ANDREW LILES - 'Ouarda (The Subtle Art Of Phyllorhodomancy)' 2 x LP (Dirter Promotions)
(2008) Andrew Liles’ latest offering has taken nearly three years to hit the shelves and almost as long to create. Recorded in London, Paris, and Sicily "Ouarda (The Subtle Art Of Phyllorhodomancy)" is a travelogue that refuses to stay stuck in any one place for any extended period. The music is as diverse as the array of guests involved - Danielle Dax, Maja Elliott, Rose McDowall, Karl Blake, Edward Ka-Spel and Volcano the Bear’s Daniel Padden all bestow unique and stunning contributions. Obscure, accessible, incomprehensible and exceptional, "Ouarda (The Subtle Art Of Phyllorhodomancy)" is testament to the breathtaking production talents of Andrew Liles, arguably the most vital and original soundsmith of recent years. Limited Edition of 600 copies on neon pink and lime green coloured vinyl with stunning artwork.
UK 20£
Europe 23£
World 26£
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BLINDHAED - 'Whether That Will Make People Want To Become Archaeologists, We'll Have To See' 12" (Ini.Itu)
(2008) The first release on this Belgian label is a single-sided , 20-minute 12" from Blindhæd. Abstract, musique concrete and experimental sounds, citing their influences as Lull, Asmus Tietchens, Phill Niblock etc. "The slight metallic rumble, the same subaquatic sound processing, the debris of contact microphone rumble. It seems to be dealing less with field recordings, and more with the electronic layering of various concrete actions and sounds, which shift along each other in quite an intelligent way. One can sense that there is quite some time and effort in this piece, since it flows subtle and moves into various different textures" (Vital Weekly). Ltd x 250 hand-numbered copies in a full colour sleeve.
(2006) The second release by Flim (Enrico Wuttke) for Plinkity Plonk. "Flim's music is full of deep sadness. The liner notes explain that the music was composed as an attempt to cope with the loss of a child, trying to find a balance between hope and frustration. To create his music Flim makes use of piano, organ and thoughtful computer processing. Often just single notes are struck on the piano; they keep on resonating and then slowly fade before the next note is played... Other tracks are more drone-related, with acoustic sounds stretched out into warm, hovering fields... a point where pain and beauty converge in fragile and intimate music... Flim's music is full of sadness, but... there is also a stretch of light on the horizon, a short dreamy melody to be discovered here and there just below the surface" [Vital Weekly]. Ltd x 500 copies in gatefold plastic sleeve.
(2005) Avant-garde death-electronic label Vital presents it’s first release. As an abstract radio transmission from a hellish toy factory, this nightmare of experimental death electronics is filled with manic rusted toy samples, disturbing natural sound textures and weird mutating cut-up soundscapes. A chaotic, naïve and childish audio journey through the noisy insane toy factory corridors. Matt digipak with great, disturbing Japanese-inspired mutated doll artwork. Ltd x 500 copies.
(2006) Semen is a collaboration between Jakob Nybo (Hentai) and Henrik Nordvargr Björkk (MZ.412, Toroidh, Folkstorm). Hentai and Nordvargr ejaculate their audio semen into the cold electric womb, and watch in fear as an unnatural sonic offspring mutates, squirms in agony and slowly comes to life. A unique and extremely disturbing masterpiece of fleshy, cold and perverse avantgarde dark / death electronic soundscape nightmares. Comes in a superb 6-panel digipak with artwork by Salt (Ant-Zen).
Japanese experimental music legend KK Null tests his own limits onto the darkness and focuses all his artistic skills on creating a personal cinematic audio nightmare. "Akumu" is like being caught in a spider web that sticks and creps to your skin, there is no escape... "Akumu" is a truly imaginative and terrifying electronic album that gives us a new and unique edge on sound master Kazuyuki Kishinos' universe. A dark masterpiece! Comes in a superb 6-panel digipak with artwork by Salt (Ant-Zen).
KNIFELADDER - 'Organic Traces' CD (Operative Records)
"Organic Traces" is the first full length release by London act KnifeLadder and features percussion by John Murphy (Death In June, SPK etc), bass and electronics by Hunter Barr (AntiValium), vocals and electronics from Andrew Trail (Inertia, AntiValium), and a guest appearance on one track by Andrew King. A rare and exemplary example of tribal industrial, spewing forth as much earth born fire and dripping with the same salty burn of sweat and blood as other seminal acts from the genre, yet endowed a sense of here and now that keeps it contemporary and vital.
(2007) The rising star of Japanese avant-garde electronic music Manabu Hiramoto (Shinkiro) has entered the darkest places of his unique nightmarish imagination to record and capture the voices that has been haunting his creative mind. Now Manabu brings you his new dark electronic music project KOTODAMA. In Japan the old ancient word Kotodama meaning "the spirit of words" says to have a mysterious supernatural and spiritual power and is a word to be used with great caution and respect. Comes in a deluxe 6-panel digipak with designs by S.ALT (Ant-Zen).
MARIÆ NASCENTI - 'Raise Your Paw To The Sky And Break The Truce' Enhanced CD (Final Muzik)
The second album from Italian Mariæ Nascenti was produced by Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo (Larsen), "Raise..." is arguably the best work of Mariæ Nascenti: pain, loneliness, imagination, dreams, blood, souls and flesh collide together in this wonderfully emotional album. It develops though vital energy a devastating tabula rasa of feelings, through other-worldly melodies, "found" songs, silences, sudden spoken texts, obscure nightmare soundtracks and cold nocturnal music for black & white memories. Guests: Larsen, Northgate, Blind Cave Salamander, Femina Faber / Ludmila, DsorDNE and more. Includes a bonus video track. Ltd x 1200 copies in a digipak with booklet.
UK 10£
Europe 11£
World 12£
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MECHA / ORGA - '56:24' CD (Absurd)
Mecha / Orga is the name chosen by Yiorgis Sakellariou from Greece. This work, indicated by it's length, was created one afternoon in February 2006, and played live thereafter a couple of times. The length becomes the title, and the listener can come up with his or her own story. Over the course of the fifty-six minutes and twenty-four seconds Sakellariou plays a slowly unfolding piece of Drone music, which grows in intensity throughout. When you think nothing more can be added, he adds another layer. And another. And another. Most suitable to play in the dark, at night. Or during the day, outside, watching plants grow. Multi-purpose music, I'd say. Great stuff. Powerful music. [FDW / Vital Weekly]. Presented in a full-colour wallet.
UK 9£
Europe 10£
World 11£
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OORCHACH - 'Prisimerkti' CD (Autarkeia)
The Northern nations of Siberia use the term “Oorchach” to define a very specific archaic artefact of the household - an iron ring attached to new-born domestic animals to prevent them from sucking their mother’s milk. It is a powerful archaic symbol embodying the encounter with remorseless reality in early childhood. The signs and sounds of these shamanic cultures extinguished in times immemorial are revived in the ritual ambient / industrial project Oorchach (Lithuanian artist PoPo). Monotonic powerful loops, tribal rhythms, coarse sound quality, and the composing methods remind of the aesthetics of old school industrial / ambient and generate a strong, archaic atmosphere, the vitality of shamanic rituals and the intoxicating trance of primeval eternal nature. Ltd x 500 copies in a digipak.
The long awaited 1st full-length LP by American vital slugger Gordon Ashworth is finally out. Two long tracks documented in Portland, Oregon 2006-2007. Fierce and solid bursts of shrill metal junk roar, high-frequency feedback and brutal vocals. A circumspect composition of heavy drone / noise assaults and depressive electronics. Explosions break the silence, the silence erodes the explosion. When you look up at the horizon, your blood will remember "Grey Variables". Hand-numbered edition of 280 copies on clear vinyl in a heavy polysleeve with a silkscreened obi strip and a postcard. Japanese import.
UK 15£
Europe 17£
World 19£
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PYLONE - 'Grounded Hands' CD (Sound On Probation)
After "Black Grains", Pylône’s second album goes on developing micro sounds in closed environments. "Grounded Hand" is a mass in disarray, a collage of cracking and clicking sounds, clinical minimal repetitive heartbeat inviting listeners to follow its author through an experience of granular meditation, a dive into crunching, vibrating sound material. If the first part is made of harsh abstract compositions, the second part opens up to space, to cinematic, contemplative atmospheres.. "Good, sturdy computer work" (Vital Weekly). Digipak.
UK 10.50£
Europe 11.50£
World 12.50£
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REUTOFF - 'Deprivatio' CD (Ewers Tonkunst)
Five years after their 2003 “Gute Nacht Berlin” comes the long-awaited full-length album from this well-known Russian industrial project. “Deprivatio” is a sad story of a person surrendering to the enemy environment. It’s about idle struggle with time and fatigue, about constant withering of passions and imminent vitality deprivation. Being maybe the most hopeless and sad work for Reutoff, this album is paradoxically their most rhythmic and dynamic. There are more noisy drum loops and electro sounds here than martial drum patterns and old school noise, but their unique deep and profound melodic main themes are still remain as the basement for the brilliant new tracks of despair and downfall. Russian import.
UK 10£
Europe 11£
World 12£
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THE HAFLER TRIO - 'Ignotum Per Ignotius' CD (Korm Plastics)
The seventh in the Hafler Trio reissue series, originally issued by Touch. "Ignotium Per Ignotius stands for unknown to the very unknown... Releases by The Hafler Trio are never "easy listening" and Ignotum Per Ignotia no exception... The music seems based upon silence and noise. There are long periods of silence and then suddenly there's an outpouring of noise. The noise is multi-layered and even though this is a difficult Hafler CD to listen to, there is a strange quality and attractiveness in the music... There are track titles listed on the sleeve, but the music is coded as one long piece" [Vital Weekly]. Heavy foldout packaging with 32 page booklet.
UK 12£
Europe 13£
World 14£
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TOSHIYA TSUNODA - 'Kapotte Muziek By Toshiya Tsunoda' CD (Korm Plastics)
This is in many ways a break with tradition. Normally Toshiya Tsunoda writes detailed descriptions of what he does per piece, but in this case it is just said he reworks an old cassette by Kapotte Muziek, called '4 Stukken'. Like the cassette there are four parts, corresponding with the original release and they are reworked in the best Tsunoda tradition, involving field recordings and strange and unusual on-site recordings. Rather than being documental or naturalistic, his pieces appear as unique music compositions concerned with the relation between space and cognition, rendering the vibration of objects audible, revealing the hidden beauty in each sonic detail. He captures the depth of the landscape, the vital breathing of things.
An outstanding conceptual masterpiece of art dedicated to the Japanese master of controversial new wave cinema, Takashi Miike. Featuring over 2 hours of brand new material inspired by Miike's films, "Audiotion" features viral outpourings and unique experimentation from: KK Null, Shinjuku Thief, Converter, Hentai, Shinkiro, Sunao Inami, Jazkamer, Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, Contagious Orgasm, Hecate, P.A.L., S:Cage, Asmorod and Iszoloscope. This release opens with an exclusive audio voice introduction by Takashi Miike himself, specially recorded for this tribute. "Audiotion" also features an exclusive outroduction vocal song preformed by Japanese movie actor Tokitoshi Shiota. Presented in a stunning 6 panel digipak, which includes a full colour booklet, featuring a special foreword from Japanese cinema expert and Miike biographer Tom Mes. Stylish and vivid cover art designs by S.ALT (Ant-Zen).
VA - 'Four Studies For A Human Portrait - Tribute To Francis Bacon' CD (Vital)
Each of the four artists on this tribute has chosen their favourite Francis Bacon painting as an inspiration source to create a sonic collage. Features: HENRIK NORDVARGR BJÖRKK, HENTAI, CONTAGIOUS ORGASM and LASSE MARHAUG! Dark Ambient, Drone, Death Industrial, Glitch and Minimal Electronica. Ltd x 1000 copies in deluxe 6-panel digipak. Don’t miss out on this gem! Great meaty artwork by Salt / BombTheDot!
ZAIMPH - 'Sexual Infinity' CD (Hospital Productions)
Marcia Bassett (Double Leopards, Hototogisu) on her first proper solo full length. "Sexual Infinty" stands refreshingly organised into six escalating pieces of her signature guitar, voice, and electronic moodscapes, entrancing the listener with sinister seduction. comparisons to early 80s power electronics and industrial acts as Uncommunity, Mauthausen Orchestra and Ramleh reside in the underbelly of Zaïmph's ability to generate ominous, gritty, and doom laden atmospheres, cloaked in a thick lush drone. what begins with raw ethereal guitar shadows of longing delight closes with vital gripping electronic tension.
