Experimental / Contemporary

David First likes to use the phrase "the virtuosity of slowness" to describe his musical philosophy. In The Consummation of Right and Wrong, he and his eight-piece ensemble, The Western Enisphere, practice this virtuosity to great effect in closely examining the universes that fall between the cracks of convention, reflecting a wide continuum of complex relationships, all the while creating music that is simply ravishing to listen to. This is "drone music" as dynamic organism, moving from compac…

*2023 stock. 200 copies limited edition* Katie and Lucio met over the internet almost every Tuesday for one year, composing two pieces, rehearsing, talking about their lives, and recording. The desire to play together began after exchanging work and perceiving a deeply common approach to bass clarinet playing, to sound, and to music. The two pieces offered here are based in a very distinctive but still strictly coherent approach in relation to the work they intend to do. Phase to Phase 1 is a ce…

**2022 Repress. Black Vinyl** Sacro Bosco (“Sacred Grove”) is the starting point for Anna von Hausswolff’s new album All Thoughts Fly, recorded at Gothenburg’s Örgryte New Church and heavily infused with the space’s atmospheric nuance, which renders the theatric richness of Anna’s compositions at their most billowing and melodramatic. Here in solo instrumental mode, the entire record consists of just one instrument, the pipe organ, and represents absolute liberation of the imagination. All Thoug…

Temporary Super Offer!  "This album features the relatively unusual quartet line-up of two pianists and two percussionists. Equally unusual, though less so than it once was: the leader  on this date, pianist Judith Wegmann, is equally at home in improvisation and composed music. She's a composer, and an interpreter of composed music – her recording of Morton Feldman's Triadic Memories and For John Cage appeared recently on this label. But she's also a free improviser who draws on the tradition o…

Temporary Super Offer! ”In its sum, Draw From The Source recounts a multidimensional journey whose sources and paths constantly cross. Marco von Orelli and Sheldon Suter reveal a lot about themselves, about their individual idiosyncrasies and about their common feelings in this performance carried by finest lyricism. But behind this journey from the north to the south, from urban stagnation to Mediterranean lightness, there is also a call for us to reflect on the true nature of our existence in …

Temporary Super Offer! 'Even a cursory revisiting of Houle and von Orelli’s previous recordings confirms that the stark forum afforded by a horn duo strips their music to its essentials, their shared ability to make unorthodox forms and materials sing and dance being the most salient. Fresh, distanced, and potentially transformative perspectives abound on this album, and not just about the music of any other artist; but, more importantly, the tug and pull between the continuity represented by tr…

A c60 compilation. One hour of new ecordings from the likes of Sewer Election, Jordmenneske, and a lot of promising new local projects. Cassette in a5 sleeve.

*100 copies limited edition* Jorge Mantas, under his Druuna Jaguar moniker, returns with a new opus devoted to drone meditations and beyond. Entering the album as a neophyte, a deep descent awaits into a slowly evolving spectral composition for solo Hammond organ. Beneath its apparent simplicity, the attentive listening reveals a hypnotic state of austere beauty. Follows a poem for multi layered cello, prolonging the initial somber tone, but creating more dynamic edges through its acoustic conto…

Luka Aron is a German musician and composer of electroacoustic and minimalist music based between Stockholm and Berlin. 'XV XXVII III XXI IX: Variations & Coda' is his debut vinyl release. Apart from his solo work, he is also a member of the trio Minua (signed to Nils Frahm's Leiter label) and the dream gaze band Roomer. His work was previously described as "thick, impasto layers of slow-moving sound that completely command your attention" in The Guardian. 'XV XXVII III XXI IX: Variations & Coda…

After an already productive year, Alga Marghen, in the guise of their sub-imprint, Planam, delivers, “…et après”, an astounding double LP of archival material documenting the collaboration between Luc Ferrari and Ensemble Laborintus. Issued in a limited edition of 250 copies on vinyl, and bristling with tense electroacoustic sonorities at the forefront of electronic and experimental chamber music, it's among the most challenging, exciting, and engaging albums we’ve heard all year.

Johannes Björk is a musician and literary critic based in Gothenburg. His music combines drones, pop melodies and field recordings to produce refined sketches rather than fully formed songs – resembling slowly refurnished interiors, rather than scenes with a clearly discernible subject. Originally released in a mini-edition of 12 copies for a show in Stockholm earlier on in the year, it is now presented in an expanded LP form with two tracks added in, and another two re-recorded.  Accompanied in…

**Limited editions of 300 copies. Ultra clear vinyls in gatefold sleeve. Includes download card.** Matière mémoire éditions presents Treatments by Giovanni Di Domenico, Eiko Ishibashi, Jim O'Rourke, Joe Talia and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto. Recorded in studio W (Brussels), Atelier Eiko, Steamroom, Completamente TAZ (Tokyo), Good Mixture (Berlin). Mixed by Jim O’Rourke at Steamroom (side A & B), Joe Talia at Good Mixture (side C), Tatsuhisa Yamamoto at Completamente TAZ (side D). Mastering & cut by Frédé…

NM presents a composition and a field recording from French composer and archivist Guillaume Malaret, crafted between 2020 and 2022.

Falter Bramnk, Philippe Lenglet (members of the Muzzix collective), and Samuel Bodart (Numero h.) have known each other for a long time, often crossing paths in various and diverse ensembles (always working with improvisation), but until now, never as a trio! A few years ago, they came together, and after a few concerts, they felt the desire to further develop their work and record it. For this project, they decided to blend plucked/struck strings (acoustic guitar surrounded and enhanced with a …

Tip! A series of ghostly ink drawings and scanographs by eRikm, accompanied by a mixed sound piece, with sound texts freely inspired by fragments of stories about the universe of the Yokai, these ghosts and supernatural creatures that inhabit Japanese mythology, between hypnotizing soundscapes and bewitching instrumental devices. "Or bringing out the invisible, summoning ghosts. Having, to my knowledge, never encountered any ghost or other ectoplasm, the idea of representing some of them in grap…

**200 copies** SoundShots presents a live recording by Pak Yan Lau as The Crappy Mini Band taken on April 17th, 2011, at Les Ateliers Claus in Brussels.Pak Yan Lau (BE/HK) is part of the Brussels underground crowd. Her music spans different horizons with improvisation and sound as main focus. Taking the extraordinary out of the ordinary and creating little sound mosaics in a minimal, poetic way, while exploring the vast spectrum of sonar possibilities is the best way to describe her path. She is…

Temporary Super Offer!  "I ask how CALATO's use of graphic scores help them break down the divisions between  contemporary composition and improvisation? “We started as a noise improvisation band,” they respond. “We spent several years playing together without any kind of parts or scores, just working deeply on listening to each other, reacting and generating a kind of togetherness that made it possible to create live music in a very fast and intuitive way.” Then they started investigating diffe…

Augustin Soulard is a French composer, sound artist and sound engineer born in 1992. His practice is grounded in experiments in modular synthesis, computer music, sound design and live performance. Trained in algorithmic music and computer composition, Soulard studied with Yvan Etienne and Bastien Gallet. He later met Fransisco Ruiz de Infante and became a member of « Blue Sky ». His research focuses on diverse modes of sonic phenomena, the ambiguity between the synthetic and the organic, and me…

De L’Angle Mort Trio is Claire Bergerault, Patrick Charbonnier & Lionel Marchetti. The three musicians collaborate for the first time as a trio. Their music explores new aspects of electroacoustic music, combining improvisational musical techniques with live electronics and dance music forms. “Aigue – Marine” consists of three compositions based on voice, electronics, accordion, and rhythmic elements. Claire Bergerault, Patrick Charbonnier & Lionel Marchetti improvise in a spontaneous way, creat…

CD in 64-page hardcover book with photos, interviews with the musicans and a transcription of John Cage's Q&A at the Oslo Art Academy. Having received an invitation from Ole Henrik Moe, the Director of the Henie Onstad Art Centre, John Cage arrived at Fornebu Airport one November day in 1983 and was quickly lodged into a guest apartment in the basement of the museum. Cage had brought with him to Norway a heavy suitcase containing amongst other things a water distiller, a selection of fungi and g…

A totally original and disturbing sound world mixing acoustic and electro-acoustic pieces by the Young Belgian Musician of the Year. Fremdkörper contains 10 brand-new recordings of acoustic and electro-acoustic compositions written between 2004 and 2010. Featured artists are Nadar Ensemble, Klangforum Wien, Champ d'Action, Nikel Ensemble, Agartha, Zwerm electric guitar quartet, Matthias Koole, Pieter Matthynssens and Stefan Prins. Comes with a 20 page booklet containing a.o. a text by Michael Re…

One opera singer teams with one experimental musician! La Diva Christina Van Peteghem on voices and Pierre-Jean Vranken everywhere. They are Quasi Una Fantasia! Noise, classical guitars, exquisite melodic songs, minimalism, neoclassical, avant-garde are the medium and the message.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce The Mountains Pass, a major new work from Olivia Block. A key player in Chicago’s vibrant experimental music scene since the late 1990s, Block has developed an extensive body of work grounded in a personalised, at times emotive approach to the studio-based practices of the musique concrète tradition, while also encompassing improvisation, orchestral pieces, sound installations, and a sustained engagement with the piano. On The Mountains Pass, recorded by Greg…

Irene Bianco is an Italian-born percussionist, free improviser and composer based in Copenhagen. Starting playing drum-kit at an early age and then trained as a classical percussionist, her music influences span from baroque and orchestral music to 90s rock and club music. Other than in solo, she is an active freelancer and a member of Damkapellet collective and Wolfskin Ensemble. Now Permanent Draft, London based all-female label run by Valentina Magaletti with Fanny Chiarello, is making this d…

Tip! *2022 stock.* Sofa Music is proud to present the solo debut album of Norwegian composer and sound artist Tine Surel Lange. Works for Listening is a series of spatial electro-acoustic works developed at Notam (NO), MISC (LT), and EMS (SE). All the works are made in 5th order ambisonics but have been presented in many different formats- as in this stereo decoding of the works.In Works for Listening, there is a strong focus on listening-aesthetics and our psychological categorization of sound.…

Jim Strong is a US based artist and musician who in recent years has left a trail of enigmatic releases on labels such as Vitrine, More Mars and Chocolate Monk. He will also be familiar to some for his past work with Melkings, Eyes of the Amaryllis, and Weyesblood. Now HoP is pleased to announce Jim’s first solo vinyl outing. My Enemies Are Mine To Keep is Jim’s most clearly defined statement to date. Its sides illustrate his self-sufficient, world-building methods through a mixture of orchestra…

Loris S. Sarid is an ambient composer and artist born in Rome but now resides in Glasgow. His previous release, "Music for Tomato Plants", was a quiet exploration of kalimba, glockenspiel and plucky synths. On his debut LP, "Seabed-Sunbath", Loris submerges into aquatic terrain with an expanded palette of virtual pianos, soft horns, kalimba, strings, synthesized voices, textural field recordings and a wide array of soothing electronic tones. On “Oats with Sarah” and “Lobster Island”, he also inc…

The soundtrack to Murnau's Nosferatu composed / improvised / played by the trioof Emmanuelle Parrenin, Quentin Rollet and Jérôme Lorichon. The book accompanying the CD contains four versions of the Nosferatu story by four French artists: Marie-Pierre Brunel, Foolz, Caroline Sury and Alexios Tjoyas.

*200 copies limited edition* Roughly three years after the release of Balts, Schreel Van De Velde’s debut album on Blickwinkel, the guitar and drums improv-centered duo is happy to present their sophomore album A One And A Two. The Brussels-based musicians sound more decisive than ever: the loud became louder, the quiet became quieter, the weird became weirder and the nostalgic became more nostalgic. The fruit peeled off one of its own shells, getting closer to its heart. The album came about as…

Fourth volume of Library Music miniatures by Daniel O’Sullivan (Ulver, Æthenor, This is Not This Heat, etc) for VHF, this time commissioned by the legendary German Music Library, Sonoton. Another sampling of Dan’s versatility and brilliance as a composer, performer, and sound designer, the focus on The Pastoral Machine is more “electronic” compared to the three previous albums Dan recorded for KPM (also issued on LP by VHF), with simpler arrangements and a focus on gentle and emotive synthesised…

Full Spectrum Records is honored to present a new long-form collaborative release from Liang YiYuan and Li Daiguo: ‘Sonic Talismans.’

*150 copies limited edition* ‘This here empty room’ is a collection of thirteen miniature compositions for solo acoustic guitar and solo piano. Pieces i until vii are played by Frederik Leroux on steel-string acoustic guitar, pieces viii until xiii are played by pianist Heleen Van Haegenborgh. This album is another exploration of the acoustic space, as you might expect from Leroux. What is new is the purely composed nature of the music, giving Leroux full control over the soundworld he wants to …

*300 copies limited edition* "Martina Verhoeven is a Flemish pianist who likes to seek musical adventure, in different line-ups. The album Martina Verhoeven Invites contains two sessions recorded at Cafe Oto in London on July 23, 2023. During the concert, Gina Southgate made the painting that appears on the cover of the sleeve, which manages to capture the action of the musicians perfectly, as far as I am concerned - lots of color, lots of movement, and a special way of playing together. Two lon…

*200 copies limited edition* Reading Group is proud to present the debut album of a new ensemble of some of the most adventurous artists in and around London’s contemporary music scene. X-Ray Hex Tet is the confluence of Seymour Wright (alto saxophone), Crystabel Riley (drums), Edward George (words and recordings), Pat Thomas (piano and electronics), Paul Abbott (real and imaginary drums), and Billy Steiger (celeste and violin). Wright and Abbott, elsewhere as XT, have developed a private langua…

*2024 stock* Crafted throughout 2004 and early 2005, Rösner’s original source material stems largely from instruments (guitar, percussion, analog electronics), and through his detailed processing and production methods he’s been able to counterpoint a desire for raw digital overtones against earthy acoustic qualities. The results are simply a pleasure for the ears – course passages of hiss and electronic splutter give way to lilting moments of sheer melodic beauty. With strong humming bass heavy…

eRikm’s Transfall is a document of profound gesture. A collection of works that resolve his recent explorations into music and sound for performance, dance and theatre.

Ubagabi is a baroque solo violin album recorded in 2019 reinterpreting the myth of Ubagabi, a chicken turning into a fire ball. This album is now finally released on a silk-screened CD, fully equipped with a flammable booklet, an insert, and all fits in a hand stamped rotisserie bag. Mastering by Guillaume Lespinasse.

In 1976 the Entourage Music and Theater Ensemble reached a creative zenith. The nomadic troupe had just released The Neptune Collection, its iconic second album for Moses Asch’s Folkways Records, and decided to present the music to audiences across the rust belt in its most miasmic, elemental form. Extended stretches of full-group improvisation mingled with folk-tune like melodies during these performances, which featured multiple dancers spontaneously interpreting the music, at times in elabora…

The Franco-Czech duo Kesherul Neg Pineg casts a spell on ritual reductionism, offering unsettling, even gloomy, psychedelic grooves. Frenzied attacks, atmospheric soundscapes, the music remains unpredictable but full of abundant energy and unexpected turns. The two musicians bewilder the senses, creating illusions and deceptions, diverting their instruments, extended trumpet, dizzying analog synthesis, prepared percussion… These two activists of improvised and experimental music met in Prague in…

'Quintela', the debut album by Carme López, a performer, teacher and researcher of traditional oral music from Galicia, is a new experimental work for Galician bagpipe. Influenced by the approach of composers like Éliane Radigue or Pauline Oliveros, the Spanish composer creates slowly modulating sound environments, and stretches the sonic the possibilities of the bagpipe to its absolute limit. 'Quintela' is structured in four movements, plus a prologue and an epilogue, which serve as a link to t…