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Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Displaying 1 through 10 of 64 total records.
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ARTIST: 3/4HADBEENELIMINATED
TITLE: The Religious Experience
LABEL: SOLEILMOON RECORDINGS |
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| DESCRIPTION: Soleilmoon Recordings is proud to announce the simultaneous release of 3/4HadBeenEliminated’s new CD and LP, titled “Theology” and “The Religious Experience”, respectively.
3/4HadBeenEliminated was founded in 2002 in Bologna, Italy as a trio, with Stefano Pilia, Claudio Rocchetti and Valerio Tricoli. An eponymous album was released in 2003 by Bowindo. In 2004 the group welcomed Tony Arrabito and became a quartet. The next year Hapna put out their second album “A Year of the Aural Gauge Operation”, and in 2006 the band self-released a 7 inch single “DimethylAtonalCalcine”.
The group straddles the line between live improvisation and studio experimentation, blending and shaping raw sounds into living pieces, then gently dissecting the delicately structured songs into disruptive sonic excursions more evocative of moving shadows and swirling leaves than recognizable tunes. Stasis and stability are nowhere to be found here. Instead, an ever-changing dialogue between structure and chaos shifts from one performer to the next, never resting long before launching again into shuddering flight. Accoustic instruments and vocals form a familiar reference point, but studio treatments take the music into psychedelic and cinematic realms.
In their words, “Improvisation is a way to experiment without thinking. When our improvisations ‘work’, the music just happens on its own. It reveals itself as if guided by its own logic, its own desire. In fact we don’t even feel like we are actually playing the music. It’s more like a stream that moves and changes autonomously. With composition (editing, overdubs, etc. etc.) we then remodel this stream, trying to make it more complex, ‘forever lasting, forever changing’, in the sense that every hearing will reveal a new perspective of the music. As a live band, we improvise 100%, and it's really risky, but when it ‘happens’, it’s the greatest satisfaction.”
“The Religious Experience” is a riotously colored vinyl LP, presented in a deluxe hand-made sugarcane fiber cover, with a delicately perfumed inner sleeve and silkscreened insert, and is limited to 225 copies. The companion CD “Theology” contains the source recordings used for the LP, and is limited to 450 copies. The two albums – and their music – should be considered as mirror opposites. Where theology is a completely artificial system of belief, a religious experience is the immediate experience of the thing itself. Likewise, the music on “Theology” is complex and elaborate, while “The Religious Experience” is much simpler, going directly to the heart of the material comprising “Theology”. Thus, the two works are independent, yet relate to each other as mother and daughter.140192030677 |
| ITEM NUMBER: 08977 |
FORMAT: LP |
PRICE: $29.99 |
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ARTIST: 3/4HADBEENELIMINATED
TITLE: Theology
LABEL: SOLEILMOON RECORDINGS |
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| DESCRIPTION: Soleilmoon Recordings is proud to announce the simultaneous release of 3/4HadBeenEliminated’s new CD and LP, titled “Theology” and “The Religious Experience”, respectively.
3/4HadBeenEliminated was founded in 2002 in Bologna, Italy as a trio, with Stefano Pilia, Claudio Rocchetti and Valerio Tricoli. An eponymous album was released in 2003 by Bowindo. In 2004 the group welcomed Tony Arrabito and became a quartet. The next year Hapna put out their second album “A Year of the Aural Gauge Operation”, and in 2006 the band self-released a 7 inch single “DimethylAtonalCalcine”.
The group straddles the line between live improvisation and studio experimentation, blending and shaping raw sounds into living pieces, then gently dissecting the delicately structured songs into disruptive sonic excursions more evocative of moving shadows and swirling leaves than recognizable tunes. Stasis and stability are nowhere to be found here. Instead, an ever-changing dialogue between structure and chaos shifts from one performer to the next, never resting long before launching again into shuddering flight. Accoustic instruments and vocals form a familiar reference point, but studio treatments take the music into psychedelic and cinematic realms.
In their words , “Improvisation is a way to experiment without thinking. When our improvisations ‘work’, the music just happens on its own. It reveals itself as if guided by its own logic, its own desire. In fact we don’t even feel like we are actually playing the music. It’s more like a stream that moves and changes autonomously. With composition (editing, overdubs, etc. etc.) we then remodel this stream, trying to make it more complex, ‘forever lasting, forever changing’, in the sense that every hearing will reveal a new perspective of the music. As a live band, we improvise 100%, and it's really risky, but when it ‘happens’, it’s the greatest satisfaction.”
“Theology” is presented in a wooden box with a hinged cover decorated with layers of hand-painted tracing paper, and is limited to 450 copies on CD. The companion vinyl LP “The Religious Experience” is a reinterpretation of the recordings made for the CD. The LP is limited to 225 copies. The two albums – and their music – should be considered as mirror opposites. Where theology is a completely artificial system of belief, a religious experience is the immediate experience of the thing itself. Likewise, the music on “Theology” is complex and elaborate, while “The Religious Experience” is much simpler, going directly to the heart of the material comprising “Theology”. Thus, the two works are independent, yet relate to each other as mother and daughter.
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| ITEM NUMBER: 08978 |
FORMAT: CD |
PRICE: $19.99 |
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ARTIST: ARC
TITLE: Fracture
LABEL: DIN |
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| DESCRIPTION: Ian Boddy & Mark Shreeve have been at the centre of the UK Electronic Music scene since the late seventies and have known each other since they both appeared at the very first UK Electronica festival in 1983. They've both enjoyed considerable success in releasing a succession of solo albums. However it wasn't until 1998 that they first collaborated under the ARC banner for their first CD release, "Octane". Then in 1999 Boddy set up the ambient electronica label DiN that has achieved considerable success in releasing CD's by artists such as Robert Rich, Tetsu Inoue, Markus Reuter, Chris Carter, Surface 10, RMI & of course Ian Boddy. "Fracture" is ARC's fifth album release and their fourth on the DiN label. It features their fabled retro style sequencing, courtesy of Shreeve's giant Moog modular system, coupled with a heady mix of quirky melodic lines and spacy atmospheres. The album is wholly instrumental and the first four tracks constantly morph and evolve with a set of chilled out grooves and sublime melodic themes. The fifth track, "Rapture", is an epic in every sense. Nearly 23 minutes in length it features a central, pounding sequencer riff section cocooned within truly awe inspiring deep space ambiences for a truly memorable track. |
| ITEM NUMBER: 11187 |
FORMAT: CD |
PRICE: $15.99 |
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ARTIST: ASTROPHAGUS
TITLE: Casualite
LABEL: HELMET ROOM RECORDINGS |
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| DESCRIPTION: 'Casualite' was written mostly in the Early Parts of 2005, spanning a time during which the band felt personally an encroaching resignation about politics and their own interests in fighting a domestic ideological battle. These songs form a sort of vague propaganda, and speak the vernacular of failure, confusion, and the lack of personal locomotion. There is a cloud that surrounds these Early Days of The New Millennium, and it is impossible to see beyond the cloud to what history will record as our collective destiny. 'Casualite' is an expression of this idea. Are we tyrants? Misunderstood sub-royalty? Lazy to a fault? Will animals inhabit our domiciles, sighing a relived sigh, after we are all gone?
About Astrophagus: Astrophagus had their beginnings in the mid eighties, when founding members Jason and Josh Cain recieved a Yamaha Soundbank keyboard for Christmas and began making recordings on their boombox. Fast-forward a couple of decades. The Cain brothers went on to other things, got married, divorced, graduated from college with a degree in finance, things like that. 2003 found them broke and living in a two room apartment in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. With nothing but time and alcohol to keep them company, the Yamaha Soundbank was resurrected from the depths of the basement and Astrophagus was formed with Josh on keyboards and samples and Jason on guitar and vocals. With the addition of David Kurtz on drums and Austin Hein on bass, Astrophagus became a full fledged band that combines electronic and nonelectronic elements, truncated song structures, and short lyrical statements into cohesive relevant emotional outlays. Since forming, Astrophagus have played countless rock shows at the finest venues in Denver and the western region, and have shared the stage with numerous nationally touring acts such as Dressy Bessy, Aqueduct, Parker and Lily, Crystal Skulls, and Echoset, among others. |
| ITEM NUMBER: 08073 |
FORMAT: CD |
PRICE: $11.99 |
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ARTIST: BAKER, AIDAN
TITLE: Liminoid/ Lifeforms
LABEL: ALIEN8 RECORDINGS |
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| DESCRIPTION: While Alien8 Recordings has had the pleasure of releasing three full-length albums by Aidan Baker’s ambient doom project Nadja, as well as his collaborative effort Fantasma Parastasie with Tim Hecker, this marks our first solo release with the artist.
Although we consider Liminoid/Lifeforms to be a solo effort, there are in fact no less than eight guest musicians helping out on the recording. These include Canadian noise legend Knurl (a.k.a. Alan Bloor) who has been released three times on Alien8 Recordings prior to this recording, as well as members of Arc, Picastro, Forest City Lovers and Whisper Room.
Liminoid is a composition for large ensemble exploring sonic immersion in drones and textures, rhythms and pulsations. Incorporating composed and improvised segments, the piece uses elongation of sound and layered polyphony in an attempt to create a liminal and/or numinous state. This recording of Liminoid is from its premier at The Music Gallery’s X-Avant Festival in Toronto, October 25, 2008. The piece features a powerful vocal performance with every member sharing the vocal duties. The lyrics have been adapted from 5th-8th century Coptic Christian texts and inspired by the book Ancient Christian Magic by by Marvin W. Meyer & Richard Smith.
The ensemble members for this performance were: Aidan Baker (guitar/voice), Clara Engel (guitar/voice), Nick Storring (cello/voice), Jakob Thiesen (drums/voice), Richard Baker (drums/voice), Tillman Lewis (cello/voice), Laura Bates (violin/voice) and Jonathan Demers (guitar/voice).
Lifeforms is a composition for strings, prepared/effected guitar, and amplified metal works. Likewise incorporating written and improvised material, the piece was originally commissioned and performed by The Penderecki Quartet in 2003. This recording was made in August 2008 at Commonwealth Studios in Toronto. The performers were: Aidan Baker (guitar), Nick Storring (cello), Mika Posen (violin) and Alan Bloor (metal works).
This recording has been both skillfully mixed from multiple recordings and mastered by James Plotkin. |
| ITEM NUMBER: 10924 |
FORMAT: CD |
PRICE: $17.09 |
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ARTIST: BASS COMMUNION
TITLE: Loss
LABEL: SOLEILMOON RECORDINGS |
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| DESCRIPTION: The new Bass Communion album Loss is not about the violent moment of loss, but its aftermath. The crushing melancholia, the endless questions of “what if?” and “why?”, as well as the concepts of regret, missed opportunity, or a feeling or moment in time that can never be recaptured. But even in the midst of this gloomy scene, hope and light are born, for loss is never total. Memory lingers, a residue of evidence is left behind, and life goes on.
Steven Wilson, the man behind Bass Communion, says “For me, the album is an extension of the previous release, Ghosts on Magnetic Tape, which relates to Electronic Voice Phenomena, or the idea that the dead can still communicate with the living world through recorded media. In order to try to capture this feeling I wanted the music to leave a spectral, ghostly impression, and to have an organic decaying quality, like something trying to break through from another world. To this end my musical sources were mainly 78 rpm records, a vibraphone and an upright piano. No synths or electronics were used, only organic sources or instrumentation that has been around for at least the last century.”
Although best known for his rock band Porcupine Tree and his production and mixing work for artists as diverse as Opeth and Yoko Ono, Steven Wilson sees Bass Communion as his personal labor of love. In Bass Communion we hear not only the music nearest to his heart, but the music closest to what he himself listens to: “In freeing myself from thinking in terms of melody or rhythm, and focusing purely on the texture and inherent qualities of pure sound, I believe the music achieves a purity of intent and spirit, as a means to express some of my innermost feelings, such as loss, at a much deeper level.”
Following a limited edition vinyl release in January, Loss is being issued in unlimited digital glory, as a two disc set consisting of a high resolution 5.1 surround sound DVD-Audio disc and a standard stereo CD. The DVD-Audio disc is compatible with all DVD players, but will sound best in a player with DVD-A capabilities. And the CD of course can be played pretty much everywhere else.
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| ITEM NUMBER: 07909 |
FORMAT: DVDA + CD |
PRICE: $16.99 |
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ARTIST: BASS COMMUNION VS. MUSLIMGAUZE
TITLE: bcvsmgcd
LABEL: SOLEILMOON RECORDINGS |
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| DESCRIPTION: I only met Bryn Jones once, although we spoke many times on the telephone between 1996-1998. I discovered Muslimgauze through a random purchase of the double CD Blue Mosque, and had been deeply impressed by the originality and intensity of the work. I was used to working in completely different musical genres, but despite this the music suggested an artist with a similarly wide interest in music as myself, drawing as it did on world music, electronica, industrial and ambient. In fact during our first telephone conversation I learned that Bryn did not feel any affinity or have any interest in ANY other music, his agenda being almost entirely political. However I suspect that he was being defensive as he also told me that he had being making his music in almost entire isolation since the beginning, with virtually no interest from the media, any other musicians, or for that matter the listening public. He made music for himself and to express his political beliefs - he did not care that the whole world seemed to ignore him. The very last time I spoke to him in late 1998 I asked him if he had revised this view at all. By that time a limited edition series (the only way his record label could deal with his prolific work rate) had been a big success and his CDs were regularly reviewed/discussed. Many other musicians had asked him to remix their work or to collaborate with them and his music had inspired a fanatical following, particularly on the internet. In short there was incredible respect for him and his work, which had also led to invitations for concert performances all over the world. Yes, he admitted, he was feeling happier with his lot in life. He died a few weeks later.
The meeting took place in his home town of Swinton, Manchester a few weeks after I first contacted him to tell him how much I admired his music. We had arranged that I would drive to near his home and call him from a payphone. We met at a nearby bar and I gave him some CDs of my own work, explaining that I did not really expect he would like them, but that I would be happy if he would listen to them anyway. In return he gave me a cassette of an album that he had just completed. I noted with some amusement that it was titled “For Staalplaat, recorded...” and then the previous day’s date. He had recorded the whole album in a single day, partly explaining how Bryn was able to produce a discography of well over 100 releases in his 15 years as a recording artist.
About four days after my meeting with Bryn I received a parcel containing two digital audio tapes. I was stunned to discover that these tapes contained two and a half hours of Muslimgauze reconstructions of the CDs I had given Bryn only a few days earlier! I had not asked Bryn to do these mixes but he had done them anyway. I later found out he felt compelled to remix anything that he was given in order to “improve it”. Some of the mixes were of NO-MAN and one in particular struck me as being very effective. I played it to my partner in NO-MAN (the singer Tim Bowness) and our record company, both of whom liked it, so we decided to include it on a forthcoming release. Bryn seemed very happy about this and when he was eventually paid for the work and sent copies of the finished CD I again received at least an hour’s worth of new mixes using other tracks from the album. It seemed that if you gave any music to Bryn he would “improve it”.
Some of the other music on the tapes was so far removed from the source material that I suggested to Bryn that I used it as the basis for a collaborative project. I would take his rhythms and build something new out of them with further overdubbing and editing. He liked the idea and several more DAT swaps and a few months later we had completed the Bass Communion v Muslimgauze album, which alas we were unable to secure a release for during Bryn’s lifetime (partly because his extreme work rate meant that there was always a backlog of Muslimgauze releases). The five pieces completed while he was alive were eventually issued in 1999 on Soleilmoon (SOL 89 CD), and later on I completed two additional pieces that had been left uncompleted at the time of Bryn’s death, and these were released as a companion EP in early 2000 (SOL 106 CD). Both releases have been out of print for some time, but I’m happy that the music is available once again on this new Bass Communion versus Muslimgauze complete edition. Steven Wilson (January 2000, revised March 2006)
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| ITEM NUMBER: 07908 |
FORMAT: CD |
PRICE: $14.99 |
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Displaying 1 through 10 of 64 total records.
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