Browse by Label: PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)

Artist:	VA
Title:	Pingipung plays: the piano
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	PING 006CD

"It was around two years ago that the four Pingipung label founders were sitting in a car, listening to the piano-play of their favourite Icelandic band, when one of them remarked a piano should sound just like that. With their decision to start a song collection in honour of this instrument, the four initiated comprehensive measures to prove to themselves the very contrary. Listen closely and realise: The piano doesn't need to do anything at all. It wants to be touched. On this record, 17 artists lay their hands upon this big, wooden box. Whether introverted or straightforward, the results deliver an impressive, electronica-saturated piano overview, in its most diverse facets." Artists: Lawrence, Nils Frahm, Mister Tingle, Barbara Morgenstern & Robert Lippok, Hauschka, Grabuk, Peter Presto, Petit Nuage, DJ Nalesniki, Coloma, Guido Mobius, Egobird, Spinning Tap, Florian Grote, Springintgut, Adam Butler, Thaddi.

Artist:	VANISHING BREED
Title:	Between Arrival and Departure
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	PING 008CD

"Alexander Holmes is a British singer-songwriter who is currently based in Berlin. He's also the mastermind of the anarchistic London crew 'They Came From The Stars, I Saw Them.' His solo project is called Vanishing Breed and it would be rather a shame if someone like him were actually among the species to become extinct. Songwriter, guitarist and poet Alexander Holmes has developed a wonderful and unique style all of his own. Vanishing Breed uses surreal imagery for his lyrics, while his music often tends to have an element of misplacement. A moment of irritation -- like a stain on a shirt or a picture that hangs crooked in its frame. What makes the music of Vanishing Breed so particular is the surprise factor, the deliberate out-of-placeness and unexpectedly drastic. Naïve, merry songs tripping over their feet from the abrupt hefty dancehall beat. Rhythmic changes and sudden chaos in the arrangement prevents the listener from getting too comfortable while enjoying the warm-sounding voice and the Africanesque high-life guitar picking. Holmes' humour and the often slightly surreal settings of his stories unite in fantastic, dreamy alliances. Vanishing Breed is interested in the poetry that can be found in strange everyday situations. He not only takes us into the parallel worlds of airports and train stations, to the waiting lounges of long-distance relationships. No -- this album is a parallel world in itself, full of people waltzing and waving from balconies."

Artist:	PRESTO, PETER
Title:	Schon, Das Du Mal Wieder Reinhorst
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	PING 009CD

"Now, some four years later, during which Peter Presto contributed to two compilations, and, to 'der Spiegel's attention, remixed Edmund Stoiber, he returns with some old and some more new songs, collected in album format. What's in it for you? Probably the most laid-back contribution to your personal summer soundtrack-of-your-life, full of engaging synth hooks and melodies with haunting potential. A cornucopia of solar heat, constantly jumping from swaying moods to silliness and back again. Whether roots in ska, reggae, dub or even schlager ultimately predominate, or whether his music stands beyond such categorisations, is entirely up to the listener. One thing is clear though: the humour dies last. The lament is over. Peter Presto shows us that life is easier with a good mood."

Artist:	KACIREK, SVEN
Title:	The Palmin Sessions
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	PING 011CD

"Through Sven Kacirek's solo debut runs a special, peculiar tension between rhythmic speed, a deep calm full of harmonics, and discreet electronics. Tubular bells are omnipresent, the marimba sounds warm, the jazz brush beats (on glass, wood or paper) are virtuoso, the arrangements surprising. The dry concreteness of natural percussive instruments is brought out by Sven Kacirek in a repetitive, subtle harmony, without obtruding. The Palmin Sessions unites two extremes: urban fever and contemplative calm. By forgoing the use of synthesizers, and playing exclusively acoustic instruments live, Sven creates an utterly individual, intimate and captivating sound pattern that spellbinds right from the first few tones."

Artist:	HOLMES, A.J.
Title:	The King of the New Electric Hi-Life
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	PING 012CD

"After two records, he takes the step towards making music only under his own name. Now Vanishing Breed is called A.J. Holmes. Furthermore, the bold album title The King of the New Electric Hi-Life tells the listener: here's someone who takes royal pride in presenting his music, and that music is West-African Hi-Life folk tradition imbued in finest electronica. The King of the New Electric Hi-Life is West-African tradition turned into a contemporary example of British/European modern pop: this is the formula from which A.J. Holmes develops irresistible dance tracks like 'Lumumba Berlin Sex City,' instrumentals with a fragile swing like 'Schloss Lanke,' pop tunes with earworm qualities like 'For Export Only,' or heart-warming love songs like 'Nino.' However, A.J. Holmes isn't only one, but many, because the album has just as many different faces, atmospheres and ethnic influences as the currently Berlin-based Brit himself. Anne Laplantine as well as João Orecchia, Robert Truscott and Shintaro Taketani support him musically, and his tracks are crowned by his own emotional and sometimes self-ironic lyrics."

Artist:	GOTO80
Title:	Made On Internet
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	PING 013CD

"Considering the global distribution of computer technology for already over 30 years, the Demoscene and the related Chiptunes music have never really had a high profile. Maybe that's because of their non-commercial background, or because making obsolete digital technology the center of cultural production is mostly an insider's passion. Call it 'Geek-Art for Geeks.' In today's electronic music, the sounds of Gameboy, C64, and other discarded game hardware have gained cult status, propelled by an enthusiastic community. A key character in this permanent dedication to chiptunes is Anders Carlsson from Sweden. He has been an active member of the demoscene for almost 15 years and known under the name of GOTO80 for almost a decade. Always driven by the everlasting challenge to compose music for the best C64 demo. His knowledge of the sonic core of the C64, the legendary SID-Chip, is awesome. Just as exceptional are his musical intuition and his stylistic variety, combined with his technical skills. Made On Internet brings together 11 of his recent works showing the full scope of his production work."

Artist:	DIN A4, JAMES
Title:	Fistel Rose Power
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	PING 014CD

"Fistel Rose Power marks the third collaboration of Pingipung and James Din A4, after his two terrific compilation contributions ('Reggae- Olympiade' on Kami Eins, 2002 and 'Graumelierte Pötstellen' on Pingipung Blows: The Brass, 2007). Together we handpicked the pearls featured on the album from more than 20 vinyl records, all of which the musician and artist from Ottersberg released himself. They appear on CD for the first time, as a 'Best Of,' and come with elaborate artwork. The 24-page booklet and the digipak were designed for this purpose by the artist himself, and offer an impression of his illustration, which he brings to the world under the label Made with Hate."

Artist:	ISO68
Title:	Space Frames
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	PING 015CD

"Jazz, dear followers of independent pop music, is not a competitive sport. It's a feeling -- like in Mr. Fingers' acidiferous classic, 'House Is A Feeling.' And somewhere between the melting polar caps of jazz and house, between the principles of division of labor and of sound studies driven by machine-made rhythm, the iso68 duo too arrive at an archaic modernism that is all their own -- made up of electrically-charged Hohner clavinets, radiophonic workshops with David Tudor, and a bag of fermented grass, to be smoked preferably with Augustus Pablo's excursions on the melodica. What time is it? It's pretty late, but iso68 are not about vague indietronic swirling, they're about positioning their wibbly-wobbly sound paintings quite deliberately near the places of longing of musical culture. Near Sun Ra's grand keyboard improvisations, like in the holiday song 'the great punster,' near the strange duos on the British electronic label Warp and their bunker-line studios in the sand, in the same song. iso68 create melodies that you can pick out from hundreds of music pieces, that are carried our way through the ether, that waft across the splashing waves of a lake, or that say 'hello' to us straight from a manhole cover next to the autobahn, like a ghoul. Is that a combo jamming, or is the ensemble being bolted together by a top engineer at a mixing board? I can't tell, but the incredibly long drawn-out notes send shivers down my spine, and I mistake the iso68 track 'Plano Piloto' for the main theme of an old French soundtrack by -- what's his name again? -- and that's a good sign. With iso68, the beats are always in the front, but not for a single moment you become aware of it. Or else, such as in the cooled-down ice machine crusher 'Forestrain,' they evolve into a smoldering atmosphere-roller: no escape, I assure you. Everything here is dense, at the same time diaphanous, friendly, focused and yet incomparably relaxed. Jazz! It's amazing how there are only two permanent members to iso68, but on their new and fourth album 'Space Frames,' Thomas Leboeg and Florian Zimmer put so much feeling (there it is again!) into the details of sounds that you could just as well call them a collective. A sound collective, traversing electronic space, jamming." --Julian Weber

Artist:	HEY-O-HANSEN
Title:	Sonn Und Mond: Rare And Unreleased Austro-Dub
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	PING 016CD

...Tracks 1995-2009 "With Sonn Und Mond, Pingipung presents an insight into the archives of the Austrian dub act Hey-O-Hansen. Sonn Und Mond is far more than just a 'Best-Of.' As the subtitle reveals, this record collects Rare and Unreleased Austro-Dub Tracks, which are in the first place scarce gems from the last decade's oeuvre of this outstanding duo. Hey-O-Hansen have been famous for their musical output on remote formats such as rare vinyl singles or even on cassette tapes, through their own label heyrec. Following the contribution 'Rflu' to the compilation 'Pingipung Blows: the Brass,' 'Sonn und Mond' is the first feature-length cooperation between Pingipung and Hey-O-Hansen. Why Austro-dub? Obviously, Helmut Erler and Michael Wolf, who are Hey-O-Hansen, originally come from Austria. Raised to the off-beats of Tyrolian folk music, then practicing offbeats in ska and rocksteady bands, they eventually moved to Berlin in order to explore samplers and sequencers for their music, alone or as duo. Soon they had their professional studio, call it the musical instrument of dub. And they literally carried it on stage for their many gigs. This is what makes Hey-O-Hansen's tracks so special. Their extraordinary skills and tricks in sound engineering join their detailed, Lo-Fi playfulness which is based on the artistic cross-grainedness of the duo and the fact that they appreciate the openness of a live per-formance as essential for their compositions. Maybe that is why numerous guest musicians appear on this record; for example Dirk von Lowtzow (Vocals), Gordon Odameteys (Per-cussion), Olaf Rupp (Gitarre), and Kazumi (Vocals), just to name a few. In Hey-O-Hansen's music the deepness of dub is always combined with the catchiness of a Chanson or the stubborn straightness of a dancefloor track. Although Sonn Und Mond shows above all the versatility of Hey-O-Hansen by pointing at hidden beauty, this record contains several hits and evergreens such as 'J'ai peur' or 'Dreams Never Die.'"

Artist:	SCHOOL OF ZUVERSICHT
Title:	Randnotizen From Idiot Town
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	PING 017LP

"Pingipung presents the debut album from School of Zuversicht with the release of Randnotizen From Idiot Town. This release is special for several reasons: First, we are delighted to be able to welcome the first female artist to Pingipung for the first time in the label's eight-year history. Second, as a label we have gone back to our analogue roots by releasing the work on vinyl. Third, we think the music is absolutely fantastic: with its mix of minimal club beats, great elements of pop and lyrics somewhere between confidence and skepticism, Randnotizen From Idiot Town is a seminal work encompassing different aspects of urban music and cultural styles. The singer behind School Of Zuversicht is DJ Patex from Hamburg. The exuberance of this work from School of Zuversicht is reflected in the colourful combination of different players from a host of genres."

Artist:	KACIREK, SVEN
Title:	The Kenya Sessions
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	PING 020CD

This is the second album on Pingipung by German drummer/percussionist Sven Kacirek. The Kenya Sessions is an enchanting cooperative mission featuring Kacirek, an experimental drummer and electronic producer, and musicians from Kenya. This album is the result of Sven's extended visit to the country with live and fieldrec sessions which he later processed in his studio in Hamburg. Sven Kacirek plays with local Kenyan stars such as 80 year-old female vocalist Ogoya Nengo, and with Joseph Oganga, who delivers amazing patterns with his nyatiti, a traditional string instrument. It's sometimes difficult to tell the parts recorded in Kenya from those overdubbed by Sven Kacirek himself. His own compilation of marimba, bass drums and brush patterns forms a musical thread that he weaves skillfully into the live sessions -- at times joyfully straight, at times mellow and melancholy. The liner notes by Goetz Steeger illustrate the detailed recording process of this record. Kacirek has a background as a virtuoso jazz drummer. He studied at Drummer's Collective in New York, played several solo shows at the World Drum Festival and has written books on the experimental use of electronics on the drum set. On his solo debut The Palmin Sessions in 2007, he presented his original ambient aesthetics made from silent patterns recorded on paper, wood, or glass surfaces.

Artist:	WOLS
Title:	Unframe
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	PING 021CD

Pingipung are proud to present Unframe, the debut album by Russian duo WOLS. While self-proclaimed insiders have mainly kept their ears tuned to releases from the UK, a lively dubstep scene has been thriving for years in the Russian Federation. And so WOLS bring more to the floor than just a bass whip. On this album, you'll find majestic hymns, cut-up avant hip-hop beats, dub tracks whose jittery cheerfulness is reminiscent of Aphex Twin or their own highly unique electronica steppers with heart, soul, and the most wonderful pads. Using old Sovyet vintage synths and drum computers in combination with fine recordings of live musicians, WOLS deliver a well-rounded album that offers all the thrills yet avoids the trap of simply stringing together dancefloor killers. Just as their music points to a variety of styles, their name points to a multitude of references: firstly, it's an alias of the German painter Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, as both members of WOLS like his pictures immensely. Secondly, it refers to the project's origins in techno: WOLS have gradually developed towards their current sound by slowing down and stirring the 4/4 beat, and so "SLOW" became "WOLS." Thirdly, in some colloquial variants of Russian, "WOLS" describes a slow person who has their head in the clouds. WOLS are Evgeny Shchukin and Alexander Tochilkin. They have already released techno tracks on Ostwind, Level and Harthouse Mannheim under the name Modul, and they run the FUSELab media resource for different types of sonic and visual art. The duo lives in Southern Russia, in the city of Krasnodar, near the Black Sea. That region is famous for a particular kind of sunflower, and in a certain way, we actually owe the creation of the album to its seeds. To cut a lovely story short, it's Krasnodar's prosperity through sunflowers which gave the young WOLS access to this high-end sonic range that we can hear on Unframe.

Artist:	KACIREK, SVEN
Title:	The Kenya Reworks
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	10"
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	PING 021EP

The response to Sven Kacirek's album The Kenya Sessions (PING 020CD) was overwhelming. Pingipung now releases a 10" vinyl with reworks of tracks off the album. Lawrence reduces "Kayamba Tuc Tuc" to its essence -- an edit full of wisdom with heartfelt warmth. Taprikk Sweezee builds his soul-glitch beats with ease and there's also a rework of "Paperflowers" by Kacirek himself. The secret highlight is the exclusive Kacirek track "Takaye Village."

Artist:	WOLS
Title:	Unframe
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	PING 021LP

LP version. Pingipung are proud to present Unframe, the debut album by Russian duo WOLS. While self-proclaimed insiders have mainly kept their ears tuned to releases from the UK, a lively dubstep scene has been thriving for years in the Russian Federation. And so WOLS bring more to the floor than just a bass whip. On this album, you'll find majestic hymns, cut-up avant hip-hop beats, dub tracks whose jittery cheerfulness is reminiscent of Aphex Twin or their own highly unique electronica steppers with heart, soul, and the most wonderful pads. Using old Sovyet vintage synths and drum computers in combination with fine recordings of live musicians, WOLS deliver a well-rounded album that offers all the thrills yet avoids the trap of simply stringing together dancefloor killers. Just as their music points to a variety of styles, their name points to a multitude of references: firstly, it's an alias of the German painter Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, as both members of WOLS like his pictures immensely. Secondly, it refers to the project's origins in techno: WOLS have gradually developed towards their current sound by slowing down and stirring the 4/4 beat, and so "SLOW" became "WOLS." Thirdly, in some colloquial variants of Russian, "WOLS" describes a slow person who has their head in the clouds. WOLS are Evgeny Shchukin and Alexander Tochilkin. They have already released techno tracks on Ostwind, Level and Harthouse Mannheim under the name Modul, and they run the FUSELab media resource for different types of sonic and visual art. The duo lives in Southern Russia, in the city of Krasnodar, near the Black Sea. That region is famous for a particular kind of sunflower, and in a certain way, we actually owe the creation of the album to its seeds. To cut a lovely story short, it's Krasnodar's prosperity through sunflowers which gave the young WOLS access to this high-end sonic range that we can hear on Unframe. This vinyl version features 9 out of the 14 tracks on the CD with a free download card for the entire album.

Artist:	SPRINGINTGUT
Title:	Summer Of Seven 1/7
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	PING 023EP

Seven 7"s in seven months -- Hamburg's Pingipung label surprises fans with a strictly-limited vinyl series called Summer Of Seven. From April to October 2011, one single each month will bring on the longest summer Hamburg has ever seen. Two straight bouncers from Andi Otto aka Springintgut features Indian string music micro-sampled and overdubbed with cello and a drum machine. Two odes to the animals of Bangalore: the eagles above, and the dogs underneath. Artwork by C.I.Alex. 200 copies only.

Artist:	PRESTO, PETER
Title:	Summer Of Seven 2/7
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	PING 024EP

Hamburg's Pingipung label surprises fans and music lovers with a vinyl series called Summer Of Seven, featuring fresh, unreleased, single-quality tracks. Each release is strictly-limited to 200 copies. Volume 2 features tracks by Peter Presto, not only the founder of Pingipung, but also the chap who did the first release on the label in 2002. For Summer Of Seven, he has reworked a theme from a classic computer game adventure in his very own vivid, melodic, happy-go-lucky dub style.

Artist:	HOLMES, A.J.
Title:	Summer Of Seven 4/7
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	PING 026EP

Peak-time! This one definitely qualifies as a summer record. A.J. Holmes is the self-titled "King Of The New Electric Hi-Life." After moving back to London three years ago, the guitarist and DJ has played quite a role in the booming Afrobeat scene there and formed a new band called The Hackney Empire. For the Summer Of Seven series, he contributes two remixes of tracks from The Very Best and Xylitol that are simply made for summertime love. Numbered edition of 200 copies.

Artist:	GOTO80
Title:	Summer Of Seven 5/7
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	PING 027EP

Pingipung presents the fifth edition in their Summer Of Seven series, featuring fresh, unreleased, single-quality tracks. Each release is strictly limited to 200 copies. Goto80 from Sweden is one of the heroes of the chiptunes scene. He makes his music only with old soundchips; above all, the SID chip from the C64. Nerd tech info: "Sombanova" uses a 16 millisecond loop for all the instruments except the drums. The vocals on "Mamasita" have been improvised by Acid Terrorist.

Artist:	KACIREK, SVEN
Title:	Scarlet Pitch Dreams
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	PING 032CD

Sven Kacirek, the much-praised multi-instrumentalist from Hamburg, releases his third album with Pingipung. Scarlet Pitch Dreams presents intimate solo works, following his debut The Palmin Sessions (2007) and the international success The Kenya Sessions (PING 020CD), which was honored with a German Record Critic's Award for the second quarter of 2011. While The Kenya Sessions revealed fruitful collaborations with Kenyan musicians, almost every single instrument on Scarlet Pitch Dreams has been played, recorded and produced by Sven Kacirek himself. Within these dreamy séances of percussive virtuosity, Kacirek has effortlessly found his original sound -- from the first whirring of the prepared grand in the opener to the massively rolling drumset crescendo in the last track. Jazzbrush patterns define Sven Kacirek's sonic identity. They create beat structures on wood, glass, and paper which sound like digital sampler tweakings -- but they are not. "For the previous records I had been led by the production process in the first place, cutting loops, use of FX and so on. But here, everything has been written down in notation first, and has then been properly recorded," Kacirek says. This handcraft -- and the craftiness in Sven Kacirek's handling of his recording and production technology -- are two blessed aspects to this record. The 11 tracks burst with sonic details and never dwell on aimless repetition -- they are tied together with wide melodic arcs, and at times they sound like a classical jazz recording, at other times they show their influences from dub techno and clicks & cuts. Featured guests on this record include Jana Plewa (Old Splendifolia, The Kat Cosm) on vocals, and Johannes Huth (Efim Jourist, Anthony Braxton) and John Eckhardt (Alvin Lucier, Evan Parker) on upright bass.

Artist:	KACIREK, SVEN
Title:	Scarlet Pitch Dreams
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	PING 032LP

LP version. Sven Kacirek, the much-praised multi-instrumentalist from Hamburg, releases his third album with Pingipung. Scarlet Pitch Dreams presents intimate solo works, following his debut The Palmin Sessions (2007) and the international success The Kenya Sessions (PING 020CD), which was honored with a German Record Critic's Award for the second quarter of 2011. While The Kenya Sessions revealed fruitful collaborations with Kenyan musicians, almost every single instrument on Scarlet Pitch Dreams has been played, recorded and produced by Sven Kacirek himself. Within these dreamy séances of percussive virtuosity, Kacirek has effortlessly found his original sound -- from the first whirring of the prepared grand in the opener to the massively rolling drumset crescendo in the last track. Jazzbrush patterns define Sven Kacirek's sonic identity. They create beat structures on wood, glass, and paper which sound like digital sampler tweakings -- but they are not. "For the previous records I had been led by the production process in the first place, cutting loops, use of FX and so on. But here, everything has been written down in notation first, and has then been properly recorded," Kacirek says. This handcraft -- and the craftiness in Sven Kacirek's handling of his recording and production technology -- are two blessed aspects to this record. The 11 tracks burst with sonic details and never dwell on aimless repetition -- they are tied together with wide melodic arcs, and at times they sound like a classical jazz recording, at other times they show their influences from dub techno and clicks & cuts. Featured guests on this record include Jana Plewa (Old Splendifolia, The Kat Cosm) on vocals, and Johannes Huth (Efim Jourist, Anthony Braxton) and John Eckhardt (Alvin Lucier, Evan Parker) on upright bass. Vinyl version contains 9 of the 11 tracks on the CD, plus an mp3 coupon for the entire album.

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Artist:	HEY
Title:	Summer Of Seven 3/7
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	PING 025EP

Artist:	ROM
Title:	Foot Signal
Label:	PINGIPUNG (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	PING 033LP