Reissues
Ozma
Ozma was recorded soon after Melvins made the move from Washington to San Francisco, and was their first release to include the diminutive yet mighty Lorax (Lori Temple Black) on bass. In fact, the first sound one hears at the album’s opening is Lori standing on her tiptoes to switch on her amp, thereby warning the listener of the onslaught to come. Distorted, down-tuned doom riffs start, stop, lurch sideways with no warning, and seem to end before they start. Buzz Osborne adds extraneous guitar…
Bullhead
Available again with updated artwork and a new gatefold sleeve! Melvins' follow-up to 1989’s Ozma was 1991’s groundbreaking Bullhead. The songs are longer, the mood is calmer, yet more menacing. “Boris” (which gave the Japanese group their name) is a long, slow, low death march of addiction and self-abuse. “Zodiac” is a frantic punk rock machine gun blasting away at Buzz’s demons (both inner and outer). “Cow” is a happy baboon bashing away at the best drum solo of his life. “It’s Shoved” is a gr…
Lice-all
Red vinyl. An early release from the often imitated but never duplicated Melvins. Lice-all, from 1992, previously known as self-titled, and also previously known as something else we're all not gonna talk about, thank you very much. This was the Melvins' last release before signing their Atlantic label deal, and features the introduction of new bass player Joe Preston (previously of Earth, currently of Thrones). It's one long, slow, loud blob of drones, moans and fuzztones. The opening endless p…
Underground
Due to their successful debut, the band's producer was in demand, leaving little time to devote to the Prunes. The band took full advantage of the adults not being in the room and created an incredible follow-up of original material on 1968's Underground. Here is where the band really leaned heavily into their knack for challenging pop. This album came to define what later gravediggers of the garage genre came to devour: Iggy Pop, The Ramones, and Patti Smith all took a riff here; an attitude th…
The Electric Prunes
Formed in 1966, The Electric Prunes had a novel approach to being a band: deciding to be a recording unit rather than a live performance band. They discovered their signature sound -- reverb-drenched, beautifully chaotic garage pop -- and released one of the most fantastic, fuzzed-out singles of all time, 'I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night.' Guitar effects drip and splatter throughout (the band had landed an endorsement deal with Vox, who were the leaders in wild effects pedals at that time), a…
Mass In F Minor
In 1968, The Electric Prunes collaborated with classically-trained musician David Axelrod to create Mass in F Minor, a religious-based rock opera. Even though the album is a head-scratcher side by side with their previous records, this has become one of the era's most bizarre and hypnotic releases. Sung in Latin with the band hanging onto Axelrod's ambitious arrangements; you've never heard anything like it. It created enough of a cultural mark that the lead track 'Kyrie Eleison' was even used i…
The Fluxus Newspaper
The Fluxus Newspaper collects all eleven newspapers published by the Fluxus art collective between January 1964 and March 1979. The newspapers were edited by an ever-changing team of artists known as the Fluxus Editorial Council for Fluxus and every issue, except the last two, was designed by Fluxus founder George Maciunas. Although published irregularly, the newspapers were used to promote Fluxus events and publications, especially the group’s famous multiples and Fluxkits, with advertising mat…
Noise For Vendor Mouth
"The Nigerian establishment labelled Kalakuta Republic inhabitants as — ‘hooligans’, ‘hemp smokers’, etc. Noise For Vendor Mouth is Fela’s indifference to that name calling because, for him, people in Kalakuta are really a bunch of hard working citizens, trying to survive in a society riddled with corruption and mismanagement. He adds that the real hooligans are those in authority who resort to political gangsterism, and sometimes military coups in order to resolve constitutional issues. He cons…
Excuse O
The deepest song here is the second track, ""Mr Grammarticalogylisationalism Is The Boss,” which ridicules the notion that speaking ""proper"" English demonstrates superior intelligence, and bemoans the fact that doing so is, unfortunately, a requirement for upward mobility. As the chorus repeats the line “Him talk oyinbo pass English man” (“He talks English better than an Englishman”), Fela lays it down: “The better oyinbo you talk, the more bread you get, school start na grade four bread, B.A.…
Kalakuta Show
"The Kalakuta Show album release was Fela’s undaunted manner of extracting revenge on the military regime that attacked and brutalized him in 1974. The second of such attacks in a space of eight months, Kalakuta Show was an attempt by the Nigerian police to influence the cause of justice. After the first police raid on Kalakuta in April 1974, Fela was charged to court for: ‘possession of dangerous drugs’, and abduction of ‘minors’. However, the evidence presented by the prosecution was easily ex…
Why Black Man Dey Suffer.......
Also featuring Ginger Baker, the title track is among Fela’s first overtly political lyrics. His political perspective had evolved during the 1969 / 1970 tour of the US, largely through his friendship with the black-rights activist Sandra Izsadore, who introduced him to the writings of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Angela Davis and other revolutionary thinkers. By the time Fela wrote “Why Black Man Dey Suffer,” his songwriting and public statements were becoming increasingly critical of the pow…
The Snow EP
Transmigration celebrates the 20th release milestone with a repress of Coil's The Snow EP. Released as a promotional single for the 1991 album Love's Secret Domain, it marks the influential groups closest brush with the dance floor. Featuring a set of remixes from Peter Christopherson, Jack Dangers and an early collaboration with Drew McDowall prior to joining the group.
Licensed by Danny Hyde and remastered by ManMade mastering.
Asparagus
Black Truffle is thrilled to announce a major archival release from legendary American composer and live electronics innovator Richard Teitelbaum, centred around his soundtrack for Suzan Pitt’s cult 1978 animation Asparagus. Best known to some listeners for introducing Europe to the Moog synthesizer as a founding member of Musica Elettronica Viva in Rome, Teitelbaum’s extensive and radically experimental body of work includes collaborative recordings with master improvisers like Anthony Braxton,…
Xyz
Unpublished home recordings from the 90's by the genius Lion Merry! This is a secret experimental record that gives us a glimpse of how the music was made.The other side of Lion Merry that no one knew! Lion Merry is a prodigious multi-instrumentalist known as a keyboardist for Jun Togawa, Virgin VS, Metrofarce, and others.22 songs were carefully selected from over 100 songs made mainly with synthesizers in the 90s, including demos made for Morio Agata's 'Pirosmania Umie Iku' (1994) and Metrofarc…
Varech
For most fans of Henri Texier, Varech is the one. Original pressings retain holy grail status and are rarely found. Unsurprisingly, it’s also the funkiest of these three - the source of the 2016 dance forth anthem / remix by Bonobo, Les La Bas. Don’t worry or let pop culture get you down. This one is still as deep and heavy as they come - the avant-garde taking on new forms. Like it predecessor and follow up, Varesh is a singular hybrid of jazz, ambient and new age musics, minimalism, and divers…
Amir
For years Amir, Henri Texier’s debut solo LP, stood slightly in the shadow of its follow-up, Varech, but is equal and towers in every possible way. There is no other record like it on earth - stunning from start to final turn. In our view, it’s one the greatest artifacts of the 1970s France scene, and that’s no small thing! Deceptively minimal and elegant, Amir is the first the world would hear of Texier’s signature sound - a universe of musical legacies, distilled and channelled through delicat…
Five Spanish Pioneers of Electronic and Experimental Music: 1953-1969
This LP reveals the extraordinary diversity of research - almost all hidden - by Spanish musicians in the '50s and '60s. Those pieces were composed while the country was under the tyranny of Francisco Franco. It is truly the ultimate grail, developed by musicologist Miguel Álvarez-Fernández, he is its curator, editor and commentator. This undoubtedly marks a major step in the approach and understanding of this music which had to fight to exist before the death of Franco in 1975.
Miguel Álvarez-F…
Shadow Puppeteer
For the very first time on double vinyl, one of the most amazing musical adventures of influential singer & songwriter Julie Tippetts. Originally released on cd in 1999, Shadow Puppeteer is the result of a long running career, a devotional solo album fulfilling her royal artistic vision. Surely one of the foremost European vocalists in the field of contemporary jazz and improvised music, she started out with The Brian Auger band in the 60’s fusing soul jazz and r&b with amazing results. Moving…
Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes (1973-1984)
Bomb! French composer Alain Goraguer who first made a name for himself as a sideman and arranger for Serge Gainsbourg wrote very few soundtracks, but amongst them, the legendary La Planète Sauvage (1973) is an absolute staple of France’s essential music. During that same period of time, Goraguer wrote two rare and beautiful scores using the same masterclass arrangements. On L’Affaire Dominici (1975), Alain Goraguer creates a theme of great melodic clarity from a palette of breathy flutes, clavin…
Remains 1967-1969
5x CD bundle. Japanese edition, with Obi. The set contains their debut album from 1968 Sov Gott Rose-Marie and Hemåt from 1969, along with three full bonus albums with live material dating from 1967-1969. It also includes a poster, lots of pictures, and a long interview with member Thomas Tidholm made by Mats Eriksson Dunér. International Harvester emanated from Pärson Sound and later became Träd, Gräs och Stenar ("Trees, Grass and Stones"). Member Thomas Tidholm on the recordings: "We talked ab…