape, and fresh air in the immediate vicinity. Passages bloom, carry, decay as they do amid an acoustically optimized environment. Soundstages extend far, wide, and deep, with black backgrounds and pinpoint images adding to the realism.
The reference-grade immediacy, airiness, and presence put in transparent perspective Mitchell’s dense strings of words, stream-of-conscious-like phrasing, and unhurried albeit forward momentum. Likewise, the instrumental contributions of her A-list support musicians — a cast that includes L.A. Express members John Guerin, Max Bennett and Tom Scott, plus Neil Young, Victor Feldman, and Abe Most — emerges with breathtaking clarity and dimensionality.
While Mitchell, whose intimate vocals and abstract guitar parts center everything, Mobile Fidelity's restoration of Hejira further reveals the visionary breadth of guitarist Larry Carlton and bassist Jaco Pastorius. Though heard on only four tracks, Pastorius' fretless bass epitomizes the fluid, subtle, flexible, roomy, and shape-shifting characteristics of songs that often appear to transpire out of nowhere akin to the formation of a puffy cumulus cloud overhead. In sync with Mitchell’s voice, Pastorius’ fusion hovers and floats, suspended in a fog you want to deeply inhale. The "grace notes" Mitchell desired on Hejira can now be heard in full. Ditto the luxurious tapestries of alinear lines, fills, and supplements unreeled on Carlton’s six-string.
Visually, the packaging of this UD1S set complements its identity as the copy to own. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, the LPs come in foil-stamped jackets with faithful-to-the-original graphics. This version is for listeners who desire to become immersed in everything about Hejira, including the unforgettable album cover — a pastiche of 14 different photos Mitchell used a Camera Lucida to assemble into one image that’s anchored by a portrait of her in a stoic pose — and the interior shots of Mitchell skating on a frozen Wisconsin lake wearing a pair of black skates, black shirt, and fur cape.
The notion of skating, feeling an awakening wind whipping against your face, and losing yourself to the surroundings are extremely apt for Hejira, which Mitchell wrote after a sequence of trips and relationships prompted her to reflect on the complicated conflicts between independence and marriage, success and satisfaction, duty and desire — and, more specifically, “the cost of being a woman.” The Canadian native delved into such themes before. But never as she does on Hejira, whose liberating, running-away aura doubles as another of Mitchell’s rejections of tradition as well as a suggestion of a better alternative.
At once observational and personal, expansive and insular, cheerful and poignant, Hejira spans a sea of human conditions, emotions, and circumstances. It addresses drifting, isolation, pleasure, place, time, and surroundings with strikingly poetic discourse matched with music that, save for the crooned ballad “Blue Motel Room,” forgoes conventional structures and choruses.
The jazz-based arrangements, marked by scaled-down percussion and all manner of bent, rounded, and unsettled notes, hint that Mitchell has no exact destination in mind. Excursions such as the moody “Furry Sings the Blues,” funky “Coyote” and edgy “Black Crow” throw open previously locked doors to possibility and journey. They signal it’s time for a welcome departure from norms and the past, one that leads to a heightened sense of clarity and perspective. Or, as Mitchell said upon choosing the album title, it’s time for “leaving the dream, no blame.”
AV1 is the new project of Chris Carrier & Le Loup. With countless releases under their belts, the parisian producers are long time heroes of many around the globe. It’s an honor to welcome these two with a release that merges the different sounds they listened over their long-spanning careers. From trancy tech house, to dark techno beats and a more slowed-down electroish piece on the B-Side, here is a first solid appearance on the label as a duo. Are they done with us? Probably not.
Limited Edition 12” of the Remix Contest Winners!
In November 2024, 2 Flying Stones organized a remix contest. Four of the winners are featured on this 12” record.
The Funkhauser remix is already making waves in the jumpstyle scene. It is regularly played on harddance radio shows and festival main stages.
The Andy Cley remix is more downbeat and a great addition to the club circuit. Another winner, young talent Junotheoriginal, his remix takes a more artistic approach and could resonate well within the Gen Z scene.
Rounding out the release is a credible, club-oriented version by Antwerp-based producer Groove 81.
These four different versions, each growing within their own scenes, make for an impactful 12” release!
"Infamous 2" Post Punk C60 Cassette Mix - (Comes with a bonus download code )
A Second Edition of "Lost" tracks from The Seminal Jon Savage "Fame" 78-81 Post-Punk Compilation
This D60 cassette (CTRUE34) contains 18 tracks (including The Slits, The Modettes, Dislocation Dance, Anthony Moore, The Chrome Etc ) a second collection of tracks that were considered for inclusion on the celebrated Jon Savage Post-Punk collection on CTR "Fame" (78-81) at some point-but discounted due to licensing issues or similar reasons. Once more, this Ltd edition cassette provides a slightly different take / vision of the album that became "Fame"." A natural companion to the "Fame" 78-81 collection on vinyl & the 2021 Re-edition on vinyl, CD & Of Course "Infamous " the first C60 . Mixed by CTR with care & attention. Only available from the CTR webstore-nowhere else.
