2025 Repress
Ash Ra Tempel is the eponymous debut studio album by the Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel. It features guitarist Manuel Göttsching with drummer Klaus Schulze and bassist Hartmut Enke.
Engineered by Conny Plank it was recorded in March 1971 and released in June 1971 on Ohr Records.
This 50Th Anniversary Album will be Released in Memoriam of all the Musical Contributors to this Release and on Manuel Göttsching´s MG.ART label. It´s the fourth and headlining edition in this series and was finalised, carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching himself in the late Autumn of 2022.
Much has been written about the record and band.
Having finished a first musical chapter with their Steeple Chase Bluesband and still at very young age of only 17 and 18 years old Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke met Klaus Schulze. Together they started to write and and compose what, to many, became one the holy grails of Psychedelic Rock and early Electronic Music -
the German variant which was later also named "Krautrock":
Ash Ra Tempel´s self-titled first album "Ash Ra Tempel".
"The trio of Klaus Schulze, Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke decided to abandon conventional composition and song writing, in favour of free-form improvising and developing a new musical language. As such, they became notorious for jams that could exceed 30 minutes." Says Discogs. "Some of these recordings can be found on Manuel Göttsching´s "The Private Tapes" releases", which will be re-released on MG.ART as well, following this edition.
"Krautrocksampler" author Julian Cope mentioned it to be "… one of the greatest rock 'n' roll LPs ever made." (Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel". 15 March 2000.)
AllMusic called the album "both astonishingly prescient and just flat out good, a logical extension of the space-jam-freakout ethos into rarified realms."
Here we would like the Band to be heard, for what can easily be said as the first time in 50+ years, with the exception of some early Journalists for whom the young Manuel Göttsching wrote a statement of intent (the original text can be found inside this edition) as following:
"Our musical concept is based on a combination of blues rock and delicate collages of electronic sound. These two elements should remain inseparable. And in their complex unity, the different musical philosophies of each musician find a common sweet spot. Our music is a permanently impulsive experience left to develop as it will, starting from a common fixed point of departure. This is where the difficulty of the music begins: No standardized formulation of our music can and should be possible. Only the constant reaction within the band can determine the musical result. And this requires constant listening with full concentration on the part of the creators. The idea of a particular musician will be - if flexible enough - absorbed by the others, transposed to their own instrument, and reflected back into the music as an individual contribution. This reciprocity within the band is then transferred over to the audience. And this process means that their reaction is not only a contribution to the end result; it actually makes them jointly responsible for the creation of the final musical product.
…
On our album, the track "Amboss" represents the first layer. Conventional instruments communicate familiar music which is in part expanded through electronic means. In the second track of the album - "Traummaschine" - the actual basic sound approach is dissolved into an electronic Nirvana which no longer allows the concrete identification of actual instruments. Innocent, virgin listening, free from any and every association, can finally begin - and the music can be absorbed and processed free from the limitations of categorization. That is the purpose of our music: To convey freedom without any predetermined criteria or traditions.
Thank you for your attention."
(Taken from the original A-R-T Bio 1970)
Hartmut Enke, Manuel Göttsching and Klaus Schulze aka. Ash Ra Tempel travelled to Hamburg in March 1971 to record their debut, with assistance of another Icon, legendary engineer Conny Plank.
The rest is history.
Cerca:purpose
Life Elsewhere marks the striking debut of Catalan artist Oriol Cebrián, working under his Absent Corps alias. Known in underground circles for his razor-sharp ear and deep historical knowledge of electronic music, Oriol steps fully into the spotlight with an EP that both pays tribute to—and expands upon—the clubbing traditions of the late ’80s and early ’90s Valencia and Girona scenes: two epicenters of Spain’s most fervent and influential electronic underground. Crafted with a clear sense of purpose and sonic identity, Life Elsewhere is a masterclass in tension and rhythm—fusing hard- edged new beat with body-moving EBM, break-heavy trance detonations, and raw, unfiltered machine techno. All of it is filtered through a contemporary, uncompromising vision. Each track feels designed for the floor, yet refuses to fall into formula—constantly shifting between muscular propulsion and hypnotic detail. Presented in a truly limited ONE- OFF edition of 300 copies, lacquer-cut and pressed on 180g high-quality solid BLUE vinyl. All tracks have been specially remastered and mastered for vinyl.
Vinyl A Coloured Vinyl[20,59 €]
Vinyl B Black Vinyl[12,56 €]
Vinyl B Coloured Vinyl[20,59 €]
Known for his ability to create captivating, emotionally charged techno, Jonathan Kaspar eventually returns to Cocoon Recordings with his third contribution Twofold Split. One, yet simultaneously two releases that once again showcase his extraordinary talent through condensed techno with a pinch of trance, weaving together driving rhythms and atmospheric textures in a way that feels innovatively progressive.
Drifting hypnotically, this might be the most fitting way to describe what Jonathan Kaspar unfolds before us here. The rolling percussion grooves seamlessly intertwine with the siren's spectral tone, gradually blending into the alchemy of ‘Yah’ as it erupts into the mix. By the time the peak arrives, there’s a raw intensity in the air - the track seems to bend and stretch then drills and twists until it cracks, but never loses its sense of purpose and remainsanchored in its deep, pulsating groove. On the flip side, ‘Silver Lines’ stands as a counterpart, offering a contrast in both sound and atmosphere. With its minimalist arrangement, the track first nestles in gently, lulling the listener into its world—only to tighten its grip as a synth sequence gradually opens its cut-off filter, slicing through the calm, drilling into the mind, and shifting the mood from tranquil to tense.
Dunkirk is a 2017 English-language war film written, co-produced and directed by Christopher Nolan (Interstellar, Memento, Insomnia, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception). The score is composed by multiple award winner Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Batman V Superman, The Crown). On 5 April 2017, Zimmer revealed that he was nearly finished with the score, and that it would be complete by the start of his Hans Zimmer Live on Tour shows in May.
For the purpose of intensity, the script was written to accommodate the auditory illusion of a Shepard tone, which had previously been explored in Nolan's 2006 film The Prestige. This was coupled with the sound of a ticking clock, that of Nolan's own pocket watch, which he recorded and sent to Zimmer to be synthesized. The first pressing is individually numbered and pressed on transparent blue vinyl.
Alanis Morissette Delivers the Equivalent of a Spiritual Awakening on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie:
Introspective Themes and Compassionate Emotions on Eastern-Tinged Album Have Grown More Relevant
1998 Smash Plays with Enhanced Detail, Rich Textures, and Sharp Focus on Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM 2LP Set:
First-Ever Audiophile Edition Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies
1/2" / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe
Alanis Morissette refuses to adhere to convention on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. While most artists follow-up their breakthrough with an album that closely parallels the approaches that helped make them famous, the maverick singer-songwriter stayed true to herself and drew inspiration from travel to India before she began the recording sessions. As much as the preceding Jagged Little Pill put her on the global radar, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie confirmed her role as a vital generational voice — and proved her blockbuster success was no fluke. Having set a mark for most sales of an LP in its debut week by a female artist, the 1998 smash remains a pop-rock staple.
Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM 2LP set of Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie presents the triple-platinum LP in audiophile sound for the first time. Benefitting from defined grooves that befit the album’s nearly 72-minute length, this pressing plays with enhanced detail, refined clarity, sharper focus, and broader dynamics than prior versions.
Those traits are key given Morissette’s use of more textured and atmospheric soundscapes, not to mention her evolution into a more nuanced and controlled singer. Similarly, the scale and reach of David Campbell’s string arrangements come across as orchestrations should. Ditto the synth-based architecture shaped by producer and principal Morissette collaborator Glen Ballard. All in all, Mobile Fidelity’s collectible edition simply delivers more information via transparent means.
Notable for its balance, sophistication, and richness, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie at heart finds Morissette pausing, taking a breath, and learning how to navigate life in a healthy manner after enduring one of the most exhausting and rocket-to-fame stretches any musician ever experienced. It’s the sonic equivalent of a spiritual awakening, a call to betterment, a brave assessment of the self and humanity as a whole. As such, the tunes on her second international (and fourth Canadian) release teem with gratitude, compassion, love, empathy — emotions that lend themselves to the largely mellow, contoured scope and Eastern-tinged melodies of the songs themselves.
“How ‘bout how good it feels to finally forgive you,” Morissette sings on the lead single “Thank U.” “How ‘bout grieving it all one at a time.” Those sentiments, and the vocalist’s embrace of concepts such as divinity and acceptance, not only provide a foundation on which Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie rests. They also reflect the personal maturation she gained from her embrace of Buddhist culture in India and a mindset bent toward notions of reconciliation, peace, and sensuality that were nearly absent in popular music in the late ‘90s.
Those themes continue on “That I Would Be Good,” a confident reflection that takes stock of one’s mental, physical, and emotional state in the face of both changing and unpleasant circumstances — and concludes with Morissette performing a flute solo, further exposing the raw intimacy of the introspective tune. She channels relatable simplicity and joy on “So Pure,” with her invocations of “dance” and “freestyle” speaking to the freedom of expression that courses throughout Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. And perhaps no song finds Morissette showcasing her refreshed attitude toward life and opening up more than the relationship-themed “Unsent,” whose unconventional structures and lack of a chorus only add to its directness.
Akin to many albums that were ahead of their time, and despite the critical and commercial accolades afforded it upon release, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie attracted new appreciation and perspective as it got older. Issued during an era where its ideas of serenity, absolution, tranquility, and contentment seemed largely alien, the record — akin to the ways its predecessor foreshadowed a movement — now functions as a visionary beacon that foretells of way to maintain sanity, dignity, and goodness amid a contemporary landscape filled with constant distractions, polarizing views, and incessant calls to purchase, promote, and produce without questioning the what-for purpose.
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie dares to ask the questions and, at its best, supplies meaningful answers and alternatives that lead to longed-for enlightenment, healing, and laughter. For these reasons alone, it’s a record that never goes out of style.
Manchester’s sferic label return with a debut from ungoogleable Greco-Canadian anomaly Anastasia Patellis, aka Any, featuring additional instrumentation and co-production from Klein/Lolina cohort LA Timpa. It's a set of "squat pop" experiments that thread nocturnal soundscaping and pop hooks through hallucinated outlines written on harp and broken synth.
Greco-Canadian artist Any was bedding down in a Cretan squat when the album's title, μέγα ελεός in Greek, boomed from loudspeakers next to a bonfire, courtesy of a midnight Orthodox church sermon. Moving to the sunny, ancient island had provided her with an escape from big city burnout, but she ended staying far longer than expected - years rather than months. It’s this prolonged sense of suspension that provides the album with its wandering spirit, using harp as an emotional core.
Listening to Breton music made on the Celtic harp from artists like Kristen Noguès and Alan Stivell, Any sketched out song outlines that were then tweaked by Lagos-born, Toronto-raised journeyman LA Timpa, who flew out to Crete last summer to put his idiosyncratic stamp on the record. Like the dusty songs on Astrid Sonne's 'Great Doubt, ‘MEGA MERCY' sounds as if its drum line was duped on dictaphone from an old beat tape, then spliced with field recordings and vocals.
Half sung, half spoken, she murmurs around the beat, not exactly over it, adding circuitous, boss-tuned harp twangs when necessary. It's music that's spartan rather than lo-fi; a sort of bare-bones reaction to electroacoustic experimentation and outsider folk. It makes perfect sense that an artist as thematically on-point as LA Timpa is involved - Any's instrumental vamps are roughly pasted around pinprick boom-bap snaps and crunchy foley denouements, eventually cooled into contemplative Nala Sinephro-esque meditations.
Sections bring to mind Tirzah's most psychedelic early excursions, with dry asides set against a slurping, off-axis beatbox loop and distant, barely-audible synths. The record is tied up on 'WEATHER LIKE TIDE', an instrumental callback to the opener, book-ending the album with a melancholy, humid kinda ambient folk, purposefully melting the timeline.
For the fourth release on her celebrated record label Uppers and Downers, Dr.Rubinstein returns to the producer's seat with Take This Pill, a new 3-track EP that showcases the dynamic, ever-widening range of her signature acid sound. Lacing lively dancefloor cuts with a dose of personal storytelling and a playful yet honest take on mental health, Take This Pill delivers on Rubi's distinct ability to honor classic rave sensibilities while also always imparting her own unique twist.
The title track journeys from dark, acid-laced electro breaks into a shimmering wash of euphoric synths, energized along the way by drumrolls, hoovers, and a vocal refrain repeatedly voicing the Doctor's prescription: "Take this pill!" More than just a nod to classic XTC bangers, "Take This Pill" explores the emotional spectrum of neurodivergence and the pharmaceutical pathways many embark upon on a quest to "fit in," mirroring the lived experience of internal struggle giving way to external composure.
Things shift up a few gears on track two, the aptly-titled "No Brainer," a relentlessly energetic, no-nonsense stomper designed with the soul purpose of making you move. The track features sidewinding Goa-tinged acid lines swirling through a hard trance kick scape adorned by with soaring strings and shimmering cymbal rolls.
The EP concludes with a gorgeous, melodic rave-infused cut that shows a more tender, reflective side of Rubinstein's repertoire. Referencing one of Rubi's favorite tunes, The KLF's iconic "3 AM Eternal," diaphenous ambient vocals soar over a melancholic acid ballad that, never to be taken too seriously, is punctuated by humorous woops and cheeky rave whistles.
With Take This Pill, Dr. Rubinstein invites listeners into her world-one where vulnerability, humor, and acid rave euphoria collide. A perfect addition to her label's growing catalog, Take This Pill upholds the mission of Uppers and Downers: to collect and circulate timeless, tried-and-true tunes that celebrate the uplifting, affirmative power of rave music.
One of Romania’s most important composers in the last half-century, Octavian Nemescu (1940-2020) is among the few that were not “part of the system”, managing to survive and compose in a world that felt more and more “empty”, fragile, confused and scarce in prophecies. The mystical approach to his art defines Octavian Nemescu as an essentialist who believed in the power of archetypes in which he found inspiration. His pieces always start from an idea that has spiritual, cosmogonic implications and often involves synthesizers, sounds from nature (buzz of bees) and the “ison” (drone). When defining “meta music” or “imaginary music”, Nemescu was an advocate of looking from above, from the top of the mountain. Silence is very important in his work in order to keep the sound flowing and to reflect on the sound from before, as a space, as a pause for thinking. Nemescu put forward another kind of music: a song that has not yet surfaced through human voice, any musical instrument, orchestra or other electro-acoustic means: an intimate, interior, introverted inner sound that focuses on the individual and the imagination. Imaginary music is a reaction, it comes in contrast to the spectacular, it is anti-show. For him, music had a ritualistic function, it served no cultural purpose.
This 3LP set collects eight pieces for variable ensemble, tape and electronics, composed between 1968 and 2015, selected together with Erica Nemescu, who also mastered the tracks. Most tracks have been previously released on different CD’s but never before on vinyl.
- 1: Seeds
- 2: Wind
- 3: Calabash
- 4: Kali Yuga
- 5: The Birth Of Petey Wheatstraw
- 6: Best Love
- 7: Husfriend Intro
- 8: Husfriend
- 9: Kneecap Jelly
- 10: The Few
- 11: Remember
- 12: Poet
- 13: Illicit Funk
- 14: Dirty Dude
- 15: East Meets West
- 16: Sally
- 17: Young Spirit
- 18: Cake Boss
- 19: Violet Sky
- 20: Cops Still Ain’t Shit
- 21: Travlin’
- 22: Fonky Soul
The original Madlib instrumentals to Georgia Anne Muldrow’s critically acclaimed album; “Seeds” which was released in 2012 on SomeOthaShip Connect. Heralded as one of her most captivating and immediate front-to-back statements of purpose, a deeply spiritual collection of songs. It was the first time in her career where she handed over all production duties to someone other than herself, that someone being the legendary Madlib.
The beats on “Seeds” are naturally heavy, funky, soulful, abrupt yet hypnotic. All the characteristics of Madlib’s signature sound we know and love.
On the B Side of the vinyl is a collection of Georgia Anne Muldrow instrumentals from across 3 Dudley Perkins albums, “Young Spirit”, “Self Study”, and “Holy Smokes.” Beats with synths reminiscent of J Dilla’s electronic era but with enough G-Funk influence to melt your Raiders hat. Bass lines that could get The Click back together. Georgia Anne Muldrow is a master of her craft on the beats and the microphone. This record is a testament to that. Rediscover “Seeds”, the magical powers of Madlib, and why beat tapes will never go out of style.
Proper Monday Number is an electronic duo from Brighton, UK featuring Suzi Horn of cult DFA act Prinzhorn Dance School and producer Christoph Boseley. Their Deep clean your house EP is a sure shot of cynicism-defying DIY dance-pop spanning five tracks in 15 minutes, not a second or minute wasted. The ingredients may be familiar - mid-2000s electro and bassline, 90s house, those shitty, overused speakers in your teenage bedroom - but the attitude is ever forward. Fun with a purpose.
TAMTEN, the master storyteller behind the synthesizers, extends his invitation to every curious listener to ponder the same questions that haunt him throughout his peculiar career: what impacts the sound of an era? How are we shaped by what we hear and see? Do we channel our collective feelings of longing and desire for higher purpose in accord or in opposition to major historical and political forces?
On "Wschodnia Fala: The Reimagined Vision of Eastern-European Wave Music" TAMTEN takes us on a kaleidoscopic voyage through a parallel universe where the symbols and echoes of days gone by are so much more than just archived exhibits of nostalgia. Through an array of meticulous, cut & paste rearrangements, the Warsaw-based artist manages to animate yet another fantastic world of "what could be", following his more apocalyptical take on the previous LP.
There is boldness in every aspect of the release. The saga-like story unfolds evoking the excitement of seashore autobahn ride, thrills of long-forgotten discotheque nights, rush of obsessive romance and intriguing, noir-inspired drama of introspection. The analogies between Polish wave music (with nods to Aya RL, Republika, Klaus Mittfoch, Papa Dance or even Bajm) and global disco-era top chart phenomenons like Kraftwerk, Grace Jones, Giorgio Moroder and Duran Duran, could spark hour-long musicology debates. The melodies and harmonies heard on the album resemble compositions everybody knows but also sound completely new and exhilarating, just as western music clips experienced for the first time behind the Iron Curtain and then collected compulsively on VHS tapes. The feeling of the author's frenetic attempt to capture sensations, memories, artifacts and ideas never escapes the listener till the very last minute of the recording.
"Wschodnia Fala" could pass for an eerie, anonymous late 80s lost-and-found cassette mixtape unearthed on any of the Berlin Wall's sides, if it wasn't for its crystal-clear, contemporary production value and the fluent, educated use of samples ranging from bizarre and opaque to deliberately retro-pop-influenced. Those elaborate winks of the eye for those in the know are already TAMTEN's trademark and they reflect his long-standing fascination with the dancefloor anthropology rather than just the dancefloor itself. Even though never leaning towards formulaic, easy-to-mix, club-ready stompers, his ideas are still groovy enough to make anyone move.
The album strives for some sort of unattainable totality - it's a ticket to a seance, an experience, a rite. It is a chance to time travel and dance with your ancestors in a glass labyrinth on acid or to watch an 80s teenage adventure, coming-of-age, road cruising film in the cinema of your imagination with only a soundtrack provided. A "the best of" CD compilation of hits from a childhood we remember from a different timeline. A comic book sketch, a diary of an archivist, an elegy for the times that never were and a party you wish you could go to right now. The adventure is always different with another listen.
Step in. Close your eyes. Reimagine.
Embrace the wave
Krystal Klear returns to Running Back with another batch of purpose-built dance floor tracks. The name? Personal. It means something, but that bit stays off the press sheet.
Written during a particularly charged stretch of inspiration, these tracks aim to soundtrack every hour of the night: from the hopeful haze of doors open to the bitter-sweet buzz of lights on.
Crafted as quiet tributes to nights out and DJ booths in Germany, Scotland, and London, places where sweat meets sub, and the USB never quite ejects.
The formula? Unchanged and undefeated: heavy drums, melodic inflections, more ARPs than strictly necessary, and something emo stirred in for good measure. Dance music for dancers. Or at least for the idea of them.
The debut release on Caricia Records sees longtime collaborators VIL and CRAVO refine the language they've developed through years of joint work, both individually and as members of the Hayes collective. Between them, their output on labels like Monnom Black, Klockworks, Self Reflektion and the aforementioned Hayes Collective has consistently balanced precision with character, and this first chapter under their new imprint is no exception.
Opening with So Right, the record sets a distinct tone, with rolling percussion and a hypnotic vocal line threading through the mix with restraint and control. 420% FODA leans into classic swing and texture, tightly looped and built for movement without ever overreaching. On the B-side, CRAVO offers Future Detroit, a stripped-back piece with room to breathe, subtle in its shifts but firm in its intent. VIL rounds off the EP with Hard to Find, a playful closer that keeps things buoyant and dynamic, pushing forward without losing its shape.
Caricia 001 is about clarity of purpose. No filler, no theatrics, just four tracks that speak for themselves.
- A1: Counting The Days; Written-By – Borland*, Mayers*, Bailey*, Dudley*
- A2: Winning (Live); Written-By – The Sound (2)
- A3: Dreams Then Plans; Written-By – Borland*
- A4: Total Recall (Live); Written-By – The Sound (2)
- B1: Burning Part Of Me; Written-By – The Sound (2)
- B2: Longest Days; Written-By – Borland*, Mayers*, Bailey*, Dudley*
- B3: Under You; Written-By – The Sound (2)
- B4: Golden Soldiers; Written-By – Borland*, Mayers*
- C1: Silent Air (Live); Written-By – Borland*
- C2: Sense Of Purpose (Live); Written-By – The Sound (2)
- C3: New Way Of Life"; Written-By – Borland*, Mayers*, Bailey*, Dudley*
- D1: Wildest Dreams; Written-By – Janes*, The Sound (2)
- D2: Heartland (Live); Written-By – Borland*
- D3: Temperature Drop; Written-By – Borland*, Bailey*
- D4: Missiles (Live)
The Ottawa composer/performer and head of Black Bough Records plays every instrument on his CST debut: an accessibly avant-garde work of dark/ambient modern chamber music. Mark Molnar has been a linchpin of the Ottawa experimental music scene for over two decades, spanning contemporary classical, electroacoustic, industrial/noise, and improv. As a string player in a wide range of projects, an organizer and curator of innumerable shows, and via his own avantgarde label Black Bough Records, Molnar's unflagging contributions to independent music culture in Canada's capital city have been significant. EXO is his Constellation debut: a remarkable and bracing suite of post-classical composition on which Molnar plays every instrument. Meticulously self-recorded, primarily with strings, harp, and piano, EXO balances thematic melodicism, polytonality, and dissonance across three elegiac pieces of exquisitely expressive dynamism. This is exacting modern chamber music that blends formal and harmonic complexity with a solemn emotive sensibility accessible to a broad audience. Listeners that yearn for some edge and disquietude in a landscape of often all-too-approachable post-classical music should find EXO eminently worth their time and attention. While Molnar is a highly trained string player, and studied music under Aubrey Wolfe, microtonality with James Tenney, and composition with R. Murray Schafer, his trajectory has been entirely and intentionally outside the academy, signalling a socio-artistic commitment to DIY culture, forged from an early passion for the sonic worlds of post-hardcore, post-punk, no-wave, free improv, power electronics, and other independent/underground musics. His classically-informed works have been described as "tense currents of musical modernism invigorated with punk's raw vitality." EXO carries an undercurrent influenced by dark industrial and ambient metal in particular, with microphones purposely placed to pick up the low-end frequencies of the piano body, and of a bass drum positioned as a resonant skin in the acoustic space; an electroacoustic strategy organically meshed to the crisply defined and pristinely recorded pointillisms and polychords of strings, harp, and piano, which feed into this noisefloor of crepuscular sub-bass disquietude and decay. It's a production aesthetic that lends EXO a distinct undertow of tension and feeling, a sort of roiling maximalism where the chamber instrumentation traces arcs and waves of form and flow as if drawn from a dark, impervious ocean below. It also reinforces the profound hermeticism of Molnar's process, as a forbiddingly solitary creative act of immersion and navigation. The album artwork, featuring semiabstract stills of the sea by British photographer Ed Allen, further reifies this metaphor. The album's opening piece 'Sub Luna' (and its shortest at 8 minutes) showcases Molnar's adeptness at naturalistic and flowing complexity: tight cascades of climbing and descending chordal clusters hold their polytonal densities for various durations, yielding to more clarified harmonic suspensions and motifs, as melodic themes led primarily by violins in the higher registers provide a fractured lyricism. Molnar says: "the opening and closing figures of this piece act as opposing shorelines; the shorelines provide a reliable expression of range and key signature, and the tides come in and swallow them up, the motion of a body that addresses the relationship between states of lucidity and melodic figures." On 'Terre Sacer' everything happens in soupier waters, as a slow and doleful theme, anchored by grinding bass notes, circles in a gyre of dark resonances, until glistening strings gradually ascend to enrobe a plaintive and gently harrowing single-voiced ostinato over the composition's final third. Molnar's drone, ambient, minimalist, and goth-industrial influences are on display here. Side Two of EXO features the 18-minute multi-movement 'pallida Mors' (pale death): a waterfall of heterophony introduces dense chordal movements where strings are recorded and mixed to evoke pipe organ, in the album's most overtly dissonant and (anti)liturgical sequence. This gives way to ever more open and fragile spaces, before a resurgence of dark clusters and noise treatments introduces a final repeating piano coda, shrouded in devastated bass resonance, settling into what Molnar calls "a meditative hollow." Constellation is honoured to release this work by Mark Molnar, a longtime fellow-traveler whose selfless and boundlessly generous activities as an independent arts enabler sometimes obscure his own accomplished and uncompromising artistry. We trust EXO can help shed some much deserved light on this fine composer. Thanks for listening.
Returning to an aphotic minefield of sound – Seismic Records is back with its third release, Drum Ring, crafted by Norwegian producer and Ute Records co-founder Ekkel. Emerging from the forests of Nordic electronic heritage, Teo Bachs – aka Ekkel – channels the raw energy of ’90s progressive sounds into his mind-bending productions. From the studio, his signature blend of breaks and intricate percussion create soundscapes that are as cerebral as they are propulsive. Titled Drum Ring, the EP captures the feeling of a complete mental trip through a narrative of tension, ancient textures, and enchanting melodies.
Poised with a sense of urgency, the A-side unfolds with a neatly rolling rhythm. Hradec Fog Fever builds a controlled frenzy of percussive elements, with layers stripping in and out, consistently driving the track forward. Slipping into A2, Owl Foot casts a sonic mist, a haze that tentatively creeps forward, flickering between atmospheric dips and shadowy contours. Vocal-cut whispers transcend through the soundscape, shy yet impactful, drawing you closer. It’s a tender introduction to a minimalist, dark progressive journey – a delicate balance of intrigue and mystery, where each sound lingers like a secret waiting to be discovered.
The B-Side strikes with poignant, powerful drum kicks that reverberate through layers of distortion. Drum Ring displays echoes of tension and unease, building a restless energy that urges deeper introspection. Ancient, enchanting tones weave through the chaos, grounding the frenetic soundwaves in something timeless and mystical. Sealing the EP, Endphase begins with faint, distant string notes that offer a fleeting, hopeful moment of rest. Growling chords and textures swirl, edging you to a meditation, only to be punctuated by sharp, deliberate drum patterns, adding a sense of momentum and purpose – a glimmer of light breaking through the mist. Experience the full cycle of a delicate trip as Ekkel guides you through Drum Ring – a precious and dark progressive journey.
No Tags is a podcast and newsletter about underground music culture hosted by Tom Lea and Chal Ravens.
Designed by All Purpose Studio, this book collects the best interviews and discussions from the first year of No Tags, along with four new essays by some of our favourite writers and thinkers.
Featuring: Eris Drew, Simon Reynolds, JK & Bempah, Sorry Records, CCL, Jeff Weiss, lorecore, GG Albuquerque, indie sleaze, Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, Meaghan Garvey, Ray Philp, Jonny Banger, OK Williams, Iglooghost, the sound of Tory Britain, payola, The Large, Gavin Douglas, Marvin Sparks, Dr Robin James, Lena Raine, Midland, Henry Bruce-Jones, Vivian Host, Chris Zaldua, the spirit of 2011, Amy Lamé, the bursting festival bubble and Fish56Octagon.
Shiken Hanzo is an artist not easily forgotten. His sound splices the fractious traditions of jungle with more ambient touches and this hybridisation has us incredibly excited to bring you his first full length album - ‘Fate Worlds’. In doing so, his boundless creativity is brandished through complete artistic freedom. The result is a special blend of foreboding atmospherics and tightly-bound percussive force, an odyssey of an album which takes influences from across the jungle spectrum and twists them into a unique musical journey. Hanzo's record on label's like Samurai Music and Cylon Recordings is clearly audible, a palpable legacy that has given breadth to his current creative purpose: to make ever-evolving music with no respect for conventions or boundaries.
- 1: Introduction / Embalmed Beauty Sleep
- 2: Two Independent Organisms → One Suppurating Deformity
- 3: And The Slimy Flying Creatures Reproduce In Your Brains
- 4: The Uncontrollable Regret Of The Rotting Flesh
- 5: (Within) The Chamber Of Whispering Eyes
- 6: …And You’ll Remain… (In Pieces In Nothingness)
- 7: The Cry
- 8: The Putrefying Road In The Nineteenth Extremity (…Somewhere Inside The Bowels Of Endlessness…)
- 9: Inherited Bowel Levitation – Reduced Without Any Effort
- 10: Egassem Neddih A – Ortni
- 11: The Echo (Replacement)
- 12: Erecshyrinol
- 13: The Sixteenth Six-Tooth Son Of Fourteen Four-Regional Dimensions (Still Unnamed)
- 14: The Cry
- 15: The Faces Right Below The Skin Of The Earth
- 16: Emptiness Of Vanishing
- 17: Vanishing Of Emptiness
- 18: Uncontrollable Regret Of The Rotting Flesh
Clear/Black Smoke Vinyl[34,41 €]
All Demilich demo material plus recordings from 2006 in a snappy double LP package. Compiled together with the band, this is the ultimate Demilich demo compilation. In the late days of the early life of death metal in the early nineties, the death metal "community" had strayed from an appreciation of the majestic possibilities of sound, and were making a mundane product instead. They wanted the most "brutal" sound so the largest crowd could hear it, consider themselves "extreme," and go back to work with a hangover. This made the music escape its tiny audience, but killed off exploration as well. In addition, it was defensive and under-confident, feeling its chops lagged behind the rock, blues and jazz genres. Stagnation struck even as the genre accelerated. Enter the dark horse, Demilich. These inventive Finns reintroduced amazement at the possibilities of music. Where most people look at a forest and see wood for sale, a death metal fan after Demilich sees an intricate organism in itself, with the smallest details corresponding to the broadest concepts. The labyrinthine riffs of Demilich corresponded to a worldview that saw the connection between details as a design, and a design as conferring a purpose to life, cycling between birth and death as it spelled out the cryptic intricacies of ancient mysteries.




















