Psychedelia & Kraut / All styles

Their debut, pensive and relaxed. A masterpiece, originally released on Vertigo. A vinyl re-release of the debut-album by legendary krautrock avant garde band Agitation Free. "Not willing to compromise, and heavily into the avant-garde (many members studied with the influential Thomas Kessler) it took a long while until Agitation Free got an album out. By that time they had developed a cosmic styled rock with a strong ethnic element. Although in the spirit of Ash Ra Tempel and Pink Floyd, they h…

*2024 repress* Over the last two decades Philadelphia-based guitarist Chris Forsyth has released over a dozen critically lauded albums that have established him as one of today’s most unique and acclaimed guitar player /composers – a forward-thinking classicist synthesizing cinematic expansiveness with a pithy lyricism and rhythmic directness that makes even his 20-minute workouts feel as clear, direct, and memorable as a 4-minute song. In retrospect, Forsyth’s career can be divided into two per…

One of the most famous artists that came to light from the Swedish underground scene is the keyboardist Bo Hansson. His album "Lord of the Rings" inspired by the book of the same name remains a staple for all the freaks of the seventies and was internationally successful. "Lord Of The Rings" or "Sagam Om Ringen" remains a pre new age masterpiece of instrumental music for the mind, with splendid moog and organ releases, which underline Hansson's jazz origin, for four years and only until the firs…

2022 Repress. "One of the most original, impressive and highly respected of all the experimental groups to have come out of Italy in the 1970s." - Chris Cutler. "Picchio dal Pozzo can be considered as the definitive 'Canterbury' inspired band, coming from Italy's 1970s progressive rock scene. Their 1976 debut album shows an incredibly rich sound texture, made out of some peculiar musical ingredients. Oblique tunes and liquid harmonies, airy flutes, crispy horns, loads of electric piano, fuzz bas…

If you face a „Jesus“ look-alike in a white robe with an acoustic guitar and a beard in full blossom on the cover of a record you know you’re on the trail of a real oddity, in whatever way it might be. Then you check the name and it says D.R. Hooker on the cover. Is it his name or is he a doctor who cures prostitutes, so called “hookers” ? What is this all about? With a bit of effort you may find out that this is the name of a musician from the Connecticut scene of the early 70s and that he gath…

Hailing from Uppsala, cultural powerhouse and home to some of the finest prog/psych outfits, such as San Michael’s, Kaipa, Algarnas Tradgard, Trad, Gras och Stenar, Gandalf’s sole album, and Pokora 4-star rated, ranks among the rarest and incredibly hard to find Swedish psych/prog gems. You’re in for a resourceful blend of acid-drenched psychedelia, alternating with prog movements that bear the mark of emergent and sedimented styles of its era. This is no ordinary Gandalf, but a booze-suffused h…

Satin Whale was a German progressive rock band, which formed in the early 1970s, known for their intricate compositions and a sound that blended elements of rock, jazz, and symphonic music. The band gained a reputation for their technical proficiency and ability to weave together complex musical passages with melodic sensibilities, characteristic of the progressive rock genre during that era. Their debut album, Desert Places, was released on the Brain label in 1974. This album is a hallmark of t…

Epitaph is a German rock band that originated in Dortmund in 1969. They are known for their blend of progressive rock, hard rock, and early heavy metal, creating a sound that combines intricate guitar work with strong melodies and harmonies. The band gained a following in the 1970s, particularly in Germany and parts of Europe, where they became known for their dynamic live performances and solid musicianship. Their second studio album, Stop, Look and Listen, was released on Polydor in 1972. This…

Epitaph is a German progressive rock band formed in Dortmund in 1969. Known for blending elements of hard rock, progressive rock, and early heavy metal, Epitaph carved out a unique niche in the early 1970s rock scene. Their music often features complex compositions, melodic guitar work, and strong vocal harmonies, reflecting the influence of both British and American rock. Their self-titled debut album, Epitaph, was released on the Polydor label in 1971. The album showcases the band’s early sou…

The overall atmosphere and aura of You Are Here... I Am There points at the influences of American jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and Charles Mingus. The record shows a strong tendency, however, towards a distinctive sound that was, at the time, new, embraced by musicians such as Jan Garbarek and Ian Carr. Above all, Keith Tippett's compositional style bears traces of the artist's classical training, unveiled by his harmonic and dynamic awareness and careful balance between …

LP, 50th Anniversary Edition. 180G "Pearl / Sunrise" Colour Vinyl. Original 1973 Vinyl Sleeve Reproduction. Iconic Studio Photography as 4 Fold Poster feat. Manuel Göttsching and Rosi Müller during Recording Sessions. Original "The Fairy Dance" Music and "Schizo" Composition Sheets handwritten by . We are thrilled to announce the highly anticipated re-issue of Ash Ra Tempel's legendary 5th Studio Album "Starring Rosi" in our "50th Anniversary Edition". Originally released in 1973, this seminal w…

We continue our deep-dive into US Prog Classics with Lift’s one-time wonder Caverns Of Your Brain. Previously released on vinyl as a bootleg, this 1977 4-track sonic labyrinth is packed with the quintessential ingredients of an instant classic. A never-come-down, fast-paced haven of complexity, with abundant mellotron/moog doses and inventive rhythmic shifts that evoke a eureka moment on every corner. This is the first official vinyl edition, featuring new and band approved cover artworks, bonus…

*CD Version*  Reissue of this three CD anthology from the American '60s Psychedelic rockers Kaleidoscope containing their complete recordings for the Epic Records label spanning the years 1967 to 1970. Features all four of the bands' original albums: Side Trips, a Beacon from Mars, Incredible and Bernice. Also includes rarities, non album tracks and more. 46 tracks.

A founder member of Soft Machine, Kevin embarked on a solo career in 1969, signing to EMI’s Harvest label and recording the album ‘JOY OF A TOY’ the same year. It is a mark of Kevin’s stature that his recordings during this period would feature contributions from notable musicians such as arranger and keyboard player David Bedford, Robert Wyatt, Syd Barrett, Mike Oldfield, Lol Coxhill, Steve Hillage, Archie Legget and more.  This boxed set includes all of the surviving BBC sessions and In Concer…

A founder member of Soft Machine, Kevin Ayers embarked on a solo career in 1969, signing to EMI's Harvest label, for whom he would record a series of wonderful and stylistically eclectic albums. 'Whatevershebringswesing' was issued in November 1971 and saw contributions from David Bedford, Robert Wyatt and Mike Oldfield. Featuring such classic tracks as 'Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes', 'Song from the Bottom of a Well' and 'Whatevershebringswesing', the album is regarded as one of Kevin's finest. …

100 copies ONLY numbered ultra limited edition of this very rare Swiss instrumental album from 1976. F.G. Experimental Laboratory was an experimental music project known for blending electronic, ambient, and avant-garde sounds. The group's work often focuses on creating immersive soundscapes that challenge conventional music structures, leaning heavily into the use of synthesizers, sampling, and sound manipulation. "Journey Into a Dream" is a notable album, characterized by its ethereal and drea…

*Standard edition, 217 copies* The Legendary Pink Dots has released many live in its history but most often with albums that brought together recording from various locations. Today and now available, is the first double live record of a full concert from the 80s era. All great bands all have their legendary “double live” performances in their history. This has now been achieved for the Dots with this recording in Kontich, and Fractal is very happy to be able to offer it to you. Live in Kontich …

Roberto Cacciapaglia is an Italian composer and pianist who started out in the fertile Milan avant-garde scene of the 1970s, which included Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio, Lino Capra Vaccina, Francesco Messina, among others. After studying at the conservatory, he worked at RAI's Studio of Musical Phonology – an electronic music laboratory similar to NDR/WDR in Germany, GRM/IRCAM in France or BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Originally released in 1979, Sei Note In Logica (Six Notes In Logic) is Cacciapagl…

Roberto Cacciapaglia is an Italian composer and pianist who started out in the fertile Milan avant-garde scene of the 1970s, which included Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio, Lino Capra Vaccina, Francesco Messina, among others. After studying at the conservatory, he worked at RAI's Studio of Musical Phonology – an electronic music laboratory similar to NDR/WDR in Germany, GRM/IRCAM in France or BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Sonanze (Sonatas) is Cacciapaglia's debut album, a monumental work that was record…

Turning their gaze to the buoyant culture of wyrd, modernist German folk music, Quindi welcome a spectacularly idiosyncratic offering from Johannes Schebler, aka Baldruin. Bewildering narrative twists, high drama and intricate delicacy make Mosaike der Imagination an engrossing listen from the outset, as baroque atmospheres and tumbledown drums intertwine with tactile string plucks and needlepoint synthesis in an authoritative bridging of ancient and hypermodern sonic sensibilities. Schebler's c…

Japan's long running masters of psych/kosmische jamming return to Important Records for a vinyl outing featuring beloved original member Cotton Casino.

Sun Araw’s tenth studio album, Lifetime, continues to investigate space as a motionless field against which many motions are observed! Stasis: wheels within and wheels without! “Dripping Magnetizations! Arcs of Slowing Rotations!” Two LPs at 45 RPM. Mixed by Cameron Stallones & Jake Viator, Mastered by JJ Golden. Please enjoy this adventure in sound.

6OOA’s 2020 opus is reunmanaged by sound composer Twig Harper, whose remix goes places no other remix record could dare under his unlimited brief. In the process, it affords the wizard of Six Organs, Ben Chasny, the chance to re-present the record in a form as insane as the world into which the record was, and is headed. A soundtrack to California chaos, done two ways, sometimes at the same time! RIYL: Electronic, New Age, Modern Classical

CD edition. There is no figure in Italian music, nor within the country’s shimmering, expansive avant-garde, who demands the respect and awe offered to Franco Battiato. He is the beginning and the end. An artist whose output, stretching across six decades, is so diverse and singular, that it defies any concrete definition - darting from psychedelic Prog, definitive gestures in the history of Minimalism, to the heights of explicit Pop. Like many of his contemporaries, Battiato’s journey toward av…

CD Edition. Released on the legendary label 'Brain', Günter Schickert's debut Samtvogel (1975) was one of the most significant guitar albums of the Krautrock era. Points of comparison from today's perspective are Syd Barrett or Pink Floyd's more adventurous early recordings. Schickert's follow-up Überfällig of 1980 was released on the equally legendary 'Sky' label. Once again a milestone recording, it showcased Schickert's hypnotic echo guitar which developed into one of the hallmarks of the Kra…

Franco Battiato's wonderfully lively 1973 concept album Pollution is an audaciously psychedelic album drawn from the space rock dimension with good portions of electronics and keyboard layers. Drawing heavily on the VCS3 synthesizer, Battiato and company (besides himself, three backing band members play synth as well) give Pollution an extreme electronic edge. With comparisons to Ash Ra Tempel, Faust, and Pink Floyd, Pollution was declared 'genius' by Frank Zappa.

Franco Battiato moved into the 1970s on the crest of the progressive rock wave. This 1972 impossibly strange record inhabits that nether world of pop music, electronics, politics and experimental rock. Fetus is an album beyond all definition. It's a masterpiece of daring and wild risks that work every single time. Battiato takes us through eight uniquely super-detailed songs that tug at the heart strings as no other experimental record ever could."Fetus is an album beyond all definition. It's a …

The impact made in Britain in the 60s by legendary American blues artists such as Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf cannot be overstated. With their loud guitars, soulful voices and sexually charged lyrics, they inspired a new generation of aspiring young UK bands to throw off their inhibitions and make music that had the same brashly unapologetic energy and raw power. By plugging in and cranking up the volume they succeeded in capturing the imagination of the youth of the day. Freedo…

New remaster of the cult classic record! One of the most unique, richest, creative and atmospheric albums ever released

Debut standalone VHF LP by the Elkhorn duo of Drew Gardner and Jesse Sheppard, a tight set of six studio recordings in a variety of moods and featuring a lot of new sound textures. Elkhorn’s prolific stream of releases since 2016 has highlighted their mastery of sprawling long-form, acoustic-driven hypno-jams, with an emphasis on live performance (including on their collaboration with Pelt’s Mike Gangloff on the Shackamaxon Concert LP). The Red Valley is a more layered and composed-sounding set,…

Delicate and beautiful music from the combined forces of the recently ubiquitous East-Coast psychedelic combo Elkhorn and Pelt’s Mike Gangloff, laying down two epic raga-like performances captured on a 2022 collaborative tour. Gangloff - fresh from the triumph of his VHF solo fiddle LP “Evening Measures” - has found a distinct instrumental voice, blending drone music and trad influences in a way that really advances the tradition into new areas. “East Dauphin Suite” builds patiently on the inter…

Experimental fusion project Jade Warrior began in the early 70s when percussionist/flutist Jon Field and guitarist Tony Duhig joined forces with bassist Glyn Havard; Field and Duhig had been in Second Thoughts which later became July. By the time of Last Autumn’s Dream the group was a quintet with drummer Alan Price and Tony’s younger brother David on lead guitar, allowing for denser explorations of the contrast between world music fusion and acid rock: Dave’s searing guitar leads jostle with ea…

Yellow vinyl / 180 grams, limited and numbered edition 300 copies. Following the tragic passing of the legendary Demetrio Stratos in 1979, the band Area wisely chose to forgo vocals (save for a few backing harmonies) on this album, as no one could ever replace the "maestro della voce". While this instrumental album may not push boundaries like its predecessors, it showcases a commendable blend of talent, with each musician shining brightly, particularly the remarkable bass work by Ares Tavolazzi…

Reissue of the Californian psychedelic band's only album released on Acta Records in 1968. Their sound was influenced by early Rolling Stones and Yardbirds (not coincidentally, guitarist Randy Holden, later on also in Blue Cheer, was offered to replace Jeff Beck). Their name gained attention after their single ‘Mr. Pharmacist’ was included in the famous Nuggets collection.

Recorded live by the BBC on 28th September 1972 at the famed Paris Theatre in London, this is the classic Space Ritual-era Hawkwind, featuring Dave Brock, Nik Turner, Lemmy Kilmister & Stacia Blake. This 11-track, hour long show of the stereo version features Hawkwind classics “Born To Go”, “Seven By Seven” & “Master of the Universe”. The release also includes two bonus tracks recorded for Johnny Walker’s BBC Radio 1 show the same year: “Brainstorm” & “Silver Machine.”

Bassist Uli Trepte was one of the founders of the seminal space rock Krautrock group Guru Guru, and this CD, a reissue of a United Dairies LP with the track “Bo Diddley” added, combines material from Trepte‘s tenure with Guru Guru and some studio stuff done soon after he left the band. The two Guru Guru tracks were recorded live in 1972, and the performances on these long jams, capturing the group at their height, make up for the mediocre fidelity of the recordings. This is the classic Guru Guru…

Pink Fairies at their absolute best. Remarkable psych freaks make loud noise. Space rockers in some incredible form here, reaching for maybe the highest points in their recorded career. Although unsung by many, Pink Fairies are legendary to space rockers everywhere.

Psychotic works of L-R-D from 80 & 81. Noise bliss and sad feedback. Pivoting into a more rich toned psychosis of sound, these sessions have been lightly remastered lovingly by Polish engineer Kurzweil Holownia.

"This album began as a pipedream about 5 years ago and became reality in the Summer of 2023. I've been a huge fan of ATA Records for years now and have wanted to record at the ATA Studio for equally as long, but I had found out that it no longer operated as a commercial studio and just served as a place where Neil (Innes, ATA head honcho and member of Work, Money, Death/The Sorcerers) could record his own music for his label. So I gave up on the idea of ever going there... Then, randomly, I met …

After the release of last years album Out Of Season (feat Mike Watt) we are delighted to release the follow up The Long Year on November 29th. With sounds reminiscent of Can and Neu with spoken word provided by Karen Schoemer (who provided the lyrics to Out Of Season as well). Elements of Krautrock, free form jazz and even afro beat bring this immersive album all together. The Long Year is an album, a journey, which is best listened to as a whole. “…when the eye can’t see, the mind steps in…” Ol…