Bis Aufs Messer Weekly News 05 September 2023
Hi. Welcome to another - a bunch of cool new records arrived like the ERIK ENOCKSSON - Räkna evighet som intet LP, RAZEN – Hier L'an 4000 LP, KMRU - Dissolution Grip LP, V/A - Italia No! Contaminazioni No Wave Italiane 1980-1985 LP + CD, DIE ANARCHISTISCHE ABENDUNTERHALTUNG - Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung LP, MELENAS - Ahora LP, KEKHT ARÄKH restocks, MATANA ROBERTS - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden 2x 10“, SKAM - No Time LP re issue, CATHARSIS - Light from a dead star I. 2xLP and CATHARSIS - Light from a dead star II. DLP, MELENAS - Ahora LP, restock of the EXEK - The Map and the Territory LP (black or red vinyl), BLUE LAKE LP restocks and more …
We also down to the last JAZZ Sweaters and T-shirts. The Caps are gone again
And we also added ( adding) a few more second hand LPs and 7“s to our discogs
https://www.discogs.com/seller/XMESSERX
Thank you as usual
Til then thank you for all your orders & support.
Robert & Norman
mailorder@bisaufmesser.com
www.adagio830-records.bandcamp.com
10“
MATANA ROBERTS - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden 2x 10“ (constellation - 2 x 10" vinyl edition with printed inner sleeves and 20" x 10" insert + download coupon. Acclaimed composer, performer, saxophonist, soloist, bandleader, educator, activist and mixed media artist Matana Roberts returns with a new installment of her acclaimed Coin Coin series. For over a decade, Roberts' central artistic project has been Coin Coin, a remarkable exploration of American ancestry and the nature of memory through "sound quilting": modern compositions that draw on a wide range of musical sources and traditions , along with researched historical and genealogical narratives that give rise to spoken and sung prose and poetry, field recordings and graphic scores. The Quietus explains: "When the 12-album cycle is completed, it will be considered a unique masterpiece of sound and storytelling 21st century,” and Pitchfork calls it “one of the most provocative works in progress by an American musician.” "Coin Coin Chapter 5: In the garden..." addresses reproductive rights by taking up the story of a family ancestor who died in early adulthood from an issue that was obscured and hushed up, shrouded in disinformation and shame. Roberts reinterprets diaristic and oral narratives delivered in shrill streams of words that punctuate the hour-long work, with recurring musical themes often accompanied by the declarative refrain "my name is your name / our name is their name / we are named / we remember / they forget". Although it often borrows from jazz, with Matana's inimitable saxophone taking center stage, Roberts locates Coin outside the jazz genre and within heterodox paths of postmodern composition, electro-acoustic music, sound collage, experimental voice and sound art. "In the garden..." undeniably continues and expands on the project's grand iconoclasm, but is still the most jazz-influenced chapter since "Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile" (2013). Recorded in Brooklyn with a stellar acoustic ensemble including Stuart Bogie, Gitanjali Jain, Darius Jones, Matt Lavelle, Mike Pride, Ryan Sawyer, Corey Smythe and Mazz Swift, and supported by some brilliant modular synthesis pieces from the producer of the album, Kyp Malone (Bent Arcana, TV On The Radio), contributed. "In the garden..." traverses a vibrant stylistic spectrum of overtures, excursions and set pieces, ranging from brass-led compositions to driving free jazz and lilting, through-composed bursts of cacophony. With Roberts' narrative vocals popping up again and again, alongside various other uses of layers and group vocals, the album is by turns a meditation and a fever dream of narrative potency. A powerful work of subjective remembrance and historical-cultural connection that speaks indelibly to the present.) 35.00
MAX & INTRO - We Design The Future 10“ (mecanica - Max & Intro was a short-lived duo formed by Vincent Max and Intro Johnnie in Belgrade. In 1984 they composed "Ostavi Sve" (in English: "Leave Everything"), probably the greatest ex-Yugoslavian minimal synth song of all times with heavy rotation on radio and even TV appearances. It was a tribute to Fairlight synthesizers, in that time non affordable for these young musicians and became an obsession, especially for Max. In 1985 was published their first and only release “We Design The Future” including "Ostavi Sve" and the B-side “Beogradska Devojka”, another synth gem. This re-release includes both tracks remastered from the original master tape.) 18.00
REVERB & REUE - referenz 10“ (reverb und reue - the referenz 10“ is an edition that is connected to my writing and my visual work for an exhibtion which now got postponed. the record collects traces from my lyrical and my musical surroundings of past and present nearly all of these songs are inspired by other artists, their sounds, melodies, atmosphere, some lyrics all the rest was written, performed, recorded and mixed by me in 2019. some of my guitars, organs and vocals were recorded by felix-florian tödtloff in berlin, felix also sang additional vocals in 'refuge' the violine in 'goodbye desolate metro' was written and performed by gwendal coulon and recorded at la bam metz the piano in 'all buckets' was written and performed by baptiste lebreton, recorded at la bam metz - mastering by felix-florian tödtloff in 2020) 16.00
LP
BLUE LAKE - Stikling LP (polychrome - This record began in summer 2020, when I was staying at Andersabo, Sweden, where I run an artists' residency. I had access to a nearby church, and would set drones going on the organ while playing clarinet and piano. I started working with the combination of these long, sustained tones, combined with acoustic instruments, where the sound's duration was only as long as a breath or the pluck of a string. A lot of the last Blue Lake LP was made using a series of zithers that I built myself. I have always been interested in layering sounds, and had in the past made music by recording several guitar parts and putting them together. The zithers allowed me to explore this kind of layered playing live, as both hands can be used simultaneously to create overlapping patterns. In the summer that I started recording Stikling, I built a much larger 48-string zither that expanded a lot of these possibilities and ended up featuring in a lot of the new music. Each piece on Stikling began with some kind of drone - an organ tone or a frozen note on the cello. A particular phrase on piano or a series of clarinet chords would start to determine a structure, and the music grew over time, with parts being added, taken away, re-written, re-recorded. The word “stikling” in Danish means a cutting taken from a plant that is then set in new soil. During the past two years, I’ve been working with gardening - planting, collecting seeds, and making cuttings. These processes often involve a mix of creation and destruction – growth goes hand in hand with removing old material and cutting things down. This kind of circularity fed into the music as it was being developed for the LP. After starting on the church organ in summer 2020, I finished by recording on the little pump organ at Andersabo in summer 2021. ) 27.00
BLUE LAKE - Sun Arcs LP (tonal union - Weaving between self-built zithers, drones, clarinets, slide guitars and drum machines, ‘Sun Arcs’ is a beautifully unique sound offering with inventive, free spirited and DIY sensibility. Blue Lake is the musical moniker of American born, Copenhagen based multidisciplinary artist and musician Jason Dungan, who signs to the Tonal Union imprint for the release of his new longform album ‘Sun Arcs’. It follows 2022’s release ‘Stikling’, earning a nomination for ‘Album of the Year’ at the Danish Music Awards plus warm praise from The Hum blog and musicians and DJs alike including Jack Rollo (Time is Away/NTS) and Carla dal Forno. A self taught player, Dungan began freely experimenting with self-built multi-string instruments, preferring to build his own hybrid 48-string zither and working in the realms of left-field ambient music, off kilter folk and improvised acoustic minimalism. Musically it portrays a form of double life led by an American-identifying person living in Scandinavia, and a new found presence in Denmark, seeking out underdeveloped marshlands and barren stretches of beach adrift from other rhythms and distractions. Highlighting their individual and potent importance Dungan concludes: “Both places feel like “me”, I think on some level the music is always some kind of self portrait.” ‘Sun Arcs’ depicts the intricate balance of nature’s cycles and the paths outlined by the seasons, from a winter dormancy to a warm sun drenched scene. The album scales new glorying heights and further defines Dungan’s musical narrative, inhabiting a unique space in left-field, improvised and experimental music, borning his most accomplished compositions to date. A singular and visionary expression, drawing on an array of instruments and sound worlds with a renewed sense of joy and discovery. The album's rich tapestry was mixed by Jeff Zeigler (Laraaji, Mary Lattimore, Kurt Vile / Steve Gunn) and mastered by Stephan Mathieu (Kali Malone, KMRU, Félicia Atkinson)) 28.00
CATHARSIS - Light from a dead star I. 2xLP (refuse — 4th press, red vinyl - Three decades ago, before the music industry began to colonize it, the do-it-yourself underground was a space of exodus and experimentation, often in violent opposition to the rest of the world. This was the context in which Catharsis appeared, one of a new wave of bands to meld metal drama with the raw urgency of hardcore punk. They quickly distinguished themselves by an almost self-destructive intensity and uncompromising anticapitalist ethic. Inverting Christian iconography to champion the struggle of the individual against a hostile cosmos, they took up the centuries-old banner No Gods, No Masters, extending this project of total defiance into their increasingly tumultuous lives. This apocalyptic orientation in turn informed their music, as they sought to hit upon the magic combination of words, harmonies, and rhythms that could spark a global conflagration. Catharsis broke up in 2002, following relentless touring on three continents and a final catastrophic five months in Europe. After a decade of watching the old records sell for absurd prices while bootleggers profited off substandard editions, we’ve finally taken it upon ourselves to offer a proper collection of their work. “Light from a Dead Star I.,” includes their debut 7”, and “Samsara” LP, packaged in a gatefold cover with oversize booklet offering all the original artwork.) 35.00
CATHARSIS - Light from a dead star II. DLP (refuse - 4th press, yellow vinyl - Three decades ago, before the music industry began to colonize it, the do-it-yourself underground was a space of exodus and experimentation, often in violent opposition to the rest of the world. This was the context in which Catharsis appeared, one of a new wave of bands to meld metal drama with the raw urgency of hardcore punk. They quickly distinguished themselves by an almost self-destructive intensity and uncompromising anticapitalist ethic. Inverting Christian iconography to champion the struggle of the individual against a hostile cosmos, they took up the centuries-old banner No Gods, No Masters, extending this project of total defiance into their increasingly tumultuous lives. This apocalyptic orientation in turn informed their music, as they sought to hit upon the magic combination of words, harmonies, and rhythms that could spark a global conflagration) 35.00
DAKOTA SUITE - This River Only Brings Poison DLP (karaoke -»This River Only Brings Poison« was released in 2002 as the sixth full-length album of Chris Hooson’s Dakota Suite project. This first-ever vinyl edition of the record includes four bonus pieces and makes it possible for fans to re-evaluate one of the most crucial Dakota Suite albums in the project’s vast discography while also providing new listeners with an entry point into its intricate musical cosmos. With contributions by artists as diverse as steel guitarist Bruce Kaphan and drummer Tim Mooney from American Music Club, Derald Daugherty, and Laura and Chris Donohue as well as long-time collaborators such as David Buxton, Colin Dunkley or Ed Collins, »This River Only Brings Poison« turned out as a sonically rich and stylistically versatile as it is emotionally multi-layered.) 35.00
DIE ANARCHISTISCHE ABENDUNTERHALTUNG - Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung LP (sub rosa -
ERIK ENOCKSSON - Räkna evighet som intet LP (ideal - Electroacoustic explorer Erik Enocksson consolidates his raging industrial noise and choral ambient urges with a manacled grasp of quiet/loud dynamics and mournful melancholy, recommended listening if you’re into Tongue Depressor, Kevin Drumm, Beatriz Ferreyra, Maja S. K. Ratkje, Vainio. ‘Räkna evighet som intet’ (‘Count eternity as nothing’) pits Enocksson’s mettle at the service of a palindromic transition from ethereality to phantasmic facemelt terror and a choral sublime on the first part, into atonal metal-on-metal wondering on the 2nd. It follows a course of releases for the Kning Disk, Release the Bats, Posh Isolation and Irrlicht labels since 2007. The choral sound du jour has been flung in every conceivable direction over the last few years, but is here handled by an experienced hand, able to transition from hushed reverence to clanging brutality with conviction and purpose. On the A-side, the sombre mood is gradually elevated by phased and pitched transitions that grow with an urgent, metalic intensity, recalling recent work by Henry Birdsey and Zach Rowden’s Tonge Depressor. On the flip, the mood is more industrial and aggressive, landing somewhere between Kevin Drumm’s ‘Sheer Hellish Miasma’ and Mika Vainio’s analogue terror zone.) 30.00
EXEK - The Map and the Territory LP (foreign - Australian sextet EXEK return with their sixth studio album, The Map and the Territory. Self-recorded throughout 2021 to 2022, frontman Albert Wolski describes it as ‘‘perhaps less ambitious than some previous EXEK releases. In a positive way, obviously’’. Comprising of eight tracks, there is a greater focus on song craftsmanship, where elongated jams play second fiddle to choruses and hooks. These new tracks will translate effectively into a live environment, and are destined to quickly become set favourites. And yes of course, the iconic EXEK album soundmarks remain ever present - dubbed out drums, guitar’s that sound like robot’s from Forbidden Planet, and deep synths that recall The Idiot. EXEK once again stay true to their trademark recording process - one of endless overdubs, allowing for maximal control whilst editing. Lots and lots of edits. Drummer Chris Stephenson would perform a collection of beats, that would then be sampled, and therefore plant the seed for ideas for songs. Seamstress Requires Regular Breaks might be the best example of this, where fluid jazz-funk drumrolls morph into a rigid post-punk march, and then back again, and then back again. But the funk doesn’t stop there. Welcome to my Alibi and Glow of Good Will pick up where 90’s hip-hop and R&B left off - smooth and sexy and a little bit dangerous. On the flip side of the dynamic spectrum, The Lifeboats and It’s Just a Flesh Wound, Darling sit facing towards the group’s more loud motorik arsenal. On EXEK’s latest offering, both the map and the territory are equally balanced. ) 27.00
KMRU - Dissolution Grip LP (OFNOT - Guided by Jasmine Guffond at Berlin's Universität der Künste (better known as UDK), KMRU looked at waveforms - the visual representation of sound itself - and embarked on a process where he would write scores from the shapes, gradually turning the scores into raw synth sounds. Considering the spaces he was inspired by and shuttled through, KMRU decided that instead of using environmental recordings as an aesthetic marker, he would use these captured moments to guide the waveforms. So each sound is birthed from a field recording, but none of those recordings are audible in their original form. For example, on the digital bonus track 'Along A Wall', KMRU recorded in an old shack on his family's compound in Nairobi, where wind was shaking the building to its foundations. Listening to the finished piece, we can hear subtle electronic tones that rub and vibrate against each other, slowly saturating and mimicking the erratic motion of the wind. The original recording has been removed, but the feeling remains. The album's opening side 'Till Hurricane Bisect' is a 15-minute epic that evolves at its own glacial pace, carefully transforming blustering wind sounds into gasping drones, glassy oscillations and choked distortion. Cosmic and meditative, it's a testament to KMRU's skill as a sound engineer and patience as a composer, combining the gentle world building of his acclaimed Editions Mego album 'Peel' with the rumbling energy of 'Limen', last year's collaboration with Aho Ssan. On the title track, KMRU takes the opportunity to flex his orchestral muscle, conducting a cast of warbling synth tones into a durational symphony. Starting as quietly as a whisper, 'Dissolution Grip' expands at its own pace until it's a dense wall of harmony, powerful but never completely) 25.00
MELENAS - Ahora LP (trouble in mind - Ahora, Melenas' new record, is the exact opposite of "the difficult third album". While other bands suffer from a lack of inspiration typical of this delicate creative moment, our Spanish quartet appear more invincible than ever, with a collection of stunning songs and revitalized with a magnificent new sonic palette that begs the question: can you do jangle pop and Making garage rock with synthesizers? If you listen to songs like 'K2' or 'Bang', the answer is a resounding yes, because the wonderful thumping of the analogue keyboards that dominate Ahora does not betray the sound of Melenas, that simmering vibration that the guitars have provided so far propelled their songs to pop heaven. The new textures provided by vintage synthesizers such as the Korg Delta or the Yamaha PSR-36 maintain this immediacy and shape fascinating new shades of color, expanding and infusing the band's sonic identity with new nuances, from the crystalline pop of '1986' to the dark but moving undertones of 'Flor de la Frontera'. This new wealth of timbres is also in line with an album on which Melenas have a lot to say: its title (translated "Now"), according to the band, "aims to justify the importance of time in order to reflect on how we live "Everyday life, who we share our moments with and how we want to do it (or not do it)". An exploration of her own identity, her relationships with others, and the meaning of "togetherness, shared feelings, and shared actions." At the same time, the new sounds symbolically deepen these themes: the concept of togetherness is conveyed in the vocal harmonies, which are richer and more sophisticated. The concept of time is conveyed with the help of some amazing sequencers, arpeggiators and mechanical rhythms. Combined with Melenas' pop flair, these elements make many of these songs an exciting mix of darker, machine-like tones (the cold wave echoes of 'Flor de la Frontera', the Kraut rhythm of 'Bang') and ethereal melodies. All this is interwoven with a wealth of dazzling electronic arrangements, perfectly crafted but played with the energy of a live band, in a very post-punk marriage of synthesizers with real bass and drums. The results are such wonders as "Dos pasajeros", "Tú y yo", "1986" or the beautiful "Promesas", the latter a true neo-synth-pop classic. Melenas are more in control of their creative powers than ever before. Not so much to give their music - which is essentially still rooted in a love of pop - a new twist, but to infuse their songs with a new electronic energy and vibe.) 24.00
RAZEN – Hier L'an 4000 LP (hands in the dark - Long after the year 4000, it's highly likely the sun will shine a different light. Equatorial rain belts may have turned into white-ash flotsam. Animal forms will have undergone a major metamorphosis, with only the memories of danger still archaically intact. Razen tackle the theme of reincarnation hypnosis on Hier L'an 4000, their new album for Hands In The Dark, set for release September '23. Inspired by the writings of Donoso and Slauerhoff, by 1940s SF drawings, sky burials and a fantasy of future music where savagery and sophistication meet, Razen here channel a reverse mesozoic exotica. The music leans on sampled hand percussion (by grace of the legendary Algerian percussionist Abdelmajid Guemguem), augmented by Razen's trademark devotional approach on early music wind instruments and pre-digital keys and synths, each of the 4 tracks falling down its own rabbit hole of repetition and change. Trance-walking in a future of magenta night skies, toxic radiation and hostile flora, the Brussels-based ensemble has never sounded more extatic or disruptive. Hier L'An 4000 features artwork by contemporary British painter Nicholas William Johnson, who previously collaborated with Razen for his science fiction short film They Regard Us As We Regard Them.) 26.00
SAÅAD - A Crimson Shore LP (hands in the dark - A Crimson Shore is Saåad’s first studio album since Présence/Absente in 2018. In the interim, Toulouse-based composer and producer Romain Barbot has enriched his experience as an artist through multiple collaborations, the composition of soundtracks and commissioned pieces, as well his involvement with the bands FOUDRE! and Sables Noirs. This new chapter in the artist’s discography reflects this artistic maturity, evoking the project’s finest ambient recordings while revealing a new, unfiltered and decisive personality. Saåad’s use of a more direct musical language (exclusively electronic on this album) is intended to lay bare the inner life of its creator: the tracks are structured in a cycle of loops, vibrations and drones which respond to and confront each other like the torments of existence, torn between the twilight of sombre music reduced to its purest function of catharsis and the dawn of a new, luminous narrative journey. A Crimson Shore is a raw, all-encompassing album, shot through with the fear of death, of growing old, of accepting it, of grief — past, present, imagined and future — and the search for a transcendental refuge.) 26.00
SAIDIWAS - Saidiwas LP (refuse - SAIDIWAS were an anarchist vegan straight edge band from the vibrant hardcore scene in Umea, Northern Sweden in the 90’s. They put out two releases on Desperate Fight Records. Some of the members were also in bands like FINAL EXIT and SEPARATION. Their radical political message was a call for solidarity in the struggle against all kinds of oppression, inequality, gender roles and patriarchal schemes. Their sound was influenced by DC’s Revolution Summer bands. They had a strong contrast to the dominant heavy sounding HC bands of the era with the violent dancing that came along with them. Their confrontational set at Ieper Fest in 1996 was clear manifestation of their stance and sparked a lot of controversy and discussions. The band’s debut 6-track CD ep was released in 1996 and it’s finally now coming out on vinyl. This release has an additional bonus track previously released on the “Straight Edge As Fuck II” compilation CD (1996, Desperate Fight). 7 tracks 45 RPM.) 18.00
SCHICKSAL - Perpetuum Cycle I LP (mecancia - Schicksal is the alias of Rudi Huybrechts from Belgium. Heavily inspired by Front 242 first album “Geography”, DAF’s elektronische körpermusik “Alles Ist Gut” and of course Kraftwerk’s “Man Machine” and “Computer World”, Rudi bought his first Roland SH-101 synthesizer and started in 1982 with Schicksal to experiment with synths and drum computers. He spent lot of hours programming and composing on his bedroom and recording everything on a tape recorder. A selection of these old tracks are included on “Perpetuum Cycle I”. You can definitely feel the vibe of this period and the place where the songs were created: the old industrial town of Hoboken, the culmination of the cold war and the aim of a young musician to combine melody and harmony into minimal electronic music. Recommended for fans of Absolute Body Control, The Klinik, minimal-synth and early EBM.) 26.00
SCHICKSAL - 24 Hours LP (mecanica - Schicksal is the alias of Rudi Huybrechts coming from Hoboken, a small town near Antwerp. He started experimenting with synths and drum computers in 1982. Heavily inspired by Front 242 first album “Geography”, DAF’s elektronische körpermusik “Alles Ist Gut” and Kraftwerk’s “Man Machine” and “Computer World”, Rudi spent lot of hours programming and composing at home with just some gear and a tape recorder. Some of these tracks appeared on local compilations but it was not until the hype of New Beat in Belgium that Schicksal gained a real attention. In 1988 Rudi persuaded Marc Grouls, the resident DJ of discotheque Prestige in Antwerp, to play the track “24 hours”. All the people on the dancefloor just got wild and the next day Schicksal signed a contract with Maurice Engelen for the release of a maxi-single on Subway Records. This new edition includes all original tracks plus two new remixes of “24 Hours” and the new track “Fate”.) 20.00
SKAM - No Name LP (drag city — Lost in time yet always in season, here"s a blast of that ol" perennial, the punk rock, representative of the swiftly changing times around Bailey"s Crossroads, just outside Washington DC, in the early 80s. Skam recorded this stuff in "82-"83, then broke up, leaving these songs to be released....maybe never? Though they didn"t release any records during their three years of existence, it"d be wrong to call Skam "never-was" - in addition to these recordings, there"s a trail of flyers for shows with Scream, No Trend, United Mutations and Media Disease, as well as the memories of the student alumni from Bishop O"Connell High, class of "83 or so. The conglomeration of scenes around the greater DC area at that time produced a variety of bands, but the prevailing recollection of the era is of the incendiary hardcore punk and subsequent straight edge values of the Dischord bands. The band that became Skam was a world apart; they were posited for the first time by 8th graders Vince Forcier and Jack Anderson at a Jackson Browne concert, and their initial rehearsals in their parents" basement were highlighted by covers of Beatles, Stones, Who and Led Zeppelin songs. Bad covers. It wasn"t until they"d been playing a bit that they discovered The Ramones, and it was then that the die was cast and pedal pressed to the metal for another frantic couple of years. The Skam recordings from "82 have an undeniably Clash-like countenance that sets them definitively apart from the "First Four" of Dischord - in some ways, prefiguring the pop-punk sound of Green Day at the dawn of the "90s instead - but subsequent recordings found them quickly evolving - or devolving - into a personal mastery of savage riffs and tempos, as well as post-punk conceptions. But even as they were verging into this new territory, their three years together had frayed their alliance and they soon broke up. Jack joined No Trend, Vince played in Racer X and then Second Wind. And life went on. But the rediscovered Skam tapes make for an incredible addendum to the more well-known music of that incredible time and place.) 30.00
SURALIN - Nothing Is The News LP (its eleven - Absolutely overwhelming, which is just annoying. I would like to throw everything down and hide away. But SURALIN have managed to escape the general fatigue syndrome. With “Nothing is the News” you have created an album that is deeply touching, captivating and liberating at the same time. The Chemnitz Quartet's fifth longplayer initially builds on the sound of its predecessors: a finely woven network of various indie and post-whatever influences that, despite all its complexity, appears very simple and organic. The “reduction to the essentials”, as bassist Matthias says, was even more consistent this time. Recorded live in the studio and without any instrumental overdubs or additional effects in the mix. “It’s the pure sound of the instruments, our pedals and the recording room.” As a result, SURALIN sound even more urgent than usual, with moving depth. On the driving carpet of drums and bass, the two guitars can develop their interaction and counterplay between melody and dissonance. The nine songs contain a surprising number of arabesque figures as well as motoric repetitions that have a significant pulling effect. Embedded in it is Alex's often fragile singing, which comments on the state of his environment. According to singer Alex, the album title “Nothing is the News” combines the ideas that the world is constantly changing, technology is developing and people are increasing drastically. But the human being as such remains the same. Power, submission, exclusion, envy, resentment and egoism are the predominant themes.” Despite this severity, it is repeatedly clear in the texts that changes are possible through one's own behavior and the will for the better prevails. Positive despair. The title is also an allusion to SURALIN themselves, who consistently stick to their passion for making music, says Alex. “Nothing is the News” was recorded live and recorded in July 2021 at the Larox recording studio, Chemnitz, by Hilmar Habrom. Mixing and mastering was done by Mikey Young in Melbourne, Australia. The cover design is by Christian “Zomber” Sommer.) 18.00
SZYMON WÓJCIK - All The Wonders Of Six Little Spoons LP (gotta let it out - ALL THE WONDER OF SIX LITTLE SPOONS is a project founded in 2021 in Cologne (DE) by the Polish, Cologne-based composer and guitarist Szymon Wójcik (RASP Lovers). The ensemble consists of 10 musicians from different parts of the world, coming from various musical backgrounds: Thea Soti (voice), Ferdinand Schwarz (trumpet), Jonas Engel (alto sax, clarinet), Victor Fox (bass clarinet), Emilia Gołos (piano), Zoe Argiriou (vibra- phone, bass drum, timpani), Magdalena Lorenz (violin), Jonas Gerigk (double bass), Anthony Greminger (drums) and Wojcik himself on electric guitar. The album is an attempt to escape and find an alternative to the hierarchical composer-ensemble relationship. Wójcik closely involved the musicians in the creation and development of the music, by composing specifically for unique styles and techniques used by each member of the ensemble. The music of „All the...” is a search for balance between the precise organisation of musical material and freedom of expression. Wójcik gives up the idea of a soloist in favor of a dialogue and searching for a common language within the ensemble. He draws from various musical traditions, often at first glance far apart, creating trans-genre environment full of contrasts and oxymorons. The music is strongly influenced by the writing of Gertrude Stein, specifically her „Tender Buttons”, and a poem by Polish artist Monika Orpik. Language in Wójcik’s compositions has been used not only as a narrative tool but primarily as another instrument, of which the phonetic layer is an extremely important element.) 25.00
SYLVESTER - Private Recordings, August 1970 LP (dark entries - Incl. 16-page booklet Disco legend Sylvester comes to Dark Entries with Private Recordings: August 1970, an intimate collection of vintage jazz, blues, and gospel. While Sylvester is best known for his chart-topping collaborations with producer Patrick Cowley, such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” this release reveals his passion for the sounds of the 30s and 40s. In 1970 a 22-year-old Sylvester had moved to San Francisco and found himself involved with the Cockettes, the infamous psychedelic performance art troupe. Among this milieu was Peter Mintun, a pianist and record collector living in a commune devoted to retro culture. According to Mintun, “We were like hippies who lived in the twenties. We lived in a house that didn’t have anything modern in it. Nothing in it was made after World War II.” Mintun and Sylvester bonded over their love of Black singers of yore and were allotted a slot during Cockettes performances reviving the music of the Prohibition Era. One afternoon, Sylvester and Mintun recorded a number of their shared favorites using a high-end microphone a friend had acquired. Private Recordings features 9 songs from this session, including standards like “Stormy Weather,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” and “God Bless the Child.” Sylvester’s unmistakable falsetto brings depth and a dash of camp to these familiar tunes. The recordings are casual and intimate, even capturing banter between Sylvester and Mintun; their brief rendition of “When My Dreamboat Comes Home” has the duo working out a melody in real time. In addition to their sonic explorations of decades past, Sylvester and Mintun also staged photographic shoots in vintage couture.) 27.00
TURNOVER - Magnolia LP (run for cover - Two acclaimed releases into their short career - a debut EP and a split 7" with Citizen - Virginia's Turnover had quickly grabbed the attention of a scene of angst filled teens and twenty-somethings who grew up on Drive-Thru records classics and 90's grunge radio. Turnover spent one November with producer Will Yip (Title Fight, Circa Survive) and emerged with Magnolia. Their debut LP fulfills the promise set forth in their prior releases - contemplative, brooding pop-punk songs written with a somber, yet undeniable catchiness.) 26.00
V/A - The NID Tapes: Electronic Music from India 1969-1972 DLP (51 conspiracy - The NID Tapes’ presents a collection of early Indian electronic music uncovered at the archives of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. Recorded between 1969-1972 the compilation chronicles electronic works from the previously unknown Indian composers Gita Sarabhai, I.S. Mathur, Atul Desai, S.C. Shama and Jinraj Joshipura who worked at the nation’s first electronic music studio founded at the NID during the utopian years following India’s independence - a radical period of visionary experimentation and artistic freethought. The studio was founded with support from the New York composer David Tudor who personally set up a Moog modular system and tape machine in the autumn of 1969, and The NID Tapes also includes an excerpt from Tudor’s work discovered amongst the collection of tapes. The release developed from a long-term research project by the British artist and electronic musician Paul Purgas who travelled to Ahmedabad over many years to explore the origins of electronic music in India. This resulted in the discovery of the electronic music archive at the NID and its eventual restoration and digitising, which featured in the acclaimed BBC radio documentary Electronic India. The compilation presents excerpts from the 27 reels of archive tape spanning the three years of the studio's operational history, showcasing work from the pioneering electronic composers which included the musician and poet Atul Desai, NID teachers and technicians I.S. Mathur and S.C. Shama, Gita Sarabhai who had previously studied with John Cage in New York in the 1940's and the young architecture student Jinraj Joshipura who was just 19 years old at the time of first composing with the Moog synthesiser. The audio showcases their various visions for electronic music production, exploring analogue synthesis, tape collages, voice experiments and field recordings revealing a meeting point of Western and Indian avant-garde traditions, and offering a unique insight into South Asia’s post-colonial sonic imaginary. The vinyl and digital is a collaborative release by Strange Attractor Press and The state51 Conspiracy and has been mastered by Hari Shankar Kishore (HVAD) with design for the release and a vinyl etching created by Shreya Aurora a recent graduate from the National Institute of Design.) 36.00
V/A - Italia No! Contaminazioni No Wave Italiane 1980-1985 LP + CD (spittle - Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by New York's no wave scene, many Italian bands of the early '80s, playing far from the footlights of the world's stage, began creating compelling, and often cutting edge, hybrid sounds. This kind of experimenting soon went viral along the entire peninsula: from Southern Italy to the Alps, creating a brave new Italian take on post-punk. From the nervous white funk of Neopolitans Bisca, to the instrumental explorations of Confusional Quartet, to the "fake jazz" of the Hi-Fi Bros (who even had a track produced by Arto Lindsay), to Band Aid, this collection testifies to one of the most creative periods of the Italian underground. Also features: Eazycon, Modern Model, Die Form, Funkwagen, Nofun, Hakkah, Illogico, Rinf, and State Of Art. Includes CD; CD features the previously unreleased bonus track by La Maison, "Noise Express“.) 25.00
TAPES
PIECES - C - c''' / D - d''' TAPE + FANZINE (i began to work with single note elements that i asked friends to send me during lockdown or recorded without technical effort using phone, tape and field recorders 2020 - 2023. the way in which pieces are composed and edited relates to structural elements that I have seen on urn-tombs (columbaria) in graveyards as well as in sound systems at raves. these piles led me to a visual way of composing by piling up the single-notes wav-files in my shitty free music production software. the project simultaneously speaks of isolation and community, consolation and hope.) 10.00
