Browse by Label: STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Al Jar Zia Audio
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	ARCHIVE 006CD

If Satyajit Eye (originally released in 1993, reissued by Staalplaat) only blinks at Indian culture, the album Al Jar Zia Audio stares at it with both eyes wide open. It is known that Jones looked further than the Palestinian conflict, and also borrowed extensively from the rhythms of India, Pakistan, and other Eastern cultures. Like crossing borders in the bigger Islamic region, Jones takes whatever comes to hand, and moulds it into his own trademark sound -- often imitated, never surpassed. The tribal bang of the drums, the sampled voices of the radio, combined with a strong sense of melody, makes the music of Muslimgauze stand out a mile from the rest. Whereas others fell into the traps of commercialism, Muslimgauze remained faithful to his own principals and methods. Even in digging through the vaults of his recordings, it's hard to find material that is of a weaker nature -- as Al Jar Zia Audio will prove. There is the uplifting dance rhythms of "We Have Shafika Habibi On Our Bus" (which incorporates the chirping of crickets), the bubble-bass of "Arvinada Jewel Box," and the endless crackles of sunburned vinyl; but there are also curiosity pieces such as the highly experimental "All I Have Is Sand," and the "stop-start" approach of "Brotherhood of Tikrit." Bryn Jones was not just a master who refined the art of sampling, he also knew how to create a fine piece of music out of it, and more often then not displayed a very strong sense of melody. Al Jar Zia Audio offers 15 tracks in over an hour of exciting Muslimgauze music, and is of a rather varied nature. Less mysterious, more open -- this is the melting pot of many cultures from sunnier parts of the world, but all served up from a rainy UK city.

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Cobra Head Soup
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$33.00
Catalog #:	ARCHIVE 008LP

Unreleased material, says "all tracks by Muslimgauze 1997". Gatefold 2LP, black & white cover limited to 500 copies. LP1: 33 RPM; LP2: 45 RPM. Tracklist:
       side 1A
       1. Muslim Brotherhood
       2. Arab United
       3. Kashmiri Queens
       4. Zion Junkie
       side 1B
       5. Egypt Needs More Rain
       6. Cobra Head Soup
       7. Dogheadgod
       8. Gaza Strip
       9. Rabid Zionist Dog Muzzle
       side 2A
       10. Elect Izlamic Jihad
       side 2B
       11. Dimple Kapadia Mumbai

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Satyajit Eye
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	ARCHIVE 011CD

It has been said that if we mere mortals attempted to write down everything that Mozart ever composed, it would take us 80 years to do so -- but Mozart himself only lived to be 35. Something similar could be said, too, about the work of Bryn Jones - also known as Muslimgauze. Jones died in 1999, at the age of 38 -- but produced an incredible body of work, much of which remains unreleased. From the ultra-creative period that brought us Hamas Arc (1993) and Vote Hezbollah (1993) -- and also the lost album Shekel of Israeli Occupation (the master of which was returned to Jones -- who regarded the peace treaty signed in 1993 by the PLO, the original dedicatees of the album, as a betrayal -- and the music was subsequently erased) -- were the first signs that Jones had a wealth of unreleased material -- so much so, in fact, that Staalplaat decided to give fans a "free" release in exchange for sacrificing a part of the cover of Hamas Arc: if you cut out the insert from the CD cover and sent it in with a blank DAT, you'd eventually have your DAT sent back to you, but now as a free six-song DAT-only release (the severed part of the Hamas Arc cover would become the j-card cover for this new release - named Satyajit Eye -- and please note that xeroxed copies of the original CD inlay were not accepted...) Hamas Arc turned out to be one of the most successful releases from Muslimgauze, and endless amounts of these DATs have been copied. The DAT consisted of three original pieces, and three remixes from Vote Hezbollah; but there were also three pieces that were on the original master which, for reasons we may never know, were not used on the final release. Unsurprisingly enough, Satyajit Eye was eventually bootlegged -- but not until this year. This expanded version, however, completes the whole picture of this album -- showing us the first signs of Jones looking towards Indian music for inspiration; but also with breezy, desert-like rhythms and sounds (such as the intense "Zion Poison" -- which reminds us of O Yuki Conjugate), or the way-out music of the title-track. Satyajit Eye is a mysterious album, full of hidden layers; and evokes a lonely yet warm feeling of sun-covered sand dunes.

Artist:	ANTENNA FARM & MAIN
Title:	AF_M
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	BROM 001CD

"AF_M is the result of a collaboration between Main (Robert Hampson, formerly of Loop and Godflesh) and Antenna Farm (David Howell and Alastair Leslie). As the very first artists in Staalplaat's new Brombron series, both artists were kindly invited to spend a week living and working at the Extrapool studio in Nijmegen, to collaborate together, and then release the results on a CD. These recordings were made utilising a variety of tools -- Powerbooks, contact microphones, guitars, mixing desk, fx, and and field recordings gathered from around Nijmegen. The three of them spent long hours in the studio working alone processing our own sounds, and then coming together at the end of each day to improvise collectively with these sounds. Becoming increasingly focussed, these improvised sessions were recorded directly down onto DAT. At the end of the week (July 7th - 13th, 2000), they returned to London with around 3 and a half hours worth of DATs. After a short break, they came together again at Robert's studio in Croydon and began to isolate sections and edit together this material (again on powerbook). This editing was simple and truthful to the original recordings -- no new sections were added, there was no reprocessing done. They simply isolated what was felt were the strongest recorded sections and then bolted these together. There were some crossfades created, but everything was kept in chronological order. The resulting audio coheres into a focussed document that slips from extreme quiet to scratchy, crackly ambience, drone passages, and occasional bursts of a more violent nature. Not something that works as a background music, the 5 tracks have been carefully placed together and require closer listening....."

Artist:	MEELKOP & TORE HONORE BOE, ROEL
Title:	Sovezacht
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	BROM 003CD

"The studio itself, with all its equipment and its specific acoustic qualities, became our source of inspiration. Working with the analogue synths in there and making room recordings, we gradually built up a body of raw material that led the way to the construction of the tracks on this CD. About Tore Honore Boe: '...a link between Dada, Merz, or the long collage and concrete music tradition: Boe creates a personal, crystalline, and sparklingly clear sound constructed out of microphysic elements of chance and risk by occasionally using amplified everyday objects and, in other instances, field recordings and processing of all these. A personal creator with a style avoiding comparison and whose choice of unusual formats has led him to work with records, floppy disks, or micro-cassettes. The singular beauty of his music stems from this premises, but also from the emotional atmosphere of the spaces where his live interventions take place...'."

Artist:	BJ�RG�LFSSON & JONAS OHLSSON, HEIMIR
Title:	Brombron 04: Unspoken World Tour
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	BROM 004CD

"Icelandic artist Heimir Bjorgulfsson (ex-Stilluppsteypa) and Swedish artist Jonas Ohlsson team up for a strange blend. A frozen margarita from the north perhaps...? Both artist are educated in the visual arts as well as Heimir having studied sonology at The Royal Conservatory in Den Haag and Jonas electro-acoustic music at Fylkingen in Sweden. They both live and work in Amsterdam, and have numerous releases behind their back, solo and in various projects. Bringing their Nordic background into the Extrapool studio in Nijmegen, the pair used a lot of old analog gear available to them there in combination with their own high-tech digital machines to make this very varied album of 23 tracks ranging from funky noise to abstract old school acid... quite different from previous outputs from them. Strange things started to happen as the Gelderland Legend appeared unexpected in the studio and singing sessions even took place to ad just the right flavour of this otherwise unique cocktail."

Artist:	AKIYAMA, MITCHELL
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	MAV 051CD

"Packaging comes in embossed copper (no printing). Akiyama's contribution to the 'Mort Aux Vaches' series is an unedited improvisation recorded for VPRO radio in April, 2004. Consisting of guitar washes and digital interruptions, the set was recorded without any use of samples or prepared material. In keeping with Akiyama's ethic of spontaneous composition this recording is a document of a moment. Akiyama's music is a study in fiction and texture. He records compositions and improvisations for piano, strings, and other instruments, and restructures them in his studio in a post-facto montage. Playing on the distortions in causality that recording technology can effect, Akiyama creates music that lays claim to a moment of creation that never happened. Imperfections -- fingers scraping strings, breaths and other signs of humanity -- are underscored resulting in a digital simulacrum of performance. Located somewhere in the interstices of classical, electronic composition and post-rock, his works vacillate between delicate melodies and confrontational bursts of noise."

Artist:	VAN VELDHOVEN, WOUTER
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV 064CD

3-panel engraved silkscreened cover, limited to 500 copies. "Perhaps I told this before: one Sunday afternoon two years I went out to see the farewell event of a band that I never heard of, Dagpauwoog, but I knew all of its members (including Rutger Zuydervelt) and was pleasantly surprised by at least two concerts: soccerCommitee's use of voice and guitar blew me away (the female answer to Oren Ambarchi, I thought) and Wouter van Veldhoven, who played some analogue synthesizer, a music box, an ancient tape delay. A silent concert, in which every crackle could be noted loud and clear (the presence of a wooden floor added a nice texture, I must admit). Since then I heard bits of his music, but not a lot (why? I wondered), but here he appears in the legendary Mort Aux Vaches series. I can't detect a date on the cover. Back then I had a closer look at the curious equipment of Van Veldhoven, but it wasn't easy to make any sense out of it. As far as I can remember the system contains of some sort of tape-loop or tape-delay unit, in which sounds are fed but not erased, so as the piece unfolds sounds are layered onto eachother. These sounds might be the aforementioned music box, but here on his Mort Aux Vaches this can also be melodica, bells or other, more obscured sounds. There is certainly a link to be made with the work of Machinefabriek, but Van Veldhoven plays some highly nice moody music of his own. It sort of falls somewhere in between electronic and acoustic music. One can hear the electronics playing their part but there is also much intimate sounds coming from acoustic sources. An excellent blending of both ends, crafting together three lovely intimate pieces of music. Not yet reaching the same fame as Machinefabriek, but certainly on his way." -- Vital Weekly

Artist:	VERNON & BURNS
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV 065CD

"This might very be the first time that Staalplaat repeats a cover for their Mort Aux Vaches: the metallic cover for this one was also used for the Mitchell Akiyama release (unless of course one states that a lot were printed on paper), but with a different pin. Musicwise of course Vernon & Burns are something different than Akiyama. What many perhaps don't know is that perhaps the whole Mort Aux Vaches enterprise started with VPRO and Staalplaat was by asking people to deliver radio plays for transmission. From there on things grew as an in-studio project. To have Vernon & Burns it sees a return to the radio play days, as they incorporate a lot of spoken word in their little pieces. They don't make necessarily a story per se. Not inside a track, but also not as a whole. These stories rather set a mood, although its not a clear one. It might be a different mood for each listener. There are funny bits, sad bits, melancholic bits, spooky bits, all packed with musique concrete elements, electro-acoustic music and such like, which are placed with great care onto the spoken word material and the plundered sounds from old trash-bin records. Matches being struck, water sounds, quite fascinating stuff really. One could argue that it would be nice to see them working within a larger story frame, and no doubt that's something for the future. This CD - recorded in 2007 already - shows Vernon & Burns at their best... An excellent head trip. Much better to spend your time with this than watching any tube." -- (FdW)

Artist:	MACHINEFABRIEK
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV MF

Limited edition of 500 copies, in heavy board packaging, with rubber-stamped text. "Machinefabriek means 'machine factory.' You might expect a name like that for some Einst�rzende Neubauten-like industrial act, but here that's not the case. Okay, at some times Machinefabriek's music might sound harsh and abrasive, but industrial, no. My music is more about combining distorted, raw sounds with subtle melodies and stillness. References are Tim Hecker, Fennesz, Tarentel and Stars of the Lid. Despite the fact most other Mort Aux Vaches releases are live documents, this one is recorded at home, before having it played by Berry Kamer from the VPRO, on Dutch radio. This time I decided to limit myself by using mainly the guitar and laptop. And a record player on one track. I roughly recorded some parts and chopped it up on the computer. That's when the compositions came to life. It's a questioning of listening, and the process itself will dictate the way to go. I tried to make a patient record. A record that slowly pulls you in. Ironically a big influence was the Mort Aux Vaches CD by Oren Ambarchi. For me that's the ultimate statement in 'guitar-and-electronics-minimalism.' Bathyale means 'the part of the sea between 200 and 1000 meters where no sunlight comes through.' I wanted to do something with water, 'cause that's what I kept thinking of when making and listening to the music. The pieces have a fluidity, but at times they are pretty dark and 'crackly'." Rutger Zuydervelt (Arnhem, The Netherlands)

Artist:	REFAT, MAHMOUD
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV MR

"Mahmoud Refat is from Egypt, who previously released on Leerraum. He's not a player of traditional instruments, but is a 'normal' (??) artist with sound installations, field recordings -- following a career in funk/acid jazz/experimental music. I must say I had no expectations whatsoever. I can't say I'm disappointed. The whole notion that it should be ethnic (inspired) is of course bullshit. It proves that whatever we call microsound (for the lack of any better term) is much more a global thing that we knew. Refat plays laptop music, using sounds of whatever field nearby or far away, but he adds low humming beats -- think Ikeda or Noto but on a much more subdued level -- which work well as a creepy undercurrent for the music. The rhythmical notion he puts on makes this perhaps more clicks 'n cuts (for the lack of any better term) than plain microsound, but the addition of field recordings is certainly a refreshing look on the subject matter. Meelkop meets Noto, Chartier meet Pan Sonic -- if you catch my fantasy running wild on the subject. For me an entirely new artist, but certainly someone to watch for the future." (FDW)

Artist:	ATOUI, TAREK
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV TA

Limited edition of 500 copies. "Following Mahmood Refat's Mort Aux Vaches CD, here is another real Middle Eastern composer, Tarek Atoui. He was born in Lebanon in 1980, moved to France in 1988 and studied at the Conservatory of Paris. Although his work is based in the field of the electro-acoustics, it's all computer based, using Max/Msp. Much of his work is made for theatre. There have not been many recordings available, but surely this may change after releasing on the ever high profile label Staalplaat. Much of this info I culled from the internet as Staalplaat never gives much information, so I was a bit surprised by what I heard. Many beats rolling over each other, hardly in a way that would induce any form of dance music and from the rhythms more abstractions are made in the computer. High pitched, quickly moving. Some of these beats could pass on a extreme breakcore music, hardcore gabber beats, but in a non sequential way, as to avoid any resemblance to dance music. In the pieces were the beats are down, either in tempo or in presence, Atoui plays music that I think is much more interesting. For instance in the final track he plays an interesting piece of music based on what could be Middle Eastern field recordings and remote electronics. I think it's the most interesting piece of the CD. In other pieces, such as the third, the nerve and hectic is nice too. One could argue that Atoui plays some nice form of plunderphonics in a true original form." --Frans de Ward

Artist:	KIRITCHENKO, ANDREY
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MORT AK

Limited edition of 500 copies. "This new one comes with a sort of bathroom curtain plastic cover that is partly transparent, but also makes a hallucinogenic thing. The music is by Andrey Kiritchenko, our man on the laptop (and more!) from the Ukraine. Around when this was recorded I also saw him play a concert and besides a laptop, I believe he used an autoharp and a guitar. The laptop contains the 'usual' crackles, hiss, and processed field recordings, but Kiritchenko plays some rather nice warm ambient glitch music. Half way somewhere Fennesz and microsound, not yet really pop like, and cut in to one long piece, Kiritchenko plays rather moody, atmospheric music. Fortunately not too abstract with his ploinks on the guitars, or his drones from the autoharp. I remember back when attending the concert that Kiritchenko's music is quite nice, but perhaps better enjoyable at home then in a concert space with people standing around and talking (like the one I saw). Now that it is on CD, I can only applaud the fact: yes, it works much better. Another great addition to the series." -- (FdW)/vital

Artist:	AU
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MORT AU

"Au stands, in Dutch for 'ouch', but it's also the two first letters from Audio -- I guess the music of Au is more about the latter than to really hurt. Au, Paul Klaui and Jan Borchers, are from The Hague (but not connected to the famous The Hague electro-scene) and have two CDs out so far (besides a whole bunch of CRs, cassettes and even mini-discs), Non-Existing Output (on their own Grond Records label) and Recycling (on Locust Media/Met Life). Both of these CDs were a culmination and a full stop to what they did up until that point, and in that respect their live recording for VPRO radio in the 'Mort Aux Vaches' series is no different. Past elements return here, like the bicycle ride used on 'Recycling', but now embedded in electronica. New elements for Au, like acoustic sounds and found sound, are used here for the first time, so in that respect 'Mort Aux Vaches' is the breakpoint between old and new. Rather than using computers, Au likes analogue electronica."

Artist:	BURKE & KEVIN DRUMM, DAN
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	MORT BURKE

"In 2001 Dan Burke (aka Illusion Of Safety's frontman) and Kevin Drumm embarked on a small European Tour, bringing them also to the VPRO studios. This was the third time that Dan Burke made recordings there, the first two being previously released in the Mort Aux Vaches (and both are still available). Rather then playing under the Illusion Of Safety moniker, this was a tour of two like minded improv artists. Dan Burke has been doing Illusion Of Safety since the mid 80s, releasing many CD's and the band has seen many members besides Burke, including Jim O'Rourke, Mark Klein and Kurt Greisch. They balance on the fringe of silence and noise, always seeking out the beauty. A discography by Kevin Drumm reads like a who's who in the world of improvised music. He has released CD's with Ralf Wehowsky, Taku Sugimoto (various releases, such as for Boxmedia, Sonoris and Meme), Martin Tetreault, Axel Dorner and Lasse Marhaug (plus lots that we forget of course) as well as various solo works for Perdition Plastics, Mego and Fringes. This CD is a fine improvisation between the closely contact microphone objects, guitar and laptop of Dan Burke and Drumm's guitar and ancient analogue synthesizer. A very dynamic work, which ranges from sheer silence to sheer noise, always with a sharp edge."

Artist:	DAVIS, GREG
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	MORT GD

"1) Field recording from the garden at Hotel Rembrandt across the street from VPRO studios. Fender rhodes improvisation. site specific. relocationing. 2) Convolved bit reduced slowed down glockenspiel tones and Casio sk1 organ drones. disintegration. colliding angled sounds. 3) Melodica chords. New years noise maker clickers. deconstructed cumulus beats. 4) Chord organ blankets. Scissors. paper. maracashakers. coalescing rhythms. First guitar. 5) Slow motion combines with fast motion. Chimes. Resonance. 6) Serein = a mist, or very fine rain, which sometimes falls from a clear sky a few moments after sunset. Tripleting gallops as three and two. 7) Tibetan singing bowls. microscoping. 8) Emerging from sleep to a smile and a hug. Plenty of sunshine. Second guitar. 9) Feedback valleys and dungeons. Quagmire. Tube tappings. 10) Thickets can be endlessly wonderful and complex. Beautiful inside. Altering preconceptions of noise. 11) Northern Arizona rainpipe. Sine tones. After Lucier. 12) Dancing with birds, rainshine, singing joy. 'from their eyes, the people must look like miniature toys.' 13) Children splashing in a bathtub. Arizona creek."

Artist:	ILLUSION OF SAFETY
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MORT IOS

"Second IOS release in the Mort Aux Vaches series. This new one was recorded during the May 1997 European tour, and is Dan Burke solo. He presents a more 'present' release, featuring clear electronics (like the opening piece, which is like O'Rourke's Disengage) to electro-acoustic treatments. Although entirely improvised, this is one very coherent CD, that shifts between moods and textures. Housed in sandpaper and silkscreened in red." Limited stock.

Artist:	JAZZKAMMER
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MORT JAZZ

"Lasse Marhaug's duo with John Hegre as the ongoing Jazzkammer was in The Netherlands to play the Earational festival and took up the occasion to record a session at the VPRO radio studio, now being released in what should be known by now as the John Peel sessions for underground music: Staalplaat's 'Mort Aux Vaches' series. Jazzkammer has one piece to play of sonic overload, building from scratch. A highpitched tone, scraping the surface with a contact microphone and from there building things up by adding layers of nasty frequencies. As the piece evolves, the high end techniques of laptop noise start to mingle with low-end electronics. This work, a straightforward, unedited recording is of course more uniform in approach than the edited work of Ratkje/Marhaug, and therefore a bit on the regular side of noise. But even at that, Jazzkammer on an ordinary day is way more interesting than many other noise heads on a good day."

Artist:	MAIN
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches: Exosphere
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	MORT MAIN

"The sound sources for this piece are derived from field recordings made in transit on a short series of Main concerts around Europe. Most of Main's composition has a sense of movement and descriptive tone of space/ expanse which are often derived or inspired from field recordings that are site specific in a larger context. To change tact, I had the idea of documenting the almost forgotten part of a journey : The relatively short or connecting trips made between hotels and stations/ airports etc., which are often considered uninteresting, as we are mentally preparing for the bigger part of the journey."

Artist:	SAMARTZIS, PHILIP
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	MORT PS

"Philip Samartzis is a Melbourne based composer with a long history in experimental sound production and performance. He formed Gum in 1986 with Andrew Curtis releasing several albums and singles independently and through Korm Plastics (NL) and RRR Records (USA). Since 1995 he has primarily worked solo, releasing Residue (1998) & Windmills Bordered By Nothingness (1999) through Dorobo (Aust), both of which highlight his explorations in recording and processing acoustic and spatial environments through digital technologies. More recently Samartzis has extended his studio based techniques to incorporate live performance working both solo and in collaboration. Over the last two years he has performed with Kozo Inada, Gunter Muller, KK Null, Sachiko M, Voice Crack & Seiichi Yamamoto. The Mort Aux Vaches release by Staalplaat (NL) contains elements of these collaborative and solo performances."

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Mullah Said
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$19.00
Catalog #:	MUSLIM 018CD

"Much like earlier entrants in the subscription series Sandtrafikar, Mullah concentrates on the softer yet still ominous side of Muslimgauze, coming across as meditative, late-night music which still has an understated edge to it all. The title track sets its mood well, with a synth/string arrangement similar to the dominant one from Veiled Sisters, but darker and more subdued, set against a very low-key drum machine beat and gentle interjections of wind instruments and random vocal bits. The first 'Every Grain of Palestinian Sand' ups the tempos slightly, adding more drones and percussion, including a great acoustic performance about halfway in, along with an attractive central string melody. From there the album continues in the same general vein, adding tweaks and changes as it goes. Both versions of 'Muslims Die India' are a bit more active, while still maintaining the same generally dreamy and drifting feeling (the second concentrates a bit more on percussion interplay throughout its quarter-hour length); and the second 'Every Grain' sneaks in more echo and samples of machines into its quiet though intense groove. 'An End' concludes things on an unexpected note, with a female vocalist singing over a combination of bird sounds and percussion breaks -- an attractive way to end a fine record. Mullah Said displays two aspects of the work of Muslimgauze. Firstly, musically, it is in the delightful drifting ambient vein. The percussion is mainly acoustic hand drums -- providing a rhythm of aural features -- the trademark shimmering string sound heard on a number of releases is much in evidence, rhythms are generally slower, there are lots of samples of people speaking in conversation, markets wherever. 'Mullah Said' opens the disc with the lovely mix of these sounds. 'Every Grain of Palestine Sand' continues the mood, with a slightly faster tempo, and more emphasis on the beat. But it soon locks into a mesmeric lassitude as various effects echo or smear the sounds, drums come in for short moments, different string sounds enjoin the play. 'Muslims Die India' follows the mood though the voices seem darker, sadder, and then comes 'Every Grain of Palestinian Sand' followed by 'Muslims Die India.' Yes, not a typo, these tracks are repeated. This is the second Muslimgauze trend -- to remix himself. On a number of releases there are tracks with the same title, sometimes called part 1 and 2, and usually they are about the same length and listening indicates they are versions of the same song. With the two here, the samples occur at about the same time, the instrumentation is similar, and what we get is subtle variations -- different effects, placement of instruments in the mix etc. This leaves us with a 50 minute suite of prime Muslimgauze middle eastern ambience -- if you like that side you will love this album. The final track is short and different, a crackling ground over which a singer chants a song interrupted by machine-gun percussive bursts -- 'An end.'"

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	No Human Rights For Arabs Vol. 2
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MUSLIM 034

Unreleased and extended remix of the original and already sold out of the first volume. Parts originally released as the No Human Rights For Arabs In Israel (EP) (Staalplaat, 1995) & tracks 2-5, 7 & 12 as No Human Rights For Arabs In Israel (EP) (on the Polish label Vivo, 2004). "From the moment I glanced at the horrific cover art of a small Arab child ravaged, bleeding and bandaged I knew this prolific orator of the proletariat is firmly planting his message into the consciousness of the mostly converted. Though, the contents are a mix of atmospheric electronics, somewhat techno, and repetitive, the real message is patented in his direct passion to embed his political passions in a thread of frenetic rhythm, tones and beats. Composed of six tracks, this Psychic TV'esque m�lange of chunky beats and synth-sensation recalls early 80s lower east side day-glo attitudes pigmented with pop-art hooks. This has the feel of a Bootsy Collins or other like Funkadelic spin-off record, not quite 'the same' but experimenting with foundations of something that was once quite miraculous." -- T.J. Norris/Igloo.

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Maroon
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	STCD 084CD

"In 1995, Staalplaat released Maroon by Muslimgauze and we announced there would be three different editions. A deluxe digipack with an original stamp by the Palestinian Authority (500 copies), a deluxe digipack without the stamp (500 copies) and an unlimited digipack with a new design. The third edition was never released, due to the high output of Muslimgauze at that time -- it was shortly after the release of Maroon that we started our limited edition subscription series. Over the years we believed to have lost the films and artwork for the third edition, another problem in producing it. Recently the films showed up (albeit in a not too best state) and we decided to produce the original third, unlimited edition of Maroon. It is now available. Maroon was the first Muslimgauze of 1995 and brought back the sound of confrontation. Musically Maroon continues Salaam Alekum Bastard (which was a break with the Blue Mosque and Zealot releases) and is dub inspired techno, laid back sounds with taped radio voices from the middle east that appear apparently random in the mix."

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Beyond the Blue Mosque
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	STCD 116CD

Repressed. "Since late 1995 Staalplaat has issued limited edition releases by Muslimgauze. Until now 9 of those releases were available, and they are all sold out. To explain once more: the limited editions are for die-hard fans, giving the possibility to collect a lot of Mr. Muslimgauze's music (and imagine: there is still much you didn't hear). Beyond The Blue Mosque is the first in a series of those compilations. Compiled by Berrie Kamer (VPRO's Mort Aux Vaches man) with the best tracks taken from Izlamaphobia, Azzazin, Return Of Black September, Deceiver and the Zealot 10". The music shifts back and forth between aggressive up tempo pieces (from Izlamaphobia and Deceiver) and the dark, moody brooding atmospheres (from Azzazin)."

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Observe With Sadiq Bey
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	STCD 131CD

Repressed. "Dedicated to the Naqba, the catastrophe of 50 years ago. This release is not part of the limited edition series. This time an unlimited one. Music-wise more up tempo, distorted beat material, with dashes of trip hop like beats. Muslimgauze find their way round in current dance music trends, but he's not willing to settle down, give in or sell out. Many assorted vocal snippets, from anguished exclamations to persuasive Middle Eastern politispeak, are expertly woven into the straightforwardly ethnic rhythms of State of Palestine. Darker, and infused with various whispers."

Artist:	MUSLIMGAUZE
Title:	Speaking With Hamas
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	STCD 140CD

"This is the third in our bi-annual series of 'best of Muslimgauze limited edition'. These CD's are intended for those who think that Muslimgauze was an over productive unit, but think that they should still keep up with some of what Muslimgauze was doing. So after a couple of limited editions only, Staalplaat releases a best of. Speaking With Hamas was compiled by Bryn Jones himself early 1997 and he thought it would be nice to include a new, previously unreleased track. In his words: 'It's for people who don't deserve it'."

Artist:	BJORGULFSSON, HEIMIR
Title:	Machina Natura
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	STCD 148CD

"Staalplaat is proud to present the tenth release in their 'material series', this one by Heimir Bjorgulfsson. Now what is the 'material series'? A series of CD's with microscopic, microwave, glitch, click or whatever it is called music. All CD's are packed in jewel cases with no printwork. All information is etched on the CD box itself. Inside special material is housed, like, in this case wallpaper. The CD itself is a so-called AB CD: a small ring with music, and the outside of the CD fully transparent. New solo CD by Heimir Bjorgulfsson, who makes up one third of the Icelandic trio stilluppsteypa, with a special guest appearance by American sound artist John Hudak. Continuing where left off from his last year 'discreet journey digitalis' on Ritornell. 'machine natura(an interpretation inconsistent with the actuality of a situation)' contains two different worlds spinning into each other, the digitally generated sound and various natural field recordings, still sounding like neither. A somewhat man made mechanical phenomenon." 15 minute CD EP.

Artist:	AUTOPSIA
Title:	Colonia
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	STCD 158CD

"Autopsia's latest release for Staalplaat is compilation of long deleted tracks from CD's released by Hyperium in the mid-nineties. Tracks are culled from Humanity Is The Devil, The Birth Of Crystal Power, Secret Christmas History, The Silence Of The Lambs, Palladium and Mystery Science plus a previously unreleased track from 1999. Autopsia, from former Yugoslavia, now in exile in Prague have been producing mysterious orchestral music since the late '80s. Dealing with orchestral tunes from the 19th century which are sampled, they have created an unique sound of their own. In their own words, it goes like this: Colonia is a project that implements death as its theme in order to represent the epoch: the colonial age. Death is not a mere event in the epoch -- terror or genocide, conflict or destruction -- the epoch itself is at stake here: death as time, the age of its reign, death from perspective of faith that encompasses the totality of any being which is founded in metaphysical construct. The structure of Autopsia's sound is syncretic, composed of multiple levels that on one hand refer to liturgical forms and on the other to paradoxical junctures of sub-cultural products of elite technology with proto-urban mythologies."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Compilation - O' Superman Remixs
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	STCD 162CD

"This remix compilation CD deals with the legendary pop song 'O Superman (For Massenet)' by Laurie Anderson. This song was released by One Ten Records in 1981 and becomes a No. 2 hit in England in 1982. It is subtitled 'For Massenet' because it is 'musically paraphrasing' Jules Massenet's composition 'O Souverain'. It was performed live for the first time during her show called United States at New York's Orpheum Theater. Phrased like an electronic mantra, the song is charged with the composer's foreboding over the dawn of the Reagan era. When it was first released One Ten Records, the tiny New York label that released some of Anderson's early recordings, couldn't keep up with the demand. Warner Brothers became interested and offered to record and distribute 'O Superman' as a single and a track on what would eventually become Big Science, her first album. Anderson utters sound bytes and canned messages through an electronic voice, an effect which evokes an advanced, yet emotionally-distanced society. Evoking this world of increasingly impersonal, corporate relations she sings, 'This is the hand, the hand that takes, as a hand casts a shadow against the wall. Initially open, the hand retracts and becomes a shotgun. Where is justice?' Justice is gone, the voice declares, there is only force. This compilation, that is so topical for current history, contains remixes by; Com.a, Electric Company, Team Doyobi, Freiband, Massimo, Danny de Graan, Origin Of Sound, Staalplaat Soundsystem and Radboud Mens."

Artist:	AKUVIDO
Title:	Nebeneinander 1.3
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD/CD-ROM
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	STCD 164CD

19-minute audio release, plus CD-Rom software content. "This release does not look like a Staalplaat release, it is in a jewel case with a black and white booklet. But it is very much a Staalplaat release for it is our first artist software release -- don't listen to it: play it! The audio software is enclosed on the CD-ROM part of this CD. It consists of some thirty lines which you can switch on or off at random and thus create your own soundpiece. Rhythmic patterns or more linear sounds can be chosen. It's quite funny to play around with and create your thing. Alternatively you can choose to listen to three tracks which Akuvido created themselves, all by matter of improvisation. Nice for sure, but playing around with the software is much more fun. I believe this can be used freely for any kind of work, which I am sure many will do."

Artist:	VA
Title:	Yokomono 3
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	LP
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	STLP 011

"This is the third Staalplaat Soundsystem LP made for Yokomono! One side of this record the Staalplaat Soundsystem has made 55 loop SSS decided to compile a thematic Yokomono vinyl release. The theme: Helsinki and its environmental sounds. The other half of Pan Sonic, Mika Vainio, a resident of Berlin like SSS, was commissioned to produce a seven-minute composition. Petri Kuljuntausta from Helsinki was, in turn, asked to provide a composition of an equal length responding to Vainio's piece. The sound material to be used for the compositions, field recordings from the turn of the 1960s and 1970s made at the Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, was discovered in the special effects archive of YLE Finnish Broadcasting Company. These sounds have a personal dimension for both composers: Vainio spent a part of his childhood living near the dockyard, while Kuljuntausta has used sounds recorded from inside ships' hulls as material for his earlier works. Yokomono 03 will be pressed using an exotic method. The grooves holding the two compositions by Vainio and Kuljuntausta will be parallel cut. The other side of the record features the traditional loops of 1.8 seconds, commissioned from Blixa Bargeld, Merzbow, Main, Alexei Borisov, Donna Summer, G.X. Jupitter-Larsen, Andrey Kiritchenko, Zbigniew Karkowski, Staalplaat Soundsystem, Un Caddie Renvers� Dans l'Herbe and Ditterich von Euler-Donnersperg, with five loops from each featured artist and their own sound environments."

Artist:	MINNEAPOLIS SUMMIT
Title:	Minneapolis Summit
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	3" CD
Price:	$7.50
Catalog #:	STMCD 021

"On October 1, 2001, five audio artists convened in Minneapolis (US) to create a studio improvisation, without the benefit of either prior planning or rehearsal. The recording 'Minneapolis Summit' is the result of this occasion. The performers include Escape Mechanism (Jon Nelson, Minneapolis), Steev Hise (Portland, Oregon), Wobbly (Jon Leidecker, San Francisco), and The Tape-Beatles (John Heck and Lloyd Dunn, Prague). This event marks the first occasion that these artists have recorded together. Using a simple set-up in a borrowed recording studio at a local radio station, each of the improvisors brought their own equipment, consisting of laptop computers, digital samplers, and mini-disc players. Everything was patched through a mixing board and recorded directly to hard disk. The session resulted in three takes, and from those recordings, we have edited the longest of them down to 21 minutes for this release. The work ends up being an exercise in making (often humorous) meanings off the cuff from what is essentially random source material (none of the performers was aware of what the others were bringing). As such, it showcases the performers' wit and nerve at pulling it off, mostly, in real time."

Artist:	STAALPLAAT SOUND SYSTEM
Title:	Sweet Sissy And The Ballroom Hiss
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	3" CD
Price:	$7.50
Catalog #:	STMCD 022

"Staalplaat Soundsystem is an eclectic mix of techno culture and sound art installation. The initiator of Staalplaat Sound-system Geert-Jan Hobijn is the founder of the Staalplaat music label and he has been the organizer of many sound art and performance events in the past. What is probably not so well known is that Geert-Jan Hobijn not only is a producer, but has also always been influential in how many Staalplaat productions looked and sounded. With Staalplaat Soundsystem Geert-Jan Hobijn finally shows his own creative talents openly. No doubt the move of the Staalplaat headquarters from Amsterdam to Berlin has been important in making this happen. Whereas in Amsterdam media culture is an indoors experience most of all, Berlin has a very strong public media art scene with a deep interest in sound art and experimental techno-music. Geert-Jan Hobijn knows the experimental music scene inside out. With the Staalplaat Soundsystem he combines this knowledge with his experience in shaping performance art events. Working from a punk aesthetic (Staalplaat was founded in the beginning of the 80's) and his knowledge of 20th century avantgarde music traditions the Staalplaat Soundsystem has developed into a trashy extravaganza with the down to earth simplicity of the Cagean music universe. Every event is tailored to fit its environment. Give the Staalplaat Soundsystem an interesting or challenging space to work with and the space gets transformed into an immersive environment with many of the characteristics of the world of experimental music and performance in which Staalplaat has always been one of the vectors." --Josephine Bosma

Artist:	MULLENDER, ROB
Title:	Metro Magnetics
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	3" CD
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	STMCD 024

"Metro Magnetics is the first commercial release of material by London based sound artist and sculptor Rob Mullender. It consists of magnetic field recordings of metro stations in Moscow, London and Vancouver. The three pieces are edited down from hours of material and multilayered, but the sound on the recordings is otherwise unaltered. A longstanding fascination with environmental sound and energy has informed Rob's recordings and sculptures, and his work centers on making the inaudible audible, or revealing through sound."

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Artist:	YELLOW SWANS
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$24.00
Catalog #:	MAV 060CD

Artist:	MY CAT IS AN ALIEN
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$24.00
Catalog #:	MAV 061CD

Artist:	MUDBOY
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV 062CD

Artist:	NOVI_SAD
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV 063CD

Artist:	IGNATZ
Title:	Mort Aux Vaches
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$21.00
Catalog #:	MAV 066CD

Artist:	87 CENTRAL
Title:	Formation
Label:	STAALPLAAT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	STCD 187CD