Neither
Neither has been identified by some as an opera (it was commissioned by the Rome Opera) but it makes use of none of the conventions of traditional opera. There is no story, no mise-en-scene. The intensity results from emotional/aesthetic tension, not plot manipulation or character confrontation. The music does not attempt to accompany or depict the text in the usual fashion; instead Feldman has created a kind of musical equivalent to the environment that Beckett's words suggest, invoking …
The Dew Line
Deluxe gatefold sleeve reissue of this all-time classic of deformed rock song and avant guitar downs from Michael Morley of The Dead C: originally issued in 1994 by Table Of The Elements/Precious Metal, this new edition re-masters the original while adding five bonus tracks from the same time period and re-jigging the running order for maximal wipe-out.. Michael Morley has trawled through his extensive collection of unreleased tracks from the original recording period to integrate a furth…
Zummo with an X
Arthur Russell, amplified cello and voice; Bill Ruyle, tabla, marimba; Peter Zummo, trombone; Rik Albani, trumpet; Guy Klucevsek, accordion; Mustafa Ahmed, percussion. with accuracy and humor, peter zummo (born 1948) often describes his unique music as 'minimalism plus a whole lot more.' he is an important exponent of the american contemporary classical tradition whose compositions explore the methodologies of not just minimalism, but also jazz, world music, and rock, while seeking to cre…
Transparent Winter
Painting Petals On Planet Ghost is the project formed in 2004 by the brothers Maurizio and Roberto Opalio, better known as My Cat Is An Alien, along with Ramona Ponzini, after years of synergistic interaction. The idea behind the project is to combine the most lyrical and melodic MCIAA sounds with the peculiar research carried on by Ramona and focused on the use of ancient Japanese poetry as a privileged source of texts to be set to music. PPOPG is therefore a project that reflects an escape to …
Homunculus
Debut disc from the new collaborative project between Nathan Bowles (Black Twig Pickers/Spiral Joy Band) and Lisa Cameron (Venison Whirled). A real odd one this, lots of rattling and scraping of percussive objects creating 3 tracks of abstract improvised surreal sonic explorations. The sound is matched by what I can only describe as the weirdest sleeves I have every had the joy of releasing (and we've had some weird ones), but this one is far out, the guy at my local print shop looked baffled wh…
Phantom Band
The first band of Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit after Can split up in 1979. The first line-up (1980) included top musicians such as Helmut Zerlett (e.g. Dunkelziffer, Unknown Cases), Rosko Gee (Traffic, Can), Dominik von Senger (e.g. Damo Suzuki Band, Dunkelziffer), Olek Gelba, and Holger Czukay (Can) as guest musician. The Phantom Band mixes Can-style monotonic polyrhythms with afrobeat, funk, jazz, disco, reggae, and dub. A nearly forgotten exciting musical experience! Release date: March …
Heartbreaker / Look At The People
Initially conceived in Louisville in 1978 from the ashes of two local punk bands by Tony Pinotti, Bruce Witsiepe (coming from No Fun) and Rik and Dave Letendre (coming from I-Holes), the band Circle X moved to New York soon after. They encountered there a young german painter, Ralph Neun, linked to the art school of Darmstadt. Ralph Neun was living in NYC for about a year, and decided to record a song evoking the city: Rolling Stones' 'Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)'. Ralph Neun booked…
E (and sometimes why)
If, Bwana is always Al Margolis. Trio Scordatura is Elisabeth Smalt, viola d'amore; Alfrun Schmid, voice; Bob Gilmore, keyboard/laptop. The new 2 cd magnum opus by If, Bwana (Al Margolis) has been almost 3 years in the making. It is the first time he has composed works (usually with prerecorded sounds) specifically for another ensemble. Gilmore's Girls, Ringing (Ano)the(r) Bell, and Diapason, maybe were specifically written for Trio Scordatura. Cicada 4AA was the first piece of If, Bwana's…
In the Library of Dreams
'I was going to write about how this is an absolutely beautiful and disturbing record, but I think quoting from the liner notes of James Pritchett really does sum it up. 'Frances White invites us to take a walk through her Resonant Landscape. Where are we going? We are walking through the woods, marshes, and streams of New Jersey. She points out the birds and frogs that make their home there, the water that flows through it and the wind that shakes the trees. But then we turn and there is…
St. Francis Duo
“Having played together in Æthenor for the last couple of years, Steve Noble & Stephen O’Malley came together to play as a duo at Cafe Oto in 2011. These recordings are the results of these two hot and sticky nights in East London. Noble is a regular at Bo’Weavil Recordings, having appeared on over nine recordings for the label, and a linch pin in London’s improvising community. Steve Noble studied with Nigeria master drummer Elkan Ogunde and in the early 1980s and over the last 20 years …
Nothing Is Forever
Recorded at Forest City Gallery, London, ON with help from John Clement. 'The NSB was formed in 1965 by a group of people who enjoyed music and wanted to play in a band. There was no desire to learn to play traditional instruments so kazoos were bought and assorted noise makers modified or built from scratch. The band started playing regularly every Monday night in 1966 and has just carried on. The personnel has stayed the same. John Boyle (artist) kazoo and drums, John Clement (MD) guitar…
Winterreise
Winterreise is the audio soundtrack to a series of photographs with the same name produced by Atom TM. The series was exhibited during 2011 in Tokyo and Frankfurt (excerpts included in the packaging of the Winterreise CD edition). The Winterreise soundtrack may be considered a sequel to the Liedgut (R-N 099CD) album, in the sense that the resulting photo series was conceived as a consequence of the contextual framework which Liedgut both initiated and provided. Winterreise, though, is a far m…
The Films Of Hilary Harris
Features four short files and interviews and clips. The films are: Organism (1975), 9 Variations (1966), Highway (1958), Longhorn (1951). "Organism is Academy Award(TM)-winning film maker Hilary Harris' epic vision of New York City, shot over 15 years (1959-1974) during which time he pioneered and contemporized time-lapse film making techniques to achieve a unique experiential view of the world we inhabit. Hilary Harris is one of the few really interesting film makers in the country... keen…
Films
"Filmmakers often try to make a great film by making it feel heavier than film is by nature. Rudy Burckhardt seems happy if he can make his feel lighter. That does leave him unique, and he succeeds in it too. There is no distortion of image or sound. Its magic invention - including the later dream-weight - is new and inscrutable. It is a film that changes when you watch it again, it has many surprises I haven't mentioned. Take it as a wonderfully touching dream and as an amazing marvel of…
El Telonero
it took ernesto gonzalez more than three years to record the follow-up for his 'vallée de dith', but it was definitely worth the waiting! 'el telonero' is a tribute to the art of opening up for other bands. this album was created during a period in which gonzalez got more comfortable on stage, often setting the vibe for the night. concentrating on the ultimate tuning-in quality. the loose kraut-inspired jams of his second record are pretty much absent here. the focus is on analog synths a…
Live at kraakfestival 2011
Imagine tony conrad & faust reincarnated as a french punk trio in 2011, using only a minimal drum kit, bass and hurdy-gurdy to drone you into another dimension. imagine this as a live performance during kraakfestival after your seventh glass of duvel and among a crowd of head banging music freaks and a spontaneous outburst of fool's dances. then you pretty much get the picture of this recording. for many of visitors a highlight in the festival's history. documented in the lo-fi cassette traditio…
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
LP version. 2012 repress. "1996 : Tortoise's landmark second album Millions Now Living Will Never Die is released. Featuring the famous 20 minute opener 'Djed' and out of print on vinyl for far too long we are happy to finally offer it again. Pressed on high quality virgin vinyl and including all original artwork - a fully artworked inner sleeve and for the first time a download coupon!"
Midnight At Mary's House
"Vagabond American legend Carlos Gonzalez drops his first NNF full-length, and it's 10 of his greatest junkyard surf-slime tunes of all time. Edition of 500."
Black Foliage: Animation Music
Gatefold double LP reissue of Olivia Tremor Control's second album, originally released in 1999. "And for the first time since its original release, Black Foliage has been remastered from the original tapes! Includes a download card for the entire record along with bonus material from b-sides, unreleased and live material and the tracks from a rare Black Swan Network seven inch."
Off-Road
"Cheerful Mats was dragged into the studio last year by David Grubbs for the ostensible purpose of contributing to a Thicket-in-the-works. The pair instead became terminally sidetracked with recording the two lengthy duets for harmonium and tenor saxophone and harmonium and fluteophone (Mat's invention -- a flute with a reed mouthpiece) that make up Apertura. Listening to Apertura, the first question is 'who is doing what?' It's not certain that even the artists themselves know." Two long …