New Releases for May 2008

Index of New Releases for May 2008

AMALGAMA RECORDS (PUERTO RICO)

Artist:	YELLOWTAIL
Title:	Warrior Youth
Label:	AMALGAMA RECORDS (PUERTO RICO)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.00
Catalog #:	AMA 009EP

"Seasoned broken beat veteran Yellowtail presents Warrior Youth. The Brooklyn-based DJ/producer/promoter is one of the movers and shakers of NY's broken and future soul movement. His latest string of tunes have turned up on many respected labels and have been featured on numerous charts and radio shows worldwide. On the title track, 'Warrior Youth,' he links up with NuRas to deliver a ragga-driven, sci-fi bleeping, bruk stepping, hard and full of energy number that is aggressive but uplifting at the same time. The flipside, 'Gramercy Riffs,' is an edgy, raw, and bouncy track with a dark and sweaty garage feel; equally as devastating as the A-side."

AMISH RECORDS

Artist:	BLACK TAJ
Title:	Beyonder
Label:	AMISH RECORDS
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	AMI 029CD

"This second long-player continues to explore the psychedelic and classic rock templates with which they worked on their s/t debut, an incendiary mix of self-aware stoner jams ('Spacewash') and progressive rock time shifts ('Cold Comfort') that recall each of the musicians' previous projects. For most of the 1990s, Dave Brylawski and Steve Popson played in (the recently-reunited) Polvo. In the late 1990s, Grant Tenille joined Brylawski in the primarily folk-inflected Idyll Swords. While many bands in the current hard rock revival mindlessly ape their idols, Black Taj deliver an intelligent updating of these conventions, and prove again that the twin guitar attack of Thin Lizzy and the muscular riffing of early ZZ Top still has legs. If you have been wondering what one-half of Polvo has been up to over the last decade, look no further."

ANARCHYMOON RECORDINGS

Artist:	YELDHAM & THE DYNAMIC RIBBON DEVICE, JUSTICE
Title:	Birthdays
Label:	ANARCHYMOON RECORDINGS
Format:	LP
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	ANOK 022LP

"Birthdays consists of two live sets by maverick amplified-glass player Justice Yeldham, recorded during his & Keg's recent tour of Europe. If you've never heard of the guy, you are in for a bloody treat. Using concert-grade piano contact mics, he amplifies a sheet of glass and plays it with his mouth and face, processing it with pedals attached to his belt, usually barefooted. The results are unworldly, and hearing it you would never imagine what created it, something an Aussie could especially achieve. Like careening assaults of insect spaceships, he transports the listener to other worlds of sound, ending most often in a crash of the glass upon his head. He survives, bloody, but alive, never worse for wear in the morning. Side A was captured in Marseille on the eve of Justice's 35th birthday while side B was recorded on Keg's birthday in Porto. And to top off the birthday cheer, Keg also did the cover illustration as a gift for Justice's birthday. Mastered by the god-like Rasheed of Dubplates (Berlin), the record has been collaboratively released in an edition of 600 copies across the world."

ANIMAL DISGUISE

Artist:	SIC ALPS
Title:	A Long Way Around To A Shortcut
Label:	ANIMAL DISGUISE
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ADR 078CD

"After the recording of their debut album, Pleasures and Treasures in 2005, Sic Alps stripped it down to become the duo of Matthew Hartman and Mike Donovan. Their hazy, vintage psych/garage rock sound along with heavy touring of both the U.S. and Europe won them fans around the globe. They recorded a handful of singles & EPs during 2006 and 2007 which are now pretty much impossible to find, or fetching absurd prices on eBay. All of these singles (along with a rare compilation track, and one previously unreleased track) are included here in this convenient, remastered 26-track compilation."

ANTICIPATE

Artist:	RATTI, NICOLA
Title:	From the Desert Came Saltwater
Label:	ANTICIPATE
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	ANTICIP 005CD

Italian-born multi-instrumentalist and architect, Nicola Ratti, presents his debut for Anticipate. Nicola's music can best be described as warm, subtractive rock, whereby he reduces guitar figures and piano passages into quiet explorations of the hidden corners of an otherwise familiar sound. Guitars twang with slight and spacious percussion and softly hushed (occasional) vocals and atmospheric twinkles congeal into a carefully-composed re-imagining of music. In terms of situating this album in the context of modern electroacoustic music, Nicola uses more natural effects treatments, shying away from fragmentation and processing, which obscures the inherent character of the instruments. Rather, he uses these processes to add depth and subtly tease out the hidden sonorities of his tools of choice, re-composing them and adding atmospherics along the way. By taking advantage of electronic production approaches, Nicola reworks something which is imminently accessible into an album which adds new levels of intangibility -- turning a classic and subdued sound into a future-minded extension, using the acoustics of field recordings and found sounds as instruments in their own right and allowing the harmonies between object and instrument to become more fully-realized. Dynamic and well-balanced, the album maneuvers through full, layered sequences into spare moments of near silence and back again with ease. It isn't a loud-quiet dichotomy, but rather, skillfully placed areas of intimacy. Nicola segues from droning strings and almost invisible vocals to subtly uplifting chords in an almost unnoticeable transition. From the Desert Came Saltwater is an album that sneaks up on the listener -- disappearing and also taking hold without missing a breath. With one solo album on Megaplomb, a handful of single tracks and remixes, and a recent collaboration with producer and engineer Giuseppe Ielasi, Nicola is defined by the excellence of his craft.

ARMAGEDDON

AUDIOMATIQUE (GERMANY)

Artist:	BORATTO & MARTIN EYERER, GUI
Title:	The Island
Label:	AUDIOMATIQUE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	AM 027EP

Brazil's Gui Boratto and Germany's Martin Eyerer present two hot new productions on Audiomatique. "The Island" features easy, jakking beats which skip amongst a rousing synth melody. This is half club track, half open-air magic. The softer synth theme of "The Beach" seems derived from classical piano roots. A beautiful contrast occurs between melodies and the crisp crunch of claps and kicks which underpin the track. This is an unmissable package and the first collaboration between these two highly-acclaimed producers.

Artist:	BABICZ, ROBERT
Title:	Dark Flower
Label:	AUDIOMATIQUE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	AM 029EP

Robert Babicz presents his fifth Audiomatique release. "Dark Flower" is a shiny groover accompanied by a beautiful remix from Rotterdam-based techno veteran Joris Voorn. "Dark Flower" showcases a dry but funky groove construct with melancholic and deep synths. "Spiralboogie" slowly builds, having the funk in the trunk while fully focused on simple, reliable qualities. Joris Voorn's mix perfectly combines floating harmonies with a thrilling drive. Simply irresistible.

AURORA BOREALIS (UK)

Artist:	BURIAL HEX
Title:	Initiations
Label:	AURORA BOREALIS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	ABX 022CD

"Members: Clay Ruby - feedback, voice, PAIA 4700, samples, microphones, homemade oscillators, metal, organs, earth, distortion, delay, insect, reverb, electric piano and analog tape. Burial Hex first made itself known to Aurora Borealis a few years ago when browsing obscure blackened electronic treats online. The subsequent purchase delivered a rather bizarre cassette tape, totally without markings, and a cryptic, darkly printed simple cover bearing ancient symbols and occult schematics: The Curses Of Earth, indeed. It conjured all sorts of imaginings -- nocturnal rites, lonely vigils with archaic analog equipment, moonlight, madness. In 2007, Aurora Borealis found itself face-to-face with Burial Hex across the strings of the ether, in communication via email, almost wholly by accident and coincidence. Taking this to be a sign, perhaps the hand of destiny, a deal was secured to release something. More instinct than reaction, no one knew what to expect. The 'oppressive necro electronics' of the recordings heard so far gave little idea of what lay in store, of the new depths to be explored, the madness to be embraced. Initiations, the debut recording for Aurora Borealis, is a lengthy proposition. Clocking in at one hour thirteen minutes, it represents a journey, a metaphysical odyssey of uncertain outcome. From the psycho-religious clamor of 'Will To The Chapel' with its jihadic cries, through to the somnambulant, subterranean oscillations of '8 Pentacles,' the way ahead is far from clear, the atmosphere claustrophobic and threatening. For fans of Prurient, Wolf Eyes, Whitehouse, Dead Raven Choir, Throbbing Gristle, Nurse With Wound, Masonna."

AUS MUSIC (GERMANY)

Artist:	JONES, LEE
Title:	As You Like It
Label:	AUS MUSIC (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	AUS 812EP

"Essex-bred Lee Jones lived in London until 2002, where he was producing and remixing as the downtempo/nu-jazz artist, Hefner. After following his heart to Berlin, he was inspired by the music and clubs to move into a new production style and for the past 3 years he's been the creative production force behind My My, whose debut album Songs For The Gentle made waves across the globe. 'As You Like It': a crisp lead melody leads us by the hand into a full-on old school Chicago stab fest. Lee's typically intricate tom pattern nestles underneath the taut drums, keeping the rhythm section bouncing along. Yes, it is indeed how we like it! Perhaps Lee's most peak time record to date. 'Recloose Remix': a real summer treat. Matt reinterprets Lee's stabs and adds his own p-funk infused live bass line and chords, which totally change the vibe. In the the words of Jimpster, 'a mutoid boogie rinse out.' 'The Ice Train Cometh': shimmering pads are intertwined with snippets of a female vocal EQ'd to sound eerily icy. Only Lee could make this '80s bass sound feel so contemporary. Matthew Chicoine aka Recloose, made his name signed to the fantastic Planet E label over the past decade. Having studied music at Ann Arbor and cutting his teeth as a college DJ, Recloose went on to be a turntablist for Carl Craig's Innerzone Orchestra, the esoteric Uri Caine Ensemble, globe-trotting far and wide to collect musical influences. The burgeoning musical scene of Wellington has offered fresh inspiration to a mind already brimming with talent."

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Artist:	BRAINBOMBS
Title:	Obey
Label:	ARMAGEDDON
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	ARMAG 012CD

Artist:	ADULTNAPPER
Title:	Audiomatique Volume 2.1
Label:	AUDIOMATIQUE (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.00
Catalog #:	AM 030EP