The Epidemics
The Epidemics is an album by Indian violinist L. Shankar and British vocalist, keyboardist and composer Caroline recorded in February 1985 and released on ECM the following year.Elsewhere's Graham Reid included the album in his list of "10 Unusual ECM Albums of the Eighties I Own," and remarked: "This is a kind of post-punk electro-pop outing... Synth pop with very little catchy pop, emotionally flat vocals by Caroline, widdly rock guitar by Vai and bassist Jones probably wondering why he was do…
M.R.C.S.
Original 1991 LP edition. Singer, harmonica virtuoso, and keyboardist Karen Mantler has inherited her father, Michael Mantler's sense of whimsy and her mother, Carla Bley's musical fearlessness -- not to mention her electric-shredded-wheat hairstyle. Although Mantler's debut album was produced by Bley and new husband Steve Swallow and features fellow avant-jazz offspring Eric Mingus as co-lead vocalist and Jonathan Sanborn on bass, 1989's My Cat Arnold isn't quite jazz, but it's not exactly pop …
More Movies
Original 1980 LP edition, first pressing – printed in the USA. For light relief from his darker, more existential works, Michael Mantler assembled two fine ensembles at the end of the 1970s to play music that might be described as the Thinking Man’s Answer to Fusion. "Like a more mature and musicianly Mahavishnu Orchestra" according to Melody Maker. Two original albums, remastered, on a single CD.
Alien
Original 1985 LP edition. This one is a bit of an outlier. More a showcase for keyboardist Don Preston’s (The Mothers Of Invention) array of 1980s synthesizers and drum machines than a jazz album. As the story goes composer Michael Mantler wrote this music for a conventional orchestra with the solo trumpet part, but then decided to transpose orchestral partitions to Preston’s gadgetry. It is not known if this move was informed by the budgetary constraint or perhaps creative or even financial inc…
My Cat Arnold
Original 1989 LP edition. Singer, harmonica virtuoso, and keyboardist Karen Mantler has inherited her father, Michael Mantler's sense of whimsy and her mother, Carla Bley's musical fearlessness -- not to mention her electric-shredded-wheat hairstyle. Although Mantler's debut album was produced by Bley and new husband Steve Swallow and features fellow avant-jazz offspring Eric Mingus as co-lead vocalist and Jonathan Sanborn on bass, 1989's My Cat Arnold isn't quite jazz, but it's not exactly pop …
The Light Programme
For the very first time on vinyl, Jah Wobble 1997 extraordinary descent into downtempo and world beat science. Released on his now-defunct 30 Hertz label, The Light Programme showcased an excellent cast of musicians. On board are historical Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit – with more of his African-induced rhythms – multi-instrumentalist - and The Wire contributor - Clive Bell, conga player Neville Murray, guitar and synth player Mark Ferda and the exceptional harpist Zi-Lan Liao. If you enjoyed ‘My …
Live It
Temporary Super Offer! *2024 stock* From the same studio that brought us 48 Chairs (Gerry & The Holograms), The Fall and The Blue Orchids, while following the bona-fide bloodline between Danny and The Dressmakers, Toolshed and 808 State, the “difficult second album” by Biting Tongues (released on a minuscule cassette run by The Buzzcocks’ Vanity label) has since become a near mythical artefact of Mancunian DIY. Cementing the path between the Absurd label’s kitchen sink synth assaults and Factory…
Sprung Aus Den Wolken
*2023 stock* The Berlin project Sprung Aus Den Wolken was part of the "Geniale Dilletanten" movement in the early 1980s, along with Einstürzende Neubauten and Mechanik Destrüktiw Komandöh. The band first released an EP on ZickZack in 1981, followed by further releases on the band's own record label Faux Pas in 1982 and 1983, then on the French outlet Les Disques Du Soleil Et De L'Acier until 1991. The track Pas Attendre was part of the soundtrack of Wim Wender’s movie Der Himmel über Berlin a…
Extra Weapons
The Lo Yo Yo was founded in 1984 by Family Fodder’s John Pearce, aka Alig Fodder. They were active for two years and released one cassette, one split cassette with French band Look De Bouk and one full-length LP. The Lo Yo Yo’s line-up went through changes over its whole lifetime, but with some constants – most notably singer Joey Stack and drummer Carrie Brooks. Charles Bullen of This Heat occasionally played drums with Family Fodder and produced The Lo Yo Yo’s LP Extra Weapons in 1985. Alig sa…
Eins Und Zwei Und Drei Und Vier 2 - Deutsche Experimentelle Pop-Musik 1978-87
For their second foray into the fringes of German pop, Bureau B delve deeper than before, raiding cassette culture, 7" obscurities and overlooked album cuts to further frame this free-thinking strain of sonic expression. Starting the count from punk’s year zero, this set sees a newly liberated generation get weird and wild with anything they could lay their hands on, delivering demented, detuned and disorienting tracks brimming with DIY spirit.
Schax
**300 copies** The eighth record of the Ukrainian label Muscut bursts into consciousness like a psychedelic van which is flying at all pairs, leaving behind a sultry cloud. Meet the Chillera - new girl-band from Odessa. Three young witches mixed together the berries of surf rock, dub-rhythms ripened on the southern soil and greens of funky ornaments. It sounds juicy, naturalistic, relaxed and, most importantly, fresh. Heady maiden trio plays bluntly, from the heart, unexpurgated spicy dub music …
Rock Sutra
Sun Araw released Rock Sutra, via Sun Ark, his Drag City sub-label. Cameron Stallones' latest LP consists of four long tracks. "The music is offered in a spirit of generosity and adventure," he says, "It doesn't stay put, and it keeps zooming in to reveal more and more. This is so you can zoom in and experience 'feeling-without-articulating' for yourself, which is better than reading about it here."
Rock Sutra is the first album Stallones recorded live-to-MIDI with his band, which consists of Jo…
Night After Night
**Limited edition translucent red vinyl** New York no-wavers Ike Yard are perhaps best known for being the first American band signed to Factory Records, and it isn't difficult to hear why: the group's music has much in common with the existential frigidness of Joy Division and early New Order as well as the mutant noise-funk of Section 25 and A Certain Ratio. That said, the sound of Night After Night, the band's debut EP, is one that could only have emerged from the lawless dystopia of '70s New…
Back Ground Music
**2020 small repress** BGM was the very first project by Japanese living legend and electronic music producer Takayuki Shiraishi; the album was released on legendary experimental music label Vanity Records. Now, one of the most demanded alternative music album from Japan is finally reissued on vinyl, remastered from the original tapes by Kuniyuki Takahashi.Shiraishi created Back Ground Music when he was a 17 year old high school student. Wanting to realize his musical vision at the time, he invi…
Pro Fun
**300 copies** Imagine yourself chilling on the sunny sea coast during summertime, among mountains, salty air, cypresses and junipers, listening to dub and wistfully nodding your head to the rhythm. It is not a meditative mantra, though. It is the Odessa band Chillera, listening to which, you can easily move yourself to these landscapes.Not only their creativity but the whole atmosphere of our conversation suggests such associations. Anya Brizhata, Polina Matskevich, and Nastya Marikutsa speak s…
Bullets For You
Blurt was founded in Stroud, UK, in 1979 as part of the post-punk movement by poet, saxophonist und puppeteer Ted Milton along with Milton's brother Jake, formerly of psychedelic group Quintessence, on drums and Peter Creese on guitar. After three albums Creese left the band to be replaced by Herman Martin on synthesizers who, after a year of constant touring left the band, and was replaced by Steve Eagles, former member of Satan's Rats, The Photos and Bang Bang Machine. Shortly thereafter Jake …