Browse by Label: AESTHETICS

Artist:	ISOTOPE 217
Title:	Mixed by Commander Mindfuck, Designer
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$9.00
Catalog #:	AST 006CD

"The material on this EP consists of live recordings from the well known Rainbo Club in Chicago, where Isotope 217 got their start and played every Monday night to various musicians and the expected hipsters. These recordings were manipulated and remixed by two masterminds in electronic music, Mike Kandel (Commander Mindfuck), who is more commonly known worldwide in the electronic community as Tranquility Bass, and Designer, who is Casey Rice, well known for his numerous electronic 12" releases on Soul Static Sound, Duophonic, Kultbox, etc."

Artist:	L'ALTRA
Title:	Music Of A Sinking Occasion
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 008CD

"Enter Phase Two from Chicago's L'Altra. There is a conceptual unity to the record which runs through the music, lyrics, artwork, and recordings of the songs which drags the listener beneath an undertow of melody of rhythm. These emotive compositions have been carefully orchestrated to a feeling of submergence and surrender Heling to create this haunting and beautiful atmosphere are friends Rob Mazurek on trumpet, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, Robert Cruz on accordion, Mike Lust on vibraphone and Marc Hellner on guitar)."

Artist:	ICEBREAKER INTERNATIONAL
Title:	Distant Early Warning
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 009CD

"Debut release by the duo of Alexander Perls and Simon Break, funded in part by NATO/Arts, a conceptual arts organisation based in NYC. 'Distant Early Warning is program music for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's far northern radar defense shield'. Attractive organ/drone/percussion segments cleverly influenced by the Reich/Riley/Gibson school of minimalia whilst retaining that trademark Chicago 'whoompf' necessary for post-rock cred. Nice." -- Hrvatski.

Artist:	HOOD
Title:	Cold House
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 017CD

"The 5th LP from the English quartet Hood, a nearly perfect venture through subtle experimentation and varying sonic color. By further realizing the dynamics of their outstanding recent releases, Home is Where it Hurts and The Cycle of Days and Seasons, this UK group has invited us into an imaginative new musical world. Melding organic and inorganic elements, noise and melody, Cold House doesn't hide from any musical opportunity, giving further exclamation of Hood's love of many styles of music. This willingness peaks with the collaboration on three tracks with California hip-hop reconstructionists Dose One (cLOUDDEAD, Ninja Tune, Anticon) and Why? (cLOUDDEAD, Anticon), as well as fully embracing the contemporary electronic movement of Autechre, Prefuse 73/Savath+Savalas, Nobukazu Takemura and the Schematic label."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Compiled
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$9.00
Catalog #:	AST 020CD

"A track from each of our current artists (L'altra, Hood, 33.3, Daniel Givens, Windsor For The Derby, and Pulseprogramming), as well as from The Eternals and Icebreaker, are used. To beef up the comp we asked several other artists to contribute who are currently not on Aesthetics, but may in the future be doing releases with us. Thus tracks from: Fleck, E*vax, High Priest (of Anti Pop Consortium) and Team Forest. As you will see, the compilation begins with the more pop and electronic based artists, and steadily moves towards newer genres of music, such as hip hop, and various experimental ideas."

Artist:	WINDSOR FOR THE DERBY
Title:	The Awkwardness EP
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$9.00
Catalog #:	AST 021CD

"Windsor For The Derby's Aesthetics debut is a diverse 5 track CD EP, containing glorious remixes from the likes of Pulseprogramming, Carnival Wave, I - Sound, Calla, and Windsor For The Derby themselves. Surprisingly (unlike some remixed records), these 5 tracks work incredibly well with one another, yet at the same time maintaining their own distinct personality. Carnival Wave's mix starts things off with pure bliss, which then leads perfectly into labelmates Pulseprogramming's dubbed out piece. On the 3rd track, I - Sound (To Rococo Rot collaborator) dense and chaotic deconstructive sounds bite throughout eventually flowing into Calla's guitar driven effort. The record ends (as it begins in context) appropriately enough with the Windsor For The Derby mix of themselves."

Artist:	GIVENS, DANIEL
Title:	The Ideas Of Space
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	AST 022EP

"The Ideas of Space contains four tracks of the more vocal oriented pieces from these sessions. On the opening track 'Propel', intricate rhythms lay the groundwork for the exquisite interplay between cello and bass. I dare say, this piece may be givens greatest nod to hip hop to date. The next track 'Defiance', is a lush, dense and chaotic blend of Givens vocals, bass, rhythms, and guitar. Upon flipping sides of this LP, one finds Givens taking a more subtle and spacious approach to his music. 'Palms/Psalm' is reminiscent of Sun Ra's interplanetary works, with hypnotic and spaced out rhythms throughout."

Artist:	GIVENS, DANIEL
Title:	Freedom's Myth
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	AST 023EP

"Highlights the disparate aesthetic evolution that has made his compositions so unique. Given's continues his creation of a seemingly all-inclusive palette of instruments and voice, featuring some of Chicago's most innovative players (guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise, Isotope 217, AACM), vocalist Glenda Baker, celloist Fred Lonberg-Holm and upright bassist Josh Abrams (Town & Country), among others) seasoning a soul -- stew of dub, world music, jazz and trip-hop ripe with color and varied dynamics. Freedom's Myth Carries inflections of artists such as Augustus Pablo, Sun Ra and Martin Denny and will appeal to listeners who want a music that elevates above its mere parts."

Artist:	L'ALTRA
Title:	In The Afternoon
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 025CD

"In The Afternoon is an elegant venture through a pastoral blossoming with sonic textures, melodic tenderness and emotional depth. L'altra have done their homework, passed the first spate of exams, allowing In The Afternoon to feel like an artistic exhale, where it's finally time to reap the rewards of the effort, while breathing some changing energy into the world of indie rock. In the Afternoon personifies what the best guitar bands (the Mogwai's, Radiohead's, Sea & Cake..) hope to accomplish; a synergy of new ideas with musical craft and above all, emotion."

Artist:	PULSEPROGRAMMING
Title:	Tulsa For One Second
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 026CD

"A remarkable record, rich and personal with understated textures and wintry elegance while presenting an array of styles that reference artists such as Boards of Canada, Matmos, early Mouse on Mars, Telfon Tel Aviv (whose Charlie Cooper mixed 'Tulsa') and the Morr Music label. The Pulseprogrammers have expanded their use of vocals (including contributions from Lindsay of label mates L'altra) to create a handful of pop gems that interact with their lingering instrumentals and make for a singular listening experience." 2nd pressing in a regular digipak (no longer fold into a house!)

Artist:	ETERNALS, THE
Title:	Black Museum
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	AST 027EP

"Their 3rd 12inch and first for Aesthetics (last 2 on Thrill Jockey), is a huge departure from their previous works. A much more experimental approach is taken in their songwriting and structure, with much more IDM/Computer influences and writing. This record is cut up, deconstructed and spastic... Influences of hip hop, dub, experimental, electronic musics and all throw into Santa's bag and disbursed accordingly for one messed up listening experience."

Artist:	BRUNDEL, SETH P.
Title:	Beyond Murky Drapes
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	AST 028EP

"A record that forgoes abstract hype and trendy-ness for musical substance and lyrics fueled by the pursuit hope through truth. As the title implies, this record is not clich�d window dressing, but a dense, angular exposition. With flawless phrasing, 'the left overs we dispose of on a weekly basis can feed a whole village, so why not walk the righteous way and fight this industrial machine killing the American dream?' He evokes the belief that hip-hop is still a vehicle for social and political protest. Brundel is part of a new wave of underground Mcs and producers, gaining notice by battling the vacuity of stereotyped hip-hop."

Artist:	KPT.MICHI.GAN
Title:	Player, Player
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 029CD

"The dynamic here is far different than the usual clicks'n cuts. Undulating at times while polarized elsewhere, Kpt.michi.gan is unafraid to meld the abstract with the sensual to negate the sterile, always with precision and throttling volume. Player, Player is a multifaceted yet simply motivated record that forms an entirety from its many viewpoints of electronic and analog composition. The music is futuristic, but it comes from a strong punk ethos, using elements of dub and monochromatic techno to frame fragments of melody and noise and continually build by contrast, layering vertically with volumes that aren't always sensical. Beckett is foremost a guitarist, and much of the album's texture is constructed from muted and distorted guitar, seeking to mimic the warmth and 'natural' noise of the amplifier."

Artist:	ETERNALS, THE
Title:	Rawar Style
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 030CD

"Rawar Style is more aggressive & direct than past Eternals offerings. A strong urban feeling is present throughout the record with their tracks rushing past you as if you were standing in the median of a large city street. The sounds of sirens, radios and partial conversations, take their place as portions of a sonic landscape. This music exists as a result of the environments it grew up in. Raised near the projects of punk & hip hop, but edged out at the onset of gentrification, the music doesn't call either neighborhood home. It is easy to imagine that dancehall, Tropicalia, improvised experimental music and electronic music live as tenants in the same building as the music made by The Eternals. The collective musical community provides the inspiration for the rhythms and tones found on the record. The social and political climate inspires the timbre. Rawar Style has a politicized energy that living in a big city in America can give you."

Artist:	GIVENS, DANIEL
Title:	Dayclear & First Dark
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 032CD

"Dayclear & First Dark is about being Black, Gay, & American in the new millennium, living in NY pre & post 9-11, about coming to terms with a childhood friend killed by Jeffrey Dahmer, finding a new home in the concrete jungle, combing digital textures, samples, Moog, drum machines, cello, sax, & various voices as a dark, seductive, and personal statement. We feel Dayclear & First Dark firmly establishes Givens connections to artist like Tricky, Lee Perry, Scott Heron, Saul Williams, Madlib, Pole, Sun Ra & Prince."

Artist:	KPT.MICHI.GAN
Title:	Kpt.Michi.Gan
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 033CD

"Get your headphones ready, as Germany's Kptmichigan once again shatters musical boundaries on his S/T 3rd full length, undertaking a diverse and exploratory approach similar in nature to fellow guitarists Thurston Moore and Christian Fennesz, additionally combined with a restored faith in rock & roll. The initial plan was to make a modern folk album, however ideas evolved and the record became more infused with elements of noise, rock, & psychedelic music's (think Syd Barrett!), showcasing his love for guitar & Fender super reverb. Beckett became influenced by the short, hi-energy rock & roll songs of his current other band, Beautiful New Born Children, as well as old Jamaican ska, reggae & dub, very early folk & bluegrass, and even some African musics. He also cites the noise of such artists as: Jimi Hendrix, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, as major influences in the creation of this release."

Artist:	PULSEPROGRAMMING
Title:	Tulsa For One Second Remix Project
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	AST 037EP

"The 2nd 12" single released for Pulseprogramming's remix series (1st by Schneider TM & Static). This one contains 3 tracks. Side A has Hood (UK, Domino + Aesthetics recording artist) doing a straight up cover of Pulseprogramming's hit 'Blooms Eventually' where Barbara Morgenstern (Germany, Monika recording artist) takes a slick hip-hop influenced variation on the original. Her delicate German voice along with Pulse's original source material pairs nicely. Side B contains a less straight-forward remix from Kohn (Belgium, Kraak artist). Listen as it builds in texture and volume."

Artist:	SAO PAULO UNDERGROUND
Title:	Sauna: Um, Dois, Tres
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 038CD

"Spawned from the pink sulfur skies of Sao Paulo, Brazil, this project is the combined work of artists; Rob Mazurek (Mandarin Movie, Isotope 217, Chicago Underground, Exploding Star Orchestra) on cornet/electronics and Mauricio Takara (Hurtmold, M. Takara) on percussion/electronics. Creatively, Takara and Mazurek chose to expand their already diverse musical pallet even further, incorporating ideas of modern electronics, dub, free samba, rock, jazz and maracatu, yet while maintaining a strong musical cohesiveness from the recordings beginning to end. The album's opening track recalls Fennesz's Endless Summer with its warmth and hazy electronic soundscapes, while it's ending presents unclassifiable sound construction of Tiago Mesquita's words and futuristic phantom carnival melody and rhythm. Sandwiched between are five diverse, texturally rich tracks covering a variety of sonic palettes."

Artist:	PULSEPROGRAMMING
Title:	Tulsa For One Second Remix Project
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 040CD

"Pulseprogramming is a multimedia collaboration based in the U.S. Aesthetics has released two albums, two EPs and a single by the group. The guiding premise behind this release is for the artists involved to remix both the audio & visual elements of pulseprogramming's 2003 album Tulsa For One Second. Thus, a thorough collaboration between the artists. Swedish photographer Ola Bergengren has graciously captured the results." Remixers: Sylvain Chauveau, Pal:ndrom, Hood, Nudge, Static, Laub, Schneider TM, Deviationists, Sam Miller, Other People's Children, Ghislain Poirier, Barbara Morgenstern, K�hn, B. Fleischmann.

Artist:	MANDARIN MOVIE
Title:	Mandarin Movie
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 041CD

"Mandarin Movie is the new project from Chicago native and current Brazil resident Rob Mazurek, a cornetist, composer, painter, improviser, and multi-media artist whose unique musical style draws from free jazz, hard-bop, experimental electronica and minimalism. Mandarin Movie's debut release is a full frequency audio assault, dense and beautiful at times, unrestrained, chaotic & hard at other times, with an almost sculptural quality, always preparing us for the beauty of sound and silence. The name 'Mandarin Movie' stems from a dream Rob had in 2003, evoking an artist's vision of singular clarity similar to Sun Ra's Space is The Place. At the dreams end Rob found himself atop the highest building in the world where 'It was all light beams and flying discs and dense beautiful sounding explosions which put a good feeling in the back of your head'." Includes Alan Licht on guitar.

Artist:	ETERNALS, THE
Title:	High Anxiety
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	AST 042CD

"This new EP tides fans over until the release of their upcoming 3rd album (September.2006) and features remixes from Prefuse 73 & A Grape Dope (Johnny of Tortoise's solo project) as well as from Birthmark, Exercise Tiger & The Eternals themselves. This release continues to showcase the group's various musical influences and politicized energy, however these sounds have now homogenized even further in the mix eventually transforming into an altogether NEW sound."

Artist:	ETERNALS, THE
Title:	Heavy International
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	AST 044CD

"International sounds homogenize through twisted, dirty avenues, where the high-rolling boom-box dub kings cruise tropical boulevards, tops down, stereos ablaze at twilight, while the jazzy ladies line up. The Chicago trio's strange rawer style stretches the sonic palette like Reed Richard's (Fantastic Four), whose creator Jack Kirby, plays influence to vocalist Damon Lock's intricately woven album covers depicting dark, rugged city-scapes. The group's third album ups the ante with all chips on the table. Diving deeper into uncharted waters, the musical monsoon continues to saturate the players' diverse sounds into their own unique vision. The new 'Chicago calling' is here, pulsating through the windy city's turbulence."

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Artist:	33.3
Title:
Label:	AESTHETICS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	AST 011CD