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Imperial Distortion
BACK IN STOCK. Very occasionally a record comes along that we just don't want to review, a record so wondrous that words just seem to fall short. Since we have an urge to persuade anyone who crosses our path to hear 'Imperial Distortion', though, perhaps it's worth a shot nonetheless. Dominick Fernow's Hospital imprint has long impressed us with its output, but never before have we heard anything quite like 'Imperial Distortion' slip out of its ornate iron gates. Those of you in the know will al…
12 Sonate Da Chiesa
There is little doubt that Helmschrott’s Sonate da chiesa only bear a fleeting resemblance to their namesakes from the 17th and 18th centuries, which, emerging from Northern Italy, quickly rose to great popularity in Baroque Europe. Among the resemblances is their bipartite structure with slow and fast movement and, of course, the use of an organ. Far from expressing formal dependence, the archaic names of the movements lend the twelve pieces a Mediterranean superstructure, as it were. The manif…
Inside piano
double CD edition'Friedl has developed his 'inside piano' technique to such a level of delicacy and precision, that any anticipated distinctions between instrumental and electroacoustic music, or between improvisation and composition are dissolved or transcended.' - Stephen Robinson, The Wire 'This is the first solo release of zeitkratzer's mastermind Reinhold Friedl. He teaches the grand piano how to sing and to sound like an orchestra, calling this new way of playing an old instrument I…
Crippled Symmetry
Music and carpets? Well, the latter's slightly irregular patterns certainly inspired Morton Feldman to write his Crippled Symmetry (1983). "With Feldman, composing more and more takes on the nature of writing a diary; he weaves and knots his sounds like the Turkish nomads make their carpets, the ones he admires so much for their asymmetrical deviations in pattern." (Ulrich Dibelius) It is just these deviations from the standard, that which is slightly shifted, slightly out of place, that Feldman…
Eighth Symphony
Recordings of the first performance of Nitsch's 8th Symphony (for Choir, Orchestra, and Noise Orchestra). Composed by Hermann Nitsch. Performed June 25th 1990 at the MAK Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna by Ensemble 20.Jahrhundert, Hugo Distler Chor, Blasorchester der Wiener E-Werke, Wolfgang Mitterer (Synthesizer).Professionally recorded, extremely dramatic, dynamic, rich, full-blown orchestral music & noise, heavy drones, and austrian 'Volksmusik'. Comes in big double-disc jewelcase, in…
Hauptweg und Nebenwege
A miniature for every day, a movement for every month, a cycle for the whole year: Hauptweg und Nebenwege, a musical diary inspired by Paul Klee.
I\'m Happy, And I\'m Singing, And A 1, 2, 3, 4
Recorded 1997-1999 in NY, Osaka, Tokyo, Toronto and Malmö. Originally released on Mego in 2001. Of course, Jim O'Rourke needs no introduction being well known as a performer, producer and all round top chap, as well membership of various pop and rock combos for more than two decades. ÔIm Happy, and I'm Singing, and a 1, 2, 3, 4' was called by many common folk Jim's laptop record or his powerbook album. We prefer the simple term computer when referring to the instrument used for the creation of t…
Magic & Return
Editions Mego has finally reissued the woefully out-of-print complete recorded oeuvre of this massively influential and infrequently convening laptop supergroup. Unsurprisingly, it still sounds great. The Magic Sound Of...’ and ‘The Return Of...’, originally released in 1999 and 2002. Fenn O’Berg (Christian Fennesz, Jim O’Rourke and Peter Rehberg) first hit the scene after a surprise appearance at the Nickelsdorf Festival in 1997. Throughout 1998 and 1999 the trio toured extensively throughout A…
s/t
More lost Scandinavian sounds from Silence, this one being a folksier variant on the Träd Gräs tribal hoe-down formula. Lots of hand drums and long hair. Hippie as hell, but decidedly non-stinky. Fantastic! Handgjort (trans. "Handmade") recorded a legendary album in 1970 released by Silence Records. All covers were hand-painted by the band members. The music is moody underground folk with Eastern influences. The album sold very poorly and is a serious collector's item today. The original b…
Spiegel
As fascinating as ever: Cerha's monumental opus Spiegel, in which he investigates fundamental phenomena of musical creation.
Kompilation
2 CDs filled with 21 tracks. Over 148 minutes of music. Brand new music from PAN AMERICAN. A preview of forthcoming albums from STARS OF THE LID & KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN. An exclusive mix of an album track by GREG DAVIS. All priced CHEAP at less than the cost of a CD EP! It's been years since there's been a KRANKYsampler (& that one came out in Europe only) so it's time to show what we've been up to for the last few years. Way back when compilations like Pillows & Prayers& Wanna Buy a Bridge? i…
Live Stockholm July, 1971
"Led by infamous Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi, Tokyo's Taj Mahal Travellers were one of the prime examples of a band more heard-of than actually heard. Their vinyl legacy (the 1972 LP July 15, 1972 released on CBS/Sony Japan; the 1974 2LP August 1974 released on Columbia Japan and recently reissued by P-Vine as a 2CD; one side of the mythical Oz Days Live 2LP compilation released on Oz in 1973 and recently bootlegged as a single LP) could dig a hole in your wallet deeper than the Grand Canyon. …
Der Engel der Geschichte
Vinko Globokar advises listeners to "make up their own movies to the music." The Slovenian-French European does not believe in explaining music. And the deeply moving expressiveness of his orchestral trilogy Der Engel der Geschichte, "The angel of history," inspired by Paul Klee's painting "Angelus Novus" and now documented by this recording of the exemplary SWR production, certainly speaks for itself. The listener encounters three disturbing sound images: the first, "Zerfall," refers to the dis…
Substrata 2
Reissued: Biosphere's 2nd CD for Touch after Cirque (Touch # TO:46, 2000) is a double CD in digipack designed by Jon Wozencroft. CD One - Substrata. Originally released in 1997 on All Saints Records, this remastered version of Substrata contains 11 tracks with a total length of 55:20. '...by many (the undersigned included) considered to be the finest ambient album of the 1990s' (Motion-State 51), and 'Three years after its release, biosphere's 'Substrata' is already being recognised as one of th…
Works (1968 - 2005)
This is an epic 'best of' from the great Hans Joachim Roedelius one of the pioneers of Krautrock and early electronica. What's more, he's 74 years old and still producing music, now how's that for commitment to the scene? Working with Kluster, Human Being, forming Cluster with Dieter Mobius and working with Mobius and Michael Rother as Harmonia - the man has covered a lot of ground in his time, and that's never been as evident as on these two discs. We've got squelchy synthesized Krautroc…
The Dream House / Dedications To Flea
The Dream House is the first album of new material from Windy & Carl in five years. Recorded at their home studio in Dearborn, MI it consists of two tracks. The Dream House is in many ways the duo's simplest and most straight-forward release, concentrated as it is on two evolving pieces. It is also Windy & Carl's most ambitious recording, with the duo deliberating on longer forms. Windy & Carl are capable of sustaining melodic ideas and patiently apply attention to singular musical gestures. Win…
Hebdomadaire op. 62
52 pieces of the year for a pianist: in Hebdomadaire, Michael Denhoff carries on the noble tradition of cyclic piano music in his own inimitable way.
Une saison
CD 1: “La Grande Vallée”. Concrete music composed in 1993/1996 at INA-GRM (Paris-France). Field recordings, electronic, analogic synthesiser, realisation and composition : Lionel Marchetti. Voice : Hélène Bettencourt. Additives voices : Frédéric Malenfer, Bruno Roche. Bass clarinette : Jean Andréo. Sib clarinette : Lionel Marchetti.“Portrait d'un glacier (Alpes, 2173m)”. Concrete music composed in 1998/2000 at INA - GRM (Paris-France). Field recordings, electronic, analogic synthesiser, realisat…
Trainsong: Guitar Compositions 1967-2010
UK's Michael Chapman began his career on the Cornish folk circuit in 1967. He signed to the Harvest label, home to Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and many others, recording four quasi-legendary albums. The influential Fully Qualified Survivor was John Peel's favorite record of 1970, and featured future Bowie collaborator Mick Ronson. After decades of recording and touring, Chapman remains an obscure figure in the states. His profile was raised by a lengthy interview with big fan Thurston Moore in…
An unrhymed chord
an unrhymed chord is a deceptively simple piece. from the score we see that each performer picks a single sound, sustains this sound for one to fifteen minutes in each half of the piece, and that amplitude is inversely proportional to duration. it does not seem like much in the way of instructions for a piece that lasts just over an hour. however, after I started making a realization I quickly realized how dynamic the situation the piece presents actually is. I had never heard a music quite li…