Experimental / All styles

"In april 2007, i made several recordings on a ferry in norway, of the engine resonating through the metal hull. later, i recorded my voice humming and singing to the ferry, using it as a harmonic guide or drone. i then erased the original ferry recording, and replaced it with a bowed banjo. the piece was created for the FM ferry experiment, and broadcast from the staten island ferry in ny. special thanks to jorgen larsson for the norwegian journey, and valerie tavere for including the piece in …

Blood is dripping from my stereo and my ears. Blood stereo submerges its listeners in horror vacui. The awfulness of emptiness is made audible in all its horrific detail. This album can be construed either as a radio play for exhausted ears or the ideal soundtrack for waking up from a disturbing nightmare. Reality refuses to return this early in the morning and all that remains is a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Voices wander around in your head, somewhere there is the creaking of …

One of the most exciting experimental music artists currently active in North America, he has earned a growing following around the world. This recording is what you might expect—insanely powerful drone based music composed of the richly layered sounds of different instruments & field recordings, allowing the listener to pick up on new sounds & subtleties with every listen. Incredibly unusual music that takes influence from both ambient & noise circles & blends them to fantastic results. A very …

Another ridiculously limited LPs from Table of the Elements celebrating not only their 15th anniversary but also the humble guitar itself. This time we have a one sided, etched blue slab of wax from the unshakable Oren Ambarchi, a man whose name has become synonymous with quality electronic production. In recent years he has been seen next to Stephen O'Malley and the Southern Lord lot, but here we find him back to doing what he does so well - a gorgeous long-form guitar drone piece taking in all…

As with this week's excellent Ateleia & Benjamin Curtis LP, this beautiful Table Of The Elements LP comes on single-sided clear vinyl with a Savage Pencil etching on the flip. It's just as good as its counterpart too: as suggested by the title, the side-long piece piles on an armoury of guitars, accumulating a huge amount of sonic density, but never in an oppressive way. Instead the melding of electric and acoustic tones create a huge, warm network of sonorities, consolidating this band's positi…

Table of the Elements continues to celebrate its 15th anniversary with the second installment in its Guitar Series. On 'Baghdad Batterie', Ateleia and Benjamin Curtis fuse splendidly, as perfectly synchronized audio alchemists, and when they dip their axes in a vat of liquid soundscaping, the transmutation is complete: thick, glistening beats throb and undulate, without a tell-tale twang in sight. Baghdad Batterie is a fabulous piece of laptop psychedelia, and certain to delight fans of Curtis a…

Wafting, vaporously, from the suffocating heat of New Orleans, Belong shimmers like a mirage: vaguely discernable, yet always at the edge of an unobtainable horizon. Collaborators Mike Jones and Turk Dietrich employ a singular and remarkably inscrutable studio technique (Dietrich's remix skills extend to Nine Inch Nails' "The Frail") to wholly liquefy source material - here electric guitars - into wave upon breaking wave of sound. Comparisons are frequently made to William Basinski's notorious "…

Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards, Hototogisu) rears Zaimph's vile head once again on La Nuit Electrique. A raspy, delicate instrumental passage begins like a crippled music box. Elegant and soporose. Blackened guitar and amplification apprise the rest. Acrid feedback hangs in the air and vocal modulations clot inside dark rivers of current. The night electric

Nysa represents a compendium of turbulence and singularities. The sound for drunken states on mythic mountains. A studio reshaping of several live performances with custom computer programs, gestural input devices, and circuit-bent electronics. It was assembled throughout 2006 in Providence and mixes human aktions with the performance systems: Needles(s), High, Maenads, and Augur. Each system utilizes a physical approach for exploring the hidden and creating the esoteric with digital audio. Hand…

Aphotic Leech is the first movement in a series of ever changing modes which make up what Half Makeshift has slowly become. A bath of heavy drone and bitter piano chords strewn over top of subtle glitch work and manipulated percussion, Aphotic Leech trades malice for despair and shuns any probable hope. Created in November of 2006 from austere piano pieces, string fragments, a live percussion specimen and other various arrangements, this piece grew to be much larger than originally intended thro…

Klangmutationen are an mystery. More could be said about what their music isn't than what it is. Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the underground experimentalists pierce the veils of Eastern and Western music. Recalling early sets on FMP as well as the Takayanagi-Abe axis of Japanese free music, Schwarzhagel is the sound of a spirit falling past its own life after death, forever

Questo volume offre per la prima volta al pubblico italiano la storia dell'incontro tra la filosofia di Deleuze e Guattari e la musica elettronica. Una storia che comincia, forse, quando Deleuze partecipa nel 1972 alla registrazione del disco Electronique Guerrilla del gruppo rock sperimentale Heldon, prestando la sua voce a un frammento di Umano, troppo umano di Nietzsche.Per ripercorrere questa storia, complessa e ricca, Emanuele Quinz esplora alcuni concetti-chiave a partire dai quali Deleuze…

Two classic Y records reissued on the Unheard Music Series; hardcore improvised music by Beresford (Slits, Premiere U.K. Jounalisto), Honsinger (cellist extraordinaire), Toop (experimental Genius/author) & Kondo (Japanese improv legend). Originally released in 1980/81, never reissued before. With bonus tracks, new liner notes by Beresford.

With a lineup of five turntablists, cello, sampler, and vocals and led by avant genius Otomo Yoshihide, this is not your average group. In fact, this strange blend of over-the-top plunderphonics at times sounds as dense and chaotic as some of John Oswald's work, but done live rather than through meticulous layering and overdubs. The music is not just completely incoherent noise, on the other hand, but rather quite organized in its own way, as everything from national anthems to easy listening re…

You know how sometimes people try so hard that they do not wish their early moments to be seen nor heard? Such is the case with Gérard Manset and his first recordings which, as it were, represent some of the best psychedelic chansons in existence and in league with such luminaries as Gainsbourg, Polnareff and Ferrer. Ill-conceived timing with the May 1968 student riots in Paris doomed the fate of his Animal on est Mal EP and self-titled LP, and both are now as rare as truffles. However, his popu…

Pierre Bastien is well known for his orchestra of musically gifted robots. Driven by electric motors, the machines deliver stuttering rhythmic loops. These unsteady tempos constantly fluctuate, imbuing the songs with an emotional and honest quality not found in much of today's loop-based music. The nine tracks on Visions of Doing have been selected from Pierre Bastien's soundtracks to Karel Doing's films. Pierre Bastien on Visions of Doing: 'The compositions presented here in homage to Karel Doi…

Tetuzi Akiyama's contribution to the portrait series, The Ancient Balance to Control Death is a departure in a career of departures. In addition to Akiyama's trademark improvised, blues-infused, guitar work, the ep features intense multi-layered vocals. The end result is a collection of unique Japanese blues that could only have come from one of Japan's most distinct and creative improvisers.

Featuring French multi-instrumentist Xavier Charles and the well known experimental Japanese musician Otomo Yoshihide. Together their sounds create a monochrome mental image in a field of ambient drone and glitches. 'Difference Between The Two Clocks' is an involving, sometimes uneasy listen, during which the duo explore the relationship between sound and silence, focusing on non beating rhythms and minimalist texture and volume.

The Red Crayola's Soldier-Talk returns at last. Drag City Records are proud to announce that, after having been missing in action for twenty-eight years, this vital, much acclaimed work is now available again. Soldier-Talk appeared first on Radar Records. A custom label built around Elvis Costello, financed and distributed by WEA, Radar had licensed the International Artists catalog in 1978 and had already re-released the band's first album, The Parable of Arable Land, and first single, 'Wives i…

Rescued from a long slumber of loathe, these live tapes of the Houston Red Crayola rejoin us to the truth about flower power: all free, all form, all freaked out.

Continuing his 'exploration of the universe of broad-band noise from the real world,' Francisco López delivers his latest tour de force, the original soundtrack to the film TechnoCalyps by Frank Theys. TechnoCalyps is a documentary in three parts on 'Transhumanism,' which deals with the subject of human beings no longer being the driving force of civilization. Director Frank Theys raises the question of whether we are prepared to accept the prospect that humanity is not the end of evolution. Fra…

As the title suggests, Asva's second album maps an internal landscape - wild, vast, open - at once breathtakingly beautiful as it is potentially dangerous. A psycho-geographical vista of mountain highs, barren rolling plains and oceanic lows. Helmed by Stuart Dahlquist, formerly of Burning Witch, Goatsnake and Sunn0))), and recorded with the cream of the Pacific North West's rich musical talent, including members of Burning Witch, Mr. Bungle and Earth. This is a lyricless album of immense person…

Japan edition. Faust was among the most adventurous and creative German bands of the '70s, and after disappearing for a decade and a half, they reunited in the '90s and made several startlingly good albums. Today, drummer Werner 'Zappi' Diermaier and bassist Jean-Hervé Peron are the only original members, joined by Amaury Cambuzat from the band Ulan Bator. Nurse With Wound, formed three decades ago, is the brainchild of Steven Stapleton, now augmented with Colin Potter. NWW recordings are notori…

Japanese-only CD reissue of what was originally a Japanese-only LP in the 80s, issued in support of a Der Plan tour. Der Plan is a German music art group who is running an independent label Ata Tak. The original LP was released only in Japan in 1985. Including 12. EP track, 2 unreleased tracks. Japan only.

This is the first solo CD by Swedish guitarist David Stackenäs. The structure of the material builds on sketches, compositional ideas and improvisation. The refined form and development of the tracks makes an interesting contrast to the rawness and simplicity of the sound of the acoustic guitar.

Deconstructing the music we know as rock, just leaving the essentials - a chord, a phrase, a simple drum figure - and repeating it till something else appears... Swedish duo Sheriff works with limited material and creates a world of their own. The intimate recordings create a restrained atmosphere where every beat on the guitar strings and strike on the drums is heard and vital to the whole. Their use of repetition suggests a link to minimalist composition, but is totally outside the academic wo…

In the living room of a small house in Dalarna, the Swedish countryside, Sagor & Swing has recorded this timeless music evoking the surrounding landscape - the forests, mountains and lakes. Moody and simple melodies with echoes of old Swedish folk tunes and the nature in the paintings of John Bauer. Some years ago, Eric Malmberg was given an organ from legendary Swedish organplayer Bo Hansson, one half of the 70’s drums/organ duo Hansson & Karlsson. This organ was the very one used on Hansson’s …

Häpna is proud to announce the release of Three Henries, the new record by Chicago quartet Pillow. Raw, quiet and minimal music with attention to details and emphasis on the group as a collective. Their way of playing and creating structures carries elements of Morton Feldman, AMM and the flowing electronics of Microstoria.

Sagor & Swing is Eric Malmberg on Hammond organ and Ulf Möller on drums. This is the follow up to their debut album “Orgelfärger”, considered one of the most interesting records of last year by many Swedish critics. “Melodier och fåglar” (“Melodies and birds”) is minimal and timeless, naive and simple. Eric calls his melodies “Nothing music”. Something to listen to when you almost want it to be quiet. When you are so affected by the noise from the media that you no longer bear with real silence.…

The myth of Sagor & Swing tells that they are children of nature that grew up in the forest. That they at an early age built their first instruments and isolated from the noise of civilization invented a music of their own. What we know for sure, however, is that they make wonderful organ music and have been doing this for some time now. This is their third album, “Allt hänger samman”. The woods have thickened. The melodies have become more intricate and the idyllic scenes now have a darker tone…

Although this might have been released a while back (2003 to be exact!) this is the first time we've managed to get hold of some copies, and those of you who have tracked down Loren Connors' work before (or that of Gastr Del Sol man David Grubbs for that matter) should know just how essential 'Arborvitae' will be before you even hear it. Of course Connors is on guitar and we see Grubbs alternating between guitar and piano (mostly piano) but 'Arborvitae' doesn't just find both artists falling int…

First album by Noise Under Dreaming, an electro-post-rock band from Milan. Matteo Chiamenti and Michele Ricciardi worked always alone for this debut, in separate places, using various instruments, samples and field recordings. The result is a music wich bows his own head and rarely looks in the eyes, a music to listen to, or better to hear, alone.

It happened in turns during five years; Patrik Torsson spent one month at sea and one month ashore. Six months on a tanker and six months at home every year. The month at sea as first mate on a product tanker included navigation and the handling of refined petroleum products. The free month at home was spent exclusively on making and developing music. After working like this in five years, Patrik decided to take a break from the sea. The free month was not worth the 84-hour weeks in the North an…

Just half a year since “Allt hänger samman” and the fourth album from Sagor & Swing, “Orgelplaneten” (“The Organ Planet”) is here. The energy has been turned up quite a bit. This more energetic side of their sound has been showing a whole lot during their concerts, but this is the first time that it has been captured on record, as a document of how the duo have sounded live. It also stands out from their three earlier records by adding Moog and accordion to the usual setup of organ and drums. A …

The Swedish summer is the season that draws out the most joy of life and outdoor activities from the population, but it’s as much a form of preserving traditions that is rooted centuries back in time. The summer 2004 resembles in big parts the summer of 1938, 1956 or 1972. People make use of the light, the warmth and love to strengthen oneselves before the coming cold. The Midsummer pole is raised, the fresh potatoes are harvested and the cans of herring opened. Bathing places are filled with la…

Eric Malmberg is something of an enigma. How he without apparent effort brings forth these timeless melodies we don’t know - only that the music is classic organ pop that aims straight for the heart. During the past years, he was the songwriter and organ player of Sagor & Swing. Soon after that band broke up, after four records, this productive musician started to sketch the main guidelines for a new solo album. A year later it's finished. An album made entirely on ORGAN and completely one man’s…

This is the eagerly-awaited third album from the Stockholm-based trio of Tape, comprised of Andreas and Johan Berthling and Tomas Hallonsten. Gently exploring the soft realms of electro-acoustic sound, their world is located somewhere between experimental music and instrumental pop, and with this release, a new chapter has been written in the history of Tape. This album gives us a clearer structure, a sharper sound and the songs take more time to evolve. With Rideau, Tape shows that they are mas…

This is the second solo release from Sweden's Eric Malmberg, former songwriter and organist for the now-defunct Sagor & Swing. Featuring guest musicians such as Goran Kajfes, Lars Skoglund, Johan Berthling, Cecilia Österholm and legendary organist, Bo Hansson.

This is the debut solo full-length release from Stockholm-based Anna Järvinen, former member of Sweden's Granada from 1998-2004. Granada released three albums and one EP on record labels such as Universal, V2 and Look Left Recordings, and were produced by Björn Olsson and Mattias Glavå, who also heavily contributed to this record. Jag Fick Feeling was recorded in the Kungssten industry area in Gothenburg during a rainy summer and cold winter with members of Dungen and The Works, amongst many oth…

Opera Plus is a reissue of Tape's 2002 full-length debut Opera (HAPNA 009CD), with three new tracks taken from the original 2002 sessions. Tape are Johan Berthling, Andreas Berthling and Tomas Hallonsten: guitars, laptop, pedals, synthesizers, harmonium, melodica, field recordings, percussion, harmonica, zither, piano, flute, bells, glockenspiel, accordion, trumpet, paper, styrofoam, yongmei. As Stephan Mathieu wrote at the time of this release, "Tape's music lives at the intersection of a 21st …