Lust Vessel – LV#014
A Dear Girl Called Wendy – WE25
Tracklist:
A –Tongue Knax Tacks On Bare Breath
B –Mordant Karma Philtre
C1 –Arv & Miljö Bellevue I
C2 –Arv & Miljö Bellevue II
C3 –Arv & Miljö Bellevue III
D –Blodvite Theatron
E –Endless Sea Carrying A Spoon
F –Elisha Morningstar Stand To Exist And Remain
G –Skingraft There Is No Chance In Hell
H –Developer Untitled
Styggelse – 060
Tracklist:
A1 –Vit Fana Antoniuseld 5:42
A2 –Puce Mary The Course 7:46
A3 –Brighter Death Now Enough 3:23
A4 –Alfarmania Nåldyna 4:49
A5 –Shift (12) Wipe Them Out 7:35
A6 –Händer Som Vårdar Jag Blev Stolt 6:13
A7 –Theta (5) Scopaesthesia 5:38
A8 –Arv & Miljö Johnny 5:10
B1 –Ochu Sopa 4:04
B2 –Negative Climax Kaa Anta Ilahama 5:13
B3 –Treriksröset Tillägnad Gubb (Vila I Frid) 9:39
B4 –Maniac Cop Fires Blanks 4:52
B5 –Teufelsdröckh Namnlös Och Odödlig 4:49
B6 –Vårtgård Slåss 3:48
B7 –Arkhe (3) Vrakloge 8:30
B8 –A Feast For Vultures The Prodigal Returns 5:22
Förlag För Fri Musik – 009
dynamitehemorrhage:
Effectively a collection of sound snippets: some noisy, some ethereal and folkish, some of a masterbatory clown with a horn honking away solo in a bedroom. No matter how “fractured” and “lo-fi” the recording, there’s really no effective way to piece together barrel scrapings this mindless and somehow posit that it’s a document of a scene that’s worthy of documentation. Divorced from the broader context of their own (excellent) recent LP, even the Enhet För Fri Musik tracks land with all the authority of a missed left hook. The proverbial silver lining is that there will probably be someone on Discogs willing to over pay for it. (editor’s note: there was!)
Tracklist:
A1 –Schakalens Bror Bring Back The Babbitt Machine
A2 –Blod Only Friend
A3 –Pig Mist Of Confusion
A4 –Enhet För Fri Musik Alltid Hemåt
A5 –Unknown Artist Solokvist I
A6 –Arv & Miljö Leva För Sent
A7 –David Eng Fasor
A8 –Unknown Artist Solokvist II
A9 –Leda Hög Puls, På Väg
A10 –Pig Rainbow Eyelids
A11 –Pig Ingen Verklighet
B1 –Vattenskalle Bug Bite (Short Mix)
B2 –Unknown Artist Solokvist III
B3 –Enhet För Fri Musik Vi Tänker På Dig
B4 –Källarbarnen Barndom
B5 –Blod Nordens Ark
B6 –VMS Elit Eksjö
B7 –Pig Falling Apart
B8 –Blodvite Mot Strömmen
Antarctica Records – ACR-6201
"Antarctica is a new concern created by Kit Fitzgerald, John Sanborn and
Peter Gordon dedicated to the proposition that video and music are
created equal."
Tracklist
1. Love Of Life Orchestra – Siberia (3:23)
2. Jill Kroesen – I'm Sorry I'm Such A Weenie (2:48)
3. "Blue" Gene Tyranny – The World's Greatest Piano Player (10:39)
4. Ned Sublette – I Ain't Afraid Of Girls (2:26)
5. Rhys Chatham – Drastic Classicism For Electric Instruments (4:06)
6. David Van Tieghem – And Now This (5:03)
7. Jill Kroesen – You've Really Got A Hold On Me (5:13)
8. Peter Gordon – Waiting For The Dawn (7:19)
Deutscher Musikrat – sonig 83
For the last 14 years the label Sonig, located down a quiet
neighbourhood street in the back office of the a-Musik record store in
K?ln, has stood for uncompromising artistic freedom, absurd humour,
hallowed seriousness and irreplaceable individuality. The Sonig
aesthetic has come to be an institution, a synonym for nonconformist
stoicism in the pop business. Founded by pop-experimentalist Frank
Dommert and Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars, the label
soon became the home to internationally revered artists such as
Workshop, Microstoria, Mouse on Mars, F.X.Randomiz, Kevin Blechdom, Usk?
Orchestra, Schlammpeitziger, Vert and Candie Hank - all of which are
featured prominently on the two-disc compilation, lovingly and
painstakingly curated by label head Frank Dommert.
In 2012 Sonig will celebrate its 15th birthday and this box sets
the party mood. Besides the music, which hasn't grown old a bit, what
really makes this compilation special is its picture-book DVD.
Sandwiched nicely in between the two slices of sonig music, the disc
contains 31 video artifacts unearthed and collected over the course of
the label's history. They are a veritable treasure trove of esoteric
high-tech clips, elaborate animations and abstract experimental films.
Morbid holiday footage from the 60s, art clips by Mouse On Mars,
classics by Schlammpeitziger, and trashy no-budget crime stories by
Candie Hank all stand side-by-side like a vaudeville freak show.
Nostalgie De La Boue – ndlb#104
Tracklist
1. Jorje 18 – Infini (03:04)
2. MuИ – Minute (01:34)
3. MuИ – Seconde (02:24)
4. Memory Scale – Back From the Lake (04:32)
5. Cold Colors – The Losing Game (05:00)
6. Tympan – Ağıt (09:10)
7. Julia Hanadi al Abed – Kuu-Lune de Jupiter (05:41)
8. panoptique – Swamp State (06:13)
9. Hokhmat – Toransumisshon (10:00)
10. Moxx – Aavin (04:06)
11. Roxane de Wallen – Plus Jamais Seul.E (05:31)
12. RG Rough – X-Ü & ¤ Μµ (05:28)
13. Lacustre – Communion (15:27)
14. Antoine Hubineau – Proche Décor (04:34)
15. douzirec – Jap K 2 (G mix) (06:05)
16. Monsieur Crane – Combien Sommes Nous (03:58)
17. Romain Carde – Silent Anger (06:16)
18. Bette & Davis – En El Bosque (Entre Dos Flores) (05:58)
19. Microfilmures – Broquilles (03:20)
20. Audrey Poujoula – Aorte (04:53)
21. United Assholes – Voilà Le Chemin (00:51)
22. Philippe Leguérinel – Eau-Forte (24:07)
23. .- (eaux saines) – Stray (05:25)
24. Birtawil – Ungha (12:13)
25. Quenotte – Ondine Chafouine (05:34)
26. Black Bug – Genom Natten (04:29)
27. The Je Ne Sais Quoi – Élévation (02:47)
28. NLSL – Vocomachine (06:32)
29. Aumugu – Eph.6 - Whisper in the Waters. Liquid Secret (03:07)
30. DR-42 – Triptik (16:22)
31. Pakun Jaran – Hello (feat. Daisy Mortem) (06:29)
32. OVK – Grandivs Contractio Universvm (feat. Serena Toxicat) (09:53)
33. Radiante Pourpre – IV (05:48)
34. Kraums Notho – Douce Journée Sous Tondeuse À Gazon (11:38)
35. Plimplim – 070817 (05:28)
36. H ø R D – Dead Inside (04:43)
37. Cristof Salzac – Mara Jade (Ascoa mix) (08:49)
38. Jean-Marie Colin – Projet Edp (remix) (19:32)
39. L'Armée Des Morts – Le Trône (03:54)
40. MSTRV1 – Arpi 2 (04:36)
41. Venus Berry – Capsule (10:16)
42. Papa Boyer – Par Quel Animal - (01:38)
43. L.S.D. – Living in Litter (03:56)
44. Quassine – Springfox (08:41)
45. ..,;-) – Sol Sec (03:40)
46. Jean-Luc Elie – Celtic Mood (05:19)
47. Damien Delpech – System 100 (02:30)
48. Echowired – E B C (10:19)
49. That Summer – Desire (06:28)
50. United Assholes – Shutter (01:31)
51. Dalla$ – La Cage (03:42)
52. Faction 57 – Enregistrement N° 34 (03:05)
53. Alice Keller – 8,611 Years of Lights (06:38)
54. Alkatrâaz – Papanohell (01:52)
55. Odalisque – Mirage (15:10)
56. Zumaia – Axis (01:21)
57. Tallìnn – Jäine (05:57)
58. Fléau – Goule (03:15)
59. Memory Scale – Moving Circles (02:47)
60. Nexus Sun – Larsen (06:29)
61. Monsieur Crane – La Horde (01:56)
62. Yab – Ssilc #15 (02:41)
63. Müca Özer – Hey! (03:18)
64. Manaya Project & Jowen & Nima – Sour Sunset (05:52)
65. Nicolas Merle – Ascension (14:55)
66. Julie Mansion-Vaquié – Les Larmes Ne Font Pas Fondre Les Glaciers (04:08)
67. Zeskiouss – Konstantinoupolis (06:21)
68. MuИ – Narcose (04:45)
69. Volcan – Altar of Blindness (06:37)
70. Violent Quand On Aime – Le Roi Second (01:59)
71. Martial Bécheau – Je T'Aime (31:23)
72. Nicolas Marty – 救世主 (Kyûseishu) (00:12)
73. Néoboris – La Dignité Des Étoiles (02:14)
Astral Spirits – none
ASTRAL ASCENDING is our 5 year anniversary compilation filled to the max
with 3+ hours of incredible music culled from our back catalog as well
as 16 EXCLUSIVE TRACKS material from Astral Spirits related artists.
This compilation is also a sort of fundraiser. Rather than do the
gofundme's or other things we decided to offer you an incredible amount
of music for one low price in hopes of spreading the word about the
label and to raise some funds for some really incredible stuff happening
next year and beyond.
We're only asking $10 (feel free to donate more if you'd like or not)
for this compilation. AND for every $10 (if you pay $20 for the comp you
get 2 entries, etc) you get one entry into a drawing for a SIGNED COPY
of our 2016 release JOE McPHEE "ZURICH (1979)" by Mr. McPhee himself!
We're selling the other 4 signed copies for $120 per SO here's your
chance to enter a drawing and potentially win one!
Think of Astral Ascending as a look back and a look forward at a small
snippet of the music we've released. We've probably released too much in
the last 5 years and that's okay. Here's to more years (and a little
slower pace).
credits
released September 20, 2019
1. QUIN KIRCHNER GROUP -- Together We Can Explore The Furthest Beyond (Live)
EXCLUSIVE live track from Kirchner and his expanded nonet at the Hungry
Brain in Chicago, this was from Kirchner's LP release show. Look for
Kirchner's sophomore LP coming soon!
2. ROB MAZUREK -- Love Waves
from Mazurek's recent 2019 release "Love Waves Ecstatic Charge"
3. MICHAEL FOSTER & BEN BENNETT -- Lint Crepper
EXCLUSIVE a track from Foster & Bennett's upcoming 2020 release! A
intense followup to their 2017 Astral Spirits tape "In It."
4. REMPIS / PIET / DAISY -- Live
EXCLUSIVE track from the trio that brought us the outstanding "Throw Tomatoes" album we released back in early 2018.
5. DUSTIN LAURENZI'S SNAKETIME -- Maybe
EXCLUSIVE track recorded live at the same time as the "Snaketime" LP but not released previously!
6. BERMAN / LYTTON / ROEKBE -- Oslo (edit)
edit of the bonus track off the trio's upcoming/current LP release "Trio Discrepancies"
7. LISA CAMERON & SANDY EWEN -- Live in Austin
EXCLUSIVE live track from a rare duo gig in ATX. Look for more from this dynamic duo in 2020!
8. MAKO SICA/HAMID DRAKE -- Enchanted City (Live)
EXCLUSIVE live track from Mako Sica & Hamid Drake who have returned
and will be releasing "The Balancing Tear" in 2020!! This is a live
version of a song that will appear on the album.
9. HARRIS EISENSTADT OLD GROWTH FOREST -- Shaded Canopy
track from EIsenstadt's 2019 OGF release "II" with Jeb Bishop, Tony Malaby & Jason Roebke.
10. SPIRES THAT IN THE SUNSET RISE -- X Stat Eight
track from their now OOP early 2019 release "House Ecstatic (Cover Your Blood)"
11. PATRICK SHIROISHI -- Your Freedom is More Important Than Their Anger
EXCLUSIVE solo track from one of our favorite young saxophone players on
the scene. He's been on two different Astral Spirits releases, his
"Borasisi" quartet album we released earlier in 2019 and the upcoming
KOMESHI TRIO (w/Noel Meek & Peter Kolovos) album that will see the
light of day in Oct 2019!
12. EVANGELISTA / HAWKINS / MOHOLO-MOHOLO / WATTS - FDT
A track from the upcoming 2020 2xCD release of this unbelievable quartet
of Karl Evangelista, Alexander Hawkins, Louis Moholo-Moholo &
Trevor Watts!!! The first recordings of Moholo-Moholo & Watts
together in a long long time!
13. CHARLES RUMBACK w/RON MILES, MACIE STEWART & NICK MACRI -- Neve
EXCLUSIVE track from this Rumback led quartet featuring fellow Astral
alum Macie Stewart and legend Ron Miles! Whether this album sees the
light of day on Astral Spirits is to be seen BUT we will have another
Rumback album coming in 2020!!
14. CLAIRE ROUSAY -- Lovers
EXCLUSIVE track from Rousay, who we will hear much more from soon with
two different duos with Alex Cunningham and Carol Genetti.
15. JOHN BUTCHER & STALE LIAVIK SOLBERG -- Sunshine Harpsichord
EXCLUSIVE track from the 2/3's of the group (minus Pat Thomas) that
brought us the incredible "Fictional Souvenirs" album released earlier
in 2019.
16. TILTH -- Turquoise Socks
EXCLUSIVE track from the duo of CODY YANTIS & NATHAN McLAUGHLIN. You
may remember McLaughlin from the 2017 HMS release we did.
17. BLOOR -- Splice (for Arthur Blythe)
from Bloor's debut album "Drolleries." Sam Weinberg, Andrew Smiley & Jason Nazary doing amazing things!
18. BRANDON SEABROOK -- Celibate Cluster
EXCLUSIVE solo track from guitar maestro and all around amazing person
Brandon Seabrook! We released his String Trio "Convulsionaries" back in
2018 and we'll have another exciting Seabrook release coming in 2020!
19. JAAP BLONK / JEB BISHOP / DAMON SMITH / WEASEL WALTER -- Live at Williamantic Records
EXCLUSIVE track from this mindblowing quartet. We've been lucky to have
multiple releases with Bishop and Smith. Hopefully more soon from them
and others in this group.
20. MACIE STEWART & LIA KOHL -- Toothpick Bicycle
a track from their Astral Editions album "Pocket Full of Bees." Their officially Astral Spirits release coming at you in 2020.
21. FRED LONBERG-HOLM / ANTON HATWICH / AVREEAYL RA -- Hazmat
EXCLUSIVE track from this trio that have all graced various Astral Sprits releases over the last 5 years!
22. TASHI DORJI & TYLER DAMON -- First Cut
track from their 2017 release "Live at The Spot +1" Tashi & Tyler
make up 2/3's of KUZU as well and we'll have a brand new LP from them in
the not too distant future!
23. NATHAN ALEXANDER PAPE & PATRICK BREINER -- find the sky is a cart
EXCLUSIVE track from their upcoming Oct 2019 Astral Editions release "Ground Air."
24. NICK MAZZARELLA TRIO -- The Puzzle
track from their recent "Counterbalance" LP celebrating 10 years of the Mazzarella trio!
25. WARSAW IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA -- That (edit)
track from the 2016 split release with Bouchons d'Oreilles we did. Still love how wild this sounds.
26. ICEPICK -- Rare Rufescent (edit)
edit of a track from Icepick's (Nate Wooley, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten,
Chris Corsano) 2016 "Amaranth" LP! Look for a 3rd Icepick album
(finally) in 2020!
27. LOTTE ANKER & FRED LONBERG-HOLM -- The Frigid Air
track from their 2017 split tape release.
28. PATRICK SHIROISHI & NOEL MEEK -- Live
EXCLUSIVE track from 2/3's of the upcoming KOMESHI TRIO group.
29. TIM STINE TRIO - dB (lowercase d, Big B)
track from the self titled debut from the Tim Stine Trio back in 2016. TST will be back in 2020 with a new album!
30. KOBRA QUARTET -- Telly Attire
officially out in October, Kobra Quartet is AURORA NEALAND, STEVE
MARQUETTE, ANTON HATWICH & PAUL THIBODEAUX doing amazing things and
our first release repping the INSTIGATION FESTIVAL.
31. ROB LUNDBERG -- Pick
track from his recently released "Water Addendum Infrastructures" album on Astral Editions.
32. MATTHEW LUX COMMUNICATION ARTS QUARTET -- Israels'
track from the Lux Quartet's now SOLD OUT CS/LP/VHS and one of my
favorite tracks we've ever released on Astral Spirits. Seriously, this
is the best ever.
33. TREDICI BACCI -- Coda
track from their 2015 release "Vai! Vai! Vai!" Yep we released a Tredici
Bacci cassette back in the day and it's amazing. Maybe we'll see a
repress of it one day, who knows....
Buh Records – BR120
The project to produce this compilation began towards the end of 2016,
with an invitation extended by Chico Dub to visit the festival he
directs, Novas Frequências. There, we would meet the delegation of the
Pro Helvetia Foundation, who had great interest in knowing more about
the experimental music scene in South America. We traveled to Rio de
Janeiro to visit the Novas Frequencias festival, and to Valparaiso to
visit the Tsonami festival. The encounter was rewarding in both
directions, as I also was interested in learning about the Swiss scene.
While exchanging with Tobias Rothfahl (Pro Helvetia), I realized that
the experimental music scene in Switzerland was very active and robust,
and the idea to make this compilation started to develop.
I don’t remember exactly what was my first musical contact with
Switzerland. Perhaps when I discovered The Young Gods through their
records by the end of the 1990s. What I do remember clearly is my first
direct exchange with Swiss experimental musicians. It happened during a
series of concerts that occurred in Lima 10 years ago. Particularly, I
remember the shows put together by Günter Müller, Jason Kahn, Norbert
Möslang (Voice Crack), and Dave Phillips (Schimpfluch). They had arrived
as part of a South American tour, and performed together with many of
Lima’s underground experimental musicians.
After these exchanges, I understood that Swiss artists travelled
frequently. Partly because of the very nature of the international
experimental music circuit, but Swiss artists also travel vastly because
funding is available to promote Swiss culture abroad. Because of
Switzerland’s proximity to many other countries, there is a lot of
communication and cultural activity, especially with France, Germany,
and Italy. At the same time, there is a large number of foreign artists
living in Switzerland, well integrated with the local scene. Considering
the cultural diversity of the country, represented in its four official
languages (French, German, Italian, and Romansh), together with a high
rate of immigration, Switzerland is a country of complex cultural
convergence.
How to forget Cabaret Voltaire, in Zürich, founded by Hugo Ball from
Germany. Cabaret Voltaire was the historic meeting place of the Dadaist
movement, and housed exiled artists from different nationalities, and
different languages. Such a cosmopolitan atmosphere made possible the
emergence of the so-called “verses without words”, a non-language
capable of speaking to the most diverse crowd.
One of the most active labels in the experimental music scene in
Switzerland is Institute of Incoherent Cinematography, from Zürich,
where silent films are screened with live music performed by
experimental musicians. During these screenings, one can find often
‘free improvisation’, a genre deeply rooted in Switzerland, and one
largely practiced by Swiss experimental musicians.
Two notable experimental music venues in Switzerland are Cave 12 in
Geneva, and Misterioso Jazz Club, in Zürich. Equally important are
alternative places like Cabane B, in Bern, as well as festivals such as
LUFF, in Lausanne. LUFF is a festival of extreme music that presents
artists from different parts of the world. Other important festivals
such as Ear We Are, in Biel, and Zoom In, in Bern, are dedicated to free
improvisation.
To me, record labels perhaps are the best way to understand the
different styles and visions of how the experimental music scene has
developed. Many experimental music labels stand out: Everest Records,
Veto Records, three:four records, Präsens Editionen, Cruel Bones, A Tree
in a Field Records, Pulver & Asche Records, Wide Ear Records, and
Bongo Joe Records. Bongo Joe is also a specialized record store worth
highlighting, together with the stores Oor and Plattfon Records.
“Interactions” is a word that refers to a connection between two or more
things that influence each other reciprocally. It is a useful word in
discussing and understanding what is different, and a word that reminds
us that if something must prevail within the experimental music scene,
it is its openness towards what is different.
Aurora Borealis – ABX079
A concept compilation based on the invasion of the moon 50 years ago on 20th July 1969.
The album is released as a CD and 44 page A5 book, in an edition of 200.
Of those, an edition of 13 will be available with a hand-forged iron
moon charm, made especially for the project by occult blacksmith
Borealis Ironworks.
The book contains an extended essay by Cody Dickerson, (known for his
work with Three Hands Press and Revelore Press, among others), as well
as by the contributing artists: Hawthonn, Burial Hex, SUTEKH HEXEN, Anji
Cheung & English Heretic, Moon Mourning Earth, and TenHornedBeast.
Five of the six tracks are exclusive to this project, having been
composed by invitation. The audio was mastered by James Plotkin.
Finders Keepers Records – FKR101LP
After years of mythology, misinterpretation and procrastination Nurse
With Wound’s Steven Stapleton finally chooses Finders Keepers Records as
the ideal collaborators to release “the right tracks” from his
uber-legendary psych/prog/punk peculiarity shopping list known as The
Nurse With Wound List, commencing with a French specific Volume One of
this authentically titled Strain Crack Break series. Featuring some
Finders Keepers’ regulars amongst galactic Gallic rarities (previously
presumed to be imaginary red herrings) this deluxe double vinyl dossier
demystifies some of the essential French free jazz and Parisian prog
inclusions from the alphabetical “dedication” inventory as printed the
anti-bands 1979 industrial milestone debut.
When Steven Stapleton, Heman Pathak and John Fothergill’s anti-band
Nurse With Wound decided to include an alphabetical dedication to all
their favourite bands on the back of their inaugural LP the notion of
creating a future record dealers’ trophy list couldn’t have been further
from their minds. By adding a list of untravelled European mythical
musicians and noise makers to their own debut release of unchartered
industrial art rock they were merely providing a suggestive support
system of existing potential likeminded bands, establishing safety in
numbers should anyone require sonic subtitles for Nurse With Wound’s own
mutant musical language. Luckily for them, the record landed in record
shops in the midst of 1979’s memorable summer of abject apathy and its
sound became a hit amongst disillusioned agit-pop pickers and artsy
post-punks, thus playing a key role in the bourgeoning “Industrial”
genre that ensued. On the most part, however, the list , like most
instruction manuals, remained unreadable, syntactic and suspiciously
sarcastic… As potential “real musicians” Nurse WIth Wound became an
Industrial music fan’s household name, but in contrast many of the names
on The Nurse With Wound List were considered to be imaginary musicians,
made-up bands or booby traps for hacks and smart-arses. It took a while
for the rest of the record collecting community to catch on or finally
catch up.
Since then, many of the rare, obscure and unpronounceable genre-free
records on The Nurse With Wound List have slowly found their own feet
and stumbled in to the homes of open-minded outernational vinyl junkies,
D’s and sample hungry producers, self-propelled and judged on their own
merit, mostly without consultation of the enigmatic NWW map. But, to
the inspective competitive collector’s chagrin, one resounding fact
recurs, NWW got there first! via vinyl vacations, on cheap flights and
Interrail tickets, buying bargain bin LPs on a shoestring while
oblivious to the pending pension worthy price tags after their 40 year
vintage, Stapleton and Fothergill, even if you’ve never heard of them,
were at the bottom of the pit before “digging” became paydirt. And NOW
at huge international record fairs that occur in massive exhibition
halls (or within the confines of your one-touch
palm pilot) amongst jive talk acronyms such as SS, PP, BIN, DNAP and
BCWHES the coded letters NWW have begun to appear on stickers in the
corner of original copies of the same premium progressive records
accompanied by a customary 50% price hike to titillate/coerce the
initiated as dealers extort the taught. Like “psych” “PINA” or
“Krautrock” did before, “NWW” has become a buzzword and in the passed
decades since its first publication The List has been mythologised,
misunderstood and misconstrued. It’s also been overlooked, overestimated
and under-appreciated in equal measures, but with a growing interest it
has also come to represent a maligned genre in itself, something that
all members of the original line-up
would have deemed sacrilegious. Bolstered by the subtitle “Categories
strain, crack and sometimes break, under their burden,” all bands on the
inventory (many chosen on the strength of just one track alone) were
chosen for their genre-defying qualities… A check-list for the
uncharted.
Forty years after Nurse With Wound’s first record, Finders Keepers
Records, in close collaboration with Steve Stapleton remind fans of THIS
kind of “lost” music, that there once existed a feint path which was
worn away decades before major label pop property developers built over
this psychedelic underground. As long-running fans and liberators of
some of the same records, arriving at the same axis from
different-but-the-same planets, Finders Keepers and Nurse WIth Wound
finally sing from the same hymn sheet resulting in a collaborative
attempt to officially, authentically and legally compile the best tracks
from the list, succeeding where many overzealous nerds have deferred
(or simply, got the wrong end of the stick). Naturally our lavish
metallic gatefold double vinyl compendium would only scratch the surface
of this DIY dossier of elongated punk-prog peculiarities hence out
decision to release volume one in a series which, in accordance with
Steve’s wishes, focuses exclusively on individual tracks of French
origin, the country that unsurprisingly hosted the highest content of
bands on the list. Comprising of musique concrète, free jazz, Rock In
Opposition, Zeuhl School space rock, macabre ballet music, lo-fi sci-fi,
and classic horror literature inspired prog, this first volume of the
series entitled Strain Crack And Break throws us in at the deep end,
where the Seine meets the in-sane, introducing the space cadets that
found Mars in Marseilles.
Like the Swedish flat-pack record shelves that attempt to house the vast
amounts of vintage vinyl that goes into a multi-volume compilation like
this, it is time to prepare your own musical penchants and preconceived
ideas about DIY music and hear them slowly strain, crack and break.
VAKNAR – VAK10
The Warmest Hum is an ode to hiss and tangibility, celebrating our
label's first year in operation, fellowship and the renaissance of
visceral music.
Echotourist – ECH011
Echotourist is a community of musicians and music lovers with similar
tastes and interests. From guitar post rock and shoegazing to dub and
deep techno we travelling with echo sound. Based in Siberia in 2010.
Since 2012 runs as netlabel. Since 2015 made releases on tapes.
Moving Furniture Records – MFR080
In December 2019 we had a crowdfunding campaign to support
us into the year 2020. For this we asked several of our musicians
if they could contribute to this campaign. From this the compilation Moving Music: Sounds From The Rocking Chair grew.
In total 24 musicians submitted their creativity to make a total of
16 tracks. Aside from some exclusive solo tracks there are also 10
collaborations with unique combinations of musicians. To name a
few: TVO & Jos Smolders, Radboud Mens & BJ Nilsen, Matthijs
Kouw & Gagi Petrovic, and many more.
And aside from the great music that came from this, also new future collaborations are to be expected.
While each musician really has their own background in music the result
is surprisingly consistent, while also showing the diversity Moving
Furniture Records stands for. From eclectic modular
compositions by Codesira1 to the minimalist ambient drones by Freiband
& Orphax to the inspiring sounds by Phillipp Bückle & Cinema
Perdu.
Loopy – 001LPY
“Rubisco is the second full length album from Donato Epiro. Following
his debut album Fiume Nero (2014), the young Italian composer has moved
from the raw primordial chaos that characterised his first work to
develop a reflection on how a hypothetical absence of humans and
biological life could modify industrialized and civilized spaces.
Using field recordings, obscure samples and FM synthesis, Epiro draws
his abstract landscapes as a series of overexposed and imprecise
pictures made by concrete and organic architectures, amorphous rhythmic
patterns, repetitive sequences broken by oblique elements that seems
looking for a new active role into the ecosystem.
Exploring communication and transitions between the inanimate side of
the existing and the living one, the sound of Rubisco seems to be pulled
out from the walls of an abandoned building or captured while it is
lying on the ground of empty spaces or fluctuating like fine dust
through the light. It leads the listener into a form of "after rave"
limbo, or a personal hiding place, where the head projects only the
image of the sounds you've listened to during your human experience.
Marionette – Marionette12
Experimental trio Giraffe crystalize time on ‘Desert Haze’, their new LP
on Marionette. Giraffe is the musical project of Sascha Demand
(guitar), Jürgen Hall (keys), and Charly Schöppner (percussion). Sascha
Demand is a composer that comes from a contemporary and improvised
musical background, collaborating with the likes of Ensemble Integrales
and Vinko Globokar. Jürgen Hall works in electroacoustic experimental
projects, theatre and film scores, with releases on Staubgold and
Edition Stora. Charly Schöppner is known for his popular music releases
such as Boytronic on major production companies in the 1980´s and
composes for theatre, dance, and film scores. With only a couple of
releases to date on the wonderful Meakusma imprint as well as an EP on
Marmo, little is known about Giraffe. After letting go of other artistic
projects, the trio now focuses solely on Giraffe by continuously
searching for and finding their own unique language.
Sascha, Jürgen and Charly have quite diverse musical backgrounds, though
morphing into Giraffe they tower into one single composer. Their music
is a critical statement, not in a political sense but rather an artistic
one. Being mindful about what it means to create and how to position
themselves as artists nowadays (without the constant hassle of being en
vogue and short-lived trends) shaped their rather rare and stoic
artistic stance. It is refreshingly honest to see their expression
develop so naturally.
On Desert Haze, they’ve created a vibrant and minimalistic tribal sound
that feels inspired by the Saharan traditional music of the Tuareg,
Jazz, and German psychedelic krautrock. Giraffe themselves also list the
radical music of the Viennese School (Schoenberg along with his pupils
Berg and Webern) as well as the Köln School with its early electronic
experiments as their main influence and inspiration. More precisely the
composition process and the organization of musical material within
space and time, where a conceptual and intellectual approach melds with
an experimental yet expressive sound searching method.
Side A focuses on the trios studio work; it is built around tone color
and pitch analysis of resonating prepared guitar sounds. Through a
unique mixture of free improvisation and a serialism "rule set”, they
develop instrumental layers and structures to form their tracks. Side B
sees Giraffe playing more freely with a reduced setup - representative
of what you may hear when listening to them live.
Desert Haze, along with its track-titles, showcases an almost mimetic
approach to art. The haptic music grabs the listener not as a passive
recipient but as an active resonant body to vibrate through. One can
almost feel the Elements, pressure and heat forming a diamond, hypnotic
overtones ringing through windy caves, shamanistic rhythms conjuring up
mysterious and ancient landscapes - where the constant cycle of
sedimentation and erosion reveals structures of fragile beauty - always
gentle to the hand’s touch and the mind’s eye.
Desert Haze will be released on vinyl and digitally end of October 2019.
The Artwork by Benjamin Kilchhofer may very well be the entrance to the
entombed sounds we hear on this album. Thanks Sascha, Jürgen and
Charly!
Longform Editions – LE037
Greg Fox is a multi-instrumentalist, interdisciplinary artist, and
teacher born and based in New York City. A versatile and prolific
creative, Fox studied percussion with Guy Licata, Thurman Barker, Marvin
“Bugalu” Smith, has a B.A. in Integrated Arts from Bard College, and
has toured, recorded and released numerous records with Liturgy,
Guardian Alien, ZS, Ex Eye, Skeletons, Teeth Mountain, Dan Deacon, Colin
Stetson, Ben Frost, and many more.
Fox’s solo work is concerned with finding and creating gestural points
of procedural interaction that reconcile seemingly unrelated
interstitial spaces, using sound to create and describe emotional and
geometric architectural territories. Using the drums as a main interface
of communication, in tandem with Sensory Percussion, Fox describes,
animates and accesses hidden synesthetic landscapes.
Institut for Dansk Lydarkæologi – IDL 17
Two of Henning Christiansen’s tape works from the 1980’s, 'Peter der Große op. 174' (1986) and 'Gudbrandsdal op. 178' (1987), are now released for the first time by the Institute for Danish Sound Archaeology. Originally composed for different contexts – 'Peter der Große' as the score for a German radio feature and 'Gudbrandsdal' for a performance in collaboration with Joseph Beuys and later Bjørn Nørgaard – the two works stand out in Christansen’s extensive and many-faceted oeuvre by employing almost entirely electronic sounds. Peter der Große involves electronic instruments like synthesizer and a crackle box, while Gudbrandsdal employs a more minimal approach and aesthetics through the heavy use of echo effects and manipulation of the tape speed. Both of the tape works carry a heavy atmospheric tone and are set in a largely electronic sound world. Two absolutely enthralling and immersive pieces of tape music, now available for the first time.
Slovakia lacks the glitz of its former compatriot, the Czech Republic, but since its independence in 1993, the country's been shedding its Eastern Bloc past and embracing its own folk culture. The capital of Bratislava is a popular destination but don't bypass the old-world essence of places such as the Spis castle overlooking Spisske Podhradie; Liptovska Sielnica, with its preserved historical homes; and the spas of Piestany. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy hiking and skiing the High Tatras.
Right in the heart of Europe, Slovakia is a land of castles and mountains, occasionally punctuated by industrial sprawl. More than a quarter-century after Czechoslovakia's break-up, Slovakia has emerged as a self-assured, independent nation. Capital city Bratislava draws visitors to its resplendent old town and tankard-clanking drinking culture. But Slovakia shines brightest for lovers of the outdoors. Walking trails in the High Tatras wend through landscapes of unearthly beauty, with mirror-still glacier lakes backed by 2000m peaks.
Almost an alternate realm, Slovakia's less-visited east is speckled with quaint churches. Within its national parks are landscapes battle-scarred by the clash of river and stone. Beyond eastern metropolis Košice, a boutique charmer of a city, the Tokaj wine region unfurls across thinly populated countryside.
Despite a storied history and varied topography, Slovakia is small. For visitors, that can mean fortresses, hiking and beer-sloshing merriment – all in the space of a long weekend.
Official name: Slovak Republic
Name in native language: Slovensko (“Slovakia”), or Slovenska republika (“Slovak Republic”)
Capital city: Bratislava
Currency: Euro
Official language: Slovak
Population: 5.500.000
Electricity: 220V
Phones: +421 xxx xxx xxx / 00421 xxx xxx xxx
Emergency call: 112
European Union and NATO member state since 2004
Slovak is a western Slavic language, very closely related to Czech and relatively close to Polish and the languages of the former Yugoslavia.
Nationalities: 85% Slovak (western Slavic in origin), 10% Hungarian, 3% Roma. Significant smaller nationalities include Czechs, Ruthenians, Ukranians, Germans and Poles.
Religions: 63% Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 4% Greek Catholic, 2% other churches.
Type of government: republic, with parliamentary democracy.
Head of government: Prime Minister, generally the leader of the largest party in parliament, this post holds most real executive authority.
Legislative body: National Council, a one-house parliament elected at least once every four years.
Head of state: President, elected once every five years, largely ceremonial.
History, identity and culture
Modern Slovakia was born as an independent nation-state in 1993, when it peacefully separated from the Czech Republic, splitting from the former Czechoslovakia by mutual agreement. (There has been no organized conflict of any kind in Slovakia since 1945.) Many foreigners still confuse Slovakia with Slovenia of the former Yugoslavia.
No discussion of Slovak culture can take place without a nod to the country’s folkloric traditions. From music and dance ensembles, to handicrafts, open-air markets and festivals, we explore how folk traditions are alive and well in modern-day Slovakia, and continue to receive widespread support.
Slovak flag consists of white upper strip, the middle is blue and bottom red. These colors are conventional Slavonic shades. They symbolize Slavonic harmony and independence.
The double cross represents Christian tradition and memory of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, the two missionaries who came to Great Moravia in 863 to strengthen Christianity. They created the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts and wrote the first Slavic Civil Code, which was used in Great Moravia.
The three hills represent Tatra, Matra and Fatra mountains. (Matra lies in the north of Hungary.)
The Slovak anthem
The name of the Slovak national anthem is Nad Tatrou sa blýska (Lightning over the Tatras). The lyric was written by Janko Matúška in February 1844. The melody came from the folk song “Kopala studienku“.
Matuska and some other students left the prestigious Bratislava´s Lutheran lyceum to protest against the removal of their favorite teacher Ludovit Stur from his position by the Lutheran Church. The lyrics reflected the students’ frustration. Ludovit Stur was an author of the Slovak Literary Language.
When Czechoslovakia fell apart in 1993, another stanza was added to the anthem and it resulted in Slovak national anthem.
There is lightning over the Tatras,
thunderclaps wildly beat.
Let us stop them, brothers,
for all that, they will disappear,
the Slovaks will revive.
That Slovakia of ours
has been fast asleep so far,
but the thunder’s lightning
is rousing it
to come to.
Nad Tatrou sa blýska,
hromy divo bijú. (2x)
Zastavme ich, bratia,
veď sa ony stratia,
Slováci ožijú. (2x)
To Slovensko naše
posiaľ tvrdo spalo, (2x)
ale blesky hromu
vzbudzujú ho k tomu,
aby sa prebralo. (2x)
Slovak language
Slovak alphabet contains 46 letters. As we use diacritic, it changes pronunciation of letters and words. The following phrases are the ones, you may use when you come to Slovakia and want to start and keep simple conversation:
BASIC PHRASES
Hello. Dobrý deň. (DOH-bree deñ)
How are you? Ako sa máte? (AH-koh sah MAA-teh?)
Well, thanks. Ďakujem, dobre. (JAH-koo-yehm DOH-breh)
What is your name? Ako sa voláte? (AH-koh sah VOH-laa-tyeh)
My name is ______ . Volám sa______ . (VOH-laam sah_____.)
Pleased to meet you. Teší ma. (TYEH-shee mah)
Please. Prosím.(PROH-seem)
Thank you. Ďakujem.(JAH-koo-yehm)
You’re welcome. Prosím. (PROH-seem) Nie je za čo. (NYEE_eh yeh ZAH choh)
Yes. Áno. (AAH-noh) Hej (HAY) (informal)
No. Nie. (NYEE_eh)
Help! Pomoc! (POH-mohts!)
Good morning. Dobré ráno. (DOH-brehh RAA-noh)
Good afternoon. Dobrý deň. (DOH-bree deh-NYEH)
Good evening. Dobrý večer. (DOH-bree VEH-chehr)
Good night. Dobrú noc. (DOH-broo nohts)
I don’t understand. Nerozumiem.(NEH-roh-zoo-myehm)
The Slovak language belongs to the languages which are difficult to learn. We decline the nouns and conjugate verbs. The pronunciation is the same like spelling. There are language schools in Slovakia, where you can learn our language. If you cannot find the school in your area, you may use online language courses.
Holidays in Slovakia
State holidays and Sundays
On most holidays and on Sundays, there is little change, although most people have the day off from work. Offices of firms, state administration (including post offices) and all other organizations including all schools will be closed.
Shopping in larger stores and in shopping malls carries on, even if smaller stores often close or have limited hours.
Culture (museums and performances), recreation, and eating out all continue, often with extra gusto.
Hotels almost always continue to operate, but if your stay includes a major holiday it’s best to double-check.
Travel is easy: petrol stations with convenience stores are almost always open 24 hours per day and 365 days per year; and public transportation in cities and between cities continues, though on a limited schedule.
The exception to this rule comes on Slovakia’s major holidays (this is an unofficial distinction): 25 and 26 December, 1 January, and the Easter weekend. In most areas, a few stores and restaurants will remain open (at petrol stations if you’re desperate), but most are closed.
The following holidays are celebrated in Slovakia:
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
January 1st – Independence Day; New Year Day
July 5th – Holiday of Saint Cyril and Metod
August 29th –Slovak National Uprising
September 1st – Constitution day
November 17th – Day of Fight for Democracy
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
January 6th – Epiphany
March to April – Easter
September 15th – Our Lady of Sorrows
November 1st – All Saints’ Day
December 24th – Christmas Eve
December 25th – 1st Christmas Day
December 26th – 2nd Christmas Day
BANK HOLIDAYS
May 1st – Labor Day
May 8th – Victory over Fascism Day
COMMEMORATIVE HOLIDAYS
August 4th – Day of Matica Slovenská
SCHOOL HOLIDAY
end of October – start of November – Autumn holidays
end of December – start of January – Christmas holidays
mid February – start of March – Spring holidays
end of March – start of April – Easter holidays
June 29th – September 1st – Summer holidays
To speak of Slovak culture and art is to note a tapestry of traditions, customs, folklore, and on the same breath mention its staging under different regimes, and the European context overarching it. Long steeped in an agrarian life while being subjects under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and then after WWII, as comrades within a Soviet satellite state, Slovaks sought to preserve not only their language but also all those distinctive markings of their culture.
Along the way, Slovaks have also embraced artistic, intellectual, and political movements taking place in Europe, integrating into its particular context. Taken together, all of these influences have left an indelible mark on the “little big country,” offering an impressive array of cultural manifestations with which to represent it.
Anyone interested in Slovak or Central/Eastern European culture and art will find no shortage of folklore and legends, music, films, art, and literature to give voice to the country, its people, and their concerns.
Slovak legends
Slovakia is replete with gothic churches, medieval towns, macabre torture inventions, as well as majestic mountains and looming castles along bucolic rural landscapes. Fittingly, legend after legend arose in such surroundings, many of which were based on enigmatic historical figures.
It’s not surprising that given its landscape and historical past, countless Slovak legends based on captivating figures arose. Slovakia’s many gothic churches, medieval towns, torture recordings, looming mountains and castles serve as open invitations to the stretches of imagination. But then again, the best legends rely on a least some smidgeon of truth. Here are some prominent historical figures to give rise to the stuff of legends.
Elizabeth Bathory
Known to many as the “Blood Countess,” Elizabeth Bathory was the daughter of powerful Hungarian aristocrats. Related to warlords, clerics, bishops, she enjoyed nearly absolute power. In her castle of Cachtice, she exercised that power with a sadistic zealousness that eventually garnered her reputation of being the world’s first female mass murderer. Legend has it that, upon accidentally discovering the youthful effect of blood on the skin, she took to bathing in the blood of young women.
The White Lady of Levoča
Slovakia has three White Ladies; one from Bratislava, one from Bojnice Castle, and another from Levoca. The one from Levoca is based on Julia Korponayova, who, when spying for the Hapsburg emperor in Levoca, a town which was presently besieged by the Hapsburg army outside its walls, became the lover of the rebel Hungarian baron. During the night, she stole his keys, and let the army in, leading to the fall of the town. This didn’t stop her from meeting an unfortunate end, however.
Juraj Janosik
Considered the Slovak Robin Hood for reputedly stealing from the rich to give to the poor, Janosik is a beloved figure in Slovak folk art. He gave rise to many legends, myths, and is a constant mainstay of Slovak literature. Noted for his bravery as a soldier and as a symbol of resistence, Janosik is equally esteemed by Poles; but Janosik’s origins lies in Terchova – a town in Northern Slovakia. Legends surrounding him run aplenty, involving his faultless character as an outlaw with a purpose. One of the better known one is Janosik’s Fist, involving his punishment of an arrogant tyrant on a boulder.
Hedviga
After King Philip of Spis Castle killed the son of a Polish monarch, legend has it that the Polish king sought revenge by killing King Philip’s daughter Barbora. While Barbora and her sister Hedviga were alone in the castle, the Polish king seized the castle. Hedviga, believing her sister to be dead, jumped from the castle’s highest tower. After she jumped, a mysterious face appeared on a wall of the castle that is said to bear a striking resemblance to Hedviga.
Other legends include:
- The Virgin Tower, featuring about a certain knight, Nicolas, whose bride met her tragic end from a tower in the Devin Castle.
- Three Twigs of King Svätopluk, about the Great Moravia king’s lesson of strength through unity.
- The Well of Love, involving a Turkish noble reclaiming his love by digging a well for years until it reached water, and how his efforts were rewarded.
- Bratislava Castle, relating to curious facts about why the castle has such curious characteristics.