New Arrivals
Colonial Motels
*100 copies limited edition* Erica Dawn Lyle has been described by Pitchfork as a “punk hero,” which, though true, feels like an insufficiently specific term to describe her multifaceted presence and work. Colonial Motels is in fact rawly personal, a ladder out of an abyss of mourning as well as a determination to persevere and connect. Playing less but achieving more, this album captures the engaging intensity and directness that defines Lyle’s art, performance, and activism. Part I builds on p…
Distinct and Concealed
*100 copies limited edition* This meet-up between two thoughtful practitioners of minimal and process-oriented music succeeds not because it is resourceful but because its gestures are clearheaded. Disciplined and exploratory, it is like observing someone fixing a watch: methodical and calm, periodically getting up and selecting a tool, working for stretches of full concentration, and hearing the footsteps and rustle of clothing. The titles of the pieces – “Distinct” and “Concealed” – suggest te…
Der Vogel Turlipan
*80 copies limited edition* For more than two decades Oliver Peters has been working as Evapori, with releases on Entr'acte, Walter Ulbricht Schallfolien, 1000füssler, as well on his own now defunct Antiinformation imprint he used to run with his close collaborator Nicolas Wiese since the early 2000's. Following his 2020 LP "Dia-Logos", "Der Vogel Turlipan" is Peters' second work for Fragment Factory, which is based on a poem of the same name by East German writer Peter Hacks. It tells the story…
Jenseits Der Wand
*300 copies limited edition* "Jenseits der Wand" is the latest CD-release by Berlin-based multi-disciplinary artists Daniela Fromberg and Stefan Roigk, which results from two walk-in sound installations, which were realized in 2021 and 2022.
While one focuses on the diverse acoustic dimension of urban life with all its obscure and often indecipherable noises behind your own four walls, the other deals with the specific soundscape of a recycling center, which is created from the supposedly worthl…
Heartbeats
*300 copies limited edition* Arbitrary presents the second in a series of 10" vinyl remix collaboration releases by Danish musician Mads Emil Nielsen and Chromacolor. Side A features Heartbeats, a composition Nielsen originally made for a radio soundtrack. The track is derived from loops and granulations of sine waves and pulses from Nielsen’s modular synth, which he later combined with recordings of synthesized bass and layers of organ-like tones. On side B is a remix by German sound artist and…
"Mu" First Part & "Mu" Second Part
Straight from the vaults of the legendary French imprint, BYG, come astounding deluxe, 180gr. audiophile editions, fully remastered from the original analog tapes, of two of the most beloved LPs in the towering Jazz Actuel series: Don Cherry’s “Mu: First Part” and “Mu: Second Part”. Among the most creatively captivating gestures in the history of jazz, these two duets between Cherry and his longtime collaborator, the drummer Ed Blackwell, are the product of a single, groundbreaking session in Pa…
Barricade 3
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Restocked!!! ZNR was the French duo of Hector Zazou and Joseph Racaille (hence, Zazou 'n' Racaille) active in the mid to late '70s. Their 1976 debut, Barricade 3, is an anti-pop masterpiece that truly defies categorization; it makes perfect sense that ZNR appears on the infamous Nurse With Wound list. Featuring an array of seemingly dichotomous instruments (piano, synthes…
Ludwig (Un Roi Pour L'Eternite)
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Wapassou is a highly original band from Strasbourg! Recorded in 1974, keyboardist Freddy Brua and his colleagues' eponymous debut album produced music in the tradition of early albums by Pink Floyd, Amon Düül II, Czar and Ash Ra Tempel. The melodies are haunting and varied. The many contributions of flute, guitar, clarinet and sitar provide an ideal counterpoint to a real…
Messe En Ré Mineur
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Wapassou is a highly original band from Strasbourg! Recorded in 1974, keyboardist Freddy Brua and his colleagues' eponymous debut album produced music in the tradition of early albums by Pink Floyd, Amon Düül II, Czar and Ash Ra Tempel. The melodies are haunting and varied. The many contributions of flute, guitar, clarinet and sitar provide an ideal counterpoint to a real…
Gialorgues
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* "Debut album released from this French outfit which has reached "cult status". "Gialorgues" has found its way onto many "best of" lists that I have seen and for good reason. Shylock are from the King Crimson school of progressive rock in style but have certainly their own unique style and delivery. For the most part Shylock were a three piece band who brought in some gues…
Ile De Fievre
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* One of the most renowned French symphonic Rock bands of the 70's. Even if often compared to King Crimson, Shylock had their own distinctive personality. An intricate mixture of progressive complex structures and dark lyrical atmospheres. The band consisted of four virtuoso players: guitarist Frédéric l'Épée (later with Philarmonie), keyboardist Didier Lustig, bassist Serg…
Un Reve Sans Consequence Speciale
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Heldon's 5th album, recorded in 1976. Featuring Auger (drums), Gauthier (Mini Moog, Moog bass), Didier Batard (bass), plus Janick Top on one track, this is a crushingly dense synthesis of loud sounds. Magma-styled intensity meeting the "apex of the punk electronic sound" -- a masterpiece.
6 - Interface
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* As with the preceding album Rêve Sans Conséquance Spéciale, if you come to grip[ with this wild experimental minimalistic music , you will find yourself riveted to your seat by the sheer power and violent intensity of the music developped by Richard Pinhas (the sole leader of this project). It really depends on how your mind (and mood) is set to understand what is develop…
Stand By
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* "Stand By" was Heldon's final 1970s album. Afterward, Richard Pinhas focused on solo work and took a decade-long break. He explains that the band split due to members' time constraints and a trend of bands breaking up while still successful. The album features urgent synthesizer sounds, intricate drums, and dynamic guitar riffs. Though compared to krautrock, Pinhas was no…
e=mc²
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese* Solo album released in 1976 by multi-instrumentalist Teddy Rasley, son of Jack Rasley, who manipulated creative instruments made from metal parts, and who also played on Magma's early works. With Janik Top on bass and Andre Ceccarelli on drums, the rest is Teddy's own playing. A naive, magical and imaginative instrumental work on the themes of space and mystery, the album is consider…
Albert Marcœur
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Albert Marcœur is aptly described as ‘the genius of French avant-garde rock’. He studied clarinet in earnest at the Conservatoire, and with a unique formation of four wind players, his debut album establishes a one-of-a-kind world with a sense of humour and a sound like a toy box turned upside down, but the songs are backed by precise arrangements and playing ability. Def…
Album À Colorier
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* Originally released in 1976 and remastered in 2002, Album à colorier by Tonton Marcœur is vibrant with a mix of instruments like clarinets, trumpets, and guitars. The album reflects a childlike wonder, featuring emotional storytelling and surprising vocal shifts. It’s both touching and unsettling, showcasing Marcœur’s unique blend of poetry and eccentricity. The reissue h…
Armes & Cycles
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* On "Armes & Cycles," his last album of the wild seventies before a long hiatus, Albert Marcoeur remains meticulous in detail. He strikes a perfect balance between the exuberance of his debut and the lyrical redundancy of his second album. While still maintaining the song format, instrumental parts, especially those by guitarist François Ovide, are highlighted. The album s…
Auditory Poverty and its Discontents – An Essay (Book)
Where sounding is understood as an exhibition of activity, vitality, and power, Nina Dragičević proposes that we analyse sonic phenomena in econo-political terms.
In this essay—or is it perhaps a long love poem?—she dives into the sounding-listening dynamics and reveals them as class relations in which audibility is not an event following an occurrence of sound but a point in an intersectional class structure. With audibility, or rather the lack thereof, comes auditory poverty. And where there i…
Celui Où Y'A Joseph
*Comes in a CD-sized papersleeve album replica (gatefold), with obi-strip and insert of notes mostly in Japanese..2024 stock* 1983 and 4th studio album by this wonderful French jazz/prog/avant garde/RIO artist.