LP version. First vinyl edition; 180 gram vinyl; printed inner-sleeve; Includes CD. Because Music present a reissue of JJ Cale's Closer To You, originally released in 1994. The album was published under the independent French label Delabel and distributed by Virgin Records. Personnel: JJ Cale - vocals, guitar, synthesizer; James Cruce - drums; Tim Drummond - bass; Jim Karstein - drums, percussion; Christine Lakeland - guitar, vocals (background); Bill Payne - keyboards; Don Preston - guitar.

"On the two albums that preceded Closer To You, Travel-Log (1989) and Number 10 (1992), JJ Cale adopted a more basic musical approach. This album continues the trend. Cale plays a few songs alone (though the overdubbed parts sound remarkably spare), including the title track. Closer To You finds him electronically treating his vocals, a technique that surprisingly makes him sound as down-to-earth as ever." --All Music

LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Young Scientist's debut album Results, Not Answers, originally released in 1979. When you think of the music to have emerged from Seattle, grunge and Sub Pop are probably the first things that come to mind. But Seattle was already home to a vibrant alternative music scene back in the 1970s. One of the most prominent synthesizer acts of the period was the trio Young Scientist. Influenced by the likes of Cluster, Harmonia, and Tangerine Dream, they released their music exclusively on cassette. the hypnotic-meditative cyclical Results, Not Answers. Young Scientist (Marc Barreca, James Husted, and Roland Barker) -- released four cassettes as 1979 blazed a trail into the 1980s, capturing the electric excitement of their live shows, unwriting the rules with no less fervor than their punk rock neighbors. All three members of Young Scientist played synthesizers. The Results, Not Answers album presents Young Scientist in full flow through four tracks, forty minutes of hypnotic and/or rhythmic soundscapes. Although the band admit that they did not pay much attention to the recording process itself, the selections on Results, Not Answers are crystal clear and have effortlessly stood the test of time. "Brainless" ripples with tension through its fifteen and a half minutes, "Eastern Clouds" swirls with sitars before you loop through "Music For Feet" to the meditative, spiritualized patterns of "Omega". Results, Not Answers shines a light on Seattle at an incredibly creative juncture in the city's musical history. James Husted recalls: "The Seattle scene at the time was very active. There were many bands playing music across the spectrum. Many 'Art', 'Punk', 'Experimental', 'New Wave' etc. bands were forming and reforming all the time then . . . Young Scientist opened for the Dead Kennedys once, that shows how wide the spectrum could be at times. I feel ALL the bands of that time were pioneers in the genres they played. They all pushed boundaries. I think in the electronic music scene, Young Scientist was definitely one of the pioneers and leaders at the time. We played many more shows and different venues than any other electronic music band at the time." First CD release and first vinyl release.

LP version. Includes large format poster. Few contemporary industrial acts are spoken of in such highly reverential terms as Alberich, the solo project of underground super-producer Kris Lapke. While Lapke himself may best be known for his production and mastering work, both for such diverse sounding acts like Prurient, Nothing, and the Haxan Cloak to his audio restoration work for COUM Transmissions and Shizuka, Alberich has achieved a cult on par with many of the legends he works with; Lapke's diverse contributions as a producer are recognizable for the perfect balance of maximalist and minimalist electronics that Alberich has relentlessly authored. Since Alberich's 2010 masterful and highly collectable two-and-a-half hour NATO-Uniformen album (HOS 421LP), he has become a powerful force of modern industrial music. With only a series of limited tape and split releases, fans have been waiting with bated breath for a true follow-up album. Quantized Angel is Alberich's first full-length album in almost a decade. In the intervening years between albums, Alberich has grown more nuanced, creating atmosphere and tension on par with Silent Servant's classic Negative Fascination LP (2012) in regards to production and attention to detail. The results create a newly polished but no less intense vision of modern industrial music. Over the course of the album's eight tracks, Alberich demonstrates a vision of ruthless existential electronics, a sound both commanding yet questioning in introspective spirit. Features exclusive track contributed to Berghain 09 2x12" mixed by Vatican Shadow on Ostgut Ton.

Hospital Productions presents a CD reissue of Lussuria's Scarlet Locust Of These Columns, originally issued as a limited four cassette set in 2015. The scarlet plague, the temple quarantined, the foundation upholding the pestilence, the betrayal, the market without vendor, the shrine without idol. Originally released as a limited four cassette set, this proper CD version has been mixed and remastered in proper form while still holding dear the decay of the original cassettes. Like the difference of opening a dusty cabinet in the kitchen of one's grandparents' to find a shelf full of expired foods. Now, this version is like opening the door to the cellar and being overwhelmed with thick dusty air, the planes of light pouring through the cracks and draping one like temple veils at night. Morbid esoteric ancient ambient brought to life on the ancient CD format, a relic from times now past and times of erotic glory. Mastered by Paul Corley. In A5 digipak.

Following Open Up Your Colouring Book (MA 077CD/LP, 2014), Glasgow's magnificent Pearlfishers return with Love & Other Hopeless Things. It's their eighth on Marina Records -- a superb comeback full of masterful, classic pop music, driven by main man David Scott's exceptional songwriting and arrangements. The album kickstarts with its beautiful title track -- a song in the tradition of British songwriters like Paddy McAloon and Michael Head -- about ordinary people dreaming and drowning in the big city. "Another foggy Monday morning/ Sail the ferry to town/ And think of all the people's dreams..." The song is led by a Bacharach-like flugel horn motif played by Colin Steele who recorded an entire album of Pearlfishers songs in terrific jazz arrangements: Diving For Pearls (MA 082CD/LP, 2017). Love & Other Hopeless Things also features a beautiful string quartet which recalls the graceful understatement of George Martin's classic pop arrangements. "Could Be A Street Could Be A Saint" is a celebration of life during the pre-Christmas days on Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street. You can hear the influence of Scottish popsters Pilot whose stacked acoustics and harmonies defined pop sheen in the '70s. The track finds its counterpoint in "A Walk Into The Blue Night" where you enter a magical world of "sainted streets" where songs start to flow -- with an Ennio Morricone-like combination of minor key harmonies and orchestration. "You Can Take Me There" proves that you can create captivating soundscapes with just piano, vocals and a tiny bit of guitar. The track flows on a sublime Gilbert O'Sullivan groove -- also reminiscent of Laura Nyro, one of Scott's heroes. A long-lasting Pearlfishers tradition continues with the inclusion of a quirky instrumental: "A Woman On The Verge Of Becoming A Cyclist" (talking about quirky!) sounds a lost '70s movie theme --culminating in a brass band fanfare. Love & Other Hopeless Things also features two splendid songwriting-collaborations. "Once I Lived In London" was written with Bill DeMain -- Nashville broadcaster, Grammy-nominated author, and member of US duo Swan Dive; the beautiful piece of chamber pop recalls London in the '80s. "Sometimes It Rains In Glasgow" was written and performed with Joni Mitchell/Carole King-influenced Becci Wallace. The wistful ballad "Another Sunflower" closes the album on an emotional note. Revisiting the Pearlfishers' seasonal album A Sunflower At Christmas (MA 063CD/LP, 2004), this New Year's Eve song is augmented by a stunning string arrangement.

The organs that Hans Eugen Frischknecht plays on this CD are extraordinary, one-of-a-kind instruments. He wrote his compositions precisely for these instruments, turning each one's characteristic sound and capabilities into a main feature of each piece. Among these "special organs" are two quartertone organs, one is tuned in meantone temperament with split sharps and two prototypes from the INOV-ORGAN-UM research project. On these latter organs it is possible to adjust the air pressure, even after pressing the keys, to cause variations in the loudness and even pitch of the notes. Hans Eugen Frischknecht has traveled to many countries as an organist, often performing his own works. He studied with Boris Blacher and Michael Schneider, and later also with Olivier Messiaen in Paris.

Kornél Kovács's second album is on the way via Studio Barnhus, which he runs with Petter Nordkvist and Axel Boman. Stockholm Marathon sees the Swedish-Hungarian producer, who was born in the Swedish capital, "reflecting a lot on this beautiful, boring city I never quite manage to move away from," he says, after moving back in September of 2018. Kovács credits his "dearest Stockholm people" for making the album his most collaborative and most personal release. That list includes jazz musician Niclas Skagstedt, Matt Karmil, Rebecca & Fiona, and Malin Gabriella Nordin, who did the artwork. The album is his second full-length, following 2016's The Bells (BARN 045CD/LP), also released on Studio Barnhus.

Tal present a reissue of Reiko Kudo's Rice Field Slowly Riping In The Night, originally released on CD by Majikick Records in 2000. Reiko Kudo first debuted on the Tokyo underground music scene in 1980 with Noise, a duo which apart from herself under her then maiden name Reiko Omura on voice, guitar, and trumpet featured Tori Kudo (Maher Shalal Hash Baz) on organ. Like other pioneering female producers from Japan such as Non (of Non Band), Phew, and Haco, Reiko Kudo has an incredibly unique, uncategorizable, and daring voice. Rice Field Slowly Riping In The Night was Reiko Kudo's second album under her own name. It features Tori Kudo as well as Saya and Takashi Ueno (Tenniscoats) on various instruments. The recordings took place in 2000 at Reiko and Tori's house in the rural surroundings of Shikoku Island. All recorded music on this album sounds like it originates in a parallel dimension where time and key signatures simply don't exist. There is nothing accidental or forced here, this is simply music created in a very different way. Restoration and mastering by Detlef Funder at Paraschall Mastering, Düsseldorf; Cut at Calyx, Berlin Translation by Miki Yui and Claus Laufenburg. Includes insert and download; Edition of 400.

"After producing the album Souvenir De Mauve with Maher Shalal Hash Baz which we released on our label Majikick, the idea came to us, to release Reiko Kudo's work. For Reiko's work, we brought our recording equipment from Tokyo to Shikoku and recorded the entire album at her house . . . Reiko plays only at certain times of the day, so that we were able to complete only two or three recordings a day. Therefore, we had plenty of free time. We went to a hot spring, to a cafe, or we tried pottery on a spinning wheel at Tori's workshop. It was a very rewarding time. When this album was finished, we brought it to her to listen to. She said happily 'I think this is the best work I have ever done.'" --Saya and Ueno (Tenniscoats), Tokyo, 2018

Wayne Rogers (b. 1965) formed Crystalized Movements in September of 1979, Magic Hour in May of 1993, and Major Stars in January of 1996. He's also recorded eight solo albums 1992-2007. 11 years later in 2018, he recorded his ninth, titled The Air Below, beginning in October of 2018 in a shed in his backyard. File under: downer rock, psychedelia (of a sort), private press, Eastern Massachusetts, albums recorded in a backyard shed.

Born out of a chance encounter in 2012 that led to a lasting friendship, Rhythm Section International and producer, DJ, label boss, radio host, and record store owner Ruf Dug join forces to present The Committee. Sitting somewhere between fictional band and studio collaboration, the record is the first fully in-house production for Rhythm Section, recorded start to finish at their own South East London studio and featuring vocals from label founder Bradley Zero and label mate FYI Chris's Chris Watson. Also features Sienna & Nadina Mustafa and Natalie Wildgoose.

Hallelujah Mystic Garden Part Two contains a new deep-pocket groove disco version of fan favorite "Pink Lady Lemonade". Side two is a slick kosmiche-electro-disco number that unfurls over a period of 20 minutes and is periodically punctuated by Makoto Kawabata's unruly soloing. Recorded at Acid Mothers Temple, June 2016-March 2017; produced and mixed by Kawabata Makoto. Personnel: Cotton Casino - voice, astral mama; Kawabata Makoto - guitar, fretless bass, bouzouki, organ, rhythm machine, electronics, tapes, speed guru; Higashi Hiroshi - synthesizer, noodle king;
Mitsuko☆Tabata - guitar, guitar-synthesizer, voice, kisses and hugs; Satoshima Nani -drums, another dimension; S/T "Wolf" - bass, tapes, space and time.

Contemporary music is a central component of conservatory training today and is practiced at the University of the Arts Bern at the highest level, as this recording attests. When they were written (between 1983 and 1995), these three pieces would have been neither technically nor logistically possible to play at a music conservatory. Each work poses its own challenges. In "Ryoanji" by John Cage it is the unusual structure, which is based partially on chance and requires the interpreters to go beyond merely executing the notation. In his "Two men meet, each presuming the other to be from a distant planet", James Wood employs electronics in a way that exhausted the capabilities of the equipment in the 1980s such that it is necessary to perform the work using these "historical" electronic devices to get the proper sound today. In terms of its instrumental technique, Brian Ferneyhough's "La Chute d'Icare" is music of an almost absurd difficulty.

"Two men meet, each presuming the other to be from a distant planet (1995)" performed by: Brian Archinal - percussion; Ensemble VERTIGO der Hochschule der Künste Bern; Lennart Dohms - conductor. "Ryoanji (1983-1985)" performed by Livia Schönbächler - flute; Ensemble VERTIGO der Hochschule der Künste Bern; Lennart Dohms, conductor. "La Chute d'Icare (1988)" performed by Shuyue Zhao - clarinet; Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain; Lennart Dohms - conductor.

"Dreams of India & China is the first retrospective LP of artist and sailor, Rip Hayman. Recorded from 1975-1986, the two side-long works were collaged from a dozen hours of tape recordings (which had lain dormant for over 30 years). It ebbs as the tides; pulsing from one location to the next in a faint stupor, Dreams turns to be an autobiographical sound map. Audio capsules of Hayman's installation performances, private experiments, and every ethnographic voyage in between are charted. Outdoor recordings canopy over indoor recordings, thatching surreality. Tonal quilts lap over "Dreamwaves" on the first side: an all-night sleep concert hosted by Rip as the sandman. Whispers of recounted dreams, birds and trees, organ waves. The second side traverses more saturated memories: bicycle spokes ripping against half-speed piano, bleeding cymbal dances over saxophone gusts, the tumbling of Rip's body affixed with bells and metal. Hayman was a collaborator in New Wilderness Foundation, Ear Magazine, and The Land (a parcel in upstate New York to where John Cage, John Lennon, David Tudor, and more would escape the city in the 1970s). He is the owner of the oldest bar in NYC, The Ear Inn. Focusing on nautical inventions and intentions these days, Rip has veered away from composition; hopefully that will change. For now, let us enjoy the sea-faring sound journeys of his past. Dreams of India & China charters a beautiful confusion -- come aboard and push off into his waters." --Sean McCann, February 2019
"Captain Rip Hayman is a traveller: on the seas, across the lands, and in the realm of music. He has been around the world 51 times to date. Like the proverbial cat, Rip has lived many lives and beaten death more than most. Rip's playlist here is a mix of his compositions and music gathered in his travels. The sounds of the world are all music to the Captain's ears." --Charlie Morrow, December 2018
Edition of 500, includes 12-page color booklet with essays and photographs.

We Release Jazz presents its fifth release, the first ever live performance and recording by Marc Moulin's sought-after jazz-funk band Placebo, captured at Casino Kursaal during the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 and never released before. June 17th, 1971, the Montreux Riviera, its delightful microclimate and postcard scenery, its fabled music history and the luscious wines of the region. A dream setting for Marc Moulin to lead his ensemble on a 26-minutes+ jazz adventure -- Nick Kletchkovsky on bass, Freddy Rottier on drums, Johnny Dover on bass clarinet, Alex Scorier on soprano saxophone, and Richard Rousselet on flugelhorn. The magic of that night is dripping through Placebo's sumptuous "Showbiz Suite", a soulful piece in two parts in which every instrument gets enough room to shine, smoothly navigating between cozy cognac-by-the-fireplace funk and heartfelt grittiness, served with a pinch of Soft Machine vibes. It's the night Placebo was born, when foundations were laid for three classic albums: Ball of Eyes on which you can hear a shorter studio version of "Showbiz Suite" (1971), 1973, and their final self-titled album (1974). Born in 1942 in Ixelles, the multifaceted Marc Moulin had one of the most fascinating careers in the history of Belgian music, from his jazz roots and Placebo to founding electronic disco pop band Telex ("Moskow Diskow", "Rock Around The Clock"), producing a vast array of French and Belgian hits (notably for Philip Catherine and Lio), pioneering downtempo and electro jazz with three albums on Blue Note, and exploring other avenues of expression such a radio hosting and comedy. He sadly left us in 2008. His incredible legacy shall live on. 180 gram vinyl mastered at half speed; housed in a 350gsm sleeve with UV coating and an obi strip.

A three-way force of nature from Cairo, Egypt described by those who've been caught in the eye of their storm as one of the most exciting live propositions on the planet.

"Islam Chipsy's performances have been the stuff of legend outside Egypt for several years now, thanks to the circulation of various still breathtaking YouTube clips of his group EEK... in unbridled hyper-kinetic flow at gigs, weddings and street parties, as well as a series of international shows spoken of evangelically by those lucky enough to have seen them... They push at boundaries of dance-based music that are widely known and understood... It is astonishing, exhilarating, inventive music by any measure" --The Wire.

"You best get up off your ass to dance or get the hell out of the way!" --Alan Bishop (Sublime Frequencies/Sun City Girls)

"Bordering on overwhelming... The beats are played at hyperspeed by two drummers who can switch styles and tempos without dropping a beat, adept at providing a rigid framework for a virtuoso keyboard player whose individual technique includes firing out bewilderingly fast blasts of tone clusters deployed by punching, slapping and karate-chopping his keyboard at such a frightening speed that his hands become a blur of movement. A truly unique experience." --The Guardian

LP version. Windborne is the debut album from young Norwegian power-trio Kanaan. With components from jazz, fusion and post-rock they have created six extended pieces of blazing free-form psychedelia. While the band is rooted in the same spirit that gave birth to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Larry Coryell's The Eleventh House in the 1970s, there's a distinctive modern flavor to Kanaan. Their Scandinavian genealogy is apparent as well; their intricate song structures seems to be branching off the same stem as Motorpsycho, Papir, and Jaga Jazzist. Opening track "A. Hausenbecken" feels like a sudden blast of refreshing Nordic air, with rolling guitar leads and growling Fender Rhodes. But Kanaan aren't afraid to get deep and heavy; the B-side dives into straight-up Sabbath territory, with "Act Upon The Mundane World" and "The Groke", before ending the album with the abstract, free-flowing title track "Windborne".

Oneknowing is the debut artist album by acclaimed composer and producer Lena Raine, most recently known for her multiple award-winning soundtrack for the video game Celeste. Based in Seattle, Raine has been composing soundtracks for games and media for 12 years, her breakout moment coming with her work on the classic PC game Guild Wars 2. Her most celebrated work, however, has come in the form of 2018's Celeste soundtrack. A game based around themes of anxiety, self-examination and more, Celeste is considered by many to be the key indie game of 2018, and has won multiple awards for both game and soundtrack -- something which Raine painstakingly developed in tandem with the game's design team since its origins. A flagship year for Raine was capped off in December, where she performed live with soundtrack legend Hans Zimmer at The Game Awards, the video game industry's flagship annual award show (Celeste was nominated for four awards, and won two). Although she's released several non-soundtrack releases, both under her real name and her Kuraine alias, Raine considers Oneknowing her debut artist album -- a ten track set that ranges from distorted paranoia to ambient pop, brought together by the shimmering melodies that make her soundtracks so memorable. An album that draws from "personal experiences, important places, dreams and the lack of dreams," Oneknowing's tracks are also threaded together by Raine's own vocals, sung in a language unique to the album and manipulated by the software Vocaloid. In Raine's words, "I have nostalgia for my voice as it sounded when I was younger. I can't de-age my voice, but I was able to use software and tweak its settings to a point that it has a similar quality to my voice from back then". At times ("Tsukuyomi," "Light Rail") her vocals lean towards traditional pop structures, while on tracks such as "Wake Up," they're repeated, chant-like, to create a hypnotic effect. As well as vocals and software, Raine plays Rhodes piano, zither, and various hardware synthesizers on Oneknowing, while Michaela Nachtigall contributes violin and viola to various tracks. A succinct but expansive record full of detail, Oneknowing represents Raine's most personal and realized original material yet, while showing a different side to one of the most unique and accomplished composers of the modern era.

"'Flat Tummy Tea' b/w 'Bandana' featuring Assassin, with instrumentals and bonus beats Flat Tummy Tea is from the forthcoming album Bandana. Other tracks are exclusive to this 12-inch release."

"Changes: 64 Studies for 6 Harps (1985) is a large-scale work that combines and connects many of James Tenney's (1934-2006) most important theoretical and musical ideas, including gestalt segregation principles and complex intonation systems. Composed with the aid of a mainframe computer at York University, the piece also marks a return to computer-aided, algorithmic composition after a long hiatus. It was one of the first pieces Tenney composed with a computer after he left New York City in the late 1960s to teach at the California Institute of the Arts. After Changes, the majority of Tenney's works involved computer software and formal, algorithmic processes. Tenney was both a prolific composer and theorist but rarely wrote in detail about his own pieces even though his music consistently implemented his theoretical ideas. One exception is his article, 'About Changes,' originally published in the journal Perspectives of New Music. 'About Changes' is a detailed and exhaustive theoretical companion to and description of the piece that carefully documents his compositional procedures, many of which are highly technical and/or mathematical. At the beginning of the article, Tenney writes, 'My intentions in this work were both exploratory and didactic. That is, I wanted to investigate the new harmonic resources that have become available through the concept of 'harmonic space' much more thoroughly than I had in any earlier work. At the same time I wanted to explore these harmonic resources within a formal context that would clearly demonstrate certain theoretical ideas and compositional methods already developed in my computer music of the early 1960s, including the use of stochastic (or constrained-random) processes applied to several holarchical perceptual levels, both monophonically and polyphonically. The references to the I Ching, or Book of Changes, in the titles of the individual studies derive from correlations that were made partly for poetic/philosophical reasons but also -- and perhaps more importantly -- as a means of ensuring that all possible combination of parametric states would be included in the work as a whole. I must confess that I frequently thought of the twenty-four preludes and fugues of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier as a kind of model for what I wanted to do with the work, although it seems highly unlikely that these studies themselves will ever betray that fact to the listener."

2019 black vinyl repress; available on 180-gram vinyl (no longer comes with download code). This the first time that this title has been available on vinyl. At the risk of belaboring a rather obvious point, with Thank God for Mental Illness, their third collection of absolutely stunning music to be released in 1996, The Brian Jonestown Massacre parallels the prolific and effortless brilliance of The Rolling Stones at their fevered late-1960s peak; the sheer scope of their achievements is stunning -- rarely are bands quite so productive, or quite so consistently amazing. Thank God is The BJM's down-and-dirty country-blues outing, all 12-odd tracks supposedly recorded on a single July day at a cost of just $17.36. The Brian Jonestown Massacre is a psychedelic rock band originally from San Francisco, California, led by guitarist and singer Anton Newcombe. Since 1995, The Brian Jonestown Massacre has released numerous albums, first for Bomp!, the label that gave them their start, and later for TVT and Tee Pee. The BJM has been essential in the development of the modern U.S. garage scene, and many LA and SF musicians got their start playing with Newcombe, including Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Originally, Newcombe was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones' psychedelic phase -- the band's name combines the name of Stones founder Brian Jones with a reference to cult leader Jim Jones -- but his work in the 2000s has expanded into aesthetic dimensions approximating the UK shoegaze genre of the 1990s and incorporating influences from world music, especially Middle Eastern and Brazilian music.

"The French film composer Francois De Roubaix recorded compositions for a lot of movies. One of them is the Belgian cult horror classic Daughters of Darkness. The soundtrack to the erotic vampire film consists of a lot of different musical elements and is a seductive score. It's one of Francois' finest pieces of music. The colourful compositions supports the love story and the different ways the vampires interact. Years after its recording Hip-Hop producers used samples from the score in their songs, among others Lil Wayne. The movie has been voted by authors, directors, actors and critics as one of the top horror films of all time. According to the critic Geoffrey O'Brien: 'Daughters of Darkness leans flamboyantly toward the artistic end of the Lesbian vampires spectrum, with Delphine Seyrig sporting Marienbad-like costumes and the Belgian director conjuring up images of luxurious decadence replete with feathers, mirrors, and long, winding hotel corridors. At the film's core, however, is a deeply unpleasant evocation of a war of nerves between Seyrig's vampire and the bourgeois newlyweds into whose honeymoon she insinuates herself. The package contains an exclusive poster + printed innersleeve."

RSD 2019 release. Richard Pinhas, the founder of '70s legends Heldon, is one of France's best-known experimental musicians and is a key figure in development of rock music fusing with electronic music. Live At Bam Balam is solo guitar and processing as well as drone electronics with the use of a Metatronic Delays system: no re-recording. This brilliant collection of solo improvisations was recorded in Bordeaux (France) on April 16th, 2016 and April 21st, 2018. Limited edition vinyl-only release.

OFFICIAL RSD 2019 release. Beacon Sound present a reissue of the 1993 album Euphoria by UK duo Insides (previously Earwig). Euphoria sits at the crossroads of a very exciting time in the early 1990s when artists like Seefeel, Moonshake, and Aphex Twin were mining emerging technologies and pushing British music in new directions. A leftfield electronic pop album without peer, Euphoria incorporates programmed beats, elements of neoclassical minimalism, and the soothing voice and acerbic lyrics of singer Kirsty Yates into a memorable and masterful collection of songs that sound Like nothing else, either then or now. Reviews at the time reference composers like Steve Reich and Brian Eno as well as groups like My Bloody Valentine and AR Kane and describe it as being both "danceable" and "ambient". Originally released on 4AD offshoot label Guernica (Unrest, Bettie Serveert, Spoonfed Hybrid), it made many year-end lists in 1993 and demands rediscovery and reappraisal in 2019 given our current era of genre-splicing experimentation. Licensed from 4AD and remastered by Julian Tardo from HD audio files transferred from the original tapes, the LP will feature the original packaging as well as a new insert with press clippings from the era and liner notes by Simon Reynolds, who coined the term "post-rock" while writing about the group in 1993. Limited edition of 2000; gold-foil numbering.

From Simon Reynolds liner notes: "Those who heard the record back in '93 may not be able to escape their own wistful hankerings for the early Nineties and its lost promise, it's true. But if you're listening to Euphoria for the first time, I think you will be surprised how modern it still sounds in 2019, an astonishing twenty-six years after it came out."

RSD 2019 release. White vinyl. Additional contribution from Toshimaru Nakamura (no-input mixer) recorded by Steve Bates and David Sylvian, Montreal. Tubular bell and concert bass drum recorded by Matthew Sansom, Surrey University, 2006. Original text by Bernard Marie Koltès. Compositional structure by Mark Wastell. Mixed and mastered by Rupert Clervaux. Personnel: Rhodri Davies - lap harp, table harp, vibraphone, radio; David Sylvian - voice, vocal treatments, electronics; Mark Wastell - tam tam, cracked ride cymbal, chimes, Indian temple bells, singing bowls, metal chain, tubular bell, concert bass drum. Voice recorded by David Sylvian, Los Angeles, USA. Instrumental parts recorded by Rupert Clervaux at Studio 3, London.

RSD 2019 release. "By the mid-70s many established and independent gospel artists started creating records with a tight four-on-the-floor beat that touched both churchgoers as well as patrons of the drug-fueled establishments of the '70s. Second instalment of Greg Belson's Divine Disco -- for this collection he dug deep into his crates to undercover the rarest independent and private press gospel disco records ever recorded. Many tracks are under the radar or recently discovered such as Harrison Jones's 'On that Other Shore', Converters' 'I've Been Converted' and the super limited self-released 45 by Mr Jesse R. McGuire, 'Jesus Is On the Mainline'. Only 50 copies were ever pressed. This volume even includes gospel disco from the UK with Paradise's brilliant 'Keep the Fire.' This compilation also includes remixes and edits by Steve Cobby (who was a member of Fila Brazillia) and the Divine Situation production duo of Greg Belson and Paulo Fulci."

Stephan Laubner, better known as STL, is regarded for his unique twist on dubbed-out house and techno sounds. "Lost Harbour" leads Take Your Seats EP with textural field recordings, crunchy distorted rhythms, and an amalgamation of snaking bass, synth, and piano lines, intertwining and unfolding throughout. "Mr. Sinister" switches the vibes over to menacing bass swells, fluttering subs, gritty percussion, and an underlying tension before "Sensimilla" edges into more ethereal territory with spiraling dub chords, shuffled hats, and winding atmospherics.

Barbara Proksch (born 1943 in Berlin, living in Salching, Lower Bavaria) is a German visual artist. After having studied lettering and illustration, she first worked in graphic design and theatrical painting before in 1982 deciding to become a freelance artist, concerning herself mainly with drawing. Her works are characterized by her long-lasting fascination for letters and geometrical figures. Another thread of influence stems from her background in theatrical painting: the body language and the physical aspects of painting. From the beginning, a further aspect has drawn her attention, namely the sounds that occur while drawing and writing, and the way they influence the resulting work. She noticed that the sounds made by the tools she uses feed back into her drawing process, and that just like speech and writing -- in a linguistic sense -- cannot be decoupled from each other, drawing and listening cannot either: Eye and ear become partners, drawing becomes a performance with the specific tools and materials used as musical instruments. This observation has led to the development of her group of works called Opto_Phon, a name which, from the 1990s onwards, Proksch uses for performances that draw upon this synaesthetic process: Usually, Proksch works on large sheets of paper mounted like drumheads and treated with various tools (scrapers, brushes, pens, knives, twigs, etc.), the sounds amplified through contact microphones. The early Opto_Phon performances were made with herself standing in front of the paper sheets, visible to the audience while drawing. Later, she decided to stand in the back of the paper with a spotlight behind her, so that light shines through it while it is being cut and ripped. Side A of this LP contains excerpts from Opto_Phon performances, the first made in a church in Cheb, Czechia, in 2003, led by the strong echo emerging in the hall, the others recorded in her studio. They are contrasted on side B with a very different performance that is, however, conceptually related to Opto_Phon: While travelling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, Proksch experienced a similar synaesthetic process while listening to the repetitive rattling of the train and watching the landscape passing by. In 2010, this experience was transformed into a sound piece for amplified sewing machine. Full-color sleeve with printed inner sleeve and insert, containing images of optophonic tools and drawings, and extensive liner notes; Edition of 300.

Ernstalbrecht Stiebler (b. 1934) is a German composer of minimalist and reductionist contemporary music. Since the early 1960s, he has been developing a unique compositional style that draws on minimalist structures and repetitions, though not in any way related to the so-called minimal music, but rather influenced by minimalism in visual art and characterized by long static tones that slowly change and evolve over the course of a piece. Stiebler has composed for solo instruments as well as for different chamber musical and orchestral line-ups. Many of his ensemble pieces are built around long tones coming together in specific intervals, often alternating between dissonance and harmony, sometimes involving microtonal structures. Often, the single instruments are hard to distinguish, instead the musical space opened up by the complex harmonies, disharmonies and pulses of interference becomes the focus of listening. This double-LP collects four live recordings of pieces journeying "between the tones" ("Zwischen den Tönen"): "Intervall 19" and "Slow Motion", composed in 1997 and 2003, respectively, are apt examples of Stiebler's style employed for chamber ensembles, with static tones putting every tonal nuance under microscopic view, and slow movement allowing for observation of the slightest variations. The third piece, "Zwischen den Tönen" (1997) is an anomaly in his oeuvre in that it makes use of his distinct techniques but is written for women's choir. The edition is rounded off by a recent recording, "ortung" (2018), again for chamber ensemble, that displays a newfound ease and compositional intuition that has become apparent in his recent work. All recordings are previously unreleased. Single sleeve with two printed inner sleeves; Liner notes in German and English by Matthias R. Entreß and Ernstalbrecht Stiebler; Edition of 300.

From the liner notes by Matthias R. Entreß: "With great concentration the essence of sound becomes clear in Stiebler's late work, here in the heyday of his advanced age, and this has brought his music to the listeners and locations of the alternative avant-garde of noise, ambient and the real-time music scene, in which a culture of heartfelt dedication to sound has long existed. The fact that Stiebler's initiation of precise listening also constitutes a challenge to the cultivation of classical music (he is a great admirer of Mozart) has not yet been properly recognized."

RSD 2019 release. When braving the oblique corners of Jean-Claude Vannier's vault, few lost souls cast a darker silhouette than the cinematic obscurity known only as La Bête Noire ("The Black Beast"). Lost and presumed missing for decades the soundtrack tapes to this lesser-known 1983 French thriller, captures the revered composer and arranger of Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire De Melody Nelson embarking on a darker exploration of free jazz, frenzied batucadas, and cyclic carousel psychedelia. Counting key players of the French jazz scene within its ranks, The Insolitudes group comprises a crack team of Palm/Futura/Actuel/Saravah regulars such as saxophonist Philippe Maté alongside drummer Bernard Labat (Mad Ducks), and legendary Arpadys/Voyage rhythm masters Marc Chantereau and Pierre-Alain Dahan (Brutus Drums) all of whom alongside Michel Zanlonghi (Ensemble De Percussion De Paris) make up this thunderous, tumultuous, four-headed rhythm machine bridging an authentic gap between the Jef Gilson groups and France's signature "cosmic" revolution.

See Through is a new collaboration between Aidan Baker (Nadja), Faith Coloccia (Mamiffer, Mara, Sige Records), and renowned percussionist Jon Mueller. The project was brought to life through Baker exploring textural rhythms created by sampling small, sharp and abrupt sounds on the electric guitar and then sequencing them in a drum machine to form the bedrock of the tracks. Mueller then added his particular, signature brand of intricate, hypnotic percussion to the mix and the compositions began to grow and take shape. The pair agreed that the pieces needed a more human touch and Coloccia was invited onboard, contributing processed vocals via looping, tape manipulation, and microphone feedback. The result is an other-worldly record that seamlessly flows from beginning to end, immersing the listener in waves of ambient movements and soporific beats. There is a trance-inducing aspect to this work, deserving to be consumed in one sitting and allowed to manifest itself for the duration. The trio have crafted a piece of work that stands up to the quality and integrity of their combined back catalogs and indeed adds something completely new for fans to discover and devour. Personnel: Aidan Baker - guitar, FX; Faith Coloccia - vocals, FX; Jon Mueller - drums, percussion. Mixed by Randall Dunn at Figure 8 Studios in NY. Includes download code. Color vinyl; edition of 300.

Carla dal Forno launches her own label, Kallista Records, with her first original single in over a year, So Much Better. The widespread success of her debut album You Know What It's Like (BLACKEST 015CD/LP, 2016) and The Garden EP (BLACKEST 068EP, 2017) has seen dal Forno spearhead the latter years of the Blackest Ever Black vanguard. Now the London-based Australian artist turns her attention to releasing original work on her own label, Kallista Records. This two-track 7-inch record begins a bold year for dal Forno, who takes her lone kosmische misanthropy onto fertile new ground. The A-side single, "So Much Better", sees dal Forno step out from the shadows of emotional ambiguity into the vulnerable territory of anecdotal song-writing. Lyrics that echo the irrational passions of love scorned, in truth reveal a self-assured artist confessing to resentment which propels her. Here is dal Forno chiding herself in the mirror while excoriating an old infatuate with a vocal timbre that sits among the giants: the lilting power of Alison Statton, the mystic shamanism of Una Baines, and the post-punk cabaret of Vivien Goldman. The sparse production on both sides springs from the soft-pedalled cassette of covers, Top of the Pops, which dal Forno self-released last year (CARLA 001CS, 2018). Though the raw, dubbed-out vision takes a back seat on "So Much Better", overshadowed by dal Forno's fork-tongued lyrics, it is heightened on "Fever Walk" with acoustic drum racks ricocheting off fizzing drones, pastoral synth textures and meandering melody in the way of Broadcast, Flying Lizards, and Portishead. But the illusion of wide-open spaces belies an oppressive, hysteria-inducing humidity swelling from the studio vision of her past instrumentals like "Dragon's Breath" and "Italian Cinema". And with a nod to her old band, F ingers, dal Forno's voice-as-instrument hacks like a machete through her endless jungle of anxiety. This two track 7-inch, the object of a new existence, reflects dal Forno's life in London working at Low Company record store and her monthly radio show on NTS. All in with the history and tradition of British post-punk and independent music, she strides boldly into the abyss. So much better is yet to come...

RSD 2019 release. Long-time, hidden gem and one of the pivotal releases that shaped what would later on become the "Sound of Cologne". Originally released in 1993 on CD at the opening of the Delirium Recordshop in Cologne -- the birth house of Kompakt. Now available for the first time on vinyl! Released under their monikers The Bionaut (Jörg Burger) and Mike Ink (Wolfgang Voigt), Music For Stock Exchange marks one of the many highlights evolving from this artistic relationship. Ethik perfectly showcases the pair's very own take on electronica/IDM that soon led into their Harvest releases as Burger/Ink, The Bionaut, and The Modernist. 25 years after its inception, Ethik sounds strangely contemporary and will delight the old and surely find many new friends. 180 gram vinyl.

Minyo Crusaders rework historic Japanese folk songs (min'yō) with Latin, African, Caribbean, and Asian rhythms for their debut album Echoes of Japan. Releases from Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, and Midori Takada have re-ignited global interest in Japanese music and Echoes of Japan marks the arrival of a big band like no other. "For Japanese people, min'yō is both the closest, and most distant, folk music," explains band-leader Katsumi Tanaka: "We may not feel it in our daily, urban lives, yet the melodies, the style of singing and the rhythm of the taiko drums are engrained in our DNA." Initially indifferent to min'yō, a tragic event in recent Japanese history set Tanaka on his current path: "Following the Tohoku earthquake of 2011, I reflected on my life, work and identity. A fan of world music, I began searching for Japanese roots music I could identify with. Discovering mid-late 20th century acts Hibari Misora, Chiemi Eri and the Tokyo Cuban Boys, I was captivated by their eccentric arrangements and how they mixed min'yō with Latin and jazz." Originally sung by fishermen ("Kushimoto Bushi"; "Mamurogawa Ondo"), coal miners ("Tanko Bushi") and sumo wrestlers ("Sumo Jinku"), these songs deal with topics such as the returning spirits of ancestors ("Hohai Bushi"), Japan's smallest bird ("Toichin Bushi"), and a bride's love for her husband's pockmarked face ("Otemoyan"). Minyo Crusaders are one of the most hyped acts on the Tokyo music scene that went national in 2018 through festivals such as Fuji Rock. The band features veterans of the Tokyo roots music scene such as bassist DADDY U (Ska Flames), keyboardist Moe (Kidlat), sax player Koichiro Osawa (Matt Sounds, J.J. Session), Yamauchi Stephan (J.J. Session), percussionist Mutsumi Kobayashi (Banda de la Mumbia), conga player Irochi (Cubatumb), and vocalist Meg (DJ collective Tokyo Sabroso). For fans of: Haruomi Hosono, Soundway Records, Analog Africa, Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. CD version comes in gatefold digipack; includes poster with Japanese lyrics and English translations.

RSD 2019 release. Mannequin Records start a series of re-presses dedicated to the legendary Nocturnal Emissions, one of the best kept secrets of the industrial genre since the 1970s. Led by Nigel Ayers and Caroline K, the band was one of the first to use tape cutting, avant-garde art, and underground video works to create a stage experience that was being cultivated by like-minded artists like Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and Cabaret Voltaire. Originally self-released in 1985 for Sterile Records, Songs of Love and Revolution is the Nocturnal Emission's most successful album ever. The release marked the end of a period of more "conventional" songwriting and instrument use for Nocturnal Emissions. The first couple of albums were brooding, bleak affairs that called to mind a more sedate version of SPK. Then came a few albums that were firmly song-dominated. SOLAR was the last of the bunch, and was the most explicitly "message"-oriented and political. Songs of Love and Revolution was a big step forward for the band, having a full-color cover and turning the NE sound further towards electronic pop music. Classics such as "No Sacrifice" and "Never Give Up" have made this an essential album for every fan of electronic music. As Nigel himself reminds, "they were buying lots of equipment at the time and seemed to have naturally acquired some skill over the years so they thought, 'Let's make some pop music.' He continues: "The Miners' Strike was on and there were riots down our street in Brixton. I was convinced there was going to be a revolution. But it would probably have been quite unpleasant. All these old punks and hippies preaching revolution, I don't think we were really prepared to live with the consequences. If we actually had a revolution in this country, it would be like Iraq or something, or Syria. But we were having horrible times with Thatcher. All we could do in that sort of milieu was imagine what the alternative would be like."

LP version. 140 gram vinyl; 350g inside-out sleeve; Includes insert with liner notes in French and English. Mental Groove Records and Musée D'ethnographie De Genève present Soothing Songs For Babies (Berceuses Du Monde), curated by Madeleine Leclair, head of the MEG's department of Ethnomusicology, and Olivier Ducret of WRWTFWW Records and We Release Jazz. An inspiring collection of carefully chosen lullabies from all over the world, that will please both young parents and their children, as well as (world) music enthusiats looking for a peaceful and captivating listening. Lullabies exist in almost every culture in the world. While they relate to the world of childhood, they also evoke the privileged relationship established through music between an adult and an infant. The lullabies presented here were recorded at different times and come from eighteen countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America. They share certain musical characteristics that can be identified from one piece to another: simple melodies, a sequence of short patterns repeated several times in succession, an overall melodic contour following a descending line. All the lullabies presented here come from records published with a copy kept in the Archives Internationales De Musique Populaire (AIMP) of the MEG. For fans of labels like Ocora, Smithsonian Folkways Records, Buda Music, Nonesuch, and traditional forms of music, ambient, (ethno)musicology, and children.