Beats Vinyl New Releases - News

As reggae lovers for decades, one of our biggest dreams was to collaborate with the creative genius behind the legendary sound of the Black Ark studio, one of the dub originators, the man responsible for shaping the sound of Bob Marley and the Wailers amongst many other greats, the mighty Upsetter, the unspeakable Lee “Scratch” Perry! That happy day has finally arrived in 2019 when Lee, who lived in Switzerland for a longtime, recorded his voice on The 18th Parallel’s ‘Cosmic Drop Riddim’.

The details around ‘Words From The Upsetter’ recording are not that common. In summer 2017, we at Fruits Records had the privilege to tour European festivals with Lee “Scratch” Perry as members of the Najavibes backing band. This is how we got to know the legend and start the production process. The first seed was sown. Nevertheless, the riddim track of the song was laid down in Kingston in 2014, as our crew of musicians – not known yet as The 18th Parallel – was recording our first release ever, A Little Walk album with the legendary Sino-Jamaican singer I Kong. The unused riddim slept in the hard drive for five years until we found the right artist to ride it. The Upsetter had that mystic vibes we were looking for, it was a perfect fit.

Then we spiced it up with a few more overdubs – analog string synthesizer, cosmic guitars, subtle sounds of musique concrète. Finally Roberto Sánchez brilliantly recreated the type of sound that the Black Ark was famous for: full of Mutron Bi-Phase, tape delay and spring reverb hits as testifies the dub version ‘Spring Thunderstorm’.

The production of this song has been a long and heavy process, but we're now able to present this brand new recording to the world. Sadly, Lee’s not physically here anymore to witness this release, but his musical legacy is so immeasurable that his memory will live forever in every music enthusiasts’ heart around the world. And this record is now a part of this legacy. We’ll be forever thankful for this opportunity and would like to give a special thanks to his family and friends (big up Dr. T!) who helped us and gave us assistance during the creative process. This record is dedicated to the loving memory of Lee “Scratch” Perry.

The ‘Cosmic Drop Riddim’ wouldn’t be fully completed without two extra unexpected cuts. The first one is an amazing instrumental song featuring Perry’s longtime friend and Jamaican number one trombonist Vin Gordon where trombone meets bass clarinet and bass flute to create a deep, foggy, mystical atmosphere. This will take you to a night journey to East Africa. The second cut highlights the art of dub poetry through the beautiful poem by Yasus Afari, ‘Healing Chant’.

TEN WALLS RELEASING A LIVE ALBUM 'SYMPHONY' PERFORMED WITH FULL ORCHESTRA

A celebrated Lithuanian producer and performer Ten Walls (Marijus Adomaitis) is about to put the first live album to his discography. Featuring the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and a handful of distinguished collaborators, the album 'Symphony' comes in double vinyl.

The wildly successful live performance recorded and pressed on the vinyl took place in the summer of 2019. Almost a hundred musicians participated in the event, including piano virtuoso Petras Geniušas, hugely popular Lithuanian singer Daddy Was A Milkman, Swedish singer and producer Jonatan Bäckelie and the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its founder and multi-award winner maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius.

'Symphony' is a unique opportunity to experience the signature Ten Walls sound with that extra dimension that only full symphonic orchestra is able to create. It adds a certain depth to the tracks that are on the lyrical side of the emotional spectrum, while dance bangers become even more powerful with string and brass sections giving it an additional punch.

Being a classically trained musician himself, Marijus has long dreamed of performing his music with the orchestra. It took several years for the idea to mature, during which his work received global recognition, his work being covered by world-class musicians.

Credits:

Written and produced by: Marijus 'Ten Walls' Adomaitis
Arrangement by: Jievaras Jasinskis, Marijus Adomaitis
Mixing and mastering by: Marijus Adomaitis
Performers:
Conductor: Gintaras Rinkevičius
The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
Vocalists: Daddy Was A Milkman ( C5, C6 ), Jonatan Bäckelie ( A4, B4 )
Bass guitar: Domas Aleksa ( A3 )
Synthesizer / drum machine: Ten Walls
Piano: Petras Geniušas
Bass guitar and synthesizer: Julius Valančauskas
Electric drums: Jonas Gliaudelis

Each of the artists assembled here steps up with a banger: on the A-side, peak-time ragga hardcore meets low end, BADMAN UK Funky; over on the flip, moody mid-90s drum n bass chops precede a pristine hybrid jungle-juke workout. A couple tunes for the party, perhaps, a couple more for the after party, maybe, but all of them bump perfectly in the jeep don't they. Whether you get back to the raves this summer or not, drive a Wrangler, an 80's Ford Capri or a pale green '71 Caddy hearse, this is a big EP from 5 solid producers, intended for inspiring, vibing, and above all, movement.

We Welcome smooth criminals ADMNTi and T. Jacques back to the Dansu Discs family with their split ‘Platform Alteration’ EP. Both sides providing heavy basslines with added groove. If you’re not already ready to return to the dance-floor, then this one will give you that much needed assist.

Green Marbled Vinyl

THE KINGS OF JUNGLE aka Jungle pioneer and all-round legend DJ Dextrous, served up some genre defining releases on Suburban Base and just a couple of much demanded pieces of brilliance slipped through the net. Many VIP versions were made of tracks and specials for one time use at particular events, in the tradition of reggae clash events from which jungle took much inspiration.

Two such VIP dubplates feature here brought together for one heavy hitting 12inch release, ‘KING OF JUNGLE VIP’ was made especially as a dubplate for Jungle Fever events, rinsed and rewound repeatedly at these shows and elsewhere, it only appeared just once as an exclusive on the seminal D&B Selection album in ‘94, and we have been asked for DJ friendly copies of this track ever since!

The Junglist anthem ‘JUNGLE THEME VIP’ another rare version only held on dubplate by a select few but became a mainstay of the very best Jungle events through 1994, it graced The Joint LP as an exclusive and never had a single release until now.

Saved from the original master tapes directly from DJ Dextrous studio these have both been carefully and stunningly remastered and are being made available as a 12 inch single DJ friendly format for the first time ever!

Looking absolutely amazing in camo style colouring to the vinyl and in the classic Suburban Base house sleeve to evoke those memories of the gold age of Jungle! Grab yourself a piece of history in the making now!

Third offering from DMV vocalist "Davon" Dreamcast from his Lost Tapes Vol. 2 Album, experimenting with a bit of auto-tune to modernize and come full circle to current radio play moods. Production by DJSYLO, Will Colella, and CoolWater.

The artist name of Inre Kretsen Grupp (translates to ‘Inner Circle Group’) was conceived as a humorous homage towards the curious lingo of private press loners & multi-instrumentalists padding out their image with fantasy band members. For Martin Blomberg, the man behind the name, it was also the mental safe zone of someone breaking out into a solo career after decades of playing in bands. Through the social melting pot of the now defunct Wildlife record shop operating out of Malmö, Martin was introduced to the Fasaan Records crew, who released his debut solo EP Dorisk Ordning in 2019. Bonding over mutual goals in music and ergonomic footwear for men, Martin would soon join the label as co-conspirator. This full length album grew out of the live-sets Martin devised around that first EP. Sifting through these after a number of concerts, he brought them back to the studio for an arduous process of finding the right sound. With a kind of gritty and minimalistic new wave in mind, he has gone out of his way to find the right balance without falling for tropes and clichés. But however far he steers the controls for the leftfield, there is always a pop sensibility to his productions. Emerging through ambient textures and echoes, opening track “Arpa” sprawls out over a curious soundscape, dragging a rusty guitar loop around mysterious samples and dazed synth pads. The following “Buffo” is an entirely different story, kicking off with a dry motorik rhythm and haunting arpeggios that sets the stage for some epic chords. The same kind of epic pop chords that will resurface later on title track “Raoul”. The recipe for kosmische repetitions continues on with “Habo” but sets off on a more wobbly path, landing in a sinisterly funky bassline and brooding gothic synthwork. Its closest relative is found later on in “Svit” - which also seems to have been conjured in the same dark universe as Joel Graham’s rediscovered masterpiece “Night”. While the drum machines are hard at work throughout, it’s on “Vyn” where the drum beat truly gets to speak - and it does - in a crunchy, head-nodding late 80’s New Beat fashion banging with reverb and pierced with staccato synth stabs of the pseudo-Jamaican variety. Most tracks here chugs away on a steady groove, coupled with firm yet dreamy melodies. One can sense the lingering scent of the Factory Records catalogue imbued in the machinery of the album, yet there is also a crisp Nordic ambiance that demands its rightful space here. Perhaps it’s the presence of fellow label runner Ivar “Golden Ivy” Lantz providing his stark trademark violin as guest musician on “Bonum”, or simply the cold temperatures of Sweden coupled with cheap and badly insulated recording spaces in the industrial areas of Malmö. Whatever the case, get ready for some cold waves ahead.

Stelios Vassiloudis enters an inspiring new phase as he unveils his sophomore LP All Else Fails available March 25th via Balance Music.

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Stelios Vassiloudis poses a triple threat as a composer, producer and DJ. Having been active in the electronic music scene since the early 2000s he has cultivated his own brand of distinctive ambience reflective of his rich and diverse musical background; transcending the dance floor via an emotional narrative of complex soundscapes, intricate harmonies and hypnotic rhythms. Over the past decade Stelios has released music under various other monikers, yet this new endeavour is his most diligent to date - allowing him to rediscover his love for making music during the process, "I'm more hopeful, inspired and determined than ever before."

Ten years on from the release of his debut LP, Stelios' detail-oriented offerings remain incomprehensibly thought-provoking and thorough with this new album. Noticeably dissimilar to any previous efforts, Stelios consciously took a step back from the pressure of maintaining a steadily flowing supply of functional, club-oriented music and as the world stood still amidst the pandemic, he embraced the opportunity to reconnect and express himself with a broader musical vocabulary. He admits that: "with the world around us seemingly on the fast track to Armageddon, the music ended up being very much reflective of the sadness and helplessness I felt."

All Else Fails is a stimulating odyssey to anyone listening. Harmonically dense, arcadian glistens seep throughout the ten tracks, each complementary to the next. Bask in the wistful iridescence and you won't be disappointed.

Stelios carved his way into electronic music by traversing around the globe as a DJ and performer - performing at intimate underground bars in Beirut, festivals in Miami, after-hours in Tokyo, beaches in Goa and mega clubs in Argentina. Having developed a formidable discography on esteemed labels such as Bedrock, Poker Flat, Ovum, Constant Sound and Darkroom Dubs, among others, Stelios' studio prowess and coveted productions cemented his reputation as a versatile and acclaimed artist. His intense passion and drive for innovation in music serves as the fuel to keep him inspired and relevant, qualities that no doubt ensure his reputation as an artist of the highest calibre, will endure.

The LP version is limited to 1000 copies, pressed on blue vinyl, in a high grade spot-varnished gatefold sleeve.

700 Bliss is the forward-thinking duo of DJ Haram and Moor Mother. Their first full length for Hyperdub is an album of noise rap that ties together the raw edges of club music and hip hop with punk energy, jazz, house-party catharsis, percussion-heavy analogue sound design, and cheeky skits, ranging from experimental rap tracks with rolling hi hats and lyrical bravado, to poetry set to noise and sound collage.

Moor Mother and DJ Haram started collaborating in 2014 and eventually formed 700 Bliss, a blistering live act in Philly's DIY scene, releasing their 2018 debut, Spa 700 on Halcyon Veil / Don Giovanni Records. Since that time, both artists have grown global followings. Moor Mother is a prolific solo artist and collaborator, writer, and member of Black Quantum Futurism while Haram has been curating and creating radio shows, DJing, and producing (including an EP for Hyperdub in 2019).

‘Nothing To Declare’ is a smart, danceable revelation, a chiseled soundscape of dive bombing bass, piercing bleeps, crunchy distortion, and wavering synth lines. Welcoming in a variety of voices from their extended, cross-genre scene, 700 Bliss also bring along a cast of collaborators, including vocalists Orion Sun, Lawfandah, Ase Manual, and Ali Logout (from the band Special Interest), plus Palestinian producer Muqata'a, and writer M Téllez who delivers a surreal sci fi monologue over a pounding kick drum on ‘More Victories’.

‘Nothing To Declare’ is a deeply layered rewriting of hip hop and electronic music that gives more with each listen. You won't hear another rap album like it in 2022.

Coming hot on the heels of his recent release on Future Retro, Basic Rhythm continues his return to his first passion, Drum & Bass. Basic Rhythm started buying Hardcore, Jungle and Drum & Bass back in the early ‘90s, eventually hosting a regular show on Rude FM in the late ‘90s before venturing out into other musical areas in the early 2000s. This single marks a return to the dark brooding menace and punchy breaks that only Drum & Bass does so well.

Award-winning artists Break and Total Science have established themselves as leaders of their craft, having been responsible for heading authentic imprints like Smithy and Q-Project’s C.I.A. and Break's Symmetry Recordings.

After several years of epic studio collaborations, the three veritable legends unify to launch a new imprint called Triii Audio. Now combining forces, Break and Total Science present the inaugural co-penned single ‘Gunfinger’ / ‘Acquiesce’.

After MOY's 'Orbital Resonance' EP started the label in spectacular fashion, the second release on Damo B's EMOTEC comes from Ritual Poison co-founder BufoBufo. Following a run of releases on Furthur Electronix, Tone Dropout, Partout and Kouncil Cuts, BufoBufo's 'Perceptual Channels' EP merges acid, electro, breakbeats and the emotive melodies that have become a signature of his music. 'In The Reeds' sets burbling 303s and sci-fi synths against shredded drum loops; 'Silver Disk' nods to a love of classic hip-hop and hardcore, with a monstrous electro bassline; 'Scrying Mirror' has lush house chords, addictive bass and dark interludes; and 'Remote Viewing' is a more reflective downtempo piece with a blissed-out top line and influences from ambient and IDM.

We have really enjoyed the launch of our Dirtybird White Label series. So far this year we have been able to release some outstanding records across a wide range of genres.

Up next, the eclectic sounds of the series continues with an extremely talented LA producer, Danny Goliger. Our friend Justin Jay who also helped kick off the entire white label series, turned us on to Danny's music.

Danny weaves a tapestry of sound, vibes and emotion across four pieces of unique, left-field electronica. We love it.

DJ Pooch strikes back on Amen Brother, bringing his awesome hardcore rave vibes on a brand new 4 track EP. Following up from his sold out debut on the label ‘The Return Of The Skrufneck’, Pooch has transported himself back to 93, digging out his Akai 950 and creating all these tracks on analogue gear, to really capture the sound of those amazing days of rave.

The Skrufneck is an alais he gave to himself back in the early 90’s when he launched his career and now he returns for his second outing on the label. Grab copies fast as these will sell out.

Watch out for more original DJ Pooch material being repressed on Vinyl Fanatiks including his original Skrufneck releases as well as more on Amen Brother and sister label AmenTec.

Galaxian's "Golden Armageddon" on Natural Sciences pulls at the virus that is lodged deep within the collective consciousness of mankind.

A record challenging our ideas of bounty and material wealth by placing the human race in the palms of blood-sucking cultural institutions. Institutions such as big pharma, religious mega-structures, consumer trends and tax schemes which have worked to reduce human behaviour to fetishised objects and de- humanised masses. It's a record that pulls away the shackles, asking for a new trail of thought through de-programming.

Electro pulses for enlightenment. Get woke.

Infinity Plus One is neither a man of big words, nor a man of massive musical output, preferring to remain low-key. The tracks finally presented to you on this EP are bold and bare a distinct character of their own. The opening track "Struggle Is A Constant" is energetic and probably more current than ever, whilst tragically soundtracking recent pandemic times. „Suburban Subversion” remains airy and dreamy as an A2 follow up. The B-side then picks up the pace with "Connected", before the “9th Gate” works towards a gentle and jazzy finish. These four tracks were carefully selected from Infinity Plus One's creative period between 2001 and 2005. They display a diverse repertoire of sounds from the London based artist, whilst at the same time also expanding the soundscape of our Molar label. Thank you for your support, we love you.

Since launching a decade ago, the label has increasingly focused
it's attention away from generic club sounds and last year's releases include Sigha's IDM-tinged alias Faugust, as well as left-of-centre
EP's from Portrait and AVL.

Joining them for the label's first release of 2020 is innovative Japanese producer 'Masaki Uchida' who displays his prowess as a sound designer and multi-instrumentalist across six tracks. Uchida rips apart a variety of contemporary and classic electronic styles, reassembling them into a uniquely beautiful new whole.

Often walking the line between extremes, the release features both moments of chaos and times of complete silence, exemplary of not only Uchida's bold approach to the song writing process but also
his unquestionable talent as a sound designer and engineer.

The great wealth of multifaceted skills is Ralph Heidel's core identity, evident in the attempt to classify his music into a genre. Drone Jazz, Organic Glitch, Neo Classic, Jazztronica, all these terms apply when we read about his music. He began his career as a saxophonist and by now has also become a highly requested composer and arranger for a wide variety of productions. The 28-year-old musician was signed by Mathias Modica (Gomma, ToyTonics) for the Kryptox label, while he was still studying at the Musikhochschule München. Heidel released his debut album"Moments of Resonance" (2019) with his eight-piece ensemble Homo Ludens, followed by his EP "Relief" (2021). This grandiose prelude received applause on an international level. BBC6 presenter Mary Anne Hobbs, decided right away to exclusively feature Ralph Heidel on her radio show.

Voltaje Raizal is the first album of the tropical futurist music project Rizomagic, an electronic music duo, that consists of Diego Manrique, director of the avant-garde cumbia orchestra Niño Pueblo, and Edgar Marun, director of the ethno-afrobeat ensemble Dorado Kandua; Two outstanding projects from Bogota's new thriving alternative psychedelic scene.

The sounds of the album are rooted in the Afro-Caribbean musical tradition, in the mixed ancestry that defines Colombian culture, and IDM. The melodic construction of the album takes inspiration from variouscultures, including Indigenous chants from Colombia’s Embera people, the traditional scales from Mali’s Bambara ethnic group, and the Ghanian palm wine guitar interpreted by a Caribbean millo flute. The mix and mastering carried out by Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers, Pirañas, Chupame el Dedo) and Camilo Manchego offered the final touches that make Voltaje Raizal a fresh proposal to Colombia’s futurist tropical scene. "Rizomagic set out to recontextualize their sources. It’s no coincidence that their name comes from rhizomatic, the botanically derived term for a subterranean, horizontal network of roots".

Soft piano notes kiss trippy electronic tones: “Kossaiko”, the only collaborative record that japanese piano player Saiko Tsukamoto and globally known electronic producer Kuniyuki Takahashi ever produced, is an unmissable profound soft classic music burner.

Together they composed and produced an eight-chapter strong deeply absorbing narrative, whose enthralling story arc dives profound into authentic drama zones, that sound like they jumped right out of a Claude Sautet movie.

Originally released in 2007 as cd only, the perfectly put together longplayer now enters the world for the first time in a vinyl edition that is tragically hip. deeply starry-eyed composi-tions full of minimalistic piano melodies that creep, twist, and dance around unobtrusive electronic notes who never call the tune, but always elevate the spectacle into higher elec-tronic spheres.

In the center of each between five- and nine-minutes long composition is the piano play of Saiko, gently hitting the keys, giving space to each note to vibrate in an endless “Pauline Oli-Veros” way, drifting until the very last sound vanish. around them, Kuniyuki plays his charming electronic tricks, opening the space for tones that sometimes pulsate, sometimes flow the ambient way.

Furthermore, occasionally a guitar notes pop up or accordion melodies cover the sorcery with a severely romantic veil.

Modern classical music, that has no fear of electronic meltdowns, that embraces digital tones while staying organic in its very inner circle.

A wise man once said: when words leave off, music begins. Those who fall for the eight poems of Saikoss will lose their speech and in return get pleased all agitations of their soul.

Tristan Disco was an ephemeral Japanese project led by Takayuki Shiraishi (BGM, MLD) focused on making dubbish Post-Punk.
In 1982 they elaborate a no-wave full of unrehearsed breaks and cavernous vocals. Boundless dark jamming sessions through shades, effects and reverbs always submerged by a tense nervous bassline.

On the B side Krikor delivers a hard-hitting Industrial reconstruction of "Social Dance" perfect to shatter your brain.
Retakes from the mysterious ambient artist Civilistjävel! are more brooding.
Introspection and faded horizons are the main purposes here but a glimpse of hope still glow.

Repress

dark red marbled vinyl

The Factory hereby presents to you its first release: The Factory 001.

A compilation album which features the likes of artists such as Legowelt, Kypski, Regularfantasy, Klangstof & many more. The aim of The Factory is to bring new and established electronic artists together by giving them a platform and full creative control. All contributions are one of a kind and genres range from IDM, lo-fi house to techno.

The first 250 vinyls are numbered and will include a zine that features drawings, photography and poetry by art squad Rots, Zefanya Anindjola, Cathelijne van der Korput and Nina de Koning.

REPRESS!

London’s very own; Lavonz, Perception, Ollie Rant and Ell Murphy link up for an extra special project. Their ‘Beat City’ collaboration delivers everything you need and more for your 2021 ‘Summer of Love’.

First up on the A side, 2 vocal UKG slammers, featuring stunning vocals from Ell Murphy, before the flip takes you into the slightly darker side. Classic 2-step for those peak time dancefloor moments…

Wheez-ie's uncompromising rave anthems get a wild ride of remixes from Tim Reaper, VTSS, DJ Stingray 313, Aura T-09 & Cardopusher

An of-the-moment remix EP full of bold, dark, and relentless warehouse thrillers.

On January 14, L.A.-based producer Matt "Wheez-ie" Mauldin follows up October 2021's Horizons release on Evar Records with an of-the-moment remix EP that's cathartic, riveting, uncompromising and altogether powerful. Wheez-ie gathers together an all-star cast of dancefloor iconoclasts who reinterpret his singular '90s-referential rave visions to thrilling affect – this is all killer, no filler warehouse music for those who are brave enough to take the ride.

London's jungle modernist Tim Reaper reworks "Horizons" – a Summer of Love-ready breakbeat epic with cinematic, near gothic overtones – into an homage of sorts to early LTJ Bukem, cutting up Wheezie's melancholy synths into a twinkling fairyland that dances atop a weighty ton of chopped amens and classic jungle subs.

Detroit icon DJ Stingray 313 trades in the punishing techno vibes of the original "Anon" for something equally fierce – a versatile 139 bpm slab of expertly-machined industrial electro that pairs perfectly with the sample "You think you know me, you don't," which could well be a rallying cry for Wheez-ie's unexpected musical stylings.

The surprises continue on the remix of "Pressure," tackled by Evar Records label head Aura T-09 with the wildly eclectic Barcelona-based Cardopusher. The duo transform Wheez-ie's aggressive free-festival hard trance into a cheeky and modern riff on early Paul Van Dyk/Tiësto/Love Parade anthems. Gossamer layers of Aura T-09's angelic vocals and tunneling Acperience arpeggios are offset by a wildfire of hacked breakbeats and Dominator synth stabs, revealing Cardopusher's rich breakcore past.

Rounding out this fully mental and totally unexpected remix pack is a nasty, naughty fingerblast from the Berghain dark room via Polish-born, Berlin-based VTSS. Where other remixes add the breaks, the fast-techno goddess strips back the early '90s breakbeat hardcore onslaught of the original and replaces it with an equally relentless industrial 4/4 beat – the entire tune is a masterclass in the intensity for which she's known.

Uncompromising and utterly of-the-moment, the Horizons Remix EP explores new shades of the themes that infuse Wheez-ie's original: dystopian futurism, uncertainty, dark beauty and rave catharsis. Don't sleep!

Sam Paganini is back with the brand a new album “Light + Shadow”. The fantastic 12 track concept is his fourth full length after 2020's Reflections and is split into two halves, Light and Shadow, with each showcasing different sides to his sound. This innovative format is a way for the artist to dig even deeper and cook up different moods and grooves for different settings.

R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings bring back their yearly 24.12
compilation, this time featuring Roza Terenzi, Lou Karsh, Qnete
& New World and Jacques Torrance

Tape

Alexandre Bazin's second album for Cassauna is a compelling minimal/experimental/electronic album consisting of one piece separated into several movements for the purpose of stronger narrative and aesthetic coherence. The album explores the concept of percussion and resonance through the spectrum of electronic frequencies and densities with a plunge into the sound.

Percussion-Resonance makes use of a new alphabet, a simple vocabulary in order to create innovative and personal music, with a clear and emotional subject. Structured architectural sequences give way to the experimental. Different climaxes punctuate the work in order to keep grabbing the listener’s attention.The record title tackles the theme of musique concrète developed by French composer Pierre Schaeffer as well a nod to Bernard Parmegiani’s De Natura Sonorum

Alexandre Bazin is a member of the Groupe de Recherches Musicales better known as the GRM, for which he writes documentaries about music for Radio France.

He is passionate about experimental music and more specifically the electronic music created by Bernard Parmegiani, Iannis Xenakis, Pan Sonic, Fennesz, Alva Noto and Ryoji Ikeda. His music is distributed by Important Records / Cassauna, Umor Rex Records and played at the Moogfest festival in the USA.

“Out of Our Hands” brings together Alvin Lucier and Jordan Dykstra who, through the hands of Ordinary Affects, have created debut recordings of two new compositions.

These companion pieces have similar orbits as they were not only both composed in Middletown, CT (where Alvin and Jordan lived for a number of years), but are about Middletown, at least from a starting point. Alvin’s piece — a homage to the location of the house in which he recorded “I am sitting in a room” back in 1969 — continues his study into slow-moving glissandi and carefully crafted beating patters by interweaving three string players within a minor third (voiced by two vibraphonists). The result is entrancing, almost psychedelic, and opens space where one didn’t expect. Like much of his previous work, it is conceptual and process-based; once the wheels get turning they go on and on, giving the listener time to approach the piece, sit with it, and then move back inward.

On the other hand, Dykstra’s piece “32 Middle Tones” (a pun on his Middletown street address and the harmonic microtonality utilized in the composition) is a very textural work. His piece asks the cellist to sustain pitches for extended durations — at times quietly singing in close proximity to the stopped pitch coming from the cello — while the rest of the ensemble (violin, viola, and 2 percussion) voice a sequence of chords separated by notated silences. The cello voice is sometimes alone, but never for too long as it finds itself supported from both the top and bottom in a harmonic embrace. This supportive structure involves a percussion section which colors the seemingly simple chords (major 6th, inverted minor 7th, inverted minor 2nd, etc.) with a non-traditional toolkit of bowed singing bowls, stone sheets, harmonicas, and even leaves.

This is music that gently gives the listener a sense of predictability but always in an unexpected (and subtly indeterminate) shade. Speaking of shade, the album’s cover photo was taken in 2019 in Alvin’s backyard in Middletown. Alvin and Jordan sit with similar demeanors in front of his favorite tree — a crooked aspen which early on looked to be doomed — but which he would often saunter over to spend time with, giving it whispers of blessings and encouraging words.The world was blessed with Alvin’s presence and hopefully this album will whisper to you and yours.

Artist statement:
“With Alvin’s recent passing I was overwhelmed with messages and calls from friends, collaborators, and his former students. Everyone had a heavy heart, no doubt, but were grateful for the memories and their gift to be around Alvin during his lifetime of prolific dedication to the arts, his fascination with poetic storytelling through scientifically-inspired minimalism, and his calm and warmhearted spirit. In his last few years on earth, Alvin was busier than ever — brainstorming new ideas, creating new pieces, and planning big things. While he was here, he was alive, and may his music — and spirit — live on forever, spreading from his corner of Church and High (where he recorded his seminal piece I am sitting in a room) to every corner, concert hall, and loudspeaker in the world.”

Tape

Atsuko Hatano is a contemporay classical Viola player who works with electronics to add textures and layers to her sound. Located in Tokyo, Japan, she is a commanding instrumentalist and composer who constructs innovative compositions with strings and layered electronics.
Cells #5 is an orchestral collection and sequel to her previous album Cells #2 which will also be released on cassette via Imprec’s Cassauna label. Cells #5 required three years to complete and the work features the artist’s signature methodology where the instrumental performances are gradually enveloped by multiple layers of a string orchestration.
When not playing solo Atsuko is extremely active recording, collaborating and playing live with Jim O’ Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi, Mocky, Midori Hirano and many more acts.

Atsuko Hatano: Violin, Viola, Cello, Contrabass, Piano (track 1), Xylophone, Oscillator and Chorus

Guest Musicians:
Eiko Ishibashi: Piano, Marimba, Vibraphone
Yuko Ikoma: Accordion
Natsumi Kudo: Horn and flugelhorn
Icchie: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet
Tatsuhisa Yamamoto: Snare Drum

Composed and Mixed by Atsuko Hatano. Mastered by Jim O’Rourke. Cover by Saskia Griepink.

Quindi Records returns once more to the swooning romanticism of Cabaret du Ciel, the long-running project from Andrea Desidera and Gian Luigi Morosin. After the contemporary material which made up long-player The Breath Of Infinity, Raintears heads back into the group's archives and focuses on a limited cassette release from 1991.

Originally released on Morosin's own Ionisation Tapes, Raintears is described as heralding a new phase for Cabaret du Ciel following their earlier Solarisation and Weather Colours cassettes. This revised, expanded version of the release opens with 'Raintears (Piano Version)', which originally came out on an Ionisation compilation entitled Imago Sonora 1. Truly evoking the spirit of the track and its meaning, it was recorded on a rainy Sunday afternoon when Desidera's friend and trained pianist Francesco Martignon heard the original melody for 'Raintears' and proceeded to improvise on the theme, with Desidera and Morosin embellishinbg Martignon's exquisite playing with subtle touches of synth and sampling. In its fragile, tape-worn repose, the piece is loaded with the delicate ambience a rainy Sunday afternoon implies - calm, melancholic and wistful.

'A New Day' is a piece cast in light and shade, contrasting two core melodic phrases expressed through synth and guitar, with a light touch of speech sampling adding to the cinematic poise of the track. 'Time Of The Twins' originally appeared as a single track on the cassette release, but here it's framed as two distinct parts which meet in the middle. The first half is patient, gliding ambience rich in the harmonic interplay and winding narratives which typifies Cabaret du Ciel overall. The second half opens up like a flower looking for the sun, all pronounced keys pirouetting across the fundamental chord progression established in the first chapter.

'A Delvaux Postcard', previously titled 'East Roads', takes on a spectral, spacious form as it passes by slow, rhythmic pulses and freewheeling synths, momentarily joined by scattered shards of sampled voice layered and filtered in a manner which reminded Morosin of Belgian surrealist painter Paul Delvaux. The EP closes with the original version of 'Raintears' (billed here as 'Raintears II'), a plaintive and disarmingly beautiful ambient piece centered on Desidera's light and poignant playing. As Morosin himself describes, "Andrea is in a full state of grace, touching the listener through his fingers with the notes into their deepest emotions. The first time I listened to the basic version, I was just speechless."

Released in conjunction with the reissue of the Raintears EP, Quindi is proud to present further archival finds from Italian experimental project Cabaret du Ciel. Like a Fool / Inside Loneliness is a single shining a light on the brief collaboration between Andrea Desidera, Gian Luigi Morosin and singer Barbara Volpato.

After years working as an instrumental outfit, the sessions with Volpato from 1991 were the first time Desidera and Morosin's project had welcomed in a vocalist. Of the many tracks written and recorded at that time, the best two were selected and carefully restored from the original tapes, now immortalised on vinyl and expanding the public impression of Cabaret du Ciel.

'Like A Fool' re-imagines the hazy serenity of Cabaret du Ciel in a dream pop context, injecting the soft-focus synth work with the energy of bold drums to provide a suitable framework for Volpato's voice. The crisp twang of new wave guitar completes the picture, while the trademark progression intrinsic to Cabaret du Ciel lends itself to the traditional song structures of pop.

'Inside Loneliness' is a natural companion to the A side, redolent with the heavy-hearted synth-pop romanticism of the late 80s and early 90s. The DIY sound on the track conveys an intimacy that can only come from artists recording in their own private environment, pouring their hearts and souls into a four-track recorder without a conceit other than pure, honest expression.

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Lucia H. Chung is a Taiwanese experimental artist based in London. She performs and releases music under the alias 'en creux'.

Under this alias, Lucia is interested in the underlying structures of what we call noise and is examining the effects of human interventions into its complex web of tones. Repetition and chance operations are fundamental to Lucia‘s music. It is not built on the dionysian maximalism and symbolic harshness of lots of noise artists; catharsis is not reached via an explosion of sound, but via concentration on sound phenomena and small changes, which, not unlike some minimal disco night your usual mind-altering drone ritual, sucks you in more with every tiny alteration. This music is as intense as it is sensitive.

„The Liberated Mind“, in Lucia‘s own words, „is a sort of split release between two no-input configurations“. For „Wyldside“, she tuned two different feedback mixers with identical routings as close possible, as much as tuning is possible at all on these highly volatile instruments. „The two channels naturally phased in and out from each other. I guess the process was actually akin to Steve Reich's tape techniques on Come Out and It's Gonna Rain. The whole release extrapolated from that point onwards...“ Finding and replicating similar routings/settings on no input mixing desks is the nightmare of every control freak and a task doomed to failure, but in letting go and embracing these failures, patterns emerge. And thanks to Lucia‘s careful work, these patterns become hypnotic as she carves out the essence of each feedback loop, or, as she puts it: „Actually, I did remember the setting for the final track „Earthrise“, but for whatever reasons, I just cannot reproduce the sounds and it's forever lost (at least for this point in time, maybe when the conditions are primed again for the machine, the same sounds will emerge again...). I guess that's really the essences of improvised NIMB setup. Every single sound was the effect of the previous iteration and the cause of the next iteration... (Wait... isn't it just like a Blockchain? Ha!)“

A collection of no-input studio sessions improvised with Mackie 1202-VLZ Pro, TAPCO MIX260FX, MXR Phase 90 and Electro-Harmonix Bad Stone Phase Shifter. All tracks recorded live, no overdubs. Recorded in London in February 2020. Mastered by causeandcondition

Lucia also works as independent curator, producer and broadcaster at Happened. Check out Lucia‘s other albums on Hard Return, Falt and SM-LL.

The Equations Collective is an experimental sound project formed by a multi-disciplinary group of artists, active in the fields of music, photography, sound design & software development.

In 2018, the collective set up a temporary outdoor recording studio, 1130 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mount Helicon in Greece, with the ambition of recording their work in a natural environment. A 'mobile and modular' construction, fully powered by solar panels, the design of the studio showcases the possibilities of a progressive, environmentally sustainable future through renewable energy.

Embodying ecological incentives, and representing an immersive engagement with the landscape, the 'Helicon Sessions' document this extraordinary residency, capturing a profound dialogue with the eponymous mountain region.

Situated in Boeotia, Central Greece, Mount Helicon has a prominent archaic significance. A historic location where stories of sacred springs and the epic origins of the Muses and Narcissus converge. Steeped in the heritage of ancient narratives, Helicon is seen as a principal symbol of poetic inspiration.

On the 'Helicon Sessions' the collective draw upon the inspiring topography and fabled mythological resonances of the area, unfurling an expansive, hypnotic suite of abstract electronics. Liberated by an open-ended, improvisational dynamic, the collective move through a mysterious, elemental cycle that mirrors the imposing scale and dramatic atmospheres of the setting.

Across an entrancing, fluid sequence of five designated 'cuts', the collective traverse the borderlands of drone, techno, dub, and acid, amplifying the acoustic traces of Helicon by integrating field recordings collected at the site into this arresting body of work. With these recordings, the collective delineate an odyssey of subverted 303s, sputtering drum machines and formidable, oscillating low end that drifts and coalesces like an amorphous mirage; a spellbinding sound world of clarity and shadow.

The 'Helicon Sessions' signify a symbiosis (between the terrestrial and the engineered, between wildlife and futurism, between the intrinsic and the synthetic, between the innate and the manmade) And with their conception of a portable, eco-friendly studio The Equations Collective focalize valuable ideas centred on ingenuity and evolution. The outcome of this project illustrates a unique collaborative exchange which acknowledges the deep nuances of environment and the enduring echoes of history.

The Equations Collective is a collaboration between Artefakt, Aroma Pitch, Aphelion and Sphera De Noumenon across Berlin, Amsterdam, Cologne and Hamburg. Together they have established an all night long live event in Berlin, starting at Sameheads and Acud Macht Neu, which eventually lead to their residency at OHM (Tresor).

For this format they have collaborated with the following artists: Alex The Fairy, Anna Z, D-IX, Eliad Wagner, Jón Friđgeir Sigurđsson, Orson Wells, Phillip Jondo, Philipp Matalla, PRSMC, Rabih Beaini, Sabrina Gricourt, Sébastien Robert, and Vida Vojić.

The respective members of The Equations Collective have released a range of output on the likes of Field Records, Delsin, Semantica Records, De Stijl, & Soul People Music.

Since 2018 their visual identity has been shaped by Elias Hanzer.

The 'Helicon Sessions' is their debut release.

Nach Releases auf Exploited, Last Night On Earth und Mobilee besticht die Berliner Formation GHEIST auf ihrer neuen EP für Diynamic mit einem modernen Breakbeat-Sound, angereichert mit mutigen Future-Pop-Elementen und catchy modulierten Vocals. Die beiden Tracks wirken wie eine Reflektion der Sommersonne auf dem nachmittaglichen Ozean und spiegeln perfekt GHEISTs vielseitige Live-Hybrid-Perfomances wider, mit denen sich das Quartett eine Ausnahmestellung in der heutigen Musiklandschaft erspielt hat.

Thirty minutes of dark Ambient, drone and experimentation by Kastil owner of Soul Notes. The album is seven tracks in length and contains ambient, experimental, and noise music recorded through modular synthesizers and FX pedal. Limited edition of 70 copies with special golden packaging, smell of luck and two tacks. Black tape with golden case.

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If Texturalis was a real word it might have something to do with the density or porosity of organic compounds.

In the case of Machinefabriek's Texturalis, the word fits the sounds on this album. Sounds indeed, not songs. Anyone familiar with Machinefabriek knows his interest in anything crackling, fizzling and buzzing. For Texturalis, Machinefabriek choose to work on just that; not to be bothered with creating elaborate compositions, but to focus on creating intriguing textures. This resulted in 18 two-minute vignettes. Each of these could be a glimpse of a continuous sound environment.

Forty minutes of dark atmospheres in an evocative mix of dark ambient, ritual, darkwave, drone, industrial and noise by the head of Donations Project, with a remix by J. Mardaras member of Amor Eterno. The album is presented in a limited edition cassette of 20 numbered copies under a careful presentation in a silk-screened cardboard box.