Earlier this year Prins Thomas released his 6th solo album 'Ambitions'. And as always with Prins Thomas - the album is just the beginning of the journey.
Now we are releasing two 12"s with remixes from the album.
On the first 12" Prins Thomas gets remix treatment by Japan's finest DJ Nobu and Synth Sisters, as well as a new 12" version of the title track Ambitions by Prins Thomas himself.
The Tokyo based producer Yoshinori Hayashi will release his new EP, ‘Y’, on November 8th via Smalltown Supersound. The EP will be his first release since his debut LP, Ambivalence, from last year which received a glowing 4.0 review from Resident Advisor.
Hayashi has studied under Japanese avant-classical composer Mica Nozawa. When not DJing, he works in a record store in Tokyo. Thus far, Hayashi has released a string of 12”s on labels including Going Good Records, Jinn Records, Lovers Rock, Gravity Grafittiand Moscoman’s Disco Halal. Previous work by Hayashi has been called “a complex patchwork of studio gear, live instruments, dusty jazz records and smartly cut library sounds, whose textures are soft and inviting. But its arrangements are constantly ruffled, squeezed, brushed and pinched—which is to say, nothing stays still for long” (Resident Advisor).
I felt totally unrestrained making this album” says Lindstrøm about his 6th solo album On A Clear Day I Can See You Forever (a title inspired by the 1970’s musical On A Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Barbra Streisand). “I’ve listened to Robert Wyatt’s solo albums and his Matching Mole’s debutalbum a lot lately. It so effortless, fearless and free. And not insisting. I was very inspired by this” In the autumn of 2018, Lindstrøm composed a commissioned piece for Norway’s premiere art centre Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. Sketches from the three sold-out performances became the foundation for the new tracks. “I decided to keep some of the initial ideas and develop them further. All the songs are based on long one-take recordings”, says Lindstrøm “Also I’ve been very conscious about the music on the album not exceeding the length of the physical limitations of the vinyl-format, finding that 2 long tracks on each side were the perfect balance for this album” This is also the first time ever Lindstrøm has made an album entirely with hardware instead of computer-plugins. He utilised thirty plus synthesizers and drum-machines during his performance at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter. The experience inspired him to embrace a similar set-up when making the album. “The joy of making music on actual physical objects and devices makes a lot of sense to me now. After working on a computer for over 15 years, I don’t think I’ll ever look back” he says with an almost childlike excitement. It was the accessibility to his enviable collection of music gear – largely consisting of sought after synthesizers – that allowed Lindstrøm to experiment so freely with ideas and soundscapes. “The title track is a 10-minutes improvisation on the Moog Memorymoog. I liked the loose feel so I decided to keep everything unedited. The other tracks were written and arranged prior to the recordings. I then set up the instruments needed for my sessions, then recorded more or less everything in a single take. I’m really happy with the way this album came together.” Lindstrøm has cited classical music as an inspiration the last couple of years “I used to study classical music at school. Back then I was listening to a lot of Opera, orchestral music and solo music on the piano. Listening to classical music again has been a revisit to my childhood days, just like I did when I embraced the 80s in the early 2000s”
Once embracing the freedom and the joy of making music without inhibitions, immersing himself in to the physical realm of making music with hardware, Lindstrøm learned something new not only about music – but about himself.
“I guess I've been trying to re-educate myself”
Deathprod, a.k.a. Helge Sten, has been deeply embedded in the Oslo music community for decades, but his brooding soundscapes and deliberate process make him seem sometimes like a phantom. Sten is a founding member of Supersilent, adding his sounds and treatments to the avant jazz leanings of that powerful collective, and he has collaborated with artists as diverse as Biosphere, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.
But Occulting Disk is the first new Deathprod album in 15 years; his attention to detail is next level, and the darkly powerful soundscapes arch and swell like the shifting of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Raw, emotional, political and deliberate, this is ambient music with deep intention.
Fans of Arca, Oneohtrix Point Never, Tim Hecker, Steve Reich, Autechre, Swans, and GAS will all need this record – Deathprod makes some of the most powerful experimental ambient composition of our time. His last LP, Morals and Dogma, from 2004, was listed as one of Pitchfork’s top 50 ambient albums of all time. FACT calls Sten the “dark ambient master.” The New York Times said “Sten loves to summon up thick, often ominous clouds of sound, gesturing at everything from avant-garde composition to black metal without ever quite revealing his hand.”
After Prins Thomas’ Ambitions album (released in April) follows a series of 12”s with remixes from the album! On this first release Prins Thomas gets remix treatment from Lauer on the album’s vocal track Feel The Love.
The track is based around a sample of the track "Feel A Love" by one of the biggest pop-stars in Norway in the 70s and 80s, the late Alex (Naumik). The 12” contains a Prins Thomas Diskomix, album version and two remixes from Lauer.
OVERVIEW:
Kelly Lee Owens releases a 12” featuring Let It Go, a track made for her DJ set at Fabric earlier this year and now made available through the Adult Swim Single Series. Let It Go & accompanying track Omen will be released on pyhysical through Smalltown Supersound on July 5th.
Drittes Album des norwegischen Produzenten Andre Bratten nach den Vorgängern "Be A Man You Ant" (2013) und "Gode" (2015). Inspiriert von Boards Of Canada, Autechre und den Drexciya-Projekten The Other People Place und Transllusion, zaubert Bratten mit 808, Sequenzer, Reel-To-Reel-Tape und einem 1980er Mischpult aus den ABBA-Studios sechs bezaubernd-melodische Techno-Tunes, von denen einige bereits 2018 in einer limitierten 12"-Miniserie erschienen waren.
"ambitions" Ist Das Sechste Album Von Prins Thomas Und Seine Zweite Soloarbeit Für Smalltown Supersound (neben Den Beiden Kollabowerken Mit Björn Torske Und Bugge Wesseltoft). Die Neue Tracks Auf "ambitions" Sind Kürzer, Prägnanter Und Melodischer, Gleichzeitig Präsentiert Prins Thomas Mit "feel The Love" Seine Erste Vocalsingle, Basierend Auf Einem Sample Der Norwegischen Popikone Alex Naumik. Jazzlegende Bugge Wesseltoft Wiederum War An Den Aufnahmen Zum Albumfinale "sakral" Beteiligt.
Smalltown Supersound Präsentiert Unveröffentlichte Aufnahmen Des Heute 58-jährigen, Norwegischen Ambient-meisters Erik Wollo Aus Der Zeit Zwischen 1986-1992. Inspiriert Von Jon Hassell, Brian Eno, Harold Budd Und Klaus Schulze, Fing Wollo Damals An, Mit Moderner Midi-technik Spacig-kosmische Klangkulissen Zu Erzeugen, Die Später Einen Massgeblichen Einfluss Auf Den Cosmic-sound Norwegischer Produzenten Wie Lindstrom, Björn Torske Und Prins Thomas Haben Sollten. Die Aufnahmen Auf "sources" Wurden Von Helge Sten (deathprod) Auf Basis Der Originaltapes In Seinem Audio Virus Lab Gemastered.
Nach Releases Auf Going Good, Jinn, Lovers Rock, Gravity Grafitti Und Moscomans Disco Halal-label Veröffentlicht Der Japanische Produzent Yoshinori Hayashi Nun Sein Debütalbum Auf Smalltown Supersound. Als Schüler Des Avantgarde-komponisten Mica Nozawa Besitzt Sein Werk "ambivalence" Einen Kosmischen, Hypnotischen, Fast Rituellen Ansatz Und Wird Von Resident Advisor Als "komplexes Patchwork Aus Studiogeräten, Live-instrumenten, Verstaubten Jazz-platten Und Clever Geschnittenen Library-sounds Mit Weichen Und Einladenden Strukturen" Bezeichnet.
Smalltown Supersound is proud to present our new signing Bendik Giske from Oslo, Norway.
In addition to original track Adjust this EP also contains remixes from Total Freedom, Lotic, Rezzett and Deathprod.
The performance artist and saxophonist's mesmerizing debut takes listeners on a true journey through the euphoria and wanderlust of nights spent clubbing—using little more than his voice, saxophone, his instrument of choice, and more than a few well-placed microphones.
Giske finds a natural home in Smalltown Supersound as he cites Lindstrom's arpeggio sounds and Evan Parker's circular breathing as references, both of whom have released on the label. By combining the two extreme sides of the scale, he seamlessly fuses freeform jazz and club music.
Neneh Cherry returns with Four Tet-produced LP Broken Politics
Following the release of her first earth-quaking single in 4 years at the beginning of August, counter-culture pop icon Neneh Cherry announces her fifth solo album Broken Politics, produced in its entirety by Four Tet.
Continuing her blurring and conflation of the personal and the political, the second single Shot Gun Shack tackles the link between violence and deprivation using poetic logic. The track deals with the ever-present and always-global issue of gun violence in society. The track's name was the result of inspiration that sprung from a half-remembered conversation Cherry had at the funeral of late jazz great Ornette Coleman.
Broken Politics pointedly asks the question; how do we conduct ourselves in extraordinary times In an era where the signal-to-noise ratio is more uneven than ever, what are the measures we must take to retain and remember our own personhood It searches for answers, patiently and with great care, and with a fearlessness to acknowledge that sometimes the answers don't even exist. It's a record that's equal parts angry, thoughtful, melancholy, and emboldening, as Cherry and her collaborators continue to expand her ever-widening sonic palette to craft truly singular and potent music.
We are happy to announce Andre Bratten's 12' trilogy! Each 12' edition of 300, no re-press. First out is Un and Pax Americana.
We are happy to announce Andre Bratten's 12' trilogy! Each 12' edition of 300, no re-press. First out is Un and Pax Americana.
A long time ago, in a Norway far far away in time, keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft introduced his New Conception of Jazz to the world. We're talking about the late 90s, when Bugge's cosmopolitan blend of jazz, hiphop and techno beats was pretty much the coolest music coming out of Norway at that moment. That was a golden time for Norwegian music, in fact, when the rest of the world began to sit up and take notice that something was stirring up north, and realised the music was more than just glacial tones hurtled from icy mountaintops and frozen lakes. This was the sound of urban Scandinavia.
A few years later came the electronic dance genre 'space disco'. Along with Todd Terje, Bjørn Torske and Lindstrøm, Prins Thomas was at the epicentre of this next big wave to surge out of Norway. Now, the two generations have come together in this exclusive collaboration between Bugge and Prins Thomas on the Smalltown Supersound label. Jazz and electronics combine for that energising vitamin D shot of Nordic sunshine.
The Rainbow Studio in Oslo is a familiar name to anyone who follows the ECM label - many of its classic 1970s jazz albums were recorded there under the eye of resident producer Jan Erik Kongshaug. Bugge and Thomas booked a couple of sessions at the legendary space with Kongshaug at the controls, and improvised some tunes in the style and spirit of some of their favourite ECM moments, like the fresh, open sounds of Codona, Egberto Gismonti, Oregon and Kenny Wheeler. Bugge had previously done a remix of Thomas's 'Bobletekno' in 2015 but this is the first time they have worked together as active musicians. The results - also partly taped at Thomas's home studio - fuse programmed rhythms, live synths and percussion, all captured in a sumptuously spacious acoustic.
For an even more authentic touch they called up one of their all time local heroes and one of Norway's most famous jazz drummers, Jon Christensen, who's been the go-to guy for Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Keith Jarrett and many more. At 75 years he's still pretty spry behind the kit, as you'll hear on several tracks here.
Make no mistake, though, this is not retro pastiche but contemporary music, coasting on gently insistent programmed grooves and bubbling basslines. The whole thing feels not so much like a consciously hip fusion of DJ and jazz musician, more like two great musicians totally enjoying themselves. Which is exactly what it is.
Key facts:
Bugge Wesseltoft is one of Norway's leading jazz figures. He set up Jazzland Recordings in 1996. His solo Christmas LP It's Snowing On My Piano remains Norway's best selling jazz album!
Prins Thomas's real name is Thomas Hermansen. His label, Full Pupp, means 'full breast'. He's released several albums under his own name, as well as collaborations with Bjørn Torske and Lindström. Check out his amazing Paradise Goulash mixtapes.
Das vierte Album des britischen Wahlkölner Produzenten Matt Karmil, "Will", erscheint auf dem norwegischen Kultlabel Smalltown Supersound und erfährt bereits große Anerkennung in den Medien. So vergibt das britische Mixmag 8/10 Punkte und bezeichnet das Album als "schöne, soft-fokussierte Ansammlung an hauchdünnem Kopfhörer-House, meditativem Minimalismus und Strömen von Ambient Techno." Matt Karmil arbeitete bereits mit John Talabot, Axel Boman, Matias Aguayo und Kornel Kovacs zusammen und veröffentlichte bislang auf Kompakt, Idle Hands, Studio Barnhus und Yumé.
Norwegian house and techno producer Bjørn Torske started experimenting with electronic music in the late '80s in his hometown of Tromsø. As a teenager he was inspired by other Tromsø musicians, especially Geir Jenssen, the musical prodigy later to be known as ambient pioneer Biosphere. Torske started releasing minimalist techno in the beginning of the '90s, primarily under the name of Ismistik.
"Nothing's Changed", sagt ein junger Barack Obama in einem Sample für den Opening Track des zweiten Albums des in Tokio lebenden US-Produzenten Will Long. Der DJ Sprinkles-Protegé legt damit den Nachfolger seines 2016 auf Comatose veröffentlichten, gleichnamigen Debüts vor, das von der Fachpresse begeistert aufgenommen wurde. "Long Trax 2" ist ein ebenso wunderschönes und sphärisches Deep-House-Meisterwerk, das auf CD und 3 separaten, nach Farben benannten 12"-Vinylen erscheint.
"Nothing's Changed", sagt ein junger Barack Obama in einem Sample für den Opening Track des zweiten Albums des in Tokio lebenden US-Produzenten Will Long. Der DJ Sprinkles-Protegé legt damit den Nachfolger seines 2016 auf Comatose veröffentlichten, gleichnamigen Debüts vor, das von der Fachpresse begeistert aufgenommen wurde. "Long Trax 2" ist ein ebenso wunderschönes und sphärisches Deep-House-Meisterwerk, das auf CD und 3 separaten, nach Farben benannten 12"-Vinylen erscheint.
