★Spalax Music
Primitive Expression
First release of this archival material by this French rock band, best known for their classic Catalyse album (originally issued by BYG in 1970; CD is Spalax 14823). This posthumous archives release is comprising of Ame Son’s Catalyse period including when they called themselves Les Primitiv’s, some of their recording sessions from 71 and some post-second chapter mid-70’s recordings. Fairly aptly titled Primitive Expression, most of these tracks present on this album are not in their polished st…
Keyboard Study 2 / Initiative (+Systèmes)
A split release between Terry Riley and French avant-garde composer Pierre Marietan that was recorded in Paris on September 30th and October 1st, 1969. Riley's piece is a 24-minute work for 2 pianos (Gérard Frémy and Martine Joste of the GERM ensemble - Groupe d'Etude et Réalisation Musicale). Marieten's piece is performed by the full GERM ensemble including Philippe Blachette (violin), Philippe Drogoz (double bass), Louis Roquin (trumpet), Chantal Lemaire (cello), Gérard Frémy (piano), Martine …
Catalyse
Reissue of the original 1970 album on the BYG label (one of the label's few entries in the rock field), and a classic period piece, like Gong at their heaviest. Ame Son is the pioneer group of French Underground born at the end of the 60s. The band is made up to two former members of Banana Moon, Daevid Allen's band on his arrival in France in 1967. Their music was harsh and scathing with vocals in both French & English, sometime with an outside layer of 'formal beauty', rapidly devastated by st…
Allez Teia
Heldon were one of the quintessential European progressive groups of the 70s. Led by Richard Pinhas (and assorted backing guests), they released 7 albums from 1974 to 1979, all reissued in the early 90s by Cuneiform (inferior French editions can be found on Spalax). Pinhas went on to record a series of solo albums under his own name, also to be found on Cuneiform. Allez Teia was the second Heldon album from 1975 -- it features Pinhas's trademark instrumental sound: waves of distorted post-Frippi…
Insomnie
2nd album by this French trio made up Gilbert Artman (post-Lard Free, Urban Sax), Jac Berrocal and Jean-Francois Pauvros. here's the utterly fantastic third album from this brilliantly anarchic supergroup of stalwart iconoclasts. While their debut featured a largely improvised live dialogue between Jac Berrocal and Jean-Francois Pauvros, their two follow-up releases would find them a radically conceptually altered three piece with the inclusion of one of the greatest and most radical artists to …
Con Brio
Described as a "strange mechanical ballet for Androids" - " Con Brio " reveals one more time that Conrad Schnitzler, usually described as a " mad-berliner" is first a poet, a sculptor, & a painter...who expresses himself through musical pieces.
It\'s always rock'n'roll vol.2
One of their best work, released as double LP in 1975 by the French electronic band led by RICHARD PINHAS: If you're looking for really uncompromising and rough music - this is it. Very neurotic and tough, driving electronic drones all over, this is music not for the faint-hearted! It's quite aggressive stuff, usually very alien sounding, with cold and abstract synthetic drive. If you like sweet twittering music for relaxation, you will probably have a heart attack when listening to this.
It\'s always rock\'n\'roll vol.1
One of their best work, released as double LP in 1975 by the French electronic band led by RICHARD PINHAS: If you're looking for really uncompromising and rough music - this is it. Very neurotic and tough, driving electronic drones all over, this is music not for the faint-hearted! It's quite aggressive stuff, usually very alien sounding, with cold and abstract synthetic drive. If you like sweet twittering music for relaxation, you will probably have a heart attack when listening to this.
Collapsing
The 2nd Amon Düül I album, of 1969 recordings. This is one that did not come come out on Captain Trip, and hence the most in-demand of the Spalax issues. Short, spectacular trance-out blasts in a similar vein to Disaster.
Tarot
Long deleted in the elaborate box set version with it's unique Tarot cards, here is the regular priced double CD version of this Krautrock all-time classic. Originally issued on the OHR subsidiary label Kosmiche in 1973. Wegmuller was a gypsy painter who had designed a 78 card Tarot set; the music, spread out over 2 CDs is performed by what is essentially the first version of the Cosmic Jokers: Manuel Gottsching, Hartmut Enke, Harald Grosskopf, Jurgen Dollase, Jerry Berkers & Walter Westrupp. Pr…
1968-1998: 30 Years of Musical Insurrection in France
A three CD box with excellent 56 page booklet dedicated to the music of France that was initially fueled by the Revolt of '68, with one CD dedicated to each decade since. Some material is commonly available, much of it is not; the first CD covers the seventies (1969-77) and features some pretty mind-blowing stuff from the peak years of free-rock cacophony. The 1st CD features the following (an * indicates previously unreleased material, or least unavailable on CD): Jacques Dudon (*, classic frea…
Zuckerzeit
Zuckerzeit marked a turning point for these seminal German space rockers. Recorded shortly after their move away from the metropolis of Berlin, it sees some of the abrasiveness of their earlier material slightly diffusing. With the addition of proto drum machines and the producing talents of Michael Rother, their sound here -- while remaining firmly anchored in experimental territory -- has more pop sensibility." New liner notes by Asmus Tietchens (which mention that the title translates as "Sug…
II°
Cluster were key members during the formative years of the Krautrock movement. They initially released 2 LPs in '69/70 with the Kluster spelling that are amongst the earliest Teutonic pulse masterworks. Their first album with a "C" spelling was the s/t LP on Philips (currently o/p as a CD on Sky), before they moved over to the Brain label. This is their first of 2 for that label, from 1972, and is a great, confused space classic by this duo (Roedelius & Moebius). Utilizing primitive synthesizer …
anima
Reissue of this classic outsider freak-out album, first issued by Pilz in 1972, featuring the duo of Paul & Limpe Fuchs (vocals, electronics, zither, percussion, drums, Fuchshorn, etc.). Their 2nd album and a classic example of 70s improvisational madness, highly peaked. "Anima were an adventurous German trio who liked to take jazz music to the extreme. On this album they were joined by Austrian avant-gardist Friedrich Gulda, with whom they recorded two studio jamming sessions. Nothing was decid…
Antwerpen Live
A follow-up to the works of brass player Jacques Berrocal, Catalogue is about a highly de-structured, crazy music. They fervently use the retro flavour attached to the Sixties, by using famous tracks such as "Be-Bop-A-Lula" or "Avoir Un Bon Copain". "Antwerpen Live" is from 1979, the eponymous album from 1980, "Pénétration" from 1983 & "Insomnie" from 1987. Guitar-player Jean-François Pauvros and drummer Gilbert Artman can also be heard here
Leave The City
The music we find here is an extremely experimental form of electronic jazz which is not a million miles away from the styles of early German Krautrock bands such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. Originally issued in 1970. This was the second of 2 MEV albums to released by BYG in 1970, following The Sound Pool (which featured Alvin Curran, Richard Teitelbaum & Frederic Rzewski amongst others). It features floating, droning free music freakouts of the finest cosmic quality and this reissue is a …
Insomnie
2nd album from 1987 by this French trio made up Gilbert Artman (post-Lard Free, Urban Sax), Jac Berrocol and Jean-Francois Pauvros. Chaotic, experimental rock & wave.