Since becoming a Berghain resident in 2017, Dominick Fernow's risk-taking hybrid live/DJ sets as Vatican Shadow have become conduits for infusing techno with contrasting musical ideas -- from noise, industrial, and ambient to distorted melodies and rhythms that push the club's borders in unexpected ways. It's an idiosyncratic approach to techno rooted not only in Fernow's 25-plus years as an experimental and noise musician under more than a dozen aliases (e.g. Prurient, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement) but also in his role as founder of the vital New York-based Hospital Productions, whose discography exceeds some 500 releases. The label -- which in 2017 celebrated its 20-year anniversary -- is also home to the majority of Vatican Shadow output to date. Under that alias, Fernow's numerous albums and 12"s -- including 2017's Rubbish Of The Floodwaters on Ostgut Ton (OSTGUT 104EP) -- oscillate between ominous, distorted machine-funk, techno, and ambient electronics; equal parts noise, melody, and rhythm. Since 2011, the project's intentionally ambiguous visual identity has been defined by War on Terror-related imagery and track titles -- and the media's role therein. Both the Berghain 09 mix and accompanying exclusive 2x12"s -- featuring exclusive tracks by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Virile Games, Los Angeles Death Cult, Ron Morelli, Volvox, JK Flesh, Alberich, Ugandan Methods | Prurient, and Merzbow -- reflect Vatican Shadow's composite musical influences and relationship to Berghain as a club. Stylistically, the two vinyls are divided between clubbier and experimental electronics, with vocal samples of Genesis Breyer P-Orridge acting as a bridge between the two. All tracks on Side D end in locked grooves. As Fernow describes in his own words: "My interest in DJing developed naturally out of industrial music traditions such as mail art, tape trading, and sound collage. While this mix, of course, does not solely focus on cassettes, they were used as the bridge between the seemingly disparate areas and cross-sections of underground electronic edits you will find sewn together from diverse factions to create a sonic 'cut up'. Accordingly, the artists featured with exclusive tracks span several continents and generations of electronic music subculture, from the birth of industrial in the UK and the rhythmic loops of Japanese noise, to the raw collision of genres found in the NYC underground. Berghain 09 is a tribute to the techno mixtapes that influenced me during my introduction to raves and dance music in the '90s."

Patience Soup presents the entirety of a live performance from the trio of Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke, and Japanese underground legend Phew that took place at the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center on November 4th, 2015. Known to many listeners outside Japan primarily for her early collaborations with members of Can, Phew has been undergoing something of a creative renaissance in the last few years, prolifically recording and releasing a body of work that strips away the band arrangements present on most of her past releases to focus solely on her raw DIY electronics and possessed vocal stylings. Forming a perfect companion to 2017's well-received Voice Hardcore, a series of pieces composed of only her processed voice that saw Phew push her work into the most abstract terrain yet, Patience Soup finds the trio inhabiting an uneasy landscape of moans, howls, and smeared electronic sonorities. Presented in atmosphere-enhancing room fidelity, the set begins in crunching textural abstraction and Phew's vocal asides, set against a backdrop of Ambarchi's shimmering Leslie-cabinet guitar tones and O'Rourke's synthetic slivers. A testament to the risk-taking prowess of these three master improvisers, the performance moves organically from ecstatic crescendos powered by Phew's processed wails to moments of near-silence in which a translucent veil of lingering electronic tones is gently punctuated by O'Rourke's chiming piano chords. Constantly shifting, both harmonically and dynamically, Patience Soup is suffused throughout with a haunted energy and shows these three established figures continuing to venture out into uncharted territory. Presented in a deluxe sleeve with stunning images by Traianos Pakioufakis and an inner sleeve with live pics from Mike Kubeck. Design by Stephen O'Malley. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.

Blume present the first vinyl reissue of Alvin Curran's Canti Illuminati, originally released in 1982. Between diverse polarities of experimental practice, from free improvisation and modern classical composition, to primitivism, electronic music, and extended techniques, for more than half a century Alvin Curran has stood as beacon in the landscape of organized sound. From his efforts within Musica Elettronica Viva, the collective which he helped found in 1966 with Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum, to those as a solo-performer and composer, his sounds and ideas have effected immeasurable change. Canti Illuminati, composed and recorded between 1973 and 1977, stands as one of the great documents from the golden era of Curran's singular brand of creative radicalism -- combining a deep sense of social and political consciousness, with creative humanism and visionary compositional ideas. A bridge between the American and European traditions of experimental music, Canti Illuminati is Curran's tribute to the human voice, "the most natural source of music", and it delves toward the very origins of music itself. In lyrical and poetic form, it rethinks the possibilities and potential of organized sound, seeking something fundamentally human. Standing apart from canonical definition, it contributes to a more complex and nuanced understanding of minimalism. Consciously conceived by Curran for the format of the LP, the album takes form as a single work in two parts: "Canti Illuminati [For Choir, Synthesizer, Piano And Tape]", a structured choral improvisation, built from the contributions and voices of Alessandro Bruno, Antonella Talamonti, Antonio Cesareni, David Thorner, Elisabetta Bordes-Page, Giorgio Caruano, Luca Miti, Manuela Garroni, Nicola Bernardini, Pierluigi Castellano, and Sista Carandini; and "Canti Illuminati [For Voice, Synthesizer, Tape]", which Curran realized as a solo performer with his own voice, tape-delayed feedback, and a Serge synthesizer and sequencer. Sinfully under celebrated and all too rarely heard since its initial release, Canti Illuminati remains a profoundly compelling and moving body of sound. a landscape of sustained tone, rippling texture, and structural intervention. Necessity stripped to the elemental, while challenging, endlessly surprising, and complex. Brand new, expanded liner text written by Bradford Bailey. Fully remastered by Giuseppe Ielasi.

Five-LP box set version. Includes 28-page booklet. The 39 Clocks are one of the most magnificent bands ever to have emerged from Germany; Diedrich Diederichsen, German pop boffin, considers them to be the nation's best band of the 1980s. The legendary duo from Hanover broke every rule in the music business, without exception. And -- above all -- with attitude. They are elusive, incapable of being categorized, unless the category is a little bit weird. Their real names have been eradicated ("never had one" -- Clocks), replaced by cryptic initials (CH-39, JG-39), less than randomly reminiscent of molecular chains like LSD-25. The weirdness is reflected in their music: sizzling irradiated, repetitive. The outrageous rumors surrounding the duo are the stuff of legend: strung-out live performances with vacuum cleaners instead of guitars, frequently facing a throng of concertgoers with a tendency to boo, flee the venue or threaten them with physical violence. The Clocks project really began to take shape in 1979 when they turned away from punk and created "psycho beat", positioning themselves as the antithesis of the emerging NDW/German New Wave movement. Their music is a futuristic, definitively urban, evolution of American garage punk from the 1960s. Their stylistic modus operandi: expressionless voice, English lyrics with an intentionally heavy German accent, dirty sound, cool monochrome image. Those lacking in imagination might identify touches of the Velvet Underground and stop right there, but many other influences were also at work: from Salvador Dali via the Troggs, Suicide, Peter Handke's Offending The Audience (1966), Antoine to Tiny Tim, Kurt Schwitters, Can, and NEU! The Clocks themselves spoke of "at least 123" sources of inspiration. In early 1980s Germany, the 39 Clocks were, at one and the same time, a panoply of discernible influences and a singular phenomenon with a clear, inimitable sonic identity. Time and again, the 39 Clocks succeeded in pushing back the borders of experimentation a little further: barely tolerable, protracted live improvisations, atonal passages, background noises, extreme lo-fi and a tinny beatbox test the listener's receptivity to the limit. And their sonic experiments popped up in various film soundtracks and on television series, like Halt and Catch Fire in the US. The Next Dimension Transfer box set, authorized by the band, provides the ultimate overview of the Clocks' output -- a phantom of the German music underground, enshrouded in myth.

Available as a five-CD box set or a five-LP box set. Includes two regular studio albums: Pain It Dark (1981) and Subnarcotic (1982); two collections of outtakes, leftovers, and rarities (one of them renamed, edited, and updated by The 39 Clocks exclusively for this box set), plus, a previously unreleased live LP from 1981. Also includes comprehensive deluxe booklet (titled "Revelations") featuring mind-blowing new trivia and secrets.

One of the greatest Japanese psychedelic bands, Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. Sacred And Inviolable Phase Shift is in another league from the others. There's a distinct Canterbury/Gong/Can feel about it, with everything that you'd hope from AMT. Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. as of 2019: Kawabata Makoto - guitar, synthesizer, speed guru; HIgashi Hiroshi - synthesizer, noodle god; Jyonson Tsu - vocal, guitar, bouzouki; Satoshima Nani - drums, another dimension; Wolf - bass, space & time.

It's little wonder that Julius Eastman (who died in 1990 under unexplained circumstances), remained the supreme underground composer. He was Afro-American and gay, a composer who rocked the cerebral world of process music with his explosions of free improvisation. Crazy Nigger is the first time any of Eastman's music has been available on vinyl, and is one of three extended pieces for four pianos, along with Gay Guerrilla and Evil Nigger, written and performed around 1980. All three works generate their epic soundscapes through adamantly restated patterns and interlocking canons, not fragmenting, but preaching urgent truths. To quote the brilliant Mary Jane Leach liners: "He wrote what can be categorized as minimal music, but also wrote 'post-minimal' music -- before minimal music was fully established." His pieces straddle both styles of minimal music; rhythmic/pulse-driven music (Steve Reich and Philip Glass) and spectral drone music (La Monte Young and Phill Niblock). There is a flexibility that lends an organic feel to his music, a muscularity missing in a lot of other music from that time; with the re-emergence of this powerful music, a missing gap in the history of contemporary music has been filled. Not released commercially upon their recording, they were instead shared on cassettes, copied and passed from one admirer to another. Unlike today's instant access to music, at that time each new copy represented a time commitment, since it took as long to copy as its playing time, while also removing itself further from the original recording with a resultant deterioration in sound quality. The three pieces occupy a high point in Eastman's oeuvre, the culmination of his mature style. Crazy Nigger is a sprawling sonic study, the last section exploring canonic form both harmonically and rhythmically, using the same process as James Tenney's Spectral Canon, but notated in a more intuitive way. Offering extensive liner notes by Leach and Bradford Bailey, this is a seminal work by one of the most important, but neglected, American composers of the 1970s and '80s, returning to the light once more. Not only is Crazy Nigger an entire rethinking of minimalism, but it ferociously blows the doors of what classical music can be seen to be. Mastering by Giuseppe Ielasi. Includes printed inner sleeve housing a Nagaoka anti-static record sleeve, plus obi-style original insert in a fold-out outer sleeve. 180 gram, color vinyl.

Julius Eastman's seminal classics are now reissued on vinyl for the first time ever. Gay Guerrilla and Evil Nigger, both composed in 1979 with a third work Crazy Nigger, make up what Eastman called The Nigger Series. Some of the most challenging and beautiful works composed for piano during their era, they double as a window into the intricate thought process and contentiousness of their creator. When the composer was asked to perform the series at Northwestern University in 1980, due to protests by African American students, their titles were censored in the event's program. His response was a flamboyant foreshadowing of the sentiments toward bigoted language which later arose within hip-hop culture -- to publicly take back these words, assert ownership of them, and deploy their power for positive change. What Eastman was early to recognize, was that there is a fundamental difference in what happens when these words are spoken by white people toward people of color, and when people of color deploy them toward a white audience. The balance of power shifts. Eastman's audience was largely heterosexual and white. He knew exactly what he was doing, and to whom he spoke. The object in your hands contains some of the most striking and important music composed during the later decades of the 20th century -- music which remained lost and unheard for years, not because of what it is, but because of who its composer was. It is music, doubling as the voice of a man, which, because it refused to be oppressed, was suppressed or ignored. Eastman's work is a conscious act of intervention, plowing into a context defined by heterosexual whiteness, attacking its unjust demands from within. It is Christ-like -- metaphor and beauty which is impossible to separate from the evils of the world. It is a music which carries the body of a man. As it speaks to our hearts, as it offers a glimpse of the freedoms implied by the sublime, a shackle is bound -- a consciousness of our complicity with unforgivable sin. Mastering by Giuseppe Ielasi. Includes printed inner sleeve housing a Nagaoka anti-static record sleeve, plus an original insert that functions as obi; Housed in a fold-out outer sleeve. 180 gram, color vinyl.

With the demise of the group Wire in 1980, founder members Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis joined forces to create Dome. With the assistance of engineer Eric Radcliffe and his Blackwing Studio Dome took the ethic of "using the studio as a compositional tool" and recorded and released three Dome albums on their own label in the space of 12 months: Dome (July 1980), Dome 2 (October 1980), and Dome 3 (October 1981). A final fourth album, Will You Speak This Word: Dome IV was released on the Norwegian Uniton label in May 1983. These albums represent some of the most beautifully stark and above all timeless exercises in studio experimentation from early 1980s alternative music scene. Previously issued in the out-of-print Dome 1-4+5 box set in 2011. Now available as standalone LP; Includes download card. New artwork by Dave Coppenhall. B.C. Gilbert: voices, guitars, bass, percussion, tapes, drums; G. Lewis: voices, guitars, bass, percussion, tapes, synthesizer; A.M.C. - voice on "Cruel When Complete". Recorded on March 10th & 16th, 1980 and April 1st, 1980; Produced by B.C. Gilbert and G. Lewis; Engineer - Eric Radcliffe; Asst. engineer - John Fryer; Floating-point re-master by Russell Haswell, August 2011; Cut at Dubplates & Mastering by Rashad Becker, August 2011.

Double LP version. And We Are Passing Through Silently is the sublime first survey of reworks by cult synthesist, Abul Mogard. Rounding up divine renderings of songs by Aïsha Devi, Penelope Trappes (The Golden Filter), and nick nicely (heralded by luminaries of the US underground Ariel Pink and John Maus), the album culminates with Brian Eno's collaboration with Irish avant-folk band Fovea Hex. Also included is Abul's brand new rework of Becoming Animal's "The Sky Is Ever Falling" starring vocals from Cinder (This Mortal Coil, Cindytalk) and Massimo Pupillo on bass (Zu, Thurston Moore, Stephen O' Malley). Houndstooth have long been admirers of Abul Mogard's beautifully stately, romantic melancholia for the best part of this decade. Leading on from Abul Mogard's Above All Dreams album in 2018 (ELP 037LP), and following veiled live appearances across Europe, And We Are Passing Through Silently offers another tantalizing window onto one of modern synth music's rarest spirits. A must for fans of Alessandro Cortini, Pye Corner Audio, Fennesz, Gas. Cut and mastered by Matt Colton; Manufactured at Optimal Media, Germany.

Monster Mélodies presents an unpublished recording of Opus Minor, an underground Parisian group with undeniable musical qualities, who gave numerous concerts during its brief existence from 1970 to 1973 but never had the opportunity to publish its recordings. The record consists of an instrumental track, seven songs sung in French and three more songs in English, in which the band, beyond its influences, creates its own musical universe. In September 69, at the École Normale Supérieure of Cachan (ENS), three student teachers meet: Jean-Claude Lardrot, Jean-Louis Grassi, and Guy Aicart. They decided to start a rock band called Opus Minor. The first, who had taken piano lessons and played in his teens as a singer-guitarist in bands, focused on the keyboards and the vocals. The second, who had already participated as a guitarist in short-lived, country-folk bands, focused on the bass and the vocals. The third discovers his passion for the drums. A first guitarist joins them but is soon replaced by Philippe Marcenac, a student in architecture at the Beaux-Arts in Paris. A fifth accomplice, Daniel Reynet, takes care of the sound system and the technical and material matters. At student house parties, Opus Minor played covers of Cream, John Mayall. During the summer of '70, inspired by the hippie movement, the band members got a taste of community life playing every night in a club of a holiday village in the Hérault. The band then composed its first titles in English and French, in which we find the post-May '68 spirit. In 1971, Opus Minor won a student group contest organized by RTL and starts to perform often in various Parisian prestigious schools. Invited in June of the same year to the festival of Auvers-sur-Oise organized by couturier Jean Bouquin, Opus Minor and four other bands performed just in time before the rain and everything sank in the mud. For a year they rented a suburban house in Villepinte to practice every weekend, and they'd go back to their rehearsal studio in the basement of ENS Cachan. This is where, from April 28th to May 1st of '73, the original compositions finally published on this album were recorded. But the same year, three of the band members are appointed to teaching positions located in different provinces too far away, which resulted in the band coming to an end. Gatefold sleeve; Includes two posters; Color vinyl; Edition of 1000.

Optimo Music present the compilation Weaponise Your Sound, which has been curated, conceived, and designed by Kristina McCormick (Diet Clinic). Diet Clinic is an NTS radio show showcasing female DJs/artists. It is the first vinyl release on Diet Clinic's newly-formed sub-label of Optimo Music marking International Women's Day 2019 and featuring brand new tracks from artists C.A.R., Cucina Povera, Fantastic Twins, Hanna Jones, Maral, Marika Underspreche, Odete, Penelope Trappes, Slime, Sue Zuki, and Zoe McPherson. They may be scattered across the globe but their love, strength, and support for their art and counterparts continue to inspire on a daily basis. All proceeds go London based charity, Focus E15 which demands social housing, not social cleansing.

Sunbeam Records presents a reissue of Roger Rodier's Upon Velveatur, originally released in 1972. Often compared to the work of Nick Drake, Upon Velveatur is a dense and mysterious French-Canadian folk-psych suite, featuring beautiful melodies, lush orchestration and scorching electric guitar. Barely circulated on its original release, it has gathered a major cult following and is now making its first appearance on CD, complete with five bonus tracks, rare photographs and sleeve notes by the enigmatic M. Rodier himself.

"Fragile folk-rock of the highest order. This is really an excellent album, one of the finest acid folk items, and certainly a record that deserves more attention." --www.lysergia.com

"Super rare Canadian loner folk album from 1972 with beautiful sweeping orchestration and some tasty West Coast guitar breaks. With a feel that recalls Nick Drake, Axelrod-style arrangements and a fragile, haunted quality, this lost gem has to be heard to be believed." --Freak Emporium

"Stoned is the way of Velveatur's walk, and the odd lash of stinging guitar is sure to keep you on your toes. All who hear this album fall under its charm." --www.soulstrut.com

LP version. Tip-on sleeve; includes download card and original four-page insert with lyrics and line-up. Wewantsounds continues their Akiko Yano reissue program with the release of Japanese Girl, her landmark debut album from 1976. Backed by Little Feat with Lowell George and by top Japanese musicians (including Haruomi Hosono), Japanese Girl is one of the most important Japanese albums of the '70s, mixing pop, rock, and Japanese folk together with Little Feat's superb classic sound. After a marriage with musician/producer Makoto Yano and the birth of her son (Fuuta), Yano and her team resumed the recording of the album and decided to pitch Little Feat for a collaboration as she loved the group. Against all odds they said yes and Yano left Tokyo for Los Angeles in March 1976 to record a full side with them. The legend has it they found it so difficult to keep up with Yano's compositions they returned some of their fee. The session was nevertheless stunning and Lowell George even compared Yano to Stevie Wonder. The Little Feat blend of New Orleans groove matched Yano's melodies perfectly, as witnessed on "Funamachi-Uta Part ". Originally a traditional song from The Nebuta Festival in her hometown of Aomori, the Little Feat version is a formidable slow-funk workout not dissimilar to their classic, "Spanish Moon", serving Yano's beautiful vocals and sense of groove to perfection. The whole side is a match made in heaven, showcasing the classic Little Feat line up at their funkiest with Yano's unique Japanese twist. The Japanese side on the album gives a great snapshot of the Tokyo music scene of the '70s with many musicians gravitating around Haruomi Hosono and also several musicians from Japanese band, The Moonriders. Recorded at the legendary Onkyo Haus studio in Tokyo, the sessions mix singer-songwriter sensitivity and pop with traditional Japanese sounds and instruments like the shinobue transverse flute, the koto string instrument, or the Tsuzumi hand drum as played on "Hekoriputaa" by the legendary percussionist Kisaku Katada who was appointed Living National Treasure by the Japanese state in 1999; together they create a beautiful east-meets-west mix masterfully driven by Yano's creativity and unique talent. First international release. Remastered sound.

LP version. Gatefold sleeve; edition of 500 (hand-numbered). Dark Companion label head Max Marchini on Hamdelaneh Intimate Dialogues (January 2019): "Another true masterpiece from Dark Companion Records. I met Markus Stockhausen after inviting him and his wife to 'Musiche Nuove In Piacenza' festival in autumn 2018. Immediately I felt a strong empathy towards him. That doesn't happen very often. I knew his work and had always admired it, especially the spontaneous compositions he performs and the way his unique talent blossoms in these situations. We talked at lunch and I dared propose to him to record an album for our small Dark Companion label. The dream came true when Markus, after a few minutes in silence, phoned Alireza and suggested he be a special guest at our concert that very same evening. After some thought he kindly agreed. Alireza soon arrived in Piacenza and I had the opportunity to get to know one of the most charming and kind persons in the world. And an extraordinary musician -- a master of the old Persian santoor, an instrument of many voices that sings like an angelic choir under Alireza's hammers. When they performed the third and last movement of the concert, the audience was mesmerized, and so was I. Once more, the Magic Fairy was with us. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. I saw someone in tears when Markus started to sing a sort of mystic, ancestral chorus with the audience. The music in this album is absolutely new but within it breathes a very ancient, sunken soul, a hidden root. Alireza and Markus were so kind as to give me this beautiful recording they made in Italy three years ago. I also have to thank Simon Stockhausen, Markus's brother, who mixed and mastered this album with a state-of-the-art quality. I am very proud to now have Markus and Alireza in our catalog and I hope this album may give you the same intimate, graceful, peaceful atmosphere these musicians have given me. The meaning of Hamdelaneh is 'with the same heart'."

Personnel: Markus Stockhausen - trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, voice; Alireza Mortazavi - santoor.

Le Très Groove Club present a reissue of Jacky Giordano's Pop-In Devil's Train, originally released on Mantparnasse 2000 in 1976. After launching Le Très Jazz Club, Fuzati (Klub des Loosers) and Modulor are now starting Le Très Groove Club, their new label dedicated to vinyl reissues of groove masterpieces. The first record under this label is a true "holy grail" of French library music: Pop-In Devil's Train. This record is a pure example of the Jacky Giordano style, European jazz-funk with a kind of low-fi sound. Iconic for the sound library lovers (even if it disfigured many library covers), this reissue comes with a Montparnasse 2000 sticker.

"For the ninth Marionette, Kilchhofer and Anklin release their collaboration record Moto Perpetuo. Michael Anklin is a drummer and percussionist based in Switzerland. He's involved in various bands, collaborations and interdisciplinary projects. Anklin has previously appeared on a few recordings from Kilchhofer's album The Book Room. Kilchhofer uses his main instrument -- the modular synth -- in a more electroacoustic manner, where he derives and processes voltages from Anklin's playing. The album title describes the fascinating idea (yet impossible reality) of a perpetual motion -- where no energy is lost yet energy is constantly being created, an endless music, yet far away from generic ambient or minimal music. Anklin's live drumming influences delicate feedback patches on Kilchhofer's synth, where dry and transient heavy percussion and synthesizer sounds erupt into a feral electroacoustic instrument. A fluid concept of time where the rhythmic pulse constantly shifts is at the heart of the record. The idea was to create an instrument where acoustics and electronics are interconnected and dependent on each other. The smallest disturbance could sway the entire system out of order. This idea of a circular motion was at the center of the recording process and is also reflected in the artwork which resembles a topographical view of a closed natural habitat. Kilchhofer and Anklin draw inspiration mainly from their rural surroundings and mountain landscapes where natural overtones and stumbling rhythms navigate through high plateaus and velds to stony ravines and wooden trails -- on a never ending quest for an 'ur-klang'; a primordial, ancestral music." LP includes download code; Risograph insert.

"Following last year's release on NAFF, ANF hit the West Coast with four tracks of lush, trance-inducing digital bubblebaths on Pacific Rhythm. You might know this Montreal duo already: After lingering around under a different name, Dust-e-1 burst onto the scene last year with two 12-inches of blazing junglist workouts, while Priori has established himself as a keen collaborator, partnering with the likes of Project Pablo, RAMZi and Ex-Terrestrial. Their work together as ANF is some of their most distinctive, and on Mauna Kea the two producers explore the outer reaches of their sound, going on an expedition through pulsating acid lines, blood-rushing breakbeats and cosmic synths, with melodies that linger long after they're gone. The title track is a sleek and slippery acid-flecked cut charged with hints of progressive house, while 'State Function' looks back to the Sputnik missions of early '90s Biosphere, with floating breakbeats and space shuttle chatter. The other two cuts are primed for the chill-out room, the after-hours kickback or any place where there's a lava lamp and a beanbag chair, from the hand percussion-driven groove and celestial pads of 'Mary Lynne' to the leisurely breakbeats of 'Chi-Motion.' All four tracks offer rich, space-age techno to take your dance floor somewhere in the past that feels like the future."

2019 repress. Radio Martiko present a reissue of Abdou El Omari's Nuits D'été, originally released in Morocco in 1976. Reissue of this ultra-rare oriental psych monster from the organ king of Casablanca, combining traditional rhythms with spaced-out modern sounds. First part of Abdou El Omari's Nuits trilogy. Includes download code.

Restocked, last copies. French music, art, and publishing imprint Shelter Press release another chapter of its on-going documentation of the work of Gisèle Vienne. The Pyre: Versions Distilled To Stereo is the score composed and recorded by KTL (Stephen O'Malley and Peter Rehberg) for the dance piece "The Pyre", written and directed by Gisèle Vienne. The music created by KTL incorporates invisible and absent elements -- ghosts, one might say. It proceeds from simulated diegetic sounds (which are part of the action) interwoven with real sounds -- a musical creation that makes up an extra-diegetic sound score. This composition dizzyingly sculpts the space on stage and generates an impression of great spatial depth, which activates light-sculptures that in turn evoke the illusion of a tunnel, whose depth also results in a play of reflections. Through these different media, the aim is to develop and shatter -- without looking to resolve -- the exceptional intensity that can arise from the dialectical tension between presence and absence, as well as from the characters that are seeking flight. The music, originally performed on a multi-channel spatialized soundsystem has been distilled to this stereo version for home use, half-speed mastered and cut by Matt Colton. This record announces -- and is one chapter -- in the forthcoming release of the first monograph dedicated to the work of French choreographer Gisèle Vienne and documented by French photographer Estelle Hanania. This book -- is one of Shelter Press' most ambitious to date, catalog number 100 -- will be released in Spring 2019. Text and voice by Dennis Cooper. Photographs by Estelle Hanania; Design by Bartolomé Sanson. Printed innersleeves; Includes download card; First edition of 700 on clear green wax.

Restocked; gatefold double LP version. This version is unmixed. Arguably one of the world's most important underground dance music producer/DJs Theo Parrish lends his hands to selecting and mixing a set of jazz and funk records licensed from and originally released on the Black Jazz label 1971-1976. World-renowned for his DJ sets and remixes/productions, this Chicago-raised artist is near impossible to pigeonhole. Revered by a wide spectrum of dedicated music fanatics, he is known for his otherworldly DJ sets, and his serious approach to DJing as an art form. Theo gives special attention to fellow Chicago musicians The Awakening (three consecutive tracks, four total on the mix), one of the best funk/fusion groups that the Black Jazz label released, and whose only output was on that label. The set itself is a masterful "two turntables all vinyl" execution, a format that Theo is dedicated to -- no mp3, no CD-R, just the vinyl palette for the true aural experience. Sit back and be drawn into his world -- hear things his way. Other artists include: Doug Carn, Gene Russell, Calvin Keys, Rudolph Johnson, and Walter Bishop Jr.

Back in 2014 when Chupame El Dedo first released their self-titled album (CREP 030LP, 2016), one couldn't be sure if people could hold their mojitos while banging to their music. In 2019 one is seriously advised to keep one's hands free while listening to their second album, No Te Metas Con Satan. Formed by psych cumbia master Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers) and Pedro Ojeda (Romperayo), the men that found the perfect cocktail mix for acid + folk + tropical beats, Chupame El Dedo are ready to mess around with Satan. No Te Metas Con Satan is a humorous title for music that expels cartoonish metal-vibes mixed with tropical rhythms. It's a pitch-perfect title for a record that's never at the right pitch. The humor makes way for the funny stories that Eblis and Pedro explore in their lyrics; Souk's fourth release is a daring adventure in global beats. Frequently it calls to mind the universe of Quasimoto, Madlib's abstract hip hop that sounded delicious in the early 2000s. Chupame El Dedo lives in the same kind of power trip, fueled by intense salsa rhythms dressed with heavy metal images - that's where Satan comes into place. The Devil wears many clothes, but none are as multi-colored and trendy as the ones we see in No Te Metas Con Satan. One is advised of that during the first side of the LP, each song dares the listener, with a multitude of ideas (sometimes dissonant ones), to find a way to make sense. An example? The first song "No Te Metas Con Satan" sounds like a perverted version of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and when you think it's over, it starts again, repeating ideas and leaving you extremely confused. What the fuck just happened? Chupame El Dedo happened. Flip to the other side and "Alexandra Candelaria" says hi with a nearly eight-minute long sinful and hilarious soap opera; no one is ready for this. Laughter mixes with intense head banging; is this what would happen if Jodorowsky made a Cartoon Network show? Maybe it's a good idea to not mess around with Satan, but one could find oneself in serious trouble if one doesn't listen to this. Seriously.

Continuing the series of 12" dancefloor singles, Soundway Records presents the highly sought-after track "Hinde" by African Vibration, now re-mastered from the original master tapes. Originally pressed on 7" vinyl in 1987, it was the group's last release together. A unique piece of East African synthesized electronic soul from 1980s Kenya, it was reissued by Soundway on Kenya Special: Volume Two (SNDW 084CD/LP, 2016), but following the acquisition of the master tapes it has now been revitalized. The B side features a deep, extended rework with cruising synth stabs and slick production from one of Soundway's recent recruits, Julien Dyne.

Here's Dusty Ballroom's second set of sides -- a rather eclectic, swingin' blend of some 1940s jump blues, '50s exotic mambo, kinky doo-wop, wild Eastern surf and Hawaiian Rock n' Roll, a coupl'a burlesque instrumentals, and even a bit of groovy twist and soul. Or as Harvey summed it up so neat: "Anyway You Wanta!" This record is part of an on-going series dedicated to some often over looked golden age dancefloor thrillers. Stag-O-Lee dearly hope you dig this as much as they do and perhaps you will tune in on the next volume as well. Elmo Lewis is part of the Dusty Ballroom Collective, shakin' the Berlin analog music scene since 2008. As mentioned on Volume 1 (STAGO 120LP, 2018), over time you need to give nods and winks to the staff of several venues, lots of live artists wonderfully dedicated to old music, a few select DJs and of course those jumpin' and jivin' cats and kittens oddly enough returning to our all-nighters -- you all rock and roll! For the present selection, Elmo wishes to especially thank Adam, Laura, Nathaniel, and Franziska for their ongoing support to dig in the dust and helping keep the vibes up and the time tunnel's eyelid open. Features Yma Sumac, Stefi Akos, The Bonnie Sisters, The Chips, Harvey Fuqua, The Quarter Notes, Sounds Incorporated, Ted Heath & His Orchestra, Puddle Jumpers, Slim & Slam, Louis Jordan & His Timpany Five, Eartha Kitt, Jay Epae, Lil Anthony & The Imperials, Mel Tormé, Ron Goodwin Orchestra, and Barney Kessel.

Studio Mule presents a reissue of King Kong Paradise's Atsusa Mo Samusamo..., originally released in 1984 on Johnny's Disk. Johnny's Disk was an independent jazz label run by the owner of jazz cafe Kaiunbashi No Johnny located in Rikuzentakata City in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The legendary label released a string of albums of high quality but down-to-earth music, spanning modern jazz, avant-garde jazz, and left-field pop. Albums such as Teru Sakamoto's Farewell My Johnny/Left Alone and Eiji Nakayama's Aya's Samba (STUDIOMUL 013LP, 2019) have reached cult status among fans as some of the best works to come out of the Japanese jazz scene. Following a cult classic jazz fusion album on Bourbon Records, King Kong Paradise delivered Atsusa Mo Samusamo... an album of alternative, left-field Balearic rock that was way ahead of its time. An anomaly that sticks out in the Johnny's Disk's catalog, this rare record may appeal more to new wave, reggae and rock fans than jazz heads; in fact, one might not be surprised if people like DJ Harvey or Theo Parrish dropped this oddity in their sets. If one digs the kind of weirdness that's being reissued by Music From Memory, one might find this record intriguing.

LP version. 180 gram, clear vinyl; superb deluxe packaging. The Brian Jonestown Massacre burst into 2019 with the release of their 18th full-length album, just seven months after their last one, Something Else (AUK 043CD/LP). The self-titled, nine-track album is released on Anton Newcombe's A Recordings, and it was recorded and produced at Anton's Cobra Studio in Berlin. The album was originally going to be released in September of 2018, but due to a hugely successful global tour -- taking in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe -- the release was delayed. Recorded in early 2018, the album features Sara Neidorf on drums, Heike Marie Radeker (LeVent) on bass, Hakon Adalsteinsson (BJM, Third Sound, Gunman, Holy Ghost) on guitar, and Anton Newcombe on multiple instruments. Also making a guest vocal appearance on "Tombes Oubliées" is Rike Bienert who has sung on previous BJM albums. The band performed songs from the album throughout the European leg of the 2018 tour. Anton Newcombe has been a very busy man over the past few years, having released four critically-acclaimed Brian Jonestown Massacre albums and an EP, one soundtrack album, and two albums with Tess Parks. All releases were fully recorded and produced at Anton's studio. The Brian Jonestown Massacre track "Bon Bon" was used in the 2015 Palm D'Or winner Dheepan. Anton penned the soundtrack for Moon Dogs, a film directed by multi-BAFTA nominated Philip John (Svengali, Downton Abbey, Being Human).

Repressed; Corbett Vs. Dempsey present a reissue of Sun Ra Discipline 27-II, originally released on El Saturn Records in 1973. Arguably the last great original-era Saturn LP to be reissued on CD, Discipline 27-II has long deserved to be more familiar to Sun Ra fans and layfolk alike. Recorded during the same sessions in 1972 at Chicago's Streeterville Studios that produced Ra's most popular and best-known record, Space Is The Place (1973), it's got much the same vibe, from the 24-minute four-part suite of the title track -- an important conducted piece that Ra performed frequently in these years -- to the opening cut, "Pan Afro", with John Gilmore's sensational tenor work. Sporting a percussion-rich 18-piece Arkestra, the music can be thick, voluble, and dense or it can winnow down to a small group, as on the delightful track "Neptune", a vehicle for June Tyson's singing and the site of the indelible Sun Ra space chant: "Have you heard the latest news from Neptune, Neptune, Neptune?" This marks the first time Discipline 27-II has been reissued on CD. It has been remastered from the original tapes, includes a never published period photo of Ra by Charles Shabacon, and ends with an explosive bonus track from the same session, showing quite a different side of the same ensemble. Personnel: Sun Ra - electronic keyboard space age instruments, Moog synthesizer, vocals; John Gilmore - tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals; Marshall Allen - alto saxophone, flute; Danny Davis - alto saxophone, flute; Pat Patrick - baritone saxophone, bass; Danny Thompson - baritone saxophone, flute; Eloe Omoe - bass clarinet, flute; Akh Tal Ebah - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals; Lamont Kwamie McClamb - trumpet, percussion; Russell Branch - percussion, congas; Stanley Morgan - percussion, congas; with Alzo Wright, Harry Richards, Lex Humphries, Robert Underwood on drums and vocals by June Tyson, Cheryl Banks, Judith Holton, and Ruth Wright. Cover art by LeRoy Butler; cover design by Alton Abraham. Recorded by Ed Michel at Streeterville Studios, Chicago, October, 1972; LP produced by Alton Abraham for Infinity Inc.

Double LP-version. 180 gram vinyl; Gatefold sleeve; Includes booklet and download. Ambient/traditional flute music from Japanese shakuhachi Master, Teruhisa Fukuda. The shakuhachi is an end-blown bamboo flute with one dorsal and four frontal holes and a beveled notch as mouthpiece. There are two elements in the name of the instrument: shaku refers to an ancient measurement which is the equivalent of 30,3 cm; hachi means eight. Originally, shakuhachi thus refers to a flute that measures 1,8 shaku, that is, 54,5 cm. For this release, Master Fukuda chose a series of seven pieces from a repertoire dating back to the seventeenth century. These were originally performed by monks belonging to the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism, who viewed their instrument as means for meditation. The seven pieces are destined to be played solo, in the spirit of Zen. Teruhisa Fukuda (b. 1949) is an eminent artist who has explored a vast range of musical techniques from, both, traditional and contemporary music.

For The Colleagues Of Ubu & Their Authorities is the brainchild of Vienna-based vinyl enthusiast, DJ, and producer The Reboot Joy Confession. What once started as a series of mixes has been expanded into this compilation, on which he brings together diverse genres of music like electronica, modern minimalism, folk, post-rock, avant-garde, or modular music, which also reflect his own versatile musical taste. The compilation includes the surreal work of Swiss producer Dim Grimm (also known as Dimlite), as well as a collaboration between Merz & Julian Sartorius Drum Ensemble who radically altered the original version of "The Hunting Owl" into a monstrous percussive live version. Taken off the debut album from one of Poland ́s most interesting musicians at the moment, Waclaw Zimpel & Kuba Ziołek, "Wrens" is a fusion of folk, jazz and modern minimal music. Experimental pop musician and filmmaker Tujiko Noriko appears with an emotional piece that challenges the paths between pop and avant-garde. Gerhard Zander, whose musical work started on the outskirts of experimental pop music in the early '70s in Germany, delivers a modular synth masterpiece with unique sounds, textures, and a far-out synth choir. Rock and ambient influenced musician Helen Money (aka Alison Chesley) is a Los Angeles-based cellist and composer who appears with a massively dark post-rock song called "MF", which was recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago in 2009. Often compared to Frank Zappa and known for their richness of ideas, Liverpool's a.P.A.t.T. contribute the hypnotic "Young Free & Parasite", with references to British glam, post-punk, or synth rock, but in a fresh and obscure sounding outfit. SSELLF, the moniker of New Zealand ́s Christoph El Truento, inspired by post-punk and noise. "Visitors" is simple and simply in your face, with lo-fi drums, distorted synths, and raw vocals. After a few seclusive years, The Reboot Joy Confession returns with a new, crispy and soulful track. Cinematic strings written by Martin Riedler, arranged by Flip Phillip, and recorded at the established Vienna Konzerthaus, based on a properly arranged drum outfit and played by a villain named Gurlimu. Oceaneer, aka Japanese pianist Oneechan Nanashi, completes the compilation with her beautiful and profound composition "The Sea, Forever".

Restocked; Double-LP version. 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve. The series continues! He was one of the greatest blues musicians, who died too early: James Booker. This concert from 1976 shows Booker on one of his best performances ever. James C. Booker's performance was exceptionally marvelous and just what blues should be all about. All the talk about his problems and the creation of legends which immediately started after his early death in 1983 (in the waiting room of a rehabilitation clinic), seemed so unimportant and irrelevant that day, just as irrelevant as the timetable of the Hamburg metro; because it does not matter if the last train has already departed (as on that particular evening) with an artist performing many of his own creations but also several blues-classics with so much devotion while being deeply rooted in the spiritual soil of this special city located between Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain. Recorded October 27, 1976 at Onkel Pö's Carnegie Hall, Hamburg, Germany; Recorded by NDR Hamburg. Features extended liner notes in English and German by Michael Laages.

2019 repress. LP version with a 12-page full-color booklet with extensive notes and unseen photos. "With only six singles released between 1965 and 1966, and from an apparently remote place such as Lima, Peru, Los Saicos created a raw, wild and visceral sound, the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the garage rock that was coming out of the U.S. Northwest at the same time. Theirs is the same DNA shared by The Sonics, The Cramps and Black Lips. This release compiles all their recordings and tells their amazing story. This snarling maelstrom of nihilism was cut in Lima when the rest of the world was wetting itself over The Beatles, direct links to both The Stooges and The Cramps here and several more equally-enthralling combos. The latter spawned several generations of individuals who would dig deep to previously (mostly) unheard seams of music and other forms of culture that have since become part of the mainstream fabric. Another strong case of the same kind of happenstance to my mind is that which preceded the much-vaunted 'punk' explosion of the '70s." --Lindsay Hutton

Restocked. "This three-disc set marks the first appearance on disc of the music of the African-American composer Julius Eastman (1940-1990), who died fourteen years ago under unexplained circumstances and whose musical legacy was thought lost. This comprehensive and definitive document, which comprises almost all of Eastman's signature works, will undoubtedly be a revelation for those who have thus far been unable to hear his work. In his book American Music in the Twentieth Century, composer/author Kyle Gann briefly sums up Eastman's work and its importance: 'Born in New York, he graduated from the Curtis Institute in composition and was discovered by Lukas Foss, who conducted his music, including Stay On It (1973), one of the first works to introduce pop tonal progressions and free improvisation in an art context... Applying minimalism's additive process to the building of sections, he developed a composing technique he called 'organic music,' a cumulatively overlapping process in which each section of a work contains, simultaneously, all the sections which preceded it. The pieces he wrote in this style often had intentionally provocative titles intended to reinterpret the minorities Eastman belonged to in a positive light: for example, Evil Nigger, Crazy Nigger, and Gay Guerrilla (all circa 1980). These three pieces, all scored for multiple pianos, build up immense emotive power through the incessant repetition of rhythmic figures.' Eastman was an energizing underground figure, one whose forms are clear, whose methods were powerful and persuasive, and whose thinking was supremely musical. His works show different routes minimalism might have taken, and perhaps some of those will now be followed up. This set of discs is a bold beginning to restoring to history the works of one of the most important members of the first post-minimalist generation."

Souma Records present a vinyl reissue of Om Kalsoum's Alf Leila Wa Leila, originally released in 1969. They call her "The Rose of the Nile", "The Queen of the Nile", "The Daughter of the Nile", or even "The 4th Pyramid of Egypt" since she's known as the greatest Egyptian singer of all times. Om Kalsoum's mythical life story of a poor peasant girl who grew up to become the face of Egypt is a 20th-century fairytale. Almost half a decade after her death the power of her music and singing is still moving the hearts of millions of people worldwide. At the end of her overwhelming career she was introduced to the young but brilliant composer Baligh Hamdy who wrote this 30-minute lasting monument for her in 1969. In the footsteps of Mohamed Abdel Wahab, the godfather of Egyptian modern music, Baligh Hamdy refreshed the classical Egyptian orchestra sound with the addition of stylish instruments like electric guitar (Omar Khorshid), organ (Hany Mehanna), accordion, and horns that were adapted to the eastern tonal system. The studio version of this immortal "Alf Leila We Leila" must undeniably be archived under the best recordings ever made in music history. A Radio Martiko product.

Wire Recorded Pieces: Precocious Noise and Early Electronica Pt. 2 is a compilation for those who are not familiar with the fascinating world of primal electronica, noise, sound design, industrial, avant-garde, tape-music, etc. This set hopes to be the gateway to a completely new revolutionary sound experience, proving what John Cage predicted in the 1930s: "'I believe the use of noise to make music will continue and increase until we reach a music produced through the aid of electrical instruments which will make available for musical purposes any and all sounds that can be heard." Including a track recorded in 1921, almost a hundred years ago, and ending in the early 1960s, this selection includes artists of very different nationalities such as Egypt, USA, Hungary, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France, and even the USSR. It represents everything new and revolutionary that we have come to expect since the beginning of the postmodern era. These are relics with much to say to the contemporary listener as they sound impossibly way ahead of their and our time(s). Revolutionary since much of the included material did and still does push the very definition of what music is. Here are demonstrations of techniques and sound systems that shaped modern music as we know it today. These are the first examples ever to loop a track, play it in reverse or use a host of other effects which are all so common tools for musicians of today. Songs are sequenced to give a coherent and surprisingly easy way to enjoy and appreciate this music field that can be baffling -- in order to give the listener some of the most multilayered (in every sense of the word) experience. Thanks to 21st century advance techniques, every track here has a low noise floor, which has been achieved without the loss of palpability or dynamic range. These recordings sound fantastic: fresh, jarring, groundbreaking and adventurous. Features Johanna M. Beyer, Bengt Hambraeus, Franco Evangelisti, Remi Gassmanny, Vladimir Ussachevsky, Halim El-Dabh, Pierre Henry, Else Marie Pade, Herbert Eimert, The Blue Men, György Ligeti, Giselher Klebe, and Velimir Khlebnikov. Fully remastered; Audiophile transparent clear vinyl; Includes CD. File Under: precocious noise/early electronica.

Beacon Sound presents a first-time collaboration between Thomas Meluch (aka Benoit Pioulard) and Sean Curtis Patrick, entitled Avocationals. Over the course of nine songs the two use synthesizers, reel-to-reel tape machines, field recordings, guitar, and processed voice to conjure the ghosts of 20th century Great Lakes shipwrecks. From the muffled thumping of "Stonefax", which might bring to mind the cracking and bowing of a ship on its way to the lake bottom, to the pulsating vocal drone that guides "Sunek", evoking peril and loss, each of these songs brings to mind the final moments of doomed seafarers and their cargo-laden ships, the disintegration of hubris, the fraying of memory. By the time "Cabot" rolls around, like a lonely fog horn crossing the waves on a stormy night, the effect is of watching a decaying film loop that is somehow not only representative of a distant past but also of what perhaps lies ahead. Wintery, yet humming throughout with a narcotic warmth, Avocationals will pull you underwater and submerge you in the murky depths of a lost world. As the artists themselves write, "An avocational is an amateur diver who assists in rescue, investigation and salvage relating to watercraft disasters. Dozens of freighters and small sank during the mid-20th century golden age of shipping on the Great Lakes; this album is about nine of them." Sean Curtis Patrick is a visual artist, photographer, adventurer, and musician. He has created art, design, and music videos for artists like Alessandro Cortini, Benoit Pioulard, Bana Haffar, Richard Devine, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Rafael Anton lrisarri, and many others. ln 2018, Sean directed and sound tracked a documentary about the devastation of the island of Puerto Rico after the hurricanes of 2017. He is an alumnus of the Banff Centre Musicians in Residence program and debuted new solo material on a Japanese tour in late 2018. Sean has released albums on Day Dot, Beacon Sound, and Muzan Editions. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Benoit Pioulard weaves natural sounds and textures of decay into his vague-pop songs, colored with the lushness and unpredictability of field recordings. His numerous albums for Kranky, Beacon Sound, and Morr Music document an evolving relationship with guitar, voice, and frayed layers of fidelity, alternately melodic, muted, and diffuse. He resides in Seattle, Washington. Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll. Includes download card and insert; Edition of 300.

Low Distance is Deaf Center's third full-length studio album and perhaps the most focused effort by the Norwegian duo to date. After their last record Owl Splinters (2011), which was quite an eclectic endeavor, Erik K Skodvin and Otto A Totland draw their sound back into something quieter and more minimal. The record starts with a piece of sweeping analog electronics. It's a spacious, yet dynamic opener that leads directly into the static tones and piano motifs of "Entity Voice", which balances a new sense of abstraction with the classic Deaf Center sound. It´s warm and close while sounding like it's set in the outer horizon. Overall, Low Distance feels both alien and familiar with its atonal synths, close pianos, and drowned-out noises. After meeting in studio for the first time since 2011, the recordings came out of a three-day session in 2017. It was then mixed at both EMS Stockholm and at Erik's home studio over a longer period to create a blend of deeply layered as well as stripped-down pieces. Both Erik and Otto have been active individually since their last meeting as Deaf Center: Otto has released two solo piano albums, while Erik has furthered his descent into musical abstraction both under his own name and as Svarte Greiner. It's long overdue to hear them connect their personalities into something new. Low Distance is a welcome return replete with beauty, mystery, and uncertainty. Full tone cover artwork; Includes printed inner sleeve. Includes download code.