Browse by Label: REL RECORDS

Artist:	KESZLER, ELI
Title:	R.L.K.
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	REL 003CD

"R.L.K. develops slowly and subtly with gradually shifting sounds, from intense activity to near stasis. Murky guitars and resonating bowed cymbals move around the open space of the recording, creating large blocks of ambiguous sound, all while crackling free drums twist across the surface. The music morphs into droning guitars, bowed percussion, feed back and beating overtones. The drums re-enter into a spacious atmosphere during the last section, where nail violin and bowed percussion play counterpart to the drums' broken timing."

Artist:	PAUL, ASHLEY
Title:	D.O.L
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	REL 005CD

"D.O.L is the CD and full length debut release by Ashley Paul. At first D.O.L sounds like a minimalist psycho-acoustic experiment. Long sustained horn tones interweave with bowed bells and percussion. Subtle shifts in tone color encircle one another moving along and building, slowly and patiently. Yet also, a rough and aggressive quality exists in it, with ample bow sound and crackling electronic hiss. Shortly though, it becomes something very different with the entrance of Ashley's whispered singing, guitars, bells and reeds. She sings something resembling a song, in her understated vocal style, but it is a song you have certainly never heard before. Corrupt lullabies glide along with an odd, lop-sided sense of timing from section to section. Chaotic and crude sound bubbles underneath, with a mish-mash of guitars, reeds, keyboards, electronics and field recordings collaged in elliptical shapes forming harsh and unidentifiable sound clusters. Suddenly sustained harmonium and horns enter, droning and exiting. They overlap with pitches and tapes, which create beautiful upper harmonic patterns and combination tones. Occasional broken vibrato filled saxophone lines shine through, only to abruptly exit. The piece ends as it begins with droning bells, soprano saxophone and tape recordings, leaving one baffled in the best sense of the word. Ashley has been very active over the last year, performing with Loren Connors, Aki Onda and Greg Kelley; participating in a new work by Phill Niblock for soprano saxophone and bowed crotales (played by Eli Keszler), and performing consistently with Anthony Coleman in duo, trio and on his recent New World Records release. In addition, she performed as part of the USA premiere of Mauricio Kagel's masterpiece Der Schall at Merkin Hall in New York City. 'D.O.L' is packaged in a hand painted matte grey arigato pak, with a silver embossed design. Hand embossed with a unique 'white wax/diamond' seal on the back, with a vellum insert wrapping around the CD. All are hand made and designed by Ashley. Pressed in a one-time edition of 500."

Artist:	RED HORSE
Title:	Red Horse
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	REL 007LP

"Red Horse is the self-titled debut LP by the Providence/Boston based duo of Eli Keszler and Steve Pyne. Across two sides, Red Horse creates a unique sound combining Pyne's massive hand-constructed string instruments, motor-automated resonances, homespun multi-layered Leslies, speaker arrays and sculptural electronics with Keszler's swarming percussion, bowed crotales, metal and strings, guitar and microphones. The music moves fluidly between powerful grinding metallic clatter, psycho-acoustic string sustain, piercing bowed crotale tones and aggressive free drum and guitar blasts. Red Horse seamlessly slips between areas with a dynamic and formal sense all their own. Recorded and produced over the course of 2 years, this LP comes in a limited edition of 300 copper plate pressed 200 gram virgin vinyl copies. Packaged in a unique thick silk-screened card stock cover with a hand-numbered vellum wraparound. The package also includes a silk screened poster and three screen printed cards depicting Steve Pyne's invented instruments (string barrel, click box and speaker array). This edition is the culmination of many years of work together and represents the first in a series of Red Horse releases." last copies...

Artist:	KESZLER/ASHLEY PAUL, ELI
Title:	Aster
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	REL 008LP

"Aster is the debut LP release by the duo of Ashley Paul and Eli Keszler. Having spent the last 3 years performing all over the northeast, they have developed a unique sound, combining the piercing high pitched resonance of Keszler's bowed crotales and cymbals with altissimo sustains and drastic pitch bends of Paul's alto saxophone and clarinet. The split tone combinations from these instruments is surprising and overwhelming, creating continuous, multi-layered, dense, shifting harmonics and intense inner-ear sound. Spinning discs, invented resonating metal configurations, bending reed tones, and voice interference carefully blend, creating a wild texture that is both harsh and striking . This is contrasted with Paul's guttural string attacks, which meet the rapid-fire movement of Keszler's low end bowed cymbals and jittery crash. This is a live document recorded to 4 track, with no sound modification. This LP is the first 'official' release in a planned series of releases by this long standing duo. Pressed on 160 gram copper plate pressed virgin vinyl with a black inner sleeve, the LP is housed in a textured paper cover that features a layered screen printed drawing. The inside contains grey pasted notes with an attached 8" x 25" 3 part multi-tone picture which has been printed across a fold-out frosted vellum book. All of this has been screen printed, drawn, and then hand assembled by Keszler and Paul. The record comes in a limited hand numbered edition of 300 copies."

Artist:	KESZLER, ELI
Title:	Tilt
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	REL 010CD

"Tilt is a special edition CD, marking the 10th release on REL. It is a reissue from an out of print CDR originally released on the UK-based label Reverb Worship. A solo percussion outing, Tilt features an extra track added for the REL edition and is entirely remastered and reworked from the original. Tracked live with no electronics or modification in the winter of 2009, Tilt covers a wide area of sound from glistening, spinning crotales and stick and drum clusters to high pitched sustain and sympathetic vibration formations. All of this works together to create dense textural metal motion that piles on top of itself. Later moving to a low end, multi-bowed cymbal rumble then returning again to more angular areas. Special double digit design, Tilt features a 'mini' LP size, multi-layered silk screen cover on archival royal blue paper. The CD itself is housed in a fold out canary yellow silk screened booklet, with a vellum wrap around. Featuring multiple drawings by Eli, the inside contains notes on dark grey cardstock with full color CD printing. Released just prior to Keszler's upcoming European solo tour, Tilt is a hand numbered one time edition of 300 copies which marks the beginning of REL's new limited CD series."

Artist:	USURPER
Title:	Let's Just See What Happens
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	REL 011LP

"REL is proud to present the debut LP of the Scottish duo Usurper (Ali Robertson and Malcy Duff). Creating a sound nearly impossible to describe, Usurper combines obsessive metallic clunk, destroyed voices, broken horns and dropped marbles (?), into dense fields of activity. Working towards an intuitive sound logic all it's own, Usurper creates a surreal, comic structure that is unmatched and an energy that will make you laugh as soon as you shake your head in bafflement. The B side features a trio set with the addition of Sticky Foster (A Band, Prick Decay, Coffee) who blends seamlessly into the group. The LP is a one time, hand numbered edition of 200 copies with bold design featuring Malcy Duff's illustrations silk screened by Ashley Paul. The inside features a liner note pocket housing the full 24-page comic 2.1.3 by Duff."

Artist:	NMPERIGN & JAKE MEGINSKY
Title:	Selected Occasions Of Handsome Deceit
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	REL 012LP

"REL012 is the recorded debut of the trio Nmperign with Jake Meginsky. Pressed on 160 gram copper plate mastered vinyl, REL012 features Nmperign in an energized, turn-on-a-dime form. Prodded by Meginsky into unnamable, angular textures, the trio is agile and unpredictable, occupying many angles of musical extremes. REL012 is a one-sided LP cut to 45 for Maximum Dynamic range. Featuring a striking cover, designed by Eli Keszler, printed by Ashley Paul. A light blue fold-over paper is integrated in to a heavy picture disc sleeve, labeled with a color sticker. Screened notes are featured on the inside. REL012 is a one-time, hand-numbered edition of 300 copies."

Artist:	PAUL, ASHLEY
Title:	To Much Togethers
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	REL 015CD

"Over two years in the making, To Much Togethers is the follow up album to Ashley's 2008 D.O.L release. Patiently crafted and paced, To Much Togethers continues on Ashley's unique path of 'song' style. Combining clattering strings (her custom green-box string set up), psycho-acoustic sustain and decay, bowed metal, expressive saxophone, subtle and ear grabbing sense of color, and distant voice, all slowly creating mood and thought provoking miniatures that succeed in fitting into no known forms. Lyrically focusing on surreal and repetitive images contrasted by both harsh, aggressive textures and quite moving and spacious moments. Conflicting and deep energies and spaces seem to co-exist in Ashley's world. To Much Togethers is a unique creation as Ashley moves deeper into her own individual realm, where she is truly on her own. As much an audible experience as visual, To Much Togethers is remarkably packaged, featuring drawings by Gayle Paul (Ashley's mother), whose intuitive creations compliment the feeling of the music. Custom assembled, and printed by Ashley Paul the striking 'LP style' red cover features multi layers of screening with a screen-printed black obi wrapped around the spine of the fold-out cover. The inside features another screened drawing by Gayle Paul with a green with black over-layed CD hub. The left side features a glued black folder containing two more inserts with screen printed drawings with liner notes, a metallic paper insert in addition to an oval 'wagtail' sticker, with full color on CD printing. To Much Togethers is a limited edition of 300 copies and marks the second full length album in REL's limited CD series."

Artist:	ASTER
Title:	Rel016
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	REL 016LP

"Aster rel016 is the first release in the rel live series, which documents a show in Boston from 2009. Aster takes a different form in this set moving away from its distinct style of high pitch sustained overtone bends and song structure, pushing more towards a guttural blend of string scrapes and sustained tones in combination with an aggressive form of saxophone and drum textures. Blending guitars, drums and horn with Paul's unique green box set up. The music moves slowly and steadily through different areas ending, with a sustained drum, string and saxophone section featuring an aggressive but oddly mellow texture and energy. rel016 is a one sided LP housed in a silk screened black cover with a metallic fold over paper with a unique laser die cut design. The inside has printed notes with the instrument details and information. The record is a one-time limited pressing of 135 copies."

Artist:	OXTIRN
Title:	Live
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	REL 017CD

"Oxtirn live documents a performance in New York City, by the new trio Of Geoff Mullen, Ashley Paul and Eli Keszler. Following a score by Keszler, the group performs on an array of instruments, using three guitars, drums, voice, auto-motorized harps, tenor harp, bass harp, microphones, clarinet, alto saxophone, crotales, drums and cymbals. The music drifts in a unique way between a wide variety of sounds, from incredible density of clattering metal textures and string attacks, wall of sound guitars, mechanical music, high pitched saxophone bends and an oddly dim shimmering high harmonic sound. All creating together, a harsh, jagged and angular wash of ricocheting materials. In other sections, metal and vibrating strings, crotales and horns create a calmer and high contrast atmosphere. In the end, the music evolves into an area of sustained sound, space and sparse gesture, featuring one of Ashley Paul's songs and vocals, where the music takes on a new formation, leaving the listener with a question mark, and in some way is a new form of intuitive song. The recording itself is a low-fi document with a spacious, raw and aggressive timbre to it, adding to the all ready unique feel of the music. The packaging is intricately designed with a multi-color silk screen, based on a drawing by Eli Keszler. The CD itself is housed in a multi panel, fold-out, metallic paper print with pictures from the concert and excerpts from the Oxtirn score, with gold stamping on the outside of the metallic paper."

Artist:	MULLEN, GEOFF
Title:	Accidental Guitars
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	REL 018LP

"Geoff Mullen presents a new side of his ever-changing and open language, dealing here with his rawest material to date, and in many ways finding himself in a homecoming to the guitar. On Accidental Guitars, Geoff expands his instrumental language with his unique variety of invented, accident-prone technique. Re-contextualized live performances are filtered through an intuitive sense of form and pretexts, leaving us with an intense, jarring, pointed, and textural compositional language. With little more than an electric guitar, he conjures abstract formations and clattering percussive tones that are starkly contrasted with tape hiss and sudden echoplex'd delay. Sustains calm the mood throughout and create a beautiful and oddly soothing atmosphere that seems to move in all directions at once. The music on Accidental Guitars has an ability of creating form out of being lost, and achieves lucidity through this sense. This record is a unique document, finding Geoff between forms and excepted styles, and seeing him off, once again, in another new and exciting direction in his music. Accidental Guitars is pressed on heavy 180 gram vinyl, housed in a matte black inner sleeve, produced in a deluxe edition with multi screened designs on archival heavy stock with a insert and notes by the composer." Limited edition of 350 copies.

Artist:	PAUL AND MAUREY
Title:	Satellite
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	REL 019LP

"Paul and Maurey is the duo of Ashley Paul and Sakiko Mori. Satellite is an extended album with new and unreleased material, based off the micro edition cassette released on Wagtail in late 2010 that sold out in an instant. This version reveals their expansive, open ended and dynamic approach, combining Ashley's intuitive writing and vocals, with their propulsive and multi-layered rhythms, clatter and dynamics from the ensemble sound. Both perform on a wide range of instruments: Sakiko on keyboards, percussion, harmonium and Ashley on guitar, green box, reeds and even tuba. These two play multiple instruments at once and often switch in the middle of songs. Together they create a unique world of small scale/micro-sounds and non-musical gestures, somehow fitting this all within a song structure that really needs to be heard to be understood. In doing this, Paul and Maurey make something oddly beautiful out of the rawest material. Satellite is an LP edition, printed on clear vinyl, pink labels, with black matter innersleeves in custom, hand painted covers and silk screened jacket, in a limited edition of 340 copies."

Artist:	PAUL, ASHLEY
Title:	Line the Clouds
Label:	REL RECORDS
Format:	LP
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	REL 020LP

"Multi-faceted composer and performer Ashley Paul releases her new LP. A hyper-intuitive record, where off-kilter instrumentation meets beautifully crafted melodies to convey the very essence of 'musicality,' Line the Clouds contains 44.18 minutes of sonic paradoxes and dichotomies. Stirring up a zephyr of twelve blissfully cacophonous sounds -- singular moments of an indivisible whole -- the focus is on guitar, voice and saxophone, but Ashley also employs everything from flute, clarinet, guitar, bells, percussion and prepared strings in her melodic endeavours which simultaneously plugs in the ghost of American song. From 'Wide Expanse' -- where high-pitched reeds and whistles collide with richer tones and Ashley's fragile voice -- through the simple, sparkling beauty of the LP's title track -- with the guitar at the helm -- and the multi-vocal flutterings of 'Watch Them Pass,' there's also the freeing experimentalism and atonal clatter of 'Feb.21' -- a song which ably immortalises a feeling of stomach churning anguish -- and the album's gentle, abstract finale 'You're a Feeling.' This Brooklyn based artist is at the vanguard of the new wave of music currently rippling through the city where opposing strains of style and sound work in unison. Line the Clouds will be available in a limited edition LP available on colored vinyl in a custom sealed package with screen printed wraparound of Ashley's animal drawings, in addition to a digital version."

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