★Beacon Sound
Metal.wet
Unbound by place or genre, mercurial, experimental pop duo Soft as Snow find freedom to intuitively reflect the disarray of human connection with their intricate, shape-shifting pop production. With each successive release, the duo evolves, unfurling into their own poetic sound, now fully realized on their intimate, third full-length, Metal.wet. The oft-present trappings of male-female duos are eschewed here as the Berlin-based Oda Starheim and Øystein Monsen contribute equally across a canvas o…
A Radical Horizon
*100 copies limited edition* A Radical Horizon is comprised of a series of duets between cellist Lori Goldston and pianist Stefan Christoff, recorded on a late Fall afternoon in Brooklyn, NY. A conversation between friends, these improvised excursions reflect a willingness to be open to the spirits in the space and between the notes; a spirit of communion that, as Stefan writes, "guides and dances with our dialogue together".
Stefan Christoff is a Canadian musician, community organizer, and jour…
Patio User Manual
On his third album as Etelin, Alex Cobb explores the intricacies of separation and belonging using field recordings and electronics, reconfiguring the dividing line between what is artificial and natural in the process. Maintaining a sense of playful reverence and lurking melancholy in its glitchy pastoralism, Patio User Manual hums with a meticulous and singular energy. From the loops and static pulses of "The Chemistry of Cobalt" to the tension and release of "Electrical Sailing," the listener…
Descending Moonshine Dervishes
** Limited edition 2024 repress ** Beacon Sound present a reissue of Terry Riley's Descending Moonshine Dervishes, originally released in 1982. Recorded live in Berlin in 1975, and largely improvised, Riley plays a modified Yamaha organ with variable resistors to facilitate tuning in just intonation. This is a 50+ minute recording divided into two halves for vinyl. Terry Riley turned the music world upside down with his 1964 work In C, a revolutionary concept based on 53 modules that can be impr…
Journey Test
'Journey Test' is composer and pianist Tristan Eckerson's first album under the moniker of Purple Decades, his new ambient project. While his past work has focused largely on solo piano, Purple Decades is an exploration into soundscapes, electronic textures, and hypnotic musical environments. While many tracks on the album still feature piano or keyboards in some form, the compositional approach is accompanied by extensive work with reverb, foley, and orchestral electronic arrangements, and some…
ADHD
*2022 stock. Limited edition of 500 copies.* Fusing spacious electronic minimalism, shimmering guitars, and the empyrean voice of Misty Mary, Portland’s WL (pronounced ‘well’) arrive at the end of 2020 with an album of lustrous, crystalline Left Coast pop that is destined to be a trusted companion during the long nights ahead. ADHD is a defining statement of purpose for the group, made during a time of personal upheaval and featuring an evocative song cycle that begs to be listened to on repeat.…
Subject To Potential Errors And Distortions
*2022 stock. Limited edition of 300 copies.* "...a beautiful collection of music that at once is emblematically peaceful and yet also vibrates with an undeniable substratal energy." – Disquiet On his fifth solo album Fadi Tabbal delves deeper into the theme of alienation in a suffocating city. Composed and conceived almost entirely at his home in Beirut during Covid-19 quarantine, the record is his most intimate yet. While his previous solo work consisted solely of guitar pieces, this time Tabba…
Methods Body
*Limited edition of 500 copies.* "Dark twin, meet your light twin.” That’s how musicians and best friends John Niekrasz and Luke Wyland were first introduced to each other in 2007. It’s an apt description of the duality and synergy of their musical project Methods Body. Using keys/electronics and percussion, the two maximize the duo configuration to create music at once primal and futuristic. Overflowing with polyrhythms and layers of microtonal melodies, the two suites on Methods Body’s self-ti…
Starlight And Still Air (LP + 7")
* First pressing includes a bonus 7" with a non-LP track and the remix of 'Bloodlines' by Pan American * In early 2019, Dominic Appleton met up for lunch in London with 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell while the long-retired label boss was visiting from his home in New Mexico. At the time of their lunch Appleton had already agreed to work on an album with Italian composer and producer Matteo Uggeri but was suffering from a minor crisis of confidence. Thanks to Uggeri's persistence and Ivo-Watts' ti…
Murur Al-Kiram
**300 copies** Portland and Beirut rub shoulders again as Beacon Sound and Ruptured reveal their second co-release, the new album by Lebanese ensemble Kinematik entitled Murur al-Kiram. Over the course of 11 tracks, the band uses electronics, intricate double-drumming, guitar and bass to construct ambient soundscapes and hypnotic, propulsive rhythms – conjuring the ghosts of a diminishing future as well as an unresolved past. Subtle in both angst and joy, the album celebrates small victories in …
Lower River
**500 copies** Beacon Sound presents Lower River, the debut solo album by Michael A. Muller. Conceptually, the album explores the place where time, space, and self are occluded — a field of pure energy and creation similar to ‘the flow’ or zen state where ideas stream without impediment. Inspired by Muller’s own remote travels throughout the US and Europe and the personal exploration of a meditative practice, it’s a sonic exploration of what it means to deeply listen versus to merely 'hear', to …
Between Distant and Remote
**500 copies** Randall Taylor joins the Beacon Sound roster with his Amulets project and graces us with his finest work yet, Between Distant and Remote. Taylor uses tape loops, guitar, field recordings, and electronic processing to pay homage to the paradox of memory and growth, creating a deeply immersive musical landscape in the process.The album is reflective of the artist’s move from Austin, Texas to lush, green Portland in 2018 and also represents a more intentional and layered recording pr…
Steel, Wood, & Air
**300 copies** Portland composer and pianist Derek Hunter Wilson returns with his second album, entitled Steel, Wood, & Air. Ten lush, expressive pieces featuring piano, bass clarinet, and strings, this collection reflects the efforts of a young musician challenging himself and discovering his voice in the process. Inspired equally by the contemporary neoclassical scene and early recordings on the ECM label, Steel, Wood, & Air stands, timeless and buoyant, on its own.After releasing his debut al…
Threaded Habitat
**300 copies** Beacon Sound and Jacktone Records introduce a limited-edition joint vinyl release by Hugo R.A. Paris entitled Threaded Habitat. The new LP from Paris follows two of Jacktone's most popular releases: Mystique Youth (2015) and Horizons Beneath the Surface (2016), which appeared under his alias Lavender. The transition to the Hugo R.A. Paris moniker with this album marks a more personal shift in approach. Threaded Habitat combines ambient textures and techno rhythms to reflect tensio…
The Book Of Sounds
Last Copies. Edition of 500 copies. "This work, a masterpiece of restraint, reflects the musical imagination of someone who has spent long periods in the quiet recesses of the mind." (Terry Riley) Beacon Sound present a reissue of Hans Otte's The Book Of Sounds (Das Buch Der Klänge) originally released in 1984. Hans Otte (1926-2007) was a multifaceted artist, poet, pianist, composer, and promoter who synthesized the strands of minimalism, Eastern spirituality, and radical art into his own unique…
Songs For The Ten Voices Of The Two Prophets
Beacon Sound present a reissue of Terry Riley's Songs For The Ten Voices Of The Two Prophets, originally released in 1983. Recorded live in Munich in 1982 using two Prophet synthesizers and voice, this album is a reflection of Riley's ongoing interest in melding improvisation, electronic music, and the raga vocal stylings of his mentor, Pandit Pran Nath. Terry Riley turned the music world upside down with his 1964 work In C, a revolutionary concept based on 53 modules that can be improvised upon…