BUREAU B - Forced Exposure

$103.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 11/5/2021

A band's fame can be measured in the sum of myths, legends and stories which are conjured up in their wake. In which case, Faust have been playing in the Champions League for quite some time. Few bands have been as innovative, influential or as irrepressible as Faust -- the way they revolutionized the history of music in the space of just four years puts them right up there with The Velvet Underground. What began in a Hamburg (Sternschanze) bunker in 1970 would send shockwaves around the world. Here's how Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order) remembers it: "The first krautrock record which made a lasting impression on me was the debut album by Faust. The transparent disc looked spectacular and the music was mind-blowing, not songs as such, it was something absolutely unique, the polar opposite of everything the Rolling Stones, Beatles and the like were doing. It was right up my street." (Dallach/Future Sounds) This box is the first virtually complete collection of Faust works from the years 1971-1974. In addition to the debut album referenced by Morris, it includes the 1972 album So Far, the legendary 1973 Virgin UK release The Faust Tapes, Faust IV and, for the first time ever, the mythical, so-called "Munich album" Punkt, which Faust recorded at Giorgio Moroder's Musicland Studios in 1974. For one reason or another, this last album never saw the light of day -- until now. The bonus albums Momentaufnahme I and Momentaufnahme II also feature unreleased material, simultaneously affording us a fascinating glimpse of Faust's creativity in their Wümme studio phase. Two 7-inch singles round off the Faust 1971-1974 compendium: "Lieber Herr Deutschland" is the demo recording they sent to Polydor in 1971, remarkably triggering a contract offer from the label who had something of a conservative reputation at the time. The track later resurfaced as the B-side to their single "Baby", a song which had been rejected by the aforementioned label. The second 7-inch single in the box is a rerelease of So Far, the first Faust single on Polydor, originally issued in 1972. It is by no means overstating the case to assert that Faust created and christened a genre (the name would prove emotive) in one fell swoop (track one on Faust IV). Even 50 years (or perhaps all the more so) after they took their first musical steps in a bunker near Hamburg's Sternschanze station, Faust still sound revolutionary, timeless, irrepressible and, above all, unique. Mastered from the original tapes.

$175.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 11/5/2021

Seven LPs + two 7" box set version. A band's fame can be measured in the sum of myths, legends and stories which are conjured up in their wake. In which case, Faust have been playing in the Champions League for quite some time. Few bands have been as innovative, influential or as irrepressible as Faust -- the way they revolutionized the history of music in the space of just four years puts them right up there with The Velvet Underground. What began in a Hamburg (Sternschanze) bunker in 1970 would send shockwaves around the world. Here's how Stephen Morris (Joy Division/New Order) remembers it: "The first krautrock record which made a lasting impression on me was the debut album by Faust. The transparent disc looked spectacular and the music was mind-blowing, not songs as such, it was something absolutely unique, the polar opposite of everything the Rolling Stones, Beatles and the like were doing. It was right up my street." (Dallach/Future Sounds) This box is the first virtually complete collection of Faust works from the years 1971-1974. In addition to the debut album referenced by Morris, it includes the 1972 album So Far, the legendary 1973 Virgin UK release The Faust Tapes, Faust IV and, for the first time ever, the mythical, so-called "Munich album" Punkt, which Faust recorded at Giorgio Moroder's Musicland Studios in 1974. For one reason or another, this last album never saw the light of day -- until now. The bonus albums Momentaufnahme I and Momentaufnahme II also feature unreleased material, simultaneously affording us a fascinating glimpse of Faust's creativity in their Wümme studio phase. Two 7-inch singles round off the Faust 1971-1974 compendium: "Lieber Herr Deutschland" is the demo recording they sent to Polydor in 1971, remarkably triggering a contract offer from the label who had something of a conservative reputation at the time. The track later resurfaced as the B-side to their single "Baby", a song which had been rejected by the aforementioned label. The second 7-inch single in the box is a rerelease of So Far, the first Faust single on Polydor, originally issued in 1972. It is by no means overstating the case to assert that Faust created and christened a genre (the name would prove emotive) in one fell swoop (track one on Faust IV). Even 50 years (or perhaps all the more so) after they took their first musical steps in a bunker near Hamburg's Sternschanze station, Faust still sound revolutionary, timeless, irrepressible and, above all, unique. Mastered from the original tapes.

$16.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/27/2021

Spring is Thomas Klein's fourth Sølyst release on Bureau B, gleaned from material spanning the past three years. The time he has spent with these pieces has been time well spent. In revisiting them, he has posed new questions, rearranged and reworked some elements, dismissed or discarded others. The process of reappraisal has seen certain passages expanded upon, others pared away or refined. In the beginning, a sequencer and a sequence; rumbling along, not too fast, deeper tones and minor keys. Swathed in drum patterns and percussion, a mesh of metal and the occasional, unannounced crash of drums, as on the shimmering "Flex" or "Hold". Echoes and echo chambers, phasers and flangers used as glue: Spring, the (S)piral, a flexible, coiled spring, stretched, bent, twisted to fit the signal flow. Isolated sounds and vertical planes are added to the hypnotic, rhythmic framework, melodies are revealed on a nano level in transitions between nuanced layers and allusions. With all these elements in play, Klein creates a cinematic atmosphere for the big or the small screen, heavily laden in subliminal darkness, more spectral than aggressively threatening. A sense of foreboding, perhaps -- or the nervous excitement of seeing a storm gather on the horizon as one eagerly awaits the spectacle of thunder and lightning. Photophobic dancers, tar on their shoes, flashes of light, monochrome is our only color. Spring is the soundtrack to a night such as this, plotting its course through to the late morning: take "Sheroes" and play it between Martin Rev and Chris & Cosey, take "Atlas" and play it, if you will, after Tolouse Low Trax. And before the doors reopen, take "Spiral". The most seductive moments in all of these pieces are those in which Klein lets go of functionality, unleashes the groove and the space opens up, wider and wider, floating atmospherically into the late hours of the morning. Spring slots into the genealogy of the three preceding albums -- Sølyst (2011), Lead (2013), The Steam Age (2016). Not that there is anything wrong with that, and yet Spring reveals Klein at his most confident, opening up his field of vision to explore the margins of the structure he established on Sølyst. Each track on Spring hints at a fresh start. This is where Sølyst truly begins.

$22.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/27/2021

LP version. Spring is Thomas Klein's fourth Sølyst release on Bureau B, gleaned from material spanning the past three years. The time he has spent with these pieces has been time well spent. In revisiting them, he has posed new questions, rearranged and reworked some elements, dismissed or discarded others. The process of reappraisal has seen certain passages expanded upon, others pared away or refined. In the beginning, a sequencer and a sequence; rumbling along, not too fast, deeper tones and minor keys. Swathed in drum patterns and percussion, a mesh of metal and the occasional, unannounced crash of drums, as on the shimmering "Flex" or "Hold". Echoes and echo chambers, phasers and flangers used as glue: Spring, the (S)piral, a flexible, coiled spring, stretched, bent, twisted to fit the signal flow. Isolated sounds and vertical planes are added to the hypnotic, rhythmic framework, melodies are revealed on a nano level in transitions between nuanced layers and allusions. With all these elements in play, Klein creates a cinematic atmosphere for the big or the small screen, heavily laden in subliminal darkness, more spectral than aggressively threatening. A sense of foreboding, perhaps -- or the nervous excitement of seeing a storm gather on the horizon as one eagerly awaits the spectacle of thunder and lightning. Photophobic dancers, tar on their shoes, flashes of light, monochrome is our only color. Spring is the soundtrack to a night such as this, plotting its course through to the late morning: take "Sheroes" and play it between Martin Rev and Chris & Cosey, take "Atlas" and play it, if you will, after Tolouse Low Trax. And before the doors reopen, take "Spiral". The most seductive moments in all of these pieces are those in which Klein lets go of functionality, unleashes the groove and the space opens up, wider and wider, floating atmospherically into the late hours of the morning. Spring slots into the genealogy of the three preceding albums -- Sølyst (2011), Lead (2013), The Steam Age (2016). Not that there is anything wrong with that, and yet Spring reveals Klein at his most confident, opening up his field of vision to explore the margins of the structure he established on Sølyst. Each track on Spring hints at a fresh start. This is where Sølyst truly begins.

$22.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/20/2021

LP version. Bureau B present a very special release: Kiosque Of Arrows 2 is Detlef Weinrich's (aka Tolouse Low Trax) first compilation for Bureau B. Echoing the spirit of the legendary samplers found on Les Disques Du Crépuscule or Made To Measure, this hybrid journal not only collates unusual pieces of music -- rare and undiscovered pearls from the experimental underground of the early 1980s through to contemporary unreleased recordings -- it also represents a reflective collage of cut-ups, observations and memories in the never-ending search for inexplicable beauty. Eleven tracks of unique pop fusions meander through states of casualness, a nocturnal thirst for adventure, and the intense yearnings of hot, sultry afternoons with an uneven and brittle quality. It all helps to pinpoint Tolouse Low Trax as artist and curator in the grander scheme of things, whilst evoking the spirit of countless nights at the Düsseldorfer Salon des Amateurs. Features Macromassa, The Stupid Set, DsorDNE, Techno Twins, Venus in Furs, Javier Segura, Bassæ, Lydia Tomkiw, Iueke & Lippie, Kaoru Hirose, and Viola Renea.

$16.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/20/2021

Bureau B present a very special release: Kiosque Of Arrows 2 is Detlef Weinrich's (aka Tolouse Low Trax) first compilation for Bureau B. Echoing the spirit of the legendary samplers found on Les Disques Du Crépuscule or Made To Measure, this hybrid journal not only collates unusual pieces of music -- rare and undiscovered pearls from the experimental underground of the early 1980s through to contemporary unreleased recordings -- it also represents a reflective collage of cut-ups, observations and memories in the never-ending search for inexplicable beauty. Eleven tracks of unique pop fusions meander through states of casualness, a nocturnal thirst for adventure, and the intense yearnings of hot, sultry afternoons with an uneven and brittle quality. It all helps to pinpoint Tolouse Low Trax as artist and curator in the grander scheme of things, whilst evoking the spirit of countless nights at the Düsseldorfer Salon des Amateurs. Features Macromassa, The Stupid Set, DsorDNE, Techno Twins, Venus in Furs, Javier Segura, Bassæ, Lydia Tomkiw, Iueke & Lippie, Kaoru Hirose, and Viola Renea.

$24.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/13/2021

30th anniversary limited edition of Camouflage's Meanwhile, originally released in 1991. Founded in the southern German city of Bietigheim-Bissingen by Heiko Maile, Oliver Kreyssig, and Marcus Meyn in the year 1984, the band Camouflage scored an unexpected international hit with their debut album Voices & Images in 1988. Their sophomore album Methods Of Silence, released just a year later, was an even bigger success. Songs like "The Great Commandment" and "Love Is A Shield", went on to become perennial classics of the synth pop genre. For the production of their third album Meanwhile, Heiko Maile and Marcus Meyn (Oliver Kreyssig has left the band by then) were striking a new path. They recorded the songs with a band lineup with real drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards. To mark the 30th anniversary of the album, the band opened up the archives to assemble a special bonus edition including a wealth of rare and unreleased recordings.

$22.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/6/2021

LP version. "Barely pausing for breath after 1983's Colours And Soul, Dunkelziffer delivered In The Night the following year, their revolving line-up prompting an evolving sound. Though the playful elements of their debut remained through a trio of sun-blushed dubbers, the album also housed the ensemble's most dense, intense and serious tracks to date. The core septet of Zerlett, Linke, Krachten, Von Senger, Keul, Gelba and Schubert returned as well as the new bassist Rike Gratt, each in their own flow state on this seven track LP. But it was all change behind the mic for In The Night, as Coco Claus and Josefa Martens moved on, while Rebop Kwaku Baah, whose deep and rhythmic vocals decorated most of their debut, had sadly passed away while on tour with Jimmy Cliff the previous year. Luckily a perfect reinforcement was waiting in the wings, and the unmistakable Damo Suzuki led the charge with Helmut Zerlett taking double duties on backing vocals. The loose-limbed reggae of 'Watch On My Head' offers the warmest of welcomes on the A1, a swaying bassline underpinning breezy woodwind and synthetic fanfares with Suzuki's treated vocals forming the final instrumental layer. Things take a jazzier turn on 'Sunday Morning', in which cascading harps and glistening arps clearing the way for a snaking rhythm piano to take the lead . . . Shifting through the gears as we approach the midpoint, Dunkelziffer drop into 'Retrospection', thirteen whole minutes of pulsating and powerful psych-rock retooled for the new wave era. Leaving the fuzzbox back in Haight-Ashbury, the group layer chorus-drenched guitars and bright keyboards into a sky-scraping groove. Yelped mantras and untamed horns add a new found intensity balanced by the limber bassline and nuanced percussion which steals the spotlight during the final quarter. The B-side brings a moment of breezy beachfront cool via 'Q', a sun-kissed stroll from Methaniac fusion into ska-tinged art rock before plunging headfirst into the abrasive psychobilly of '(Do Watch What You Can) Prof.', a sub three-minute headfuck of atonal horns, off kilter percussion and overlapping vocals from Suzuki and Zerlett. Invigorated after that short sharp shock, the group lay a love song on us, the sweet nothings of 'I See Your Smile' bobbing on a Caribbean tide. Pure, playful and hard to resist, this moment of pop perfection was the ideal candidate for the album's single. There's room for one more mood swing as we reach the finale, closing cut 'Oriental Cafe' upping the intensity to deliver ten minutes of tribal percussion and Eastern influence in the same vein as 'Still Der Neuen Zeit' on their debut." --Patrick Ryder

$16.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/6/2021

"Barely pausing for breath after 1983's Colours And Soul, Dunkelziffer delivered In The Night the following year, their revolving line-up prompting an evolving sound. Though the playful elements of their debut remained through a trio of sun-blushed dubbers, the album also housed the ensemble's most dense, intense and serious tracks to date. The core septet of Zerlett, Linke, Krachten, Von Senger, Keul, Gelba and Schubert returned as well as the new bassist Rike Gratt, each in their own flow state on this seven track LP. But it was all change behind the mic for In The Night, as Coco Claus and Josefa Martens moved on, while Rebop Kwaku Baah, whose deep and rhythmic vocals decorated most of their debut, had sadly passed away while on tour with Jimmy Cliff the previous year. Luckily a perfect reinforcement was waiting in the wings, and the unmistakable Damo Suzuki led the charge with Helmut Zerlett taking double duties on backing vocals. The loose-limbed reggae of 'Watch On My Head' offers the warmest of welcomes on the A1, a swaying bassline underpinning breezy woodwind and synthetic fanfares with Suzuki's treated vocals forming the final instrumental layer. Things take a jazzier turn on 'Sunday Morning', in which cascading harps and glistening arps clearing the way for a snaking rhythm piano to take the lead . . . Shifting through the gears as we approach the midpoint, Dunkelziffer drop into 'Retrospection', thirteen whole minutes of pulsating and powerful psych-rock retooled for the new wave era. Leaving the fuzzbox back in Haight-Ashbury, the group layer chorus-drenched guitars and bright keyboards into a sky-scraping groove. Yelped mantras and untamed horns add a new found intensity balanced by the limber bassline and nuanced percussion which steals the spotlight during the final quarter. The B-side brings a moment of breezy beachfront cool via 'Q', a sun-kissed stroll from Methaniac fusion into ska-tinged art rock before plunging headfirst into the abrasive psychobilly of '(Do Watch What You Can) Prof.', a sub three-minute headfuck of atonal horns, off kilter percussion and overlapping vocals from Suzuki and Zerlett. Invigorated after that short sharp shock, the group lay a love song on us, the sweet nothings of 'I See Your Smile' bobbing on a Caribbean tide. Pure, playful and hard to resist, this moment of pop perfection was the ideal candidate for the album's single. There's room for one more mood swing as we reach the finale, closing cut 'Oriental Cafe' upping the intensity to deliver ten minutes of tribal percussion and Eastern influence in the same vein as 'Still Der Neuen Zeit' on their debut." --Patrick Ryder

$16.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/6/2021

"... Taking a radical approach to sound, style and group dynamics, this loose collective of musicians and artists blazed an experimental trail through the '80s, offering an alternative vision of German pop fit for a decade of constant change. Emerging in the wake of Can's late seventies supernova, Dunkelziffer became the center of gravity for a new era of creativity in Köln. Embracing the stylistic freedom of this fresh start alongside the time and space offered by their residency in the Palazzo Schoko, their jam sessions, often including associates from the Food Band, Phantom Band and Catalans Dream Band as well as anyone passing through, soon segued into a (slightly) more formal ensemble, though free-thinking and free movement remained central ideologies . . . On their 1983 debut, Colours And Soul, Dunkelziffer offered an hour-long odyssey through the fringes of the pop landscape, creating a kaleidoscopic journey through sun-kissed skank, coastal funk, demented drum circles and tachycardic new wave. Appearing from the chaos of an outboard explosion, opener 'Kedema' lays the foundations for the seductive strangeness which follows, rewiring a lilting dub rhythm with skewed synth tones and curious percussion as late-Can man Rebop Kwaku Baah's unique vocals form a lopsided melody. Island undulations give way to angular excitations on 'Bleib Night So Lang Im Schatten Stehn', a propulsive piece of new wave alive with Wolfgang Schubert's skronking horns and some poised female vocals. From there the group bask in the light of their own miracle, surrendered to the seven-minute groove of 'This is How You Came', a sublime psychedelic blend of hypnotic bass, frazzled guitars and jazz-rock interludes. 'Keine Python' signposts the way to Babylon by autobahn before tribal electronic trio 'Dark Number', 'Stil Der Neuen Zeit' and 'Zufall In Der Wirklichkeit' take us to the midpoint in a polyrhythmic trance. 'S.O. 36' opens the B-side with an overload of adrenaline as a lurching AKAI-ready half time transforms into the fast-paced motorik stomp of a jazz-punk freakout. The dancefloor friendly 'Strom' follows, embracing a similar strain of sticky industrial funk as Unknown Cases' anthemic 'Masimba Bele', while 'Free' leads us back into the light, riding the thermals over a sparkling shoreline as the cannabis psychosis gives way to the purest reggae high. The playful 'Colours And Soul' serves some hip and horizontal DIY-dub on the B4, beachballs splashing into the surf before interlude 'Arche Noah' nudges into the highlife heat beat of 'Don't Ask Me'. Finally it falls to 'Beside The Light' to close out the set, a hazy piece of ecstatic pop equally informed by each of the diverse influences which came before..." --Patrick Ryder

$22.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 8/6/2021

LP version. "... Taking a radical approach to sound, style and group dynamics, this loose collective of musicians and artists blazed an experimental trail through the '80s, offering an alternative vision of German pop fit for a decade of constant change. Emerging in the wake of Can's late seventies supernova, Dunkelziffer became the center of gravity for a new era of creativity in Köln. Embracing the stylistic freedom of this fresh start alongside the time and space offered by their residency in the Palazzo Schoko, their jam sessions, often including associates from the Food Band, Phantom Band and Catalans Dream Band as well as anyone passing through, soon segued into a (slightly) more formal ensemble, though free-thinking and free movement remained central ideologies . . . On their 1983 debut, Colours And Soul, Dunkelziffer offered an hour-long odyssey through the fringes of the pop landscape, creating a kaleidoscopic journey through sun-kissed skank, coastal funk, demented drum circles and tachycardic new wave. Appearing from the chaos of an outboard explosion, opener 'Kedema' lays the foundations for the seductive strangeness which follows, rewiring a lilting dub rhythm with skewed synth tones and curious percussion as late-Can man Rebop Kwaku Baah's unique vocals form a lopsided melody. Island undulations give way to angular excitations on 'Bleib Night So Lang Im Schatten Stehn', a propulsive piece of new wave alive with Wolfgang Schubert's skronking horns and some poised female vocals. From there the group bask in the light of their own miracle, surrendered to the seven-minute groove of 'This is How You Came', a sublime psychedelic blend of hypnotic bass, frazzled guitars and jazz-rock interludes. 'Keine Python' signposts the way to Babylon by autobahn before tribal electronic trio 'Dark Number', 'Stil Der Neuen Zeit' and 'Zufall In Der Wirklichkeit' take us to the midpoint in a polyrhythmic trance. 'S.O. 36' opens the B-side with an overload of adrenaline as a lurching AKAI-ready half time transforms into the fast-paced motorik stomp of a jazz-punk freakout. The dancefloor friendly 'Strom' follows, embracing a similar strain of sticky industrial funk as Unknown Cases' anthemic 'Masimba Bele', while 'Free' leads us back into the light, riding the thermals over a sparkling shoreline as the cannabis psychosis gives way to the purest reggae high. The playful 'Colours And Soul' serves some hip and horizontal DIY-dub on the B4, beachballs splashing into the surf before interlude 'Arche Noah' nudges into the highlife heat beat of 'Don't Ask Me'. Finally it falls to 'Beside The Light' to close out the set, a hazy piece of ecstatic pop equally informed by each of the diverse influences which came before..." --Patrick Ryder

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/25/2021

LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Die Fische's Eine Nacht in Cairo, originally released 1986. Die Fische from Ratingen pressed their 1986 album Eine Nacht in Cairo in a small private edition. Long considered a forgotten treasure of the German post-punk underground, it has more recently been discovered all over again by new listeners as one or two cuts, such as "Fire Of Love" and "Conversation Of Everyday-Lovers", have broken through the topsoil into the vast reaches of the internet. Nowadays, collectors over the world search for precious copies of the Eine Nacht in Cairo album, a wonderfully rapturous album, somewhere between leftfield synth-pop and post-punk. Die Fische were founded by Bernd Oprach and Peter Walgenbach back in 1982. During the course of various sessions in the new, openly experimental Ratingen music scene, they got to know drummer Arnd Willert, who soon became a fully-fledged member of the band. The gravitational pull of the Düsseldorf scene and groups like Der Plan grew stronger around this time, with Ratinger Hof at its center. As punk, new wave and early, experimental NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) orbited around the trio, they decided to renegotiate their own trajectory, creating music far removed from traditional forms. Their approach to recording (including the use of a Walkman) the electronic equipment they had assembled, such as sequencers, synthesizers (for guitar sounds too) and drum machines opened up new sonic horizons. Compared to today's digital technology, however, the means at their disposal were rather limited. Instead of holding them back, this actually set the tone for creative improvisation. Allied to Dadaist elements, the early works are strikingly uncompromising. Ten tracks featured on the 1983 cassette which represented the self-released debut by Die Fische. The band played a host of shows throughout Germany from 1982 onwards, many of them in the Düsseldorf region. The subsequent album, Eine Nacht in Cairo, sounds altogether more structured and mature. This time around, the line-up was augmented by the vocalist Patrick, bassist and co-lodger Konrad Mathieu and an additional session drummer, Gigi Sessenhausen. The band members continued to work in numerous other projects, with fluctuations and new formations in shifting constellations very much in the spirit of the age. Die Fische can be seen as a band who were energized by the current of musical optimism in the early 1980s. Many treasures disappeared all too quickly.

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/25/2021

"The beginnings of Camouflage represent a personal voyage of discovery in so many ways. Ideas, compositions, arrangements, sound and not least the technical question of the recording process -- this was all completely new ground for me. Getting to grips with songwriting and studio engineering without any form of training or professional guidance involves a great deal of trial and error and, above all, plenty of time. Any spare minutes I had were spent with our synthesizers and recording equipment. Every demo, every attempt to imitate the sound of a favorite record or device rang true to the mantra of 'learning by doing' ... equipment with no memory function (please do not touch!), the constant humming of cheap wires and cables (soldering is a must-have skill!), rotten-sounding cassettes (which had been recorded over several times, of course), a healthy degree of overconfidence (who needs a Fairlight CMI?) or the frequently unpredictable vagaries of analog technology on a home studio budget -- there were many lessons to be learned. Most of the tracks on this album were recorded with a basic stereo (2-track) cassette recorder. The studio set-up looked more or less like this: a drum computer (no MIDI) and a sequencer were connected to each other and synchronized rhythmically. I crafted melodic sequences and rhythms and usually transposed them to the desired pitch manually, using the keyboards. Other live instruments were played over the top. Then everything, the sum of all the sound sources, was put together in a kind of 'live recording' with the aid of a mixing desk. Just a single mistake would mean having to start all over again. Reconfiguring many of the sounds once the controls had already been adjusted was a painstaking process. I ended up with heaps of cassettes, often featuring seemingly endless versions and variations of the same track . . . State of the art studio technology and audio restoration algorithms helped me to get these tracks back into listenable shape. Sifting through the archive and unearthing long-forgotten song ideas can create a retrograde vibe . . . I had fun with all of it and I hope that the tracks selected will whet the appetite of fresh listeners to explore the early phase of my electronic music and the bizarre sonic worlds I inhabited." --Heiko Maile, December 2020

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/25/2021

Bureau B present a reissue of Die Fische's Eine Nacht in Cairo, originally released 1986. Die Fische from Ratingen pressed their 1986 album Eine Nacht in Cairo in a small private edition. Long considered a forgotten treasure of the German post-punk underground, it has more recently been discovered all over again by new listeners as one or two cuts, such as "Fire Of Love" and "Conversation Of Everyday-Lovers", have broken through the topsoil into the vast reaches of the internet. Nowadays, collectors over the world search for precious copies of the Eine Nacht in Cairo album, a wonderfully rapturous album, somewhere between leftfield synth-pop and post-punk. Die Fische were founded by Bernd Oprach and Peter Walgenbach back in 1982. During the course of various sessions in the new, openly experimental Ratingen music scene, they got to know drummer Arnd Willert, who soon became a fully-fledged member of the band. The gravitational pull of the Düsseldorf scene and groups like Der Plan grew stronger around this time, with Ratinger Hof at its center. As punk, new wave and early, experimental NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) orbited around the trio, they decided to renegotiate their own trajectory, creating music far removed from traditional forms. Their approach to recording (including the use of a Walkman) the electronic equipment they had assembled, such as sequencers, synthesizers (for guitar sounds too) and drum machines opened up new sonic horizons. Compared to today's digital technology, however, the means at their disposal were rather limited. Instead of holding them back, this actually set the tone for creative improvisation. Allied to Dadaist elements, the early works are strikingly uncompromising. Ten tracks featured on the 1983 cassette which represented the self-released debut by Die Fische. The band played a host of shows throughout Germany from 1982 onwards, many of them in the Düsseldorf region. The subsequent album, Eine Nacht in Cairo, sounds altogether more structured and mature. This time around, the line-up was augmented by the vocalist Patrick, bassist and co-lodger Konrad Mathieu and an additional session drummer, Gigi Sessenhausen. The band members continued to work in numerous other projects, with fluctuations and new formations in shifting constellations very much in the spirit of the age. Die Fische can be seen as a band who were energized by the current of musical optimism in the early 1980s. Many treasures disappeared all too quickly.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/25/2021

LP version. "The beginnings of Camouflage represent a personal voyage of discovery in so many ways. Ideas, compositions, arrangements, sound and not least the technical question of the recording process -- this was all completely new ground for me. Getting to grips with songwriting and studio engineering without any form of training or professional guidance involves a great deal of trial and error and, above all, plenty of time. Any spare minutes I had were spent with our synthesizers and recording equipment. Every demo, every attempt to imitate the sound of a favorite record or device rang true to the mantra of 'learning by doing' ... equipment with no memory function (please do not touch!), the constant humming of cheap wires and cables (soldering is a must-have skill!), rotten-sounding cassettes (which had been recorded over several times, of course), a healthy degree of overconfidence (who needs a Fairlight CMI?) or the frequently unpredictable vagaries of analog technology on a home studio budget -- there were many lessons to be learned. Most of the tracks on this album were recorded with a basic stereo (2-track) cassette recorder. The studio set-up looked more or less like this: a drum computer (no MIDI) and a sequencer were connected to each other and synchronized rhythmically. I crafted melodic sequences and rhythms and usually transposed them to the desired pitch manually, using the keyboards. Other live instruments were played over the top. Then everything, the sum of all the sound sources, was put together in a kind of 'live recording' with the aid of a mixing desk. Just a single mistake would mean having to start all over again. Reconfiguring many of the sounds once the controls had already been adjusted was a painstaking process. I ended up with heaps of cassettes, often featuring seemingly endless versions and variations of the same track . . . State of the art studio technology and audio restoration algorithms helped me to get these tracks back into listenable shape. Sifting through the archive and unearthing long-forgotten song ideas can create a retrograde vibe . . . I had fun with all of it and I hope that the tracks selected will whet the appetite of fresh listeners to explore the early phase of my electronic music and the bizarre sonic worlds I inhabited." --Heiko Maile, December 2020

$23.50 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/11/2021

For the 40th anniversary of this influential album from Hamburg-based band Palais Schaumburg Bureau B are releasing a limited LP version: 500 copies, numbered, red vinyl, and with printed inner sleeve including all lyrics in German and English. In 1980, two students met at the Hamburg Art Academy: Thomas Fehlmann, who appreciated art and music and wanted to connect them, and the musician Holger Hiller, who had escaped the fractious Hamburg alternative scene, preferring the art school's Conservatory of Music. The spirit of the early New German Wave blew through the country, the first independent labels vied for innovative artists, and the West German post-punk scene began to take shape. Hiller and Fehlmann brought in FM Einheit (from the band Abwärts) on drums and the Californian Chris Lunch on bass. But only shortly after the first single, with Timo Blunck's bass riffs and the adept drumming of Ralf Hertwig, did the band establish its classic lineup. Palais Schaumburg played numerous gigs in this lineup and recorded a second single ("Telefon") --then on the indie label Zick Zack. The recording of the album was enhanced by the British producer David Cunningham (Flying Lizards). Soon the music giant Phonogram came along waving a contract. Though it was predictable that the album would not exactly be a commercial success, its special position in German pop music soon became clear. The attention the album received was considerable, given the "awkwardness" of the music. Even abroad, the qualities of the quartet did not go amiss, especially in the Netherlands and Great Britain. These days, alongside to the central works of the famous krautrock bands, it is one of the most sought-after albums of German avant-garde music internationally. A printed English translation of the lyrics perhaps contributed to album's high profile abroad, as certainly did the appearance of the band: with shaved-up necks, side partings and traditional German jackets, Palais Schaumburg took a stance against the clothing habits of the punks on the one hand, and the peace movement on the other, toying provocatively with supposedly Ur-Germanic symbols and meanings. The intention was not merely to be acoustically "different".

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/4/2021

LP version. Irish producer Chris W Ryan (Just Mustard, NewDad, Robocobra Quartet) began releasing music under the moniker Sorbet in 2020 with the express intention to cleanse the palate; both for the listener and himself. Spending much of his time in the studio with other artists, Chris took inspiration from producer-led albums like Brian Eno's Another Green World: "I love the way you can hear the playful interaction between friends on an album like that --there are none of the constraints or rules that you might have when you're trying to represent the sound of a live band or artist." Exploring freely across genre bounds, the world of Sorbet is informed by electronic music just as much as classical and alt-pop, with nods to artists like Laurie Anderson, Arthur Russell, Kate Bush, and David Byrne. Inspired by this freedom of creativity, the debut Sorbet album This Was Paradise features a host of collaborators orbiting around Chris's nucleus, in which he flexes his ability as a composer and technician in equal measure. These collaborations include vocal features from Maija Sofia, Mark McCambridge (Arborist), and Mícheál Keating (Bleeding Heart Pigeons) as well as powerful instrumental performances from musicians working in the jazz and classical world poached by Chris, such as jazz saxophonist Lara Jones and upright bass player Jack Kelly. Jones and Kelly feature on lead single "I Heard His Scythe", a song which slices through the despair with an optimistic nihilism that is central to the record. Featuring a musical backing that nods to Kate Bush's "Watching You Without Me" alongside Maija Sofia's airy refrain rebutting the grim reaper. All of this sonic looseness is bound tightly by the concept behind This Was Paradise: a rumination on humanity's precarious position in a living purgatory. "We're stuck between Paradise and Hell, always swinging between the two as a result of how we behave towards each other and our planet." This duality is represented in the binary use of electronic and acoustic instruments, especially in the case of album closer "(Hell)" -- a recording split right down the middle between a string quartet and four synthesizers. "Aesthetically I wanted to hang in the balance of electronic and acoustic composition: between the natural world and humanity's imprint on it." Therein lies the central theme of This Was Paradise -- an album littered with references to Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost which opens with Adam being expelled from the Garden of Eden for "Man's first disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree."

$22.00 IN STOCK

LP version. "Ever since he released his music in the early '80s (1983, to be exact), Michel Banabila has been hard to pinpoint to a specific genre or style. His musical output includes jazz, experimental cut-up electronics, world music (especially influenced by the fourth world music as developed by Jon Hassell), new age, eclectic pop tunes, music for dance or other stage projects, and soundtracks for TV productions. Some listeners may have found it somewhat difficult throughout the years to find their way in this versatile output that includes very different genres. Because of this versatility Banabila has grown into one of the most fascinating musicians in Europe and was always highly acclaimed by critics, which was well deserved. Nevertheless -- for possibly that very same reason his work never came across the radar of most people, and that is something he does not deserve. When diving deeper into his output, one gets familiar with the trademark Banabila sound: his personal ways of using samples, the way he incorporates vocal fragments, the fact that there is always an emotional layer you can relate to, even in his most abstract works. Over the years, Banabila's work has progressed and evolved in different directions. It must be weird for any creative artist when the interest of new audiences (and labels) focuses on your earlier work - work that you have long left behind while exploring new directions. On the other hand: Whoever gets interested in your older work may also want to explore the newer stuff (which means they have almost forty years to explore, just imagine!). For this particular release, Bureau B chose a different approach. Instead of archiving early works from the 1980s, Wah-Wah Whispers focuses on Banabila's more recent output. It is a collection of works showcasing many facets of his music: a journey visiting the minimal and cinematic sample scape in the opener Take Me There, a robotic reggae-like rhythm ('Tic Tac'), contemplative ambient/fourth world scenes evolving into a downright funky beat ('Hidden Story'), the synth version of 'Secunde', and more. The album ends with a kaleidoscope of atmospheres gradually building up to a noise climax in 'Narita' (the only collaboration track on the album, with Rutger Zuydervelt/Machinefabriek). No single compilation album could really do justice to the massive scope of Banabila's output since 1983, but with Wah-Wah Whispers, Bureau B did a wonderful job to facilitate a view into his more recent work (2013- 2020, with the exception of 'Tic Tac', which is from 2001)." --Peter van Cooten

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 6/4/2021

Irish producer Chris W Ryan (Just Mustard, NewDad, Robocobra Quartet) began releasing music under the moniker Sorbet in 2020 with the express intention to cleanse the palate; both for the listener and himself. Spending much of his time in the studio with other artists, Chris took inspiration from producer-led albums like Brian Eno's Another Green World: "I love the way you can hear the playful interaction between friends on an album like that --there are none of the constraints or rules that you might have when you're trying to represent the sound of a live band or artist." Exploring freely across genre bounds, the world of Sorbet is informed by electronic music just as much as classical and alt-pop, with nods to artists like Laurie Anderson, Arthur Russell, Kate Bush, and David Byrne. Inspired by this freedom of creativity, the debut Sorbet album This Was Paradise features a host of collaborators orbiting around Chris's nucleus, in which he flexes his ability as a composer and technician in equal measure. These collaborations include vocal features from Maija Sofia, Mark McCambridge (Arborist), and Mícheál Keating (Bleeding Heart Pigeons) as well as powerful instrumental performances from musicians working in the jazz and classical world poached by Chris, such as jazz saxophonist Lara Jones and upright bass player Jack Kelly. Jones and Kelly feature on lead single "I Heard His Scythe", a song which slices through the despair with an optimistic nihilism that is central to the record. Featuring a musical backing that nods to Kate Bush's "Watching You Without Me" alongside Maija Sofia's airy refrain rebutting the grim reaper. All of this sonic looseness is bound tightly by the concept behind This Was Paradise: a rumination on humanity's precarious position in a living purgatory. "We're stuck between Paradise and Hell, always swinging between the two as a result of how we behave towards each other and our planet." This duality is represented in the binary use of electronic and acoustic instruments, especially in the case of album closer "(Hell)" -- a recording split right down the middle between a string quartet and four synthesizers. "Aesthetically I wanted to hang in the balance of electronic and acoustic composition: between the natural world and humanity's imprint on it." Therein lies the central theme of This Was Paradise -- an album littered with references to Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost which opens with Adam being expelled from the Garden of Eden for "Man's first disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree."

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/21/2021

LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Hans Joachim Roedelius and Alexander Czjzek's Weites Land, originally released 1987. Vienna, the early 1980s. Krautrock, electronic, and ambient pioneer Hans Joachim Roedelius, co-founder Cluster and Harmonia and saxophone free spirit Alexander Czjzek meet for the first time. Their longstanding collaboration found its climax in the fantastic album Weites Land, which was released in 1987 for the first time, but has been out of print for many decades and became a sought-after rarity. Bureau B make this organic jazz masterpiece available again. The two artists responsible for Weites Land cast their minds back to the period leading up to the album.

Czjzek: "Joachim and I -- he was still something of an electronic purist when we first met -- took turns visiting each other's home studios as we began to acquaint ourselves with our respective musical approaches. I took my saxophones and improvised over Joachim's tapes. Whenever I signaled to him that he could start recording 'now', he'd invariably already done so -- and those spontaneous first takes were perfect, just as they were! Joachim amassed a wealth of material featuring my saxophone improvisations and mixed them with his own sounds, creating a wonderfully harmonious symbiosis of our different musical worlds. The beauty of it was how they converged without either of us needing to divert from his own path. The first collaborations appeared on Joachim's 1982 work Wasser im Wind, with our own joint release -- Weites Land -- following in 1987.

Roedelius: "Two creative minds, one of them Alexander's, allowing musical visions free rein in congenial expression. Perhaps they are so empathetic, so persuasive, because I have, in some way, shown that it is possible to traverse this territory with such relish, although my musical career has always involved no end of collaborations in different genres and environments. It is no coincidence that my music is said to have a salubrious quality, causing cats to purr when a Roedelius disc is played. Migraines have even been forever banished when confronted with my music."

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/21/2021

Bureau B present a reissue of Hans Joachim Roedelius and Alexander Czjzek's Weites Land, originally released 1987. Vienna, the early 1980s. Krautrock, electronic, and ambient pioneer Hans Joachim Roedelius, co-founder Cluster and Harmonia and saxophone free spirit Alexander Czjzek meet for the first time. Their longstanding collaboration found its climax in the fantastic album Weites Land, which was released in 1987 for the first time, but has been out of print for many decades and became a sought-after rarity. Bureau B make this organic jazz masterpiece available again. The two artists responsible for Weites Land cast their minds back to the period leading up to the album.

Czjzek: "Joachim and I -- he was still something of an electronic purist when we first met -- took turns visiting each other's home studios as we began to acquaint ourselves with our respective musical approaches. I took my saxophones and improvised over Joachim's tapes. Whenever I signaled to him that he could start recording 'now', he'd invariably already done so -- and those spontaneous first takes were perfect, just as they were! Joachim amassed a wealth of material featuring my saxophone improvisations and mixed them with his own sounds, creating a wonderfully harmonious symbiosis of our different musical worlds. The beauty of it was how they converged without either of us needing to divert from his own path. The first collaborations appeared on Joachim's 1982 work Wasser im Wind, with our own joint release -- Weites Land -- following in 1987.

Roedelius: "Two creative minds, one of them Alexander's, allowing musical visions free rein in congenial expression. Perhaps they are so empathetic, so persuasive, because I have, in some way, shown that it is possible to traverse this territory with such relish, although my musical career has always involved no end of collaborations in different genres and environments. It is no coincidence that my music is said to have a salubrious quality, causing cats to purr when a Roedelius disc is played. Migraines have even been forever banished when confronted with my music."

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/7/2021

"1980, Friday evening in the Munich suburban pub Panoptikum. My girlfriend draws my attention to the fact that behind me two guys are talking about looking for a new guitarist for their band. I turn around, chat them up (Jochen and Thomas) and praise my skills to the skies. A few days later I'm standing in Thomas' perfectly equipped practice room with my Ibanez Les Paul copy. We jam a little while -- jazz rock, to which I can contribute very little due to my lack of skills. We quickly agree on a new style: minimalist, no drums, just a drum machine, Moog and organ, less guitar, dry bass. And German lyrics! We don't really know or want that this should be 'NDW'. But of course we listen to DAF, Ideal, FSK, Fehlfarben and -- yes, SPLIFF too. These influences are undeniable. So we found the PISS OFF ORKESSTR, which very quickly becomes P'OFF ORKESSTR and then finally P!OFF?. Ambitious and inspired, we produce a demo cassette that already contains 'Das dicke Kind', 'Großer Bruder', 'Pass Auf!', and 'Walkman' and send it to various record companies -- including Munich's 'Ariola', which is desperately looking for NDW acts because the Ariola empire has missed this trend. Therefore, they 'buy' about 25 bands at the drop of a hat -- and P!OFF? is supposed to be one of them, because they expect some good airplay mainly from 'Walkman'. Producer god Anthony Monn (Amanda Lear, Relax, Saragossa Band, Fancy et al.) takes us under his wing and manages to keep the original demo sound, but to improve it considerably. 'Mein Walkman ist kaputt' didn't make it into the charts, but it was played more often on the radio and the Album didn't sell badly. In 1982, however, NDW is now commercialized to death and that ship had sailed. But we stay together (under different band names) and over the decades become first New Romantics, then Indie Rockers, then Grunge Noise Makers and finally Electronic Freaks. In 2009, for my fiftieth birthday, we decide to play a few songs from the old 82 record live, which becomes a huge success. And so we are -- again as P!OFF? -- still on the road with our old songs. The '82 album has become a sought-after collector's item and cult object -- so we are very happy that Bureau B is presenting a lovingly remastered reissue after almost 40 years." --Alex Weidner

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 5/7/2021

LP version. "1980, Friday evening in the Munich suburban pub Panoptikum. My girlfriend draws my attention to the fact that behind me two guys are talking about looking for a new guitarist for their band. I turn around, chat them up (Jochen and Thomas) and praise my skills to the skies. A few days later I'm standing in Thomas' perfectly equipped practice room with my Ibanez Les Paul copy. We jam a little while -- jazz rock, to which I can contribute very little due to my lack of skills. We quickly agree on a new style: minimalist, no drums, just a drum machine, Moog and organ, less guitar, dry bass. And German lyrics! We don't really know or want that this should be 'NDW'. But of course we listen to DAF, Ideal, FSK, Fehlfarben and -- yes, SPLIFF too. These influences are undeniable. So we found the PISS OFF ORKESSTR, which very quickly becomes P'OFF ORKESSTR and then finally P!OFF?. Ambitious and inspired, we produce a demo cassette that already contains 'Das dicke Kind', 'Großer Bruder', 'Pass Auf!', and 'Walkman' and send it to various record companies -- including Munich's 'Ariola', which is desperately looking for NDW acts because the Ariola empire has missed this trend. Therefore, they 'buy' about 25 bands at the drop of a hat -- and P!OFF? is supposed to be one of them, because they expect some good airplay mainly from 'Walkman'. Producer god Anthony Monn (Amanda Lear, Relax, Saragossa Band, Fancy et al.) takes us under his wing and manages to keep the original demo sound, but to improve it considerably. 'Mein Walkman ist kaputt' didn't make it into the charts, but it was played more often on the radio and the Album didn't sell badly. In 1982, however, NDW is now commercialized to death and that ship had sailed. But we stay together (under different band names) and over the decades become first New Romantics, then Indie Rockers, then Grunge Noise Makers and finally Electronic Freaks. In 2009, for my fiftieth birthday, we decide to play a few songs from the old 82 record live, which becomes a huge success. And so we are -- again as P!OFF? -- still on the road with our old songs. The '82 album has become a sought-after collector's item and cult object -- so we are very happy that Bureau B is presenting a lovingly remastered reissue after almost 40 years." --Alex Weidner

$17.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021

Terrible times indeed. Discerning pop music fans will therefore be more than pleased that intellectual rock darlings, Austrian band Ja, Panik, are back after a seven-year hiatus. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that in their 2016 band autobiography Futur II -- published to mark their tenth anniversary -- the Berlin-based quartet of Andreas Spechtl (vocals, guitar), Stefan Pabst (bass), Sebastian Janata (drums), and Laura Landergott (keyboards & guitar), pretty much announced their permanent dissolution. Never ones to repeat themselves, the eponymously titled Die Gruppe demonstrates that the four band members have been busy honing their craft, producing a sixth album that reveals a new level of artistic maturity. The eleven songs on the album were recorded during the summer pandemic lockdown of 2020, which the band spent in their home region of Burgenland. The curfew issued by the Austrian government meant that band had to hole up in their makeshift studio, working on the material that Andreas Spechtl, singer and songwriter, had demoed earlier in the year while staying in Tunisia. The pandemic restrictions also meant that Die Gruppe was their first work to be self-produced. On the Spacemen 3-tinged tune "The Cure", Spechtl's German-English plea to his doctor for help now sounds like it was tailor-made for these challenging times. Unambiguous, however, is the ghost of the late cultural critic and chief hauntologist Mark Fisher, who looms large over Die Gruppe. Other literary allusions include hidden references to Medea Material by East German playwright Heiner Müller, or to Donna Haraway's book Staying with the Trouble. Spechtl also churns out great pop songs if he pleases. "On Livestream" is a case in point: a quintessential Ja, Panik tune, this infectious pop song about how our communication has now shifted to video conferencing incorporating a plethora of lush production effects. "1998" is an atmospheric ballad with Spechtl in semi-autobiographical mode. Other tracks like "What If" and "The Zing of Silence" show off the experimental, electronic side of Ja, Panik and act as interludes between the songs proper. Die Gruppe is not merely a collection of tunes but a finely-crafted album that draws its captivating qualities from the unfolding dramaturgy of the songs, the interplay between the German and English language, and the effort to deviate from well-trodden paths in each and every song in terms of both writing and production.

$22.00 PREORDER RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021

LP version. Terrible times indeed. Discerning pop music fans will therefore be more than pleased that intellectual rock darlings, Austrian band Ja, Panik, are back after a seven-year hiatus. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that in their 2016 band autobiography Futur II -- published to mark their tenth anniversary -- the Berlin-based quartet of Andreas Spechtl (vocals, guitar), Stefan Pabst (bass), Sebastian Janata (drums), and Laura Landergott (keyboards & guitar), pretty much announced their permanent dissolution. Never ones to repeat themselves, the eponymously titled Die Gruppe demonstrates that the four band members have been busy honing their craft, producing a sixth album that reveals a new level of artistic maturity. The eleven songs on the album were recorded during the summer pandemic lockdown of 2020, which the band spent in their home region of Burgenland. The curfew issued by the Austrian government meant that band had to hole up in their makeshift studio, working on the material that Andreas Spechtl, singer and songwriter, had demoed earlier in the year while staying in Tunisia. The pandemic restrictions also meant that Die Gruppe was their first work to be self-produced. On the Spacemen 3-tinged tune "The Cure", Spechtl's German-English plea to his doctor for help now sounds like it was tailor-made for these challenging times. Unambiguous, however, is the ghost of the late cultural critic and chief hauntologist Mark Fisher, who looms large over Die Gruppe. Other literary allusions include hidden references to Medea Material by East German playwright Heiner Müller, or to Donna Haraway's book Staying with the Trouble. Spechtl also churns out great pop songs if he pleases. "On Livestream" is a case in point: a quintessential Ja, Panik tune, this infectious pop song about how our communication has now shifted to video conferencing incorporating a plethora of lush production effects. "1998" is an atmospheric ballad with Spechtl in semi-autobiographical mode. Other tracks like "What If" and "The Zing of Silence" show off the experimental, electronic side of Ja, Panik and act as interludes between the songs proper. Die Gruppe is not merely a collection of tunes but a finely-crafted album that draws its captivating qualities from the unfolding dramaturgy of the songs, the interplay between the German and English language, and the effort to deviate from well-trodden paths in each and every song in terms of both writing and production.