Double LP version. "Hindu Gods are calling -- Grown Up Wrong! Records is thrilled beyond belief to present the long-awaited anthology of material by the legendary Lipstick Killers, who blazed a trail in late '70s post-Radio Birdman Sydney before gigging with the likes of the Gun Club and the Flesh Eaters in Los Angeles, where they crashed and burned in 1981. The Lipstick Killers released just one single in their life time -- the perfect '79 Deniz Tek-produced pairing of 'Hindu Gods of Love' and 'Shakedown USA' on their own Lost In Space Records and Greg Shaw's Voxx Records -- but a posthumous live album and a couple of archival releases followed. It was all incredible. All that material is included here, as is a plethora of additional stuff, all from the best available sources (mostly original tapes). The Lipstick Killers' enigmatic and high-energy sound -- heavily inspired by the Stooges and the '60s psychedelic punk sounds of bands like the Thirteenth Floor Elevators and the Chocolate Watchband -- bridged the gap between Radio Birdman and subsequent Sydney groups like the Sunnyboys (whose first-ever show was opening for the Lipstick Killers), Lime Spiders, Hoodoo Gurus and the Psychotic Turnbuckles. And of course, they anticipated generation after generation of other bands with similar things in mind, right up to today's '60s-inspired freaks like The Straight Arrows, The Living Eyes and Thee Oh Sees."

"Forward by David Fricke (Rolling Stone Magazine). HoZac Books is proud to present The White Label Promo Preservation Society: 100 Flop Albums You Ought to Know, written and compiled by Sal Maida and Mitchell Cohen, who have recruited for their 'society' a gang of esteemed music obsessives: musicians, label executives, and journalists who chose favorite albums from the 1960s and 1970s to rave about and expound upon. The only criterion was that the albums never made the top 100 on Billboard's LP Top 200 (although in a few cases, they did quite well on the R&B or country chart). The selection ranges from east coast vocal-group harmony to punk and metal, from superstars like The Who and the Beach Boys to virtual unknowns. As Sal and Mitchell write in the book's introduction, 'These are the albums you might not read about, except here. No one needs to tell you why Pet Sounds, Revolver or Blonde On Blonde are essential parts of any decent record collection, or guide you towards classics -- or even somewhat lesser efforts -- by the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry or the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Or which Pink Floyd album is indispensable (hint: the debut; you can stop right there). Although we have strong opinions about pantheon artists like Led Zeppelin and Marvin Gaye, and are happy to share those views with anyone in earshot, that isn't what this book is about. We aren't here to challenge or endorse rock orthodoxy. Neither is the mission to, once again, assert the brilliance of Skip Spence's Oar, of such artists as Nick Drake, Big Star, and the Velvet Underground, whose influence, despite the lack of any commercial success in their time, has been thoroughly -- one might even say exhaustively -- documented elsewhere.' To tell help this story, Sal and Mitchell called on an impressive team of guest essayists: Lenny Kaye, Russ Titelman, Amy Rigby, Brian Koppelman, Dennis Diken, Bebe Buell, Jim Farber, Susan Whitall, Steve Shelley, Phil King, Ira Robbins, Billy Altman, Marshall Crenshaw, Peter Holsapple, Wreckless Eric, Peter Keepnews, Miriam Linna, Joe McEwen, and a cast of dozens. Sal Maida has played bass guitar with Roxy Music and Sparks, was a member of the snappy NYC power-pop band Milk 'n' Cookies, and has chronicled his exploits as fan and musician in the HoZac book Four Strings, Phony Proof, and 300 45s. There is not much about rock music in the '60s and '70s that he doesn't know, and it was quite an ordeal getting him to hone his list of underrated, underselling albums down to manageable length for these purposes. Mitchell Cohen has been writing about music and movies since the early '70s (CREEM, Film Comment, High Fidelity, Musician, Phonograph Record...), was a major-label A&R guy for around a quarter-century, and is the co-author of Matt Pinfield's memoir All These Things That I've Done, as well as the author of an upcoming book on Arista Records for RPM/BMG Books."

LP version. "2021 is shaping up to be the year of Alan Vega. Every year should be but, this year is definitely it. The announcement of the opening of the Alan Vega archives which will be unleashing an untold amount of unreleased material dating back to 1971 via Sacred Bones, the release of Mutator (a lost album from the mid '90s), which has gained rave reviews, a massive feature in the NY Times... Vega has been celebrated everywhere of late. In The Red is over the moon to participate in this celebration with the release of After Dark -- an album that captures a late night rock 'n' roll session with Vega backed by Ben Vaughn, Palmyra Delran and Barb Dwyer (all members of the incredible Pink Slip Daddy as well as countless other cool projects). This album serves as a reminder that Alan Vega was an incredible rock 'n' roll/blues/rockabilly vocalist. He was one of the best."

"Solo Guitar 2 was recorded by Bill Nace in 2008, in a good-sounding room in Bennington, Vermont. This year the record, originally released as a now (nearly) extinct cassette, is reissued without it's mysterious and (maybe?) long-lost sibling Solo Guitar 1 (Like any good punk demo -- which, both aesthetically and energetically, Solo Guitar 2 is -- the thrill of discovery is made only sweeter by the potential of future discovery). The vinyl release comes a little less than a year after Bill's first 'official' solo record, BOTH, which was released by Drag City in May, 2020. The two records don't necessarily stand in opposition, but they are at different points on the spectrum of production, tone, mood, time, place, age, career. Where BOTH is softened by the warmth and precision of a studio, there's a wildness to Solo Guitar 2 which approaches the experience of witnessing Bill perform live. Made up of mostly brief pieces -- songs, practically -- Solo Guitar 2 winds tight, then unwinds, or sometimes snaps apart. Crackling, itchy static morphs into heavy, watery vibration, layered on metallic rattle. There are moments where that Bennington room sounds as sterile and lonely as a deserted art gallery. And then it becomes spacious and warm, like a cathedral filling with the hum of the universe. The bulk of Bill's releases are collaborations with other artists, who are drawn to him (at least in part) because he's an innovative player and a deep listener. Those qualities hold, and in certain ways intensify when he's on his own. As he takes a series of unlikely tools across his prone guitar with the grace and urgency of someone at a loom or an aircraft control panel, there's a sense of reaching inward. But where some might meander or navel-gaze, Bill's playing is a process of constant dynamic construction. What unfurls can feel intensely personal, and often -- for reasons I don't always understand -- very moving. Bill isn't interested in micromanaging his listeners' experiences, but he does make room for us. Composer Pauline Oliveros observed that when we listen deeply to the world around us, we sometimes notice very subtle and quiet differences in sounds that we thought were familiar. As a result, she writes, 'the slightest difference may lead you to a new creative relationship.' Bill is, I think, tuned in to these subtle and quiet differences. But, in a truly punk fashion, he flips this for the listener, making unfamiliar and not-very-subtle noise into something akin to (but also distinct from) familiar sounds: traffic outside your window, the soft roar of a conch shell to your ear, static between radio stations. Solo Guitar 2, full as it is of shades and moods and life, offers a fresh way of hearing." --Margaret Welsh Philadelphia, PA 2021

"Gatefold LP. 40 years after the release of the original soundtrack for George A. Romero's masterpiece Dawn of the Dead, Goblin unleashed this commemorative studio album. The album unveils re-imagined versions of the most significant tunes from their original iconic soundtrack, as well as new arrangements of two tracks from Suspiria."

In the early '80s, Japan was in a flourishing bubble, becoming the world's second-largest economy, threatening to overtake the West with its cutting-edge innovation. Middle class Japanese citizens indulged in luxury clothes, imported wine, and international travel, enjoying unorthodox freedom. City pop emerged as the soundtrack to this cosmopolitan lifestyle: an ode to bright colors, sunny beaches and naive romances, with a clear West influence. Such influence also brought together the first health and fitness wave to Japan: for the first time, taking care of oneself was trendy, and "Aerobic", the word in everybody's mouth. Hyped by the momentum, both the Aerobic Fitness Association (A.F.A. U.S.A, still running) and the Nippon Aerobic Association put together a program to help audiences follow Aerobic classes on channel TBS. Not surprisingly they hired one of the most inspired young talents of the era, the guitarist Yuji Toriyama (now well-known as one of the fathers of Japanese fusion), to perform, together with Ken Morimura (keyboardist for the salsa band Orquesta Del Sol) a series of tracks that could help the viewers keep their body moving. As surprisingly as it seems, that fusion of killer boogie guitars and synths with kitsch aesthetics was made for exercising. Aerobics is a soundtrack made up of boogie beats that span the genres of funk, technopop and even city pop with the purpose of getting folks off their heinies and moving around rhythmically. As this album plays fully instrumental, Toriyama's rhythms and glossy arrangements melt together perfectly with uplifting synths and programmed drums to give birth to a distinguishable cheerful atmosphere. An Aerobic jam. A refreshing and vibrating experience from beginning to end to kick off the summer in perfect shape. First time reissue. Includes obi and original large poster with aerobic moves (with stretches and poses).

"Tobacco City is about simplicity. Simple songs and melodies built around nostalgic and blue stories. Built out of a mutual love of classic and cosmic country, the members of Tobacco City bring their psychedelic and folk influences to the exploding genre. The result is a feel-good sway that fits into modern urban modes and passes by the shrewdest of classic country heads. Quickly gaining traction in Chicago playing with new country icon Orville Peck and psychedelic tastemaker Ty Segall, Tobacco City seems to fit in wherever good music resides regardless of the genre."

"Anthology Recordings is honored to present Dreaming of You (1971-1976), the first ever collection of Karen Black's breathtaking original songs out July 16th. A prominent actor in the American New Wave, visual artist and unyielding creative spirit, Karen Black was also an accomplished musician. Produced by Cass McCombs and meticulously restored from the original tapes, Dreaming of You (1971-1976) gathers the best of Black's studio and demo recordings. The collection's fifteen tracks are a holistic depiction of Black's dreamy, introspective and earnest musical identity. Recalling the everywoman quality of Judy Collins and the quiet mystery of Billie Holiday, Black largely sings over simple acoustic guitar strumming, her voice a beacon amid tales of fantasy and heartache. Her range swings from fluttering highs to earthen lows, with a distinctiveness that evokes the enduring quality of early Asylum Records and the new classics of Angel Olsen. When she wasn't on set, she scrawled hundreds of poems and lyrics, and set them to acoustic guitar or piano. As with acting, songwriting for Black was a study in confession and in character. She often completed multiple takes of a song exploring that relationship, changing her tone, phrasing or cadence in each. RIYL: Cass McCombs, Angel Olsen, Judy Collins, Billie Holiday, Vashti Bunyan, Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, Jackson Browne, Kris Kristofferson."

Le Tres Jazz Club present a reissue of Marion Brown's Le Temps Fou (Musique du film de Marcel Camus), originally released in 1969. Marion Brown, who moved to Europe two years earlier than 1969, and records, in the legendary Parisian studio Davout, the soundtrack of the movie by Marcel Camus entitled Le Temps Fou. The movie starred Nino Ferrer was out in 1970 under the title Un été sauvage. Fallen into oblivion, Le Temps Fou was printed in very few copies and is almost impossible to find in its original pressing. Personnel: Marion Brown - alto sax, bells; Gunter Hampel - vibes, bass clarinet, tree bells; Ambrose Jackson - trumpet cow bells, tambour; Barre Phillips - contra basse, castanetes, whistle; Steve McCall - drums, triangle, tambour; Alain Corneau - claves, cow bells.

Double LP version. Silver vinyl. "This 1983 period in which Gyllensköld was recorded was a fantastic time for the evolution of Steven Stapleton's audio art. His collaborations with Diana Rogerson, Robert Haigh (Sema), David Tibet, and Thirlwell around this time elicited some of the most exciting work Nurse With Wound had yet recorded. Listen to this material and compare it to Chance Meeting and it becomes clear that in just a few years, Stapleton's art had grown by leaps and bounds. The production quality on these tracks is remarkable, and the widening out of the NWW soundworld opened up a whole new audio toybox that Stapleton has continued to experiment with up to today. This new sound encompasses vocal experiments, vintage LPs of easy listening music, demented nursery rhymes, lateral references to disposable pop music, avant-garde jazz and minimalistic piano composition, all glued together with evocative atmospheres redolent of things unholy, troubling and perverse, but always oddly indefinable and puzzlingly misshapen. In retrospect, Gyllensköld can be seen as the beginning of the 'mature;' period of NWW, and thus it is an indispensable release for fans of the project. Perhaps influenced by the obsessions of his friend and collaborator Tibet, Stapleton also began weaving religious and occult references into his usual name-dropping of avant-garde artists and movements . . . NWW's Gyllensköld comes across at times as the soundtrack to a schizoid episode: disembodied voices intoning nonsense, floating subliminally across the stereo channels, or cackling in evil delight. The sounds are denser here than on earlier works such as Homotopy To Marie. Areas of silence are mostly gone, replaced by layers of drone, cartoonish noises and mutated voices. 'Several Odd Moments Prior to Lunch' opens the brief album, setting the stage with its lysergically altered vocals and a frightening, yawning chasm of haunted, spectral sound. Stapleton, Thirlwell, and company learned how to wield the studio like an instrument on these and other recordings of the period. Effects such as reverb, delay, ring modulation and backwards tracking are utilized to create evolving textures and darkly psychedelic dreamspaces. 'Phenomenon of Aquarium and Bearded Lady' utilizes a number of instruments, including horns and piano, to create a bizarre dislocated funeral dirge in which the sounds of a slowly cycling jack-in-the-box are not out of place. For fans of musicians like Jacques Berrocal, who prefer their free jazz with a heavy dose of whacked-out eccentricity, this is about as good as it gets. 'Dirty Fingernails' is something else entirely, a longform exploration of outré textures, combining mysterious trebly noises with percussive bleeps of mysterious origin." --Brainwashed

LP version. Includes download code. "Following the release of the Migration of Silence Intoand Out of The Tone World: Volumes 1-10 10CD Box and his first book-length biography, Universal Tonality: The Life and Music of William Parker earlier this year, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, griot, improviser and community leader William Parker presents a pair of brand-new studio trio albums which bountifully expound on his vision. One of the most iconic and enduring music leaders to emerge in the world over the last half century, William Parker continues to raise the bar higher. Mayan Space Station is his first electric guitar trio album, and features Ava Mendoza -- electric guitar, William Parker -- bass, and Gerald Cleaver -- drums. Cosmic multi-hued blues, perfect for space and time travel. The unparalleled rhythmic firmament created by Parker & Cleaver is matched by Mendoza in full flight. All of the promise imagined by a trio recording of these musicians with compositions by Parker is delivered to the fullest. William Parker first worked with Ava Mendoza on a project entitled Thunder and Flowers for his July 2019 residency at The Stone in NYC. Her prodigious talents have illuminated many projects and recordings as both leader and collaborator over the past decade. As is abundantly clear here, she is committed to bringing expressivity, energy and a wide sonic range to the music. Gerald Cleaver is an exceptionally gifted poet of drum sound who can play in the deepest of pockets and manifest all manner of sound to perfectly fit contours within the most open of forms. Cleaver & Parker have worked closely on numerous projects, notably within the nonpareil full-improvising trio, Farmers By Nature, together with Craig Taborn. William Parker is in vibrant grandmaster blossom here on double bass -- in both pizzicato & bow-as-prism modes. Regarding the album title, Parker offers: 'Mayan Space Station is a conduit for peace and inspiration. It is an oasis where sound and silence navigators stop for sustenance to replenish their imaginations. It is a reality that important to the myth structure of the Tone World chronicle. In a way, musicians, and definitely these particular musicians, belong to the blood line of sonic travelers who, as Sun Ra described it, 'travel the space ways.' Re-inventing the process, allowing music to flow through their instruments.'"

"Fantas" is the epic opening track on Caterina Barbieri's acclaimed 2019 release Ecstatic Computation (EMEGO 259LP, 2019). The original "Fantas" laid out a magical path of patterns leading the listener on a journey into the sound itself. Fantas Variations maps out eight new potentials sprung from this initial path as constructed by a diverse mix of artists lending to a wide spectrum of new works extrapolated from the original work. For this project Barbieri invited friends and long-time collaborators from a variety of musical backgrounds to create a more sustainable and inclusive landscape in terms of stylistic, geographical, gender, and generational balance. The results are a diverse array of approaches and instrumentation which blur the boundaries between the acoustic and electronic. Fantas Variations embraces a platform for mutual exchange and support between like-minded artists, where active and collective re-imagination is prioritized over the traditional model of remixes, which is often strategic, functional and more passive. Longtime friend and collaborator Kali Malone rearranged "Fantas" to a slowed-down, austere and eerie version for two organs. Evelyn Saylor created a piece for a vocal ensemble consisting of her, Lyra Pramuk, Stine Janvin, and Annie Garlid, joining forces to express the choral, psychedelic and vital nature of the piece. Barbieri's former guitar professor at the Conservatory in Bologna, Walter Zanetti, composes "Fantas" for electric guitar, by translating every single gesture of the original electronic piece into a personal, nuanced and detailed interpretation. Bendik Giske's reinterpretation for saxophone and voice captures the atmospheric essence of "Fantas" and its psychic meteorology. Longtime collaborator and along with Barbieri the other half of the outfit Punctum, Carlo Maria, resynthesizes "Fantas" for TR808 and MC202, bringing a more club-oriented dimension of the piece to life whilst unveiling the sonic continuum between rhythm and pitch through a sensitive timbral approach. Jay Mitta's Singeli reinterpretation of "Fantas" transpires with pitched-up percussion and turbo-fast polyrhythmic patterns unleashing the frenetic, shifting, transformative matter within the piece to a higher plain of euphoric dance. Baseck's variation is a rave fantasia, where the prismatic trance of the original is channeled into fierce, uncompromising hardcore, whilst Kara-Lis Coverdale's take is a phantasmagoria for piano that gently, yet inexorably, captures the relentlessness chimerical qualities of the original, unveiling its spectral backbone. Mastered by Rashad Becker, February 2021. Cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle, Berlin, February 2021. Artwork and typography by Ruben Spini. Lettering by Alice Fiorelli.

First copies on limited/USA-exclusive splatter vinyl! The Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement environs conceived by Dominick Fernow and Philippe Hallais complement "artificial spaces" and "synthetic nature" through the decay of "digital rain storms" and "falling comet bass drops". Flying Fish Ambience is the duo's first studio album together after a series of tours, and builds the RSE sound into a deep hypnotic synthetic topography and guided meditation into perpetual stress. The follow-up to the acclaimed Ambient Black Magic (HOS 498CD/LP, 2017), Flying Fish Ambience is a treatise in anti-exotica -- a purpose-built artificial ambient wilderness rooted in wobbling sub-bass, watered wastefully with glossy digital FX. Meticulously assembled over a series of trips, tours and sessions in various cities (Berlin, Paris, New York), Flying Fish Ambience crystallizes the expansive perpetual motion of salt vessels and water basins repopulating with ecological imbalance, this evolution -- as an expression of the live blue entity. Words from RSE: "flying fish ambience flies again / dies again / and splashes through the dark blue waters again and again / to the deep water blue / to the crumbling sandbanks / and to the crumbling monuments / and to a world of unknown deeps / and washed out sands / sun rippling ocean blue / across skeletons of those left behind and skeletons of the mind's green eye! / blue herb ambient returns! / you are the journey's end!" "Rains Coming Down" features Pacific Blue.

Documented during peak isolation times in Los Angeles, between December 2020 and January 2021. These pieces were performed as Live AV pieces from 2017-2019, at Coaxial Arts, Zebulon and Desert Daze 2019, but not documented in a release until later. Signal processing and sequencing frameworks built in Max 8 with signals generated from Prophet '08, a broken AW16G, 0-coast, Max, and a MC-909. With the context of the electromagnetic medium, the absence of live performance and moving visuals and the new "spirit" of the pestilent times, Cutting Them All Off should barely be represented as reworks of the originally performed pieces. What was once pulsing and blasting out of PA speakers live is now referenced as a distant past document. These pieces (for better or for worse) have been removed and cut-off from their contextual source and can only be presented in their displaced/liberated state. Like a fish out of water gasping for air, or the only drunk survivor of a car crash that was his fault. Christopher Reid Martin started Rotary ECT in 2016. The project focuses on highly active signal processes on synchronized Audio -> Visual signals, with many signals being constructed to self-generate. Much like a rotary machine's rotation, the process is consistent and signaled when turned on. Much like electroconvulsive therapy, a human need to be there to actively monitor and attend to the process and generation of the signals being emitted. Christopher currently works for Cycling '74, is a curatorial/programmer at Coaxial Arts Foundation and of curators (alongside J. Prey and J. Rivera) behind the ephemeral stream Cathode TV/Cathode Cinema. Christopher continues to show gallery works, both virtual and physical, digital and video works and performs in other numerous events and projects such as Bailouts, CGRSM (with Gabie Strong), Shelter Death, Gate (with Michael Morley) and Via Injection. He has performed and collaborated with artists Joseph Hammer, Bryce Loy (RIP), Tetuzi Akiyama, Christopher Thompson, James Roemer, Andrew Scott, Gabie Strong, Michael Morley, Lev Abramov and many others. Cassette only in an edition of 100.

Wewantsounds reissue Sylvia Robinson's super rare soul LP released in 1975 on her Vibration label, part of her All-Platinum/Stang/Turbo empire. Sweet Stuff features several Sylvia cult classics including "Private Performance," "Soul Je T'aime", a cover of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" and the mellow favorite "Sho Nuff Boogie" recorded with The Moments. As bonus tracks, the release features "Sho Nuff Boogie, Part 2" which only came out as the single's B-side at the time and the long version of "Soul Je T'aime". Born and raised in New York, Sylvia Robinson began recording at a young age under the name "Little Sylvia" in the early 1950s. She gained exposure when she teamed up with Mickey Baker scoring a hit in 1956 with "Love Is Strange" as Mickey & Sylvia. She went on to record many singles during the late '50s and '60s before setting up her own label, All Platinum Records in 1966 followed by Stang Records and Vibration. Through these labels, she had several hit records in the '70s as a producer including The Moments' "Love On A Two Way Street" and Shirley & Co's "Shame Shame Shame". Sylvia Robinson continued to record as a solo artist shortening her name as "Sylvia". She got a massive hit of her own with "Pillow Talk" in 1973, a song she'd originally penned with Al Green in mind. The song went to #3 in the charts and started a string of other hits over the next few years. In 1973 she covered Serge Gainsbourg's 1969 megahit "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" renaming it here "Soul Je T'Aime" and duetting with Fania Records' Latin soul singer Ralfi Pagan. The following year was also busy for the singer and producer with three singles that went to the R&B chart: the Soul Ballad "Alfredo", the funky "Private Performance" and "Sho Nuff Boogie," sung with The Moments. They are all featured on the album Sweet Stuff which was released in 1975. Interestingly the song "Sweet Stuff" notoriously sampled by J Dilla for "Crushin'" doesn't appear on this album even if "Sho Nuff Boogie" sounds very much like a forerunner of the song with its similar languorous pace and almost identical melody. Four years later in 1979, Sylvia Robinson would make another genius move with the launch of Sugarhill Records and the Sugarhill Gang's single "Rapper's Delight" which would revolutionize music and almost single-handedly launch hip-hop but that's another chapter of Sylvia Robinson's life.

2021 repress. "On Fire is widely recognized as the canonic pinnacle of Galaxie 500's career. The artwork conveys this, with a low-angle shot of the band, looking up towards an amber sky. This record marked the realization of their signature sound. Nowhere is it clearer than on the album opener, 'Blue Thunder,' the closest a song can come to waves crashing on a beach in song form. Lyrically inconsequential, with a chorus composed entirely of 'las', the track's power lies in a systematic build and break of intensity that reaches a Spector-like climax. It is the quintessential Galaxie 500 song, encapsulating all that was great about the band. For the first time since its original pressing, On Fire is available again on vinyl. Cut by vinyl ace Kevin Gray from a remaster by Kramer and Alan Douches, the album sounds more vibrant than ever, and Galaxie 500 exists again as one of the most enrapturing and glorious bands to emerge from the underground in the past 25 years."

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

2021 repress, originally released in 2017. Stepping into Rone's music is like sleepwalking through a vividly colorful dream, eventually stumbling across a strange, scintillating Megapolis of saturated light and colors: Mirapolis. It's twelve tracks/districts, each with their own specific planning, pulsate as though animated by their musical mastermind. You snorkel through Mirapolis' musical depths. A city that generates constant wonderment, a desire for emancipation, a gathering of citizens connected to the collective's vital energy. The project was an opportunity for Rone to get reacquainted with long-time stage and studio partners John Stanier, Gaspar Claus and the Vacarme band, and Bryce Dessner (guitarist for The National), while bringing in new collaborators (and thus, new interpretation of Rone's dreams). You find American slam-poet Saul Williams, who happened to be in Paris for a moment and contributes a searing anti-trump screed; Baxter Dury, who brings an irresistible East London touch to "Switches", a kind of fan fic that reimagines the Beatles' Sgt Pepper lounging pensive in a club chair; Israeli electronic music muse Noga Erez, who inspired "Waves", which, despite being recorded remotely, betrays a euphoric partnership; and finally, Kazu Makino, Blonde Redhead's bewitching singer and multi-instrumentalist, who contributes to the album's closer, the gauzy "Down For The Cause".

Mille Plateaux present a reissue of Porter Ricks' Biokinetics, originally released in 1996. Techno isn't a genre that has birthed many consistent albums, and the dub techno subgenre even less so, but one indisputable classic is Porter Ricks' debut Biokinetics. Originally issued on the legendary Basic Channel sub-label Chain Reaction in 1996 following a trio of 12"s, Biokinetics was the first of the label's album releases, and still stands as its crowning achievement. Porter Ricks are Thomas Köner and Andy Mellwig, and between them they re-framed the techno sound, imbuing the spacious ambience pioneered by label bosses Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald with a frosty, isolated experimental bent, and combining it with the sort of haunted minimalism of early Plastikman. What separated Biokinetics from other albums at the time was its unwavering narrative -- the exact sound has been interpreted countless times since, but the immersive qualities of this singular record have rarely been touched. Maybe it is down to the silvery underwater concept that ties each track together -- the bubbling pads, sub-aquatic basses and muffled kick drums. But as with any great album, it's hard to exactly put your finger on what makes it a classic. Simply put Biokinetics is one of the most important records in the genre and one of techno's finest albums. It has been re-released ten years ago by Type Records, and now Mille Plateaux is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Porter Ricks and Biokinetics with this sumptuous double vinyl edition.

LP version. Mille Plateaux present a reissue of Thomas Köner's Nuuk, originally published as one of four CDs on the 1997 compilation Driftworks and re-released in 2004 by MillePlateauxMedia. Thomas Köner is one of the most influential modernist minimal composers. Alongside Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project, Köner has been centrally responsible for electronic music's fascination with depth and reduction. His signature sound is vast, seemingly endless, which at first seems homogenous and infinite, but once exposed to it, when our senses calibrate to the fine nuances of changes, you discover and immerse into abundance of textures, richness of modulations, and almost infinite range of sonic titillations. Köner's work was inspired by his frequent travels in the Arctic, and listeners feel his music as a journey to mysterious worlds of the Arctic region. The experience of being exposed to the extreme cold, the heightening of our senses and ability to notice even the slightest changes in color, sound, light or density that creates this dangerously reductive environment, is like an immersion in the sonic world of this German artist, where masterfully crafted layers of sound open into colossal spaces, teeming with aural life, waiting to be discovered by those who venture into it. The titles of Köner's highly regarded albums from the '90s ever so often play with this affinity -- Nunatak, Permafrost, Teimo -- all reference to the world of the Artic region, just as his album Nuuk that points us to the capital of Greenland. Subdued and minimal at first glance, this album is brimming with low-end frequencies, shadowy resonances, and boreal ambience, but at the same time, constant fluctuation and vulnerability of sonic events, makes it very organic, human and almost comforting, like the tiny harbor existing in the sea of ice, it is named after. It also served as the source of music material and inspiration for Thomas Köner's video art by the same title, which was awarded a Tiger Cub Award at the 34th International Film Festival in Rotterdam a year later.

"Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters' classic Return of Django. Lee Perry had already been making name in the Jamaican music scene for about a decade before Return of Django hit the UK charts in 1969. Soon after, Trojan released a hugely popular collection of Perry's biggest instrumentals. This album is a must for everyone that enjoys that good old vintage reggae sounds. Lee 'Scratch' Perry was a pioneer of dub music and worked together with artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Clash and The Beastie Boys. This legend turned 84! this year and he's still performing and recording music."

Double LP version. Over five decades Sand is a timeless narrative machine full of pictures and scenarios, each title a unique piece that stands alone. The Vibrating Cloud floats powerfully across the vast expanses of sand, telling stories of confusion and aberration, rape of the planet, of the tenderness, hidden power and fragility of existence, the voracious digital demons, the loss of innocence in a surreal drama we call: World. Sand started with the Golem, the analog primitive robot that became independent and out of control. A hybrid creature related to Enki Bilal's mutants, androids, animal humans or automatons. Sand is the stage of the shadow struggles of Don Quixote, Faust's disappointed departure from science and the search for the infinite vastness of nature. The cunning, slyness and sophistication of the Mephisto in the big cities, the black town which has become an enemy habitat, and which produces people without earth, air pirates on air and passengers in circulation. The seductive Pandora, carrying in her box all the evils and hopes of this world, The Flying Dutchman's ghost ship roaming the seas. Sand is the story of the stranded and stuck but also the hopeful children's souls. The stories go from the me through the you to the we. So, in Vibrating Cloud, Sand and Enki Bilal merge into one psychedelic fiction. Sand kaleidoscopically reflects the facets of a darkened and then enlightened existence of man and the world and immerses himself musically and narratively in the spheres of Enki Bilal's mythology, conspiracy history, mixed-up comedy, science fiction and poetry. As Enki Bilal aptly put it: "I would say that this is a prospective reflection on our present world but in a different way in the future."

Welcome Back! Now, that hopefully goes for the public and parties, life and love and most definitely for Klasse Wrecks's mastermind Luca Lozano and Running Back. Bigger and better, rougher and tougher, Boss Moves 2 boldly starts, where the first part left us: somewhere in London's record store Bermuda triangle between Black Market, Fat Cat, and Release The Groove circa 1995. You will hear traces of Italian imports and IDM, European techno, British breakbeat and bass music culture, the DNA of what would turn into tech-house. With Luca Lozano as the conduit, Boss Moves 2 seems like a kaleidoscope of influences and a flash of inspirations. Seemingly all of a piece, it never appears like a scheme, but rather as a spirited, soulful and special double pack for dancers, DJs, and devotees. Made in Sheffield and done with determination!

Sarang Bang Records Archive Series Vol. 1, previously unreleased recordings of Bernie McGann compiled by Gianmarco Liguori. This compilation documents part of an exciting period in Australasian jazz. Recorded in Sydney, 1966, you hear that Bernie McGann was already one of the great Australian jazz stylists. At that time, the only publicly available recording he made was two tracks on the Jazz Australia compilation (1967). Two years earlier, McGann was living in Auckland, New Zealand (1963-64). It was here that he worked regularly with Kim Paterson, Andy Brown, and pianist Dave MacRae, and the basis of this band came into being. "Lazy Days", "Chuggin'", and "Sky" were salvaged from a cassette in Kim Paterson's collection, one of the few remaining copies. Originally intended for a radio broadcast, the master tapes were reportedly destroyed after the session. "Rhythm-a-Ning" and "When Will The Blues Leave?" were taped by Trevor Graham at the Wayside Chapel in King's Cross. Graham was a Sydney music journalist and ally of the avant-garde, with the foresight to capture some of what was happening at the time. This album is also notable for a rare appearance by the mysterious American drummer George Neidorf (misspelt as "Neidori" in the liner notes on the first Soft Machine album), an early influence on drummer Robert Wyatt. Field recordings of a major artist in strong company -- a lost treasure of Antipodean modern jazz. Personnel: Bernie McGann - alto sax; Kim Paterson - trumpet; Bobby Gebert - piano (side A); Andy Brown - bass; George Neidorf - drums. Recorded by Trevor Graham in Sydney, Australia (copyright 1966). Tip-on jacket with insert. "There is no more engaging nor distinctive alto saxophone sound on the planet than McGann's." --Sydney Morning "McGann takes the language of bebop then bends and stretches it to fit the contours of his own remarkable imagination." --The Wire "Bernie McGann's sound is exciting and physical, as heated as any post-coltrane modernist." --Downbeat

It's about time to uncover the most unknown Brazilian music style. Unlike other Brazilian musical traditions as samba and bossa-nova, never ever anything of Caipira music has been released outside Brazil. Repairing this huge gap, Vampisoul presents A Rainha da Viola Caipira, a stunning 25-track compilation of the revered "Queen Of The Viola Caipira", Helena Meirelles. To start with, what is a viola? It looks like an acoustic guitar but is not. It has nearly the same shape but it is slightly smaller. Instead of the six or twelve strings, it has ten strings, paired in duplets of five strings. It has a very distinctive sound, having an enhanced treble, and a sharper reverb. The sound must be played with a hard pick because its original steel strings are thicker than the ordinary ones. The viola is the main symbol of música caipira or, may we call it, caipira sound. Caipira music cannot easily be portrayed as country music or, directly, encapsulated in folk patterns, even though it contains ingredients from both of them. On top of that, it also bears an influence of guarânia (a Paraguayan slow polka played in minor scales) and corrido and ranchera (specific variations of the Mexican folklore). There's also a shadow of Mexican mariachi-style. Everything on Helena's life or art was exquisite and unique to say the least. Mother of 11 sons, estranged from all of them for 30 years, mid-wife by trade and a very late musician to debut in public (she was 68 years old when she started to record her debut album), she was born on the August 13th, 1924, and passed away in 2004. Considered by the Guitar Player Magazine, one the 100 greatest guitar players of all time, don't miss the chance to discover a brand-new kind of (Brazilian) folk music.

"Void Records is very happy to announce Void62. Mad Fables! Rare NJ band from the '70s in the Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Little Feat vein... This will be a 500 press on black vinyl with insert and with a back cover design that the rare original didn't have... 8 original songs including the anthemic 'Headband'. Cool original cover will be reproduced..."

2018 release. Originally released in 1970. "Siloah were a German progressive psych / folk band in the vein of Kalacakra, Langsyne and others 'curiosities'. Siloah are one of the best kept secrets of the krautrock production. Siloah had a hardcore including Thom Argauer, Manuela von Perfall, Heinrich 'Tiny' Stricker and Wolfgang Görner, plus a host of guests coming and going, everybody was free to join and play at any time, guest members often joining from the Baumstassen commune around which the band was living before they eventually moved to an abandoned farm on the outskirts of town A collective hippie musical tribe largely inspired by mysticism, LSD and sexadelism. Their music features a heavy use of stoned vocals (in English), mantric like guitar parts, flute, "ethnic" percussions. Their first drugged item released in 1970 offers a dangerous and imaginative ocean of trippy, perpetual jams. A bombastic psychedelic explosion in the mood of the best German prog folk releases. The atmospheres are beautifully 'acoustic', sometimes dreamy and ethereal but never away from krautrock 'primitive' sound."

Originally released in 2018. "The Book of AM is a collection of inspirational songs, poems and stories composed in different parts of the world through the millennia up to the present day and edited and set to music and graphics by Juan Arkotxa and Leslie MacKenzie. The Book expresses core themes from Eastern and Western philosophical and religious traditions and it follows the cycle of day with five parts - Dawn, Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night. When the Book was first published in 1977 the incomplete Part V, Night, was not incorporated into the four part publication (Part I published in Paris 1978, and Parts I, 2, 3, and 4 were published by Wah-Wah Records in 2004 and 2010). At last the final part Night has been completed and is presented here as the conclusion of this long project. We have used recordings from that time, 1977, and combined with musical and technical collaboration, mainly from og, (introduced to us by the member of the Book of AM team Will Z and also part of the Belgium group Cosmic Trip Machine) who joined us for this project and has brought his own form of genius to the mix, adding, along with Will Z, extra overdubs to our original recordings, as well as making an invaluable contribution to the composition, mixing and mastering by which we have achieved a sound different from the previous AM albums, more ethereal and informal but at the same time surprising and powerful which steps out of the standard songs format and creates a befitting space for the nocturnal and final mood of this project."

We Release Jazz announce the official reissue of Hiroshi Suzuki's Cat, a glorious jazz-fusion-funk holy grail originally released in 1976. Cat was recorded in October 1975 at Nippon Columbia Studio, while Hiroshi Suzuki was visiting his home country of Japan after moving to Las Vegas in 1971 to play with Buddy Rich and perfect his craft. Back on his old stomping grounds, the man known as Neko (Cat) immediately reunited with his dear friends for an epic two-day session of groove magic. The chemistry was still intact. The skills and style had grown. The result, Cat, is a smooth masterpiece, a deep and soulful affair where stunning trombone solos by Hiroshi Suzuki flirt with Takeru Muraoka's heavenly saxophone and the sensual rhythm section of Hiromasa Suzuki (keyboards), Kunimitsu Inaba (bass), and Akira Ishikawa (drums). Celebrated in jazz collectors circles, in the lo-fi beat scene, and among music diggers around the world, Cat has become one of the most sought-after Japanese jazz albums of all time and, much like Ryo Fukui's Scenery, has fascinated old and young generations alike. Sourced from the original masters. Liner notes by Teruo Isono.

2021 repress; black vinyl. LP version, gatefold sleeve. Originally released in 2001. Bravery, Repetition and Noise is a dark, dreamy album, rich in atmosphere, layered in waves of sound. The album's antecedents are clear, inspired by psychedelia as they were by punk's nihilism, pulling both strands into a doom-laden, experimental sound quite distinct from anything that had come before or since. Brian Jonestown Massacre uses this as their touchstone, lovingly re-creating the moods and atmospheres of the past.

2017 release. Originally released in 1981. "Originally released on Klaus Schulze's Innovative Communication label in 1981, Sei still, wisse Ich Bin is Popol Vuh's 13th LP. Fricke and Fichelscher worked under the production of Klaus Schulze himself and were helped for the occasion by Chris Karrer on soprano sax, Renate Knaup on vocals and the Chorensemble der Bayerischen Staatsoper. Two of its songs, Laß los and ... als lebtendie Engel auf Erden where used on the soundtrack of Werner Herzog's film Fitzcarraldo, from 1982. There is also a film directed by Florian Fricke, inspired by The Bible and filmed in the Sinai Desert, which staged the music contained within this album."

Maston's Darkland is a breezy collection of the material from the Tulips (BEWITH 087LP) sessions that didn't make it on to the original LP. Originally a digital-only release for those in the know in the autumn of 2018, after re-issuing Tulips in 2020 it made too much sense for Be With to give Darkland a vinyl release. Like Tulips, Darkland was recorded mostly in Hoorn, in the Netherlands, between 2015-2017 during downtime from Frank's touring duties with Jacco Gardner's band. Bits were also done in Los Angeles on some extended trips back home. The collection plays like an alternate view of Maston's instant modern classic Tulips; a companion piece to the LP proper with similar mixture of shorter themes and more full-length tracks. Darkland opens with its ornate 39 second title-track before striding into "Tulips", that full-length title-track that never was. It's a real head-nod, percussive-rich electric piano stunner that would've been a comfortable standout on the album proper. But now this "downlifting" gem is given ample room to shine on this record. The funky organ-led bass and drums workout "Immaculate Conception" will keep your neck gently snapping while MPC fiends go reaching for their sampler. "Love Theme No 3" cuts a breathtakingly stylish vibra-slapped swathe through the middle of the opening side before we're startled by the pronounced bass and twinkling percussion of "The Owl In Daylight". Charming digi-drums underpin the wonky synth (quiet-)banger "Innovative Patterns" which has a lovely melodic switch-up in the final third before the tempo (and hairs on your neck) rise on the faintly creepy yet imminently groovy "Osiris". The gorgeously soft-focus "Groove Experiment No 3" closes out the first half in slo-mo wonderment. The lushly melancholic "Raincloud" ushers in side B before the emotionally-stirring "Phonic" taps at the door, coming on like the long lost sister to Pet Sounds' "Let's Go Away For A While". Next up, the swooning beauty "Love Theme No 2" keenly sways in front of you, growing ever more insistent and hypnotic. The too-short "Italian Summer" conjures the same flirtatious imagery as the title hints at whilst "Endless" is a fascinating "piano-pella" alternative version to "Rain Dance" from Tulips. "Wonder Theme" has a nostalgic, exotic 60s swing and album closer "Willow" is a hushed, campfire folk gem. The gently circular strumming is just magical. Mastered by Simon Francis.

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

2021 restock. Far Out Recordings present a reissue of the seminal debut album from Azymuth, Azimüth, originally released in 1975. Having never seen a vinyl release outside of Brazil, Azimüth is considered a milestone in Brazilian music. Azymuth -- Jose Roberto Bertrami, Ivan Conti, and Alex Malheiros, as well as Ariovaldo Contesini -- formed in the late '60s just as Os Mutantes released their debut record (1968). Whilst Mutantes were honing a psychedelic "Amazonian" version of western pop music, Azymuth were creating a futuristic, electric interpretation of US jazz -- also driven by the same rootsy Brazilian "swing" that Mutantes had harnessed. Bertrami was the drive behind Azymuth's sound -- a control freak and musical genius obsessed with the latest technology who wanted to use it to push the boundaries of music in a way that no one else in Brazil had done. His use of keyboards has drawn comparisons between Azymuth's work and Herbie Hancock's early '70s output, yet with its Brazilian swing Azymuth's electric jazz sound is unmistakably their own. Conti is an impulsive and an incredibly energetic drummer. Alex Malheiros, who learned his trade playing from the master of Brazilian swing Ed Lincoln, is one of Brazil's original groove masters. Bertrami rose to fame as an arranger in the mid-60s, and by the late '60s he was arranging for the queen of Brazilian music, Elis Regina. Released in summer 1975, the album was a minor commercial success selling 200,000 copies. Opening track "Linha do Horizonte" -- a sublime piece of melancholic electronic saudade where deep cinematic synths melt into gently strummed acoustic jazz guitar -- was chosen for a TV novella and went on to sell half a million, propelling Azymuth onto the Brazilian music scene. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint -- "Melô Dos Dois Bicudos" sees Azymuth plugging them into the Brazilian national grid for a slice of electrified psyched out samba funk with crashing military drums, shrieking sirens and psych synths. "Brazil" is a lolloping bass led groover with Bertrami's melody giving the track a charming, innocent naivety, and "Caça A Raposa" is a boogie jazz funk groover. Azimüth is the album that kick-started it all for them, the record that was the blueprint and definition of their "samba doido/crazy samba" sound. Comes in a gatefold sleeve; 180 gram vinyl.

"Back in 2012 Mark Cunningham of Mars and Blood Quartet, who also records as a solo artist was back in Western Mass, where he once had some roots. Mark came by the store to hang, but he was itching to do something, so a jam was suggested. Once the shop was closed, Mark brought his trumpet back to the store. To meet him, Brett Robinson stood up his bass, Jen Gelineau lifted her violin and Ted Lee entered his percussion zone. At that time these last three were mostly gigging with Egg Eggs, but they didn't let that stop them from playing a light and fine improv set. On the first side, Mark's trumpet really sets the pace with long, loosely Baker-fried lines, and everyone hits a fine and abstract groove. On the flip, Jen's violin carries a bit more of the tonal weight with Mark dropping back into the shadows to lay strange accents onto her saw lines, while Ted and Brett both pop like knuckle monkeys. Now that's what I call music. Pretty dang bracing!" --Byron Coley, 2021