New Releases for May 2008

Index of New Releases for May 2008

CYCLICAL TRACKS (SPAIN)

Artist:	ROSSELLA
Title:	Photographers EP
Label:	CYCLICAL TRACKS (SPAIN)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	CYCLICAL 008EP

"Pointing in the direction of repetition and hypnotism, key ingredients in the Cyclical Tracks modus operandi, Rossella (Rome, Italy) delivers a new chapter for Tadeo's own techno book. Loving unusual sounds and influenced by the first releases of artists like Steve Bug, Akufen, Herbert and Swayzak, Rossella proposed, already from 2001, a personal vision of techno and house rhythms that would surface on the wonderful label Elletronica Romana, with different releases, emerging as one of the most important Italian DJs. On her debut for Cyclical Tracks, Photographers EP deals with a lot of influences and moods, registering all kinds of dark, sophisticated and hypnotic atmospheres, and showing that techno can be depurated to its most basic and important elements without losing groove and magnetism. A real and powerful mental journey."

CYNOSURE (CANADA)

Artist:	OSHKOPUN, IDO
Title:	Out Of Burma EP
Label:	CYNOSURE (CANADA)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	CYN 028EP

"With a mystical nature Ido's musical touch wields both finesse and raw force displayed perfectly on side A with 'Rangun.' A combination of Roland 808 and CR-78 lay the percussive carpet for a lush ménage of melodic bone like percussion, classic strings and haunting Bermese vocals. Most definitely one of the most original tracks we've heard in some time. On the flip with 'Bpyinmana' Oshkopun follows up with a frenzy of classic drums a la CR-78 thrown into a cocktail of effects and edits that fizz over into a perfect drum dub. A tracky workout perfect for the most adventurous of DJs. Fans of ethno techno, traditional Burmese vocals, classic Roland drums and ultra funky edits will welcome this EP like sunshine on a rainy day. Most definitely an EP to eclipse your winter darkness and bring your spring into full swing. Searching for Ido? Ido Oshkopun can also be found on Hartchef Discos."

D1 RECORDINGS (IRELAND)

Artist:	EDUCUTION
Title:	Ting Chuggy Volume 2
Label:	D1 RECORDINGS (IRELAND)
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	DONE 042EP

"Educution's disco mission continues into volume 2 of his Ting Chuggy series. Opening with 'Screaming Swan,' an infectious monster of a track bearing the hallmarks of a classic house anthem. At its onset listeners of the more intellectual variety may find its relentless screaming somewhat disconcerting, but we are confident that by its climax the wiggle of hips will triumph over the general thought process. Dancefloor tests on this number have resulted in a 3:4 bass to sweat ratio and a bounce rate increase of 99.99% when compared with other leading brands. Side A finishes with 'Locked Swan 1' the first of 2 pitched up remixes where our swan gets faster and angrier over a monstrous kick that will push the limits of any system and keep it there for as long as deemed fit (it's a locked groove!). 'Reloveyoution' gets side B off to a deep chuggy start with bass, strings and beats pushed in layers through the filterbank eventually exploding out the other side. 'Yer Aul One Loves This' although being dedicated to your mother has attracted the attention of Ben Sims, demonstrating that beefy filter shredded disco will always be right at home in technoland at +8 (that's what the sliders for kiddies!). Volume 2 concludes with 'Locked Swan 2.' More avian locked groove action in pure house bounce mode."

DAHLBACK RECORDINGS (SWEDEN)

Artist:	HUGG & PEPP
Title:	Smuggeli Krook EP
Label:	DAHLBACK RECORDINGS (SWEDEN)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	DAR 014EP

"'Smack' tuddi krookli smock. Smacky Pepp sminky Hugg krooken krack! Stink snusa krud snocken, klonken stonken. Lump örgh snask klo smörgårdsbord trampa. Blås smooken krooken tryck. Klonken stonken snusk i busken 'Krook.' Smacky Pepp stonken mit Pepp 'Tiddeli' läpp. 'Smook' skoj party makare blobb kanske. Ärr ösk på snorre. Smuggeli smog med hans krook big surprise! Burk blåbär stock punkt. Flukt pump stuga prick. Skiva smokken asfet. Banka banka kula stolpe ut, meh! Uta öga kräk stampen stuk. Bäbä nonsens polack, men nästa örk. Älska skattemyndigheten!"

DESTIJL

Artist:	KING DARVES
Title:	The Sun Splits For... The Blind Swimmer
Label:	DESTIJL
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	DESTIJL 063CD

"So I would imagine that you'd have one look at the photo of King Darves we have here and think 'oh brother! Another guy with a beard getting over what looks like a bad case of the clap and an acoustic guitar. Where's my axe?' So we're not gonna put it up here. (Mystique, dig?) But its really not like that, I tell you! The bedrock of King Darves' New Brunswick-based concoction is certainly folk-based but there's no headband and he's not singing of pixies in the moss. This is somewhere between rolled cigs and the foggy vision of Big Pink from somewhere on Jersey Avenue, or maybe a one-manned Meat Puppets. This kid has really cobbled something together in his kitchen sink! The Sun Splits For... The Blind Swimmer will shock and please when the prettiest sound of his deep, rich voice comes out of yr headphones, and it'll make you tap yr toes and nod yr head like a little Jersey Goil." --Tony Rettman

DETELEFUNK (BELGIUM)

Artist:	DETROIT GRAND PUBAHS
Title:	Thanks For Coming
Label:	DETELEFUNK (BELGIUM)
Format:	12"
Price:	$12.50
Catalog #:	DETELE 007EP

Taken from the Pubah's album Nuttin Butt Funk, "Thanks For Coming" is from the elusive Dr. Bootygrabber character, last seen on DGP's Funk All Y'All. This continues in the same vein with deep beats and eerie, seductive vocals, accompanied by Ernest's high-pitched evil conscience. On remix duty are Steve Bug and The Advent, who add serious dancefloor fuel to the fire. Finally, a little message from one of DGP's cohorts -- a little Mexican only known as "La Chuppa Roussa."

DFA RECORDS

Artist:	SHOCKING PINKS
Title:	Cutout/Dressed To Please
Label:	DFA RECORDS
Format:	2x12"
Price:	$18.00
Catalog #:	DFA 2194EP

"The second single to be taken from Shocking Pinks' self-titled debut album. Bittersweet and vulnerable, 'Emily' is a hypnotic and moody song that tells the age-old story of longing, jealousy and heartache, in Nick Harte's distinctive shoegaze style. It's one of the most personal moments on the record, with a beautiful and fragile overtone covering the rough layers of distortion and noise. The single comes backed with an exclusive cover of Magnetic Fields' 'Nothing Matters When We're Dancing,' plus remixes of album track 'Cutout' and 'Dressed to Please,' which had a limited release as a B-side to limited 7" The Narrator. The remixes range from Expanding Head Band (ex-Tussle member Alexis Georgopoulos) and disco-edit scenester Lee Douglas, to techno favorites, Deepchord/Echospace and Nathan Fake."

DIAL (GERMANY)

Artist:	DOMINIQUE
Title:	More Love Now
Label:	DIAL (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.50
Catalog #:	DIAL 011CD

This is the third release from Dominique, the Berlin-Kreuzberg based group, started around 1999. From the beginning, Dominique has been structured more as a loose collective than as a band, each member already an artist, writer, filmmaker and/or musician in their own right. Building on the success of their first album Speak To Me and the more or less "live" sequel The Same You, their third album More Love Now, is their most ambitious, elaborate and best offering to date. It was written and recorded over a period of two years by the band's current six members plus various guests; Thomas Goldhahn recorded and helped to arrange the strings, and if Dominique's collaborative ethos accounts for the music diversity of the album, it is Richard Davis' production that lends their combined efforts its sparkle and epic grandeur. Though still recognizably a Dominique album, this time each song is given its own distinct and complex sound, creating separate spaces for their evocative lyrics to do their work. In the mind's eye, images follow the precisely-blended lyrics and harmonies. Chimes, harmonica, chords on an acoustic guitar and a changing snare-drum sound accompany soft-spoken word and rich singing. There is even a band choir on "Air," as well as euphoric group singing on "You Know Now." Dominique's music is about contours, even when as in the mildly psychedelic "Goldchain," isolated background sounds flutter out of the arrangements like surprise visitors, migrating birds, or travellers. Throughout the album, the group insists on More Love Now, knowing all the while that it requires as much care as possible.

DIE STADT (GERMANY)

Artist:	TIETCHENS, ASMUS
Title:	Aus Freude Am Elend
Label:	DIE STADT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$26.00
Catalog #:	DS 105CD

Eleventh part in the ongoing re-release series of all early Tietchens albums between 1980-1991. Aus Freude Am Elend is based on the human voice as a primary sound source and was originally released in an edition of 500 copies on Dom America in 1988. The CD includes two previously-unreleased tracks and comes in a jewel case with full color artwork and poster booklet also featuring the original front and back cover. First edition of 600 copies. "Following my research of piano and water sounds, it didn't come as a surprise that my next project was about the human voice as a sound source. The great masters of Plunderphonics already showed the way in the early '80s, when they plundered the gigantic junk-shops packed full of already recorded material, which was stolen by them to use it for their own aesthetic targets. This album only consists of such stolen goods. Each track (with the exception of 'In Memoriam P.F.') was based on voices of people who I naturally didn't ask their permission to use these recordings in the first place. So you can hear the voices of ecstatic religious people as well as other people making love. You'll also hear someone singing to Annette and Peggy out of the trash bin of a publishing company. Even the screams of furious teachers came in handy while I made loops from them. Especially loops: rarely before this album and only once after it did I made use of the structural means of loops to such an extent. I was fascinated by the rhythmical and harmonic permanence, in the same way as many of my musical colleagues at the time. The aspect of the 'ritual' was a self-evident common formulation in difficult music during the '80s, so loops and tape voices, monotonous rhythms and LoFi became obvious means to shape the music. Aus Freude Am Elend too was strongly spiced with these ingredients and therefore can be seen as a prototype album of this specific view of music during the time. This tendency was supported -- even partly inspired -- by a new generation of sound machines, which also made it possible for new aesthetic goals to appear at the horizon. The '90s were near at hand and sound art music would develop drastically in many ways in the years to follow. Samplers, digital editing, hard-disc recording and the first PCs opened new doorways. Half of the material on Aus Freude Am Elend was already created with these digital tools. I never quite understood how the labels Dom America (run by Jon Carlson) and Dom here in Germany were connected. Was Carlson a fan of Dom which was founded by Christoph Heemann and Achim Flaam? Did he simply like the release politics of this label? And what became of Dom America? Actually I don't know. I guess it was one of the small enthusiastic independent labels which released a handful of titles and which disappeared after being active for a couple of years during the '80s. However ,Aus Freude Am Elend had vanished shortly after its release. I only used 'stolen' voices twice again after this album, by the way."

Artist:	LILES & FOVEA HEX, ANDREW
Title:	Gone Every Evening
Label:	DIE STADT (GERMANY)
Format:	7"
Price:	$22.00
Catalog #:	DS 106EP

"The record features two collaborative pieces by Andrew Liles & Fovea Hex, with Fabrizio Palumbo as special guest. Featuring Andrew Liles, Clodagh Simonds, Laura Sheeran, Fabrizio Palumbo and Michael Begg, these two strange songs will find the way swiftly to your very core, quite by themselves, to simultaneously delight and only faintly unsettle you. Needless to say that everyone who enjoyed the Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent trilogy by Fovea Hex will also love this. It comes packaged in an attractive gatefold cover with a printed inner sleeve designed by Andrew Liles in an edition of 500 copies."

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Artist:	HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR
Title:	Blind Remixes
Label:	DFA RECORDS
Format:	12"
Price:	$11.50
Catalog #:	DFA 2192XEP