New Arrivals
Greatest Heads
*300 copies limited edition* Al Karpenter expands on their Post-Genre Punk approach reaching a new level of maturity. In fact, we can say that “Greatest Heads” is Al Karpenter’s “Remain in Light” from Talking Heads in the sense that it is also their fourth record, heavily based on production and is influenced by Afrobeat in distorted ways. This record contains elaborated liner notes by Eoin Anderson and features very special guests: “ “ [sic] Goldie, Lisa Rosendahl, and Mikel Xedh — a deeply imp…
A White Horse Is Not a Horse
"There was a school of philosophy in ancient China whose core theory stems from a debate entitled “A White Horse Is Not a Horse.” In a book by Gongsun Long (公孫龍 320-250BC, about 200 years after Confucius) in the Warring States Period, two persons argue if a white horse is a horse: the protagonist argues it is not, because ‘white’ is the color of a (particular) horse while a ‘horse’ is a shape and a generic term. It’s a linguistic/logical paradox, or sophistry. Ridiculed by his contemporary philo…
Every Day → All The Way
This is the first to be released of a series of albums ESP started recording in 2023 combining artists who hadn't worked together before. In this case, we team saxophonist Larry Ochs with the Flow Trio rhythm section of drummer Charles Downs and bassist Joe Morris. They meshed magnificently on their first encounter! Larry Ochs, co-founder in 1977 of ROVA Saxophone Quartet, was born in New York City but has long been based on the West Coast, specifically the Bay Area. He has also been a member of…
Morning Bells Whistle Bright
When Michael Bisio heard Korean pianist Eunhye Jeong's ESP-Disk 2021 album NOLDA, he expressed interest in working with her. After a successful and riveting duo concert in Kingston, NY showed what a good match they were, ESP was eager to document their musical affinity. One of the concert attendees was avant-jazz sax icon Joe McPhee, who guested with the duo at their subsequent studio session along with one of ESP's favorite drummers, Jay Rosen. Magical moments abounded, as you can hear on this …
Kompakt 500
Over the decades, the image of Kompakt as a pirate ship has taken root in our minds, braving the dangers of the seven seas of the music market. Sometimes it glides with a tailwind through calm waters, sometimes it has to survive violent storms. When we set sail in 1993, we never would have dreamt that our journey would still be going on after more than three decades and with 500 releases to date.
In our fast-paced business, the 500 mark is rarely reached, so we want to celebrate it with a lavish…
Sotto Il Vestito Niente
For the first time on CD and vinyl, the soundtrack of the cult Italian Giallo film Nothing Underneath composed by Pino Donaggio. This soundtrack perfectly represents Pino Donaggio's style, capable of transitioning from terrifying and sharp symphonies to sweet and sensual electronic pieces. The atmospheres are reminiscent of films such as 'Body Double' and 'Dressed to Kill.' A limited edition not to be missed, for all lovers of Italian thrilling giallo and for all fans of Brian De Palma's films.
Schining
*2025 stock* "Music and musical releases can be controversial for many reasons. Lyrical content, shocking covers, too loud, too quiet: David Jackman’s music is controversial for none of these reasons. His music isn’t noisy or silent, with no lyrical content or a shocking cover. I am not on any discussion group online and never was, but I can imagine a discussion with the topic: “Is David Jackman doing the same thing over and over again?”. I don’t know the answer, but I can guess. We can say the …
Hard Sell
"Sloping like a jello tower block - open the bellows!! His laconic oration cuts through gauzy pigment canopy over dissolute scenes, precisely shipwrecked. For a unit so put together, Giulio Erasmus and his End of the Worm band do the do exquisitely dismantled. Standing lean and lugubrious in what is no less than the direct continuation of the hallowed Factory-Benelux-connection lineage, here the instantly recognisable sinister-yet-seductive basslines and suavely disaffected voice of Erasmus hims…
When Your Way Gets Dark
Recorded on September 13-14, 2023 at Ting ShuoHear Say in Tainan, Taiwan.
Recording, mixing, mastering and cover designby Jason Kahn.
Much gratitude to Alice Hui-Sheng Chang and Nigel Brown for all their help and warm hospitality during my stay in Tainan as resident artist at Ting Shuo Hear Say. Also many thanks for the generous financial support from Stadt Zürich Kultur, Pro Helvetia, and Fondation SUISA which made my trip to Tainan possible.
Underground Wave Volume 4
Limited reprint of the sold-out Volume 4 from the Underground Wave series, featuring Belgian and Dutch wave, synth, and minimal artists. Most tracks were previously only on cassette. Walhalla Records is dedicated to reviving the 80s/90s cassette scene by releasing rare material, often for the first time
Underground Wave Volume 3
Limited reprint of the sold-out Volume 3 from the Underground Wave series, featuring Belgian and Dutch wave, synth, and minimal artists. Most tracks were previously only on cassette. Walhalla Records is dedicated to reviving the 80s/90s cassette scene by releasing rare material, often for the first time
Belghi Kull Mawaidi
Following its highly sought-after Zamaan Ya Sukkar compilation, Souma Records once again presents a collection of 3 singles with inimitably groovy Egyptian and Lebanese exotica, unearthed from the hallowed vaults of Sono Cairo and Voix De L’Orient’s archives. These rare gems, born from a time of boundless musical experimentation in the Arab world, capture the vibrant, ever-evolving soundscapes of Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Each track invites listeners onto a sonic voyage where the familiar and t…
Mazzika Nicab
Following its highly sought-after Zamaan Ya Sukkar compilation, Souma Records once again presents a collection of 3 singles with inimitably groovy Egyptian and Lebanese exotica, unearthed from the hallowed vaults of Sono Cairo and Voix De L’Orient’s archives. These rare gems, born from a time of boundless musical experimentation in the Arab world, capture the vibrant, ever-evolving soundscapes of Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Each track invites listeners onto a sonic voyage where the familiar and t…
Zamaan Ya Sukkar
Following its highly sought-after Zamaan Ya Sukkar compilation, Souma Records once again presents a collection of inimitably groovy Egyptian and Lebanese exotica, unearthed from the hallowed vaults of Sono Cairo and Voix De L’Orient’s archives. These rare gems, born from a time of boundless musical experimentation in the Arab world, capture the vibrant, ever-evolving soundscapes of Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Each track invites listeners onto a sonic voyage where the familiar and the avant-garde …
Piriforms
*150 copies limited edition* A beautiful edition of only 150 glass mastered CDs in a clear poly sleeve with hand stamped cover and a 22 page full color booklet featuring photos, drawings, and text by Laura Steenberge, with additional text by Michael Winter, Rebecca Lane, and Catherine Lamb.
"In medieval chant, music seems to have come from elsewhere. It is the angels that are singing, they said, like gourds hung up for purple martins. By the time notation started coming around, hundreds of …
Rides Again
Tip! *100 copies limited edition* Eternities is an intuitive collaboration between bass clarinetist Katie Porter and sound artist Bob Bellerue. Their work is inspired by deep presence, resonant feedback, melodic drone, and overtone magic, in the fluid realm between intention and indeterminacy. They use harmonic tones from wind instruments played within feedback systems to create multidimensional spectral drones.
This release is live recordings from 2023 and 2024 full of lush clarinet timbre and …
Chamber Works 1943-1951
Apartment House presents seven works from John Cage's early period, before he began his systematic exploration of chance procedures. This repertoire captures a transitional moment when Cage had moved beyond traditional methods but before he devised new formal systems—a period when, as pianist Kerry Yong notes, he was "forced to be guided by their instincts and intuition" producing "extraordinary music."
The program balances what Yong calls "simply gorgeous / gorgeously simple pieces like 'Dream'…
Mine but for its sublimation
A 64-minute piano solo composed in 2021, performed by Jack Yarbrough. "'Mine but for its sublimation' is about resonance, register, and touch. It is about where we lead ourselves when we trust ourselves. It is experiencing trust as a chain of clearings, a sequence of becomings, openings, centerings. It is about letting go; othering; finding presence through evaporation. Obliteration." - Timothy McCormack
Homestead
Kory Reeder composed Homestead (2024)—a nearly hour-long string quartet in four movements with an interlude—during his residency as Artist in Residence at Homestead National Historical Park in Beatrice, Nebraska in 2023. As he explains: "As a fifth-generation Nebraskan, growing up on the native lands of the Chatiks si chatiks people (Pawnee), this project is a part of my process of learning, listening, and developing a relationship with the land and its stewards in my home state: a beautiful pla…
Listening Time
A 45-minute piece from 2024 composed by Ferdinand Schwarz in collaboration with AREPO ensemble.