Experimental / Free Improvisation

A saxophone, filtered live through electro-acoustic manipulation, creates unpredictable soundscapes. Fred Wallich and Pierre Audoynaud improvise, challenging jazz conventions and expectations, inviting listeners into new, bewildering auditory geographies and experiences.

Fierce, complex and multi-layered progressive sounds from this significant drummer / composer.

*2025 stock. 30 copies limited edition* Renowned experimental guitarist and avant-garde musician Eugene Chadbourne presents Milanesa / Astral Traveling, a bold new release available now via the German label Frei zum Abriss Kollektiv. This two-track album showcases Chadbourne’s signature blend of free improvisation, wit, and boundary-pushing soundscapes, further cementing his status as a true pioneer of the underground music scene.

*350 copies limited edition* An’archives are proud to announce the release of the debut album by Tête de Chou, the trio of Mark Anderson, Kurumi Kido, and Arlo Wynks. Some may know Anderson for his membership of Greymouth, 番長Taste, Mysteries Of Love, and Suishou No Fune; Kido and Wynks have more personal, sporadic musical histories, which informs the intimacy and gently exploratory nature of the eight pieces contained here. The trio’s movements seem spontaneous and open-ended, which makes sense …

Evan Parker and Matthew Wright’s Trance Map project has included improvised live events across Europe and the US, involving other invited guest performers, with various Trance Map+ recordings released on Intakt and FMR Records. Since 2020, Trance Map+ have undertaken ambitious streamed and networked performances, connecting with musicians around the world from The Hot Tin venue in Faversham, Kent, UK. In 2022, this resulted in Transatlantic Trance Map, a simultaneous performance between seven mu…

Originating from a Lisbon residency, Joana Guerra and Yaw Tembe’s duo explores slow, tectonic musical landscapes on ‘Orogénese.’ Their blend of eclectic instruments and ethereal voices crafts mysterious, timeless soundscapes, revealing hidden sonic futures through organic collaboration.

Snakes & Thunder explores the coexistence of meanings and sound as motion, focusing on balance, connection, and similitude. The album reflects on proximity and rhythm, inviting wandering, myth-making, and embracing the strange.

Peachfuzz’s ‘Impeachment’ showcases innovative interplay among Lisbon’s João Pereira, João Almeida, and Norberto Lobo. Their music spans meditative drones to energetic bursts, blending acoustic and electronic elements with playful spontaneity.

A moment of first encounters, Circuits is the sound of four musicians (Savvas Metaxas, Evi Nakou, Giannis Arapis, Dimitris Tigkas)navigating an unfamiliar terrain in real-time, their individual languages dissolving into a shared improvisational space. Subtle drones, resonant feedback and textural gestures underpin the ensemble’s interplay. Circuits is the sum of raw, expressive utterances—melodic remnants shifting from pulse to friction, from bow, to frets, through fingertips. A single-take impr…

*2025 stock* 1983. A distinct malaise afflicted the nation. The UK was about to re-elect Margaret Thatcher by a landslide, cruise missiles arrived at Greenham Common in Berkshire, six people were killed by the IRA outside Harrods, nuclear reactors suffered system failure in the USA, Russia, Argentina and Germany. The Face magazine showed an exhausted youth that everything was OK as long as you looked ‘right’. A curious revisionism had become prevalent. The Jam had become the Style Council and st…

This album is the result of an invitation extended to João Pais Filipe to develop a composition for the film Teocalli by the Colectivo Los Ingrávidos. Its original composition was presented in February 2024 at Batalha Centro de Cinema, during a performance that accompanied the screening of the film as part of a broader programme dedicated to the collective’s work, curated in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. Based in Porto, João Pais Filipe (b. 1980) is one of the mo…

Angelo Bignamini, Italian sound artist, presents "Batelli a Vapore," inspired by Rimbaud's "Le Bateau ivre." Gentle noise, subtle melodies, and quiet voices evoke poetic journeys, ending with a serene guitar, closing the lyrical narrative.

*2024 stock* "A lone voice rises over the booming rumble of the octobass, a large acoustic instrument resembling a double-bass, yet twice the height. The octobass’ unusually large stature lends itself to these haunting sounds, looming over this cacophonous reverberation like a specter of monstrosity. Another voice lightly ascends, and the two vocalizations coalesce as this musical foundation crumbles along, carried by the tapping of harmonium keys, swimming and dissonant.  This patient singing b…

Dominique Pifarély, Lina Andonovska, and Izumi Kimura—three versatile, internationally acclaimed musicians—unite in a unique trio project born from a residency.

The Lava Quartet—Berlin to Portugal—unites for free improvisation, blending creativity and extended techniques. Their debut album, "Ethereal Chant," showcases boundary-breaking, unpredictable soundscapes.

"I asked Angharad Davies and Phil Julian to play together because I thought they shared a certain sensibility: there’s a stillness or slowness to what they do, but while the surface may appear smooth there’s intense pressure and powerful currents churning below. At their first gig, Phil arrived with a relatively quiet set up, suitable for playing with unamplified acoustic instruments, and was a bit surprised when Angharad turned up and started trying out all of Oto’s amplifiers before choosing t…

"Basically, we witness an intimate dialogue between two improvisers. If there had not been a special circumstance leading to this result. Christine Abdelnour and Hans Koch could not hear each other. In fact, "FFlair" is based on two separately recorded solo improvisations, which were superimposed at the end. Mind you, without any subsequent editing." - Rudolf Amstutz

Temporary Super Offer! Founded in 2005, Studio Dan is a flexible ensemble, operating on the borders between diverse subgenres of contemporary music: improvisation, new music, jazz, art-rock, and others. The ensemble tours internationally. Appearances include concerts at Wien Modern and Ostava Music Days, and venuse such as Kampnagel Hamburg, Kimmel Center Philadelphia, and the legendary Roulette in Brooklyn/NYC. Past guest soloist and collaborations with Studio Dan include also Vinko Globokar, E…

What these performances then, and those in Impression Graz 1962, reveal is a great artist in a period of continued exploration and uncertainties, committed to integrating the exactness of order and the abandon of ecstasy, and reconfirming his improvisational quest as a spiritual discipline. But there were profound changes still to come. - Art Longe The four tracks on this release have been selected from the 1962 concert tape which Hat Hut Records has licensed from ORF Stelemark, Graz, Austria. I…

The innovative string trio of Daniel Studer on double bass, Harald Kimmig on violin, and Alfred Zimmerlin on cello, develop focused environments of timbre, texture, dynamic and space, seemingly abstract yet incredibly concentrative and virtuosic interaction, here joined by Chicago trombonist and electronics artist George Lewis adding a 4th profound layer to their incredible conversation.

A live album at Kunstraum Walcheturm from Swiss double bassist Daniel Studer's quintet of strings and piano, with Harald Kimmig on violin, Frantz Loriot on viola, Alfred Zimmerlin on violoncello, and Philip Zoubek on piano, performing an inventive set of Studer compositions extending string improvisation to extremes through unorthodox structures and techniques.

1992 release ** "A wonderful view of what is "American" in contemporary American music from an Italian producer's perspective, with a nice cover photo of Joey's Navajo Cafe and Dining Room framed by several pickup trucks parked outside. Including rhythmic-based music and sound-text rhythms from ordinary speech (Allen Ginsberg's works), some dreamy electronic music by Pauline Oliveros, and solo jazz by Steve Lacy, this is an interesting collection of new recordings and reissues of tracks from out…

Languid Red Marchetti captures the early, raw energy of the legendary No-Neck Blues Band, blending free improvisation, ritual percussion, and abstract sound in the tradition of Sunburned Hand of the Man and AMM.

1994 release ** "All live improvisations should be this much fun! This live date between turntablist and electronic weirdmeister Christian Marclay and percussionist and electronics tinkerer Günter Müller is what the art of improvisation is supposed to be: fun, continually compelling textually, and inspired. While many intellectuals have made wild pronouncements about Marclay and his art -- and it is art, make no mistake -- writing all sorts of blather about how he strips the adult century bare b…

2003 release **

“Creative collaboration could lead to tension or disagreements, but here it’s all about freedom, joy, and acceptance. Deeply rooted in respect and love. And that radiates through the music. I lived the process, but I hope people will feel that vibe.”
— Robbie Kuster

*2022 stock* Oscar Jan Hoogland is the sound of Amsterdam in person. He plays in the Muziekgebouw (Amsterdams main hall for modern composed music) as well as in the Bimhuis (Holland’s main jazz venue) that is literally attached to it, as in its parking garage. He is an instant composer, pianist and inventor of his own instrument by putting a clavichord, a keyboard instrument from the 17th century, on 220 Volt electricity. As the last student of the late pianist, composer and improvisor Misha Men…

1993 release ** Unreleased recordings from Vandoeuvre's Musique Action Festival, produced between 1998 and 1992 for the festival’s 10th anniversary. The blossoming style of the music of the 80s can be heard throughout the album. Featuring: François Raulin et Louis Sclavis, A.M.I.S. Quartet, Floros Florodis,Paul Lovens,Jean-Marc Montera, Daniel Koskowitz, Elliott Sharp & Carbon, Dominique Regef, David Moss, Pierre Stéphane Meuge, Daunik Lazro & Joe Mc Phee, David Garland & Worlds of love, Krackho…

*60 copies limited edition* “The ghost it is, who has come into possession of the Tao, reigns over gods and demons, and gives birth to heavens and earth. It kills the undying, and breathes life into the unborn. The sounds it creates, there is nothing it cannot still, nothing it cannot heave, nothing it cannot destroy, and nothing it cannot make.” In Chinese, “big ghost” is a phrase sometimes used to convey a sense of utter out-of-placeness. If you see a big ghost, you find someone who walks the …

Black Truffle’s first ever vinyl reissue of Alvin Curran’s seminal 1978 LP, "Fiori Chiari, Fiori Oscuri" - issued in a beautiful edition immaculately reproducing the original - is a truly historic event. Among the composer’s most famous and sought-after releases that has remained out of print for decades, it is a masterstroke of pulsing minimalism, glacial ambience, musique concrète, and forthright experimentalism. Absolutely stunning and still managing to turn experimental music on its head mor…

*2025 stock. 200 copies limited edition* Three eminent figures of the international experimental music scene meet here in an unexpected configuration. Aidan Baker and Katharina Schmidt are well-known for their drone/ambient-oriented work, while versatile improviser Han-earl Park is certainly the person one would expect in an improvising trio. Katharina Schmidt performs as a drummer and percussionist, Aidan Baker switches between guitar and bass, while Han-earl Park appears on his trademark instr…

*60 copies limited edition* "After our first concert together in Savignone in Feb 2020 just before the pandemic stopped everything , we had a second chance to play again thanks to Matteo Casari and Disorderdrama in Genova as the opening act for “75 Dollar Bill. The venue was packed full, the air was full of energy and anticipation and everyone listened with open ears and hearts. I tried a new tuning on my double bass to match the Bb tuning of Andy’s guitar, and I think things worked out well. I …

Trost continues its Trost Jukebox Series of 7"s. Okkyung Lee - cello; Lasse Marhaug - electronics. Recorded at Lasse's studio in Oslo. No overdubs, minimal editing. Mastered by Martin Siewert. Artwork by Lasse Marhaug.

*2025 stock. 50 copies limited edition* After taking the long view on Small Things on Sundays' recordings in the dark ambient category, released by attenuation circuit on their 2023 CD "Guide", Henrik Bagner and Claus Poulsen have gone ravaging in the archives looking for goodies thier evil twins have left over since 2009, namely, live improvisations with turntables, table-guitar and laptop recorded 2009 to 2012. This album is a noise salad with a lot more vinyl jumping and maxxed out effects th…

"The trio Rapid Zen creates a dynamic blend of really unique music by fusing rhythmic patterns with audio experiments. They achieve this by combining a layer of turntable sampling and scratching that provides a distinctive and varied sound interacting with a broad palette of different techniques on double bass, percussion, and voice. Fried Brains is the first release of the project." - Vito Camarretta ''Don’t hold your breath in anticipation of instant karma or rapid enlightenment, but with such…

Giovanni Di Domenico as a master of his instruments produces bulky sound rugged and dark atmospheres but also plainly beautiful through stark contrasts. Improvisation is therefore more as a state than an outline or shape, the timbre is the actual carrier of the form, drone is the crucial element. Edge Runner is sophisticated, refined even, balanced despite its obvious unwillingness to compromise, carefully crafted regardless of the mad surface structure. Noema consists of a live recording of an …

Two masters of free improvisation—Evan Parker and Jean-Marc Foussat—meet live in Insolence. Soprano sax and electronics intertwine in deep, lyrical tension. A vital transgenerational document.

A delirious plunge into absurdist tape collages and haunted electronics, this long-buried artifact resurfaces with eerie timeliness—a disorienting mix of degraded loops, dark humor, and fractured noise. A grotesque masterpiece of West Coast sonic dadaism.

Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Yorkston, English guitarist David A. Jaycock, and Swedish saxophonist Lina Langendorf unite in a collaborative album that seamlessly weaves together elements of folk, jazz, and atmospheric soundscapes. This project, born from longstanding friendships and mutual musical admiration, offers a richly textured journey—both intimate and expansive. The album's genesis lies in Yorkston's enduring partnership with Jaycock, dating back to their co…

The music of Panzer Constellations was the result of a single occasion - by the invitation of After Action Review - to record a duo of soprano saxophones for the wonderful acoustics available at the former Heeresbekleidungsamt, Bernau - now an expansive abandoned building.