DAVID JACKMAN - 'Verhalte Dich Ruhig' MCD (Die Stadt)
Those readers familiar with the world of experimental music will know the name David Jackman, primarily from his work under the name Organum. As Organum, Jackman has created some of the finest, most haunting drone recordings of the last decade. This CD is a reissue of a 1996 cassette-only release that appeared in an edition of only 61 copies. Perhaps slightly similar to the sampling work of John Wall, here Jackman has taken found recordings of orchestras, and overlaid them to create two eerie collections of string ensemble collage. The title seems to translate to "hold you back calmly" and that sentiment certainly matches the music. Two untitled tracks spanning just over 25 minutes. Ltd x 700 copies.
UK 13.50£
Europe 14.50£
World 15.50£
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HANNIS BROWN - 'Severe Insomnia' CD (Lumberton Trading Company)
"Severe Insomnia" the second release of New York-based experimental composer Hannis Brown, is a spine-chilling and unpredictable rollercoaster-ride of a listen. The 11 instrumental tracks run the gamut from musique-concrete tape collages and electroacoustic composition to works for chamber ensembles, orchestra, and solo prepared guitar. Inspired by the meandering and disjunct images that manifest themselves on the backs of eyelids during bouts of insomnia, the music is charged with an instability marked by atonal explosions of saxophones, sedate interludes of electronic and orchestral textures, and nightmarish climaxes of tone clusters. Folded card cover with insert.
UK 10£
Europe 11£
World 12£
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ILLUSION OF SAFETY & THOMAS KONER - 'Untitled' 7" (Die Stadt)
Great split release from Chicago's stalwart post-Industrial ensemble Illusion Of Safety and Germany's dronecore specialist Thomas Köner. Illusion Of Safety takes a confrontationist approach by opening their condensed program with a jarring clatter of fragmented film-noir orchestrations that are roughly broken into a nervous drone. Köner's approach is far more subtle, gently pushing forward a sublime drone and allowing it to fade into silence. Released on the occasion of a rare performance that took place on 19 September 2002 at the Lagerhaus, Bremen. Regular edition of 400 copies.
The first offering from this Rome outfit. Originally conceived in 2005, Passione Nera has evolved from a folk-pop creature into a fully-fledged chamber-pop ensemble. The band keeps one watery alcoholic eye fixed on the cinematic tradition, with melodic landscapes that are dusty and melancholy. These scenes are then wrapped up in lush, orchestrated songs with acoustic and electric guitars taking the centre stage, and enhanced by a large array of additional instruments. It is as if the songs were written on the back of 1960s postcards brought back from some imaginary journey into “Americana”, then bred with French-pop, cross-fertilized with baroque-pop, and finally molded into a soundtrack for the broken-hearted, the disenchanted and the misunderstood. Features guest vocals from Simone and Piergiorgio of Spiritual Front. Digipak.
UK 8£
Europe 9£
World 10£
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SKROL - 'New Laws / New Orders' CD (Twilight Records)
The return of one of the most amazing industrial acts! The conception of of Czech ensemble Skrol arose from the visions of its spiritual father Vladimír Hirsch in autumn 1995, when he was joined by Martina Sanollová-Sweeney and Tom Saivon. Skrol employ original principles of composition, with the added depth of classical influences. Their inspiration derives mainly from Slavic melodic and harmonic systems. "New Laws / New Orders" was originally an instrumental suite of Vladimír Hirsch, created in 2000, later reworked alongside some unreleased pieces from 1996-1999. Skrol's majestic and uncompromising music is based on specific melodiousness and orchestration of contemporary neoclassical music, situated in the arch of industrial ambient and brutalised by noises and modern technological sounds. This album represents the “swan song” of the band, being its last activity. Digipak.
THE ONE ENSEMBLE ORCHESTRA - 'Other Thunders' CD (NO-FI)
Daniel Padden’s The One Ensemble began as a solo project and quickly morphed into a quartet with the recruitment of Chris Hladowski, Aby Vulliamy and Peter Nicholson. With Padden’s leadership, they developed a curious and strident brew of Eastern European folk, chamber music, a pinch of Robert Wyatt and some kind of earthy psychedelic primitivism. "...the range on display here is much wider than the typical gypsy / folk-aligned forms on prior one ensemble output ; the beefed-up instrumentation lends an almost Dmitri Tiomkin-ian flair with the massed choir & strings resonating strongly with each other as the band runs through takes ranging from minimal, gestural improv(s) to full-band drones & lurching, sea-shanty lineage ditties... awesome" (Mimaroglu). Digisleeve.
UK 11£
Europe 12£
World 13£
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ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI & TETSUO FURUDATE - 'World As Will IV' CD (OHM Records)
"IV" in the 'World As Will' series ("III" Sub Rosa, "II' 23five, "I" Staalplaat). "‘World As Will’ is a work in which Zbigniew Karkowski and Tetsuo Furudate combine orchestral music with computer music - read: noise. At the basis here lie two performances, one for sax, trombone, flute and sine waves and the other for a small ensemble called Sonic Boom. These recordings are slaughtered by the composers during a concert in Tokyo and turned into a racket of noise. Another heavy weight release, with lots of cascading noise samples of orchestral origin spliced on the spot together, fed through the lions of granular synthesis - and who knows what else. Its however in the power of these hands that they know, somewhere in the middle how to pull back and go deeper and deeper into what seems to be the crackling of surfaces with contact microphones, before returning to the world of crashing noise and only to return once more to that somewhat dark underworld, going back up after for a cascading finale. Noise indeed and perhaps I should have left this in the capable hands of Jliat, but this is actually noise of the more intelligent kind" (Vital Weekly). Limited to just 200 copies in a digipak!
