Portland-based krautrock band Motrik formed in 2013, its four members united by a pledge to modernize their beloved genre. Sharing a passion for pioneers like Can, Kraftwerk, and Trad Gras Och Stenar, the group has demonstrated its ability to deliver over a series of EPs and albums, most recently 2020's acclaimed Artificial Head. As they continue to experiment by incorporating additional influences ranging from funk and jazz to psych and prog Motrik's third full-length, a double LP titled MOON: The Cosmic Electrics of MOTRIK, is a further continuation in the story of an historic genre befitting of the album's cosmic artwork.
Motrik boldly takes full advantage of the space that four sides of vinyl allow on this latest offering. The middle of the album features two long suites that feel typical of the groups dynamic live performances, which frequently feature fog cannons, lasers, and other prop homages to Kraftwerk and company. The 13-minute "Stabilize" emerges from a haze of synth pulses and guitar tones, settling into a steady NEU!-like chug that swells and recedes like an ecstatic wave. On "Space Elevator", the motorik drive from which the band take their name evolves into an insinuating and sensual disco-like throb before the perfect proggy comedown in the final minute.
Suche:the comedown
"Ed DMX has been part of Shipwrec since the label's inception. Under his DMX Krew moniker, this analogue wizard has released four Eps and one LP on the Nijmegen imprint. DMX Krew returns to Shipwrec for a brand new album, a collection that displays yet another side of this sculptor's sound. Brutal and cold, shadows are long and shades dark from the outset. Drum patterns twist in tempo and intent, from hard and punishing to gentle and fragile. Elements of breaks and industrial are also present in the percussion, this fragmenting allowing deep and soulful melodies to counter the battery. In fact, echoes of electronica permeate the harmonies across the LP such as deep and divergent "Interrupt." No single style is adhered to. Instead, the full palette of machine music is employed. From the squelchy Tudor electrofunk of "I Wonder Why" to the melancholic braindance of "Rephlections in Time", genre boundaries are given little credence. Instead, Ed DMX draws on his decades of experience to create sounds that are both familiar and completely one of a kind. The deep-sea dive of "Final Comedown" is juxtaposed with the ambling calypso of "Dinosaur Reaction", styles reimagined and reshaped to the creator's evolving purpose. Echoes of the halcyon days of Rephlex permeate the 2LP. The harshness and softness of the Cornwall imprint being present throughout, those more subtle tones coming to the fore in the delicate beauty of the "Phaser Level 2." A transcendent album and a certified future classic. To accompany this very special release, there will be a limited edition run with full cover art by Ruwedata. An artist very close to Shipwrec's heart, Ruwedata was responsible for the sleeve work on DMX Krew's Cosmic Awakening."
Opal presents its fourth release: Turning Point, Vol. 1, a various artists EP.
The record unfolds as a continuous journey, each track flowing into the next. Energy shifts gradually, guiding the listener through a subtle change of course that is already taking shape. The EP is a curated sequence of evolving perspectives, an introspective mapping of sound in transition. Featuring BOOH, Last Chance, Lourene, Ramez, IDL, and CRL.
DJ Support by Fabrizio Mammarella, Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Erol Alkan, Ame, Fango, Jaye Ward, SHMLSS, Camilo Miranda, Marco Passarani, Logan Fisher, Massimiliano Pagliara, Otto (Bordello a Parigi), Phil Mison, Giulia Gutterer, Pete Herbert, Franz Scala, Lauer, Pedro Bertho, Feel Fly ...
New music from legendary Adriatic DJ and producer Verdo is as rare as an MP3 in the golden age of disco. Which is why you should be hella excited for GRATIS CLUB, his first full-length album and a love letter to the iconic club he once called home in Senigallia.
A true Loyal Hell Yeah Recordings member and consummate musician, Verdo brings his signature piano melodies to Italo disco, hi-NRG, and trance magic across X cuts that are equal parts dancefloor propulsion and cosmic exploration.
GRATIS CLUB captures the energy, eccentricity and euphoria of the club Verdo played and directed, translating the pulse of a local institution into a timeless, high-voltage record. With previous releases on Danny Was A Drag King and this label, including his 2020 Symmetry EP, Verdo continues to prove he’s one of Italy’s best-kept secrets with this new album.
Opener and lead single ‘Let In The Light' is pure Italo disco adrenaline: shimmering arps soar over lush chords and retro analogue drums, igniting the dancefloor. Second single ‘Boulevardier’ is introspective yet radiant with rugged synths spiralling inward while shiny 80s chords inject colour and retro soul, all carried by supple, marching drums. 'Eyes Melody' is an ascent to a higher state with acrobatic drums and bass and more luminous synth magic, 'Ballad' has a more downbeat and late-night feel with pensive pads and sad vocoder, then the title cut is bold, bright and unabashed in its stomping disco brilliance. 'Our Love Come Back' has a sense of yearning that surely translates the sadness felt at the closing of Gratis Club, then 'Lest We Forget' is a reminder of how pumping and sweaty the main room got with Verdo in the booth. 'Little Blue's is the gentle comedown and comforting hand that leads you home in a reverie.
GRATIS CLUB is a pure hit of unbridled Italo disco joy.
Gargantuan is the debut studio album by U.K. electronic duo Spooky (Charlie May and Duncan Forbes), released by William Orbit's Guerilla Records in March 1993.
Today Gargantuan is regarded as a landmark album in the history of progressive house and British dance music. As Guerilla’s standard bearer, they helped coalesce an immersive sound that was neither Detroit, nor Chicago, nor Manchester.
The duo became renowned for being at the forefront of the progressive house scene that emerged in the aftermath of the "post-rave comedown", joining fellow acts like Orbital and Underworld in re-casting house music in an energetic live environment.
Gargantuan has been out of print on vinyl since 2006 and is re-released on 21st June.
Classic remasters and represses from a classic act.
Automation were one of the strongest old skool underground rave groups, producing numerous huge tunes such as Electricity, Espionage, Pacemaker, Ruffcut, and Eat The Bee, and all of their amazing EPs are being remastered and reissued for the first time in over 30 years!
Mucha, AKA Amanda Butterworth presents a stunning double header for Frequency Domain's tenth birthday release. But when up against one of the most thoughtful, precise, yet loose and rave inducing producers in the history of synthesisers, there was only ever going to be one opening point being made here. Surgeon's remix is typically essential for any techno fan. So while the original 'Skin' is this patient, rhythmic but beat-less slice of post- (or pre-)club stuff, full of ecstasy moods and comedown overtures, Surgeon's take refocuses us on the repetitive vocal patterns and slaps a wonderful compelling broken kick underneath to create a proper dancefloor builder. B-side 'You Make Me Go Under' goes for a neo-Bjork style IDM leaning piece, which then gets a moody, apocalyptic Datassette cut to top off an exceptionally strong package. Buy it. Buy it now.
- Cutting My Fingers Off
- New Scream
- Humming
- Hello Euphoria
- Dizzy On The Comedown
- Diazepam
- Like Slow Disappearing
- Take My Head
- Threshold
- I Would Hate You If I Could
- Intrapersonal
- Humblest Pleasures
- Change Irreversible
- Cutting My Fingers Off (Instrumental)
- New Scream (Instrumental)
- Humming (Instrumental)
- Hello Euphoria (Instrumental)
- Dizzy On The Comedown (Instrumental)
- Diazepam (Instrumental)
- Like Slow Disappearing (Instrumental)
- Take My Head (Instrumental)
- Threshold (Instrumental)
- I Would Hate You If I Could (Instrumental)
- Intrapersonal (Instrumental)
- Diazepam (Alternative)
- Like Slow Disappearing (Alternative)
- Take My Head (Alternative)
- Humblest Pleasures (Alternative)
- Cutting My Fingers Off (Alternative)
- Humming (Alternative)
BLUE MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CHERRY MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CITRUS MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
Colored Cassette[14,08 €]
Celebrate a decade of Turnover's iconic sophomore album Peripheral Vision with this Deluxe Anniversary Edition. This Ripple 3LP box set includes Peripheral Vision in full alongside two bonus tracks ("Humblest Pleasures" and "Change Irreversible") on disc one. Disc two features a completely instrumental version of Peripheral Vision's original eleven songs. Disc three features newly-recorded alternate versions of 6 Turnover songs from the era recorded with original producer Will Yip at Studio 4. Packaged in a slip-case set, this deluxe edition features a 24" poster and 12" x 12" book with lyrics, liner notes, archival photos and an interview with the band reflecting on a decade of Peripheral Vision. Released on May 4th, 2015 via Run For Cover Records, Turnover's second album Peripheral Vision is widely regarded as an essential body of the work in the band's discography, maturing its sound into a shoegaze-inflected post-punk direction following the band's 2013 debut record Magnolia. Described as "a tour de force" by Kerrang!, the album set the stage for an extensive and prolific touring history over the past decade and three subsequent albums, including their most recent LP, 2022's Myself in the Way. - Deluxe 3xLP Box Set Celebrating 10 years of Peripheral Vision - Three disc set includes original album, 2 bonus tracks, full instrumental album & 6 alternative versions of album-era songs - Updated packaging includes belly-band, jumbo lyric poster and 12"x12" book with archival photos, tour dates & an interview with the band - Limited edition of 5000 copies
- Cutting My Fingers Off
- New Scream
- Humming
- Hello Euphoria
- Dizzy On The Comedown
- Diazepam
- Like Slow Disappearing
- Take My Head
- Threshold
- I Would Hate You If I Could
- Intrapersonal
- Humblest Pleasures
- Change Irreversible
CHERRY MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CITRUS MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CITRUS MARBLE VINYL[93,24 €]
Colored Cassette[14,08 €]
Celebrate a decade of Turnover's iconic sophomore album Peripheral Vision with this 10 Year Anniversary Edition. Retaining the album's iconic cover art, the packaging has been completely overhauled to include a new lyric poster & printed photo inner sleeve. This special limited edition also includes two bonus tracks from the era - "Humblest Pleasures" and "Change Irreversible." Released on May 4th, 2015 via Run For Cover Records, Turnover's second album Peripheral Vision is widely regarded as an essential body of the work in the band's discography, maturing its sound into a shoegaze-inflected post-punk direction following the band's 2013 debut record Magnolia. Described as "a tour de force" by Kerrang!, the album set the stage for an extensive and prolific touring history over the past decade and three subsequent albums, including their most recent LP, 2022's Myself in the Way. - Updated vinyl packing - new jacket, inner-sleeve, lyric poster - 2 Bonus tracks from "Humblest Pleasures" EP
BLUE MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CHERRY MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CITRUS MARBLE VINYL[93,24 €]
Colored Cassette[14,08 €]
Celebrate a decade of Turnover's iconic sophomore album Peripheral Vision with this 10 Year Anniversary Edition. Retaining the album's iconic cover art, the packaging has been completely overhauled to include a new lyric poster & printed photo inner sleeve. This special limited edition also includes two bonus tracks from the era - "Humblest Pleasures" and "Change Irreversible." Released on May 4th, 2015 via Run For Cover Records, Turnover's second album Peripheral Vision is widely regarded as an essential body of the work in the band's discography, maturing its sound into a shoegaze-inflected post-punk direction following the band's 2013 debut record Magnolia. Described as "a tour de force" by Kerrang!, the album set the stage for an extensive and prolific touring history over the past decade and three subsequent albums, including their most recent LP, 2022's Myself in the Way. - Updated vinyl packing - new jacket, inner-sleeve, lyric poster - 2 Bonus tracks from "Humblest Pleasures" EP
BLUE MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CHERRY MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CITRUS MARBLE VINYL[26,01 €]
CITRUS MARBLE VINYL[93,24 €]
Virginia Beach's Turnover has never been a band afraid of telling the truth. The emotional honesty poured out over a number of anthemic releases has been a proven formula of success for the band, but on their sophomore LP Peripheral Vision, the band treads into deeper water. Working again with Magnolia producer Will Yip (Title Fight, Circa Survive), Turnover's latest record shows a band maturing to create their best effort: an ethereal, reverb-drenched soundscape blending elements of hazy dream pop and the delicate emo rock of yesteryear. Songs like "Hello Euphoria" and "Like Slow Disappearing" highlight the new calmer, more subdued approach to songwriting, matched by Austin Getz's somber, confessional lyrics that echo throughout songs as if his words were haunting every measure. Peripheral Vision solidifies the idea that Turnover is a band with its finger on the pulse of its generation: growing and learning with every release, but never failing to provide a relatable, cathartic experience for anyone listening.
"Stoned Immaculate" (1991) ist das wohl bekannteste Dub Syndicate-Album, aufgenommen zwischen Jamaika und London. Zu den rockigen Rhythms des Bandleaders Style Scott gesellen sich weitere Topmusiker wie Skip McDonald (git), Lee "Scratch" Perry und Akabu on vocals, Leith Levene (keys), sowie Samples des verstorbenen, großartigen Prince Far I. Es markiert eine Zeit, in der das Label von Acid-House-Fans ebenso angenommen wurde wie von Hardcore-Dub-Fans, und diese LP zum festen Bestandteil der "Comedown"-Session nach dem Rave wurde. Der Titeltrack ist eine wahre On-U-Sound-Hymne, die Reggae, ausgeflippte Electronica, The Doors und Motown zu einem epischen Groove vermischt. Das seit Jahren vergriffene Vinylformat wurde von Frank Merritt im The Carvery neu geschnitten und enthält rare Fotos von Coneyl Jay und neue Linernotes von Rob Harris (Testpressung).
Fresh from beasting the end-of-year charts with her 'I Miss Your Love' remix project, Ghost Assembly, aka Manchester DJ and writer Abigail Ward, is back with a double A-side: RESIST! / I Keep on Making the Same Mistake.
RESIST! (Extended 12" Mix)
Laid down quickly and angrily after attending a demo in Manchester city centre, RESIST! aims to capture the galvanising spirit of protest and put it on wax.
A 111bpm acid chugger that will leave dancefloors of an ALFOS or Optimo persuasion begging for more, this is uncompromising machine funk at its crudest.
Duelling 303s twist around each other whilst a taut, snaking 707 groove underpins unexpected blasts of Arabic rhythm, almost as if DJ Pierre had remixed 'Get UR Freak On', relocating it to the Middle East.
As a stuttering Harper Hay vocal sample urges us to RESIST!, the track climaxes with an ice-cold acid house string coda banged out on a disobedient synth. Please note: the sub on this record may trouble your duodenum.
RESIST! (Utter Kunt Mix)
The Utter Kunt mix is a sparse and daring Sleng Teng-inspired avant-dub affair strictly for discerning dancefloors only. Improbably combining hints of the Mission Impossible theme, Les Negresses Vertes' 'Zobi La Mouche' and the rough-hewn sampling of 'Duck Rock', this is a radiant obstacle in the path of the obvious. Warning: collectors of On-U, EBM and New Beat could experience a spate of nocturnal emissions upon purchasing this record.
The A-side closes with a BONUS BEATS version of the Utter Kunt Mix: a must-have DJ tool.
I KEEP ON MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE
Picking up the pace to 120, 'I Keep on Making the Same Mistake' sees Ghost Assembly returning to her string-drenched sad banger comfort zone, pairing a chilly breakbeat with a bass riff reminiscent of Joey Beltram having a gut-wrenching cry wank. Keening vocals supplied by Hazel Grove are chopped up, tormented and eventually hurled down a K-hole as the strings build and the drama escalates.
When the credits roll on this cinematic masterpiece we hear a wistful French lesbian talking about 'borrowed bliss'.
A future comedown classic; also sounds good slowed down to 33rpm.
The E.P. signs off with a stunning string-a-pella that will linger long after the needle hits the run-out groove.
- The Comedown
- Twilight
- Uptown / Downtown
- Driftaway
- Sorry I Made You Cry
- Goodbye Drama Queen
- Equinox's Children
- High With You
- Night Drive
- Star
- Sleeping Pill
- Sirens
Blue Vinyl + 7" + Art Print[34,03 €]
"Twilight" ist die kleine Schwester von "Daylight" und laut Produzent Hifi Sean und Sänger David McAlmont ihr bislang bestes Album. "Twilight" ist eine 12 Tracks umfassende Nachtfahrt von der Dämmerung bis zum Morgengrauen, mit allen Momenten dazwischen. Der Opener "The Comedown" ist eine Zusammenarbeit mit The Blessed Madonna, der Titeltrack eine Klangwand mit Chören und das herausragende "Sorry I Made You Cry" ein verzerrter, von Doo-Wop inspirierter Torch-Song.
- Sean: "Ich wollte, dass sich dieses Album so anfühlt, als wäre man in einer dunklen Gedankenwelt und würde gleichzeitig von seinem Lieblingsmenschen umarmt."
- David: "Ich weiß nur, dass wir uns vorgenommen haben, eine kleine Schwester für Daylight zu machen, und am Ende unser bisher bestes Album herausgebracht haben."
- The Comedown
- Twilight
- Uptown / Downtown
- Driftaway
- Sorry I Made You Cry
- Goodbye Drama Queen
- Equinox's Children
- High With You
- Night Drive
- Star
- Sleeping Pill
- Sirens
- Tracklisting Flexidisc 7": A1. Driftaway Dub
Blue Vinyl[30,04 €]
"Twilight" ist die kleine Schwester von "Daylight" und laut Produzent Hifi Sean und Sänger David McAlmont ihr bislang bestes Album. "Twilight" ist eine 12 Tracks umfassende Nachtfahrt von der Dämmerung bis zum Morgengrauen, mit allen Momenten dazwischen. Der Opener "The Comedown" ist eine Zusammenarbeit mit The Blessed Madonna, der Titeltrack eine Klangwand mit Chören und das herausragende "Sorry I Made You Cry" ein verzerrter, von Doo-Wop inspirierter Torch-Song.
- Sean: "Ich wollte, dass sich dieses Album so anfühlt, als wäre man in einer dunklen Gedankenwelt und würde gleichzeitig von seinem Lieblingsmenschen umarmt."
- David: "Ich weiß nur, dass wir uns vorgenommen haben, eine kleine Schwester für Daylight zu machen, und am Ende unser bisher bestes Album herausgebracht haben."
American heavy stoner rock / doom metal music titans Bongripper are set to unleash their latest release, a monumental live album recorded at the iconic Soulcrusher Festival in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, in 2022. The album captures the raw, immersive power of Bongripper’s unforgettable performance, a night that left festival-visitors in awe of the band’s crushing intensity and atmospheric depth. Known for their colossal soundscapes and uncompromising approach to instrumental heavy music, Bongripper delivered a career-defining set at Soulcrusher 2022. This live recording captures the band at their peak, delivering an authentic, visceral listening experience. This album also includes a special treat for fans: the ambient track “Glaciers” as an exclusive bonus-song; a stark contrast to the bone-crushing live set, “Glaciers” is a meditative exploration of texture and space, offering a contemplative comedown from the intensity of the first three tracks. Recorded and mixed separately from the live performance, the track showcases the band’s experimental side, blending haunting synths and atmospheric soundscapes into a mesmerizing sonic journey; an experience like no other!
While 1995's Washing Machine LP moniker was a thinly-veiled jab at the corporate aesthetic ("no, you cannot turn Sonic Youth into a household appliance brand", the band even considered changing its name to Washing Machine but settled on the album title instead), their major label relationship was indeed a curious buzzpoint of talk on the street after their intake to DGC in 1990. It wouldn't be fair to say that this state of existence propelled the band to reinforce its independent mindset by releasing a series of opaque-looking, French-language-dipping, highbrow-looking releases on their own that focused on the more abstract improv/compositional side of the band; in all truths they had been heavily steeped in self-releasing spillover material prior to that. But after a pressure pot of the early 90's indoctrination into a new operational mode for the band and its visibility, and the forces around it attempting to shape their direction, it seemed like a good time to create a strong show of radical concept.
The Anagrama EP became the first in a series of the SYR label's Perspective Musicales releases seemingly cementing Sonic Youth's connectivity to an increasing public awareness in experimental composers of the 20th century (French or otherwise). The irony was that many of those original avant composers being rediscovered by the indie audience (Partch, Neuhaus, Reich, Messaien) often found themselves on major labels anyway! So, perhaps this reverse approach was a necessary concept/comment given the music biz climate of the 90's. Regardless of how apples and oranges fell in Xenakian probability/theory, it was clear that both Sonic Youth's stature in progressive music, aided by now unlimited taperoll time thanks to a home base studio downtown established after their Lollapalooza stint, gave the band plenty of trailblazing time for their self examination of untraveled avenues.
"Anagrama" unfolds into nine minutes of delicate textures, starting with thick drone segueing into moments reminiscent of the post-crescendo flutter/comedown of "Marquee Moon's" trail-out; Thurston, Lee and Kim's guitars all circling round each other taking delicate pokes and stabs before drifting into some post-rock rhythmic moves tapered with delicate percussive guidance from Steve Shelley. "Improvisation Ajoutée" reaches further out into dissolve with whirring oscillations, guitars hissing and clanking radiator-style in a short blast format that continues into "Tremens" and a spooked-out landscape of gelatinous notes snaking up slowly. The sparseness of attack is colorful, textures emit and linger, silent spots shine, all flanked by tasteful drumming that provides the thread to all the abstraction. Shelley's approach here is interestingly sideways to any kind of usual rock action, it's tempered, mutant and metronomic simultaneously. The finale track "Mieux: De Corrosion" is a real pedal-palatte showcase. Here, Plutonian guitar wash flanges upwards to buoy a myriad of colorful eruptions of amp-spuzz, chopped up tone blasts and general confusion. Out of the blue, some metallic one-note choogle kicks in and threatens to explode into some Judas Priestly motion, before it all sputters into aural glass showers, clang, and finally a ferocious wave of more flange hiss that crashes down on a dime.
This initial foray into SY's Perspectives Musicales series continued onward with releases featuring other co-conspirators, peaking with the ambitious 2CD Goodbye 20th Century that finally connects the band into full-on interpretations of other composers' pieces (as well as displaying their own new ones). The whole series is not so much an outlet for another "side" of the band, but a run that went hand in hand building new approaches of songcraft onto their own, more overground direction which included Jim O'Rourke (who hopped on during SYR3), adding additional density to A Thousand Leaves and other LPs of his era. Fans of the '86 Spinhead Sessions as well as the recently-exhumed later jams of In/Out/In will take in the sounds of SYR1 with glee.
Pain Management presents a debut collaborative release from Bristol’s Larry McCarthy & mysterious newcomer Eris FM. The limited edition single fuses hellish Bristolian dub with tender vocal excursions on two dark cuts in equal parts tough and tender. A heartfelt comedown offering for the hyperactive via two cathartic weapons primed for maximum emotional release.
The A side’s foolish titular opener is a hellish mess of dub delays and eerie narrative exposition. Reminiscent of blown-out early No Corner offerings; a tangled mess of sirens and harsh noise ensnare FM’s disembodied commands. Turn your phone off / Tell no one where you are / Go out / Press your lips to the cracks in the soil. Overtly human exposition shrouded in a plosive shell of sawtoothed frequencies and machine drum paranoia. The effect is an unsettling hybrid of softness and uncertainty. A teeth-grinding mess of grit and potent anxiety primed for anti-dancefloor devastation; one to comfort the disturbed or disturb the comfortable depending on where you’re at.
On the flip ‘Red’ applies this same methodology to a beatless format, noisy chaos swapped out for ascendent grandeur. Here FM’s voice has more room to breathe, floating above an ever expanding synthscape. Reflective prosaic cohesion replaces the A side’s splintered present-tense directives.The rawness remains but on Red it takes the form of a commanding emotive clarity rather than claustrophobic uncertainty. A subtle heartbeat rhythm pulses beneath the nebulous pads, swaying like a slow dance in the early hours.
Hyper-limited run of 100 7” records
Continuing our quest to get all of the classic early AMT albums released on vinyl, we turn to 2004’s 'Mantra Of Love’, and with the help of Makoto Kawabata’s studio wizardry, we’ve made it possible.
This latest instalment in the ‘Acid Mothers Temple Vinyl Archives - First Time On Vinyl’ series (as with the three previous SOLD OUT releases in the series) have all been meticulously put together with the help of Makoto Kawabata with the original CD artwork recreated for these vinyl editions from archive photos stored in the vaults at the Acid Mothers Temple in Osaka, Japan and the original audio remastered by James Plotkin.
Here’s what others had to say upon it’s original CD only release back in 2004 …
“Acid Mothers are strong folk. You'd think they'd tire quickly, all tucked away on their island, strewn about on tree roots while baking their lungs and throats to a knotty green tinge. But instead of waltzing through life like hippies, they manage to not only tour and put out records every year, but also to fill those albums with 30-minute jams and assorted freakouts. And while evil jam bands would fill that space with guitar work taken from the Classic Rock Manual of Clichés, Makoto Kawabata and company assault listeners with frighteningly dense walls of white noise, psychedelic swirl effects and, yes, even guitar solos-- albeit ones that are more Merzbow or Keiji Haino than Gary Rossington. Truly, AMT's endurance and threshold for cosmic lashings are both worthy of admiration.
But how much AMT can you take in one sitting? If there's anything this band has taught us-- via records such as 2002's Electric Heavyland and the ferocious Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O-- it's that they're not afraid to reach for the upper regions of consciousness. On Mantra of Love, they offer two titles over the course of one hour, never faltering along the way, and it's as if we listeners are just brief visitors passing through a never-ending, spontaneous group trip. For all I know, Kawabata has hundreds of hours of this stuff on his hard drive-- at any single moment, this record's sheer volume of sound is a clamor to behold. However, if you aren't dialed into that the particular space AMT inhabits (for me, it's the mystical fire-baptism standby), you might not hear their glorious noise for all the, well, glorious noise.
"La Le Lo" begins as a lengthy psychedelic ballad sung by Cotton Casino (who doubles on "beer & cigarettes"), who is accompanied by her own ghostly backing vocals. The band is playing a mantra as Casino waxes earth-mother stylings to the moon. The serenity is broken by a patented AMT rave led by Kawabata's electric sitar (!) solo. Ace rhythm section Tsuyama Atsushi ("monster bass") and Koizumi Hajime hold things together, as does the generally decent recording quality (not a given for these guys), but the real money is in effects-- lots and lots effects. Much like France's Richard Pinhas or AMT's countrymen in Les Rallizes Denudes and High Rise, the band understands the collaborative power of solo + overdriven Moog sirens and screams. And, also like those artists, Acid Mothers can go on all night if need be. About 25 minutes into this piece, any hell that hadn't already broken loose gets its due, and the band speeds to a fiery climax before winding down into glimmering astro-ambience.
The second track, "L'Ambition dans le Miroir", also begins as a minor ballad featuring Casino's haunting solo vocal. The Mothers set her up with a faux-blues drag and a thick buffer of synth-rays; when Casino actually enters, she fights for airtime with an array of falling stars and cosmic dust. However, this time there is no overwhelming solo to power the comedown. Casino intermittently coos in the background while droning horns keep the auxiliary pixie haze from evaporating. As they showed on In C and La Novia, AMT are more than adept at creating calmer storms-- listeners just have to catch them in the right light. Mantra of Love doesn't necessarily capture the most inspired moments in their canon but as usual with this band's records, it's rarely at a loss for moments of horror or grandeur.”
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. : Cotton Casino - Vocal, Beer & Cigarettes - Tsuyama Atsushi - Monster Bass, Vocal, Cosmic Joker - Higashi Hiroshi - Synthesizer, Dancin' King - Koizumi Hajime - Drums, Percussion, Sleeping Monk - Kawabata Makoto - Guitar, Bouzouki, Electric Sitar, Violin, Hammond Organ, Speed Guru




















