★Fantome Phonographique
Improvisations
G.I. Gurdjieff was an Armenian and Greek philosopher, spiritual teacher, and musician, whose teachings of The Fourth Way influenced thousands worldwide and created communities that still exist to this day. His goal was to teach humans to reach a higher consciousness out of the "waking sleep" he considered most to be living in. Music was an important part of his teachings and these brilliant harmonium improvisations were recorded in 1949 in Paris, just a short time before his death. Droning and e…
Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward
Limited edition reissue of this legendary LP, issued onFolkways Records back in 1962. A magical collection of Kentucky's own Roscoe Holcomb, one of the most legendary figures of Appalachian Music and a huge influence on the '60s folk scene, and Wade Ward, a Virginia fiddle and clawhammer banjo player who's style has been often imitated. Playing banjo, guitar, and singing in that beautiful high lonesome sound, Roscoe Holcomb covers the first side of this LP, in his wild and raw style. Wade Ward h…
Orphee Ballet
Scored for Maurice Béjart's choreography to the 'Orphée Ballet', based on the Greek god Orpheus, this is one of Pierre Henry's finest works of musique concrète, the genre in which Henry was an early innovator and to which he devoted his career. After years working for the French national radio (RTF) and honing his studio chops on radio spots and editing/composition, Henry formed his own studio in 1958 and began working on modern dance and ballet and soundtrack work. Incorporating percussion, ind…
Epitaph für Aikichi Kuboyama / Sechs Studien
Herbert Eimert was a German music renaissance man, with his expertise ranging from theory to composition, editing, radio production, and criticism. He wrote numerous books on music theory, worked for years at the British occupational forces run Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk. It was there in 1951 that he established a studio for electronic music that he ran until 1961, which hosted recordings from Stockhausen, Xenakis, and Cornelius Cardew, among others. This brilliant work begins on side A with 'Ep…
Prélude Au Sommeil
**small repress available, clear vinyl edition** Fantome Phonographique present a reissue of Jean-Jacques Perrey's Prélude Au Sommeil, originally released in 1958. Jean-Jacques Perrey was one of the earliest innovators in electronic music, creating a body of work spanning decades that has influenced everyone from Brian Eno to The Beastie Boys. One of the pioneers of musique concrète and electronic tape manipulation, Prélude Au Sommeil ("Prelude to Sleep") is Perrey's debut recording but shows a …
Original Wax Recordings
Fantôme Phonographique present a reissue of the only known recordings from the infamous occultist, mystic, magician, poet, novelist, sexual deviant, and all-around misfit, Aleister Crowley. Recorded onto wax cylinder in the early 1910s, and later transferred to 78 RPM discs. The tracks include Crowley's recitation of the first two Enochian Keys, original poetry, incantations, and songs. An absolutely essential piece of occult history. This collection was originally compiled and released on LP in…
Pur En Finir Avec Le Jugement De Dieu
Fantôme Phonographique present a reissue of Pur En Finir Avec Le Jugement De Dieu by Antonin Artaud. Antonin Artaud was a French poet, dramatist, and director and one of the most important figures in 20th century European theater, and especially the avant-garde. His piece "Pour En Finir Avec Le Jugement De Dieu" was recorded in 1947 to be aired on French radio. But the project was shelved not only for its scatological, anti-American, anti-religious content, but also for its avant-garde sound, wi…
Electronic Music
Fantôme Phonographique present a reissue of The Electrosoniks's Electronic Music, an LP by Tom Dissevelt and Dick Raaymakers's (aka Kid Baltan) originally released in 1962. Tom Dissevelt and Dick Raaymakers were both Dutch composers and electronic music pioneers. Both musicians began their studies at Royal Conservatory of The Hague on trombone and piano respectively, and later discovered the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Anton Webern. In the mid-50s Raaymakers began working at the Philips N…
Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan
Fantome Phonographique present a reissue of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan's self-titled release, originally released on Columbia in 1966. Even though the original recordings are crackly and in low fidelity (but also deeply charming) it seemed necessary to repress this record for its immense historiographic value. These recordings are made available here with new mastering, in as clear fidelity as possible. Fans of Indian classical music will no doubt know the name Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan. He founded the…