New Releases for April 2008

Index of New Releases for April 2008

DRECK (UK)

Artist:	AM/PM
Title:	So It Goes
Label:	DRECK (UK)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DRK 016EP

"Things go slow sometimes. The third installment of AM/PM's sublime quadruple twelve inch series took its time and rewards the patience. AM/PM goes from strength to strength and brings us two more tracks after having created a buzz with the brilliant and critically acclaimed 'Also' EP in 2005 and 'Maratea' (1/4)and 'Bought and Sold' (2/4) in 2006. Originally Radovan Scasascia kept close to the self imposed stricture of only working from the last notes of existing music, but by now allows drum machines and bass lines to pull things away from classical home listening to the dance floor and elsewhere. 'So it Goes' kicks off in a sorted fashion, but eventually is underpinned by a bubbling bass line which nods back to the day when bass lines had to come from that famous Roland kit. A tight clap keeps things together and moving onwards, but over time 'So it Goes' starts to move in opposing directions and seems to go forwards and backwards at the same time. 'Pellicci' borrows its name from an East London, Italian-run cafe, a lively and busy spot, but possibly instilling half Italian, Zurich-born Radovan Scasascia with memories of a different time and a different place. This is the track more connected to earlier AM/PM work, concerned with the erosion of clock-time,entering the 'perceived' time of perhaps, Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Deserto Rosso."

DRONE SYNDICATE (SWEDEN)

Artist:	TAJ MAHAL TRAVELLERS
Title:	Live Stockholm July, 1971
Label:	DRONE SYNDICATE (SWEDEN)
Format:	2CD
Price:	$24.00
Catalog #:	DS 001/2CD

New 2008 repress. "Led by infamous Fluxus member Takehisa Kosugi, Tokyo's Taj Mahal Travellers were one of the prime examples of a band more heard-of than actually heard. Their vinyl legacy (the 1972 LP July 15, 1972 released on CBS/Sony Japan; the 1974 2LP August 1974 released on Columbia Japan and recently reissued by P-Vine as a 2CD; one side of the mythical Oz Days Live 2LP compilation released on Oz in 1973 and recently bootlegged as a single LP) could dig a hole in your wallet deeper than the Grand Canyon. However, the recent reissues have spread the gospel and so here is the chance to hear the young Taj Mahal Travellers live in Stockholm during their 'tour' through Europe in 1971. It's one 2-hour long improvised track. Enough free-floating higher key bliss to keep every grown-up space cadet happy for a lot longer.." From Julian Cope's Japrocksampler: "This album is a discorporated, cerebral dance whose rhythm sounds like six weather Gods emulating the cover of Deep Purple's Fireball by zooming around Silverstone circuit just inches above the track, each urging himself on by making engine noises: 'Eee-oww-urghh-ow!!!!!!!' Opening with Ryo Koike's horizontally played bowed double bass, it's my fave of Taj Mahal Travellers' three releases, better even than the obstinate medication of the first official LP JULY 15, 1972, because there's twice as much of it. Meditatively, it's extremely useful too: at the entrance portals of this live record, Ryo Koike uses his bass to invoke phlegm phantoms and cranny demons from the butt walls of Cronosian caverns; conjuring a sound as Biblical as Conrad Schnitzler's bizarre bowed cello on T. Dream's Electronic Meditation. Gradually, hesitatingly, almost imperceptibly, a violin theme installs itself, establishing over the next quarter of an hour clop-clopping hooves of hollow rhythm that conjure up the image of frustrated pastoralists driving their reluctant donkeys around the highest and most precipitous cliff edges, as their valuable cargoes sway and shudder and threaten to come untied at any moment. Recorded a full year before their first official LP, I think this in concert album is a far better and more confident shamanic statement, for this Stockholm recording melded together all six group members in such a way that no single musician rises from the primal soup long enough to establish his singular muse. The vocal effects are truly stunning, evoking everything from comb-and-paper voices playing Zeus in the sixty-metre deep Dhikhtean Antron to braying cartoon coyotes laughing to their deaths."

DRUMPOET COMMUNITY (SWITZERLAND)

Artist:	VA
Title:	Drumpoems Verse 1
Label:	DRUMPOET COMMUNITY (SWITZERLAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	DPC 012EP

"Welcome along to the first Drumpoet compilation entitled Drumpoems Verse 1. This teasing 4 track EP combines the previously unreleased tracks of Foster, Kawabata, The Lost Men and Soultourist on vinyl. Deep house heaven! The drumpoet.comMUNITY was founded in 2005 in Zurich to remusicalize the cold and sometimes boring schemes of clubland. It was time to bring back the warmth and soul to the dancefloor. The general vibe is rather relaxed than hectic -- a groove which seems to reflect the rhythm of Zurich perfectly and represents the constant aim for change and progression which is another characteristic of Zoorichans."

Artist:	KAWABATA
Title:	Persuasion
Label:	DRUMPOET COMMUNITY (SWITZERLAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	DPC 013EP

"Lexx aka Kawabata comes up with 'Persuasion,' a dubby and reduced house tune with an irresistible groove. Belonging to Zurich's finest DJs, Lexx knows exactly what moves people on the dancefloor. He's also known for his cosmic boogie tunes on labels like Bear Funk and Permanent Vacation. As Kawabata, he stands for deep and emotional dance music and also for a change in clubland. He's one of those people who lives music 24/7 and so is passionate about his work. On the flip-side, there's a stunning remix by Serafin of Mountain People fame. Serafin delivers a percussive monster which is hard to resist. 100% booty shaking with the essence of house music. It's already a big hit at the Zukunft and it's aiming for this new and yet really old-school vibe of house. Through his past, Serafin knows also how to make the techno community jump and it's definitely time for change in this genre. We think that people like The Mountain People or Sascha Dive, just to name a few, are opening new doors and have something important to say."

DUDE RECORDS (GERMANY)

Artist:	HEAD>>FAKE
Title:	Live "In The Area of Prague"
Label:	DUDE RECORDS (GERMANY)
Format:	DVD
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	DR 105DVD

The Echo Beach subdivision Dude Records proudly presents the release of a fine musical and visual masterpiece. Best known as the rhythm section in the Grammy Award-winning band Living Colour, Doug Wimbish and Will Calhoun showcase their individual talents, performing as a bass/drum duo called Head>>Fake. As Head>>Fake, Doug and Will have the opportunity to display a virtuosity often overshadowed when playing in a more traditional support role. So when they were scheduled to play the Lucerna Music Bar in Prague, Doug and Will welcomed a proposal from local filmmaker Petr Tomaides to document the event. Effectively capturing the night's high-energy performance, and later editing and cutting the film in an appropriately frenetic style, Tomaides has allowed us the opportunity to ride along as Doug and Will explore the outer limits of sound, opening our eyes (and ears) to what is musically possible by "just two guys." Live "In The Area Of Prague" is a fast-paced, day-in-the-life travelogue of Head>>Fake -- from Doug and Will's arrival in Prague -- to an interesting afternoon sound check -- backstage, as Czech reporters ask Doug about his improvisational style and vivid musical past -- and of course, on stage for the evening's inspired performance. With a level of intensity rarely seen in such a small club, Doug and Will command the stage and conquer the room with their electrically-charged set, combining their own collaborative compositions with rarities out of Doug's industrial/funk and hip-hop past. After experiencing Head>>Fake live in performance, it's apparent why these two musicians are considered one of the finest rhythm sections in rock 'n' roll. NTSC format DVD; Region Code: 0, no limitations. Running time: 88 mins.

DUSTY GROOVE

Artist:	COSTA, GAL
Title:	Gal (1969)
Label:	DUSTY GROOVE
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	DGA 3009CD

"This Brazilian classic finally gets a proper U.S. release -- one of the greatest psychedelic albums of the late '60s, and a key part of the Tropicalia movement as well! The record is easily the most tripped-out album ever from Gal Costa -- far more sinister than Gal's debut of a few months before. The session was still recorded with full arrangements by the legendary Rogerio Duprat (who'd worked previously with Costa, Os Mutantes, and others), but it also features a lot heavier guitar and a blazing psychedelic feel overall. Gal's usually sweet vocals take on a much sharper edge -- and the album's awash in the political power and cultural experimentation that characterized the best years of Tropicalia. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil make a guest appearance, and also contribute some songs to the set -- as do Jorge Ben, Jards Macale, and Roberto & Erasmo Carlos. First time on CD in the U.S. -- and newly remastered with liner notes from Chris Dunn, author of Brutality Garden: Tropicalia & The Emergence Of A Brazilian Counterculture. Features the famous tracks 'Tuareg,' 'Cinema Olympia,' and 'Meu Nome � Gal.'"

Artist:	COSBY, BILL
Title:	Badfoot Brown & The Bunions Bradford Funeral & Marching Band
Label:	DUSTY GROOVE
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	DGA 3010CD

"No funny jokes here, as the album's an all-instrumental jam from the mind of Bill Cosby -- one of the few sets ever cut by his short-lived Bunions Bradford Band! The record's quite different than anything you might expect from Cosby -- quite dark at times, with a really freaked-out, messed-up quality that might almost be described as psychedelic funk. Instrumentation is heavily electric -- inspired by Miles Davis, according to the notes -- with some amazingly heavy keyboards from Bill Cosby himself. The groove stretches out massively on the album's two long tracks -- filled with loads of funky riffs, heavy drums, and some wicked edits in the studio. Other musicians aren't listed, but we're betting they include Stu Gardner and some of the LA players who worked on other Cosby vocal albums. And although this one might work in the comedy racks, it's got greater appeal to fans of funky jazz and heavy soul. The record's awash in hip '70s instrumental styles -- and feels more like some mad blacksploitation soundtrack or funk jam session gone wild than Bill's regular comedy albums. A crate-diggers treasure, reissued for the first time ever!"

DYNOVOICE

Artist:	CREWE & CHARLES FOX, BOB
Title:	Barbarella OST
Label:	DYNOVOICE
Format:	LP
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	DY 31908LP

Original soundtrack to the Roger Vadim-directed movie from 1968, featuring Jane Fonda. "Bob Crewe is the man behind Dynovoice Records and the 1967 instrumental single 'Music to Watch Girls By.' The Barbarella soundtrack, originally released in 1968, was performed by The Bob Crewe Generation Orchestra & sung by The Glitterhouse and Bob Crewe. "The cult flick Barbarella has pretty much haunted Jane Fonda's career since its release in 1968. An iconic film of the cheesy-side of the Sixties, the movie contained songs and score by Bob Crewe & Charles Fox. Once you hear the opening crooning song 'Barbarella', you know what kind of an album you're in store for. There are a few songs scattered through the album, each one fitting snuggly into the style set by the drug-influenced late 60s. The score, for the most part, is like a band having a jam session. Punchy brass, electric guitars, and even orchestral interludes ('The Sex Machine) give the whole album a really eclectic (if not slightly schizophrenic) personality. I have to admit - it might be as cheesy as it comes, but it's just a lot of fun to listen to." -- Dan Goldwasser

ECHOCORD (GERMANY)

Artist:	QUANTEC
Title:	Unusual Signals
Label:	ECHOCORD (GERMANY)
Format:	2LP
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	ECHO 030LP

Double LP version. The Echocord label is proud to announce the debut full-length by Germany's Quantec aka Sven Schienhammer. When he was 15, he bought his first pair of synthesizers (a Roland MC 505 and an MC 303) and some effects modules. At first (1995-1998), he started off making ambient and pieces in the spirit of early dub techno, in the footsteps of artists like Porter Ricks and labels like Mille Plateaux, as well as more experimental realms. As his knowledge expanded, so, too, did his collection of equipment, and he was able to finally bring forth the music he always wanted to make. His greatest love is ambient, dub techno, deep house and experimental, as well as original dub and roots reggae. Music is all about emotion and it is from these genres that, for him, emotion flows. This is a must-have album for the fans of dub-techno and ambient.

ECHOSPACE

Artist:	CV313
Title:	Dimensional Space
Label:	ECHOSPACE
Format:	12"
Price:	$9.50
Catalog #:	ECHOSPACE 002EP

Strictly limited pressing! Release number two drops from the mysterious CV313 with two of the most advanced post-Basic Channel transmissions you're ever heard. "Dimensional" is drenched in the usual emissions and accidental analog degradations of Space Echo and banks of old effects units, and "Space" picks up on this momentum and utilizes the same sound palette for an even more padded techno blueprint. A masterfully modern re-wiring of the deepest of all techno's strands, from the heart of Detroit.

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Artist:	HAMBURGER, NEIL
Title:	Sings Country Winners
Label:	DRAG CITY
Format:	LP
Price:	$13.50
Catalog #:	DC 363LP

Artist:	MOELLER, BRENDON
Title:	Elixir EP
Label:	ECHOCORD (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$10.00
Catalog #:	ECHO 029EP